"Welcome to Whistler !"
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis and all characters are © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., the Sci Fi Channel, and Acme Shark. No infringement is intended. All hosted works are © their respective owners and may not be used or reproduced without the owners' permission.
Series: the story takes place after the end of season 5. It's the sequel of my fic "Small party between girls" but no need to read this first fic to understand the story.
Status: complete
A/N:
If you take time to visit my profile, you'll see I'm not an English native speaker. I won't say my story is the best fanfiction ever yetI did my best to translate it and bring it to you here. Do not hesitate to review and give your opinion. I like constructive criticism!
I've never been in Canada -or in Whistler for that matter-, but I searched as many information as I could on the Internet to be the more accurate possible. I apologize in advance to potential Canadian readers; if you find big mistakes or think I stereotyped something, please tell me so I can make the necessary changes and say my Mea culpa!
Rating: T in general but some passages are M.
I'd like to thank Planet p and Codzwallop who helped me translate this fic from French to English. Girls, you made a wonderful work, you are awesome!
Enjoy and review if you want the chapter 2 !
Chapter 1: Bad news
"I've already told you a hundred times that I don't want you rushing into risky experiments on the naquadah generator before your calculations had had the chance to be verified by somebody other than yourself!"
"Petrov verified!"
"I don't care if Petrov verified, I meant me, Radek!"
The Czech sighed. The morning promised to be very long –there still was another three hours to spend with a particularly unbearable McKay before he could go for lunch…
"This equation is wrong, look…" Rodney continued, sticking his screen pad under Zelenka's nose. "Do I have to check everything in this lab?"
Their faces were boiling with red-tinted indignation, Petrov and Leonetti looked up at McKay as he went by and made his way towards the central console, grumbling.
"Citronovy!" Zelenka spat out, as soon as McKay was out of earshot.
"I heard you, Radek! You know what, You really are narrow-minded!"
OK, maybe not quite out of earshot…Suddenly, McKay's communicator buzzed.
"Doctor McKay, Mr. Woolsey is waiting for you in his office. It's urgent."
The scientist grumbled again.
"What happened?" McKay groused. "I'm not even given the time to concentrate on my research lately!"
"Our research…" Zelenka corrected more shyly than he'd have liked.
"My research! And you, you are my assistant on this project! And I might add that when I see the huge mistakes you continue to make here on a simple potential quadrivector, as though you just got out of pre-school, I think I could perfectly do fine without your help!" Rodney exclaimed leaving the room.
"Citronovy, citronovy, citronovy…" muttered the Czech through his clenched teeth.
Sometimes, Radek wondered if McKay actually thought before saying anything, because he could really be hurtful at times. At least, that is what the Czech might have wondered if he hadn't been too busy trying really hard to ignore Rodney!
OooooooO
"So, Kanaan, you're leaving us already?"
John was sitting on the sofa near Teyla and held Torren on his lap. The little boy looked at him with a great smile and tried to catch his nose with his plump little fingers.
"Yes, my cousin needs me for the harvests" Kanaan conveyed in reply.
"I am also going back to New Athos, John. Torren was deprived for such a long time of his two parents since Atlantis returned to the Milky Way. Our people also need me. They are afraid of having to deal with the Wraith again without the protection of the city."
Kanaan approached the Athosian woman and took her hand. He addressed Sheppard:
"Thank you for bringing Torren and I here. I believe Teyla was starting missing us very much." He tenderly caressed the cheek of his partner and took her hand in order to drop a kiss on her fingers.
"And thank you for your hospitality," he continued. "Everybody has been taken very good care of us over these last two months."
"Oh, but you're welcome here anytime!"
Torren had finally managed to catch the military man's cheek and was fascinated by the stubble of rising beard which covered it.
"General Landry is expecting me at the SGC in the afternoon," Kanaan revealed his plans to the other man.
"From there, I'll take the Stargate to P3X 412 where the Daedalus is stationed. I'll take advantage of the fact that this man, Dr Jackson, wants to meet the people of the planet Proculis. I want to leave as quickly as possible. Teyla will join me in a few days… Apparently, she has some late mission reports," he said on a derisive note.
