Marriage of Convenience, Part 01
Aug. 7th, 2009 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wiseheartTitle: Marriage of Convenience
Author: Soledad
Category: Threesomes and moresomes – all varieties
Characters: Bates, Beckett, Corrigan, Halling, Charin, Markham, Stackhouse, Teyla, Zelenka, Others (mostly nameless Athosian extras whom I have turned into original characters)
Rating: Adult
Genre: Romance
Warnings: Adult themes in later chapters
Timeframe: Shortly after “Suspicions” (Ep. 1.05)
Summary: The Athosians' answer to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”.
Disclaimer: The characters and the settings don't belong to me. Just the story idea and a few original characters.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A SHORT INTRODUCTION
In my other stories, I established the theory that “Emmagan” was not Teyla’s surname – none of the other Athosians seemed to have one – but her title as the leader of the tribe. So, since in “Suspicions” the Athosians practically voted her off as their leader and chose Halling in her stead, I have simply transferred the title to him.
The Athosians’ custom to live in clan marriages has also been established in my former stories, as well as the idea that the camp Sheppard & Co. met in the pilot episode was not the entire Athosian population. That would have been too little for an entire planet, not to mention that inbreeding would have led to hopeless degeneration centuries ago. So I decided that they were simply the tribe that watched the Stargate and the ruins of the Ancient city nearby.
This particular story, while containing many elements I use elsewhere, is not part either the “Moments of Joy” or the “Darkroom” alternate universes in which I usually play.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PART 01
Stackhouse was sorry to see the Athosians leave Atlantis – even if only to the mainland. He had come to like Halling, the new Emmagan, during the off-world visits where the tall, quietly spiritual man had served as their guide. He had come to see Halling’s son, Jinto, as the little brother he never had. He had come to enjoy spending time with the Athosian children in the evenings, telling them stories about Earth and listening to their tales in exchange.
He was not the only one to do so. Dr. Corrigan’s interest was a given – he was an anthropologist, after all, and had all but gone native among them in his off time. He also seemed to have a thing for Selena, the lovely, long-haired Athosian woman with a young daughter, although Selena must have been at least ten years older than him and already had a bond-mate: the young, bearded male names Erwan, who was also several years younger than her.
Dr. Corrigan had later explained to Stackhouse – and to the other Marines, to their-open-mouthed shock – that the Athosians lived in clan marriages, so that there were no orphans, even if the Wraith took a parent or two. The senior husband of Selena’s marriage group had been taken, together with the two junior wives, leaving Selena, Erwan and the little girl (whose name was Miri) alone behind. Which made it Selena’s duty to look out for suitable candidates for their clan, as the Athosians considered twosome bound both unnatural and highly impractical. A semi-nomadic people could not run orphanages, after all, and the children needed constant, loving care and tuition in the ways of survival in a Wraith-infested galaxy.
There could be little doubt that Dr. Corrigan was more than willing to marry into the clan. Anthropologists were generally very open-minded when it came to foreign customs, and besides, it did not seem as if they would ever find a way back to Earth. So the sooner they settled down, the better was it for them. However, the fact that the Athosians seemed to seek commitment in the first place – although there had to be exceptions, even among them – seemed to complicate things a little. The members of the expedition had been chosen because they were mostly unbound, so that family matters would not interfere with their primary duties. Pairing up among themselves seemed the easier way by far, at least for the first generation.
So everyone was more than a little shocked when Dr. Zelenka had gone off and married Marta, a lovely young Athosian woman without as much as a warning. Granted, the girl – well, young widow – was pretty, and seemed to have taken quite a shine to Dr. Z, but she also was at least a decade younger; probably more. It seemed that the Athosians had no taboos where age differences were considered, as long as both parties were consenting adults. Or perhaps they just could not afford the luxury to be choosy, if they wanted to survive as a people.
Stackhouse sometimes wondered what other Earth-related taboos might there be that did not exist in Athosian society. Sometimes he even wondered if he should dare to ask Dr. Corrigan; but he decided against it every time. Some questions better remained unasked, unless he wanted to draw attention to certain facts that also better remained hidden.
