Chapter Four: Vacation…?
"You got everything? Toothbrush? Comb you don't need? Dialing device?"
John glared at Ronon when the man snickered slightly at the comb part of Lorne's comment. "Yes, Mom," the colonel rolled his eyes. They were waiting for the dial-up sequence to take them to one of the Shadows havens. Ronon had spoken to Elizabeth and had arranged to visit his friends. John was going as "security," which was code for exploring his own curiosity. He looked at Lorne. "You just make sure we have a city to come home to."
"Yes sir," Lorne promised, looking around the gate room and then turning to the two men. "You sure you don't want a bunch of marines to go with?"
"Not if you want 'em back in one piece," Ronon smirked. "The Shadows don't like uninvited guests."
John stared at him. "Aren't we univited?"
"You are."
John paused and then turned to Lorne. "It was nice knowing you all," he told him sarcastically.
"Can I have your office, sir?" Lorne asked, straight faced.
"I have an office?" John asked and Lorne grinned.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Elizabeth wandered over as Chuck watched from the control balcony. "Be careful," she warned as the gate lit up.
"Oh, we will," John said, bouncing.
"Josiane likes to trap their safe houses," Ronon mentioned off-handedly as the gate activated.
"And it gets better..." he muttered and walked through the gate. Ronon smirked and followed.
**
They found themselves in a clearing of woods, the terrain rocky and making it obvious they were most likely on a mountain of some kind. He could just hear a river and several birds chirping.
"Who actually designs the safehouses?" John asked, shifting his P-90. At Ronon's look, he sighed. "It's not Josi, is it?"
"You really want me to answer that?" Ronon asked. John shook his head, and he grinned, adding, "This way. And try not to look threatening. They're watching us already. Well, you'll be fine."
John scowled, following him. Ronon kept pausing, circling things John couldn't see...well, either that or he was just messing with him. John wouldn't put it past him.
After they'd walked for a few minutes an arrow landed a few feet in front of John. "That's our cue to stop," Ronon said, looking entirely unsurprised.
"Oh, I'm stopped. Not sure I could go anywhere."
Josiane appeared out of nowhere, bow in one hand. "Ro. Johnny." Glancing at John, she added, "Did we invite him?"
Ronon shrugged. "He was bored. And McKay is experimenting."
Josiane grinned. "Ari has a new toy for him."
"No," John said firmly. "He hasn't given up on the last one yet."
"You get to tell Ariana that," Josiane said, unconcerned. "This way. Step lightly."
John followed, careful to step in her footprints. A moment later a Dart screamed by overhead, unseen, and he flinched, ducking. "What the--?!"
"Relax," Josiane said, amused. "It's not real."
"You have fake Darts?" John said in disbelief.
"Level seven of Ariana's security."
"How many levels are there?"
"Twenty two, last time I counted," Ronon told him. John blinked, and he added, "She likes to be very safe."
"Twenty two levels, and we've just passed seven?"
"No, we've passed ten now," Josiane said absently.
"They're the Shadows," Ronon said again, grinning at John's look.
"Yeah, I'm getting that." Raising his voice as he saw Sora, he added, "No wonder the Genii hate you guys."
"Everyone hates us. Apparently." Sora didn't seem particularly upset by the idea.
"If no one hates you, you're doing it wrong," Josiane said nonchalantly.
John was about to answer when the ground fell away from under him. For a moment he teetered on the edge of the pit...and were those spikes down there?...before Sora and Ronon grabbed him from each side, pulling him back to solid ground.
Josiane glanced over her shoulder. "Level eighteen."
"Thanks for the warning!"
"You didn't see that? Really?" Ronon asked.
"She distracted me!" John protested, gesturing at Josiane.
"Children, come on," Sora said patiently. "Duck."
John mouthed 'duck', unsure what she meant; Ronon, Josiane and Sora all ducked and he hastily followed suit, hearing a blade whizz by just above his head. Catching his breath, he turned to see the blade embedded in a nearby tree.
"It's a little low tech for you, isn't it?" he said mildly.
