So this is my first Stargate:Atlantis fic... I decided that it would be a good idea to buy both seasons 1 and 2 and watch them in 2 days...so that's where this came from...Please be kind...

Oh, and I don't own anything... blah blah blah... you know the drill...

Past's Future

"Rodney!"

"Listen, the more you bug me, the less I'll get done, and the less I get done, the less chance this has to work. And if it doesn't work--"

"Rodney, I get it, you don't have to keep reminding me."

"Obviously, I do, otherwise you wouldn't keep bugging me--"

" I simply asked a question." Elizabeth took a deep breath, sometimes dealing with the cocky, self-centered scientist proved to be completely unrelentless. "Could you please remember for one second that I'm not able to read your genious mind, and take two seconds to explain how this is going to work to me?"

As she suspected the off-colored compliment caught his attention, long enough for him to realize that before she'd definately give him a go on this, she'd need to at least understand the basic idea of what he was trying to accomplish. Rather, she just needed to assess if there were going to be any dangers to her city.

"I'm sorry, " He cocked a half turned smile. "I forget you can't always see the big picture, and--"

"Rodney!" She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Just get to the point, please."

He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, "Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you can be so impatient?"

"The more time you take to explain this, the longer it takes for me to give it the okay. I just can't understand why you seem so interested in putting that off."

"Because I know how quickly I can explain the situation."

As if on an unsaid que, John Sheppard entered the room, his eyes lit up with wonder at the contraption laid out in the middle of the room.

"What'd I miss?" He walked around the device, chosing to stand next to Dr. Weir. She looked at him, then to McKay.

"Rodney was just about to explain how this device works, and exactly what he was going to do to try and see if it's even operational." She gestured at the scientist, then crossed her arms over her chest, the look on her face telling him to hurry up and get what he needed to explain said.

"What is this?" John couldn't resist the urge to say it. He knew deep down Elizabeth had probably pushed all of Rodney's easily accessible buttons, but what could one more hurt. The scientist had such a short fuse that at times it was almost comical how quickly he could be pushed to almost insanity.

"I was just about to explain to Dr. Weir," He connected his ancient computer cord between his laptop and the device, picking up the notebook after he did so. "It's a time travel device. Much like the one that her other self apparently traveled back into time with."

John turned to Elizabeth, "I thought you said that --? "

"Janis"

"Janis," John looked from Rodney to Elizabeth. "I thought the other you said that it was destroyed when it crashed thousands of years ago."

"Well, it was." She stopped, remembering the story the alternate aged version of her told about how the first trip to Atlantis played out. She was about to continue, but Rodney beat her to her next words.

"This appears to be some sort of prototype."

"The one Janis must have built before the one he put in the puddlejumper." John could see Weir's eyes light up as she said the words.

"That's exactly what I just said." McKay scoffed. "Glad to see we're all on the same page now. Can I continue?"

"Please do, " John exchanged smiles with Elizabeth. They both knew at that point that they had both gotten a hand in pushing Rodney right to the end of his rope.

"Alright, since we- and by we I mean Elizabeth and I- have uncovered this device, we've discovered just exactly what we've said, that it's a time-travel device. That being the same sort of device that the alter-Elizabeth discovered in her alternate reality apparently the first time that we came through the gate. Now, I'm pretty sure that the power source is here and if I--"

"You're pretty sure?" Elizabeth looked at John when the interjection came out of his mouth. She was used to the back and forth between Rodney and John, but today, so far, it seemed at almost an all time high. But as she always had come to expect from McKay, this was no setback.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure." As she looked from one scientist to her military leader, McKay's words didn't falter.

"Rodney, I need you to be absolutely sure."

"I am absolutely sure. When are you two going to trust me?"

"You did blow up two-thirds of a solar system." Sheppard's words cut through him like a knife.

"I've already appologized for that, besides, I find it easier to be right than get yelled at again by Dr. Weir." He waited just a moment before continuing. "Now, if we're ready to test the power?"

But before he could even finish the lights on the console teemed to life, and he was left trying to hide his suprise, just as the other two in the room were left doing the same.

"McKay?"

"Rodney?"

Weir and Sheppard's words came out at the same time as they looked at Rodney, hoping by some strange chance that he had anything to do with the power up. Instead the three looked at each other with inquiring looks as McKay shook his head telling them in disbelief that he had nothing to do with it.

"It wasn't me." The device had simply come to life.