CHAPTER 8

John, Teyla, Rodney and Ronon stopped and stared at the gathering in the mess. Several tables had been pulled into a semi-circle around Reanna's table. Ten to fifteen people were seated listening to her.

Moving closer they discovered she was answering questions about life on Jurassic World. She smiled shyly at them as they insinuated themselves into the group.

"Colonel Sheppard," one of the support staff, Stan Engles, called out. "Please tell her it is okay to tell us about how Dr. McKay saved your lives."

Rodney flushed and looked nervous. Sheppard's team gazed at the hapless man silently. Everyone knew that they did not discuss what happened in the field outside the group. Everyone also thought that it was to avoid embarrassing Dr. McKay since none of the other teams had the policy.

John looked around the group of sharks and then at Reanna. She returned his gaze with a clear, honest one of her own. She had a story of McKay saving their lives? This should be good. John smirked at Rodney. "I'm sure Rodney won't mind his bravado being told this once."

"Surely you all have better things to do." Rodney snapped, standing up. Things had finally settled down over him and how many of the new people he'd made cry and go home now here was another opportunity to ridicule and harrass Rodney McKay.

"Sit down, Rodney." Ronon pulled him back into the chair. "I'd like to hear the story." Ronon knew how Reanna looked up to Rodney. There was no way she was setting him up to be ridiculed or humiliated. Somehow she had gotten it in her head that he had saved them. At the very least it would be entertaining and best an enlightening view of how a stranger viewed him.

Rodney sat down grumpily. He didn't complain though when Ronon gave him an amused, but protective look.

Reanna was glad that she could tell the story. She had heard many people speak derogatorily about Rodney. She had heard many negative things said to and about him. No one had believed her when she said that Rodney had saved the team's lives. Now she could tell the story and his team mates were here to verify the truth of it.

"I am picking berries and hear the Circle open so I make my way to the clearing arriving in time to see the four of them disappear into the forest. So I follow them, staying out of sight, as they make their way through the forest. They're moving very carefully, watching to make sure nothing surprises them. The fog is thick in the forest hiding things close to the ground. When they come across the tiny grazers they stop and watch them for several minutes, smiling and talking softly."

She saw John shift a little at the telling and realized he didn't like people knowing he was soft-hearted.

"Eventually they make it to the clearing of the huge horned ones."

"Triceratops." John clarified.

"Yes." Reanna nodded. "I hear the slight rustling of the stalking hunters and I am certain that they will be killed quickly as most who come to that world are. Then I see Rodney look at something in his hand…"

"Scanner."

Reanna glares at him. "He looks at the scanner and sees the danger. He quickly explains to the others and gets them to follow him away from the path and behind a giant felled tree for safety."

"I watch from the safety of a tree. Very high off the ground where it is safe. They hide until the forest says it is safe to come out."

"The forest said it was safe?" A scientist sneered at her.

"Yeah," Ronon backed her up. "If a dangerous predator is nearby everything in the forest goes silent. No bird calls, no squirrels moving around; nothing. When the predator passes by and its safe the normal noises return."

"Oh." The scientist actually looked bemused at the idea.

Reanna frowned at the interruption of her story. "They begin heading back to the Circle walking in the path created by the horned ones. I run from limb to limb jumping easily from tree to tree in the huge forest because they grow so close together. I did not know if they would harm me or not so I was staying out of sight. Before long the ground began to tremble and I froze – frightened. The ground jumping could only mean the BIG meat-eater was coming!"

"T-Rex. Huge." John adds. "About fifteen, twenty feet tall."

"I run forward to warn them, but then I remember other strangers in the forest who had not….been kind and so I stop and stay hidden in the trees."

She paused and reached for her drink and took a long swallow letting the suspense build. Even McKay's team mates are intrigued by now at her rendition of events. They hadn't been aware that she had seen them that day.

"Then, just went I thought they would be caught in the open and be torn apart, Rodney again looks at the scanner and tells the others to follow him and leads them off the path into hiding. I hold on tight to the tree branch while the whole tree shakes as violently as the ground as the meat-eater comes into view. It passes right underneath the branch I am on. I can smell the death that follows it and see its evil eyes as it looks around. It sniffs the air puzzled at the new smell. Curious and hungry it swings its head back and forth and then steps off the path in their direction.

Suddenly, Rodney begins moving cautiously through the dense foliage. I see the rest of them follow Rodney as he fades back into the forest staying under palm fronds and ferns and dodging around the trees. Cover by cover Rodney leads them away from the meat-eater, but the meat-eater is persistent. Never does Rodney make a wrong step. Always he finds the next bit of cover to hide his friends behind. The meat-eater though keeps following the strange smell breaking small felled trees and crushing foliage underneath his feet."

Rodney stared at her unable to believe this skewed version of what happened. He tilted his head and looked over at Teyla and Sheppard. Teyla is composed and listening intently, but her eyes glitter and Rodney has spent enough time with her to know that its humor in those brown eyes. Sheppard is sprawled back in his chair eying Rodney with that lazy grin. Reanna is giving him enough fodder to poke at Rodney for months to come.

Rodney groaned silently and covered his face with his hand. Ronon leaned close and whispered, 'my hero' in his ear earning himself a baleful glare.

