Title: Straight Down the Center
Author: scy
Feedback: scynneh@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: Cameron Mitchell/John Sheppard
Spoilers: Up through 3x11, The Return pt. 2
Rating: R
Summary: Jack O'Neill to Sheppard: 'You can stay. You're probably still going to have to get the rubber stamp from the IOA.'
Author's Notes: Thanks to minervacat who offered sage advice and was helpful in a myriad of other ways, I cannot thank her enough for encouraging and enabling this. I also want to mention the assistance of ladycat777 and mala, who lent ears, as well as their time and gave valuable input. Ladycat777 showed heroism in the face of my absolute lack of sports knowledge and gave me vital statistics as well as names and places.
December 2007

The Atlantis' expedition team and what equipment they could salvage came through the gate with all the fanfare that the SGC could muster on short notice and considering the circumstances, it was subdued. That they'd lost the city, however briefly, was unfortunate and a loss that couldn't be ignored, but they'd come back alive, which was a lot more than most had expected.

Sheppard and the Pegasus natives that were part of his gate team hung close by like he was the leader of a gang, and they were his enforcers. At least, that was the broadest definition of their attitude, the layers weren't really clear to Cam. While they were shunted to various departments and fitted with jobs that weren't permanent, it wasn't mentioned that everyone knew that the Atlantis set weren't like anybody, not even the rest of the SGC, and that went double for their military commander.

At first, Cam wasn't sure how to take stock of Sheppard. The man was Air Force, and a Lt. Colonel too, but he sauntered and lounged through Atlantis like this surfer bum Cam knew during college. The guy had been so agreeable, that it seemed he wouldn't care or even notice if someone was scamming him out of everything he owned.

But Sheppard couldn't have made it to this point if he didn't have some backbone, and he'd been picked by O'Neill, who Cam had seen playing at being harmless to conceal a frightening level of competence. So Cam wasn't fooled, but he could see why, when people back at SGC talked about Atlantis, they were totally unclear as to why Sheppard not only kept his job, but continued to. Even though the man was all the way across the universe, there were still those who wouldn't be happy unless they were blaming someone, and an absent man was a good target. But now, that he was on Earth, and the situation had changed.

Having just gotten back from a trip to his hometown, Cam knew that nothing could be as good and bad as being around family, and for someone not to have that option was a shame. He wondered if that was partly why Sheppard had looked so uneasy when he was finished briefing the SG and the IOA on the status of repairs on Atlantis. The man had been at attention for over two hours, even though he'd been sitting down, and Cam could feel the tension in the air. In spite of being given special consideration by the Appropriations Committee and the full backing of the President, the military commander of Atlantis was still regarded as the odd man out.

He didn't like staying still, and refused to accept that he wasn't in a position to make things happen. Sheppard barely let the brass finish their briefing on the situation O'Neill and Wolsey before he and his people went off together. Those less suspicious of such conferences would have explained their keeping close together as a fact of life. Being part of a front line base was not the same as coming home on weekends and those people assigned to the Pegasus Galaxy had been off balance during the temporary stint at Cheyenne Mountain. Even if it was still the SGC, Cam could tell that for them, Earth wasn't the first place that came to mind when they thought of home.

Cam had read about the city of the Ancients and all the scientific studies, completed and in progress extolled its wonders and an almost sentient intelligence. It sounded even more amazing than what he'd seen on his visit, but seemed almost excessive.

He didn't think any of the experts were lying; he'd gotten his own selection of alien technology that seemed to have a mind of its own, but he didn't actually believe a city could be alive, not without conclusive proof.

The unauthorized rescue mission had proved where loyalties rested; they'd saved General O'Neill as well as the IOA representative, Wolsey, but that didn't make their actions any more authorized. While it was determined what that meant, the command crew were back on Earth for awhile, and the meantime, there had been an arrangement to give the various gate teams some leave while there were replacements for all shifts. That meant that on this Thursday, Cam was standing barefoot in his kitchen, feeling laid back and being still off duty, he'd gotten out of bed mid-morning. Just as he was about to crack a couple eggs into a pan, the phone rang.

Cam blinked; startled by the shrill sound, he hadn't told anyone when he'd be back, but he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Mitchell," General O'Neill said abruptly. "Have you seen Colonel Sheppard?"

Cam had winced when he heard the general's tone of voice and now he frowned in puzzlement. "Sir?"

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, lately of Atlantis, do you know where he is?"

"No, sir." Cam didn't have any clue why the general thought he'd have a bead on what Sheppard had gotten up to on this enforced period of rest. He'd spoke to the man only a few times, and that hadn't been more involved than pitching a mission and accepting a piece of citrus as a tool of intimidation. At the briefing, he'd noticed how Sheppard was careful to say exactly what had happened on Atlantis, sparing no detail or admission of culpability, but nobody had gone out for drinks afterwards.

