stargateficrec | The Other Side of Grace by Sardonicsmiley

Show: SGA
Rec Category: Gen
Characters:: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagen, Ronon Dex
Pairing: None
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Warnings: Language, some whump, general spoilers for season five
Author on LJ: N/A
Author's Website: No More Tears
Link: The Other Side of Grace

Why You Should Read This: When Rodney is suddenly de-aged, it's up to John to care for little Meredith. And it's not easy: Meredith is a broken little boy, and John has to care for him while coming to terms with the fact that his friend might never come back. John's love for Meredith - and the love he feels for Rodney - are really the heart of this piece. If I had to describe this fic in one word, it'd be "bittersweet". It made me cry and when I linked to it from my personal journal, it made several of my friends cry. If you like Sardonicsmiley's work, be sure to check this out - and bring tissues.

The kid's mouth wobbles, and he makes a hiccupping, sobbing, sound before managing, "Who are you?"

And John swallows heavily, ignoring the weight in his chest to say, "I'm John. I'm here to take you somewhere safe, okay?" He's never been very good at the whole reassuring people thing. Especially not kids. But Meredith goes still, some of the fear draining out of his expression.

Meredith doesn't move, staying curled up almost into a ball, but his voice is different, so nakedly hopeful that it makes John's chest ache, "You're John?" His expression is all yearning and fear and under all of that a kind of dull hope, just peeking in around the edges.

John nods, because it's getting Meredith to calm down, and he needs to get the kid calm and back to Atlantis, so they can fix this. He says, "Yeah, yeah I am," and Meredith makes that tiny, choked on, crying sound again, pushing to his feet.

Rodney's shirt swallows him, hanging off of one narrow shoulder, and falling down past his knees. It should be funny, but it's not. Not when Meredith takes tiny little steps up to John, reaching out after a long moment to grab the hand that John has offered out.

Meredith's hand is warm, soft, tiny, and dirty. The kid's expression is serious, so completely solemn that it surprises John. And then the kid is stepping closer, wrapping his skinny little arms around John's neck, squeezing hard before pulling back far enough to look John in the face, touching John's forehead, cheeks, chin, jaw, with his little hands.

Meredith says, eyes huge, voice sad and small, no more than a whisper, "I've been waiting for you a long time."