Sorry for the delay in posting! FF was giving me issues. But here it is!!! :) Thanks for waiting!!! - Nika

Ronon overrode his overwhelming urge to get to Jennifer, and stopped in the middle of the creek. He knew and understood that Jennifer was fine – the Major wouldn't have let anything happen to her… she was safe. But it didn't alleviate his urge to find her, and let his eyes show his heart what his mind was trying to tell him.

But there was one thing he needed to do first.

He turned around, and watched as Sheppard dropped into the water, his boots splashing loudly as he strode through the inch deep creek. John stopped beside him, and Ronon couldn't stop the grin from forming.

"What?" The Colonel eyed him warily. "Why'd you stop? And more importantly…why… are you smiling?"

"Jennifer's pregnant." Ronon stared pointedly at his friend. "Just thought you should know."

John blinked.

Twice.

Then he took a deep breath, ran his hand through his hair, then dropped his arm to his side. "Pregnant?" He exhaled. "And it's... you know… yours?"

Ronon raised both eyebrows.

"Hey, hey… okay… just making sure, buddy." John said hurriedly, holding both hands up, palms forward. Then he sighed. "Well, hell." He shook his head slowly back and forth, hesitating only a moment before breaking out into a wide grin. "There goes the neighbourhood."

Ronon laughed. He knew he was probably grinning like an idiot, but somehow, he didn't really care.

"Shit." The Colonel shook his head with a snort. "That explains… well… it explains a hell of a lot, actually." John clamped Ronon on the shoulder. "Congratulations!" Then he took a step back and angled his chin upstream. "Come on, Dad. Let's go find Junior."

"Junior?" Ronon frowned.

John stepped forward, the water splashing over their boots as they strode through the narrow creek. "Boy or girl?"

"Don't know." Ronon answered. "Healthy."

John smirked. "You know, I hear John is a rather popular boys name these days…"

"Don't you already have one child named after you that's not yours?"

John shrugged. "Your point?"

"What if it's a girl?"

"Then god help us all…" John muttered.

Ronon glanced over at him.

"Jeeze, Chewey… you go Rambo enough when it's just Doc in trouble… I can't even begin to imagine the hellfire you're gonna bring down when your daughter starts dating…"

"She's not dating."

John clamped him on the shoulder and shook his head with mock sadness. "You, my friend, are doomed."

Splashing footsteps ahead quickly revealed the form of Lieutenant Browne, who strode through the water on his way to meet up with them.

"Colonel. Ronon." He nodded smartly, slowing, then turning to walk with them.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ronon gave the mud caked man a once over.

"What?" Browne dropped his chin, and examined the front of his TAC vest. He flicked a large glop of mud off the side of his shoulder. "Better?"

"Yeah." John nodded. "Makes all the difference."

The Lieutenant lead them around the corner, the edge of the creek bed opening up into a wide, rocky plateau. Water cascaded down across the wide flat surface, rushing over the toes of their boots. To their left, the forest was heavy and dark, the sounds of night settling around them. To the right, the escarpment jutted up above their heads, the shadows long and hollow against the dark sky. Behind a low border of scrub and bushes, a section of the rock wall dropped back in on itself, scooped out to form a wide mouthed cave. The scent of a fire was sharp and sweet, its muted orange light flickered off the walls from within.

More splashing to their left turned the trio away from the cave and towards Captain Sanchez, who was coming from further up river.

Ronon glanced from one muddy man to the other.

"Do I want to know?" John raised an eyebrow.

Sanchez grinned and shook his head. "Probably not."

"Right." John took a deep breath.

"Found us a closer parking spot." The Captain glanced from Ronon to John, then angled his head back in the direction he'd just come from. "'Bout a hundred yards up."

John nodded. "Don't scratch the paint."

As Sanchez and Browne headed downstream to move the working Jumper closer, Ronon turned and headed towards the cave. He could see the fire, blocked out in the middle of the opening, and directly behind it, the shadowed shape of a form lying on the rocky ground. From the size he knew it was the Major, lying on his side, and holding a bundled up lump with wavy blonde hair.

Lieutenant Ellis straightened out from his position against the wall and walked forward, his voice hushed. "She's still asleep."

"Why are you whispering?" Ronon raised an eyebrow.

