Cornered
If anyone had asked him, Ronon would freely admit that this time, he'd looked forward to the trip to the SGC. Earth was interesting, if strange, but what he really liked was the food. Back on Atlantis they got some Earth food, but mostly the expedition obtained foodstuffs from local trading partners. While it made sense to be mostly self-sufficient in case they were cut off for any period of time, Ronon had discovered that there were things from Earth that simply had no equal in Pegasus. He crammed another thick slice of maple-smoked bacon in his mouth and chewed happily.
He had just decided he wanted a third serving of bacon and eggs when Daniel Jackson wandered into the commissary. He looked around, and when he spotted Ronon, he headed straight for him. Ronon let out a huff of annoyance. He could leave and avoid the prying questions Jackson had been trying to get answers to over the years, but that would mean giving up more bacon. Or he could get more bacon and just ignore Jackson, but Teyla had admonished him many times against being deliberately rude.
"Specialist Dex," Jackson said, settling his hands on the back of the chair and gazing intently at him. "I get the distinct impression that you'd rather not talk to me, but I have it on good authority that you are a man who appreciates a good meal, so I'd like to propose a trade."
Ronon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "I'm listening."
Daniel gave him a smile. "In exchange for an afternoon of your time during which you will answer some questions about Satedan cultures, traditions, history and politics, I will treat you to dinner at the most amazing steak house in town."
Ronon cocked an eyebrow. "Is that the place your team got kicked out of when you had those super-powered bracelets on that time?
Daniel flushed and Ronon laughed out loud. "Possibly," Daniel allowed. "But it was a long time ago, all the damages were paid for and, more importantly, how do you even know about that?"
Ronon laughed again. "Carter. Sometimes we talked. It came up."
Daniel stared at him. "It just… came up? In conversation?" He sighed when Ronon's only reply was a smirk. "Well then. Is that a yes?"
Ronon shrugged. "S'pose. Got nothing better to do at the moment."
Close Call
"Uhm… is it supposed to do that?"
McKay's head snapped up at the question, and his gaze tracked across the lab until it fixed on the two men at the lab bench against the far wall. Hensley was holding a cylindrical object that McKay recognized immediately as an explosive. He was out of his seat and halfway across the lab before the scientist holding the object had even finished taking a breath to respond.
"Give me that, you moron!" McKay snarled as he yanked the device from Hensley's lax fingers. He cradled it in his hands, staring intently as he thought, 'OFF - STOP - DEFUSE' at it. Slowly, the series of pale yellow lights up the side turned off, one by one.
"I'm amazed you're still alive," he said, scowling at the other man.
"I wasn't - I didn't try to activate it, Dr. McKay!" Hensley tried to explain. "It was in with some uncatalogued items, and you made it very clear never to activate anything of Ancient origin without an expert present. I was about to come over and ask you if you knew what it was!"
McKay took a deep, steadying breath. He hated working in a lab full of people who didn't fully appreciate how quickly and easily Ancient tech could kill them all. He'd been living in an Ancient city and watching friends die from things like this for too long to be patient and understanding about mistakes with Ancient tech.
"Hensley. You have the gene. You know just touching some of these things is enough, whether you mean to activate it or not. If you don't know what it is, then for god's sake, don't TOUCH it, or you could end up killing yourself and everyone around you."
McKay turned away and walked over to the back of the lab to retrieve a padded storage container. He carefully placed the device in the container and sealed it, then reached for his earwig, only to brush skin where his communicator should be. He huffed. Just another thing he hated about being in the mountain.
He picked up a telephone. "This is McKay. Send a Marine - one without the gene, please - to take a piece of Ancient ordnance to secure weapons lock up. Also? You need to fire the moron who sorted this item into the safe pile. God only knows what else might have slipped through, and the idiots in this lab can't tell a bomb from a toaster. If they reduce the SGC to a puddle of radioactive sludge, I'm not taking responsibility for it."
He slammed the phone down, carried the container back over to his bench and set it down. He dropped wearily onto his lab stool, leaned his elbows on the bench and settled his head in his hands. He'd already had a headache, thanks to a mission gone wrong just before their jaunt Earthside, but now that the rush of adrenaline that came from realizing there was an active dirty bomb in the lab had faded, it felt like someone was going to town with a pick-axe directly behind his right eye. Once this box was secured, he was going to cajole some of the good drugs from Dr. Lam, or his head was going to explode, no bomb required.
Away from Home, but not Alone
Sheppard groaned as he stretched the muscles of his arms and back. He glared at the computer sitting on the desk in front of him. Of all the things that came along with rank, paperwork had to be the worst.
At least he was almost done. Once he finished this and sent it off… he would be left to his own devices. He slumped back in his chair as he thought about that.
They were earthside for a couple of weeks. The SGC and IOA, in their infinite wisdom, had instituted new regulations based on the recommendations of a cadre of shrinks. These new regs required that personnel who had been stationed offworld for over 6 months in the course of a year be rotated back to Earth for a minimum of one month before being re-deployed. Apparently, this was to keep them in touch with their humanity, prevent them from 'going native' or some other such psych eval bullshit.
Even the combined forces of Woolsey and O'Neill hadn't been enough to get them out of it. However, they had managed to get it reduced to two weeks. The last 4 days had been spent in reviews and debriefings - and there were no words to describe the joy of having the brass pick apart every decision and command he'd made in the last year and make him justify them all - but now he had 10 days to kill.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers laced together behind his head. As much as being stuck on Earth sucked, at least his team was here with him so he wasn't alone. He'd been thinking about getting everyone out from under the mountain for a couple of days. He seemed to recall there being some excellent hiking trails around Colorado Springs that he was sure Ronon would be interested in.
