A/N: It's been a few years since I last posted a new story so please be patient. I'm going through my files and finishing up half written stories so hopefully there won't be so many years between new postings. As for this story … it is complete and I hope to post a new chapter daily. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Stargate Atlantis or the awesome characters… just trying to keep the series alive. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you bailey1ak for all your help and encouragement … you're always my inspiration!
I appreciate your reviews and look forward to your feedback.
The Best
Jennifer Keller arrived back at Cheyenne Mountain two days early after a grueling week in Chippewa Falls seeing to her father's affairs. Her dad had died unexpectedly of a heart attack while fishing with some old Army buddies and she never even got the chance to say goodbye. So much had happened over the past year, much of it negative, and losing her only confidant added to her already solitary existence. It was hard for her to imagine a life without her dad's advice and comfort especially after the disappointments and hurts that'd invaded her life lately. Once she'd checked in with General Landry and secured her place on the Daedalus she retired to her assigned quarters to take a nap hoping sleep would change her depressing mood.
Colonel Sheppard finished his briefing with General Landry turning in his report and shaking hands before heading to the mess hall to find Ronon. He and the Satedan warrior had spent the past two weeks training the men at Cheyenne Mountain in advanced fighting techniques honing hand-to-hand skills and teaching them how to use bantos rods. With more practice they should become a well-oiled machine able to hold their own in the fiercest of battles. It'd been a good experience and he looked forward to having Teal'c and Mitchell reciprocate next month teaching the Atlantis military contingent the fine art of Sodan fighting.
Finding his teammate surrounded by admiring groupies, Sheppard cleared his throat hoping it would clear a path to the table.
"Hey Chewie, you giving out autographs?" he teased, taking a seat at the table.
"Colonel Sheppard, it was an honor to attend your training sessions," the young airman announced while standing at attention.
"At ease son, but I'd appreciate it if you all give us some time to catch a bite to eat," he requested. The eager men nodded the affirmative while slapping Ronon on the shoulder and expressing their appreciation as they walked away.
"How long do we have before the Daedalus gets here?" Ronon asked, hoping it would be soon.
"Unfortunately they're running a couple of days late … had to drop out of hyperspace to fix something on the coolant system." John explained knowing how Ronon felt. He was anxious to get home too and hated the delay. "Rodney should be here later tonight."
"Where's he been?"
"Visiting with his sister and family… probably driving them all crazy," John chuckled.
"He'd better be in a good mood," Ronon grumbled.
The men watched as Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman entered the mess hall walking purposefully toward their table, "Colonel Sheppard, the General would like to see you in his office," Walter instructed. "It shouldn't take long Sir."
"Lead the way, Sergeant," Sheppard said, following the man out of the mess hall.
"Colonel," Landry greeted as Sheppard entered his office motioning for him to take a seat.
"General."
"At ease, Sheppard. I just got off the phone with General O'Neill and he was most pleased with the success of our joint training session."
"Thank you Sir … please pass along our thanks." Sheppard asked.
"To show his appreciation General O'Neill has offered his cabin for your use while you wait on the Daedalus. He felt it would be more comfortable than hanging out here at the Mountain plus you'll have the added enjoyment of spending the day fishing on his pond."
"Yes Sir, as much as we appreciate the honor, I'm afraid none of us actually fish and I'm sure we'll be fine hanging out here on base," Sheppard answered, hoping to take the sting out his thank-you-but-no-thank-you reply.
"I'm sorry Colonel, this was not an invitation. You can consider this an order unless you feel inclined to personally phone General O'Neill and decline his offer," Landry frowned.
"On second thought General, spending our down time in the mountains sounds very relaxing."
"I'll be sure to convey your enthusiasm to Jack next time we talk," the leader smirked. "The Apollo is about to leave orbit so we'll transport your team to Minnesota as soon as McKay arrives."
"Sounds good Sir, we'll be ready."
"Oh … and Colonel, Dr. Keller arrived here earlier today so you might want to take her with you if she's up to it," the General suggested.
"Thank you Sir … I'll be sure to check with her right away," Sheppard assured him.
Grumbling to himself as he navigated the hallways leading to the guest quarters, Sheppard decided kicking back at a secluded cabin for a few days wasn't exactly a bad idea. By the time he reached Jennifer's door he was totally on board and mentally thanking General O'Neill for his hospitality.
"Colonel," Jennifer greeted, startled by his presence.
"Hey Doc, funny meeting you here," he grinned. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure, come in" she said, pulling her back pack off the only chair. "We must all be traveling home together… how did your training seminar go?"
"It was good, in fact that's kind of why I'm here. Did you know the Daedalus is delayed a couple of days?"
"Walter mentioned it earlier," she answered, disappointed at the delay.