"Well, he apparently is being literal about taking leave, and it's gotten a number of people upset," O'Neill said, and Cam knew that the general had been tapped to handle the situation. That meant it had become something annoying enough to delegate, and Cam been picked as the most responsible person available.

"He disappeared," Cam said.

"That would imply he was immediately missed," O'Neill said. "But yes, completely off the map."

"Is there a concern that he's not going to report for duty?" Cam asked.

"The question of how to handle this incident has been decided between Wolsey and myself, but we still have to convince certain people of that," O'Neill said.

Cam could understand that, but he wondered how long it could go on before it began attracting more attention. Atlantis was a city where people depended on one another and at times weren't able to depend on anyone outside of Pegasus. Since they were having their every decision questioned, Cam wasn't sure how he was supposed to prove that they had another option.

"I don't know him well, sir," Cam said. He didn't deny all knowledge; a lot could be gathered from even a short meeting, but combat was more telling. That was part of the problem, he didn't know whether Sheppard felt he was still fighting if on a more familiar front, or if he just needed room to breathe.

"I don't think you need the man's file to track him down," O'Neill said. "He's been in another galaxy for three years, cut off from Earth most of the time, and he wasn't that attached to this planet when he left."

"I see." That tiny detail told Cam something he needed to know about Sheppard's record; he'd heard that Sheppard had screwed up somewhere, but he was good enough that he hadn't been grounded, and that said a lot about his abilities.

"And you think he's gone underground in case-" Cam didn't finish his guess.

"In case it can't be proved that he and the rest of the Atlantis contingent have been doing their jobs and keeping Earth safe," O'Neill said.

"Understood." O'Neill knew what he was doing; particularly where the bureaucracy was concerned. At one time he'd been the officer that some thought should be taken off the team, so he knew the signs.

"This is a priority, then, sir," Cam said.

"A senior officer has vanished, yeah, it's pressing," O'Neill said.

"Alright, I'll look into it."

"Don't just look, find Colonel Sheppard, before he settles in the bush somewhere and starts attracting followers," O'Neill said. Much of the time, Cam couldn't tell if General O'Neill was being serious or if he was just tolerating someone's stupidity up to a breaking point.

Cam guessed that O'Neill was exerting himself for Colonel Sheppard because he thought the man was important, not only as a guy who had the Ancient gene, but someone who'd demonstrated he'd been handling the Atlantis expedition competently for the past three years. For his own reasons, O'Neill was leaving it up to Cam to do what he felt was best, and if that was the way it was going to be, Cam would do the job.

"Got it, sir," Cam said and O'Neill hung up.

After they'd been on a couple missions together, the rest of the SG-1 team had determined that Cam was just as unconcerned about certain things as he claimed and that he really didn't mind keeping some stuff out of the open, they'd been friendlier. Carter showed up one evening with a case of beer, for old times' sake, and they'd gotten gloriously and falling down drunk. The next day, Jackson had somehow been standing over them with coffee, and after Carter shrugged off her hangover, Jackson had given Cam a small metal-like device that he promised would disrupt all signals being broadcast by any kind of bug, and then he'd pointed out a couple that Cam hadn't found yet. For that reason, Cam knew that if he needed to make a few discreet inquiries, they wouldn't be picked up.

Sheppard had likely not kept his cell phone; letting someone know where he was would have been responsible, but maybe he figured that he knew something nobody else did and wanted to stay out of any political sinkholes ready to swallow him up.

Cam tried the SGC first; Sheppard had given his account of events already, so technically he didn't have to stay on the base, but they would have liked him to. Walter had no idea where Sheppard was or when he might have been hinting he'd return.

"He's dumped his pager, phone and comm unit," Walter said, almost certainly frustrated because General Landry was coming down on him over the matter.

"It's obvious that he doesn't want to be bothered," Walter added.

"Yes it is," Cam said. If Sheppard didn't feel like he needed to check in, or didn't much care if he was supposed to, he wouldn't let SGC get even a whisper of where he was. That left his friends, the team he'd been working with and trusted for a couple eventful years, and if they couldn't be tracked down as well, it was possible that they were with him, waiting until they knew what was going to happen.

Dr. Weir and General O'Neill had gotten the support of Wolsey in their review, but that process was still ongoing, so Cam knew there'd be no help from that corner. Cam went down to Medical to talk to someone who might be more willing to share his impressions of Sheppard.

"Colonel Mitchell, if Colonel Sheppard feels as if he's not needed, he won't turn up until he is," Dr. Beckett said.

"But if this happens in Pegasus you've found a way to track missing people, right?" Cam asked. He knew that the SGC made such measures standard, and it would be a gross oversight if Atlantis didn't as well.

