First Meeting

Title: First Meeting
Author: Ladyholder
Series Order: 1
Banner Art: None
Pairings: None
Word Count: 2,982
Rating: G
Art: Fanarts
Warnings: Possible forced bonding of a Guide to a Sentinel
Authors Note: All he wanted was someplace to meditate before his dissertation defense. Was that too much to ask? PG

 

Dr. M. Rodney McKay.

Oh, how he was looking forward to being able to introduce himself with that! In less than 24 hours he would have that right and it was a sweet, sweet thing to think about.

But right now his brain was whirling and he was not going to be able to sleep like this. Let alone perform well at his dissertation defense. Thankfully the solution to his problem was open 24/7 and on campus to boot. The Sentinel/Gide Meditation Center was open to every student on campus and also had shielded meditation rooms available to those in need. And he really needed that option tonight.

Pushing the door open, Rodney sighed in relief as he walked into the shielded structure. The sounds, emotions and sheer mental awareness of the thousands of people surrounding him fell away when he walked inside and he reveled in the quiet. Walking up to the reception desk, he looked at the woman manning it and nodded mentally. She was another Guide and would know why he needed a specially shielded room.

“I need to meditate and I need a room that is able to handle top level Guides.”

When she raised one unimpressed eyebrow at him, Rodney tried not to growl. After all, he was getting his Doctorate tomorrow and he didn’t have time to reduce her to tears. He needed that room to calm his mind down from the high babble it was at. So instead he did something almost as mean. He thinned out a portion of his shields and let the full impression of what he was pulse through. When she went white with shock, he was meanly happy, which leaked out his shields too. No one had ever said that Guides weren’t human too.

It took two tries before she was able to type without making mistakes. Hand shaking with reaction, she handed him the old fashioned key, “Here. Room 412 on the fourth floor. I have paged the Director to take you there.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Rodney let his shields thicken again. The thinning had caused a bit of a headache, but that was worth the effort, he judged. After all, he looked very young and innocent and he knew it. But that didn’t excuse the lack of respect she had shown. If nothing else, she would be careful who she insulted in the future.

“Guide?”

Rodney turned to look at the woman who had stopped behind him. So far she had better S/G manners than the receptionist. He decided to throw her a bone. Maybe she would react correctly. “Alpha Wolf Guide McKay.”

 

Mary Celeste O’Sullivan was having a wonderful day. It had started off with an Alpha Sentinel walking in and asking for help with his spiking senses and ended with what might be the answer to her prayers in the form of an Alpha Guide. And one that was maybe compatible to the Sentinel. Wolf Guides were the cream of the crop after all and this one was obviously young and strong. Perfect.

“If you could follow me Guide McKay, I will get you to your meditation room.” Mary said calmly. It was damn near impossible to lie to a Guide since they could sense the duplicity, but it was possible to bluff one. If you were good at cherry-picking your emotions that is. And Mary was very good. She let her excitement at his level leak out along with nervousness, respect and a bit of apprehension. All true emotions, but not the main one. The smug glee she was feeling wasn’t something that she wanted him to get a hint of before time after all.

The whole shuffle job was made easier since the boy didn’t even bother to talk to her on the way up to the ‘meditation’ room she was leading him to. The room itself was extremely well shielded and the only stimulation available in it had to come from the occupants. So if all went well, her surprise was going to be total and she would be the one to have brought about a wonderful event in the community.

Reaching room 412, Mary used the old fashioned key to open the door. The space inside was warm, dark and obviously quiet. Turning to look at the boy following her, she swallowed once and said, “If you need anything, Guide McKay, please use the communications unit to the left of the door. It connects directly with my phone.”

Eyebrow raised in reaction to her tone, the young Guide held out his hand for the key. “Thank you, Madame. I’ll be taking the key in with me. Have a good evening.”

Handing over the key was just fine with Mary. She had the electronic override on her belt. Face neutral, she pulled the key out of the lock and handed it over and waved the boy in. She was sparing little attention to his physical reactions; she was too busy trying not to broadcast her emotions all over the place. It would not do to let her prey know that they were entering her lair ahead of time.

But it looked like all was well since her precious high level Guide had walked right into the room and from the sound of it, had turned the key in the lock. Which meant that her little electronic override was going to seal the room right up and she was going to be the director that brought together the next super pair of Sentinel and Guide. Hugging herself in unrestrained joy, Mary skipped down the hall to her office.