Reaching for his computer again, Sheppard clicked on the browser tab that showed a list of interesting things to do in Denver. Teyla would probably enjoy the Art museum or Botanical gardens, and it would be fun to drag Rodney to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science just to listen to him bitch about how wrong, wrong, oh so very wrong the displays were. Ronon and Teyla would get in on that action, and egg him on by asking innocuous sounding questions just to wind him up. It was funny how he fell for it every time - or maybe he was in on the game too, since it always seemed to end up with everyone having a good chuckle as Rodney expounded at length on The Way of Things.
He grinned as he thought about the fun they would have, then let out a sigh. It was going to have to wait till he got this paperwork done. With a renewed sense of purpose, he dove back into the reports.
No Fly Zone
McKay sat with his legs hanging off the side of the examination table, fists clenching at the edge of the narrow mattress. "What do you mean I can't fly?" he complained loudly at Lam as she made a notation on his chart.
Lam gave McKay her patented you-fucking-idiot look. "I mean, you can't fly, McKay. It's not difficult to understand. All the words are one syllable." She was mildly impressed by the intensity of his I-can-kill-you-with-my-brain expression.
"I realize that direct communication must be a challenge for you, what with all the shaking of chicken bones and reading of entrails," McKay snarked, "so let me simple it up. What is it, exactly, about the nature of my injury that makes it impossible for me to fly right now? Think you can explain it a little more in depth than 'because I said so'?"
As she gazed at McKay's flushed face, she wondered, not for the first time, how Keller had put up with him. She was soft-spoken and gentle - rather sweet, actually - and just didn't really seem like a fit for McKay's abrasive personality. Which, she supposed, was probably why they hadn't lasted. Lam put down the chart and crossed her arms. She, on the other hand, had never been accused of being sweet or gentle. She gave McKay a wicked smile.
"You know, there are a whole battery of very invasive and uncomfortable tests that I could still run on you. Some of them take a while, giving me ample time to shake my chicken bones and read the auguries for your recovery. From where I'm standing, the omens foretell the possibility of large needles in your future."
"Oh, please!" he scoffed. "Carson was much scarier than you." Suddenly, all the posturing left him and he slumped forward, letting his head hang down. "Look, I know I can be a bit of an ass-"
"You think?"
His eyes snapped back up to hers, but the glare was not nearly what it had been and she felt herself soften towards him a little bit.
"I'm trying to apologize here, could you maybe just shut up for a minute?"
A very little bit.
"It's just, we've only got 10 more days before we go back and I wanted to see my sister." His face twisted into a strange mixture of anticipation and resignation. "Landry makes a fuss about using the Daedalus transporters for personal reasons, and if I can't fly, how am I supposed to go see her?" He shook his head. "I know I'm just not up to the drive."
Lam nodded. "With the vertigo you've been experiencing off and on, you're really not," she agreed. "Look, I'm sure Keller explained this to you back on Atlantis. You're lucky you didn't need surgery. While it should heal just fine, Acoustic Trauma is nothing to trifle with. Loud noises and pressure changes can cause not only pain, but possibly more damage. It will be a minimum of three weeks before your ear is back to normal."
He sighed. "Jeannie is going to kill me."
"You can always take the bus," she offered, and couldn't help laughing when he stared at her with offended horror. "Or the train."
"The train? Huh," he said, looking thoughtful. "Haven't been on the train since I was a kid." McKay gave her a crooked smile. "That's not a half bad idea," he admitted and Lam felt her eyebrows crawl up her forehead. "I guess even witch doctors can occasionally have them."
She rolled her eyes. He was seriously going to give her mental whiplash. "Get out of my infirmary before I start reading the auguries using *your* entrails."
Life happens when we're busy making plans…
John sat on the edge of his bed, his previous good mood dissipated. He guessed he really shouldn't be surprised that Rodney would be going to see Jeannie. He'd just assumed that because of his injury, he wouldn't be traveling. Trust the genius to find a way around it.
"Amtrak!" Rodney announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "It'll actually be great," he went on, clueless as to John's disappointment. "I've reserved a room, so I don't have to sit next to strangers or noisy children. I can work on some projects without the idiots here constantly interrupting my concentration. I confirmed that they have citrus free meals in the dining car - I'm set!"
"Well, that's great," John said with a smile, while trying to reorient to the sudden change in plans. Something of his dismay must have shown on his face because Rodney's expression suddenly changed from smug to concerned.
"Is something wrong?" Rodney's eyes went wide. "Something is wrong, I can tell! What's going on? Tell me!"
John waved him off. "Geeze Rodney, nothing's wrong," he insisted, shaking his head. "I'm just a little tired. Up too late with paperwork and no Lorne to foist any of it off on."
Rodney looked at him suspiciously. "No emergency back on Atlantis? Radek hasn't blown up my city?"
"No, she's still in one piece, I promise. Trust me, I'd know." And John was convinced of that, that somehow, if something happened to Atlantis, he'd feel it, even here on Earth. The thought of home made him relax a little and he gave Rodney a genuine smile. "It's all good."
"Ok, then." Rodney gave him a nod. "My train leaves in a couple hours so I need to pack and get out of here. Let Teyla and Ronon know, ok? I feel - I dunno, kinda guilty about not telling them myself, but I just don't have time to track them down before I leave, and-"
"Don't worry about it," John cut him off. "S'what happens when you're on a team. Now get out of here before you miss your train."
