SAFEGUARD
May 2007

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard. We've got the evacuees from Iscala rounded up and ready for relocation." Sheppard turned and faced the crowd of people while he waited for Elizabeth's reply.

"This is Weir. The gateroom is clear. You can bring them over now, John."

Sheppard touched his headset. "Alright, guys. Let's get 'em through," he said, waving to Alpha team. Gamma and Sigma moved into position and began helping usher to group toward the gate. "Lorne, you and your guys make one last sweep through the villagers. Pick up stragglers if there are any."

Lorne nodded from the edge of the crowd and waved his men back. "Want Brady too?" he asked.

"Yeah, better start rounding her up too. There's a monument in the middle of town that she's been staring at since we got here two days ago. Maybe if you tell her on your way in she'll be done assing around on the way out."

Lorne scoffed a laugh. "Yeah. Maybe."

–

Brady adjusted the magnifying headgear and leaned closer to the gigantic stone monument. She made a quick sketch of a couple of characters that she didn't recognize and wrote down what she could translate. She hummed along with Gordon Lightfoot, his mellow voice and melodies making perfect focusing music. She squatted down and peered at the carving.

"Brady."

Brady jolted when someone laid a hand on her shoulder. She overbalanced and fell onto her butt, casting a peeved glare up at Lorne as she jerked out her earbuds. "What?"

"The teams are moving through. Sheppard says it's time to wrap it up," he said.

"I'm nowhere near finished documenting this thing," she said with a frown.

"Well, how long do you need?" Lorne asked, waving his crew past.

Brady chewed her lip and looked at the monument. "Two days?" she said hopefully.

Lorne smiled at her. "You got...twenty minutes," he said, looking at his watch.

"Ugh. Fine," Brady groaned.

Lorne moved on to follow his men in the sweep. Brady took out her other earbud and turned off her mp3 player and tucked it in her cargo pocket. She continued to hum but quickly jotted down as many notes as she could. She snapped a few pictures of the things she couldn't draw, pausing when she heard a strange sound in the distance. She stopped and cocked her head to the side, listening. Brady hurried to her feet and zeroed in on the sound. "Hello?"

She heard the sound again, a soft keening cry, almost like the mew of a kitten. She followed the sound down a worn path that passed as a side street and around the corner. Brady stepped into an open door and gasped. There in the empty house in the empty village, lay a baby in a basket. The child eyed Brady for a moment before letting out a quick squank of annoyance as if to say, 'Hello? You gonna get me out of his thing or what?'

Brady stared at the baby, open mouthed.

"Oh, shit."

–

"Lorne! Lorne! Lorne!" Brady called, hefting the creaky basket higher onto her arm. "Dammit. Evan! Major! Hello?"

"Brady, what is it?" Lorne asked, rounding a corner with a look of concern. "What's wrong?"

Brady sat the basket on the ground and braced her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She pointed at the basket. "Found it. Radio Sheppard. Stop the villagers."

"What are you talking about?" Lorne asked, relaxing a little once he saw there was no immediate threat. He approached the basket and peeked inside. "Holy shit. Is that a baby?" he asked, his eyes going wide.

"Well it sure isn't a box of rocks," Brady said as she straightened.

"How does somebody forget a baby?" Lorne asked, looking from her to the child and back again.

"I have no idea!" The baby squealed and flailed its arms amidst its blankets. Brady knelt down to gather the baby into her arms. She picked up the agitated bundle and gently bounced it, shushing quietly.

"Think you can get to the gate by yourself?" Lorne asked, receiving a sardonic look in return. "Ok. Well, take the baby and hurry back to Atlantis. Try to catch Alpha before they make the relocation. Do you want one of my men to escort you?"

Brady shook her head. "I've got my sidearm. There's not supposed to be anyone left on the planet anyway."

Lorne nodded. "Be careful, Brady. We'll be right behind you."

Brady bent and laid the baby in the basket before hefting it and walking in the direction of the stargate. She sang as she walked and gently swung the basket in a rocking motion, smiling to herself as the baby drifted off to sleep. By the time she reached the gate, dusk had fallen. She dialed Atlantis and sent her IDC through before gripping the basket tightly and stepping through.

"There you are," Dr. Weir said with a smile as she looked down from the balcony. "We were wondering how long—"

"Has everyone from Iscalas been transferred to the new location?" Brady asked, interrupting Weir.

"Yes, they left almost immediately. What's wrong?"

Brady lifted the basket, revealing the sleeping child. "I need to get a dial-out to the relocation. Now."

"Is that a baby?" Weir asked. She looked at Chuck. "Dial the gate."

Brady stepped aside while the gate dialed and the event horizon opened. When the wormhole was established, she stepped back through the gate and held a hand up to shield her eyes from rain.

