"I think I'm going to die." Laura groaned as she woke up with a splitting head.
"I doubt it, but I wish it were true." Jennifer said, biting back nausea.
"Remind me never to keep up with your drinking again." Laura pleaded.
"Please complain quieter." Jennifer said just as her radio started to bleep.
"Shut it off." Laura mumbled.
"Would if I could find it."
"Helps if you open your eyes."
"That doesn't help my head." Jennifer said as her hand scanned the area round her looking for the radio. Having found it she put it on her ear and said.
"Keller."
"Morning doc." Lorne's far too loud voice greeted. "Everything okay in there?"
"Everything's fine." Jennifer replied.
"Good, we hope to get you out of there in ten minutes. Anything you want to be greeted with? The cooks will make most things, we're guessing you two are hungry."
"Not really." Jennifer said as wave of nausea hit.
Sensing Jennifer did not want to talk Evan asked.
"Sure everything is okay?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. We'll contact you when the doors are ready to open."
Killing the connection Jennifer pulled the radio off her ear and threw it across the room muttering "sadist".
"I thought anyone who had been through med school knew how to avoid hangovers." Laura said.
"This is your fault." Jennifer said burying her head in the darkness of a blanket.
"What did he say?" Laura asked.
"Who?"
"The person on the radio."
"Ten minutes."
"Ten minutes what?" Laura asked confused.
"Til the doors open."
"Crap." Laura said carefully getting to her feet.
"What?"
"Might be best to hide the evidence." Laura explained as she picked up the empty bottle and hid it back behind the panel in Jennifer's office.
When the doors finally opened Lorne looked on surprised as two very peaky looking women stumbled out of the area.
-00-
Once she had showered, changed and convinced herself she was sober Laura searched for John's team, eventually finding them in the gym. Ensuring there were no other occupants she shut and locked the doors.
"Problem Captain?" John asked, surprised by her actions.
"Yes and we need privacy to discuss it."
"Seriously?" Rodney asked. "Do I really have to put up with this, I have plenty of more-"
"Rodney." Laura snapped before shutting her eyes and rubbing her temples. Once the pain had passed she went on. "I really don't feel great and it is all your fault."
"How is it my fault? Are you contagious?"
"Cadman." John said wanting an explanation.
"Last night, thanks to Campbeltown's finest, the doc got chatty."
"You were drinking whilst we were on lock down? I don't want to hear that." John said shaking his head.
"Jennifer opened up?" Teyla asked.
"Eventually."
"And?" Rodney asked.
"And I want the two of you to remember I am slightly hung over so I have less patience than normal." She said looking between Rodney and Ronon.
"What have you done?" John asked them.
"Don't look at me." Rodney shrugged.
"Does the phrase, 'may the best man win', ring any bells?" Cadman asked.
"Oh." Rodney said.
"Oh?" John asked. "Someone want to fill me in."
"These two idiots have been betting on who can win Keller."
"Win Keller what?" John asked as Teyla caught on to what Laura was saying and asked.
"How could you? Jennifer is your friend."
"It wasn't like that." Rodney said. "Where did she get that idea?"
"If it wasn't bad enough you were discussing her like she was a piece of meat you did it with the door open."
"She heard us?" Ronon asked.
"Everyone stop." John shouted, causing Laura to shut her eyes as the noise caused pain to ripple through her head. "Someone slowly explain what it is you are all taking about. By someone I mean Rodney."
"Um, well, I, well we. After the mission with Kiryk, Jennifer revealed she had been having sparring lessons from Ronon."
"So?" John asked.
"So I wanted to know if he was doing that because he wanted to help her or because he liked her."
"Of course he likes her, she's a friend." John said, still behind everyone else.
"Not like, like a friend, but like as in like." Rodney said emphasising the like.
"Oh." John said.
"So I came here and asked him if he had intentions."
"Intentions?"
"Like romantic intentions." Rodney clarified.
"And do you?" John asked.
"Yeah." Ronon said looking uncomfortable.
"So we discussed what we were going to do and decided that Jennifer should decide." Rodney continued.
"How big of you." John said sarcastically.
"I said may the best man would win and left." Rodney said.
"So there was no bet?" Laura asked relieved.
"No, where did she get that idea?"
"Andersen and Shaw. She only caught the last part of the conversation. They said they had listened to the whole conversation and filled her in. Only they told her you were betting and she was the prize. And that it had been going on for weeks and the whole team was in on it."
"I would never do that." Rodney said.
"That's what I told her." Laura assured him.
"You did? Oh, well, thank you." Rodney said.
"So the doc has been thinking that these two idiots were betting to win her? And she thought the rest of us were in on it? No wonder she tried to avoid the team." John said. "But that doesn't explain her attitude to everyone not on the team."
