Disclaimer: Not mine…not mine…checkett belongs to seanait.

AN: Seanait made me post this. You don't like, you tell her. LOL

Story 1 – The Secret

Dr. Beckett had a secret.

It was nothing serious, as in not about to bring Wraith in around their ears. He suspected that if anyone found out, they wouldn't understand. No one else knew about the domed room hidden in the bowels of the city. It was a part of Atlantis that was thought to be uninhabited.

It was a scientific marvel. The tall pod stood in the middle of the room with a small porthole on one side. Luckily, no one had noticed the diverting of power from the ZPMs to the room. If they had, they'd have come straight away and discovered exactly what was in the pod. Carson wasn't terribly worried for the moment.

As always, he slipped away from the infirmary and arrived at the room. Walking through knee deep water, Beckett pulled on his special SGA jacket. In the lower levels of the city, the environmental controls were under water.

"Could ye possibly turn up the heat?" He asked aloud.

There was no sound in answer to this, but the temperature did increase a little. Carson waded towards a door and brushed his hair with his right hand. He asked gently,

"Care to let me in, love?"

A glowing golden shield shot up and the door opened. Wincing against the charge, Beckett eased himself through the shield. Once inside, the door shut behind him and the shield dropped.

"It's gettin' harder to sneak away," He said conversationally, "Rodney and troubles seem to bond."

He pressed his hands tenderly to the porthole of the pod and smiled. Turning away, he moved through a door to another dome room just off the side. Without hesitation, Carson stepped up to the Ancient chair which dominated the room and sat down.

Once he'd been afraid of hurting someone, but now there was only keenness.

"Hello, love," Beckett whispered.

I missed you.

"I know, Nena. I surmised this from the cold shower you gave me this mornin'."

You have not come to see me in days.

Carson wondered idly if anyone knew there was a second chair in Atlantis. Probably not. He closed his eyes,

"They've started to watch me, now. They seem to be a wee bit concerned."

Then why don't you tell them about me? About us?

"Love, I'm a wee bit concerned myself. How would this sound to the lads? I can imagine the looks on their faces. What do tell them? That I'm seeing someone – a chair? That we have procreated a child? For some reason, I don't think they'll believe me."

Are you ashamed to be with me? Demanded the chair in dangerous tones.

Knowing that while he sat there, his life was in her control, Beckett cleared his throat nervously,

"O'course not, Nena. I love you, darlin'. But this is too complicated for some to understand. Soon I'll have to explain why I have a baby in my arms. I'll have to pretend she's fully human. I'll have to pretend I just found her."

If you must, Carson. Maybe one day we can tell them.

A pleasant tingly feeling shot through Beckett. He knew what was coming. He smiled,

"What, now, love? I thought you were a little occupied with our baby."

Never too occupied for my Scot.

Carson threw off his jacket.

Beckett whistled as he entered the room with the pod. He stopped and pressed a hand to the porthole as he always did. Inside was his daughter, an embryo half human and half Ancient. Seven more months and he'd hold her in his arms.

"You're mother's beautiful, lass," He told his deaf child, "She made a hologram form just fer me. We both love ye."

He still hadn't picked a name. Neither had Nena. It was an unspoken agreement to leave that for a few months. Gazing at the pod, Carson said softly,

"She's mine."

Next up- a longer story...this is just a beginning.