Title: When In Doubt
Author: Artifuss
Email: arti@rogers.com

Rating: PG13
Category: Humor... I hope.
Spoilers: none
Pairing: McKay/Beckett

Archive: Sure, if you really want to, just email me first..
Disclaimer: As much as I do enjoy dreaming so, the characters of Stargate do not belong to me in any way, shape or form. If I did have such access, you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place.
Warning: None
Author's Notes: Short and unbetaed. The bunny for this fic has been hopping around my mind for the past couple of days, and threatened to continue it's insistent hopping until I typed it up. This is a first for me, regarding Atlantis fic. And I hope it's atleast amusing if nothing else.

When In Doubt

"Rodney. Calm down."

"I don't believe you're really appreciating how royally screwed we are, of being stuck in this - this Turbolift! We're going to starve to death before we're freed." There was little room to move around the shaft, but that didn't stop Rodney from pacing. Or from flapping his arms around while he vented.

"Turbolift?" Carson couldn't help but snort, "You were a Trekkie?" The idea that there was a moment in time where the other man would put down his toys to watch a science fiction show, let alone Star Trek, had a certain humor to it.

"A 'Trekker', thank you." Rodney stated as he stopped mid-pace, "You're telling me that you didn't watch any of the series?" Shifting himself to a more relaxed stance, he started to wag his finger at Carson while sporting a smile that could only be defined as 'goofy'. "Bet you liked that blonde nurse from the original one."

"And I bet you had a thing for Spock." Carson mused as he shifted his weight onto his left foot, trying to get more comfortable against the wall he'd been leaning on for the past hour, "You're always working with logic, which really can be maddening at times."

"Yeah, well. Why couldn't you be more like that engineer?" Rodney asked feeling a bit slighted. "Then perhaps you could be getting us out of here." He didn't have big pointy ears... really.

"You mean that character whose last name was derived from his nationality? The one where most of his lines consisted of the word, 'Aye'? The one where the audience required a constant reminder that he was supposed to be from Scotland, simply because the accent wasn't helpful enough? That engineer?"

"Ooh," Rodney said, waggling his finger yet again in Carson's direction, "Aren't we just a bit tetchy."

Carson released a resigned sigh, as he tried to loosen an invisible weight off of his shoulders. He wasn't going to have his blood pressure raise simply from being stuck in this small compartment with Rodney, although no one would blame him if it did. "They're having a problem with one of the naquadah generators. We'll be out of here in no time, especially if they accidentally blow us up with it. So just calm down, and relax."

"You're assuming that they're having a problem with one of the generators. We don't know what's wrong 'cause we haven't been able to contact anyone. And there's a good chance that no one knows that we're even missing!"

"Somebody knows. They'll figure out that something's wrong, and then they'll fix it."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?"

"Because you have yet to fill your quota of annoying people for the past hour, Rodney. Someone's bound to notice the peace and quiet."

"Oh, that's funny. Real cute. We're stuck in mid-transport to a destination that no one was notified of yet, and you've taken on the comedic relief. You need to work on your material there, buddy. And, oh look! We have an abundance of free time now!"

Without rebuttal, Carson pushed himself away from the wall, and walked the mere couple of feet it took to get directly into Rodney's space. After a moment's thought, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Rodney's.

"I - I - What was that?" Rodney asked when Carson pulled away, walking back to the spot he was previously occupying with a smug look on his face.

"It was a kiss, Rodney."

"You - I - We - You kissed me!"

"Yes. I do believe we just established that."

"But... I - Why - Why did you kiss me?"

"You need to calm down, and nothing else seemed to work."

"Do I look calm now?"

"Yes."

Rodney thought for a moment, and then shrugged his left shoulder, as he walked to where Carson was standing. "Oh... Move over then."

Together they waited quietly for the help that Carson believed would come.

The End