"No one ever expects low tech," Ariana said from somewhere deeper in the cave system.
"Yeah, well, no one expects the inquisition either but did that ever stop people?" When everyone stared he sighed, reminding himself yet again that he had to stop making cultural references while surrounded by Pegasus natives. "Nevermind."
"Did we invite him?" Ariana asked Josiane. The girl shrugged, stacking her bow and quiver neatly in a corner.
"I'm feeling very welcome here, thanks," John said pointedly.
"We usually castrate any male trespassers we find," Josiane told him.
John instinctively covered up: his voice was high when he suggested "Maybe we could skip that this time?"
Ronon snickered, not bothering to hide it. Sora, at least, had the manners to turn away, but the others were laughing at him.
"Very funny," he muttered, looking around desperately for something to change the subject. "Nice setup. You got many of these places?"
"Enough to keep us safe," Ariana said pointedly.
"Are you going to get defensive every time I ask a simple question?" John demanded.
"Yes," Josiane told him. At the same time, Ariana said "Probably," and Sora added, "Depends on the question."
"They're the Shadows," Ronon said when John appealed to him.
"You keep saying that," John said, frustrated. He understood the girls were skittish, but so far all the effort seemed to be on the Lantean's side; the only thing the girls had done for them was rescue them from prison, and even that had been accidental. "It doesn't excuse everything."
"No, I guess it doesn't," Ariana said thoughtfully. She unsheathed a sword, admiring it as she spoke. "This probably excuses a lot, though." Josiane plucked her bowstring, apparently at random, as she listened.
Ronon relented, turning to the girls. "He has a point, though. These are good people."
"It's not as much fun," Josiane pouted.
"You can spar with Ronon," Ariana offered, ignoring the glare from the man in question.
Josiane grinned, bouncing. "Ok! We'll back off Johnny."
"Thanks for offering me up," Ronon said pointedly.
Ariana patted him absently on the shoulder. "You'll enjoy it." Before he could retaliate, she added to John, "We have...more than five, and less than fifteen safehouses. Better?"
"You added since the last time I saw you," Ronon noted, moving deeper into the cave. John followed him, quietly impressed; the set up was excellent.
"We move around a lot. We've destroyed three since I joined," Sora said.
John and Josiane both snickered and then froze, looking horrified at each other.
"The world's coming to an end," Ariana said, deadpan. "You two agreed on something."
Sora laughed, turning to John before Josiane could protest. "We're about to eat. Join us?"
"No one's going to...try and kill me, or anything, right?"
"No one's going to try and kill you," she promised. "We'll even tell you what you're eating."
"That's a good offer," Ronon told him. "They never tell anyone, it's a test."
"Any particular reason you're not gonna try to poison me?"
Ariana scowled, dropping some plates a little harder than necessary. "Sora spoke for you."
Sora ducked her head, trying to avoid his incredulous look.
"Yeah, if the girl you held prisoner thinks you're not so bad...although it could be that thing, the mental thing." Josiane tried to snatch some of the food Ariana was preparing, getting a smack for her trouble.
"Stockholm?" John suggested, getting blank looks again. "Nevermind."
"We trust Sora and Ronon," Ariana told him.
"Just not me," he muttered.
Josiane wandered off, ignoring his comment. Ari turned back to her food; Sora stared at the table, trying not to meet his eyes.
"They don't know you yet, Sheppard," Ronon reminded him.
"We broke out of jail together!"
"I believe we broke you out of Jail?" Ariana said pointedly.
"...Good point," John admitted.
"Willingness to admit when he's wrong," Josiane said from wherever she'd vanished to. "What's that bring him up to?"
"Five, I think."
"No, six," Ariana corrected her. "We gave him a point for not asking for any explosives, remember?"
"Six," John told Ronon. "And I've never lost any."
"Yet."
Sora laughed. "Come and eat lunch. Josi will be beating Ronon up when we're done, you don't want to miss that."
John glanced from Ronon to Josiane, who wasn't even listening. "It was nice knowing you!" he called, following Sora to the table.
"Huh?"
"Ronon's not going to beat her," Ariana told him.