Dr. Beckett was the next to succumb to the lure of family – and to the charms of Anika, the blonde Athosian healer. She did not have any previous bondmates, but had made it very clear that there would be others in their bond, eventually. Dr. B seemed just fine with that possibility. But again, Dr. B was a civilian, and even came from a country where gay marriage was legal… even if bigamy was not. Although, considering that he and Anika had married according to Athosian custom, perhaps living in a clan marriage did not count as bigamy…
Life in a foreign galaxy could be truly confusing sometimes.
In any case, Stackhouse was sorry to see the Athosians leave. Atlantis had looked less like some remote outpost and more like home with them around. And he felt sorry for Drs Z and B, and for everyone who might have found the comforts of home with the one or other Athosian. Daily life would be difficult for them, even though the mainland was only twenty-five minutes away by puddle jumper.
To avoid the inevitable as long as possible, Stackhouse offered to help his newly-made friends with the moving and volunteered Jamie as the shuttle pilot. Under different circumstances that would have earned him dirty looks – Jamie positively hated when Stackhouse volunteered his services without asking him first – but in this case the younger Marine was more than willing to help. He genuinely liked the Athosians, too. Plus, he knew Stackhouse would miss them, and Jamie was always concerned with Stackhouse’s well-being. They had been best friends since the sandbox, after all.
And had been in love with each other for just about as long.
It was a strange thing, really. Stackhouse liked girls – well, women, at his current age of twenty-nine – and so did Jamie, most of the time. They lusted after hot babes just like the average Joe. But when it came to the question with whom they wanted to spend the rest of their lives, they could only think of each other.
So far, they had been fortunate. Stackhouse’s family had taken in the fatherless younger boy (Jamie’s Dad left his mother ages ago) with open arms. And when Jamie had chosen to follow Stackhouse to the Corps (even hunting down his previously unknown father to get his written permission, at the tender age of sixteen), Sergeant Major Derek Stackhouse Sr., the respected – and much-feared – trainings officer of Camp Pendleton, used his considerable influence to get them assigned together. So that Stackhouse could keep an eye on Jamie.
That landed them at the SGC several years ago, and then briefly on Antarctica, when Jamie had turned out to have the ATA gene. From there, a direct path had led to the Atlantis project, as they were both young, healthy and adventurous, with years of SGC-experience under their belts. Colonel Sumner – also an SGC-veteran of half a decade – had valued the advantage of having such a well-oiled team under his command and had not even thought of separating them. Why would he want to? They were like brothers, and there was nothing like family to support one on dangerous missions.
In all those years, no one had ever suspected anything. Part of the reason was that they had been mostly platonic, save from the occasional touch and brief kiss. Just being alone satisfied them most of the time. From time to time, they even dated women, not as camouflage but because they really did like women, and besides, a guy had certain needs.
Their attraction to each other was emotional, rather than physical. Which was the reason why they never felt the need to hide it. They still dealt with each other naturally; barely differently than they had in their shared childhood, out in the open, and people simply accepted that they were closer than brothers.
No one ever guessed just how close.
It had worked well enough – until that accident, a few weeks ago, when the puddle jumper had gotten wedged into that orbital Stargate, and they had nearly died. It wasn’t that fact alone that tossed Stackhouse completely off-kilter. They were Marines, after all, and the possibility of a sudden, violent death was part of the package. It was the means of almost-dying… getting lost without even knowing it, without the chance to say his goodbyes to Jamie…
To be honest, he had felt strangely lost ever since. As if part of him had been left behind, still in the process of molecular decomposition, never fully recovered. The only way he could bear it, the only way he could feel complete was in Jamie’s presence.
He had asked Jamie about it, and it turned out that Jamie felt the same way. What was even worse, they both could feel an increasing physical attraction growing between them one that was getting harder to resist with each passing day, and Stackhouse was scared shitless what would happen, should they give in one day.
Because then they would truly have something to hide, and the danger to be caught well beyond reasonable risk.
They were Marines. They had rules. And even in a foreign galaxy, they lived by those rules. There was simply nothing else to live by. Unlike the geeks, they could not simply go native among the Athosians – or could they?