While it wouldn't be quite the same with just the three of them, he was sure that Teyla, Ronon and he would still have a great time.
History Lesson
Daniel stared down at his legal pad as he tapped his pen against his bottom lip. After a moment, he added a few more notes, then peered back at Ronon through his glasses.
"So, if I understand you correctly, the political construct of modern day Sateda was a benevolent Military Oligarchy? And the core of this was a group of ruling families, all descended from various Royal lines that that stretch back thousands of years?"
"That and a senate elected from among the common people," Ronon reminded him as he sharpened one of his many knives. "The military is - was - honour bound to respect the directives of the senate." He looked up at Daniel. "They could veto things. Weir said it was kind of like your congress and President. There was once a king who thought he could rule without heed to the people. The revolt was bloody and cost many lives. The king was deposed, stripped of rank and title and publicly executed. He lost the right to be buried in the Tziel of his forefathers and his name is no longer remembered."
Daniel perked up at that. "Tziel? Is that like a crypt? Or a special burial place of some kind?"
"In the past, the great kings of Sateda were buried in Tziels." Ronon pointed at one of the many pictures that Daniel had pinned up all over his office. "They looked kind of like that, but flat, with stairs. Temple was at the top."
Daniel pulled a book off the shelf and flipped through it till he found what he was looking for. He turned it around to show Ronon. "More like this?" he asked.
Ronon nodded. "Pretty much." He raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen Tziels on any other planets I've been to. Thought maybe they were unique to Sateda."
"We call those Pyramids. This one," Daniel pointed at the picture in the book, "is a pyramid in Mexico. They're different from the ones in Egypt, which were built during the time the Goa'uld were in control on Earth, before our Stargate was buried." He cocked an eyebrow at Ronon. "And you're sure there's no Satedan lore or mythology that might possibly hint at the Goa'uld having being there?"
Ronon shrugged. "Earth religions are complicated," he said, shaking his head. "You have hundreds of gods. We had nothing like that. On Sateda, people blamed or praised or prayed to the Ancients. Never heard of anything else."
"Huh," Daniel replied and made a few more notes. He looked up at Ronon again, a puzzled expression on his face. "It's strange, I'd have thought the gate translation protocol would have made pyramid a common reference word for both of us."
Ronon shook his head. "Pyramid is a shape, like a triangle, only with three dimensions. A Tziel is just a tomb."
"Huh," Daniel stared off at the wall, a look of intense concentration on his face. "And the shape is slightly different too… I wonder if the translation matrix derives meanings from the strength and intent of the thought behind the spoken word? If the linguists have done any testing…"
"Whatever," Ronon waved it off. "Are we done here? I'm getting hungry and you promised me steak."
Daniel closed his notebook with a sigh. "Yes, I did," he agreed as he set the book down, then stood and stretched. He gave Ronon a sideways glance. "You're not what I expected." Ronon smirked as he slipped the knife back into his hair and rose to his feet without a word. Daniel felt the need to explain. "You know a great deal about the history of your people, much more than I had hoped. And, well… thank you."
Ronon studied him for a moment and Daniel felt like he was being judged and weighed. A moment later Ronon let out a grunt and nodded, then quite unexpectedly clapped a hand on Daniel's shoulder with a force that nearly staggered him.
"Don't like talking to most of the anthropologists," he said, pronouncing the word with an obvious distaste. "Most of them act like I'm stupid. Sometimes I think McKay's right about the soft scientists. You're ok, though." He glanced around, then leaned in closer, dropping his voice. "I was a history keeper on Sateda before I joined the military. Would have been a historian when I retired. Not so different from you."
Daniel gaped. "Have you ever told anyone before?"
Ronon shrugged. "Mentioned it to Sheppard when I first came to Atlantis."
"It's just - Ronon! This is huge! We should make time to record all that you can remember-"
"Not now," Ronon interrupted in a tone of finality that brooked no argument. "The histories of the dead will wait. Now is the time for living and killing Wraith." He crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side. "And to live well and kill Wraith, I need food."
"Ok, fine, let's go eat," Daniel threw up his hands in mock surrender. "But while I am feeding you all the steak you can eat, I have another proposal for you," he said as he ushered Ronon down the hallway. "You guys are going to be here for a couple weeks, and there's this archaeological dig not far away that I was going to check out that I think you actually might find interesting…"
Tea for Teyla
Teyla held the warm cup of tea between her hands and inhaled the aroma. She leaned her head back, eyes closed, to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her face.
"I have greatly missed our talks," she said before opening her eyes and looking over at Carter. "Though I am separated from Torren and Kanaan, I am happy that being on Earth means I am able to spend some time with you."
Carter's smile was warm as she reached across the table to squeeze Teyla's wrist. "I've missed you as well," she said before drawing her hand back to wrap it around her coffee mug. "I wish I hadn't been reassigned so abruptly. I would have loved to see Torren before I left Atlantis." She chuckled then leaned over the table with a conspiratorial look on her face. "So, tell the truth - I can just imagine John is going to be the reckless Uncle that teaches Torren to play football and ride his skateboard..."
"Yes!" Teyla exclaimed. "He has already said it is never too soon to teach Torren an appreciation for football, but I have forbidden him from showing the Flutie video until Torren is older." She smirked slightly. "And I have cautioned him that should my son end up with a broken limb due to some foolhardy escapade John encouraged him into, we will have a serious discussion involving my bantos rods.
