A/N: I know I'm skipping a head a few episodes and you can blame my muse for that. It's being a stubbornly inpatient wanting to jump ahead in the story.

--

"Hey I've got an idea." Excitedly Skyler hopped up to sit on the edge of one of the infirmary beds as Aria worked to get medical supplies together for the evacuation. "I've been thinking about doing something we've never done before."

"All that thinking didn't hurt your head did it?" Aria looked up from her work.

"I'm serious, this is something we've never done, ever."

"Does this something have a name?"

"A date." He smiled impishly.

"A date? Skyler we've dated before." She raised an eyebrow.

"No, Aria we haven't. We've done everything but."

"Sky I think we're past the dating stage." She went back to her work.

"This is about the ritual." He slid off the bed, grabbing her shoulders forcing her to look at him. "You said you wanted to learn more about each other right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then we should start from square one; the mating ritual. You know that wonderful time where two people learn about each other. Learn things like favorite movie or favorite color –."

"Blue." She ducked out of his hold moving across the infirmary to gather more supplies.

"Not now, Aria." He followed after her. "The ritual…you and I have never had it."

"Okay maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right." He smirked.

"Alright go ahead ask." She turned her full attention to Skyler.

"Okay well I was thinking that maybe after everything with this super storm and evacuation is over with you'd maybe sometime want to go out to dinner with me."

Aria pretended to think about it, before smirking. "I'll think about it." She kissed Skyler moving back to finish her work.

--

After the last of the people left the briefing room Skyler moved over to where Elizabeth stood gathering her data pad. "Are you insane? You should be going through the gate with the others not staying here."

Elizabeth let out a soft sigh she'd known from the moment she'd decided to stay and help with Rodney's plan that Skyler was going to be against it. "Skyler I've made my decision, end of story." She turned to walk away.

"No it's not." He grasped her arm forcing he to look at him. "Elizabeth you're the leader of this expedition, you can't afford to be putting yourself in harms way."

"Look I understand you're worried about what could happen, but I can't just sit back and let others put their lives at risk."

"Then I'm staying to watch your back."

"Skyler –."

"Elizabeth the whole reason I came on this expedition was to watch out for you, I've never hidden that fact from you or any one. I can't watch your back if I'm off on some other planet while you're here putting your life at risk. Family looks out for family."

"That works both ways, you know." Setting here data pad down Elizabeth griped Skyler's shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Sending you to Manara is my way of looking out for you. You're always trying to keep me safe, let me keep you safe for once."

Not happy at all but knowing that Elizabeth had him on this one Skyler sighed, backing off. Seeing that she'd won this round Elizabeth squeezed his shoulders then let go and picked up her data pad turning to leave the room. Watching his aunt walk out of the briefing room Skyler got an uneasy feeling in his gut.

--

Too agitated to sleep Skyler walked through the camp that had been set up for the expedition members. It had been nearly five hours since Atlantis had been evacuated and so far they'd heard no word from Elizabeth and the others, it was starting to worry Skyler. He was about to make the short hike to the gate to dial the city and get an update when his radio sounded.

"Major Cain this is Sheppard come in."

"This is Cain, go ahead sir." Skyler didn't miss the tenseness in his CO's voice.

"What's your situation, Major?"

"Everything's quiet on our end sir. Aside from myself and the guards patrolling the perimeter everyone's sleeping."

"Have you had any trouble with the locals?"

"No, they've pretty much been ignoring us. Is everything all right sir?"

"It's been taken care of but I want you and a small group of men to return tonight to help with the clean up. Also bring a medic and Zelenka with you."

"Sir?"

"I'll explain when you get here."

"Yes sir, Cain out."

Worried about what was going on back in Atlantis Skyler quickly went about waking up the rest of his team and Zelenka. After informing Sgt. Bates about Sheppard's call and placing him in charge until morning Skyler led his team back to the gate.

--

Stepping through the gate Skyler came up short at seeing all the dead bodies littering the gate room floor. Looking up to the control room he felt his heart seize in fear at not seeing Elizabeth only Sheppard. Heart pounding he hurried to meet Sheppard as he started down the staircase.

"Elizabeth?"

"She's fine, looks like a drowned rat, but fine. Her and McKay are sleeping in the jumper bay." Sheppard was quick to reassure Skyler.

"What the hell happened?" Skyler demanded not caring at the moment that he was talking to his CO.

"Genii." Was Sheppard's simple answer. He turned to Blue, "Blue I need you in the jumper bay. Beckett took a good hit to the head and McKay's got a nasty gash on his arm."

Nodding his head Blue moved off to the jumper bay.

"Zelenka I need you to keep an eye on the shield." He spoke to the scientist next. After Radek started for the control room Sheppard turned his attention back to Skyler, Axle, and Brain. "The rest of us are on clean up duty. I want this gate room cleaned up before we start to bring back the others."

Nodding their agreement the four men got to work cleaning up.

