Fic: In the Family Way (8(b)/11)

[rusty_armour]

Title: In the Family Way (8(b)/11)
Author: Rusty Armour
Pairing: McShep, Beckett/Other
Summary: Some are born into families; others create their own.
Word Count: 3,586
Category: Slash, MPreg, AU
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Pretty much everything up to and including season three.
Disclaimer: Thou Shalt Not Steal. Even in the interest of fic. Most of these characters aren't mine. I, uh, borrowed them. Yeah.

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It was almost 1:00 in the morning by the time they made it home. After Andrew had finally fallen asleep, it had taken the combined efforts of both Carson and Dr. Starling to convince Jeannie to go home to catch forty winks herself. Even then, Carson practically had to drag her from Andrew's room. As they drove home, Carson wondered if it would have been kinder to let Jeannie stay and sit by Andrew's bed. Then, he witnessed Jeannie's struggle to unlock her front door and decided that he and Dr. Starling had made the right call.

As they trudged into the living room, Carson wasn't all that surprised to see Rodney dozing in the armchair. Rodney had become all too accustomed to hanging around the infirmary when a member of his team was wounded or sick. He was hardly likely to break the pattern when his own nephew was in the hospital.

Carson tapped his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Rodney. Rodney, we're home."

Rodney's eyes instantly flew open and he might have sat bolt upright if his belly hadn't been in the way. "I'm awake! I'm awake! How's Andrew? Is Jeannie…?" His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on his sister. "Hey, Jeannie." He attempted to rise from the armchair, only succeeding when Carson grabbed both his hands and tugged. "I called the restaurant and told them you wouldn't be in for a couple of days. Your supervisor was very understanding."

"Thanks," Jeannie murmured.

"Are either of you hungry?" Rodney asked. "I ate what was left of Carson's tuna casserole, but there's a can of Zoodles in the cupboard." He smiled nervously at Jeannie. "Remember that commercial from when we were kids? Have you ever gone hunting with a bowl and spoon? Get hunting with Libby's Zoodles! Zoo-Zoo-Zoo-Zoo-Zoodles!"

Unfortunately, the song didn’t have the desired effect, unless Rodney's goal was to make Jeannie's face instantly crumple.

"Oh, God," Rodney said. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to…I didn't mean to--" He was cut off when Jeannie started sobbing on his shoulder. Rodney wrapped his arms around his sister and glared at Carson. "You said he was fine."

Carson waved his hands helplessly. "He is fine. This…this must be some kind of delayed reaction."

"Oh." Rodney's expression softened as he gazed down at Jeannie. "Oh, I know all about delayed reactions. I've had a few of those myself." He began stroking Jeannie's hair. "Sometimes there's just too much to hold in and you've got to let it out."

Carson rubbed his face wearily and nodded. "Aye, that's true enough." He glanced at Jeannie. "Perhaps I should make some tea."

Rodney snorted. "I think she's going to need something a lot stronger than tea."

"No," Jeannie said, her voice muffled against Rodney's shoulder. "No, I'm okay." She raised her head, and Rodney reached inside a pocket to hand her a wad of Kleenex. He'd started carrying tissues when he'd discovered the wonderful world of hormones. Jeannie took them eagerly, blowing her nose on one and using another to wipe her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I did that."

Rodney rolled his eyes, handing Jeannie another tissue when she sniffed. "Oh, I don't know. It's not as if your kid's in the hospital or you're emotionally and physically drained."

Jeannie smacked Rodney's arm, but Carson could see that her heart wasn't really in it.

"Go to bed and crash for a few hours," Rodney said.

Jeannie frowned. "But the hospital. What if the hospital--?"

"If the phone rings, I'll answer it." Rodney put a hand on Jeannie's back and began to push her out of the living room.

"But the baby," Jeannie said. "You need to sleep more than I do."

Rodney took Jeannie's hand and laid it on his belly. "Feel that? The baby doesn't want to sleep. The baby wants me to grab a snack and watch some cheesy B movie or an infomercial. The baby would prefer it if Aunty Jeannie went to bed because she knows that her mommy can sleep any time."

Jeannie patted Rodney's belly affectionately. "Well, if that's what the baby wants, I'd better do what she says." Jeannie shuffled out of the living room, giving Carson a tired smile as she passed him.

Rodney waited until Jeannie was out of earshot before grabbing Carson by the shoulders and steering him towards the hall. "Go with her," he said.

"What?" Carson tried to free himself from Rodney's grip, but Rodney was surprisingly strong for a pregnant person.

"I'd feel better if you stayed with her," Rodney said. "I don't think she should be alone right now."

Carson shook his head in exasperation. "Rodney, all that poor woman wants to do right now is sleep."