"Of course, but I don't have the resources or technological expertise to activate and track the Colonel," Dr. Beckett said.

"You know someone who does," Cam said.

"Yes, but I don't know that he'll be willing to help you," Dr. Beckett said. "His focus can be rather narrow where his priorities are concerned."

Cam nodded. "It's Dr. McKay, right?"

"Yes, Colonel." Dr. Beckett was too polite to smirk, but Cam could tell he was close to it.

"Thanks, doc," Cam said.

"Not a problem, good luck with Rodney," Dr. Beckett said.

"I'll be needing it," Cam said.

Dr. Beckett went back to his phone call, which seemed to be an argument about the international date line and time zones, which he continued in an increasingly heavy accent.

Cam left while he was beginning to raise his voice. "Listen, you great bloody-"

Rodney McKay had stayed at Cheyenne Mountain largely because he claimed his being there would solve a number of heretofore unidentified problems that would have broken down the systems and threatened life in several galaxies.

Sam confided to Jackson and Cam that if the situation didn't resolve itself soon, she was going to threaten one life in particular and no one would be able to prove it. Cam knew that redirecting Dr. McKay's legendary focus was risky, but Sam was twitching more violently every time McKay made another suggestion of an obvious way to improve key systems that Sam had invented or designed. He found Dr. McKay scanning a container of artifacts from PX-3542, ones that had already been logged and examined.

The technicians assisting him had been standing back as McKay piled one box after another into their arms, and when Cam showed up, smiling apologetically as they cowered out of range, they looked grateful and when he motioned toward the door, they quickly made their escape.

"Dr. McKay," Cam said," I need your help." Being blunt with nearly anyone else would have upset them, but in this case, it got the man's attention.

"Oh, Colonel Mitchell, I didn't see you there, I was just-"

"Redoing work that Colonel Carter did weeks ago?"

"Well, the thing is, I've found some anomalous energy signatures that lead me to believe that these fragments might be components of a larger device, one whose purpose I haven't quite worked out, but-" McKay paused his rush of words. "Did you say that you needed my help?"

Cam smiled. "Yes, I did."

"With what?" McKay looked at Cam suspiciously. "Colonel Carter didn't put you up to this, did she? I'm making great strides on multiple projects that should have been given priority some time ago, and it would be just like her to resent that, and-"

"Doctor McKay," Cam said, interrupting the tirade before the man really got going. "I asked for your help because there's a problem I think you're qualified to solve."

"And what's that?" McKay was trying to appear uninterested, above the problems of Air Force officers, but Cam could tell that he was at least slightly intrigued.

"Have you heard from Colonel Sheppard in the couple of days?"

"You've lost Colonel Sheppard?" McKay asked incredulously. He put down the box he'd been rooting through and put his hands on his hips. "This is Earth, one tiny planet, and will all of SGC's resources, you can't find him?" McKay sounded kind of shrill, and Cam remembered how high strung he'd seemed aboard the Daedalus. How anyone could function going from one crisis to another in such a state of panic was unimaginable. No wonder he was grouchy, Cam thought.

"Colonel Sheppard was not misplaced by the SGC," Cam said slowly. "He was granted leave during the IOA investigation of the Replicator takeover of Atlantis."

"That entire board is laughably misguided and their inquiry would be a farce if I had to describe it," McKay said.

Cam blinked. "I hope you didn't tell them as much."

McKay snorted. "They've formed their opinion of me so there's no need to restrain my views."

"Oh," Cam said. Now he knew the reason why O'Neill didn't want to be any more involved with Atlantis than he had to be; the whole operation led to massive headaches.

"But enough about my testimony, you're attempting to locate Colonel Sheppard. For what reason? Unless his vacation has been canceled, which would be particularly unfair, what's the problem?"

"If things don't go the way Dr. Weir hopes, the SGC wants to know where one of their officers is staying."

"You're saying that they want to keep tabs on him even if they don't think he's good enough to work for the SGC," McKay sad disgustedly. "After three years of reports and eye witness statements, they should have figured out that Colonel Sheppard is a large part of why Atlantis is such a success and the only reason any of us survived more than a few times."

"I've read the mission reports," Cam said.

"I campaigned for stronger language, but I was overruled," McKay said.

Cam didn't respond to that, there wasn't anything he needed to say.

McKay seemed to gather himself and gave Cam a look that questioned and evaluated. "So, the trouble is that Sheppard did his job for you simpletons and then took a break. How do you want to find him?"

"I thought that you'd have a good idea of how to do that since you've known him for awhile," Cam said.

"Working with the man doesn't make me an unparalleled expert, I've just gotten an opportunity to gather information."

"Well, I guess I'm asking for the results of your research," Cam said. "Where would he go?"