"Great," she growled. The rain pattered on the basket and splashed onto the baby's cheek, startling it from sleep. The child let out an angry howl and waved its tiny fists in protest as the chilly rain pelted it. Brady sat the basket down and took off her jacket, kneeling down and draping it over the handle. "Sorry little guy. Girl. Sorry, kid," she said. She reached up and touched her radio. "Alpha, this is Brady. Is anyone monitoring?"

"Brady, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Ronon, where's Sheppard?" Brady asked.

"He and Teyla are staying in the new village helping the elders get the people settled in," Ronon said. "They're planning on it taking a few days."

"You're not there? What's your twenty?"

"About a quarter-mile out, between the village and the gate. McKay and I are heading back now because of the storm. The road's already starting to wash out. What's going on?"

"I have to get to the village. Somebody left a baby behind," Brady shouted over the wind and rain.

"You can't head for the—did you say baby? How the hell does somebody forget a baby?" Ronon demanded. "Look, get back through the gate. You won't make it to the village, especially carrying a baby."

"But Ronon-"

"Dial the gate," he yelled. "The wind's picking up, Brady. We picked a hell of a night to move these people to their new place. Get back to Atlantis. McKay and I are right behind you."

Brady sighed and cursed, throwing a wince in the direction of the fretting child. "My bad. Don't repeat that, kid." She hefted the basket and hurried to the DHD to dial Atlantis. The wormhole opened and she stepped through, stumbling under the weight of the basket as she landed in the gateroom.

"Why are you wet?" Weir asked. "And why do you still have that basket?"

"I'm wet because it's raining buckets on that planet," Brady said, shaking her head like a dog. "And I've still got this basket, and the unhappy baby, because Ronon said the road is washing out and I wouldn't make it to the village. He and McKay are right behind me. Chuck, call Keller. Tell her I'm bringing this little guy—or girl, or whatever-in for a check up."

Brady strode from the gateroom with the basket, kicking open the doors to the infirmary and hefting the basket onto an exam table. She lifted the fretting baby from the basket and gently laid it on a bed as a nurse checked its vitals.

"I don't suppose we have any diapers around here anywhere, huh?" Brady asked.

"Not that I know of, Dr. Thatcher. I suppose we can trim down some sheets and use those." She smiled and made noises at the baby, receiving a drooly grin in return. "Poor little thing's soaked," the nurse said. "Let me go and warm up the scanner. Dr. Keller will want to check and make sure there isn't anything internally wrong, but it won't take but a moment. As soon as that's done, I'd suggest a warm bath for the tike."

Brady watched as the nurse scooped up the baby and bustled around the infirmary. Dr. Keller approached and did the customary woman-to-baby reaction before laying the child under the scanner. Brady chewed on her finger as the doctor ran her tests, looking every bit like a nervous mother.

"What's the doc doing?"

Brady jolted at the sound of Ronon's voice in her ear.

"She's checking for any kind of abnormality—disease, stuff like that," she said, glancing back at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Had to bring McKay in," Ronon said with a shrug. "He thinks he might be allergic to something."

"Shock," Brady deadpanned, turning back to watch Keller and the baby. "How bad was the road to the village?"

"Pretty bad. It's more of a path than a road, and that was a hell of a storm. McKay almost landed in a mud pit on the way back to the gate. Assuming the rain stops tomorrow, I doubt we'd get through for at least two or three days. That's why Sheppard and Teyla decided to just stay in the village."

"It's a little weird, isn't it? Somebody just forgetting a baby?" Brady asked, changing the subject and chewing on her lip.

"Don't," Ronon warned.

"Don't what?"

"Don't start theorizing. It was chaotic out there today, Brady. And the village elders wanted to move immediately from here to New Iscalas, so things were also rushed. So don't start spinning ideas about why that baby was left in the village until you have all the facts. And don't get attached to it," he added.

"It isn't a stray cat, Ronon," Brady said with a frown. "You can't just not get attached to a defenseless orphaned baby."

"See that right there? That's what I'm talking about," Ronon said, pointing at her. "You don't know that it's orphaned. And you don't know it's defenseless. For all you know, it could shoot blasters out of its eyes."

Brady arched a brow at him and scoffed, shaking her head and taking the chubby baby from Keller as she approached.

"The little lady checks out just fine," the doctor said with a smile. "Healthy and happy, no signs of neglect or abuse, and no disease or infection. I can't understand why she was left on that planet. It had to have been an accident."

"Maybe," Brady muttered. "Thanks, doc."

"No problem," Keller said as she turned to go. Brady placed the child back in her basket and carried it toward the exit. Ronon intercepted her, blocking her path.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to give this baby a bath. Do you have a problem with that?"

Ronon's countenance changed as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a smug smile. "By all means," he said, waving her toward the door. Brady looked at him over her shoulder as he started after her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going with you," he said. "There's no way I'd miss this."

