Title: You Never Know

Author: Angelee

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis

Pairing: Rodney/John

Rating: Adult

Beta: By my sister Anna. All remaining errors are mine-with apologies.

Challenge giving by Dawn. Master Vampire/Werewolf John seeking out and wooing his reluctant mate. And have Koyla be after Rodney as a mate as well.

You Never Know

“Get away from me. I’m warning you.”

“I mean you no harm. I just want…”

Rodney backed away from him, until his back was flush a tree. “I know what you want. And I want nothing to do with it. Get the fuck away from me. Damn, I can’t even take a walk in the park without being accosted”

John looked around the silent park. “Please, Rodney?”

“How the fuck do you know my name?”

John looked at the frightened man in front of him. “I’ve been watching you. I know where you live, what your favorite foods are. I know about your cat, Kitty. Very original by the way. I know everything there is to know about you.”

“Why?”

“You are my mate.”

Rodney’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You are destined to be by my side as my mate. We will rule the Atlantian clan of vampire and werewolves together.”

“Boy, are you delusional.”

“No, please, Rodney. I can smell your scent from here and it is driving me mad.”

Rodney looked down at his clothing. “I think you’re just smelling my fabric softener. I dropped the bottle in the washer when I was doing laundry yesterday. It’s called Morning Mist. I’ll get you a bottle, if you just go away and leave me alone,” he said hopefully.

John shook his head. “I can’t do that. You’re mine.”

“I’m not yours or anyone else’s. I belong to me. So get that thought right out of your mind.” John moved closer. “Stay back.” Rodney fished around in his shirt for something to use as a weapon against this odd critter who’d accosted him on his morning walk. He pulled something out of his pocket. “I’ve got a weapon.” He looked at it in dismay, before trying to use it as a weapon anyway. “And it’s very sharp…and I can do a lot of damage with it. So don’t get to close.”

John chucked softly. “Yes, you can. It is a mighty sharp pencil, I must say. I’m very frightened.”

“Good, back the hell away and let me get to work. Note to self. If I get out of this alive. Go to church buy all the holy water they’ve got. Maybe borrow a priest or two. Get cross from jewelry store.”

John smiled at the very odd man in front of him. Rodney may not have been a handsome man in the traditional sense, but he was smart, funny, quirky and he really rang John’s bells. Had since he’d spotted him walking around the park, talking to himself. If the vampire/werewolf remembered right it’d been about wormhole technology and hating someone named Samantha Carter. Because she was smart, really pretty and wouldn’t go out with him.

No one had rung John’s bells like that for him in the last four hundred and some years.

“You might need to go to Big 5 and get a box of silver bullets while you’re at it.”

“Do they sell silver bullets at Big 5?” Rodney asked curiously.

John shrugged. “Don’t know. If they don’t you could try E-Bay. They’ve got everything.”

“That’s true. Hey, you’re a vampire slash werewolf and you know about E-Bay?”

“What you think I live in the sewers and gnaw on rats, all day and all night,” John asked in outrage. Rodney gave him a look that clearly stated that-yes indeed he did. “I’m not that kind of vampire slash werewolf.”

“Oh, okay,” Rodney replied skeptically. “If you say so.”

“Really, I’m not.”

“Alright, I believe you. Can I go now?”

John sighed. “But we’ve just met and all.”

Rodney nodded. “And a nice meeting it was too, but I have stuff to do. I’m going to the mall.”

“To the mall?”

“Yeah, I’m going to look for the biggest wooden stake you ever did see and some silver bullets.”

“For me? John replied, hurt. “I’m quite harmless. Ask anyone.”

“Yeah, like I buy that one.”

John ran his fingers through his hair, making it spike even more. “I’m not going to hurt you, I swear,” he told him in exasperation. “I do after all want you to be my mate.”

“You’re a vampire slash werewolf. Like I’m going to believe you. And I don’t want to be your mate.”

“Rodney…”

“I’m going now. Don’t try anything. I’ve still got my pencil and I’m not afraid to use it.”

John watched his mate, walk away from him, green eyes holding deep sadness. As first meetings went this one hadn’t gone to well. Wishing he could stop Rodney from leaving, but not willing to lose what little hope he had of ever calling Rodney being his.

***

The next time John saw Rodney, the vampire slash werewolf crinkled his nose. “What the fuck is that stench?”

“Garlic. Like it?” Rodney asked, with a huge smile. Very pleased with himself. “I rubbed it all over me.”

“You smell like an Italian restaurant.”