"Someplace he'd be left to himself," McKay said. "And before you ask, this isn't unusual; sometimes he wanders off in Atlantis, doing whatever he wants, and he's impossible to find when he wants to stay hidden."

"How do you find him if he's gone off the sensors?" Cam asked.

"Subcutaneous transmitter broadcasting on a frequency that can only be detected by Ancient technology," McKay said proudly. "Not even the SGC can pick it up, apparently. Yet another example of the rampant incompetence that's obviously become prevalent in my absence." He cut himself short when Cam lifted his chin and gave McKay a very thoughtful look, the one that Sam told him suggested he was going to inflict grievous bodily harm in the near future, and silence was the only way to avoid it.

"You did a great job with the design," Cam said. "But I thought you said it was impossible to find him at times?"

"Oh, as a carrier of the ATA gene, his ability to manipulate Ancient devices is rather extensive, and the city is ridiculously fond of him." McKay rolled his eyes.

"Pardon?" Cam asked.

"The city has a thing for Colonel Sheppard," McKay said. "That's good news for you though, he doesn't have that same ability here."

"Not unless he was using an object from Atlantis to hide himself," Cam said.

McKay frowned. "He could be in another country, but that would be extreme, even for him."

"No, he's not," Cam said, suddenly sure of it. Sheppard had been given a room in Colorado Springs for his use the last time he came through the Stargate, when there was the question of whether to promote or court martial him. The space had gone unused, since Sheppard refused to leave the base unless ordered to. Now, with events resulting in an investigation that was very much like before, there was no reason Cam could think of for the Colonel to change his way of doing things. "He's in town, maybe even on the base," Cam said. General O'Neill was going to be thrilled by this development. "Smart move."

"Yes," McKay said, sounding surprised, but not shocked by such an example of intelligence. He and Colonel Sheppard must get along really well.

"I'm not giving you the code to disable Sheppard's transmitter," McKay said.

Cam had guessed he'd make that a condition of helping. "This isn't part of some political agenda." He could tell that didn't convince McKay, and not wanting to even get into that discussion, Cam waved his hands to cut off another argument. "I'm not the one in charge of those kinds of things, I'm doing a favor for General O'Neill."

McKay stared at Cam for several minutes and then took a small object the size and shape of a pager out of his pocket. It wasn't from Earth; Cam could tell from the gleam of the metal, it was too clean, as though it had been dug up but didn't have to be polished or refined before it was used. "Don't ask me what this is, the archaeologists have all sorts of inane designations for the things we find, all you need to know is that this will triangulate Sheppard's position to within a mile."

"It couldn't be more accurate?" Cam asked.

"That's an astounding degree of accuracy," McKay snapped. "Just hope that he doesn't catch on and hide himself, it's annoying when he does that." McKay hesitated and then handed it over to Cam. "I expect you to bring that back and not leave it in the inept hands of the third class scientists at the SGC, I've done some very specific calibrations with it, and if it's mishandled, the consequences could be-"

"Don't worry, McKay," Cam said," I'm familiar with the procedure for handling perishables."

"Good," McKay said and turned back to his work.

Knowing that he'd just been thoroughly dismissed and put out of McKay's mind for a couple seconds, Cam took advantage of that fact and exited the lab. He felt as if he was going on a scavenger hunt, only the objective was aware of his intent and might avoid contact by way of getting up and walking away.

He'd explored the SGC the first time he got clearance and as its commander, it was just smart to know where everything was stored and how someone might hide if it came down to a siege.

Given that he'd spent the last few years in what amounted to a war zone, Sheppard would likely consider the whole base to be enemy territory and act accordingly. So Cam guessed that, as a guy who wanted to keep out of the way but not break regs and be completely unavailable, he'd choose a location nearby but secluded. Cam headed to the storage section. Most of the supplies and miscellaneous equipment that had been given to the SGC as tokens of good will from dozens of worlds needed to be logged and examined later, and once it was determined that they were safe, they were dumped in one of several storage bays.

When the hall was clear, Cam keyed in his security code and stepped inside Bay 01. He couldn't see around every crate, but he listened for a moment or three, then spoke up.

"Sheppard?"

He didn't hear even a rustling that would give a man's presence away, and it was the same in the next three rooms. At the doorway to the fourth, Cam held up the sensor and got a blank, an absence of readings that he knew couldn't be accurate, not with so many Ancient artifacts collected. The only explanation likely was that the lights had been dimmed on purpose.

"Sheppard? It's Mitchell, you in there?"

There wasn't a sound for another minute, and then the lights came on. Hunks of metal were glowing all over the room, and as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Cam walked further into the room.

He found Sheppard behind a pallet stacked with pottery, sitting cross legged on the floor as relaxed as if he'd been in the spot for hours.