Carter laughed out loud. "I would have loved to see his face when you told him that!"
Teyla nodded. "It was very amusing."
The tinkle of a bell caught her attention, and Teyla looked over the see Vala emerging from the coffee shop, plate of goodies in hand. She walked over to them and set it on the table before settling in the chair beside Carter. "I swear, everyone in this town has decided that now is the time to take a break, and they all came here." She leaned forward and snagged a brownie off the plate and took a bite. "Mmmm, god that's good," she mumbled around the mouthful. She tilted her head toward Teyla and dropped her voice conspiratorially. "Best thing about this planet, really, has got to be the chocolate."
Teyla laughed and reached forward to take a brownie as well. "My people would agree that it is one of Earth's best offerings," she said quietly, carefully pitching her voice so as not to carry beyond the three of them.
Vala swallowed then washed the brownie down with a sip from her cup. "And the coffee, can't forget that." She glanced between Teyla and Carter, then leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table, holding her cup between her hands. "So? What did I miss?"
Carter shook her head. "We were just talking about Teyla's son."
"That's Torren, right?" Vala inquired.
Teyla nodded, looking pleased.
Carter relaxed back into her chair, holding her mug between both hands. "So, what about Rodney?" Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. "Does he really dislike children as much as he pretends to, or did he turn into a big marshmallow?"
Teyla cocked an eyebrow at her. "One might wonder what your motivations were in asking such a question," she teased and Vala rolled her eyes.
"This one only has eyes for a certain General-"
"Vala!" Carter cut her off, her serious tone belied by her blush and a smile she couldn't hold back.
"What?" Vala replied, indignantly. "S'not like Teyla is going to go running to Landry and announce that you're having a secret affair with O'Neill!"
Carter covered her eyes with a one hand and let out a sigh. "That really isn't the point," she muttered, before dropping her hand and looking back over at Teyla, who was watching with great amusement. "But back to my question," she said, pointedly redirecting the conversation. "What's Rodney really like with Torren?"
"You do know that Rodney delivered Torren."
"Yes," Carter nodded. "And it continues to blows my mind. But in all fairness to Rodney, despite the fact that he flails and panics, when push comes to shove, he's steady and dependable in a crisis. At least, after you talk him down off the ledge."
It was Teyla's turn to laugh out loud. "That would be quite accurate, actually. He did very well once I managed to convince him that he could and he had to."
Carter nodded. "How about now, though? Have you roped him into babysitting?"
Teyla laughed and shook her head. "The first time he held Torren after we got out of the infirmary he dropped him."
"What? Oh my god, really?" Carter covered her mouth with one hand, trying not to laugh. "Torren was ok, right?"
"He was," she agreed. "I waited until Torren was a bit more steady before letting Rodney hold him again. I think he was annoyed that I did not trust him, but I thought it best. When he held Torren the next time, he was very careful."
"And you were very close by?"
"That is also true."
Carter raised her cup in a toast, and Teyla dutifully clicked hers against it. "It can be a real challenge being the only woman on a team." Carter said.
"Here, here!" Vala announced, clicked her mug with theirs.
"Some days more so than others," Teyla agreed. "It is one of the things I miss most about your leadership," she admitted. "I have lost most of the close women friends I made among your people - Harriet, Elizabeth, Kate - it was good to know that, though you were no longer on Atlantis, you were still alive. I have missed being able to discuss our team's missions with someone who is, shall we say, more understanding of the dynamics of being on such a team."
Vala licked her fingers after finishing off another brownie and then pointed at Teyla. "Sounds like what you need is a ladies weekend," she announced before looking over at Carter. "Sam, why don't we take her to Denver with us? It would be fun!"
Carter looked surprised for a moment, then smiled as she turned to Teyla. "Did you have any plans for the next couple of days?" she asked.
"If you do, you should absolutely cancel them," Vala said with a decisive nod. "Because we are going shopping."
Other plans Part II – Ronon & Teyla
"Really?" Sheppard fought to keep the warring feelings of disbelief and disappointment from showing on his face. "You're going to a… dig."
"Yup."
"Huh," he said faintly, still nonplussed by the idea that Ronon was choosing to go excavate pottery shards with a bunch of archaeologists. "I thought you said they were boring."
Ronon shrugged. "Jackson invited me. He's cool. Sounded more interesting than beating up all the marines here again."
"Okay, then. I hope you - have fun?"
Ronon shrugged again. "What are you and McKay doing?"
Sheppard suddenly found himself annoyed. "McKay went to see his sister. Apparently, I am his messenger boy. He asked me to tell you and Teyla."
"Teyla's already gone," Ronon said. "She went on a… I think it's called a Road Trip? She left with Carter and the crazy, dark haired one, Vala." Ronon smiled. "I like her."
Sheppard blinked. "A road trip."
"Yeah, she asked me to tell you," Ronon said, frowning. "You ok? You keep repeating stuff."
Sheppard blinked again, then shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Just a little surprised."
"It's good for her," Ronon said. "She doesn't have many women friends."
Sheppard nodded. "You're right," he agreed.
"So, what are you gonna do then?" Ronon asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Go see your brother?"
Sheppard suppressed a shudder at the idea of spending a week alone with Dave and his family in his father's house. A couple of days he could manage, but a week would be unmitigated hell. His relationship with Dave was a little too fragile for that much straight on exposure. He missed the easy camaraderie from when they were kids. That gave him an idea.