"He doesn't like hitting women," Sora agreed. "He can't help it. "
"No, I'm betting on Ronon," John said firmly.
"Loyalty to a friend in the face of overwhelming odds," Ariana said thoughtfully. "That's at least two."
"Eight points?" Josiane protested, snatching something off John's plate.
"But he doesn't realize it's overwhelming odds," Sora pointed out.
"He's seen Josi fight, right?...actually, no he hasn't."
"He's seen her blow up stuff."
Ariana nodded sharply. "Ok, forget the two points."
"Damn," John muttered. Josiane grinned triumphantly, dropping the scrap of food back on his plate.
"You lost two points at once, Sheppard. I've never lost two at once."
"Did they even give them to me?" John countered, sneaking a piece of fruit from Josiane's plate; he was operating on the hope that they wouldn't poison themselves just to get to him.
"He, unfortunately, has a point, Ro," Josiane agreed, taking some meat from his plate and eating it with her fingers.
"You only lost one point for knocking Josi in the river?" John asked suddenly.
"Points for intent," Ariana explained. "He was trying to save her."
"I had it handled just fine!" Josiane protested.
"And when he shot her?" John asked.
"Well, she shot him back," Sora told him. "They both lost points, so it cancelled itself out."
"Wait, so you guys do the points too?" He was now hopelessly lost. Grimly, he wondered if they were changing the rules as they went just to upset him...he wouldn't put it past them, to be honest.
"It's...complicated," Ariana said after a quick, silent consultation with the others. "I can show you the equation if you like."
Ronon gestured 'no' and John shook his head. "I think I'll pass. But maybe you can write it down to McKay?"
"I thought you said she wasn't allowed to give him any more toys," Josiane pointed out.
"Well, he hasn't figure out the first even though it was really easy. I'll keep this one for when he finally gets so frustrated he breaks the damn thing."
Ariane blinked. "You...figured it out?"
"Sure. It's a math puzzle, right? Depending on which finger touches which side? I figured it out watching him turn the damn thing over."
"I think that Czech guy got it too," Ronon offered. "He keeps smirking whenever McKay brings it out to look at again."
"Nah, that's just because the toy is keeping Rodney from yelling at all the scientists when he's focused on it."
"Here." She handed him a piece of paper, scriblled over with figures and letters.
John squinted at it, puzzling out the equation. "He's going to hate you. Does this actually say time and space are at right angles?"
"What else would it say?"
Josiane sighed. "I'm bored," she complained and then grabbed Ronon's arm. "Ro, let's go fight."
"Spar, Josiane, we call it sparring," Sora corrected, exasperated. "Let's at least pretend this is friendly."
"Why pretend?" Josiane asked, honestly curious.
Sora had to think about that for a minute or so. "...because we have company?"
Josiane snorted and dragged Ronon out of the cave.
Ariana laughed, taking John's plate. "You don't want to miss this. Sora, are they starting with weapons or bare hands this time?"
Sora winced. "Bare hands. And Josi just kicked him downward."
"Dirty fight then," Ariana noted, unconcerned.
"She's not really going to hurt him, right?" John asked. "I'd like to bring him back in the same condition he was when we left."
"Depends on your definition of hurt. His pride might take a knock." She stepped around something he couldn't see; John grimaced, following her carefully. "Sora's right; Ronon hates fighting girls. He can't help it. Josi takes advantage every chance she can. She may...accidentally rip her top."
"She's already done that," Sora told them.
John winced, trying not to look at the fight. Josiane was touchy enough under normal circumstances; he didn't want to risk her deciding he was taking advantage. "He fights Teyla."
"He never goes out completely with her though." Sora didn't seem to be having the same problem, watching the fight closely.
"You've never even seen them fight," he protested.
"Trust me, you've never seen Ronon fight." Ariana pointed and he turned without thinking to look.
And he had to admit that no, he'd never seen Ronon fight. Although, to be fair, he hadn't seen him fight now either; they were moving too fast. "Did she just..."
Sora clapped her hands over his eyes, startling him, and Ariana said mock disappointedly, "She'll use ANYTHING to distract him."