"You've been camping out in here?" Cam asked. He'd caught sight of a plastic garbage bag and saw a couple crumpled up burger wrappers that hadn't quite made it inside.

Not looking up from the papers he'd spread out in front of him, Sheppard shrugged. "It's quiet."

"Everyone is interested in what you've been doing in Pegasus for the past few days," Cam said, approaching slowly and glancing around as he did so. The small area Sheppard had cleared out looked like a makeshift office; papers scattered on the floor and tacked to the plastic that covered almost everything.

"Where are you getting your meals?" Cam asked.

"The usual way," Sheppard said.

"Nobody's seen you in the mess hall," Cam said.

"That mission can be given to someone else," Sheppard said, and Cam heard someone behind him. When he turned around, he saw a guy that was roughly the Teal'c's size and just as openly intimidating. He had dreadlocks and a knife that he was twirling back and forth like a pencil. Cam recognized him as one of the Pegasus natives that had become a member of Sheppard's gate team, Ronon Dex of Sateda.

"Is there a problem?" Dex asked.

"Nah," Sheppard said. "He's just checking in."

"They noticed you weren't around," Dex said, his tone making it clear that he was only pointing out something that he'd been expecting.

"I guess so," Sheppard said.

"The disappearance of a senior officer doesn't go unnoticed," Cam said. He waved a hand at the debris around them. "Are you going to bunk down in here long?"

"What does it matter?" Dex asked. Cam was used to encountering people who could break his bones if they felt it was the best way to get what they wanted, and Dex didn't have as many years of stabilizing contact with society as Teal'c did. Added to that was the concern about how well Sheppard could actually handle him and he was wary of how the man was loitering around, not casual in the slightest.

"Somebody might need this room," Cam said,

"Why?" Ronon asked.

Because people find uses for the most out of the way spaces, Cam thought, but just said. "You guys did."

Sheppard took his eyes off his scattered papers and tilted his head at Dex. "Go on outside for a few minutes, Colonel Mitchell and I need to talk."

Dex objected with the set of his shoulders, and Cam waited to see if he'd say anything, but Sheppard raised his eyebrows and Ronon backed down immediately. Though, as he passed, he gave Cam such a speaking look that it was clear that if Sheppard had so much as a headache later, Dex would hold Cam responsible and exact his punishment in painfully fatal ways. It wasn't an altogether unfamiliar threat; any decent commander got the loyalty of his men, but this was closer to the man having permission to have the unrestrained use of deadly force when necessary.

"What're you doing?" Cam asked.

"Going over paperwork," Sheppard said.

"You've got some time, might as get something out of it," Cam agreed.

"Yep." Sheppard didn't sound pleased about catching up on such things

Cam sat on the floor next to Sheppard and stretched his legs out. He tried to make it nonchalant, but knew the move looked more like a deliberate attempt to close the space between them. It wouldn't be that easy, and Cam could tell that both of them knew better.

"No word yet from the suits," Cam guessed.

"You're more in the loop than me," Sheppard said, not sounding upset, or even worked up.

"On this, we're being told what they want us to know," Cam said. He'd find out what O'Neill wanted done when the time was right, or the general remembered that he had someone he could push things onto. For the time being, he was left with a set of instructions, and since he'd fulfilled his mission, he was going to hang around and see if he could do anything else before he informed O'Neill of what was happening.

"I figured." Sheppard glanced at another piece of paper and then signed the bottom and set it on top of one of the piles.

"But, in the meantime, you can't stay here."

"Really?" Sheppard sat back, resting against the wall. "I've just gotten settled in."

"And it's a nice spot," Cam agreed, and went on, "if I picked up your trail then it's a matter of time before the rest of them do." He'd decided to let Sheppard know where he stood, and the truth helped. "General O'Neill asked me to find you, in case somebody needed you, or everything got settled early. Not that I think it's going to happen tonight."

"Yeah, me neither," Sheppard said.

Up close, Sheppard smelled of salt air and something Cam couldn't name, something that he associated with Ancient sites. The whole of Atlantis might be filled with the living, but it still held onto something of its builders.

Cam breathed deeply as his shoulder brushed against Sheppard's. He wanted to be careful to let the other man get used to being around someone new; psych had cleared the Colonel for duty prior to his assignment and then again when he returned to SGC, but Cam knew what combat did to one's reflexes, and he wanted to be sure he didn't get on his wrong side. He was waiting for the man to react, not in the extreme, but he needed a sign of which way Sheppard was going to shift.

"You were about to get me out of here?" Sheppard asked.

Cam grinned. "You're good."

Sheppard smiled. "It happens."

"What about your team?" Cam asked.

"Rodney won't mind," Sheppard said.

"I was thinking of Dex," Cam said.

"So long as he knows I've left, it'll be fine."

