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John sat back surprised he was enjoying the day so far. It was a little social gathering that Elizabeth had arranged for the evening. A mix of local dishes mixed with a few from Earth and in ample supply for everyone to partake in. Music was playing through the PA system that covered the entire genre, including some that were recorded from the Mainland. It was relaxing to see everyone enjoying themselves for a change. Some had even taken up dancing or trying to dance from what he could tell.
No incidents or life-threatening crises had occurred of any kind over the last couple of weeks, which was a record for them. Everyone, including McKay, had caught up on their sleep. John knew…well he had the privilege of watching the man sleep. It was weird how he realized how much time they had been spending together now he had the time to think about it.
Normally they just did ‘their’ thing and then returned to their quarters, or Rodney would go back to his lab and work. Over the last two weeks, he found himself falling asleep and having to sneak back to his room at the crack of dawn if he stayed in Rodney’s room. Rodney would do the same if they stayed at John’s.
Teyla was on the Mainland visiting her people along with Carson. The man was taking the downtime to check up on his patients and do the well checks on the kids. Lorne and his team were on standby in case an emergency off-world needed to be taken care of. Ronon was sitting at the table laughing at something Radek was telling him. Rodney was quietly sipping on a cup of homemade wine being unusually quiet. Elizabeth was working the room making sure she talked to everyone here.
Suddenly he heard the first few notes of the next song and his mood suddenly changed. Why of all days did someone have to request or play this song of all songs?
“Steven walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low.
Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet and machine guns ready to go
Are you ready?
Are you ready for this?
Are you handing on the edge of your seat?
Out of the doorway, the bullets rip to the sound of the best
Another bites the dust.”
John tenses up as his thoughts travel back to another time in his life. The first semester of college was the first time he had been away from home. He was naïve and just finding out what it was to be a man and to be on his own for the first time. Now, because of this damn song by Queen he’s being reminded of a few damaging events in his life he do anything to forget or go back in time and change.
“How do you think I’m going to get along without you when you’re gone?
You took from me everything that I had and kicked me out on my own.
Are you happy, are you satisfied?
How long can you stand the heat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat.
Another one bites the dust.”
“I hate this song,” Rodney grumbled, with a look of distaste that John understood and shared.
“Why would anyone bite dust?” Ronon asked.
John chuckled at the confusion on the big guy’s face when Rodney replied, “It means to die, fail, break, give up, or stop existing.”
John hated this song with a passion because it made him remember the first and last time he let someone other than his family close. So close that he shared his deepest secrets and dreams. You never forget that first love, especially when it turned out to have been one-sided and they had been using you to get ahead.
“There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man and bring them to the ground.
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
But I’m ready for you.
I’m standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway the bullets rip repeating the sound of the beat.
Another one bites the dust.
Brandon Wixon, the man who had brought his world crashing down. Brandon’s betrayal had cut so deep that left him feeling like the rug had been pulled out right from under him without even the floor there to break the fall. Brandon was charming and handsome at first and then showed how soulless he truly was. John knew he should just let it go and move on. That he was young and naïve at the time to the outside world, and how far people would go to get what they wanted. John found out about the soulless part too late and the hard way.
His life changed in so many ways, and not in a good way after Brandon blackmailed him with the pictures of them having sex. The man found out he could get more money taking them to his father. This damn song was playing in the background when his lover and roommate had broken the news about making a deal with ‘your father’.
It killed his father’s plans for his future in business and politics and their close relationship as well. It led him to join the Air Force and into a loveless marriage of convenience. The Air Force was his attempt to prove his ‘manhood’ to his father. Nancy had been his last attempt to get back into his father’s good graces and for the man’s forgiveness. The marriage ended in an amicable divorce and the Air Force became his life.
His father had lost a son but gained a daughter when it was all over. Dad wanted grandchildren, Nancy wanted kids, and John had a vasectomy without telling either of them. Dear old Dad had found out by looking into why his son was not producing grandchildren and found it by snooping into John’s medical record.
Patrick Sheppard had specific plans for his eldest son. It required the implementation of a strict upbringing and not being bisexual. It didn’t help that his father had sheltered him up until he went away to college. It wasn’t until he moved away to go to school, and the freedom it brought, did he saw how much control his father had of his life. Today he could see how that had made him a target for people like Brandon.
“What’s wrong?” Rodney asked with that tone that said ‘You will tell me or suffer the consequences’.
“Not here,” John replied with a tight smile happy that everyone else had left the table.
“Fine…but understand I won’t let you forget that you owe me an explanation as to why you suddenly look as if someone killed your dog…or in your case stole your puddlejumber.”
“This song reminds me of a bad time in my life.”
“I’ll make sure the damn thing is lost and never played here again.”
“Overkill much?”
“No! Overkill would be me finding out why and then making sure they bite the dust in some manner that fits the occasion.” Rodney has that determined expression that told him that the man would do just that.
John relaxed back in his seat with a relaxed smile. Tonight he would tell Rodney about Brandon, his father, and Nancy. He would make sure to explain that his father and Nancy were off limits and that Brandon was no longer a threat of any kind. To this day, John believed that the man’s death was because of the blackmail and that his father paid someone to have the man killed. It was no coincidence that the car accident happened one month after his father had confronted John with pictures.
He made sure to look Rodney in the eyes as he said, “Just remember…it led me here!”
It took a few minutes for McKay to catch on to what he was implying. Watching the man’s expression go from angry to embarrassed and then happy gave John a sense of contentment. They had been through so much together both good and bad. A few events should have separated them for good but then something would happen to bring them back together.
“You are my ‘best’ friend.”
“Same here, Mckay….same here.” John agreed and felt his ears warming up. They needed a distraction soon or they would give themselves away when he noticed that Elizabeth was about to cut the celebration cake. “It looks like they’re about the cut the cake.”
“Yes…it does. They played this song every hour on the hour during my flight to Siberia. The Marines would finger their side arms while it played.”
“That had to have sucked.”
“I almost left the Stargate Program that day.”
“Glad you didn’t.”
“Me too!”
“Are you happy, are you satisfied?” John sang softly so only Rodney would hear.
“How long can you stand the heat?” Rodney sang back in a whisper.
“Out of the doorway, the bullets rip.”
“To the sound of the beat.”
Together they sing, “Another one bites the dust.”
John knew they were singing about the ghosts in their lives. Today he faced a few of his and knew that talking with Rodney tonight would but them to rest. Brandon, his father, and even Nancy would no longer have the power over him he once did. John would make sure Rodney knew he was safe around the men under John’s command, or at least as safe as John could make it.
“Let’s go get some cake.” John loved seeing Rodney’s face at the mention of cake. It was like seeing a kid in a candy store.
“We should get a couple of pieces for later,” Rodney replied with a certain twinkle in his blue eyes that promised an adventure that John could not say no to.
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
The End.