Ellis looked at him like he'd sprouted a horn. "Because she's... sleeping?" He whispered.

John smirked, his voice normal. "You've never had to try to wake the Doc up, huh."

Ellis glanced quickly at Ronon, then back to his Colonel. "Um... no?"

"Trauma surgeon." John nodded. "Woman could sleep through a war."

Ronon nodded. "You'd have to shoot her to wake her up."

Ellis glanced behind him. "Oh."

Ronon stepped around the Lieutenant and headed towards the back of the cave, his eyes not missing the pile of wet, muddy clothes on the ground next to Jennifer's boots. Pants... jacket... shirt... If those were her clothes... He stopped so suddenly Ellis nearly smacked into him.

"She was wet. Cold." The Lieutenant hurried to explain.

Ronon stepped forward, his wide strides taking him past the fire. He supposed the earlier description of Jennifer using the Major as a pillow was about as good as any. Although blanket might have been more appropriate. With the shadows and flickering light from the fire, it was very difficult to tell where one body began, and the other ended. Wearing a standard issue t-shirt, and covered in a couple more, Jennifer was completely flattened against the Major's bare chest.

Evan lay on his left side, and Jennifer on her right, their limbs tangled around each other. With Jennifer's face tucked in against his right shoulder, Evan's left arm wrapped up around her head, and his right arm draped down across her hip, his fingers tucked in beneath her side. With her right arm pinned between their bodies, Jennifer had her top leg wedged between Evan's thighs, and her injured arm hooked up around his neck.

Ronon realized their nearness was for heat, and couldn't fault Evan for doing his job, for keeping her safe, but their incredibly intimate position left him feeling a tension across his chest he didn't like.

And the Major knew it - judging by the challenging look he was giving.

Ronon took a deep breath and shoved down the demon, then dropped to a squat beside the Major.

"She okay?" He asked, glancing at the bandage on Jennifer's arm.

Evan nodded, as much as he could with the top of Jennifer's head under his chin. "Graze. Painful, but it's not deep. I think it freaked her out more than anything."

Ronon nodded, his eyes locked on the gauze, until Evan cleared his throat. Ronon turned back towards the Major, who was watching him expectantly.

"A little help?" Evan asked.

Ronon raised an eyebrow.

"Are you nuts?" Evan made a face. "I'm not waking her up..."

Ronon snorted and stood, moving around the Major to squat behind Jennifer. When Evan tried to extract himself, Ronon had to unclasp her fingers from the Major's hair, as Jennifer muttered curses at him in her sleep.

Evan slid to the side, giving Ronon room to step in between them. Then he rolled onto his back with a groan, then moved to his feet, stretching his shoulders, giving his left arm a shake.

Ronon sat down in the vacated spot, crossed his legs, and lifted Jennifer up onto his lap.

Burrowing her face in against his neck, Jennifer inhaled slowly, and snuggled down against him. "Your late..." she mumbled.

"Sorry." He snorted.

John handed Evan his shirt, which he'd picked up from the ground near the fire.

"Problem?" Evan raised an eyebrow as he took the shirt.

"You're blinding me." John smirked.

"Then send me someplace that doesn't resemble England. Sun. Sand. Tropical beach, perhaps?"

"I'll get right on that..." The Colonel nodded.

Evan paused. "I should be more careful what I wish for..."

John grinned. "Did I say anything?"

"No, but I know that look." Evan winced as the cold, wet, mucky material slapped against his back. He adjusted his belt and reseated his M9 against his right hip.

"What look?" John pointed a finger towards his face and his expression of mock innocence. "This look?"

"That would be the one..." Evan scowled, and took the TAC vest Ellis held out. It was still set for Jennifer's small frame so he had to readjust the straps, before he was able to yank it down over his head.

"Gain some weight?" John laughed.

"Doc was wearing it last." Ellis, earning him a quick glance from both Ronon and the Colonel. "What?"

Evan rolled his eyes, and quickly explained their need to run from the mud hill to the trees.

"Ah." John nodded, once the Major's brief explanation was over.

"We wanted to shoot him..." Ellis added. "Doc wouldn't let us. Something about an oath?"

"Taxi's here." Sanchez called from the front of the cave, his voice a harsh whisper.