"I think I'll head up to the ranch," he said on the spur of the moment. "Dad kept a place up in Montana. We'd go there in the summer when I was young. Dave and I would pack a lunch and go riding all day when we were kids. Dave told me they try to get out there at least once a year and they have someone local who keeps an eye on the place the rest of the time. I'll just let him know I'm going to use it for a few days."
"Alone?" Ronon sounded dubious.
Sheppard scowled at Ronon. "Yes, alone," he said stiffly. "Just because McKay is always accusing me of making time with anything that moves doesn't mean I'm actually going to!"
"Making time?" Ronon chuckled. Before Sheppard could explain the reference, Ronon continued. "Don't care if you take someone to fuck. Just don't think you should spend the whole time alone."
"Sorry." Sheppard flushed, feeling like an idiot. "I'll be fine," he said, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "Sometimes it's good to spend time alone."
Ronon studied him for a moment. "I know about spending time alone," he said, pinning Sheppard with his stare. "Sometimes it's good to not be alone, too." Then he shrugged. "Up to you. Anyway, Jackson said we're leaving soon so I gotta go - just wanted to let you know."
Life at Jeannie's
"Mer." Jeannie folded her arms and glared at him across the table. "You are supposed to be on leave. Which means taking a break from work for a while."
"I am taking a break from work," he said, waving her off as he stared intently at the screen. "This is something I've had on the back burner for a while. It's funny, but between all the crises and saving the galaxy and running for my life, I just never seem to find the spare time to work on it."
Jeannie rolled her eyes. "I have not yet had enough coffee to deal with you today," she declared as she walked into the kitchen.
Rodney winced. "Uhm, Jeannie?"
"Meredith!" she yelled from the kitchen. "I only have three house rules! Three! And you just broke the cardinal one!"
"I'm sorry, I was in the middle of something, I didn't have time to grind more coffee and make another pot! Valuable insights into the nature of the universe may have been lost forever!"
"You're going to find some valuable insights into the nature of my wrath if you don't get your ass in here and make another pot right now!"
"Tyrant," he muttered as he rose from the table to follow her into the kitchen. He pulled out the coffee and dutifully measured the correct amount of beans into the hopper then hit the button to grind them. Jeannie leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, watching him. Once completed, he pulled the old filter and tossed it into the green bin, then put in the new one and added the coffee.
"You know, in my lab, if I was working on something important and finished off the coffee, Sheppard would put on another pot," he groused. "He understands that my very important discoveries may be the difference between the life and death of the entire expedition."
"Stuff a sock in it, Mer. Don't forget to rinse to coffee pot before you refill the machine with water." She waited till he'd rinsed, added water, set the pot back in place and hit brew. "Also, I am fairly certain that Colonel Sheppard has far more important things to do than hang out in your lab and make coffee for you."
"Shows how much you know," Rodney said as he put the coffee beans away. "Sheppard is down in the lab almost every day, even though I barely need him for light switch duty anymore." He gave her a smug smile and crossed his arms in a pose mirroring hers.
Kaleb choose that moment to wander into the kitchen, coffee mug in one hand, student paper in the other. "Honey, is there any -" He stopped short when he took in the sight of the two of them, squared off against each other. After glancing over at the coffee pot he sighed.
"Maybe I could just put a Keurig in the study for the time being?" he asked wistfully.
"No!" said Jeannie, taking the mug from his hand. "Those things create too much waste. Go back to marking papers and I'll bring you a cup when it's done."
"John has deplorable taste in movies," Rodney said as he browsed through the Miller's DVD collection. "He thinks "Back to the Future" is a classic! It's sad really," he continued as he selected several movies from the shelf.
"It's not that bad," Jeannie argued and Rodney huffed.
"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed. "There are holes in the science that you could pilot the Death Star through!"
Jeannie rolled her eyes. "It's just a imovie/i, Mer."
Rodney slid the DVD into the player and settled back on the couch beside his sister. "The sheer scope of the inaccuracies in that film make my brain hurt. It's an affront to physics and John made us watch them all!"
"If they offend your sensibilities so much, you could have just left."
Rodney looked at her like she had two heads. "But, it was team movie night," he said, as if that explained everything. "Also, someone had to make sure that Teyla and Ronon understood that that tripe bears no resemblance at all to real science."
Jeannie smirked. "I think you secretly enjoyed those terrible movies and you don't want anyone to know."
"You're clearly insane," Rodney said as he stared at the opening credits for Blade Runner. "Stop talking now."
"…I don't know. John said-"
"Geeze, Mer!" Jeannie interrupted. "Do you want to call John and get his approval? Better yet, why don't you just tell him to come visit, since you never seem to stop talking about him anyway."
Rodney dropped his gaze to his mug. "Sorry," he said with a sigh. "I just…" He looked up at her. "He's on my mind. Obviously," he said with an eye roll. "He seemed really out of sorts before I left, like something was wrong, and it's been bothering me. And it's just going to keep bothering me." He shook his head. "It's different when we're on Atlantis or even at the SGC. If I don't see John or Ronon or Teyla for a couple days, at least I know they're there. But it's different here. They're on Earth. Somewhere. I don't know where, or doing what and…"
"And what?" she asked gently.
He scowled at her. "And there's no one there to watch their six, are you happy now?" he snapped. "Go ahead and laugh! I'm sure you think it's hilarious that I, the geeky physicist, am worried about the wellbeing of my lethally capable teammates, all of whom could kill me with one hand tied behind their backs."
"I think it's kinda sweet," she said with a smile. "That you care about them like that. Also, part amusing, part disturbing to have my brother throwing around military parlance because he's been out in the field and on missions with previously mentioned lethally capable teammates." She shook her head. "You've changed so much, Mer. I'm glad you have the kind of friendships that make you worry about the people you're in those relationships with."