"Argh!" Ronon yelled from somewhere. John shook his head until Sora let go.
"Ok, that's cheating, Josiane," Ariana said warningly. Josiane stepped back from Ronon, pouting. No one took any notice, and she pouted even harder.
"Ronon?" John called. Ronon growled; John recognized it as the 'you will never, ever defeat me, no matter what' growl, and mentally sighed.
"Want to forfeit, Ro?" Josiane asked sweetly.
"I'll forfeit when his hair gets combed!" Ronon snarled, jerking his head towards Sheppard.
"Hey!" John protested, immediately losing any sympathy he'd had.
"You'd better just beat him and get it over with, Josi," Sora said.
"You really think Josi is gonna beat him?" John asked.
"At the worst, she won't lose to him," Ariana said, folding her arms. "This isn't the first time they've fought, Johnny, Josi knows his moves."
"John," he said almost pleadingly.
"And she's picked up some new ones since the last time they fought," she continued as though he hadn't spoken.
"So has Ronon."
"She won't lose," Sora said.
"You sure about that?" John asked, motioning to the fight where Ronon had Josiane pinned. He had to admit the girls had been right; Ronon was clearly not using his full strength to hold her down.
"Yup," Ariana said easily.
Josiane's hand snaked to Ronon's side and she flipped so Ronon was trapped on his stomach, his arm twisted back so if he tried to get out, it'd break. "Yield?" she asked, slightly breathless. Ronon struggled, growling, and she repeated, "Yield?"
"Oh just yield already!" Sora called. Josiane put a little more pressure on Ronon's arm; he snarled, free hand clawing at the ground.
"He yields," John said quickly. "Can you not break his arm? He needs it to hit things."
Josiane let him go and stepped back so he could pop to his feet. "You have new moves."
"So do you," Ronon grunted, gingerly testing his arm.
Josiane bounced in place. "Wanna trade?" she asked hopefully.
"Think you can keep up?" Ronon shot back with a smirk. Josiane stuck her tongue out at him.
"Do they ever stop trying to outdo each other?" John asked as Ronon showed Josiane a tackling move the marines had taught him.
"I'd be worried if they did," Ariana shrugged. "It'd probably mean one of them was dead."
"Or really really injured," Sora added.
"Maybe bleeding out?" Ariana suggested and then brightened. "Ooh, if they got stabbed in the voice-box!"
John frowned and stepped away cautiously. Sora smiled, amused. "I wouldn't worry too much, Colonel. They usually try to keep civilian injuries to a minimum.
"Civilian?!"
She shrugged. "You might be military on your world, but to them...you're the civilian."
John glanced at the others; Ariana had gone to talk to the others, but he drew Sora away a few steps anyway. "They were kids when their worlds were destroyed. They weren't military."
"They've decided they are. You want to argue with them about it?"
John glanced over again; Josiane was slapping Ronon up the head. "Ah...no. Maybe not."
Sora watched them for a moment. "How'd you know they were kids?"
"I...heard?" John said warily. "Around the galaxy? They have legends about you guys, you know."
"Uh huh. Ronon told you, didn't he?"
"Teyla, actually," John said sheepishly.
"I wouldn't tell them you know that. The Shadows don't have histories. Just legends."
"How'd you end up with them?" he asked.
"Cowen can't be trusted."
"I wouldn't, Johnny," Ariana said as she passed by.
"JOHN!"
"Picky, isn't he?" she said to Sora.
"Ro doesn't complain when we call him Ro!" Josiane called.
"He just hits you harder," Ariana agreed.
"But he doesn't complain," she insisted.
"It's a fine line, but he manages to walk it," Sora agreed. John glanced around, only realizing then that the former Genii had edged away a little to prevent any other private conversations.
"Hold this," Ariana told John, piling the innards of a machine into his arms. "And don't breathe too sharply." John blinked nervously; she glanced up, smiling. "It'll just take a minute."
"Or two..." Sora said.
"Or five..." Josiane agreed.
"What are you doing?" John asked through his teeth, afraid of moving even that much.