"General O'Neill has graciously offered the use of his cabin while we wait for our ride … clean air, beautiful surroundings, hiking and a lake full of fish," Sheppard described. "We're being beamed in shortly so why don't you join us?"
"I didn't think you liked to fish?"
"Come on Doc, it'll be fun. I'll make Ronon bait your hook."
"So what's the catch … no pun intended," she added seeing Sheppard grin.
"General Landry thinks it'd be a good idea to include you in this backwoods adventure," he snarked. "Actually, it would be nice to have you along and you don't even have to cook or anything."
"Maybe it would be nicer than spending two days in this cubicle."
"Good. It's settled. Grab your stuff and let's go find the guys."
"Wait … I thought it was just you and Ronon. Who else is coming," she asked worriedly.
"Rodney has been at his sister's and should be here any time. Is that a problem?" he asked seeing the disgruntled look on Jennifer's face.
"Sorry Colonel, this is NOT a good idea. We haven't really been civil to each other since our breakup. Putting us together in the same house in the middle of nowhere sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"I'll have a talk with him. He'll be a perfect gentleman… promise."
Against her better judgment the Atlantis CMO agreed to spend the down time at General O'Neill's beloved cabin. She figured Sheppard would score some points with Landry if he took her along and her respect for the Colonel had her wanting to help when possible.
"If you wouldn't mind talking to him I'll come along. Actually, it's been a long week for me so I may just find a quiet place to throw my pillow and sleep most of the time."
"Pack what you need for a couple of days and store the rest in your room. I'll have Walter get it to the Daedalus when it docks."
The Atlantis crew arrived at the cabin late at night and Rodney quickly settled into the largest bedroom leaving the others to flip for the second private room. Ronon volunteered to take the couch so he could keep the fire stoked at night while Sheppard assigned Jennifer the other bedroom. Taking his own duffle bag he joined McKay in the master bedroom much to the scientist's dismay.
"Relax McKay, I'll take the couch across the room," Sheppard sighed, tired of his attitude.
"I don't know why you just didn't take the other bedroom," Rodney grumbled.
"Because Doc needed a place to sleep other than the living room chair," he hissed, growing impatient with his teammate.
"I don't know why you invited her along. It's bad enough I have to be here when I could be back at the SGC catching up on everything I put off while I was at Jeannie's."
"Look, you'll have three weeks to run all the simulations and what-if scenarios you want once we're heading home but for the next two days can you just try to relax?"
"It's hard to relax with one of my rare failures in my face for two days … not that it was my fault," he quickly qualified.
"It takes two Rodney," Sheppard reminded him.
"About that ...I think the facts prove that I was not at fault."
"Let's not go there tonight. Get some sleep … we'll take the boat out tomorrow."
"Oh joy," Rodney mumbled sarcastically under his breath.
Waking early the next morning John quietly shut the bedroom door hoping to give the scientist a few extra hours of sleep. He knew Rodney typically burnt the candle at both ends and once they landed on Atlantis they'd all be off and running so now was the time to rest up. Moving into the living room he was handed a large mug of coffee by his training partner and the two of them headed outdoors to stretch before their morning run.
"Thanks for the coffee. I'm impressed you figured out the coffeemaker," Sheppard teased.
"Coffee was already made."
"Really? Doc must be up."
Jennifer sat on the edge of the dock watching the sunrise and sipping her hot mug of coffee. Her mind drifted to thoughts of her dad and the wonderful relationship the two of them had shared throughout her life. She knew she'd always miss him terribly but felt her grief loosening its grip giving her hope she wouldn't be in this place forever. Taking another sip of coffee she entertained visions of shared times together as if leafing through a photo album … the memories often bringing a smile to her troubled heart.
The sound of footfalls on the gravel driveway brought her out of her ponderings turning her head to find Ronon and Sheppard heading out for their daily run. Watching her friends brought another smile as she considered all the wonderful people in her life. She'd like to think that even she and Rodney would one day be able to bridge the gulf created by their brief attempt at dating. Hopefully with time she could once again call him a good friend.
When the sun was sitting at the mid-morning mark Jennifer returned to the cabin choosing to spend her day in her room splitting her time between napping and reading the paperback she'd slipped in her back pack at the last minute.
Sheppard organized an afternoon of boating with a cooler full of adult beverages and turkey sandwiches. Later in the day they gathered on the dock and tried their luck at fishing. Jennifer joined them while Rodney opted out in favor of some quality bonding time with his laptop.
"Okay Ronon," Jennifer started, holding Sheppard to his promise, "I was told you'd bait my hook for me," she said, handing him her pole.
"Sure," he agreed, taking the rod then hesitating long enough to shoot Sheppard a glare.
The trio enjoyed the sunshine, the company and the down time that was so precious within the Atlantis expedition. After a couple of unproductive hours along the shore of the lake the group agreed to throwing together a salad while cooking some frozen pizzas in the oven. Jennifer even found a cake mix in the cupboard to bake up for dessert.
