Author's Note: I started this story about two years ago and never got it finished. I came in the other day with the intention of completing it, but after reading a few of the comments and the re-reading the story itself, I realized it needed a major rewrite. I've deleted the old version and am reposting the new, rewritten chapters. If you've already read it, I ask that you read it again as I have made a few minor and a few major changes. The OFC is still snarky and kind of hard to like in the beginning, but if you stick with it, I promise that all resolves itself. I've changed the rating to "M" because I already have the later chapters written and they are more adult than the opening of the story. And while this story will eventually include a romance between my OFC and Ronon, there will be a few surprises along the way. Please let me know what you think of the changes. As you can see, I actually listen...to most of them anyway. Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: Does anyone really need to be told that I didn't invent and do not own any of the characters I'm writing about...except my OFC and her cohorts?

You Can't Judge a Book

(Redux)

Prologue

Molly Watts walked through the gate into Stoners and scanned the crowd for Sara Clayton. She wasn't hard to find. Even though she was only 5'5" tall, Sara was never hard to find. Molly just looked for the largest concentration of men in a room and Sara would usually be at the center. Of course the notable thing was that she would always be wearing ear buds and have her nose buried in a book. Molly doubted Sara even knew men existed.

Today was no different. Molly spotted Sara's dark hair in the middle of a group of tables populated by men...all kinds of men. Molly laughed to herself as she watched one young man drop an empty coffee cup on the ground near Sara's table. He bent over to pick it up and looked up as he retrieved it. His face fell and Molly knew it was because he had just realized Sara hadn't even looked up from her book, she had merely moved her feet to one side.

Molly walked through the tables and sat down across from her friend. The small outdoor cafe was crowded with people taking advantage of the first nice day in a month. The breeze lifted a few of the strands of Sara's dark hair and played with them for a few seconds. Molly sighed, even mother nature had a thing for her.

"You know, there is a life outside of your MP3 player," Molly laughed as she plucked one ear bud out of Sara's ear, " A world that oddly enough includes things like actual human contact," she reached down and tapped the cover of the book Sara had been holding, "What is this, another one of those science fiction thingies?"

Sara shook her head and pushed the "stop" button on her MP3 player, " Yes, it's one of those "science fiction thingies", some of us call them books. You know, words, pages, ideas...?" She looked down at her watch and laughed, "Wow, you're actually on time."

Molly shrugged, "I let the class out early so I could meet you. I wanted to invite you to a party tonight. There's going to be music and human beings, some will even be of the opposite sex. You like music," Molly pointed at the MP3 player, "And I assume that since you haven't hit on me once in the ten years I've known you, you must like men, right?"

"I like music when I don't have to deal with a bunch of drunken fools trying to grope my ass as they make lame excuses," Sara's eyes glittered with laughter,"And who knows, maybe you just aren't my type."

Molly sighed, " Jesus Sara, you need to get out..into the actual world. All these books..." she let her voice trail off, "I have no idea why we're friends. Seriously, no idea."

Sara smiled, "We're friends because we both have the same strange sense of humor, even if we don't have the same opinion of loud smoke filled rooms. And let's not forget that I'm your date from hell excuse. Now, are you going to order lunch or what? I have a two-thirty, some guy wants me to authenticate a manuscript for him."

Molly picked up her menu and glanced at it, " You and those damn books. You really should have just become a librarian, you'd be much happier. It's not to late you know."

"Very funny. Look, I won't be able to make that thing tonight. I need to catch up on grading papers, so rain check?"

Molly nodded, "Sure. I probably won't stay long anyway. I'm betting it's going to be a bunch of uptight Young Republicans." She rolled her eyes to punctuate her frustration, "I'm so tired of trying to find a real man."

Sara shook her head, "Then just stop looking. I don't know why you even bother sometimes."

"Because Sara, that's how we have managed to become the scourge of the planet...rampant procreation. And for that, my dear friend, you need a man."

Sara rolled her eyes, " I don't need a man. I date." When Molly's eyebrows shot up Sara laughed, "I do. Just because I don't advertise the fact doesn't mean I don't do it."

"If you say so. Now let's eat, I'm starving."

