A/N - Sorry this took so long to update! I never forgot - just got distracted. Happy Holidays everyone! - Nika


Ronon stared out into the moonlit alley, watching the night pass across the quiet streets of Belkan. He knew she was awake, watching him from beneath the covers. He could hear the changes in her breathing as she cleared the sleep from her mind. Blankets folded as she sat up and left the bed, her bare feet padding softly across the wooden floor towards him.

Her arms slid around him from behind, hands splaying against his bare chest as she gently kissed the back of his shoulder. Ronon pressed his arms over hers, holding them tightly against his torso.

"You okay?" She asked, her breath soft against his bare back. She turned her head to place her ear against his back, tickling his skin with the soft slide of her hair as she moved. The direct warmth of her front against the cool skin of his back made him inhale sharply.

He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. "I'm fine."

"You always stand naked in front of strange windows in the middle of the night, mister I'm fine?" She snorted.

He turned in her arms, letting his hands slide across her naked skin, down to the small of her back. "You Earth people have too many rules about clothes." He chided. "Clothes for sleeping. Clothes for swimming. Clothes for just about everything."

She laughed softly. "We'll see how much you complain after I introduce you to a little thing called Victoria's Secret. I've yet to meet a man who can refuse red lace."

"Just how many have you already met?" He growled and spun, pulling her away from the window and back towards the bed.

She laughed and shook her head. "Metaphorically speaking, I mean."

"Mmm-hmm." He guided her into the space between his legs as he sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his eyes level with the smooth, rounded curve of skin across the top of her breasts. He lowered his hands, sliding his thumbs across her hips, his eyes automatically moving to the spot to the side of her naval. The spot where she… Neeva… had been shot in the stomach. It had scared him, seeing her lying there – blood on her hands – on her torso. Even though he knew it wasn't her. Wasn't his Jennifer. Knew it… it still bothered him… still added to his long list of nightmares.

Because it looked like her. Was her in a sense. Her body, her eyes, her pain, her blood.

"Why so serious?" She asked quietly, her fingers lingering on his bare shoulders.

He shook his head, ordering the ghosts away.

"Hey…" She said softly, brushing her fingers across the side of his jaw. "I'm okay."

He sighed and pulled her closer, placing soft kisses into the hollow at the base of her throat, his arms moving up her back to hold her tightly while he nuzzled her neck.

"Wow." Jen exhaled, wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders, laying her cheek on the top of his head. "She really freaked you out, huh."

"Your body." He shook his head. "Your blood."

"No…" She whispered, pulling back, her hands moving to cup his chin, lifting his face up towards hers. She kissed him fiercely. "I'm me. And I'm right here, Ronon. Here. Now. With you."

He growled, low in his throat, his arms locking around her, pulling her along with him as he fell backwards across the bed.

She sprawled out across him with a shriek and a giggle. "Problem?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed." He snorted.

Jen laughed, feeling his appreciation growing against her lower abdomen. "Already?" She snorted, raising an eyebrow.

"We have a lot of time to make up for." He smiled maniacally and rolled, flipping her onto her back, pressing himself down on top of her.

"I see…" Jen let her smile fade in the face of the hungry look he was giving her. She reached up, her fingers sliding down the edge of his jaw. "I love you." She whispered.

"And I, you." He answered, before stealing her breath with his kiss.


With a startled gasp, Jen shot up in the bed, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging like wisps of foggy mist. Fragments of a court trial and an executioner, and being shot in the stomach with a weapon that left a hole big enough to see through. She clutched her throat and stared in to the empty room, her heartbeat scattered and scared.

Empty room.

Ronon?

She scrambled out of the bed, nearly tripping over the blanket with her hurried movements. Succeeding in standing with the sheet half around her, she stumbled as she turned, her mind still stuck in adrenaline fueled confusion. He'd been here, she was sure of it. Hadn't he? She couldn't have made it up!

A soft click behind her and she spun, and stepped back, her heart skipping up another notch as her door swung open. She'd locked it. She always locked it.

The form that moved inside, silhouetted by the dim light of the hallway, could only be one man.

"Hey." Ronon said quietly, stepping into the room and pushing the door closed with his foot. His arms held a large bundle which he set into an empty chair near the bed and crossed towards her. "What's wrong?"

Jen stepped into him, her arms locking around his torso. She buried her face in the front of his shirt and inhaled, the scent of leather and musk filling her nose and calming her heart. Heat enfolded her chilled skin as he wrapped himself around her.

"Jennifer?"

She shook her head slowly, the spiked tension in her shoulders giving way beneath the drop in adrenaline. "Bad dream."

"Sorry." He said softly.

She sighed. "When you weren't here… I thought maybe I'd dreamed you up."

"Ah." He kissed the top of her head. "You didn't."

"Where'd you go?"

"Firewood." He half turned and pointed to the dark and blackened hearth in the corner, the embers long dead and lifeless.