He looked surprised and pleased all at once. "Well. Yes, I do. I worry about them. And it's easier when I know where they are. When we're off planet, we're together. Right now we're off planet, together, but apart, and it just feels...wrong."
She thought about that for a moment. "Why don't you invite them all up to visit?" she suggested. "We've got plenty of room. There's the spare room in the basement, the hide-a-bed in the den and I have a roll-a-way cot in the store room."
"You wouldn't mind?" he asked, a look of gratitude suffusing his features. "That would be… it would be really great, Jeannie."
"Mer. Seriously, all teasing aside, I like the people on your team. Teyla's a lovely person, and Ronon, well, he's got that wild warrior vibe that is actually really hot-"
"What!? Jeannie!" Rodney stared at her, aghast. "You can't SAY things like that-"
"Meredith!" She snapped. "I'm married, not dead!"
"-about my teammates! Oh, God! Am I going to be able to leave the two of you alone in a room together? You're won't do or say anything, I don't know, inappropriate, right?"
"I'm going to punch you so hard!"
He put up his hands as if to fend off an attack. "Abuse! And you're providing a terrible example to Madison!"
"Not if I hide the body before she comes home from school," she said in a sing song voice, then lightly smacked his arm with the back of her hand.
He absently rubbed at the spot, face pensive. "Of course, they might be having a great time doing whatever they're doing and might not want to come."
"Give them a call and ask," she said. "You'll never know unless you do."
On a Clear day in Montana
John had enjoyed the long drive from Colorado, Cash blaring on the stereo as he wound his way down mountain highways to the sprawling ranch he'd loved as a child. The map had predicted the drive would take him almost ten hours, but he'd gotten there in under eight. He chuckled as he imagined Rodney's reaction to his driving. He probably would have taken a little longer with McKay in the car, but not much.
He'd picked up a few provisions in town before heading out to the house. He'd made his way out to the barn where the horses were stabled and checked in with the ranch hand who'd been managing the confirmed the horses were worked and ridden regularly. As they chatted, Sheppard found himself drawn to the black Shire mare named Kia who nuzzled up shamelessly, looking for sugar or any other goodies as soon as he got close enough to touch her.
"This here's a real nice girl," the ranch hand commented, stroking the mare's flank. "She's pretty sweet tempered, but she's a lot of horse for an inexperienced rider."
"I think I can handle her," Sheppard said with a chuckle.
After that, he'd settled in and mapped out his plan for the next day. He was going to retrace the path he used to take with Dave every summer, down trails, beside fields, along the river and then looping around full circle.
The next morning, he was up making a pot of coffee before first light. He sat on the porch and sipped the rich brew, enjoying the quiet of the morning as he gazed across the field and watched the horizon slowly begin to lighten. This was one of the few places on Earth he truly thought of as safe and home, but for first time, the silence seemed wrong. It felt like something was missing.
It suddenly hit him; after living on a city in the middle of the ocean for years, the ever present sound of the waves lapping against the sides of Atlantis had become the sound of home. He let out a wry laugh. You couldn't really get a lot further away from the Ocean than the middle of Montana. He went back inside to put his cup in the sink before pouring the rest of the coffee into a thermos, then packed up his saddle bags and headed out to the barn.
John pulled Kia to a halt at the top of the hill. He watched as the a dawn broke across the horizon,/a the sun painting the sky in pink and gold. After a few moments, he twitched the reins lightly and clicked his tongue, leading Kia down the trail.
The Call
"Hey, Sheppard. I know it's early. I bet you're out running 10 miles around the Mountain. I was hoping to catch you before you did anything else today.
So, I was talking to Jeannie and she said that if you… that's all of you, Ronon and Teyla too, if you guys wanted to come up and spend a few days, you're welcome. So, call me back. Bye."
The Call II
"Sheppard, this is Rodney. I called a couple hours ago. I just wanted to let you know, Jeannie has invited the whole team up to Vancouver for a few days. So, you should come, unless you're doing something more important. Call me back, ok?"
The Call III
"Hi, me again. John? Could you call me back please? I just want to know you're ok and haven't been blown up or rendered incorporeal or something else equally hideous. Call me, please!"
The Dig
Ronon wiped the sweat off his brow and took a swig from his canteen. Jackson had been right. Coming out to the dig had been good. He'd held back at first, but the others had simply thought him a nervous student and invited him to help.
It hadn't taken much to get caught up in their excitement, and before long, the skills he'd acquired as a very young apprentice came back. He was out there carefully marking the areas, painstakingly unearthing buried treasures with pick and brush, remnants of lives that told the stories of the past.
It was bittersweet, for while it was invigorating to do something he had once loved so passionately, it wasn't the past of his planet or his people. It wasn't even his galaxy. He watched the team of young students and their teacher swarming over the find, and he felt an unexpected wrench of homesickness sweep over him. He missed Atlantis; he missed his team.
He was startled when he felt the buzzing vibration in his pocket. He looked down, wondering what it could be. A second later, it happened again. Right. The phone thing the SGC had insisted he carry at all times. He felt himself tense up, immediately wondering what had gone wrong that someone was trying to contact him. He pulled it out and swiped his thumb across the bottom to answer it just like Sheppard had showed him.
"What?"