"Why are you..." Rodney walked past him and stopped beneath the overhang.

"Whispering?" Teyla finished.

"Uh..." Sanchez gave them both a blank stare. "Doc's sleeping?"

Rodney snorted. "You've obviously never been to the infirmary in the middle of the night. The woman could fall asleep sitting on a wooden bench in the middle of grand central station at rush hour."

"Grand central station?" Teyla asked, moving towards the back of the small cave, unfolding a grey, woolen blanket.

"Transportation station." John added. "Incredibly noisy. Lots of people running around."

"Ah." Teyla nodded, helping to tuck the blanket around Jennifer once Ronon stood up.

"How does Carson put it?" Rodney frowned, then snapped his fingers and nodded. "Och lass, the regimental pipers could play on yer' feet..." He began, his tongue rolling with a smart, Scottish brogue.

"And ya'd still be sleeping like a wee bairn." Teyla finished with a grin.

"Not bad." Rodney pursed his lips and nodded.

"Thank you." Teyla smiled.

"Well that was... odd." Evan blinked.

"You two have been spending far too much time together." John wiggled his finger between Rodney and Teyla. "That whole finishing each others sentences thing?" He scowled and stepped closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Creepy..."

"What?" Rodney frowned and looked at Teyla. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Athosian shook her head with a slight frown and raised her shoulders.

After kicking out the fire and gathering the rest of their things, the group stepped out into the darkness, the last of the light giving them barely enough to see by as the walked through the water. Banking around a corner they could see the yawning opening of the back of the Jumper just ahead.

Jennifer jerked in Ronon's arms, her eyes snapping open. "I don't want the spicy pickles!" She shouted, then cursed and closed her eyes.

Ronon rolled his eyes and exhaled, the burst of adrenaline kicking his heart into a higher beat as Jennifer settled in against him with a soft sigh.

Evan burst out laughing then clamped his hand over his mouth. "Shit. I forgot she does that."

Walking up into the back of the jumper, Ronon stepped over the prone form of Dr. Keon, who mud covered form was draped in a blanket and jammed against the far side of the cargo area. He settled himself against the wall, with Jennifer in his lap. He'd still not gotten used to the random things she shouted in her sleep. He knew people occasionally talked in their sleep... but until Jennifer, he'd never met anyone who actually yelled. She never woke up, and never remembered what she'd said, yet she always managed to scare the living hell out of him when she did because she looked completely awake while she was doing it.

"Remember the time on 276 when she sat up screaming about monsters in the dirt?" Ellis laughed, taking a seat in the rear compartment across from Ronon and Jennifer. Slouching back against the bulkhead, he stretched out his legs and rested his boots on Dr. Keon's hip, crossing his ankles comfortably.

"Didn't Corporal Brady almost shot himself in the foot?" Browne snorted, holding his position near the rear hatch while everyone filed into the jumper.

"He did." Evan nodded, following Sheppard to the front and sitting in the copilots seat.

"He really did shoot himself in the foot?" Browne asked, his face a wide grin. "I mean, I knew the guy was a little slow on the uptake... but still... "

"Makes you wonder how he does it, huh." Sanchez shook his head with confusion, sitting in one of the seats next to Ellis.

"Does what?" Rodney asked, moving forward to sit down in the front seat behind the Colonel.

"Gets a date." Sanchez answered as Browne closed the rear hatch then dropped into a seat beside him.

"Have you seen the guy?" Rodney snorted, then immediately recognized his mistake. "I mean... not that I've... I'm... I'm just saying..."

"Corporal Brady is certainly nice to look at..." Teyla began, brushing past Rodney to sit in the chair beside him. "Although it is rare to see his brain make it any higher than his pants."

She looked up as seven pairs of male eyes all turned towards her.

"What?" She blinked. "Did I not say that correctly?"

"No..." John gave her a curious stare. "You said that correctly."

Evan cleared his throat and turned forward. "You really need to stop hanging out with Laura."

"If I am not to spend so much time with Rodney... or Laura..." Teyla suggested. "Then who am I to spend time with?"

John glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows.

Teyla rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile.

"Fly." She ordered.

"Yes ma'am." John turned back around and lifted the jumper smoothly into the air. "Let's go home."