Brady tisked in annoyance and sauntered from the infirmary, ignoring Ronon as he trailed along behind her. "Not like it's rocket science to give a baby a bath. 'There's no way I'd miss this'," she repeated mockingly with a snort. "Like he could do any better," she muttered. She waved open the door to her quarters and stepped inside, holding up her hand as Ronon approached. "I've got it from here, big guy," she said, waving her doors closed. She threw him a self-satisfied grin before turning for her bathroom. As her doors swooshed shut, Brady glanced down at the baby and began chewing on her lip.

She went to her bathroom and ran the large basin sink full of warm water before setting the basket on the floor and undressing the baby. She sat the squirming child in the water, where she immediately began splashing happily. Brady made quick work of bathing the baby and wrapped her in a fluffy white towel. She looked at herself in the mirror, staring transfixed at her reflection holding the little girl and bouncing her gently.

What was she thinking? She'd barely been around when her sister was a baby and aside from holding her niece a few times, she definitely didn't have any babysitting experience. She had always—always—made sure there was somebody around that could take the baby if it threw up or, God forbid, pooped in its diaper. This baby didn't even have diapers! Panic clawed at Brady's stomach and her face crumpled at the thought of having to wash a cloth diaper.

"This is not the Roaring 20s. I'll throw those bad boys away before I wash them," she told the baby as she turned her in her arms. "Besides, nothing says I have to be the one to keep an eye on you, you know." Except...it was she who had found her. That sort of made her responsible. She looked down into the baby's intelligent green eyes and sighed. "Ok, fine. I'll do it. If I can translate alien texts, I can take care of a baby. You can't be that much trouble, right?"

Brady hurried down the corridor with the crying baby in her arms. "Ok, ok, ok, ok...shh! Shhh! It's ok," she chanted. "We're almost there."

She burst into the cafeteria and loaded up a tray with a couple of cartons of milk, a banana, and a package of mini oreos. She sat the angry baby back in her basket and placed the basket on the table before dumping the oreos into one of the milk cartons.

"Ok, here we go," Brady cooed, spooning a dab of the soggy mixture into the baby's mouth. She immediately perked up, squanking only when Brady took too long to put another spoon in her mouth. "Oh, Amelia!" Brady called as her friend dumped her own tray. The other woman approached with a smile.

"I heard you had a new roommate," Amelia said, touching the baby's cheek. "What's up?"

"Can you squish up that banana for me? I'm almost out of oreos and she's still hungry. She can't have like, chicken or anything, right? I mean, do you think she's old enough for people food?"

Amelia laughed and heaped the smashed banana onto the center of the plate. "I don't think she's old enough for chicken, but maybe some squishy vegetables? My mom used to feed us mashed potatoes a lot. And I wouldn't make a habit of oreos," she added with a grimace. "Hey, there's a trade mission scheduled tomorrow at 0700. Maybe you could get one of the guys from Sigma to pick up some childcare supplies?"

"That's a great idea," Brady said. "Thanks, Amelia."

"No problem, Brady. Have a good night."

Brady smiled down at the baby as she sucked at the smashed banana. "We'll get you all set tomorrow, kiddo," she said quietly. "We'll get you some clothes, and a bottle, and maybe a binky, if people in this galaxy use binkies." The baby looked at her, her green eyes going heavy as her hunger was sated. Brady gasped as somebody plopped down beside her. She glared at Ronon as the baby jerked to attention and all traces of sleep disappeared. "Seriously? She was just about to go to sleep!"

Ronon pilfered through the remnants on Brady's tray. "Cookies and a banana? That's what you fed her?"

"And some milk, not that it's any of your business," Brady said, snatching away the cookie wrapper. "In case you haven't noticed, oh giant one, there isn't a grocery store on Atlantis. I can't run out and get some Gerber."

Ronon shrugged and tugged the basket closer to him. "So...did you name her?"

"Um...well, no. I've just been calling her baby."

"Huh," Ronon grunted. He had a faraway look in his eye as he held his finger down for the little girl to grip in her chubby fist. She smiled and cooed up at him. "She should have a name."

Brady smiled softly. "Wasn't it you who told me not to get attached?"

He shrugged again. "Whatever," he said. "Just seems kinda weird to call the kid 'baby'."

"Well...what should I call her? I mean, I presume her parents named her. If I call her Bridget or Rebekkah it'll just screw her up psychologically."

"Brady, the kid is going to be in your care for only a few days. I might just be a hired gun, but I'm pretty sure you won't do any permanent damage-"

Brady shook her head. "I can't rename her. Ronon, I couldn't even rename my Cabbage Patch dolls when I was a kid."

Ronon sighed and waggled his finger, bouncing the baby's fist. "Fine. It's your call," he said, gently tugging his finger away. "Good luck, Brady." He leaned over the basket and patted the baby's stomach. "See you around, a'ri."

"What's that?" Brady asked.

"It's the Satedan word for baby," he replied. "Why?"