“I know. It’s great isn’t it?”

John wiped his watery eyes. “I suppose. I may never be able to look at another plate of spaghetti the same way ever again.”

“You eat spaghetti?” Rodney asked curiously as he sat down on a park bench.

“How many times have I got to tell you I don’t gnaw rats? That’s just yucky.”

“I do remember you mention that last week,” Rodney replied, opening his sack lunch. “Wanna share a tuna sandwich. And did you just say ‘yucky’?”

“I did just say yucky. It’s a word, vampires slash werewolf can use if they want. Yes, about sharing your sandwich. I haven’t seen you walking in the park in a while. Did I run you off?”

“Ha,” Rodney scoffed. “As if. I’ve been busy.”

John took a tiny nibble of his sandwich. “Yeah.”

“Hmm. Chip?”

“Thanks. With what?”

Rodney offered over his small bag of Lays potato chips. “Busy with work and then there’s this really pesky guy by the name of Koyla who keeps bugging me.”

John stiffened. “Ascastus Koyla?”

“Yeah, know him?” Rodney asked, rattling his bag of chips. Not noticing that John had gone stock still.

“He’s the leader of a rival vampire/werewolf band. He’s ruthless and mean. What does he want with you?”

Rodney shrugged his shoulders when John didn’t take any. “Said he wanted to make me his mate and he would do it with or without my consent. Won’t take no for an answer,” he replied, tossing a chip into his mouth. “I must be the favor of the month or something.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Na. I’ve got priests and holy water coming out the wazoo. I’m not worried.”

“Oh,” John whispered weakly. “Is that the reasons you’re not afraid of me?”

“Oh, please,” Rodney scoffed. “As if. What with that hair and those ears I’m more likely to pet you than run screaming into the night. Or rather day. Hey, it’s day. Aren’t you suppose to be sleeping in a coffin somewhere or something?”

John scowled at him. “I don’t know whether to be please by that or annoyed. And I’m not that kind of vampire slash werewolf. I’m a day walker and I got me a bed. With sheets pillows, a comforter and everything. Geez.”

Rodney looked into his brown paper bag. “I’d be pleased if I were you. Besides I’ve got a nice big pellet gun filled with silver pellets. Won’t kill you, but it’ll hurt like hell.”

“How nice.”

“I thought so. I wanted to make sure to have some sort of protection incase you tried anything that would offend my dignity. But I didn’t want to go so far as killing you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Don’t think I’d be capable of killing anyone, even if there were icky vampires slash werewolves types.”

John placed a hand over the heart that hadn’t felt a beat in centuries. “You wound me.”

“Whatever. I’ve got donuts. Want one?”

“Alright.” When Rodney had handed him one. “Do you really find me so distasteful?”

Rodney bit into his with a happy sigh. “I’m not giving any manly screams, am I?”

“No, you’re sharing your lunch.”

“There you go.”

John nibbled on the donut. Not wanting to offend the man, but he really wasn’t hungry for food. He hadn’t needed food to live in a very long time. But not wanting to offend Rodney he ate. It was enough that Rodney was sitting next to him, eating and not having hysterics.

“So I have a shot?”

“At what?”

John rolled his eyes. “Are you really that clueless?”

“Hmm?” Rodney asked guilelessly.

“You are,” John said in astonishment. “Don’t you remember what I told you when we first met?”

“Something about wanting me to be your mate.”

“Yeah. And…?”

“And what?”

John sighed. “Damn it, Rodney.”

“Look, not that you’re not cute in a vampire slash werewolf sort of way and I really like your pretty green eyes, but I’m really not interested in you like that. I like my lovers to be…well-human. Not that I’ve had that many…you know, lovers, human or otherwise.”

John smiled, pleased. “You think I’m cute and think I have pretty green eyes?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Not listening. I so much as said so.”

“I do have a shot,” John replied, delightedly. “Cool.”

“Still not listening. Not interested because you’re not human.”

John waved a dismissive hand. “Minor details. We can work on that. Wanna do dinner?”

Rodney looked at him curiously. “What do you mean by ‘do dinner? And it better not be me.”

John sniffed the air, getting a faint fragrance of his human, despite the overwhelming scent of garlic. “I was thinking Chinese. Don’t know why, but I’ve completely gone off the idea of Italian for maybe the next couple centuries.”

Rodney looked at John speculatively. “You won’t try anything?”

The vampire crossed his heart. “Cross my heart.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Oh, please-like that’s even beating.”

John smiled at him lazily. “It’s the thought that counts-right?”