"Looking for a bad wire," Ari said absently. "This thing's been sparking for days."
John grimaced, really worried now; he knew enough about Ariana's tech genius to know that her machines didn't just break down for no reason.
"There!" she said with a grin. The machine sparked and abruptly died.
"Was that supposed to happen?" John asked warily.
"No. Did you breathe?"
John stared at her, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't make her mock him even more.
"Stop teasing him," Ronon told her, coming back to join him.
"But it's so much fun!" Ariana protested, deliberately widening her eyes.
"And so easy," Sora added from where she'd been dressing the one shallow wound Ronon had managed to inflict on Josiane.
"Sorry, Johnny." Ariana appeared sincerely contrite as she took the machine away from him again.
"It's...never mind, I give up." John resigned himself to being 'Johnny' for the foreseeable future, or until the girls got bored with it; at least they were picking up 'Josi' and 'Ari' as well, though it didn't seem to bother Ari much.
"Good idea," Josiane agreed, flexing her arm to test the bandage.
The machine in Ari's hands sparked back to life. "There we go!" she said happily. The sound of Darts echoed around the area, and she nodded briskly. "There. Wards are up and running again...so don't go anywhere without us, John."
"What about Ronon?"
"Ronon can see the wards," Sora told him.
"Not asking, not asking..." John steadfastly ignored the giggles.
"Or at least he knows where they are," Josi added, kicking him from behind. Ronon growled and leapt at her; Josi laughed, dodging him and making a run for it. Ronon was on her heels, grinning.
"Don't kill anything we may need!" Ari yelled after them.
"Which is apparently everything!" Sora added.
"Should we be worried about that?" John asked.
Sora shook her head. "No, they'll run off some energy and come back a bit easier to deal with."
"Is she really your leader?"
"Ha!" Ariana composed herself. "She thinks so."
"In the field, she is," Sora told him. "Here, not so much."
"Huh," John murmured.
"What?"
"She's a bit...easily distracted."
Ari glanced at Sora, communicating silently. "Says the...what's a Captain Kirk, by the way?"
"Where did you hear that phrase?" John asked in surprise.
"Teyla said McKay uses it. What is a Captain Kirk?" Sora asked innocently.
"He's a very handsome, successful leader," John told them stiffly.
"Huh," Ari said thoughtfully. "We must have got the context wrong, then...it sounded like McKay used it about you."
"HEY!"
"If McKay uses it, there has to be something bad about it," Sora said, not unreasonably.
John shifted, saying reluctantly, "He may have been...amorous...with the women he met."
The girls exchanged looks, bursting into laughter.
"Aw, come on!" he protested.
Sora stifled her laughter. "Sorry, John, but we've heard about some of AG1's missions. Othara? Really?"
"How'd you hear about that?"
"The Shadows know things," Ari told him.
At the same time, Sora said, "Ari knows everything."
"People in this galaxy talk, you know, and they talk a lot to innocent looking girls."
"Oh? Do you have any of those?" John asked innocently.
Ari stared, apparently taken totally off guard, as Sora started laughing helplessly. Ronon and Josi reappeared, elbowing and jostling each other.
"What?" Josi asked, glancing at Sora.
"I think we're rubbing off on him," Ari told her.
Sora swallowed her laughter long enough to say "I wouldn't ask, Josi."
"Who won?" John asked Ronon over-loudly, trying to ignore the girls.
"I did," Ronon and Josi said simultaneously.
Ari glanced at her computer. "Ronon tripped three traps, Josiane only tripped one."
"But neither of us actually got hit or fell in or whatever," Josi added, "and I got back here first, so..."
"You tried to push me into the pit!" Ronon protested.
"I slipped," she said innocently.
"You don't slip."
"Huh. No, I guess I don't. Weird, huh?"
John shook his head, determined not to be sucked in. "Ignore her," Sora advised him in a stage whisper. "We do."
"Hey!" Josi protested.
"I gotta go reset the alarms," Ari said absently.
"Need a hand?" Sora asked her, already gathering up a couple of the machines.