While dinner was cooking the Colonel received a call from Walter saying the Daedalus was delayed by another half day and he'd contact Sheppard with an update once the new eta was set. Everyone took the extended delay in stride and continued putting the finishing touches on their gourmet meal.
Jennifer enjoyed the teasing and banter around the table as they ate their meal, ever thankful Rodney had taken a late afternoon nap. The past few weeks the man had been more tense and irritable causing her staff to scatter like cockroaches whenever he sought relief in the infirmary. She hated to admit it but she'd even resorted to hiding in her office a couple of times when she just didn't have the patience to act professional.
Upon hearing Rodney's bedroom door open, Jennifer slipped into the kitchen to check on her cake. Tinkering with the dishes she listened from her place of refuge to see what kind of mood the man might be in this evening before returning to the living area.
"Hey sleepyhead," Sheppard teased, as McKay entered the room.
"Why'd you let me sleep so long?" he grumbled, rubbing his face.
"You're a big boy, besides your body probably needed the rest. By the way, the Daedalus has been delayed a bit longer than expected," he informed his teammate.
"How long," he asked irritated.
"Don't know… Walter will call when they have a new eta."
"Perfect," he growled.
Jennifer waited in the kitchen until the cake was done before slipping into the room taking a seat off to the side with her book. She didn't want to be rude but felt awkward in the room with Rodney so the book was the perfect excuse to be left alone.
Later, as the team settled in for the night with their dessert, Sheppard reflected on the day and felt content with the way things had turned out. He decided a thank you note to General O'Neill might be in order … the cabin had turned out to be a great alternative to hanging around the SGC for two days. Setting his empty cake plate on the coffee table he glanced up to see McKay still banging away on his data pad as he made another lap around the room.
"Rodney … could you please stop pacing and fidgeting. You're driving me crazy," John complained, frowning at his teammate. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"
"By my calculations the Daedalus may be too late docking tomorrow and I need to be on time. Why don't you contact Caldwell and see if he can speed things up … he'll listen to you."
"Contacting the Daedalus from Snooze Ville, Minnesota is no easy feat - what does it matter - and no, he won't listen to me. It's his boat and he'll get here when he gets here."
"I have an important engagement tomorrow and I've been told that I'm always late," he stated sarcastically, glaring at Jennifer. "I need to be on time."
"Are you referring to a date … with a woman?" Sheppard asked incredulously.
"Bout time you got your act together," Jen grumbled under her breath.
"Yes, with a woman … it's with Katie Brown if you must know and she has a surprise for me," he said proudly, standing a bit straighter. Knowing a beautiful woman would be waiting for him at the SGC once the Daedalus beamed them back gave him a boost of confidence and he wasn't about to take any guff from his traveling companions. Turning to look at Jennifer he decided to address the elephant in the room, "I'm sorry we didn't work out Jennifer, but I now realize that we are not compatible in any area especially intellectually. At least with Katie she is a scientist and more my equal."
"Rodney … maybe we should change the subject," John warned.
"No. I'm tired of always taking the blame for things that are entirely out of my hands. It's not my fault that I'm a more important part of this expedition and my duties keep me working long hours. You should have been more understanding and accommodating. I wasn't the only one who had to break dates … you let the infirmary come between us a time or two also."
Jennifer stood up and moved a few steps closer to Rodney trying to keep her temper from getting the best of her, "Are you referring to the one time I was in surgery when we were supposed to have dinner together?" she hissed, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "How can you possibly compare that to the numerous times you forgot about me because you were so engrossed with some unnecessary project in your lab? Seriously … I don't think we ever had a real date because you were always feeling indispensable."
"I am indispensable." McKay scoffed.
"I don't think you can compare our jobs so easily.
"Obviously I'm better at my job than you are at yours," he snipped, thankfully leaving out the Neener, Neener, Neener often expressed by ten year olds.
"I'll remember that the next time you come in with some ridiculous ailment," Jen offered knowing he hated to see anyone other than herself. "Maybe Dr. Cole would love the challenge."
"It doesn't become you to be so sensitive when faced with the truth … perhaps you didn't get enough rest on your vacation," McKay lectured sarcastically. "Your time may have been better spent attending a few medical seminars on new procedures to enrich your career rather than spending so many frivolous hours sunbathing. I believe we can all agree that the scientific community on Atlantis deserves the best available medical care … as well as the best military support," he added to appease Sheppard and Ronon.
"Are you saying I'm inadequate in the care I give to my patients?"
"Alright, that's enough Rodney," Sheppard ordered. "I don't know what your problem is but you're totally out of line to take it out on the Doc."
"I wasn't on vacation," she stated quietly. Walking across the room, Jennifer picked up her jacket before turning to John and stating the obvious, "I told you this was a bad idea… I'm getting some air."