"You ever feel like you have to sign out when you go someplace?" Cam asked, thinking of when he realized that if he went missing, there were people who wouldn't stop looking. He hadn't had that feeling since he'd lost his squadron, and nearly his footing, permanently. To have that again, after he'd been trying to catch it for so long was a surprise, and he was still getting used to it.

"I like to head out to the south pier," Sheppard said.

"Well, I don't have a house on the water, but I do have a fridge with beer and a couch you can use while you're avoiding the brass," Cam said.

"Okay." Sheppard grabbed his papers and stuffed them into a bag. He slung it over his shoulder and as he got to his feet, Cam did the same. "Let's go find Ronon. You think we can get out of here without being seen?"

Motioning for Sheppard to go ahead, Cam gave him a sideways look and smiled. "I thought I'd follow your example."

"I think we can manage," Sheppard said and he pulled a cell phone out of the pocket of his BDUs and began text messaging someone.

"Letting Dr. McKay know where you're going?" Cam asked.

"Rodney will let Ronon drag him to the mess hall and then he'll call for takeout."

"They don't deliver to the base," Cam said.

"The two of them will get around that loophole," Sheppard said. He made it sound like a mission, and maybe for them it was. Cam didn't envy the marines on security duty tonight, not with a determined scientist backed up by Ronon Dex.

"So we should get going," Cam said.

"Yeah," Sheppard said and tucked the phone back into a pocket.

Sheppard and Cam made an uninterrupted trek out to the parking lot. Cam had ridden his motorcycle, like usual, and he waited to see if Sheppard was going to have a problem. He'd put girls on the back, for as long as it took to get from casual meeting to a closer acquaintance, but it was a bit different with another guy. Sometimes they laughed and hopped on, other times they bitched about being the one to drive and then they wanted to catch a cab, which put both of them out of a friendly mood. The motorcycle was pretty much the first hurdle; if they got past that, Cam was willing to bet that they had a chance of getting along, and so he waited to see what the other man thought of it.

"Nice," Sheppard said.

Cam swung his leg over the bike and Sheppard did the same. He drove them into town where he had a small apartment in Colorado Springs, It wasn't supposed to be like home, but it was better than being on base all the time.

"Here we are," Cam said as he showed Sheppard inside.

The other man glanced around, taking in the layout and all the exits, and then nodded at Cam. "It's comfy."

"As housing goes, it's not high end, but it's not bad either."

"Better than the base," Sheppard said, echoing Cam's motivations for choosing the apartment.

"You want a beer?" Cam asked.

There were regulations to consider, but at the SGC, the level of all around weirdness precluded most investigation of rumor, and Stargate Command had already been convinced for years that Cheyenne Mountain and its personnel were a law unto themselves. Acting on General O'Neill's orders was a good justification for hanging out with Sheppard and even if O'Neill didn't suggest a drunken sleepover, if it kept Atlantis from doing a bunk, it would likely be permitted. Cam still expected a roundabout debriefing later, but he'd been given an assignment and just decided to modify its parameters.

He took the opportunity to check in, and called O'Neill; the man had an uncanny sense of when was the precise time not to phone someone and would do it anyway, and Cam waited while the operator forwarded the call.

"O'Neill here, what is it, Mitchell?"

"I've located the individual we discussed, sir."

"Did you have to knock him down and talk some sense into him, Colonel?"

"No, sir, but I did remove him from the base for the time being."

"Is he contained?"

Cam glanced over to where Sheppard was slumped into the couch cushions, sipping almost uncertainly at a beer. "Yes, sir."

"Contained according to your assessment of the situation," O'Neill said.

"That's right, sir."

"Will that be a security concern?"

"No, sir," Cam said. He didn't mention the modifications Sam and Jackson had made to his apartment, but O'Neill knew who Cam worked with and could surmise what the setup was.

"If the situation becomes unstable, you'll contact me, otherwise lay low for a day or two," O'Neill said.

"Yes, sir."

"How's it going?" Cam asked.

"Negotiations are ongoing," O'Neill said. His tone wasn't encouraging, but then he wouldn't let anything be hinted at unless he wanted someone to know what was happening.

Apparently, O'Neill and Wolsey didn't quite have the review board convinced that there was no need to revise procedures on Atlantis base, and it was up to the general to make them see that his way was the only option to take. In the face of O'Neill's manipulations, Cam thought it wouldn't be much longer; he'd spin their heads a little, insult anyone who needed to be shoved back a little and then everything would settle down again. Until he got word that it was all clear though, Cam was going to have to shoulder the task of taking time off with Sheppard, and what he foresaw a couple of prickly days.

Sheppard took a drink of his beer and then let it rest on his thigh, sort of staring off into space. He was looking up, studying Cam's ceiling like he could see the stars through plaster and shingles.