"Yeah. You two behave."
"We'll start dinner," Ronon offered. John blinked; he couldn't burn water, and while Ronon must have done enough to keep himself alive while Running he hadn't touched a pan since.
"We will?" Josi protested.
"We will," John said with a sigh.
"Apparently, we will," Josi said, watching Sora. The silent communications were starting to bother John; the girls either acted like no one else was around or like everyone was spying on them all the time.
"I think I put the new trial explosives in the sugar jar," Ari said absently, stuffing bits of wire into her pocket. "Be careful!"
She was gone before they could follow her; Sora spread her hands innocently, following her.
"She do that a lot?" John asked Josi.
"Now you see why I'm leader?"
"How did...you weren't even here!"
Josi glanced at Ronon, laughing. "They know everything, Sheppard," the former Runner advised him. John mimed zipping his mouth shut, turning deliberately to the food.
**
Dinner was surprisingly good, although Ari had insisted on keeping her word and telling John exactly what he was eating. "...and this is the lingra herb. Told you we'd tell you what you were eating."
"In great detail, too," John agreed.
"I don't think he needed to know about the eggs, though," Sora said.
"I don't like hearing about the eggs," Josi muttered.
"We did promise," Ari said primly.
"I didn't think you were serious!" John protested.
"What could give you that idea, Sheppard?" Ronon asked. Josi elbowed him, stealing a hunk of meat from his plate. Ronon took a handful of something from hers in revenge; John was fairly sure it was vegetables, rather than the meat he'd presumably been aiming for, but it didn't seem worth pointing out..
Ari leaned past him to pick up a glass and he caught her eye. "They do that a lot?"
"Mmm. When we could get him to eat with us, they did. He was Running then."
"I know it's none of my business, but Ronon said you helped Runners. Wouldn't that be...dangerous?"
Ari and Josi glanced at each other, but it was Sora who answered, perfectly matter-of-fact. "We blow up Wraith for fun, Colonel. Runners aren't that dangerous by comparison."
"There was that one on Selana," Josi said thoughtfully. "He made Ro look cuddly, remember?"
"He tried to cut your throat, right?" Sora said doubtfully.
"That's the one."
Ronon growled, tensing in his seat. Ari smiled faintly, shaking her head at him. "Don't worry, he didn't get to touch her."
"But I got to touch him."
John choked; Sora thumped him on the back, looking utterly bored, and Ronon snickered.
"Okay, that came out wrong," Josi admitted.
"For once," Ari agreed, offering the serving plate around. Ronon took another helping of meat; John waved her off. "He won't be cutting anyone's throats, and the Wraith won't find him, either."
John stared at her, trying not to understand what she meant. Blowing up Hives was one thing, but had she really said...
"Occasionally, Runners get too far gone," Sora said quietly. "It was an act of mercy."
John glanced at Ronon, who nodded. "I've seen a couple like that. They're dangerous, they don't remember to keep away from people."
"Or they can't differentiate between Wraith and humans," Josi added.
"Yeah, that was messy," Ari murmured.
"Not our best mission ever."
"You did what you had to," Sora told them.
"Hmm." Ari pushed to her feet, taking the serving plate and starting to crash around with the cooking equipment.
"Ari doesn't like the fighting much, unless it's Wraith," Ronon told John.
"Then she really enjoys it," Josi agreed.
"Good wraith are dead wraith, got it."
There was silence for a long, awkward moment until John looked around, clapping his hands. "So! This what you girls do all day?"
"Beat up on Ro?" Josi said innocently. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Make weapons," Ronon offered. "I brought some blades."
Josi squealed excitedly, bouncing out of her seat; Ari, coming back to the table, clapped a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat. "Not while we're eating, Josiane! You can wait a few minutes."
"Awww," Josi pouted, slumping and crossing her arms.
Sora snorted, pushing back from the table. "I'm done. Colonel, would you like to look at our armoury?"
"Don't let him touch anything!" Josi said, apparently on reflex.
"I know what I'm doing!" John snapped.
"Do you know what a Kerovian stunner does?" she asked.