"That doesn't mean you can't keep her company. She's got a queen-size mattress, so there's plenty of room." Rodney tried to give Carson another shove, but Carson had planted both feet firmly on the carpet. "Look, you're exhausted and you haven't slept in a proper bed in months. I'm just suggesting that you both, uh, snooze together."

Carson raised an eyebrow. "In the same bed. You think we should sleep together in the same bed."

Rodney raised his chin. "Yes. If that's what Jeannie needs, then, yes."

Carson laughed and the sound was bitter to his ears as well as Rodney's. "I'm pretty sure having to share her bed with a man she's barely speaking to is the last thing your sister needs right now." When Rodney opened his mouth to protest, Carson quickly said, "I'll go check on her, see if there's anything she needs, but that's all, Rodney."

Rodney's mouth snapped shut and he nodded. "Okay. That's-that's reasonable." He lowered his hands and took a step back.

"Good," Carson said. "Thank you."

"So I'll see you in the morning, then?" Rodney asked.

"Rodney," Carson growled.

"Yes, yes, all right," Rodney grumbled. He turned and began heading for the kitchen, while Carson worked up the courage to go to Jeannie's room.

When Carson reached Jeannie's door, he was surprised to find it open. He knocked on it lightly and then cautiously peeked inside the room. It was dark and Carson couldn't see Jeannie at first. Then he saw her standing in front of the window, lit only by the moon.

"Are you okay?" Carson asked. He walked into the room and stood beside Jeannie. The window was open and a breeze was rustling the curtains.

"The Pegasus Galaxy," Jeannie said. "I guess you can't see it from here, even with a telescope."

"Uh, no. No, you can't. It's too far away." All the same, Carson fixed his gaze on the stars. "I wish you could visit Atlantis. It's absolutely incredible."

"Hmm," Jeannie said. "That's how Rodney described it."

Carson smiled. "Aye, well, Rodney's half-besotted with Atlantis. He knows her better than anyone."

Jeannie turned from the window. "Rodney's going to have to return to Atlantis to have the baby, isn't he?"

Carson hesitated for a second and then nodded. "Aye, it will have to be Atlantis or the SGC. It's just too risky to deliver the baby anywhere else."

"Does Rodney know that?" Jeannie asked.

"God, I hope so," Carson said fervently. "I think he's probably realized he can't have the baby here, but he doesn't want to admit it."

Jeannie looked at the stars again. "Do you really think the US military would take the baby?"

More than anything, Carson wanted to allay Jeannie's fears, but he knew he owed her the truth. "I think there are some people within the military and the government who would very much like to get their hands on Rodney's baby if they ever learned of its existence." Carson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If there was a way to guarantee Rodney safe passage to Atlantis, I think he'd be okay. Elizabeth would do everything in her power to keep him and the baby safe. I know she would."

"I hope you're right," Jeannie said. Then she yawned, and Carson remembered why he'd come to her room in the first place.

Carson moved over to the bed and pulled back the covers in one swift motion. "Why don't we finish this discussion later, when we've both had a chance to sleep?"

Jeannie walked over to her dresser. "I need to change into my PJs and brush my teeth first." She grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from one of the drawers and made her way to the bathroom.

Carson flopped down on the mattress and closed his eyes. He didn't mean to doze off and jerked awake when Jeannie tapped him on the shoulder.

"Move over," Jeannie said. "You're hogging the whole mattress."

Carson quickly jumped off the bed. "Sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just…just…"

"Resting your eyes?" Jeannie suggested.

Carson nodded eagerly. "Aye, that's it. I was just resting my eyes." He started to inch his way towards the door. "Well, good night, then. Pleasant dreams."

"Where do you think you're going?" Jeannie said.

Carson froze. "Uh…"

"Aren't you going to tuck me in and tell me a bedtime story?" Jeannie asked.

Carson couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the flash of a grin in the moonlight. "I'll tuck you in, but it's a bit late for a bedtime story."

"Fair enough." Jeannie lay down on the mattress and looked up at Carson expectantly.

As it was unseasonably cool, Carson drew the sheets up to Jeannie's shoulders and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Sleep tight." He was about to leave, but an arm snaked out from under the covers and grabbed his wrist.

"You should stay," Jeannie said. "You need to get some sleep too."

"But--" Carson began.

Jeannie tugged on Carson's arm. "Rodney's watching TV in the living room, so you can't sleep on the couch."

"Jeannie, I'm a doctor: I can sleep through just about anything," Carson said.

"Yeah, well, I doubt 'anything' includes Rodney." Jeannie yanked on Carson's arm again and this time she succeeded in pulling him down. Carson landed half across Jeannie and half across the mattress.

"Well, as I'm here already…" Carson climbed up the mattress and got under the covers. "I hope you don't snore."

