BREAKDOWN

By Enola Jones



Fortunately, he had been alone when it all came caving in on him. When the enormity of their situation hit him like a punch to the gut.

Their grand adventure had turned into a grand nightmare. They were suddenly facing hordes of space vampyres, all wakening at once.

And it was his fault.

They were cut off from Earth, with barely any supplies -- which he had just been informed of today.

The bastards had sent the misfits and troublemakers out here to die.

If he ever saw O'Neill again, he was going to punch his lights out.

He had to worry about these things now -- because he was now in charge of the whole damn base. Military leader of an entire outpost.

He had never signed up for this.

It was all too much, suddenly, and he sank to his knees in the shower, letting the water cool as it struck his skin. He didn't cry, but he stared blankly ahead of himself as his past and his present shot into jarring contrast and his brain just shut down to process it all.

He dimly registered the bathroom door opening. He dimly registered the water shutting off. He dimly registered large hands lifting him under the armpits and bodily hauling him out of the shower. All the while, in the background, there was a pleasant buzzing noise.

He dimly registered being guided into the main room of his quarters and being sat on the bed. He dimly registered soft material ghosting over his body, removing the cold water and leaving pleasant warmth in its wake.

When he felt briefs and then drawstring sweats being drawn over his slim hips and being sat down again, the buzzing noise suddenly coalesced with the force of a slap to the face. It was a voice.

McKay's voice.

His head snapped up, his eyes huge as they locked onto McKay's.

And McKay actually smiled. "Ah, there you are. I knew you were still in there somewhere. Overwhelmed, huh?"

Shocked at the question, all he could do was blink.

"Good thing I came to get your okay to come play light switch tomorrow. You could have drowned in there." All the time, the voice was shockingly gentle as McKay coaxed him to raise his arms and guided the panda-bear t-shirt over his head. "There. Now, you lay down. All you need is a good night's rest and you'll be better in the morning."

His thoughts must have shown on his face, because McKay chuckled as he pushed on slender shoulders, guiding him onto his back. "Trust me. This has happened to me a few times."

And all he could do was watch as McKay drew the quilt to his chin and then vanished into the bathroom. He came out with wet towels and put them in the laundry pile. "G'night, Major. I'll see you in the morning."

And then McKay was gone.

And he was stunned at how easily sleep came, how deep it was.

~*~

He waited for three days, but McKay never mentioned it. To anybody.

And that was when he knew.

He sat down across from McKay in the mess. "I want you on my team."

McKay's double-take was beautiful. "Me? ......why?"

He smiled. "Because I trust you."

THE BEGINNING




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