Teyla didn't laugh. She raised her eyes skyward and sighed.
"Woolsey…" Sheppard speculated, his expression one of compassion. It fitted that the instigation was that of Richard Woolsey.
The Athosian agreed and put her arms out to take back Torren, who was trying, now, to test the resistance of the earlobe of his human toy.
John's communicator vibrated.
/"Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, Mr. Woolsey is waiting for you in his office. It's urgent."/
"Speak of the devil… Well…" Sheppard said, getting up, "Teyla, I'll see you later in the Mess."
OoooooO
Motionless, Ronon observed his sparring partner. He held his two bantos in his right hand, leaving his left hand free for him to fold up behind his back.
"You're going to offend me, Ronon! Am I so bad that you need only a single hand to take me down?"
Amelia was in a position of defense, in front of him. She brandished her own bantos skillfully in front of her face. She had put up her hair and her flexible but too-short T-shirt showed off the tanned and gleaming skin of her belly.
For a moment, Ronon's eyes were irresistibly attracted by the curve of the technician's hips. It was one moment of inattention which Amelia did not miss. She rushed her opponent and administered a flight of knocks which more or less made their mark on the Satedan.
He managed, however, to draw back from her attack and recover his concentration.
"Your technique's getting better, Banks," he commented breathily, slightly put out to have lost his attention at the sight of Amelia's body, which he… well, which he found appealing.
He should have been able to keep his feeling under control, he considered, and, yet, he had not.
A malicious smile showed on Amelia's face and she began circling him, ready to wage another attack.
"You've shown steady progression over the month we've been training. I'm impressed." Ronon added, revolving to keep her in his line of sight.
The technician tried another attack, but this time the Satedan was ready, countering and pushing her back with effortless ease.
She was not as skillful as Teyla, but she managed very well, he thought.
Amelia tried to reach Ronon's right flank but he blocked his opponent's bantos with an arm. At the same time, he dodged to the side which unbalanced the young lady. She tried to remain standing upright whilst sending a kick the Satedan's way.
The kick was immediately fended off. Then, using his free arm, Ronon seized the technician's leg and brought her crashing down to the floor, and put a hand to her throat.
Ronon found his body hovering over Amelia's, both of them suddenly very still. Their faces were so close that Amelia's warm, panting breath came up to caress his lips softly, with intermittent frequency.
Ronon fought to keep his own respiration under control. Don't look at her mouth,he thought.
Amelia seemed to be waiting… As he watched, her brown pupils threw a thousand flashes of lighting.
Suddenly, Ronon got up, abandoning his partner on the floor. He went to collect the bantos and tidied up them in their cases.
The young lady recovered her feet slowly. Her cheeks were on fire.
"Sorry if I was a little bit harsh there, Banks," Ronon threw from the other side of the room. He came back with a towel and a bottle of water.
She thanked him, dried her face with the towel and drunk a mouthful of fresh water. She forced herself to hide her disappointment, but strangely found herself smiling in spite of it.
"I am not a glass doll, Ronon."
"I know… and it's generous of you to train with me. Since Torren's birth, Teyla is less and less available."
"But, certainly, she is a better opponent!" Amelia commented.
"That's true…" Ronon admitted. Then, moments later, he regretted his too-frank answer.
Amelia began laughing. She liked Ronon's honesty. And also his self-confidence. Though, not everybody on the base was apparently of the same opinion as she was.
"I've been making some progress; it's inevitable, really, I think…"
"Hum… I didn't mean to say…"
"I know," Amelia cut in, laughing again in spite of the discomfit that showed on his face. He was taking this way too seriously; of course she understood what he'd meant!
A short while later, they had left the training room and were now walking side by side in the corridor when they saw Rodney arrive at a run ahead of them, apparently very irritated.
"Hi, McKay! You seem in a hurry!" Ronon exclaimed.
"Yeah… yeah…!" were the only words that the couple was able to hear before Rodney had passed them at rocket speed without even a glance.
Amelia was hardly surprised, nor offended. Rodney McKay's reputation had remained unchanged for a long time now on Atlantis!
"How do the two of you get on?" Amelia questioned, of Rodney and Ronon.