Jeannie shot him a dirty look. "Go to sleep, Carson."

Carson hid his smile as he sank happily into his pillow. "Good night, Jeannie," he said.


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When Carson woke up, the sun was streaming through the window and he was mortified to discover that he was spooned up against Jeannie with a hand resting on one of her breasts. Hoping desperately that Jeannie was still asleep, he attempted to extract his hand.

"Whoa," Jeannie said. "What are you doing with that hand?"

Carson felt his cheeks flush. "I'm so sorry. I must have rolled over in my sleep and…I didn't mean it to happen!" He began to pull his hand away, but Jeannie grabbed it.

"You didn't do anything," Jeannie said. "I did. I sort of accidentally put your hand there while you were asleep."

Carson's eyes widened. "Oh! You placed my hand there sort of accidentally, did you?" He broke into a huge grin. "And what else might my hand have sort of accidentally done if I hadn't woken up?"

"I don't know. You woke up." Jeannie tossed him a quick glance over her shoulder, and Carson could see that she was smiling.

"I think I know," Carson said. He ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple, and Jeannie drew in a sharp breath. Growing a bit bolder, Carson began to rub the nipple in a circular motion, causing Jeannie to gasp. The gasp turned into a moan when Carson moved to the other breast, pinched the nipple between his thumb and index fingers, and began to knead it slowly.

"You know," Jeannie said, sounding a little breathless, "if I took off my shirt, you could, uh, do more."

Carson jerked his hand away as if he'd been scalded. "What the hell am I doing? Your son's in the hospital, and I'm-I'm…"

Jeannie turned over on her back. "Andrew's okay. We'll probably be able to pick him up in a couple of hours."

"But I thought you didn't want this, that you didn't want to start something we couldn't finish," Carson said.

"Screw it. I changed my mind." Jeannie reached for the hem of her t-shirt, yanking it over her head. She smirked when she caught Carson gazing, transfixed, at her breasts. "Like what you see?" she asked.

Carson was about to touch her, but then withdrew his hand with a shake of his head. "People turn to sex as a means of comfort during periods of emotional stress and turmoil."

"You sound like a textbook, Carson," Jeannie said. She grabbed the waistband of her shorts, but Carson batted her hands away. Jeannie sighed loudly. "Okay, I freaked out when Andrew got hurt, but I'm fine now. I'm fine because you got me through it. You waited with me in the hospital. You stayed the whole time."

"Jeannie," Carson said, "if you're doing this out of some sense of obligation…"

Jeannie let out a scream and whacked Carson on the chest with her pillow. "No, I'm not doing this out of some sense of obligation, you-you moron!" She sat up and Carson was sure that he'd blown it. That was why he was taken aback when she shoved him down on the mattress and straddled his hips. "I'm doing this because I want to, because we want to. At least, I assume we both want to."

"Oh, yes," Carson breathed, staring up at her breasts. He cupped one in his hand, marvelling at its warmth and softness. "You're so beautiful. So very, very beautiful." He reached for the waistband of Jeannie's shorts and started to drag them down her hips. Jeannie climbed off Carson briefly, so that she could remove her shorts completely. Then she was shoving Carson's shirt off him and unbuttoning his trousers.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had sex?" Jeannie asked. She had unzipped Carson's fly and was sliding a hand inside the opening.

Carson's hips bucked. "No," he said, "but I think I can imagine." He pulled Jeannie down on top of him and kissed her long and deep. Jeannie moaned and gripped Carson's biceps. Carson tightened his hold on Jeannie, shoving his tongue even further into her mouth. When they broke apart, their eyes were glazed and they were both gasping for air. Jeannie returned her attention to the lower half of Carson's body, practically tearing off his trousers and underwear. Carson was fully erect and squirmed when she caressed his cock.

"I have a condom in my wallet," Carson said.

"Oh, really?" Jeannie said. "Well, we'd better put it to good use, then." She rummaged in the back pocket of Carson's trousers and dug out the wallet. When she had found the condom and ripped it from its package, she rolled it over Carson's penis and straddled his hips again.

Carson's hands trailed lightly up Jeannie's sides and over her stomach, causing her to shiver. Then Carson was flipping them over, so that he was lying on top of Jeannie. He took a nipple in his mouth and sucked it, running his hands over every inch of Jeannie's skin he could find. He could hear Jeannie mewling, could feel her body arching beneath him.

When Carson nudged his cock against Jeannie, she planted both hands on his ass and guided him in. Her breath hitched for a moment when he entered her, but then she was wrapping her legs around Carson's back and raising her pelvis.

Carson tried to be gentle. He really did. But Jeannie kept thrusting her hips and making tiny, inarticulate cries. He couldn't help speeding up his rhythm when the cries grew louder and Jeannie began tossing her head. He drove into her, trying to go as far as he could.