"Ronon? Is that you?" He felt himself relax. Ronon could tell by McKay's tone that he was worked up about something, but it wasn't critical or life threatening.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know where Sheppard is? I've been trying to reach him and I can't get through. I mean, ok, I've left him three messages today, but he's not picking up and he's not responding. That's just not like him."
Ronon frowned. He wouldn't put it past Sheppard to ignore McKay for a while just to make him snarl and yip like an annoyed icheyhal/i, but it was rather unusual for him be out of communication for an entire day.
"A family place. Ranch."
"Huh." McKay sounded thoughtful. "I suppose I could call his brother, see if there's a contact number."
"Why?"
"Oh,um…" McKay trailed off, sounding nervous. "I suppose it's not really important," he hedged.
"What is it, McKay?" Ronon demanded and Rodney sighed.
"It's just… my sister might have pointed out that I have been talking about Sheppard a lot. And you. And Teyla. And she thought you were all, uh, interesting people and that maybe, if you weren't doing anything more important-"
"Meredith!" Ronon heard a voice he assumed was Jeannie yelling the background. "Just invite him to come, already, or so help me god, I'm yanking the phone out of your hands and doing it myself!" He let out a snort of amusement. Definitely had to be a McKay.
"You know, maybe you don't really want to-"
"Ok."
"-come out, maybe you, wait, what? Really?" McKay sounded happy.
"Yeah. I'm getting bored. Time to go. So, how do I get there?"
"Ha! That's excellent! I'll book you a ticket on the next flight out! But first… where the hell are you, anyway?"
Retail Therapy
Teyla had been to many bazaars and marketplaces on many planets, but nothing had been quite like The Mall. Endless stores with a staggering array of goods, a dazzling variety of colours and styles, everything from bedding to cookware to clothing and shoes. She was awed.
It had not taken long to dive in and find many treasures to take home. She had acquired a fine knife for herself and another for Ronon, and several pairs of the blue jeans for Kanaan. He had mentioned liking them when he'd seen expedition members wear them when off duty. She had gone somewhat overboard when Vala had directed her to a very large toy store, purchasing numerous items for Torren, far more than he could ever need.
She had spotted a store that featured the long clubs that Sheppard used to hit balls off the edge of the pier. She'd gone in and bought a huge box of the little white balls for him. For Rodney, Carter had taken her to Roberta's Chocolates where she finally settled on the Chocolate Tower.
Before heading back to the hotel, Vala had dragged them into a store that sold swimwear, insisting that they must obtain the appropriate attire for sitting by the hotel pool with a fruity drink. While she didn't understand why this required a special outfit, she gamely tried on many different items until Vala advised her she'd found the perfect swimsuit. Samantha had agreed that it was an excellent choice. It felt rather indulgent to have a piece of clothing just for swimming, when back home, everyone swam naked, but as this was the custom on Earth, she was more than willing to abide by it.
She had to admit, she was pleased with the garment. She reclined in a lounge chair by the hotel pool beside Sam and watched Vala deflect yet another admirer. It reminded her of how John had to fend off women in some of the villages they visited.
While John was more quiet and intense where Vala was exuberant and playful, they both had a certain charm and allure that attracted people to them.
Teyla's phone rang and she frowned. When she picked it up, it showed a small image of Rodney, taken before he'd left to visit Jeannie. He'd set up the phone for her, making sure she had all of their numbers. "Just in case," he'd said. "You might need us."
"Problem?" Carter asked from beside her, looking up from the science journal she'd been reading. She peered over at the phone. "Why on Earth would Rodney be calling?"
She shook her head. "I do not know," she said, as she hit the answer icon. "Hello, Rodney."
"Hey, Teyla." When she heard Rodney's voice, she was truly shocked at the wave of homesickness that washed over her, and she had to blink back the unexpected prickle of tears and focus on what he was saying.
"…and I've been trying to reach him all day. Ronon says he said something about horses and Montana, and when I called his brother - and let me tell you, that was NOT a fun experience! I swear, the entire Sheppard clan are uncommunicative, suspicious and paranoid-"
"Rodney!" she cut in sternly. "Perhaps John does not have his phone with him," she said even though she realized it was unlikely. "You really called his brother? You know that he will not be pleased about that."
"I know." Rodney's voice was plaintive across the miles. "It's just… I dunno, I got the feeling that, well, something was bothering him before we all left and I'm concerned about him. I just want to make sure he's ok, that's all."
Teyla smiled. "I miss him too, Rodney," she said, and before his sputtering could turn into denial, she continued. "I miss all of you. I have greatly enjoyed spending time with Samantha and Vala, but I am ready to be home. You three are my team and a little bit of my home here with me in a strange and foreign place. Though it will be a time yet before we return, I would rather spend the remainder of it with the three of you."
Rodney was completely silent, and Teyla would have thought the connection was severed had she not been able to hear him breathe. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and spoke again. "Uh, right. I, um, I feel the, you know, same way. About you. And them. And um, it's funny that you say that because Jeannie, she was just saying I should - well, if you wanted to, of course, and it sounds like you want to-"
She could hear Jeannie yell at him in the background. "Mer, give me the phone!" There was some noise, like a scuffle, and then Jeannie was on the phone. "Hi Teyla. What my idiot brother is trying to say is that he would like you to come and visit us. Ronon has already agreed and is on the way. We are trying to track down John, and you are welcome to come if you would like to."
Teyla smiled. "I would love to," she said.
"Good. So here's what's going to happen - Mer, you had your chance, shut up and give me your credit card. Ok, tell me where you are."
Teyla obediently provided the details of the hotel and the room number.