Cam searched for something non-confrontational to talk about, a subject that wouldn't violate anyone's loyalties or rouse suspicions about whether Cam really was out to implicate Sheppard in something.

He understood the paranoia, no question, he just wasn't up to deflecting it. When in doubt, he'd learned to keep it simple, nothing heavy, or anything that related to their crazy jobs.

"You been catching up since you've been back?" he asked.

"On what?"

"You know, stuff," Cam said. "Like SportsCenter."

"The reception isn't great at the mountain," Sheppard said.

"Maybe where you were hanging out," Cam said.

"Your tech wizard has things hooked up so you can catch the news?" Sheppard asked.

Cam shook his head. "No way, the important things, like the games."

Sheppard had perked up slightly when Cam mentioned SportsCenter and now he ventured. "You know, this is Paterno's fortieth year."

"They're on their way to the Orange Bowl," Cam said.

Sheppard took another drink and frowned. "They might make it."

"Them being in it would be an improvement," Cam said.

"Anything would be after the last few bowls," Sheppard said, sounding like he'd tasted something bad.

"Tostitos Fiesta Bowl?" Cam asked knowingly.

"Why would you want to name anything after a chip?" Sheppard asked.

"You've got me," Cam said.

"The way they name things makes no sense," John said. "I mean, even the stargate, it looks more like a tunnel." He frowned. "Who thinks this stuff up?"

Cam reached out and carefully tugged on Sheppard's beer. "I think I'd better help you with that. Whatever you've been drinking in Pegasus has to be two parts water."

"We don't really do social drinking on away missions," Sheppard said. "Too many chances for things to go wrong."

"I know how that is," Cam said. He added, "But you're okay here, nobody's looking to put you in a bad spot. You seem like you've had your back up against a wall for awhile and that's not what's going on here."

"No? Then why are we hiding out at your place while our bosses decide what to do with me and my people?"

"O'Neill is going to sort it out," Cam said. "I probably don't want to know how, and he'll piss a lot of people off, but he'll make sure you get back home, to Atlantis," he wanted to be clear that he knew where Sheppard preferred to bunk down.

"Right." Sheppard downed what was left in the bottle. "There's no question?"

"Not in my mind," Cam said firmly.

It was sort of sad; sooon Sheppard would head back across the universe, probably feeling like he couldn't be sure that there wouldn't be a lock on the stargate if he needed to call for help.

"We take care of our own," Cam said.

"I don't know if we count on the official books," Sheppard said.

Cam reached over and took away the empty bottle. "That's taking it over the top," he said and smacked Sheppard on his shoulder. "You might be way out on the edges of known space, and you barely call or write, but even the red headed step child is family when it comes down to it." That was the rule, and if enough hadn't been done to prove it, then Cam was going to have a bit of work to be sure it didn't happen again.

Sheppard blinked. "All right."

"You got that?" Cam asked.

"Yeah." Sheppard smiled. "You have a lot of family, haven't you, Mitchell?"

"It shows," Cam said. He had some of his Momma's ways of looking out for his people, and even those who weren't blood relations got used to his habits soon after they met him.

"Some," Sheppard said. He didn't flop back and stretch out, but there was less tension in his shoulders, and Cam realized that he'd hit the right note. Sheppard had downgraded him from SGC drone to something like a potential ally. At least he was now on the way to being trustworthy, even if he was not Ronon Dex.

When Sheppard let his head come back against the cushions, Cam leaned in, put a hand lightly on Sheppard's arm. It wasn't a restraint or demand, but a question. Cam watched Sheppard process the gesture, and then he breathed deeply and turned carefully into Cam's space.

If Cam made the first move, he was determind to let it set the mood. He kissed Sheppard lightly, but he grazed his teeth on the man's lower lip as he pulled back. Easy, but with an edge, if Sheppard wanted it.

Sheppard was quiet, watchful like he thought there was a trap, he just didn't know where. Cam hadn't been so cautious about showing his interest that either of them could ignore it, but that didn't explain why the other man was resigned at the offer. Mitchell thought about reasons for him to look like he was preparing to bear a heavy load, pained but ready to take it on. Then it occured to Cam that the other offers Sheppard might have gotten could have been unfriendly, and didn't come from mutual attraction.

He got an unpleasant feeling in his throat as he eyed Sheppard again, the way his eyes were down, hands held up unthreateningly, and Cam thought that was it, and he had to make it clear that if this wasn't a two-person deal, he didn't want any part of it.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't want this if you're not into it too," Cam said. "I like you, it's that simple. But, I didn't bring you here for this, and if you think this is about owing me something, I don't want that. We can talk sports some more or you can sack out on the couch, but nobody is making points here." Cam stared hard at Sheppard. "Got it?"

Sheppard paused, licked where Cam had left a small mark, weighed the risks and odds, and then grabbed Cam's shirt and yanked him down for a more thorough kiss.