"....no."
"Don't let him touch anything!"
"You need a hand?" Ronon asked Ari as Sora led John deeper into the caves.
"No, give Josi the blades or she'll hurt someone." Ronon nodded, heading for his pack.
"Yes! Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme." Ronon handed over the packet of blades and she frowned, weighing them and turning them over. "These are...not from around here, are they?"
"The Lanteans make good blades."
"These are Earth weapons?" Ari asked, leaning over Josi's shoulder to pick one up.
"Careful!" Josi warned her.
"I can handle a blade, Josi." She straightened up, fumbling the blade and almost skewering her foot. Ronon leant down to pick it up, trying not to laugh at her.
"Balance is off," Ari muttered sulkily.
"Of course the balance is off, it doesn't have a handle yet you goober!" Josi laughed.
"I took the handles off. Wouldn't fit us," Ronon explained.
"I'll put new handles on them easily enough." Josi picked up one, examining the feel of it.
"That's why I brought em. Just no flower etching this time."
"Aw, was the big bad Runner ashamed to use a blade with flowers on it?" she teased without looking up.
"No, it throws off the drag when I throw 'em. Plus one of them got caught in my hair."
Ari bit her lip almost hard enough to bleed in her efforts not to laugh. Josi had no such qualms, snickering gleefully. "Alright, no flowers. Symbol then?"
Ronon touched his neck without thinking. "Yeah, that works."
Josi echoed the touch; Ari looked down, carefully not watching. "Got it. They'll be done before you leave."
"Done already?" Ari said suddenly, too loudly. "That was the quickest tour of the armoury ever."
"He couldn't touch half of em so...yeah, short tour." Sora dropped beside Ronon, looking admiringly at the blades.
"Lorne would LOVE that staff thing though," John said semi wistfully.
"Who?" Sora asked with a frown. John blinked; he'd been sure Sora had met Lorne at least once.
"Sheppard's second," Ronon told her.
"I thought that was McKay?" Josi asked absently.
"McKay's his brains. Lorne's his fighter."
"Hey!" John protested.
"I thought you were his fighter?" Ari said at the same time.
"No, Teyla and I are his common sense." Ronon aimed the words at Sora, who grinned.
Josi snorted, still not looking up. "Teyla, maybe."
"I thought Teyla was his diplomacy," Ari said blankly.
"Can we stop dissecting me, please?" John asked. To Sora, he added, "Lorne's my second in the City. Ronon's my second on missions."
"He can take the staff," Ari told Sora. "I can make a new one, that one's a little long anyway."
"Speaking of staff... Nicole?"
John winced. "She went missing off planet. Lost her memory. Ronon found her."
"She...you...she's ok?"
"Who's Nicole?" Ari asked Josi.
"Ssssh!" Josi hissed, listening.
"Got her memory back when she saw Beckett," Ronon told Sora.
"Her brother shipped out with the last batch of soldiers, so, you know..." John added.
"Oh, that makes...how many brothers, now?"
"Actually, this is her real brother."
"Oliver? That's brilliant. She missed him."
John grinned. "The look on his face when he saw her." Ronon snickered.
"Alright, you need to stop talking about people we don't know," Josi protested.
"I know them," Sora told her. "Or...of them."
"Yes, but we can't tease Johnny if we don't know who you're talking about."
"Head of Linguistics in the City," Sora told her. "Tiny little woman, runs everyone around like a drill sergeant. No one stands up to her. She took me under her wing."
John rolled his eyes. "More like mothers everyone and no one wants to see her pout."
"She does pout very well," Sora agreed.
"That where you learned?" Josi asked, grinning. Sora threw a piece of fruit at her.
"Nicole's the little sister to the military," Ronon said. "Got stuck with Sheppard, alone, for six months. And she can sneak." John grimaced, remembering some of the things she'd 'accidentally' let slip.
"Six months?" Ari repeated. "How'd you manage that? AG1 hasn't been out of the galaxy for that long."
"Time dilation...thingy." John gestured vaguely.
"Really?"
"Oh no," Josi groaned. "You didn't just say..."