"Can we call her that? Like, it's not technically a name," Brady said with a smile. "A'ri," she said, trying it out. "I like that. Do you mind?"

"I don't care," he shrugged. He stood and stepped away from the table.

"Oh, hey. If you see Major Hastings, can you tell him I need to talk to him before his team goes on the trade mission tomorrow morning? I need to see about getting some baby stuff."

"Yeah, I'll tell him. He's usually in the gym this time of night."

"Thanks," Brady said. Ronon smiled.

"I'm not telling you what to do there, little mother, but judging by the way that kid's face is turning red, I'd see about finding some clothes for her other than that blanket."

Brady turned her horrified expression to A'ri, who was grunting in the basket. "Oh no! No, no, no!" She whirled back to Ronon, her eyes wide and pleading. "Ronon, I'm sorry I was such an ass earlier! Please, please don't leave me alone. I don't have any experience with babies. And before you say it, I know I don't have to take her in since I have no idea what I'm doing but I feel responsible, plus I would feel weird just passing her off on someone else-"

Ronon came back to her and gripped the basket handle. "Alright, alright. Settle down, Brady," he said, lifting the basket with ease. "Come on."

"What? You mean you're gonna help me?" she squeaked, following on his heels as he strode from the cafeteria.

"Yeah," he said. "But I'm not signing on to be a wet nurse. This is your little project. I'm just giving you a hand tonight since you're so obviously drowning. We clear?"

"Crystal," she assured him. "Thanks, Ronon. I owe you one."

"Yeah, yeah." He looked back at her over his shoulder with a smug look. "What else is new?"

–

While Ronon cleaned up the baby and rummaged around looking for something to fashion a makeshift diaper, Brady fixed a pallet on the floor next to her bed.

"Do you want the bed or the floor?" she asked, turning to him.

"Either," he replied. He held up a pair of black and blue striped panties.

"Can you please refrain from pawing through my underwear drawer?" Brady asked, snatching the garment from him. He snorted.

"Don't flatter yourself, doc," he said, yanking the panties from her hand. "They're for the baby." He nudged the drawer shut with his hip and stepped around her, lifting the clean baby out of the fresh blanket Brady had tucked into the basket.

She watched him effortlessly tend to the child and was struck by something she'd never thought of. "Ronon, did you have any children on Sateda?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her as he tied the cotton undies around the baby. After a brief hesitation, he shook his head. "No, no kids. My friend Tesh had a few. When we weren't training, they were all he talked about." With the temporary diaper in place, he picked up the baby and cradled her in his arms. "Children were important to Satedans. Everyone pitched in with raising them," he said with a shrug, passing the child to Brady.

She didn't know what to say to erase the pain that always accompanied talk of his world, so Brady remained silent. Ronon crossed to the bed and plopped down on it, kicking off his boots and tugging his tunic over his head. He lay back and draped an arm over his eyes, clearly ready for sleep. Brady tore her gaze away from his toned torso and looked down into the eyes of the baby. The little girl smiled as if she knew Brady had been ogling Ronon. Brady felt her lips curve in response.

"Our secret," she whispered against A'ri's cheek. She bent and laid the girl on the pallet before lying down beside her. Once she was securely tucked into her blankets and barricaded by a pillow to keep her from crawling onto the floor, the baby went to sleep in a matter of minutes. Brady wasn't too far behind.

In the quiet early morning hours, Brady rolled over and reached for A'ri, but her hand found only blankets. She bolted upright on the pallet, but before she could call out to Ronon she heard a quiet, low voice. She turned her head and could just barely make out Ronon's silhouette against the window. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Brady could see that he had opened the curtain and was staring out over Atlantis, singing softly and gently swaying A'ri as he cradled her against his chest. She pulled her legs up as quietly as she could and wrapped her arms around them, leaning back against her bed, content to spy on the tender scene. It wasn't often that Ronon let his guard down completely, yet here he was, singing a baby back to sleep. He finished his lullaby but continued to sway.

"Brady thinks she's quiet and we don't know she's awake, but she's from Earth, so what does she know?" he said quietly to the snoozing baby. He looked in Brady's direction and she smiled sleepily.

"Caught me," she whispered. His teeth flashed in the darkness as he gave a quick smile. "You want me to take her?"

"Nah," he said as he turned from the window and crossed the room. "She's out." He leaned down and put the baby back to bed, patting her back when she briefly stirred.

"You're really good at this," Brady said. Ronon straightened and crawled back into bed, stretching out on the mattress and stacking his hands behind his head.

"When are you gonna realize that I'm good at everything," he said.

Brady tisked and looked at him with a grin. "Whatever!"

"Name one thing I'm not good at," he challenged.

"Humility," Brady quipped. That earned another flash of smile. "On a serious note, I really appreciate your help tonight, Ronon. Thanks for staying."