"When he begins to get on my nerves, I look him in the eyes and he stops talking. So, between us, it's OK…" came Ronon's answer.
The technician smiled.
They finally arrived in front of Amelia's bedroom.
"In fact, Ronon, you can call me Amy if you want." She declared.
"Amy… OK…" Ronon had no time to finish his sentence as Chuck made his way over to them.
He stopped dead at the sight of the Satedan and threw him a dark look. Then, he straightened and stood squarely in front of them.
"Hi, Amelia… Hum… Well, we got the holiday planning sorted with Burns and your week of vacation begins the day after tomorrow. I bargained with Newman who also wanted this time, too, and he folded. Going with this arrangement, I would replace you during your holidays, but we'll have to discuss your secondary program for the north shed's opening over lunch. We could meet at 1 pm in the mess, if that's also convenient for you. I'll keep a seat for you, if so."
He'd spoken without stopping, unaffected by Ronon and Amelia's dazed gazes.
They wondered how it was possible for him to keeping speaking for so long without pausing to draw breath.
When the technician had assimilated the stream of information she'd just been handed, she gave her most beautiful smile and put a hand on Chuck's shoulder. She hoped he was getting his breath back whilst he wasn't speaking.
"Thank you, Chuck. That was very thoughtful of you! I hope Newman doesn't bear a grudge, but I really need this time to unwind outside the base!"
"Oh… Hum… You're welcome, Amelia… But there's really no need to thank me, it was no trouble…" Chuck stammered his face coloring peony red.
"So, I'll see you in the Mess at 1 pm!"
"Ok, Amelia."
Chuck departed with a blissful smile. Ronon watched him going. Amelia noticed the look in his eyes and quietly exulted inside.
"See you later, Ronon!" she said, going into her room.
"Yeah… later…" the Satedan mumbled.
As he walked back to his quarters, Ronon found it difficult to contain his nervousness. He'd need to keep a very close eye on Chuck in the future…
OoooooO
Finding the door of Richard Woolsey's office open, McKay tumbled in in a fury.
Only Sheppard waited inside.
"Why must you persist in these continual disturbances, all the time! Have we been attacked? Is the City under imminent danger of explosion? Has Todd betrayed us? No! Am I stupid! We're 20 million light years from Pegasus!" Rodney had taken his most unpleasant tone to exclaim his acerbic monologue for the apparently absent Mr Woolsey.
Sheppard sighed.
"What happened to you, McKay…? You didn't have your breakfast this morning?"
"And, of course, Woolsey's not here!" Rodney rumbled, ignoring the lieutenant colonel in his annoyance.
Abruptly, the leader of the base appeared in the threshold. McKay turned swiftly and began in a roar:
"Ah! Finally! Do you even know what I'm working on at the moment? No? Well"
"Hold your tongue, Dr McKay and seat down at my desk. Sheppard, I'm afraid I must postpone the matter on which I wish to speak to you until a later date…"
Rodney, taken aback, fell silent and submitted without stumbling, moving toward a seat as instructed.
The scientist realized that for Woolsey's behavior to be so out-of-kilter with his usual manner, something had to be very wrong. He knew that his superior wasn't really livewire and, apparently, there was a problem which concerned him.
He settled down in front of the computer.
"There is a communication for you. It is your sister," Woolsey revealed simply.
This time, Rodney's words remained clamped in his throat. He couldn't have gotten them out if he had wanted to.
Sheppard and Woolsey retreated to watch the screen, anxiety etched into each of their faces.
Rodney started the communication and the haggard face of his sister, Jeannie, appeared in front of him.
She looked as though she'd been crying.
"Jeannie? What's the matter? Has something happened to you?" Rodney blurted in a rush, his voice rising with each words, too panic-stricken to marshal his questions into slowing down. He continued without leaving her the time to answer
"Is it Madison? My God! Tell me! Jeannie! Jeannie, please!"
Jeannie took her attention from her breathing and refocused it on Rodney, finally able to articulate herself after calming slightly.
"Meredith… It's about May. She had a heart attack."
The scientist's face fell suddenly.
TBC….
*Citronovy : Czech for 'lemon'.