Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis.


Laura Cadman looked at her watch. They were late…the both of them…Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay. "What the hell is wrong with him?" she said in exasperation as she paced back and forth in the gate room. "Can't he go on a simple offworld mission and not get into trouble?"

"This is McKay and Sheppard we're talking about," Ronon reminded her. "Nothing is ever simple with them."

"And you're on their team?? Great!" Cadman threw her hands in the air.

"Why do you care, Cadman?" Ronon asked accusingly crossing his arms over his chest. "I though you didn't like McKay."

"I don't!" she insisted. "I just don't want him to die."

"Lieutenant, Dr. McKay is a very capable warrior when he needs to be," Teyla said soothingly trying to calm down the other woman.

"What if he goes into hypoglycemic shock and can't defend himself? What if he comes into contact with some strange alien citrus and dies of anaphylactic shock?" Laura was aware of how silly she sounded, but she didn't care. She war worried.

"You need to calm down," Ronon said laughing.

Cadman looked around. Everyone in the gate room was either chuckling or smirking at her. Apparently, her rant was a little louder than she had realized.

"What?" She glared at Ronon and put her hands on her hips.

He just shrugged his shoulders and smirked. Laura decided that Atlantis's resident Satedan was spending a little too much time with the currently tardy Colonel Sheppard.

"Lieutenant, I assure you that both Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard are fine," Teyla said serenely. "They are merely exploring some odd reading that Dr. McKay picked up on their trek and they simply lost track of time."

"And why aren't you with them?" Laura stomped her foot on the floor.

"We routinely split up on offworld missions deemed safe. We cover more ground that way," Teyla said with a smile.

"And they do this a lot?" Cadman was beginning to get a headache. She rubbed her temples.

"All the time," Ronon said. "They like to look for the cool ancient stuff."

"Why don't we go to the commissary and have some tea while we await their return," Teyla suggested to Laura.

Laura nodded.

"You will let us know when they return," Teyla informed Ronon.

"Yeah," Ronon nodded. He knew that it was not a request, but an order. Teyla and Ronon shared a look as they waked out of the gate room.

Once they were gone, Ronon contacted Beckett. "Ronon to Beckett."

"Aye. What is it, lad?"

"You're ex is a nut job."

"What?"

"You're ex is a nut job," Ronon repeated.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Cadman."

"What's she done now?"

"McKay's late."

"Okay? How's that different than any other day?"

"Cadman's worried."

"Aye, I can imagine. Still don't get why she's mad though."

"Nut job," Ronon corrected.

"Aye, nut job. Sorry lad," the Scottish doctor said with a smile. "Why is she a nut job?"

"She's pacing, snarling, glaring and growling, She's going on about hypoglycemic shock and citrus."

"Really? Do you have video?"

"Check your e-mail."