 

Rodney stared at the closed door for a moment. Right as it closed he had felt a flare of something come from the Director’s mind. It felt like smug. And that was making him twitch since the room was very dark and close and there was something in the dark. Something that was quiet, and waiting, full of expectation. Waving his hand to the left of the door, Rodney tried to find the light switch ‘Mary’ had told him about.

“There isn’t a light.”

Rodney turned around to face the room behind him. It wasn’t any lighter than the area in front of him, but there was something, no someone there. A male someone. And that wasn’t what he had signed up for. He had wanted some peace and quiet, not sharing his space with another needy Guide or Sentinel.

“What do you mean there isn’t a light? All I wanted was a nice quiet meditation session to slow my mind down enough that I wouldn’t blow my defense tomorrow.” Rodney bit out. He felt his hands start to clench and tried not to grind his teeth in rage.

The mystery voice started coming closer, “Hey! This wasn’t my idea either. I’ve been in here since right after lunch. Who walked you to the room?”

“Some old bat of a Guide walked me up. The receptionist called her the Director.” Rodney said. He was straining his eyes to try to find who was talking to him, but no luck. It was too damn dark.

“Don’t strain yourself Guide. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Rodney huffed out a frustrated breath. “You’re a Sentinel, aren’t you?”

There was a smile buried in the voice of the other man, “What gave you your first clue?”

“Oh, maybe it was the pushing against my shields? Or maybe it is the sniffing that I can hear? Or the feeling of eyes moving all over my skin?” Rodney bit out. This was not helping his mood any and he wanted to just scream and rant in frustration.

When hands were placed on his shoulders, Rodney jerked in shock. He hadn’t been expecting that! “Hey, calm down. I can smell how freaked out you are. Why did you come here anyway?”

Rodney took a deep breath and reached for his calm. Ground and center. It wasn’t just something out of a fantasy novel. That he would never, ever admit to reading. But it had helped. When he felt more in touch with himself and less like he was flying apart at the seams, he tried to explain. Being a Guide, the dis, defending it, needing someplace to calm his mind enough that he could face his committee in the morning and now being locked in a room with a Sentinel. It all poured out.

The other man was quiet for a moment and then Rodney got the impression that he was nodding. “Right. Well I don’t think me being here will help with that. And to be honest, you feel like you could be my Guide. She was right about that at least. The loony bitch.”

Oh. God. Rodney could feel the blood leave his head in one great rush. He had been trying so hard not to notice that little fact. But now that the Sentinel had brought it to his attention, it was right there. Where he couldn’t ignore it. Damn it.

“Hey! I won’t do anything. Promise.” The feeling that the Sentinel was right in front of him receded. The other man had apparently stepped back. Rodney relaxed and let go of the fear that had spiked through him. It wasn’t needed and was distracting in ways that could be detrimental to both him and the Sentinel.

Taking a deep breath, Rodney tried to think. It was difficult, but he needed to push through the sludge his mind had just fallen into. Point one: He was in a room with a Sentinel. Point two: The Sentinel thought that he felt like his Guide. Point Three: He might just be right. Point four: They needed a way out of the nicely locked room they were in.

Rodney felt his brain get hung up on point four. Why? Communication with the outside world would be helpful in getting the out of their predicament, but chances were good that the communications unit that the old bat hand mentioned was useless. Rodney stilled and barely refrained from smacking himself in the forehead. He had a cell phone. And the Centers were all required to let the little devices in and not block their signals. Too many people used them to stay in contact with their partners to restrict them.

“I am a moron. I have a cell phone. Close your eyes so you don’t hurt yourself when I flip it open.” Rodney said quickly.

“Eyes are closed” the Sentinel murmured.

Rodney only nodded as he flipped the little phone open and started scrolling through the contact list. He was looking for one person in particular and… Stabbing his thumb on the send key, Rodney grinned fiercely as it started to ring. “Sandburg.”

Thank you all the spirits of astrophysics, he was in! “Professor Sandburg? This is Rodney McKay. I am in dire need of your help. Actually we both are.”

The man on the other end of the phone line was quiet for a moment. Rodney didn’t take it personally; after all, he knew just how busy the man really was. “Rodney McKay? You are a Wolf Guide, right? Unbonded? And who is we?”

The Sentinel’s head whipped up as he heard the Professor declaring his spirit animal. Rodney raised one sardonic eyebrow at the other man and tried not to stare at him. He was really, really pretty. And compelling on a lot of levels. Damn it. Better to answer the professor then. “Yes, sir. I am. And I am locked into one of the meditation rooms in the Northwestern University Sentinel/Guide Meditation Center with a Sentinel. From what little we have been able to determine, we are compatible, but I really don’t want to Bond tonight. I have my dissertation defense tomorrow and Dr. Anderson has already tried to reschedule this out from under me twice.”