"It kind of spiralled to everyone being involved in it. Paranoia and self doubt took over." Laura said hoping the conversation would end.
"She would never believe Woolsey would be involved. Or Lorne for that matter." John argued.
"Something else happened?" Teyla guessed. The words immediately causing Laura to stiffen.
"Cadman?" John asked.
"I can't tell you that Sir." Laura said. "She told me in confidence."
"I could order you to."
"I would not obey that order Sir." Laura said. "Look if it would do any good I would. But it won't change anything and nothing can be done about it now."
John stared at his subordinate for what felt like an eternity before he nodded and asked.
"Is she in danger?"
"No."
"Is she okay?"
"No. But give her time." Cadman shrugged.
"For now I'll go with that." John agreed. "But if I feel like I need to know you need to tell me." He then looked at Ronon and Rodney. "As for you two I suggest you talk to her and apologise."
"Actually Sir, that may be a bad idea. Right now she just needs some space and thinking time. Personally I think they should keep their distance for a bit."
-00-
"How's the hangover?" Laura asked as she approached Jennifer in the infirmary later the evening.
"Gone, no thanks to you."
"I didn't force you to drink." She smiled.
"True, but you kept it flowing." Jennifer said.
"Well no offence, but you needed to loosen up. Speaking of, are you ready?"
"Ready?" Jennifer asked.
"For dinner." Laura stated. "The meal at the end of the day."
"Now?"
"Well, seeing how it is evening and your shift finished two hours ago, yes."
"It did?" Jennifer asked looking at her watch.
"It did and I'm hungry, so let's go."
"If this is about what I told you, you don't have to take pity on me." Jennifer said.
"And I thought Rodney's ego was big." Laura commented. "Didn't you listen when I explained how I didn't fit in? Seeing you already confessed to being in the same boat and I know you don't have any plans you can help reshow me the ropes."
"I'm so the wrong person for that." Jennifer said.
"Just move your six Keller." Laura ordered.
"Fine, but I'm not drinking."
"Good for you." Laura grinned as she hurried Jennifer to the Mess Hall.
-00-
"Cadman." Jennifer said putting down her fork.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry I unloaded on you, but thanks for listening and not judging."
"Well you needed to unload and I was happy to listen, but I was judging, Andersen. He's lucky he is no longer around." Laura said before pausing and adding. "But seeing how we have saved each other's lives, got completely hammered and shared intimate details of our lives how about in the future you call me Laura."
"It does seem like first names are redundant round here." Jennifer commented.
"Unless you are an alien."
"Technically we're the aliens." Jennifer replied.
"So pedantic." Laura said shaking her head. "Anyway, I've got something to confess."
"Sounds serious."
"It may make you mad, but it is good." Laura said. "You need to promise you will listen to everything I say before saying anything."
"Okay."
"After we got out I was feeling kinda angry and I needed to do something. And in case you hadn't noticed I am kinda impulsive. So, I went to see Rodney and Ronon." Noticing Jennifer's face fall she quickly said. "Just let me finish." Not hearing any verbal objection she continued. "So I started having a go at them for what they said, however, it turns out you didn't get a fair account of what happened. Turns out Rodney was jealous that Ronon had been giving you private lessons and asked if he had intentions towards you, which he does. The whole, may the best man win part was them agreeing that it was completely your decision. The bet, the weeks of competition was all a lie. So they may be idiots, but they are not malicious and their feelings are real." Laura said.
For awhile Jennifer sat silently before quietly asking.
"Do they know about the rest?"
"No, I would never share that unless you specifically told me to. But they all know there is something else bothering you."
Again Jennifer sat silently, eventually causing Laura to ask, "So how mad are you at me right now?"
"I'm too tired to be mad." Jennifer said once again falling silent.
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Laura eventually asked.
"I get the feeling nothing will stop you."
"Why didn't you leave?"
"And go where? Tried Earth and I never fitted in there either. The work here is good. Besides if I went back to Earth I would see my father more."
"That's a bad thing?" Laura asked.
"No, it's a good thing, I miss him like anything. But he worries and if he saw me looking withdrawn or unhappy he'd worry more."
"Right." Laura said not completely following the logic.
"So why did you come back?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, part of me never wanted to leave. But then I got reposted onto the Daedalus. The next time I had a chance of moving back here was just after Carson died. I didn't want to come back and go into the infirmary and see someone else doing his job, no offence. Then you found him, well his clone and to be honest that freaked me out. But then I thought what the hell, you only live once."
"He regretted breaking it off." Jennifer said. "He was always talking about you."
"No point regretting if you don't have a time machine." Laura shrugged.