Author: Soledad
Category: Threesomes and moresomes – all varieties
Characters: Bates, Beckett, Corrigan, Halling, Charin, Markham, Stackhouse, Teyla, Zelenka, Others (mostly nameless Athosian extras whom I have turned into original characters)
Rating: Adult
Genre: Romance
Warnings: Adult themes in later chapters
Timeframe: Shortly after “Suspicions” (Ep. 1.05)
Summary: The Athosians' answer to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”.
Disclaimer: The characters and the settings don't belong to me. Just the story idea and a few original characters.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A SHORT INTRODUCTION
In my other stories, I established the theory that “Emmagan” was not Teyla’s surname – none of the other Athosians seemed to have one – but her title as the leader of the tribe. So, since in “Suspicions” the Athosians practically voted her off as their leader and chose Halling in her stead, I have simply transferred the title to him.
The Athosians’ custom to live in clan marriages has also been established in my former stories, as well as the idea that the camp Sheppard & Co. met in the pilot episode was not the entire Athosian population. That would have been too little for an entire planet, not to mention that inbreeding would have led to hopeless degeneration centuries ago. So I decided that they were simply the tribe that watched the Stargate and the ruins of the Ancient city nearby.
This particular story, while containing many elements I use elsewhere, is not part either the “Moments of Joy” or the “Darkroom” alternate universes in which I usually play.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PART 01
Stackhouse was sorry to see the Athosians leave Atlantis – even if only to the mainland. He had come to like Halling, the new Emmagan, during the off-world visits where the tall, quietly spiritual man had served as their guide. He had come to see Halling’s son, Jinto, as the little brother he never had. He had come to enjoy spending time with the Athosian children in the evenings, telling them stories about Earth and listening to their tales in exchange.
He was not the only one to do so. Dr. Corrigan’s interest was a given – he was an anthropologist, after all, and had all but gone native among them in his off time. He also seemed to have a thing for Selena, the lovely, long-haired Athosian woman with a young daughter, although Selena must have been at least ten years older than him and already had a bond-mate: the young, bearded male names Erwan, who was also several years younger than her.
Dr. Corrigan had later explained to Stackhouse – and to the other Marines, to their-open-mouthed shock – that the Athosians lived in clan marriages, so that there were no orphans, even if the Wraith took a parent or two. The senior husband of Selena’s marriage group had been taken, together with the two junior wives, leaving Selena, Erwan and the little girl (whose name was Miri) alone behind. Which made it Selena’s duty to look out for suitable candidates for their clan, as the Athosians considered twosome bound both unnatural and highly impractical. A semi-nomadic people could not run orphanages, after all, and the children needed constant, loving care and tuition in the ways of survival in a Wraith-infested galaxy.
There could be little doubt that Dr. Corrigan was more than willing to marry into the clan. Anthropologists were generally very open-minded when it came to foreign customs, and besides, it did not seem as if they would ever find a way back to Earth. So the sooner they settled down, the better was it for them. However, the fact that the Athosians seemed to seek commitment in the first place – although there had to be exceptions, even among them – seemed to complicate things a little. The members of the expedition had been chosen because they were mostly unbound, so that family matters would not interfere with their primary duties. Pairing up among themselves seemed the easier way by far, at least for the first generation.
So everyone was more than a little shocked when Dr. Zelenka had gone off and married Marta, a lovely young Athosian woman without as much as a warning. Granted, the girl – well, young widow – was pretty, and seemed to have taken quite a shine to Dr. Z, but she also was at least a decade younger; probably more. It seemed that the Athosians had no taboos where age differences were considered, as long as both parties were consenting adults. Or perhaps they just could not afford the luxury to be choosy, if they wanted to survive as a people.
Stackhouse sometimes wondered what other Earth-related taboos might there be that did not exist in Athosian society. Sometimes he even wondered if he should dare to ask Dr. Corrigan; but he decided against it every time. Some questions better remained unasked, unless he wanted to draw attention to certain facts that also better remained hidden.
