Standing in front of the single window in her room, Jen held the curtain back and stared out into the street below. The material dropped as she turned away, the sound of booted footsteps in the hallway drawing her attention towards her closed door. Ronon was quiet - so this was obviously the guest.
Moving towards the middle of the room, she smiled when Ronon swung the door open, but her smile faltered with the serious expression on his face.
"What?" She frowned.
Ronon hesitated then stepped aside, unblocking her view of his mystery companion.
Jen's breath caught and she jumped as Ronon's hand immediately clamped down on the P90 that was heading in her direction.
"What the hell…" Laura Cadman sputtered, staring across the room at Jennifer. "Who is that?!"
"Laura…" Jen blinked, her hand immediately moving to the base of her throat.
Laura turned her fiery glare to Ronon, who was purposely shoving her P90 towards the floor. "What the hell's going on? Who is she?"
"Jennifer." Ronon answered. "The real Jennifer."
Jen stood very still, half wanting to throw herself at her best friend, but afraid to make any sudden moves until she could figure out just what Ronon was planning. Why was Laura here? Why did he want Laura to know? A multitude of silent voices peppered her with questions and she fought to keep her mind clear.
Ronon turned towards Laura and shoved the door closed behind her, then stepped back, planting himself firmly in front of Jennifer.
"What the hell do you mean, the real Jennifer?" Laura's gaze narrowed and she tried to brush past him.
"The Jennifer on Atlantis is a clone." Ronon answered, sidestepping to match Laura's attempts to get past him.
Laura stopped moving with a curse and glared at him. "I don't know what you think you're up to, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if my best friend was a faker. Now start talkin' bucko!"
"Todd made a clone. Swapped them out on the Daedalus before he abandoned it. Jennifer escaped. Came here. Found me. Clone's on Atlantis. We don't know why." Ronon summarized.
If the situation had not been so serious, Jen would have laughed at his minimalist summary of her weeks of hell. But she bit the inside of her cheek, concentrating on the knotted tension balling up in her abdomen, instead.
Ronon angled his head towards the woman peering out from behind him. "Real Jennifer." Then he tipped his chin towards Laura. "You had breakfast with the clone."
Laura swore and shook her head. "Yeah, and I have land for sale…"
"It's okay Ronon." Jen said quickly, placing her hand against his arm and peering around him. "Let her see me."
Ronon glanced over his shoulder at Jen, who nodded encouragingly. He stepped slowly aside, giving Laura a warning glare as he moved.
Jen held her breath as Laura stood still, feet braced, spine stiff, her eyes accessing across every inch. With her hands planted firmly on her hips, Laura frowned. Then her head turned ever so slight to the left, telling Jen that her friend was running through every possible scenario before she would come to a decision..
After a long, long silence, Laura took a step forward with a nod, but Ronon's arm blocked her way.
"You cool?" He asked pointedly.
Laura blinked up at him. "I need to prove a theory."
Jen nodded at Ronon's questioning glance, and he dropped his arm.
Laura stepped closer, her eyes wary. "Daedalus?"
Jen nodded. "Todd took me with him. The… other… me… went back to the city."
Laura pursed her lips. "You certainly look like… you. Except for the clothes."
Jen smiled hesitantly. "Had to wear something?"
"Sound like you, too."
Jen angled. "Because I am me."
"Chocolate or Vanilla?" Laura asked abruptly.
"Chocolate." Jen answered.
"Beer or wine?"
"Beer." Jen smiled lightly.
"PC or Mac?"
Jen snorted. "PC."
"Ronon or Rodney?"
"What?!" Jen blinked, then laughed, her face flushing as she avoided looking anywhere near Ronon.
"You heard me." Laura raised her eyebrows. "Ronon… or Rodney?"
Jen finally chanced a glance at Ronon, almost giving a half-assed answer just to see what he'd say. But the longer she looked, the more she had to admit the state of her life called for commitment, and nothing less. She took a deep breath. "Ronon." She said pointedly, her eyes locked on the deep green that stared right back at her. His expression didn't change, but a flash of something darker flickered past his eyes then disappeared. She turned her face back towards Laura.
"One more thing." The lieutenant nodded, and moved closer, muttering "Relax, bodyguard," over her shoulder at Ronon, who'd reacted to her motion. She reached for the hem of Jen's shirt and yanked it up, hooking her thumb through the waistband of Jen's skirt.
Jen smiled at Ronon when Laura cursed, several times in several different languages to see the small scar on Jen's hip.
"Holy shit…" Laura stood up, her eyes wide. "It really is you."
Jen shrugged and straightened her clothing. "It's me."