He shrugged. "You sleep like the dead. Even if I'd been in my quarters I would have heard if A'ri started crying. It saved me the walk. Go to sleep, Brady."

Brady rolled her eyes but lay back down. She heard Ronon rustling around on the bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't long before his breathing evened and she knew he had drifted off to sleep. Brady lost herself in her thoughts for a while until she felt the pull of sleep once again. With a deep sigh, she rolled onto her side and dozed off.

Brady flinched and grunted as something wet dripped onto her face. She cracked her eyes open, grunting again as sunlight poured through the open curtain. She opened her eyes fully and gasped at the sight of a face directly in front of hers. A'ri grinned down at her, another stream of drool plopping onto Brady's cheek. She laughed and reached for the baby, sitting up and wiping her face. A'ri laughed and flapped her arms happily. Brady looked and saw that the bed was empty, supposing that Ronon had work to tend to. She noticed that the baby was in a fresh diaper—or rather, panties—and she made a mental note to get something special for Ronon as a thank-you for helping so much.

The sight of the makeshift diaper reminded her of the trade mission. She looked at the clock, groaning when she saw how late in the morning it was. Sigma team had already debarked for their destination and neither she nor Ronon had talked to Major Hastings about bringing supplies for the baby.

She pushed herself to her feet, stretching a kink out of her back when she stood. She looked at the baby and wondered what to do with her while she took a shower.

"If I put you in that basket, you're just gonna crawl out, aren't you?" A'ri peered up at her and smiled, rolling over and crawling away as if in answer. Brady smiled. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Ok, come on," she said, scooping the baby into her arms. She carried her into the bathroom and shut the door before setting her back on the floor. "Lucky for you I'm sort of a stickler for cleanliness," Brady said. "Well, when it counts. My floors are clean, anyway."

She checked the area, making certain there was nothing that the child could get into, before undressing and tossing her clothes in a hamper. She took a quick shower and dried off, fastening a towel around her chest and carrying the baby back into the bedroom just as her door swooshed open.

Ronon stopped short as he saw Brady, still wet from her shower and clad only in a towel. He cleared his throat and sat a tray on her bed. "Brought you some food," he said. "McKay sent some applesauce for A'ri."

"McKay sent it?" Brady asked, surprised.

"Well, sort of. I took it off his tray," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "But he can get more. Sigma left before I could get word to Hastings, but I talked to Weir and we're cleared to go to a place called Ingram."

"We? I thought last night was—"

"Yeah, well, it was on the list of trade outposts we still haven't contacted. The probes show a strong farming presence and nothing threatening, so I told Weir you and I could go. Besides, there's no telling what kind of trouble you'd get in if you went on your own."

"Oh, it's not like I'm that bad," Brady said. A'ri stretched out her arms, reaching for Ronon, and Brady smiled. "I think she wants you to hold her."

Ronon looked at the baby and stepped forward to hesitantly take her. Brady pulled a pair of cargo pants off a pile of clothes near the foot of her bed. She opened a drawer and snatched out a clean set of underwear and a gray pocket tee before disappearing back into the bathroom. She reemerged a moment later, looking fresh and optimistic.

"Ready?"

They went to the gateroom and Chuck dialed them out. Elizabeth appeared at the balcony. "Be careful. With any luck, the child will be back with her family as soon as the road to New Iscalas is passable and Sheppard can get to the gate."

Brady nodded and lifted the baby, who was tucked safely back into her basket, stepping up to the platform as the wormhole was established. Ronon strode forward, his hand on his gun, always on alert when he gated. Brady followed him, amazed that the sensation of gate travel didn't bother A'ri.

"I wonder why kids aren't ever freaked out by gating," she said as they walked down a grassy knoll. Ronon shrugged. "Maybe they're not old enough to be grounded in rational thought. Like, maybe the reason it freaks us—"

"You."

"Fine, me. Maybe the reason it freaks me out so much is 'cause my brain is thinking, 'Hang on a second. This isn't supposed to be doable'."

"Yeah, that's probably it," Ronon said, leading the way down a cobblestone road.

"You're just saying that to placate me so I'll shut up, aren't you?"

He shrugged again.

"You're an infuriating man, has anybody ever told you that?" Brady asked.

"You mean other than you?" he replied carelessly.

Brady sighed and shook her head with a wry smile. How was it possible for someone's personality to change so significantly from one day to the next?

"Wait," Ronon ordered quietly, holding out his arm to stop her advance. He pulled his blaster from the holster and took a step forward, powering it up as two large blonde men stepped from the trees.

"What's in the basket there?" the man closest to Brady asked. His friend pulled a sword from a scabbard at his back, seeming unconcerned with Ronon's blaster.

"Unless you want to see your buddy do a remarkable impression of a donut, I'd suggest you tell him to put his sword down," Brady said. She took a step closer to Ronon's back, using him to shield her and A'ri as she unholstered her sidearm and sat the basket down. "We are travelers. Explorers," she said calmly. "We mean no harm. We are only looking to make contact with your people and perhaps trade for some supplies for our child."

