Hey, this is a sequel/prequel to The McKays. It'd be best if you read that first but if you love Stargate you're probably smart enough to figure it out ;) Also Mars is David Hewlett's actually dog and if you want to you can find pictures on the internet to see him.


"Meredith!" Jean McKay called bursting into her brother's room.

The 15 year old boy in question was reading his thick textbook while laying against the pillows on his bed. "What?" he snapped, shooting an annoyed look at his sister. He hated it when people interrupted him.

"Come here, I need you." Jean ordered in her best do-what-I-say tone.

"I'm busy, Jeannie, go away," he told her, returning to his book.

Assuming a pleading expression Jean begged, "But Meredith it's su-u-u-mmer!"

"I don't care! And stop calling me that, it's a girls' name. Just call me Rodney," he told her, though he knew from experience she would completely disregard his words and call him by his first name anyway. He still held onto the useless hope she would call him Rodney one day or, better yet, Rod.

"Come on. It's nice outside and Mom and Dad are still out on their anniversary dinner date." Jean told him impatiently.

"No it's cold and if you need a buddy you can go bug Jonathan," Meredith dismissed flippantly, referring to their adopted brother, and tried to refocus his attention on the science textbook.

"I will," Jean promised. "After you come."

Meredith tried ignoring his little sister by pulling his knees up and placing the textbook on them in such a way that blocked out Jean.

Jean waited a full 2.73 seconds before marching over to her brother's bed, plucking the book easily from his hands, and tossing it onto the desk in the corner of the room. She ignored Meredith's indignant "Hey!" and pulled him off the bed by his arm. She continued hauling her unwilling captive through the door, across the hallway, and into her room which, in Meredith's esteemed opinion, had way too much pink.

Releasing him Jean ordered him to, "Stay," and dragged over three sleeping bags, one pink with hearts, one purple with butterflies, and one blue with stars.

Meredith reluctantly submitted to his sisters demands and gathered one sleeping bag in each arm while Jean piled the last one on top of them both.

"Um, Jeannie, I can't see anything," he pointed out, trying and failing to see around the bags.

"You've lived in this house your entire life, Mer, I think you can handle it. Now I'll meet you downstairs in just a minute." Jean ushered him out of the room and closed the door behind her, heading for her other brother's room.

Meredith put one cautious foot in front of the other and tested it each time to make sure he hadn't yet reached the stairs. The whole operation made Meredith nervous, he loathed doing anything without out knowing what it was and walking without being to see where he was going fit the bill. Needless to say, Meredith let out a sigh of relief when he finally stepped off the carpeted stairs and onto the wooden floor.

No sooner had he taken three steps toward the kitchen did Jean come bouncing down the stairs, Jonathan's hand in her grasp and a small box, presumably a game, tucked underneath her arm. Jean hurried into the kitchen in order to grab three icy cans of soda and a bag of chips. These she placed in Jonathan's hands. Last she yelled, "Mars!"

The big black and brown dog bounded toward them from the hallway in response to Jean's call.

"Okay, let's go." Jean ordered as she led her little expedition into the great known of the dark backyard.

"I still don't get why I have to come." Meredith complained, dumping the sleeping bags on the ground. He was already dreading whatever his sister had planned, not being all that fond of the outdoors..

Jonathan elbowed him lightly in his ribs."Oh, buck up Mer. It's not the end of the world."

Meredith glared at him, as he always did when Jonathan called him by his first name. He was trying very hard to convert him but no matter his best efforts Jonathan still called him Mer or Meredith.

"Boys, no arguing." Jean scolded despite the fact that she was roughly four years younger than the both of them. Pointing at the ground she commanded, "Now open the sleeping bags."

Meredith turned his glare towards her and Jonathan grinned with a mock, "Yes ma'am."

"Don't encourage her," Meredith warned him.

Jonathan wagged his eyebrows and smiled the mischievous smile that clearly stated that he had no intention of doing so.


Darrel and Elaine arrived home late that evening after a particularly filling dinner.

"That was wonderful Darrel," Elaine told her husband giving him a quick kiss on the lips before walking down the hallway and placing her purse on the kitchen counter.

"Where'd Mars go?" Darrel asked aloud.

The family's dog, Mars, normally greeted anyone at the door with enthusiasm. Especially his favorite human, Jonathan, but tonight he was suspiciously absent.

"You know Jeannie, she probably has him on her bed," Elaine told him.

Darrel nodded in understanding and made his way up the stairs to check up on his three children with Elaine in tow. The first room was Meredith's and it was as devoid of life as the front door. The science textbook Meredith had had his nose buried in all week lay discarded carelessly on the desk. Darrel assumed Jean was the culprit and closed the door smiling and shaking his head. Meredith might be stubborn but Jean was as much persuasive as he was stubborn.

Darrel moved down the hall and twisted Jean's door handle and pushed her door open. Jean's pink room was unexpectantly empty as well. Darrel frowned and looked over to Jonathan's door which Elaine was closing.

"No, they aren't here either," Elaine stated.

They had thoroughly searched the family room, the dining room, the kitchen, and the basement when Elaine opened the back door that led onto the porch and flipped on the outdoor lights. "Darrel," she called softly, a smile now lighting up her face and any trace of building worry gone.

"What?"

"I found them," she explained, relieved, as she stepped out onto the porch. Elaine descended the steps onto the grass, aware without looking that Darrel was only a few steps behind.

Upon seeing what his wife saw Darrel smiled too and wrapped one arm around her waist.

Jean, Meredith, Jonathan, and Mars were piled in a heap on the thick grass of the back yard. Meredith was on one end, curled up in a purple sleeping bag with butterflies, a glowing flashlight clutched in his hands under his chin. Jean was in the middle snuggled deeply into her pink and hearts sleeping bag, obviously enjoying the heat of her brothers' bodies. Jonathan was on the other side of her laying in the blue starred bag with one arm pillowing his head and the other draped around Mars' body. The dog completed the picture, his head was resting on Jonathan's shoulder sleeping soundly stretched out against Jonathan's side. He was also taking up more of the bag than Jonathan, though the human didn't seem to mind.

Darrel reached down and flipped off Meredith's flashlight while Elaine pulled Jean's and Jonathan's sleeping bags farther up their bodies. He gave Mars a pat on the head and made sure their tall, wooden fence's door was locked securely.

Elaine whispered good night to the four of them and the smiling parents slipped back inside.


The End... Or more chapters?