"I mean… it was gone. Gone. I thought… I thought you just… healed it… ancient tech or something… but… she doesn't have a scar. Why doesn't she have one? I remember… I saw you with the stitches… sparring…"
Laura ran a shaking hand over her braided hair and stepped back. "Shit." Then she looked at Ronon, back to Jen, blinked, and shook her head slowly side to side. "Shit, shit, shit."
"Yeah." Jen answered softly, giving her friend a hesitant smile.
"Oh, damn, this is wrong on so many levels…" Laura muttered. "I just had breakfast with you… her… she… it… this morning… I mean… I…" She shrugged. "I'm so sorry." She muttered, stepping quickly forward and throwing her arms around Jen. "I have a feeling I'm going to be apologizing for the rest of my life, aren't I?"
Jen smiled and hugged her fiercely. "Nothing to apologize for."
Laura stepped away, horrified. "You're my best friend and I didn't even know you weren't… you! That's… that's… awful!"
"Laura!" Jen smiled. "She's a clone. Technically she is me."
Laura shook her head slowly. "There's a hell of a story here, isn't there?"
Jen nodded. "Oh yeah. How much time you got?"
"I'm supposed to be picking up a requested list for supplies." Laura glowered at Ronon.
"You still are." Ronon acknowledged. "Solen will have the list when we're ready to go."
"We have until eighteen-hundred." Laura glanced at her watch. "Just under three hours."
Jen didn't miss the we. Ronon would have to leave again in three hours. Three hours. Not enough time. Not by a long shot. She turned towards him, fighting the urge to bury herself against him and beg him to stay.
He moved to stand in front of her, close enough it forced her to tilt her head back to keep her eyes on his.
"Only three hours?" She asked softly.
He raised his shoulder then dropped it again. "Sorry."
She bit her lower lip and dropped her chin. With a quick shake of her head, she turned to face Laura. "Then we should get started. This could take a while."
"Wow." Laura muttered from her sprawled position on the floor, her head resting on Jen's lap.
"Yeah." Jen nodded, her head bobbing against Ronon's shoulder. With her fingers threaded through his, they sat side by side on the floor beside the window.
Laura rolled her head and looked up at the two of them.
"But with Todd practically dead, and his ship sitting at the bottom of the ocean, you should be safe to come back now, right?"
"What?!" Jen gasped, straightening up, her head snapping from Laura to Ronon. "Todd's dead?"
Ronon shook his head and Laura sat up quickly, spinning around to sit cross legged facing them.
"Crap, I forgot!" Laura clasped her hand to her forehead. "You're not you. You weren't there."
"Wasn't where?! What happened? Is that why you haven't been able to come back?"
Laura cursed again and looked at her watch. "Okay. Cole's notes?"
Jen nodded furiously.
"Who's Cole?" Ronon frowned.
Jen shushed him and turned back to Laura.
The lieutenant took a deep breath, and exhaled the explanation in one long breath.
"Todd stole your research while you were on the Daedalus and gave himself the cure and it worked so he gave it to his entire crew but then it didn't work and made them all sick with some kind of cancer so he contacted Atlantis to get our help and SGA1 and 2 went up with your other you to help find the cure but all the Wraith soldiers went psycho and tried to eat Williams so we killed them all except Todd but then the ship was also infected and fell apart almost killing everyone when the forward section crashed into the ocean on the planet but they were rescued and then Colonel Sheppard let Todd go to an Iratus planet because Todd thinks a bug bite could cure him and that's the last we've seen him."
Laura blinked.
"You spent way too much time in McKay's head." Ronon stared at the Lieutenant, shaking his head in awe at the speed with which she'd launched through her explanation. He turned towards Jen. "You understood all that?"
Jen stared at Laura. "It gave them cancer?"
"Cancer like tumor, you said." Laura bobbled her head. "I mean your other you… said that. God! This is going to be so confusing!" She glared at Ronon. "How the hell am I supposed to go back and pretend like everything's normal now?"
"You just will." Ronon said, matter-of-factly.
Laura sighed.
"She's still me, Laur." Jen added. "Carson's still Carson, right?"
"But she's not you." Laura shook her head. "She's different. You're different. I mean… I couldn't put my finger on it before but now… now… hell… now… it all sort of makes sense. In a twisted… Pegasus version of a bad joke sort of way…"
Jen shook her head. "Laura, she's a clone. Essentially, we're the same person."
Laura shook her head slowly, her expression serious. "No, J. You're not the same. Not any more."
Jen frowned, niggling worry creeping in under her ribs. "Well, okay I have a scar or two she doesn't have, but-"
"It's not physical." Laura interrupted. "It's… just… you. You're different."
"What do you mean?" She glanced sideways at Ronon, her breath quickening.
"It's hard to explain." Laura said, drawing Jen's attention back. "She's just…" The lieutenant sighed.