There was silence from the other man for a moment and then a deep sigh. “Right. Calm down. Sentinel? Can I know your name please?”

Rodney could feel the other mans confusion at being included in the conversation. Raising an eyebrow in inquiry, he held the phone out. After all, Dr. Sandburg was well aware of what Sentinels could do, and overhearing a phone call was the least of them. When he felt the other man’s hand over his on the phone, Rodney tried not to shudder. Oh, touching was bad. This was going to suck.

 

John Anthony Sheppard had been having a perfectly lovely day before coming to the Sentinel/Guide Center at Northwestern University. He had successfully transferred in to complete his degree, it was warm out, life was blooming all over the place and he was having fun damn it. All he had wanted to do was check in and let the authorities that monitored under aged Sentinels and Guides know that he was now at his new university. He hadn’t wanted to wake up in a ‘meditation’ room.

Extending his senses was a risk, but given that his situation was very, very unknown, he had to take the risk. Taking a deep breath, he let loose a shout and heard no response from outside. Nothing. The place was well and truly shielded from the outside world. John tried not to sigh in frustration. He didn’t even have a cell phone on him to call out with. That had been his next errand after checking in. Poking around the room showed him that there was an old communications panel next to the door, but it was deactivated and listening at the door just caused a headache to bloom because it was quiet.

John decided to cut his losses and went to one of the back corners in his new room and settled down to wait. Slowly the warm quiet room helped him drop into a doze and he slept.

When the door to his ‘cell’ opened and then closed, he kept his eyes closed. It wasn’t like the door had been open for long anyway. Plus something was telling him that he needed to be here for this. That whatever had prompted him to come here today was taking place right now. With the door closed, there was no light coming in, and he was safe to open his eyes. Stretching his senses out, John started cataloging the new person in the room with him. Male. Young. A Guide. Who was irritated, scared, stressed and powerful. And really, really freaked out.

It took some doing, but John was able to get the Guide thinking of something beyond his need to meditate and or babble. He could sympathize, but he wanted OUT of the room they were in and his possible Guide had access to the only way. He had heard the buzz of a cell phone on silent as he had come in the room. Cell phones. Little miracles of technological goodness that he would never, ever leave home without. And neither would his Guide. Who didn’t know that he was his Guide.

But apparently he was acting like his Guide. Why else would he tell John to close his eyes against the glare of the illuminated screen? John smiled to himself as he smelled the change in the Guides scent. Arousal, anticipation and the start of Bonding pheromones. Breathing through his nose, John savored each and every change as they happened. It was fascinating watching his Guide’s body come online for him.

When he heard who his Guide had called, John looked up and stared. It seemed that the other man had some interesting connections! And when he heard the unmistakable voice of the Alpha Guide Prime for North America call his Guide, his pretty blond Guide, a Wolf Guide, John was floored. There was nothing on the outside to show his inner talent, no obvious signs that he was in the presence of one of the most powerful Guides on the planet. Well, other than the blue, blue eyes that seemed to see right into his soul.

Lost in thought, he spared little of his attention for the call that was taking place. When Dr. Sandburg asked him a direct question however, John reached out for the phone by instinct. Touching his Guide, he felt the tingle of it race up and down his arm and straight to his groin. Right. Touching was not an option at this point. Not if he didn’t want to give into his instincts and Bond with his Guide right then and there.

“My name is John Anthony Sheppard, Dr. Sandburg. I’m an Alpha Sentinel and likely Prime. Won’t know that until I Bond. Which might be a problem, since Rodney here is compatible in the extreme and we are locked in a nice close room together. I don’t want to sound alarmist or anything, but if you can get us out of here soon, that would be great. I would rather we not do anything tonight at least!”

Warm laughter came down the airways and John closed his eyes in a shudder. The man had a voice that slid behind every defense he had and it felt good. Too damn good. “I take it that if I don’t get someone there in the next few minutes, there will be a new Bonding to announce?”

John shook his head, “I would really hope not sir.”

There were quiet words being exchanged in the background behind the good Doctor and John relaxed at hearing them. Rescue was on its way. And it was the type that would definitely make someone shit their pants in fear. Alpha Sentinels and their Guides. Gotta love them.

“Help is on the way. They should be there in about 30 minutes. Can you hold out that long?”

Looking into the startled and frightened eyes of his Guide, John said the only thing he could. “Yes, sir. We can.”

2. Rescues and Dissertations