Title :No Longer a Solitary Man

Author:Fenchurch

Length:750 words

Warnings:It's a tag to Vegas, so don't read it unless you've seen the ep!

Unbeta'd as yet, so please let me know what I've got wrong!

He was a hero.

Ex-detective John Sheppard snorted, and then winced as the stitches in his left shoulder pulled.

John Sheppard, the hero, Saviour of the World and apparently a few galaxies and universes. It was all too… hilarious.

McKay kept coming to the Infirmary to visit him and looking at him like he was something shiny and bright, his eyes glittering and his mouth stubbornly attempting to turn upward on both sides.

It was… nice.

The last time anyone looked like that at him, John had ended up throwing away a Military career.

Then again, he'd just thrown away a career as a detective and he hadn't even kissed the guy!

"You look… better today."

John turned his head and looked at his visitor. He had already learned that what he had seen in the conference room – Rodney laying into his colleague and bulldozing his way through everyone and everything – was SOP for the man. He would say whatever he thought and, Keller, who apparently worked in the infirmary as well as in pathology, had already informed him that McKay was a terrible liar.

"Thanks… I think."

"You don't heal as quickly as the Sheppard from the other universe."

John rolled his eyes and tried not to feel jealous of McKay's infatuation with another version of himself. "Sorry – I'll try and heal faster."

"Oh! Oh no… I just meant… you nearly died."

"I'm aware of that," John ground out. "Got the bandages to prove it!"

To John's surprise, McKay grinned broadly at that. "You'll be allowed out soon. I know your car got… well, trashed. I… Look, we're going to offer you a job and I want you to take it."

"What as?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What as? I got a Dishonourable Discharge remember?"

"Oh, yes… well, as a civilian, obviously."

"You need detectives in Area 51? The Men in Black need a cop?"

Again, McKay's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"Oh no! It's much bigger than that! You're going to be a specialist."

"In what?"

"You've had military training, you have the gene, you…"

"The what?"

"The gene… you, like all the other Sheppards, are genetically descended from the people who built Atlantis… a race known to us as the Ancients, although they have many other names. I have it too."

John watched, amused, as Rodney's face took on a smug expression, then his eyes shifted from side to side as he added, "Of course, my gene was dormant until Carson created the gene therapy, but I still have it and it's as strong anyone who has it naturally!"

"So, more aliens then?"

"Well, technically I'd say that as we are descended from the Ancients, that…"

"OK! OK! I get it! Now, tell me what I am supposed to do in this job."

"You'll be on my gate team."

"Your what?"

Suddenly Rodney stepped right up to the bed and loomed over John. His eyes bored into John's, and John felt the full force of Rodney McKay's entire attention concentrated solely on him. It was very impressive and John was rather taken aback.

"John, you'll be a part of my team. You'll be a civilian soldier like Ronon, and a scientist like me – I know about your Math degree and I'll train you up, get you up to speed once we're there. Lorne is good and loyal, especially since we lost Ford, but Lorne wants to form his own team, and anyway, sending the Military Commander of Atlantis out on missions is stupid. Elizabeth has already approved it… She's the Mission Commander and she'll be your boss… as well as me. I'm the Chief Science Officer."

John was almost distracted by the scientist's hands, as they formed energetic arcs to help with Rodney's descriptions. "You will work for me and with my other two team-mates. They are both civilian specialists, like you, and we'll travel the Pegasus Galaxy, making friends and enemies, finding power sources, searching for the way to manufacture new Zed PMs, fighting the Wraith and seeking their ultimate destruction. It will be great and as it was meant to be!"

Rodney grabbed John's good shoulder and shook him, while John pretended it didn't hurt.

"In another universe, you were the leader, the commander, the hero and now I know that you have it in you to be great in this universe too. Come with me John! Come to Atlantis!"

"I'll be a civilian?"

"A fighting civilian and a part of the command structure."

"Not covered by DADT?"

"Nope."

"Then… I can do this?"

"What?"

John leaned forward and, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, grabbed Rodney and kissed him.

For a moment they both looked at each other, John intense and anticipating, Rodney a bit dazed, then Rodney touched his lips, looked down at his fingers, looked back at John, then said.

"Hell yes!" and kissed him back.