"You are awfully well-armed to be simple travelers." The big blonde looked at his comrade and spoke in a foreign language.

Brady frowned. "Wait. Hang on a second," she said, stepping around Ronon and holstering her gun. "Ert þú skilur mig?"

"What did you just say?" Ronon asked, keeping his eyes and his gun trained on the two men, who looked angrily at Brady.

"I asked if they could understand me," she said, shaking her head. "They're speaking some sort of ancient Icelandic."

"How do you know our language, little one?" another man asked, stepping out of the trees. Unlike the other two blondes, this man had a bright red tint to his hair.

"I'm a student of languages," Brady said. She laid a hand on Ronon's arm and made him lower his weapon. "Look, we really are peaceful people. My name is Brady, and this is Ronon Dex, my...husband. He was taken off guard by the appearance of your friends, that's all."

The man laughed. "Forgive Haki and Herger. They take their posts very seriously. I am Ivar, chief constable of Ingram. Come, come." He waved them forward. "I will take you to the village and we will find the supplies you seek." He glanced at the blaster Ronon still held by his side. "You are under no threat from us, as long as you behave yourself."

"Likewise," Ronon growled.

The village was clean and well kept. Brady shifted A'ri's basket from one hand to the other, surprised when Ronon reached down and plucked it from her grasp. She smiled gratefully, but he was in warrior-mode and didn't spare her a glance. Brady rolled her eyes.

Ivar lifted a hand and pointed down the street. "There you will find merchants who will have the things you need," he said to Brady. "You, come with me. There is the tavern. Let us be men while the woman is a mother."

"She stays with me," Ronon said.

Ivar's smile faltered a bit, and he tilted his head to the side. "You believe harm would come to her here? After I've given my word that you are under no threat? You believe me a liar?" he demanded, growing more agitated with each question.

"He's not saying that," Brady hastily assured him. "He meant no offense."

"Does your woman always speak for you thus?" Ivar asked. Gone was the jovial host who had chatted while they walked to town and in his place was a man insulted.

Brady looked up at Ronon and silently pleaded with him to clean up his mess. She saw the muscle in his jaw twitch and relaxed. If he was annoyed enough to clench his teeth, that meant he knew he had to fix it.

"While your people might not trouble my wife, I feel she will surely be a nuisance to them," he said, not looking away from Ivar. "She's young and forgets herself often, as you've just witnessed. I'd hate to plague your merchants with her incessant talking when I can accompany her."

Oh, someone was gonna get an earful on the way home, Brady thought with a frown.

Ivar barked a laugh. "She is a mouthy one, is she not?" he asked, slapping Ronon on the back. He waved a hand. "Fine, fine. Go. Procure your items and deliver your baggage to the inn at the end of the street. Then, Ronon Dex, meet me at the tavern. We shall drink to your health, and that of your son."

"Actually, A'ri is a g—"

"I'll be there within the hour," Ronon interrupted, glancing down at Brady with a look that clearly said 'shut up or I will shut you up'. He turned and gave her a nudge to get her walking toward the merchants.

"What's the big idea?" Brady hissed. "Since when are you so damn sexist?"

"Since we got to this village," Ronon replied. "Look around, Brady. You see any women? I came across a few places like this when I was a Runner. Men are the face of the town—they keep to the markets and taverns while their women stay home and take care of their children. That's their only purpose."

"So basically we gated from Atlantis to Georgia?" Brady muttered. "Ok, Mister Big Man, what am I supposed to do while you're out boozing it up with Ivar? If this is the feminist nightmare that you say, I doubt I'll be welcome to hang out in the tavern."

"You'll stay in the room at the inn."

"Ronon—"

"I'll be back before dark," he said. "We'll get our gear and leave after I have a few drinks with Ivar. Brady, isn't it you who is always saying I make a shitty liaison? Well, this is me being better at liaising. I'm establishing a relationship with the people and all that stuff John and Teyla are always rambling on about."

"Ronon, dear, I don't know if you've noticed, but you tend to drink a crapload more than John and Teyla," Brady said with a scowl.

"I'll be fine," he said with finality.

"Hey, remember when you said 'I'll be fine'?" Brady asked, lowering her voice to a deep, mocking tone as she hooked Ronon's arm around her shoulders and heaved him away from the young woman who had helped him up the stairs. She thanked the girl, who looked relieved to be rid of the giant hulk of drunken male, and kicked the door shut.

Ronon spun away from her and stood in the center of the room, weaving slightly. He smiled, his teeth flashing white amid his dark face. "You missed me, huh?"