"God, Carson, I love you," Jeannie whispered. Then she tensed and threw back her head, coming with a long, drawn out whine at the back of her throat.

Carson's own release came seconds later. He thrust into Jeannie wildly, riding out the orgasm with a shout. He collapsed on top of Jeannie, panting heavily against her neck. Jeannie stroked his sweaty hair and kissed his temple. Carson felt so blissfully happy and sated, that he had no memory of falling asleep.


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When Carson woke the second time, it was to the sound of knocking. When he glanced at the clock on the bedside table, he was amazed to see that it was almost 9:30. How long had the two of them slept?

The knocking returned and this time Rodney's voice accompanied it. "Jeannie? Carson? The hospital called. You can pick up Andrew any time."

Jeannie sat up, making sure her chest was covered, even though Rodney couldn't see her. "Okay! Thanks! We'll be right out!"

"Take your time," Rodney said. "I'm making pancakes."

Carson and Jeannie exchanged a look and silently mouthed, "Pancakes?" Then Carson asked, "Do you think he knows that we, uh…?"

"Well, you did spend the night in my bed," Jeannie said. "As much as I'd like to believe it, I don't think even Rodney can be that oblivious."

Their suspicions were confirmed when they walked into the kitchen. Rodney was whistling cheerfully to the radio while cleaning off the kitchen counter. There were two mugs of coffee on the table and a platter of pancakes that had been decorated with strawberry jam. Jeannie took one look at the pancakes and began to back slowly out of the kitchen, but Carson grabbed her before she could escape.

"I'm sure they're delicious," Carson whispered.

"They've got hearts and happy faces on them!" Jeannie hissed.

Carson sighed. "Aye, I noticed."

Jeannie clutched his hand. "Carson, I'm frightened."

"So am I," Carson said. He gestured at the table, and they moved cautiously towards it.

Rodney turned around when he heard their chairs scrape across the kitchen floor. "Good morning!" he said.

"Uh, yeah. Good morning." Jeannie grabbed her mug and took a long sip. "Wow. There sure are a lot of pancakes."

"Well, I figured you'd both be really hungry," Rodney said.

Jeannie almost dropped her coffee. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rodney crossed his arms. "In case you've forgotten, you spent, like, half the night in the hospital with Andrew."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Jeannie put down her mug and helped herself to two of the pancakes on the platter.

Rodney waited until Jeannie was taking a bite before he asked, "Is there some other reason why you'd be hungry?"

Jeannie started coughing and had to reach for her mug again. Rodney tried to look innocent, but his expression grew smug instead. Carson glared at him, but found it hard to be intimidating when he hadn't been able to stop grinning since he'd gotten out of bed.

After breakfast, Carson and Jeannie left for the hospital. As Jeannie made a right turn at the end of Hellas, she said, "You don't have to stick around the hospital with me. It could take a while."

Carson pretended to pout. "But I want to stay."

Jeannie smiled. "Yes, I know, and that's very sweet, but there's something else I need you to do for me."

"Anything," Carson said.

"Could you pick up some groceries?" Jeannie asked. "I promised Andrew he could have some ice cream and I think we're almost out." She glanced into the rearview mirror as she made another turn. "I'd do it on the way home, but I don't want Andrew to have to sit in the car too long."

"Of course," Carson said. "Is there anything else I should pick up?"

Jeannie thought about it for a moment. "Maybe you could get some ginger ale and…and whatever else a boy with a concussion might need. Oh, and can you pick up some strawberry jam? I think Rodney may have used all ours for his pancake experiment." Jeannie was blushing and Carson had to laugh.

"I'll see what I can do," Carson said.

When they reached the hospital, Carson kissed Jeannie and Jeannie said she would call him when she and Andrew were ready to come home from the hospital. Carson took the Honda and picked up the groceries on Jeannie's list, tossing in a couple of other items he thought Andrew might like.

Rodney had obviously been watching for Jeannie's Honda, as he was hovering anxiously in the front hall when Carson stepped through the door. Carson quickly explained about the errand Jeannie had sent him on as Rodney helped him put the groceries away. He tried to ignore the way Rodney was taking entirely too much interest in the new jar of strawberry jam. He was relieved when Rodney finally put the jar in the fridge and announced that he was going to take a shower.

Carson was about to sit on the couch with the newspaper to wait for Jeannie's call, when the doorbell rang. He put down the paper and walked to the door, assuming it would be Britney, Jamie, or another Brownie selling cookies. He was completely stunned when he opened the door and found Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard standing on the other side.

"Hey, Carson," Sheppard said. "I was in the neighbourhood, so I thought I'd drop in."


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