--

Shaking, Elizabeth crawled under the covers of her bed and curled up into a ball. She couldn't understand why she couldn't stop shaking, the storm was over, the Genii were gone, and expedition members had returned to the city safely and yet she couldn't stop shaking.

She told herself she should feel thankful to be alive, but all she felt was vulnerable and frightened. Hundreds of what ifs ran through her mind; what if she'd gone with the rest of them like Skyler had wanted? What if Kolya hadn't bought the story? What if Sheppard had missed? What if they hadn't got the shield up in time?

When there was a knock on her door Elizabeth threw back the covers and practically leapt towards the door. Any human contact right now was more than welcome. She wasn't all that surprised to find Skyler standing in her doorway.

With things finally starting to calm down Skyler took the chance to check in on Elizabeth. Since coming back from Manara he'd only had enough time to briefly check in on her when she'd been sleeping in the back of one of the jumpers. Taking in the dark rings around her eyes, the rumpled hair, and the distant gaze Skyler could tell Elizabeth wasn't doing so hot at the moment.

"C'mon," he guided her back into the room and over to her bed. After tucking her back into bed he stretched out next to her.

Grabbing the laptop off her desk he accessed the city network and started one of the movies that had been uploaded onto the network – not every movie that had been brought through with them had been uploaded yet, but the majority of them where. He didn't pay attention to which movie he started, it was really just for background noise anyway.

"I could have died today or worse." Elizabeth whispered, shuddering she pulled the covers tighter around her. "If it hadn't been for John and Rodney…"

"You're fine, Sheppard's fine, McKay's fine. You guys did good today." Skyler draped an arm around her shoulders.

"If John hadn't shot Kolya he would have taken me through the gate with him…" She trailed off again as another shudder ran through here body at the thought of what could have happened to her if Kolya had taken her. "And Rodney he actually stepped in front of a gun for me. He was so scared he was shaking, but he never backed down he convinced Kolya to keep me alive."

That brought Skyler up short, not the fact that Rodney had stepped in front of a gun for Elizabeth but the fact that nobody had told him that Kolya had threatened to shoot Elizabeth. Sheppard have given him a basic run down of everything that had happened during the storm, but hadn't mentioned anything about Kolya threatening to shoot Elizabeth only that he'd used her as a human shield so that he could get through the gate.

"It's over, you're safe now." He gently kissed the top of her head, tightening his hold. "Go to sleep, the city will still be here tomorrow." He stayed with her until he was absolutely sure she was asleep then quietly left; he had a scientist to find.

--

Finding McKay in his lab Skyler wandered over to the desk the man was sitting at and dropped a handful of Snickers bars and power bars onto the desk in front of the scientist. Startled out of his thoughts Rodney jumped slightly looking down at the desk then up at Skyler in confusion.

"It's not much, but it's the least I could do after what you did for Elizabeth today."

"Wha?" Rodney hadn't slept in two days and was starting to feel under the weather – he'd told Kolya he was liable to catch a cold like that – so wasn't firing on all cylinders at the moment.

"You saved Elizabeth's life McKay, that says a lot about you in my book." Seeing that McKay looked like he was about to drop from exhaustion Skyler pulled the scientist out of his chair and steered him over to the cot in the back of the room. The older man was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Noticing the bandage still wrapped around McKay's arm over the jacket Skyler grabbed the first aid kit from the wall then crouched next to him. McKay had refused to let Blue take a look at his arm earlier – it was no secret that McKay was picky about who he let practice 'voodoo' on him – instead bandaging it himself until Carson was well enough to look at it. Carefully he cut away the bandage and bloody sleeve underneath. Peeling away the bloody cloth and gauze he used an alcohol wipe to gently clean the gash.

"You moonlighting as a doctor now?" John spoke up from where he stood in the doorway of the lab watching his second-in-command bandage his scientist's arm.

"Nope, just doing my job." Skyler stated matter of factly as he closed the first aid kit and stood up to face the major. "McKay's family now and family looks out for family." He went to move past John then paused taking in the man's appearance. "That goes for you too sir, get some sleep you look like hell."

"Yes, sir." John smirked giving Skyler a mock salute as the younger man left the lab.

--

Shuffling down the corridors Skyler found his way to Aria's quarters. Leaning against the wall he knocked on her door hoping she was there and not some where else – he really didn't feel up to tracking her down at the moment.

"Hey," he greeted when she finally opened the door.

"Are you okay?" Aria ushered an exhausted looking Skyler into the room pushing him to sit on the small couch she had.

"Yeah, I've just had a rough night. God when I think about what could've happened…" He trailed off scrubbing a hand through his hair. "But that's not why I'm here," Skyler wrapped an arm around Aria. "I could really use that date right about now, you know something normal."

"I'd love to go out on a date with you." Aria kissed Skyler softly. "But not tonight, tonight you sleep."

"Mmm…" Skyler was already half asleep.

Snuggling into his hold Aria listened to Skyler's breathing even out as he succumbed to sleep's embrace. It wasn't long before she dozed off herself.