"Slowly, cautiously I follow staying in the trees watching as they try to shake the relentless meat-eater. It is getting late and I can tell they are getting tired, but Rodney keeps going refusing to give up on getting his team to safety. They go behind an outcropping and over a small rise and talk quietly and then they smear themselves with dirt to hide their scent.

They leave the small depression which was in no way safe and sprint over a small rise and that's when their luck changes."

By now everyone is leaning forward, caught up in her story. They could almost see Sheppard's team dodging through the woods with the determined T-Rex behind them refusing to give up the chase.

"The meat-eater finally caught sight of them as they run for cover. It roars its dominance and hunger and begins running toward them. They begin running as fast as they can dodging plants and tree stumps, jumping logs and ducking under fallen trees. Rodney is trying desperately to get his friends to safety and they, they are following him without question knowing, I believe, that he will not fail them.

The meat-eater is racing after them crashing through the forest, knocking down the smaller trees and crushing ferns. Every step jarring the ground and trees nearly knocking them off their feet, but they do not give up.

Ahead of them is a giant up-rooted tree. The roots are long and hang to the ground, but if you look close you can see there is a hollow underneath the roots. Rodney sees the hollow and dives under the exposed roots. Teyla quickly follows him. John and Ronon hesitates just a moment and then dives in after them. Now they are safely hidden and quiet so the meat-eater can neither see nor smell nor hear them."

Teyla and Rodney both flush a little at the telling of their 'dive' for in truth they had both stumbled and fell head long into the hole they hadn't even seen.

"The meat-eater growls and roars in frustration as its prey simply drops off from sight and smell. It tramples the bushes and slams into nearby trees in anger trying to startle them into flight. Unable to see them under the roots and unable to smell them over the rich dirt smell the meat-eater finally gives up with a loud snort and moves off to find other prey.

Soon Ronon emerges and checks the surroundings before allowing the others to emerge. They looked around and then Rodney looks at the scanner and he says something to Ronon and Ronon starts walking back along the path the meat-eater had made leading them back toward the Gate."

She looks at around the crowd which had grown during her story and grins. "And that is how Rodney saved their lives on Jurassic." She beamed at him glad to tell of his heroics.

Rodney tried not to squirm under the disbelieving stares. His team mates aren't saying anything to refute her and as long as he doesn't get too puffed up he may escape public humiliation so he crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat not saying anything.

One of the computer techs asked derisively, "Is that what really happened?"

Three impassive gazes spear him. "You do not believe Reanna?" Teyla asked in a deceptively mild voice.

"Well, it is kind of hard to believe McKay did all that?" Someone else retorted.

"Why?" Ronon rumbled. "Been on Sheppard's team since the beginning."

"Well, it happened just like that." Sheppard drawled standing up.

"Right. So why didn't Dr. McKay say anything about it?" A sneering voice from the crowd asked.

"McKay isn't the braggart that some people are. He knows how valuable a team member he is and so do we." Sheppard replied curtly. "We don't brag on him because he embarrasses easily."

That was quite believable since Rodney was flushed a dark red at the moment. He could not believe how many opportunities and digs Sheppard was letting slide by. And that Reanna had really interpreted the events the way she had was mind-boggling. No one that knew him would…that was it of course, she didn't know him that well and hadn't understood what was being said on the planet. Huh, she really looked at him like he was a leader, someone who saved his friends lives. She actually believed he was someone to be admired and respected.

He stood up with the rest of his team and walked out of the mess surrounded by people who protected him not only from bullets, but from verbal potshots and character assassination. Stunned at the idea of someone actually looking up to him the way Reanna did.

"What do you have against Major Lorne?" Ronon asked out of the blue as they moved down the corridor.

"What? Nothing, Major Lorne's a good guy for a grunt." Rodney replied startled.

Ronon grunted, but didn't say anything he just waited for the continuance he knew was coming.

"I just don't like the way he's romancing Reanna. I mean the girl's hasn't been around civilized people since she was ten except her parents and they died when she was fourteen. And then there's the two men who raped her."

"Maybe he'd be good for her."

Rodney turned his head sideways and stared at Ronon incredulously. "You kidding, right?"

"No."

"If, I repeat if, he was content to remain just friends then he would be good for her because he'd intimidate other men into leaving her alone as well, but he isn't, I can tell." Rodney snorted. "Everyone can tell that. The man gets absolutely goofy looking when she's around!"

"He wouldn't hurt her, Rodney."

"Not intentionally, no. And not physically; I know that, but there are other kinds of hurt, Ronon. Worse kinds." Rodney said the last bitterly.

Ronon looked at him intently. He knew Rodney had been bullied and teased and used in the past, but this was the first time that he had let so much pain and bitterness show.

"He won't hurt her."

"And how exactly do you know that?" Rodney snapped testily.

"I recognize the look in his eyes." Ronon said seriously. "I used to look at Melana that way."

Rodney's eyes widened. "You think he's in love?"

Ronon shrugged. "Don't think he knows it yet, but yeah. I think so."

Rodney groaned. "This just gets better and better."

"I don't see the problem."

"The last two men who frightened her got fed to saber-tooth tigers."

"No tigers here."

"There are plenty of ways she could take out someone that scared her."