Cam knew better than to try this sort of comfort with nearly anyone, but he'd had a few friends over the years who he'd shared time with, and so he knew what he was doing as he rolled onto Sheppard.

They wrestled around as each tried to set a good pace, but the sensation of denim rubbing against Sheppard's BDUs wasn't the greatest, and Cam moved to get rid of their pants. He discovered that the other man wore boxers, and a knife, underneath on a strap around his thigh, and Cam raised an eyebrow at him.

"Security missed this?"

"None of them got close enough to notice,"Sheppard said and laughed, a small sound that was cut off as Cam shifted his weight slightly.

"Good?" Cam asked.

"Like you don't know," Sheppard said and moved up into Cam's body. He let Cam know with a groan and a soft curse what he liked, and then he did some exploring of his own.

Cam hadn't done this in awhile, but Sheppard wasn't desperate the way most guys would be without any physical contact in three years, leading Cam to conclude that either his needs were virtually shifted to the back of his mind and he had learned how to compartmentalize like a pro, or he wasn't actually alone in Pegasus.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Cam asked.

"You only thought of that now?" Sheppard said.

Cam admitted it wasn't convenient, but with Sheppard's fingers under his shirt, he wanted to check.

"If this was going to be an issue, I wouldn't have come over," Sheppard said, and there was proof that the man was only oblivious to certain things most of the time.

"You mean if it wasn't safe," Cam said, thinking of Dex and how he'd been watching Sheppard's back so carefully.

"You're okay," Sheppard said and smiled, the expression oddly sweet and showing more honesty than he had on the base.

"Glad to hear it," Cam said.

"So, are you done making sure I'm not breaking curfew?"

Another time, with less space to savor this, or the fear of being caught, Cam wouldn't have gone for skin so seriously, but this was outside of SGC jurisdiction, and nothing said that as well as mutual nudity.

The couch hadn't been bought with this in mind, but it was wide enough that it held both of them, as long as they didn't roll further than a few inches away from each other.

Cam didn't want to move so fast that he wouldn't remember this later, so he batted Sheppard's hands away and slid down to get his fingers and then lips where they would make Sheppard react the most.

Sheppard twisted and arched nicely under Cam's attention and soon he was trying not to clench a hand in Cam's hair.

Cam grinned when their eyes met and redoubled his movements, angling his hand and jerking Sheppard off, not stopping until Sheppard was limp and sweaty beneath him.

When Sheppard looked like he might say something in gratitude, Cam's stopped that by prodding him up into a kiss that left stubble burns on Sheppard's throat as Cam sat up. Once upright, he straddled Sheppard's hips and grinned at him, implying with the smile that Sheppard was too out of it to know what he was doing.

Sheppard responded by giving Cam a befuddled look that was likely the bane of his superiors, and then as Cam was getting worried, he found himself being rolled down into the couch and Sheppard the one on top.

Impatiently, Cam grabbed Sheppard's hips and moved him in the direction he wanted, and the other man tolerated it for a couple seconds, tilting his head back and letting Cam feel his weight and appreciate the friction of their bodies sliding back and forth. It was a tease, that was for sure, and he wasn't sure that he minded it for that reason, but after a really sweet grind of Sheppard's hips against him, Cam took control.

Sheppard laughed, letting Cam shove him into the back of the couch with a sated and easygoing grin. Cam pinned his hands briefly and Sheppard muttered agreeably.

"Come on," Cam said, guiding the other man below his waist and Sheppard resisted for a second, smirking.

"Bossy."

"Tease," Cam said.

"Fine, then." Sheppard said and stopped fooling around.

Cam's head knocked against the arm of the couch, but he didn't much care whether it hurt later because Sheppard was expertly performing a twisting move that was all mouth-tongue-wet and Cam could only shake and groan through it. When he was through to the other side he stared at the ceiling blankly and let his breathing slowly begin to slow down.

Sheppard crawled up Cam's chest and flopped down mostly on him. For such a lean guy, he wasn't light and Cam shoved at him a little and then gave up, running his fingers over Sheppard's back and up through his hair, making it even messier.

"If we head back to the mountain looking like this, they're going to guess what we were doing," Sheppard said.

"I think that Dex will smell us and know what we were doing and then he's going to gut me," Cam said, only partly joking.

"Ronon? Nah, he knows better," Sheppard said and thumped Cam awkwardly on the shoulder. "But we should. Get back."

"No hurry, I think I've been designated your keeper until all of this gets sorted, and I don't feel like getting up yet," Cam said.

"I'm stuck here with you then," Sheppard said.

"That going to work out for you?" Cam asked.

Sheppard elbowed Cam off the remote and began flipping through the channels. "I'll let you know."

-end