Rodney scowled at him. “Whatever.”

“Dinner?” John prompted, softly.

“You paying?”

John sighed. “Yes, Rodney. I’ll pay. Geez.”

Rodney smiled. “Okay. But if you try anything I’ll pellet you with my gun,” he warned.

“Duly noted.”

Rodney tossed his now empty lunch bag in the trash. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’ve got meetings scheduled all afternoon.”

“What do you do anyway?”

Rodney stood. “Like you don’t know. I’m pretty sure you’ve had me investigation all the way to kindergarten. Considering you want me to be your mate and all. Leader of the Clan Atlantian. I to did my research, by the way.”

John had the grace to feel embarrassed. “Well…” he started to feel his face pinken. Something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Rodney was an Astrophysicist. One of the best in the world. Very well on his way to winning a Nobel peace prize. He was priceless in the scientific community.

“I’ve got to get going. I’m going to be late.”

John looked into Rodney’s eyes. Noticing for the first time how blue and beautiful they were. He found himself reluctant to let the human out of his sight. “Rodney…”

“I’ve got to go,” Rodney said impatiently. “I really am late.”

John sighed unhappily. “Alright.” Rodney wasn’t just priceless to the scientific community. He was becoming priceless to John’s heart. The fact that it hadn’t actually beat in some time irrelevant.

As if understanding Rodney said. “I’ll see you later,” he promised softly.

John nodded, still unhappy. “Alright.” Watching as Rodney walk away, he added. “Don’t forget to shower before dinner, you stink of garlic.”

Rodney waved a hand, not bothering to turn back or answer. John smiled, feeling lots better all of a sudden.

***

John sighed softly as he eyed his almost mate across the table. Finding he was falling in love more and more with the human. Loving the way Rodney’s beautiful blue eyes lit up with enthusiasm for just about everything and anything.

Rodney had a childlike quality to him that intrigued John. Rodney was so full of life and fun. If you ignored the caustic sense of humor and dry wit.

John wanted desperately to reach across the table and run his fingers up and down Rodney’s cheek. Knowing if he tried Rodney would pelt him with his gun. Or maybe even stab him with his sharp pencil.

So John sat and listened to Rodney talk. Letting the kinetic words washing over him. Taking with it all the loneliness and misery he’d been feeling for so long.

“So, Rodney. You find John Sheppard more appealing than me.”

John sat straighter in the chair. Turning to glare up at Acastas Koyla. His rival for Rodney’s affection.

“I’m having dinner, go away,” Rodney told him, giving the tall man standing next to their table a glare of his own.

Okay, maybe Koyla was that much of a rival for Rodney’s affection.

“You’ve repeatedly turn me down for drinks for this loser.”

“He’s not a loser and I told you I don’t do vampires slash werewolves.”

Koyla gave him a tight smile. “Yet here you are having dinner with one.”

“He’s nice. You’re not. And besides it’s just dinner.”

“I could give you all that you could possible want. A lab all your own, with a legion of assistants to abuse. All you have to do is agree to be my mate.”

Rodney waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t want or need all that stuff. I’m doing fine without you. And,” he emphasized the word. “I don’t want you.”

“I could make you want me.”

Rodney shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“I am Genii.”

“So?”

“We are the most powerful clan in the universe.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Inflated ego, much. Please go away, I’m trying to have dinner with my friend.”

“This isn’t the end if it.”

“Yes, it is. Go away now.”

When Koyla left. “I’m your friend,” John asked softly.

“Well, yeah,” Rodney looked at him. “Aren’t you?” he asked hesitantly, blue eyes lost and vulnerable.

John gave him a brilliant smile. “Oh, yeah. Friend’s is good. Friend’s is great. It’s a start. A really good start.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Don’t get too excited. I didn’t agree to be your mate. Just friends. Okay? Can you handle that?”

“Sure I can. Friendship can always lead to more.”

Rodney took a drink of his tea. “May not.”

“But it might.”

Rodney put his tea cup down. “Yeah, there always is that possibility,” he finally admitted, softly, shyly.

John found that that he was shaking. “Really?” He had a chance. No wonder he was shaking all over. The first ray of hope the scientist had given him. He had a chance. He finally had hope of Rodney being his one day. Really, truly his.

Rodney nodded. “Never know. I might fall for a green-eyed vampire slash werewolf. You just never know about these things. It might happen any day now. You just never know.”

John gave him a brilliant smile. It brightened even more when Rodney returned it with one of his owe.