"God, you are such a jackass." Brady shook her head and bent to check on A'ri. The baby was sleeping deep and peacefully in the small crib they had gotten from the market. Brady straightened suddenly, snapping to attention as she felt Ronon's hands on her hips. "Uh, whatcha doing?" She tried to turn to face him, but he held her hips tightly. "Ronon?"

"Shh," he whispered. She glanced back at him and frowned. His eyes were closed and a smile still flirted with his lips. He lowered his head, brushing his cheek against hers. Brady tilted her head to the side, tensing when he turned his mouth to her neck.

"Ooookay. You need to snap out of it, sweetheart," she said, trying to step away. He tightened his hold briefly before releasing her. She took a step forward and turned to look at him. "Ronon, you're very very drunk," she said. "You need to go to bed so we can go home tomorrow."

"Come to bed with me," he said, grinning seductively as he unlaced and removed his vest.

"I am, but only to sleep," Brady said, looking away from his bare skin. Ronon smiled and reached for her, but she skipped aside and pointed to the bed. "Behave yourself," she chided.

Ronon sighed and clicked his tongue. "Your loss, doc," he said, stumbling to the bed and flopping onto his stomach. He turned his face to her and smiled sleepily. "You woulda woke the village screaming my name."

Brady felt her cheeks heat and knew she was blushing. "Well then it's for the best, because neither of us would have felt up to putting A'ri back to sleep." She bumped his hip with the back of her hand. "Move your butt."

He slid over a fraction of an inch and buried his face in the pillow. Brady stretched out on her side and rested her head on her arm, trying to make herself go to sleep. She could feel the warmth of Ronon's body at her back and briefly pondered taking him up on his offer. She shoved the thought aside almost immediately.

Almost.

She felt him shift on the mattress and had to hold on to the side of the bed so she wouldn't roll back onto him. She jolted when she felt his warm fingers at the base of her spine. Apparently her shirt had bunched up and exposed a little skin. His fingertips trailed up and over her side, then down to brush against the band of her cargo pants.

"Sleep, Ronon," Brady whispered. He moved again and she closed her eyes, thinking he had settled in for the night. Her eyes popped wide and she flopped onto her back when she felt his teeth scrape over the sensitive skin of her hip. "Whoa!" she hissed, holding up her hands.

"Ticklish, Brady?" Ronon asked, leaning over her. His dreads fell forward and he grinned down at her.

"Look, not that I don't enjoy seeing your playful side now and then," Brady said, "but you'd have a cow once you're sober if I let you do what you're thinking about doing."

"You mean if you let me kiss you?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's a bad idea."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Brady said, nodding. His smile widened.

"Tell that to your hands," he whispered, slowly lowering his mouth to hers.

Brady realized that though she'd initially put her hands up to halt his advancement, her palms were, even now, exploring the texture of Ronon's skin, smoothing over his flesh from his chest to his shoulders and back again.

"Well, damn," she muttered as Ronon's lips closed over hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him to her as he situated his body over hers. She tilted her head to the side so that he could nibble on her throat. He sank his teeth into her flesh where her neck and shoulder met and she arched against him like a cat. Amidst their heavy breathing, Brady heard a quiet squank. She tapped Ronon's shoulder and he rose up, breaking the mind-blowing kiss he'd been giving her. Sure enough, a moment later another cry sounded. A'ri was awake.

"Scooch over for a second. I'll see what's wrong."

Ronon licked his lips and rolled onto his back so that Brady could get up and tend to the baby. The child had kicked off her blanket and wasn't happy about it, but after Brady tucked the soft cover back around her, she quieted and was back asleep in minutes.

"She's a really easy baby to take care of," Brady whispered. She looked over her shoulder at Ronon and scoffed a disbelieving chuckle. The big warrior had passed out, sprawled in all directions and dwarfing the small bed they were supposed to share. How he could go from a ball of raging hormones one minute to sleeping soundly the next, she had no idea.

She lay on the edge of the bed and used her butt to shove him over a little so that she wouldn't have to worry about falling on her face during the night. In sleep, he wrapped a strong arm around her and pulled her into the warmth of his body. Any other time she would have moved from the intimate—albeit unconscious—embrace, but she was tired. So, careful not to allow herself to imagine a scenario in which this was the normal end to her day, Brady snuggled back deeper against Ronon's chest and fell asleep.

Sunlight filtered through the flimsy curtains and Brady yawned, scrubbing a hand over her face as she peeled herself out of Ronon's grasp. She checked her watch and groaned.

"Ronon," she said, nudging him. "Hey, Ronon. Get up. We're already about a half-hour overdue at the gate." She checked the baby, who was chilling out in her crib. "And why couldn't you be a normal kid and wake up at dawn, huh?" she asked, picking up the child. She changed A'ri's diaper and packed up the gear they bought before putting the little girl down to crawl for a few minutes. After breaking down the crib and packing it, Brady kicked the side of the bed with the sole of her boot. "Ronon, get up."