"What?" Jen shook her head quickly.
"I don't know how to say it." Laura frowned.
Jen made a face, completely worried now. "Just… just say it?!"
"Ronon, would you give us a minute?" Laura looked directly at the Satedan.
Jen tensed but Ronon nodded. She clutched his fingers tightly, refusing to let go of his hand, leaving him no choice but to pull her up with him. "Why?" She asked nervously, gripping Ronon's hand between both of hers, while Laura picked herself up off the floor. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Laura assured her, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I just… this would be… easier…" Laura let out a frustrated grunt. "It's girl talk, okay?"
"Girl talk?" Jen blinked. "Oh. Oh! Okay. Right." She released Ronon's hand and chewed her lower lip.
"Five minutes." Laura turned towards him. "Just give us five minutes."
"I'll get the list from Solen." Ronon crossed the room, quickly opening the door and disappearing into the hallway.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Jen spun towards Laura. "Out with it."
"The other you is dating McKay." Laura whispered, even though they were completely alone in the room.
Jen blinked. Blinked again. Then shook her head to clear it. "I'm sorry, I swear I just heard you say I'm dating Rodney."
"You are."
Jen sat down hard on the bed, her legs suddenly feeling a little wobbly. She clasped her forehead and stared at her friend. "Ohmygod. You're not kidding, are you?"
Laura shook her head and lowered herself onto the mattress beside her.
"There's more, isn't there." Jen titled her head and scrunched up her face.
"Fraid so." Laura nodded.
"Do I want to know?"
"Probably not."
"Tell me."
"The day… practically the hour you got back from the Daedalus, you told Ronon you were interested in someone else."
"I said what?!"
"And then you started dating Rodney."
"I. But. No. How is that possible? I like Rodney. We're great friends. But… dating? How could I… I wouldn't have done that!" Jen wailed, flinging her arms up.
"You did."
"No. I wouldn't. And if I wouldn't… why would she? We're the same person."
"You're not." Laura shook her head. "Not anymore."
"Oh hell." Jen flopped backwards across the bed to stare up at the rafters. "This is not possible."
Laura lay back and mimicked Jen's position. "Okay, look. When do you think Todd made your… clone."
Jen closed her eyes. "He would have gotten my DNA from my first visit to his ship to ask him about trying a cure."
"So everything you've done after that – is the new you."
"A person can't change their base personality in a couple of months." Jen turned her head to stare at Laura.
"Maybe not." Laura looked at her. "But they can fall in love."
"With Rodney?!"
"No." Laura snorted. "With Ronon."
Jen blinked.
Laura flipped over onto her side. "You took sparring lessons. You spent time with him. You went running, and hung out at movie nights. Had meals together in the mess hall. God, J. He hasn't taken his eyes off you since he almost lost you to Kyrik. I think you nearly killed him with worry that day. Why do you think he followed you to the Daedalus in the first place!? But your other you… she lost all that time. She never got the chance to see whatever it is that you see. Because you do see something, don't you."
Jen inhaled slowly, letting the meaning of Laura's words ring true through her heart and mind. She nodded. "Yeah." She didn't bother to hide a smile at the thought how much she truly did love him. "I do."
Laura whooped. "I knew it!"
"What?" Jen couldn't help but laugh.
"I knew you wouldn't break his heart like that."
Jen's smile quickly faltered with a sharp stabbing pain. "Break his heart?" She gasped.
Laura sat up quickly. "I didn't mean that… I mean… well… just that when you told him you were interested in someone else… he was a freakin bear."
"Bear?!" Jen frowned.
Laura nodded, then started to smile. "Okay… fine. He was a moping, angry son-of-a-bitch and no one wanted to go anywhere near him for weeks."
"Really?"
"Trust me. For a socially inept wallflower, you sure know how to make a man miserable. Miraculously enough, a couple weeks ago, tall-dark-n-moody suddenly shows up all smiles and words start coming out again." Laura nodded knowingly. "I wonder why that was? Any details you want to share? Hmmm? Want to put some… facts… to the rumors about the man's… ah… features?"
"Laura!" Jen laughed, feeling the skin on her face flushing.
"Oh. My. GOD!" Laura poked her in the shoulder. "I knew it! You did, didn't you!"
"Did what!?" Jen asked, feeling her ears heating up to join her cheeks and neck.
"You did!" Laura rolled around on the bed with a laugh and a squeal. "Oh god. You did. You lucky bitch. Details! I want all the details! I'm your best friend, you evil clone-mold. You can't just leave me hanging here! You have to tell me!"
"Tell you what?" Ronon's low voice cut in from the doorway, making both women squeak and scramble up off the bed.
"Nothing!" Jen practically shouted.
Laura just laughed and clapped her hands.