Ari interrupted her with a stream of questions. John understood about one word in four, enough to know that they were very complicated, technical questions he hadn't a chance of answering; it didn't matter, though, because she wasn't waiting for him.
"He did," Sora said sadly. "He did say."
Ronon laughed as John tried to get Ari to stop, or least slow down. Josi and Sora were more direct; Josi clapped a hand over her mouth and Sora helped yank her away.
"Talk among yourselves," Josi said brightly over her shoulder. "We won't be long."
"I think I get it," John said quietly, watching Ari try to break free. She wasn't really trying, and the girls weren't putting much effort into holding her; it was all part of the game.
"Get what?" Ronon asked, sharpening his blade. Josi had fitted the handle to it, but the etching wasn't ready yet.
John gestured to the girls, who'd progressed from shoving each other around to something resembling a food fight, except that they were using utensils instead. Ronon followed the gesture, watching them with something that was almost a smile.
"Family." He frowned suddenly, turning on John. "They never find out I said that."
"The Shadows know everything, remember?" John reminded him, grinning.
Ronon growled, going back to his blade.
**
By the time they emerged on Atlantis, John had decided he needed a holiday to recover from his vacation. The Shadows were friendly enough, but everything turned into a competition and when he lost, they started treating him as if he was three.
"How was your trip?" Elizabeth asked, coming across the floor to join them.
"Interesting!" John said, shaking some mud off his jacket.
"Fine," Ronon said, spinning his new blade.
"He got a new toy, as you can see," John said sotto voice.
"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Elizabeth said brightly.
"Got one for Lorne too." John held up the staff; it was a little longer than he'd been expecting, and he almost hit her before he got it under control.
Lorne arrived before she could do more than glare; John tossed the staff to him and he caught it neatly. "Hey!"
"Present from the Shadows," John told him. "Not that I got any..."
Ronon pulled out a second knife, passing it to him. "Josi didn't want you to hug her."
Lorne swung the staff in a circle, testing it. "Nice."
"Got a pair of sticks for Teyla too, from Sora." John held up the package; Sora had strapped them together to make it easier for him to manage.
"I see! And Rodney?" Elizabeth asked.
"Rodney got an equation. He'll hate it." He dug the piece of paper out of a pocket, waving it at her.
"Assuming he can read it. Is that mud?"
John stuffed it back into his pocket. "Could be."
"Go get cleaned up," she said with a sigh, eying the pool of mud on the floor.
"Don't want your present?" Ronon asked. John looked back at him in surprise; Elizabeth was equally surprised, since she'd never met the girls.
"Ariana gave it to me before we left," he explained, handing a small device and a hand written list to Elizabeth. "If we need help..."
"When did..."
John cut himself off as Elizabeth said slowly, "This is..."
"List of planets they travel through and a list of known worlds with Wraith posts," Ronon filled in.
"And this?" She studied the little machine carefully.
"Communication."
"Secure and absolutely untraceable, right?" John asked warily.
"Did you expect anything less from her?"
"Nope," John said quickly.
Ronon grinned, turning back to Elizabeth to add, "It's emergency only, though."
"Good enough for me." Elizabeth passed the list to Lorne to study.
"I'd be careful, Elizabeth," John warned her. "You really don't want to upset them."
"John lost two points," Ronon said seriously.
"I did not, they never gave me those points in the first place!"
"Uh-huh."
"Go get cleaned up," Elizabeth said again.
"I didn't lose those points!" John insisted.
"I heard you." Ronon headed off; John chased him, insisting that he was still on six, had never been on eight, and when he did make it to eight he'd bloody well stay there, too!
"This a good sign?" Lorne asked softly, gesturing towards the machine in her hand and the staff in his.
"Anyone who can make John Sheppard act like a school boy is okay with me," Elizabeth answered.
"Want me to get McKay to check that thing out?"
"After the last time he touched one of Arianna's machines? No thanks."
Lorne laughed, taking the list up to Control to have the Gate techs start examining it, and Elizabeth headed back to her office, secure in the knowledge that their precarious alliance was still holding.