Jen shook her head as her slightly addled mind connected with the chill in the air. "Right." She could feel a slight flush climbing into her face.

"Get back under the blankets." He released her and spun her back towards the bed.

"I would be warmer if you joined me…" She said softly, reseating the blankets she'd upset when she'd climbed out of the bed.

He moved his bundle towards the hearth, unwrapping the split chunks of firewood. "And who would build the fire?"

"Not me." She snorted, burrowing beneath the heavy coverlet to watch him as he placed the kindling and lit a match.

"Building a fire is easy."

"But it's cold out there."

"You're the one running around naked." He added some of the smaller pieces of bark, kicking up the flame.

"Nice of you to notice." She snickered.

"Oh, I noticed." He added a few larger pieces, the flame licking the edges of the dried bark and catching.

"Yeah?" She asked slyly, sitting up in the bed, letting the blankets drop down to pool at her waist. "And just what, exactly, did you notice?"

He added a medium sized piece of wood then glanced at her over his shoulder, but all Jen could see was his silhouette against the flickering colors of the growing fire. He didn't move for a moment, and since she couldn't see his face, she wasn't quite sure what is expression was, but then he growled and stood up slowly.

She laughed. "You're forgetting the fire."

He took several slow, purposeful steps towards the bed, reaching behind his neck to yank his shirt off with one smooth tug. He dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor.

"It's going to get cold in here…" She added, pursing her lips to fight a smirk as he unhooked his belt and holster.

"Don't worry." He growled. "You'll soon be warm enough."


Lying on his side with Jennifer spooned in front of him, Ronon traced the angle of her hip, feeling her soft, smooth skin beneath his fingertips. His thumb grazed over the small sparring scar, rubbing back and forth, reminding himself she truly was his Jennifer.

With her head pillowed on his arm, her hair fell down across her back and shoulders, tickling the bare skin of his chest. He lifted his head slowly, gently kissing her shoulder. Under the blankets, he felt her skin break into goosebumps beneath his palm and she shifted her head around.

Sleepy, hazel eyes blinked back at him, set above a lazy smile as she closed her eyes again. "So comfy." She whispered, snuggling her back up against his front with a contented sigh.

He snorted. "It's noon."

"So?"

"You can't sleep all day."

Jen ground her hips suggestively back against him. "Who said anything about sleep?"

He laughed, placing quick, nuzzling kisses across her exposed shoulder. "Keep that up and we'll never get out of bed."

"Promises, promises." She shook her head in mock sadness, then burst out laughing when her stomach rumbled with a long, sharp burble.

"There's food on the table." He glanced over at the pile of bread, cheese and fruit he'd commandeered from the tavern hours earlier.

Upon seeing the silver tray and its contents, Jen turned her head, staring at him wide eyed. "Where'd that come from?"

"The kitchen."

"Someone brought it up?"

He shook his head with a snort. "No, I went and got it."

"When did you do that?"

"Sun up." He kissed her cheek. "We should really work on your sense of survival. I got up, got dressed, left and came back, and you didn't even move."

"Your point?"

"A war could have broken out and you'd never have noticed."

"I learned to nap in a high-trauma ER." She shook her head with a snort, then nodded. "I can sleep through just about anything."

"Not very safe. What if someone else had come in?"

Jen wriggled around until she was facing him, snaking her left arm up over his hip, and burrowing further into the warmth of his chest. She closed her eyes, and sighed happily, kissing his collarbone. "And just who would be dumb enough to bother me with you around, hmmm?"

She felt his laughter before she heard it.

"Come on." He kissed the top of her head and flipped the covers back, exposing her naked skin to the cool air of the room. He rolled out of bed and stood beside it, grinning as she shrieked and yanked the blankets back over her neck.

"Evil!" She hissed.

He shook his head and reached for his pants, which he'd discarded by the bed. Yanking them on he threaded the belt through the buckle and moved towards the fireplace to kick up the fire a little and warm the room. It was overcast and chilly – the kind of day perfectly weathered to spend inside by a warm fire.

Once he had a steady flame, he gathered up her clothes and walked to the bed, lifting the edge of the blanket. Hazel eyes watched him with mock wariness as he stuffed her clothes under the blanket with her.

"Warm them up then put them on." He smiled and nodded. "Makes it a little easier."

She frowned, moving the clothes around her beneath the blankets. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

By the time she finally crawled out of bed, he had the fire well stoked, and the foods laid out on the table next to it. Giving her the seat closest to the flame, he handed her a mug of a sweet smelling concoction, which she turned her nose up at.

"I think it's a little late in our relationship for you to be getting me drunk, Mr. Dex."

He grinned. "Just drink it. It will keep you warm. And the water here tastes like something Zelenka cooked up."

Her eyes instantly lost a measure of sparkle, then misted over with a flash of sadness, before she lowered them to the mug in her hand. She took a long drink, and set them mug gently onto the table top. Ronon immediately understood how much she missed her home – her friends – during her self imposed exile. the main difference was, her home still stood – warm and inviting – teasing her from its distance, just out of reach.