Atlantis

Colonel Samantha Carter took the book being handed to her and looked at it, "Okay, so these Vengrier texts are supposed to be some sort of children's story from, " she paused and looked at Rodney McKay, " how long ago?"

" The texts themselves have never actually been found...on Earth. We think that the books we found on P-4579 may be them." McKay walked around the desk and pointed to a photograph, " This is the foremost expert in the interpretation and symbolism contained in the Vengrier texts."

"This," Col. Carter read the caption below the picture, "Dr. Sara Clayton? Well, if the texts themselves have never been on earth, how does Dr. Clayton know so much about them?"

McKay inhaled and ran his hands through his hair, "The original texts have never been on earth, but the speculation is that the stories themselves were passed on orally by the Ancients," he began pacing, "Of course no one would know it was the ancients, they would just think it was an oral tradition started by nomadic peoples, but that doesn't matter, " he stopped and looked at Col. Carter, " What does matter is that this woman, " he tapped the book, " has made a careful study of all the information that Emil Vengrier put on paper. She would be able to make sense of the...of the...ummm..."

"The context?" Col. Carter supplied

McKay snapped his fingers, "Right. The context."

"And why is understanding these books so important?"

McKay's head snapped up, "Why? Why? Maybe because out of all the planets we've encountered, we can't find any evidence that this one has ever had a culling? Not to mention the fact that they speak a language we can't translate and don't seem to possess any real weapons. Do you think that makes it important?"

Col. Carter held up her hand, "Fine. I get the point. Couldn't we get Daniel to look at them?"

"I already spoke with him and he agrees that having someone who is already familiar with the stories and history behind them working on the analysis would make it much faster."

"So you think that this Dr. Clayton will be able to help you figure out why the Wraith stay away from P-4579? Just from these manuscripts? I don't really see how that's possible Rodney."

" Well, if we can figure out their history and maybe figure out a way to communicate with them. Look, it's not like I'm asking you to let me take her off world."

"All right, I'll see if I can get her the clearance she'll need."

"Thank you, " McKay said as he turned to leave, "Oh, I think I should go along to meet with Dr. Clayton before we bring her to Atlantis. You know, to get her prepped and all."

Col. Carter laughed, "Sure Rodney. I'll let you know when everything is set."

Two Weeks Later

"Dr. Clayton? Your three o'clock is here."

Sara looked up from the paper she was grading as her assistant's voice came through the intercom. She closed the folder and set it aside, "Thank you Melissa, go ahead and send them in."

Sara heard Melissa tell someone that they could go right in and she stepped out from behind her desk to greet them. When she had received the call from a Col. Samantha Carter last week requesting an appointment, Sara had been more than a little intrigued. She'd done a lot of consulting, but never for anything other than academic research. She couldn't think of any reason the U.S military would need her help. The fact that she had been asked to sign a rather lengthy confidentiality agreement prior to their meeting had only heightened her curiosity.

Seconds later the door opened and a woman in an Air Force uniform walked into her office. Sara extended her hand, "Colonel Carter?"

Samantha shook hands with the petite woman standing in front of her as the rest of the group entered the office, "Yes. It's nice to meet you, " she turned, indicating the other two individuals with her, "I'd like to introduce you to Colonel John Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay. They actually discovered the texts we'd like you to look at."

Sara shook hands with both men before returning her attention to Col. Carter, "You said something about this pertaining to the Vengrier Texts? Has someone discovered a new story?"

The man Col. Carter had introduced as Rodney McKay stepped forward, " Not just another story. We believe we may have actually discovered the original manuscripts."

Sara leaned against her desk and clasped her hands together, her eyes narrowing, "I see. You think you've discovered manuscripts that no one has ever even heard of before? And how, Dr. McKay would you have done that?" She arched one eyebrow and continued, "As far as any historical evidence has been able to prove, Emil Vengrier collected and committed to paper the oral traditions, histories and myths of a people that was about to die out. There are no manuscripts."

Dr. McKay looked toward Col. Carter briefly, "Has she signed the waiver?" At the colonel's nod he turned back to Sara, "That's right Dr. Clayton. No one has ever found the manuscripts. At least, no one here on Earth."