A/N: Hey! I got this idea stuck in my head and now it won't leave me alone. So I figured I would give it a go :) Hope you enjoy it and please don't hesitate to review afterwards.

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of it's brilliance

The past seven months had been unlike any he could imagine. Filled with anger, worry and a frustration that ran deep within him McKay was losing hope. He was sick of people putting his own life before their own. Did they think he wanted to have that kind of guilt? Did they want to be another fallen hero? He might have a big ego, some might call him arrogant but that didn't mean he wanted people sacrificing themselves just to save him. It was bad enough when it was someone he barely knew but when it was someone he had come to know and respect and even consider a friend, it made him sick to his stomach.

He remembered the last time he had seen Major Lorne and how bad he had looked. Brown eyes turning to look at him that no matter how many times he said he was fine revealed how much pain he was really in. He remembered how he had tried to argue, tried to get them to let the injured solider go. How he had turned to Lorne, telling him to stop being an idiot that he, Doctor Rodney McKay who had saved Atlantis at least a dozen times could save one Major. He remembered how desperate he had been to hear a quip, a teasing remark, a bit of that humor that only Lorne could say with such a straight face. Instead he had gotten a sad smile and a shake of his head. Resignation was clearly written on Lorne's damp face, a fever having set in three days earlier.

"Not this time Rodney."

McKay didn't allow his eyes to move from the Majors as he was shoved backwards onto the platform that would send him home. He saw Evan fight his restraints as their captives raised a gun to his face. He had blinked at the barrel, less than an inch from his nose, before realizing it was only there as a precaution to ensure he didn't try anything. If he was Ronon, Teyla, Sheppard or even Lorne, McKay's mind flashing back to the day before when the Major had killed a guard, he could have done some fancy ninja move and disarmed him. But he wasn't. And he knew what would happen to Evan if he tried anything. Dead before he could even blink. He looked back at the Major and was surprised to see a smile gracing his face. It was a shadow of his usual grin but McKay was too pleased to notice. He smiled back.

"McKay, there's a box of chocolate chip biscuits in my desk. I want you to have them."

McKay couldn't help the look of outrage on his face. He had been complaining how there were no biscuits left for weeks! He grinned though when he saw Lorne laughing softly.

"Enjoy McKay. Also there are some paintings and sketches under my bed. You'll know what to do with them when you see them. It's been an honor McKay."

And with that he was gone as Rodney found himself engulfed in a blue light similar to the Asgard beaming technology. On instinct he closed his eyes. The sound of P-90s being cocked had him opening them again. He was back in Atlantis, smack bang in the middle of the gate room.

"Holy… Rodney?"

He looked up to see John running down the stairs towards him, followed closely by Woolsey. Pushing himself up into a standing position, wincing as his injuries brought along a new wave of pain, he glanced up to the control room and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Zelenka. He was staring down at Rodney, mouth wide open with his glasses hanging crooked from his nose. He could only imagine the shock everyone was feeling but right now they had more important things to think about. Like getting a stubborn Major off an alien spaceship.

"Radek! Check the long range sensors and find the ship that just beamed me down. Major Lorne is onboard and is badly injured. Then someone get a couple of jumpers ready to go after them."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Zelenka spun around and begun tapping away at a computer. McKay turned to Sheppard and Woolsey, the confusion and relief evident. There was also an underlying wariness and he knew he had a lot of questions to answer. He held up a hand to silence them when Sheppard opened his mouth to speak.

"Just wait for a minute, please?"

The Colonel stared at him for a second before nodding. He could wait. At the moment he was just glad to have Rodney back. His thoughts went to his still missing XO. McKay had said he was on the ship so he would go after it. He turned to get a jumper ready when he glanced up at Radek and saw the frustration radiating off him. McKay followed Johns gaze and saw Zelenka frowning and muttering in Czech. His stomach dropped, knowing it wouldn't be good news. Radek turned towards him, his expression grave.

"I'm sorry Rodney. They were present for thirty seconds while they beamed you down and then they just vanished."

McKay simply nodded, swallowing around a lump in his throat. He hadn't expected them to stick around and with the technology he had seen he knew it would be tough to find them again. That wouldn't stop him trying though.

He turned back to the two leaders of Atlantis, resignation on his face.

"Whatever questions you have, they can wait till I get to the infirmary. I feel like I was run over by a stampede of elephants!"

So that's the tempting teaser! Let me know what you think and I will be back with a new chapter soon. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update :)