Dr. Beckett was the next to succumb to the lure of family – and to the charms of Anika, the blonde Athosian healer. She did not have any previous bondmates, but had made it very clear that there would be others in their bond, eventually. Dr. B seemed just fine with that possibility. But again, Dr. B was a civilian, and even came from a country where gay marriage was legal… even if bigamy was not. Although, considering that he and Anika had married according to Athosian custom, perhaps living in a clan marriage did not count as bigamy…
Life in a foreign galaxy could be truly confusing sometimes.
In any case, Stackhouse was sorry to see the Athosians leave. Atlantis had looked less like some remote outpost and more like home with them around. And he felt sorry for Drs Z and B, and for everyone who might have found the comforts of home with the one or other Athosian. Daily life would be difficult for them, even though the mainland was only twenty-five minutes away by puddle jumper.
To avoid the inevitable as long as possible, Stackhouse offered to help his newly-made friends with the moving and volunteered Jamie as the shuttle pilot. Under different circumstances that would have earned him dirty looks – Jamie positively hated when Stackhouse volunteered his services without asking him first – but in this case the younger Marine was more than willing to help. He genuinely liked the Athosians, too. Plus, he knew Stackhouse would miss them, and Jamie was always concerned with Stackhouse’s well-being. They had been best friends since the sandbox, after all.
And had been in love with each other for just about as long.
It was a strange thing, really. Stackhouse liked girls – well, women, at his current age of twenty-nine – and so did Jamie, most of the time. They lusted after hot babes just like the average Joe. But when it came to the question with whom they wanted to spend the rest of their lives, they could only think of each other.
So far, they had been fortunate. Stackhouse’s family had taken in the fatherless younger boy (Jamie’s Dad left his mother ages ago) with open arms. And when Jamie had chosen to follow Stackhouse to the Corps (even hunting down his previously unknown father to get his written permission, at the tender age of sixteen), Sergeant Major Derek Stackhouse Sr., the respected – and much-feared – trainings officer of Camp Pendleton, used his considerable influence to get them assigned together. So that Stackhouse could keep an eye on Jamie.
That landed them at the SGC several years ago, and then briefly on Antarctica, when Jamie had turned out to have the ATA gene. From there, a direct path had led to the Atlantis project, as they were both young, healthy and adventurous, with years of SGC-experience under their belts. Colonel Sumner – also an SGC-veteran of half a decade – had valued the advantage of having such a well-oiled team under his command and had not even thought of separating them. Why would he want to? They were like brothers, and there was nothing like family to support one on dangerous missions.
In all those years, no one had ever suspected anything. Part of the reason was that they had been mostly platonic, save from the occasional touch and brief kiss. Just being alone satisfied them most of the time. From time to time, they even dated women, not as camouflage but because they really did like women, and besides, a guy had certain needs.
Their attraction to each other was emotional, rather than physical. Which was the reason why they never felt the need to hide it. They still dealt with each other naturally; barely differently than they had in their shared childhood, out in the open, and people simply accepted that they were closer than brothers.
No one ever guessed just how close.
It had worked well enough – until that accident, a few weeks ago, when the puddle jumper had gotten wedged into that orbital Stargate, and they had nearly died. It wasn’t that fact alone that tossed Stackhouse completely off-kilter. They were Marines, after all, and the possibility of a sudden, violent death was part of the package. It was the means of almost-dying… getting lost without even knowing it, without the chance to say his goodbyes to Jamie…
To be honest, he had felt strangely lost ever since. As if part of him had been left behind, still in the process of molecular decomposition, never fully recovered. The only way he could bear it, the only way he could feel complete was in Jamie’s presence.
He had asked Jamie about it, and it turned out that Jamie felt the same way. What was even worse, they both could feel an increasing physical attraction growing between them one that was getting harder to resist with each passing day, and Stackhouse was scared shitless what would happen, should they give in one day.
Because then they would truly have something to hide, and the danger to be caught well beyond reasonable risk.
They were Marines. They had rules. And even in a foreign galaxy, they lived by those rules. There was simply nothing else to live by. Unlike the geeks, they could not simply go native among the Athosians – or could they?