Reaching across the table, he covered her free hand with his, waiting for her to look up and acknowledge him. "I want you to think about coming home." He said quietly.

She blinked. "But-"

He shook his head. "There's little more we can do, Jennifer. I don't think she's a threat."

Jen chewed her lower lip. Home. God how she missed it. How she missed everything. The city. The people. The ocean. Her quarters. Her infirmary. It would be so easy to just say yes

"I don't know…" She hesitated. "When?"

He angled his head and released her hand, sitting back in his chair. "I'd say right this minute, but there's a few things we need to do first."

"Like what?"

"Are you sure Todd only cloned you – there was no one else from the Daedalus?"

"I asked myself the same question." Jen grabbed a chunk of cheese and popping it into her mouth. Shaking her head while she chewed hurriedly, swallowed, and took a quick sip of the spicy brew to wash it down. "There was no research on file other than information on my… double. Why?"

"Just wanting to make sure we didn't have anyone else out there running around impersonating our people."

"Technically it's not impersonating." She corrected, then shook her head. "Sorry. I just… no. I don't think anyone else could possibly have been… duplicated. The only people Todd saw that day besides your team, was me. He didn't have access to Rodney, Teyla or John after that in any kind of situation that could involve a replacement. The only other person he could have doubled up on is you."

Ronon stared at her, unblinking.

"What?" She frowned. "You don't think…"

He shrugged.

"I didn't find any mention of you, or any DNA or research files other than my own."

"Is there a way to be sure."

She nodded "Of course. But the test would have to be done on Atlantis, and well, I can't exactly perform it without being there."

He angled his head. "Can anyone else do it?"

"Anyone could do it with the proper instruction."

"Could you tell me how?"

"It won't work." She shook her head. "I mean yes, I could tell you… but…"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I could do it?"

"Oh would you stop." She glared at him, her eyes narrowed. "You don't fool me one bit Specialist Dex. I highly doubt that big dumb brawn would make it to the level of a Colonel." She shook her head quickly. "No one person could do it alone. You can't scan yourself. You would need to be on the scanner – not moving - while someone else operated the controls."

"Laura?"

Jen chewed her lower lip while she considered the options. "You really think there's a possibility…" She trailed off, watching him intently.

He shrugged. "I'd rather know now, than later."

"If there are two of you…" She frowned, answering his unvoiced question. "Which one are you?"

"Basically." He nodded. Once.

Jen sighed and rubbed her temples. "This whole concept is giving me a headache. I can't even begin to think of what kind of a mess this could possibly pose. If the real me is in love with a clone you, and clone me is dating Rodney, while real you is god knows where doing god knows what with… What?" She frowned at his odd expression.

"Say that again." He blinked, his eyes boring intently into hers.

"What?"

"What you just said."

"About your other you doing god knows what?"

"No… the other part."

"The…" Jen blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Rodney." She made a face. "Laura told me… that my… other half is seeing Rodney…"

He blinked, then frowned. "You're… okay with that?"

"Hell no!" She snorted, giving him a raised eyebrow. "I mean… Rodney is incredibly intelligent… funny in his own way. Kind. There's an amazing man under all that attitude. I love him to pieces, but…"

"But?"

She stood slowly, moving around the small table to his side, where she lowered herself sideways across his lap. "But…" She said softly, her face hovering inches from his. "I love Rodney… but I'm in love… with someone else."

"Anyone I know?" His expression softened, ruining the stoic glare he was going for as he teased her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"You might…" She laughed, gathering his dreads away from his face and pulling them behind his head. Holding them back with her left hand, she smiled sadly. Placing her right palm against his chest, her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I miss you so much when you're not here. It makes me feel… incomplete. It's like… part of me is broken and I don't know how to fix it. I say things out loud some times… expecting you to answer… but…" She shook her head. "Then I turn around and…" She raised her shoulder and dropped it slowly. "And… you're not there."

He leaned forward and kissed her slowly, gently, leaving her with promises she knew he would die trying to keep. She sighed and lay her forehead against his.

"I miss you too, little one." He answered quietly. "That's why I want you to come home with me."

She sat back slowly, a slow smile playing across her lips.

"What?" He raised his eyebrows when she grinned broadly.

"I was just thinking…" She pursed her lips with mock thoughtfulness, then laughed.

"About what?"

"If you had a clone…"

He blinked. "That's funny, because?"

"Because…" She kissed him quickly and hopped up off his lap. "Think of the fun I could have with two of you…"

She made it two feet before she was scooped up with a growl. "I…" He snorted, dropping her unceremoniously onto the mussed up bedding. "Do not…" He crawled up the length of the bed, pressing her body into the mattress while she giggled. "Share."

He covered her mouth with his, and her arms threaded up around his neck, locking in place.

"Good." She said, her laughter dissolving into a breathless moan when he nibbled her collarbone. "Because neither do I."