"Great. I'll call you back in 10 minutes with the flight details, and we'll send a car to take you to the airport, so all you have to do is pack up your stuff."
"I - thank you, Jeannie."
"No problem," Jeannie said warmly. "Mer hasn't stopped talking about the three of you since he arrived, so I figured that it might be easier if you all just came to visit."
Meanwhile, back on the Ranch
John finally got back to the ranch house just after dinner, a few hours later than planned. He'd had to take a few detours; things had changed since he was a kid, and some of the ways he remembered no longer existed.
As he dismounted, a whole bunch of muscles he hadn't used in years let him know they were displeased. He let out a small groan as he loosened the girth then led the mare into the barn and began to strip off the tack. He was going to be sore tomorrow.
When John made it back to the house, he headed straight to the bathroom, leaving a trail of dirty clothes behind him. He stepped into the shower, turning it as hot is he could stand and let the pounding spray work at the knots that had built up over the course of the day.
It had been really nice to ride the trails again. He'd laughed at certain points, grinning like a loon as he remembered some of the crazy things he and Dave had gotten up to on their rides as kids. He'd passed the big tree they used to climb – still there – and a quiet spot along the river where they used to go skinny dipping. It was a little cold for that today, even if he had been so inclined.
It reminded him of a recent mission. They'd been miles from the gate on a completely deserted planet. The energy readings were a bust, and there wasn't a piece of Ancient tech to be seen. He'd been about to call it a bust when they'd found the most perfect swimming spot. Ronon had looked around, grinned back at him, and started stripping off right there. Teyla had joined him a few seconds later and within moments, the two of them had been in the water.
"You have no idea what's in there!" Rodney had shouted, but John had grinned and stripped down to boxers and t-shirt. He kept his P90 slung – just in case – but he waded in to his knees and enjoyed the water.
Maybe he could talk the team into coming out here sometime in the future. He still loved the ranch as much as he had as a kid, the mountains, the sky, and of course, the horses, but it just fell a little flat when he was by himself. Ronon had been right. Sometimes it was good to not be alone. He grimaced. Maybe if he caught them before they made other plans.
He finally turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. After brushing his teeth, he decided that a nap was far more important than food and headed to the bedroom, fully intending to do a face plant on the bed, when he glanced at the mobile phone sitting on the night table. Damn, he'd forgotten to take the thing with him today. He snatched it off the table, then flopped backwards on the bed. He sure hoped there hadn't been an invasion in his absence.
He turned it on to find five messages waiting and sat up quickly, a jolt of fear tearing through him. He quickly entered in his passcode and played the first voicemail, then sighed with relief. Just Rodney… inviting him to come to Jeannie's? That was unexpected. He went to the next one, and the next – also Rodney. The fourth, however, was not.
"Sheppard," came Ronon's gruff voice from the phone, and he grinned at the sound. "Call McKay before he has an aneurysm. And stop hiding out on that ranch," he went on. "It's time to be with people. Get your ass to Jeannie's place. She invited us. No excuses. Don't make me come out there to get you."
He let out a snort, then made a face. Ronon would do it, too. He played the last message. This one was from Teyla.
"Hello John," she said. "Could please call Rodney? He is quite concerned for your well-being, as are we all. I am sure you have already been informed, but Jeannie has invited all of us to come visit with them until we are to return home. I am heading to the airport shortly to make my way there. I hope you will join us."
John just stared at the phone and shook his head and started laughing. Life was funny sometimes. He opened the browser and started looking for flights from Billings to Vancouver. With any luck, he'd be there by tomorrow night.
All's well that ends well…
"Those movies are fantastic," Sheppard insisted in the face of Rodney's passionate rant about the horrible science in Back to the Future.
"Teyla, I think we need more wine," Jeannie said. Teyla nodded, and the two of them fled the front room.
"McKay." Ronon's voice cut across the din.
"What?!" Rodney was scowling. "It's true, the science sucks!"
Ronon frisbeed a DVD case at him, and Rodney's hands shot up to defend his face.
"Hey, watch it!" he yelped as he retrieved the case from the floor where it had ricocheted off his arm. "You're going to take out someone's eye!"
"Can we watch that one, or you gonna rant about it too?"
Rodney opened the case and smiled. "Oh, this one is excellent." He walked over to the DVD player and inserted the disk.
"Are you kidding?" Sheppard yelped when the opening sequence started.
"What?" Rodney asked. "It's a great movie!"
"Buckaroo Banzai? You complain about Marty travelling through time in a Delorean but you can watch Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension without completely losing your mind?"
Rodney shrugged. "It's just a movie."
Sheppard opened his mouth to respond when Jeannie and Teyla reappeared. Teyla had a fresh bottle of wine, while Jeannie carried a beer in each hand.
"Here," she said, shoving one at Rodney. "You need to take a drink every time there's a scientific inconsistency in this movie."
Rodney gave her a skeptical look. "I don't think there's enough beer in this bottle to cover all of them ."
"There's more in the kitchen," she said. The she turned to John. "You take a drink every time you want to smack my brother upside the head."
John looked at the beer for a second, then grabbed it from her hand and started chugging like a man dying of thirst.
"Hey!" Rodney complained while Ronon cracked up.
Jeannie sat back down beside Teyla who was pouring them both a glass of wine. Teyla handed her a glass, then held out her own. "I understand it is expected to make a toast?"
"If you like," Jeannie said as she clinked her glass against Teyla's. "Cheers."
"To family," Teyla said, glancing around the room with a smile. "No matter how far apart we may be, we will always find our way home."