Ronon grunted and scowled up at her. "What?"

"We need to hit the road. Up and at 'em, Casanova."

"Casanova?" he asked confusedly, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees. He ducked his head and took deep, slow breaths. He groaned something in Satedan and Brady arched a brow.

"You ok there, chief? You aren't looking so good."

"I'm fine," he growled.

"I've decided that you need a lesson in what 'fine' means," she said. "What you are is hungover. Too much liquor and sex will do that to you," she added, tucking her tongue in her cheek and resuming her packing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ronon asked irritably. His eyes narrowed as his ale-soaked memory tried to piece together the events of the night before. "Were we together last night?"

"You got toasted and tried to seduce me," Brady said. "Luckily, I can't be swayed by big muscles and flirty smiles," she said with a dainty sniff. She picked up her bags and faced him, holding out his vest. He took it and tugged it on, not bothering to tie the laces. "Can you grab A'ri?"

Ronon nodded and bent to pick up the baby, cradling her carefully as he picked up his pack and her basket. He looked at Brady, his eyes landing on the edge of a purple bruise that dotted her skin. "What happened?" he asked, dropping the basket and shifting the collar of Brady's t-shirt to the side. His fingers brushed the mark and his eyes darted to hers. "You kissed me. A lot. And I gave you that mark."

"I didn't kiss you a lot," Brady said, pulling free of his grasp. "Ok, fine. We made out a little. Don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly rolling in the action on Atlantis. It was late, you were...exuberant. We got carried away. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Ronon demanded.

"No, no big deal. Look, you passed out before it went too far, not that I would have let it get too far. Hormones and alcohol, mixed with a little bit of the family dynamic brought about by keeping A'ri. That's all it was. Relax." She looked at her watch and sighed. "We really need to go."

Ronon was silent as he bent and picked the basket back up, holding onto the baby as she played with his hair. He followed Brady from the inn and down the road out of town. They were nearly to the gate before he spoke to her again.

"It's dangerous, you know. You and I shouldn't-"

Brady rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, good jeez. Look, let it go, Dex." She dialed Atlantis and stood back as the wormhole opened. "My honor is intact, so to speak, and I highly doubt I'm the first person you've ever hit on while you were drunk. Besides, like I said, I wouldn't have let it get too far. So stop being all weird and just shut up about it."

Ronon shifted A'ri to his other arm and walked through the gate without another word to her.

"Temperamental," Brady muttered, following.

"There they are," Sheppard called from the balcony.

"Heya Shep!" Brady said. "Didn't expect you back so soon. You're not gonna believe—"

A man rushed down the stairs toward Ronon, who reflexively drew his blaster.

"Whoa, whoa," Sheppard said. "Ronon, this is Jonta. The baby you're holding is his daughter."

"Please," Jonta said, his eyes shining with tears as he held his arms out for his child.

Ronon turned A'ri toward the man and the baby cooed happily, stretching out her arms for her father. Jonta took her and hugged her tightly, murmuring to her in his native language.

"Sheppard, we can't just give her back without preamble," Brady said, striding forward. "I mean, what kind of person just forgets their daughter on another planet?" she asked accusingly.

"Brady."

"No, I'm sorry, but the welfare of that kid means a lot more to me than manners right now." She pinned Jonta with her best glare. "Care to explain how your daughter ended up left behind?"

"My wife, she is ill," Jonta said, speaking slowly. "My son helped her through the light portal. She thought I had Corai," he said, indicating the baby. "I, however, believed my wife's mother had her, as I was carrying many packs. My wife's mother assumed that my son was carrying Corai for my wife. So, you see, we all believed that someone else had her. We did not discover our mistake until we reached the new village. By then, the rain had started and the rest of your people had gone, save John Sheppard and Teyla. Madam, you must believe me when I tell you that we were frantic with worry over our child." He looked at the little girl and smiled as his eyes filled with tears again. "She is our light and is much loved."

Ronon gave a short nod to Jonta and headed for the stairs, patting Brady's shoulder as he passed.

"They wanted to come back immediately," Sheppard said, "but the road flooded out. I assured them that our people would have found the baby and it would be in good hands."

Brady nodded and forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad you were able to get back to her so quickly," she said.

"Thank you," Jonta said. "Thank you for caring for her." He looked at Sheppard. "And thank you, John."

"Oh, it's no problem. Let's get you guys home, huh?" He looked up at Amelia and nodded. The gate began to dial and Brady cleared her throat.

"Um, oh! Here's some baby stuff. I mean, I'm sure you've got some, since you have the whole family thing going on, but..." She passed the packs to Sheppard and smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go grab a shower and get back to work. I'm sure stuff's piled up over the last couple of days." She ran a hand over the baby's hair. "See you around, A'ri."

Brady headed for the stairs and heard the wormhole open behind her.

She didn't look back.

The room that had once been occupied by Carson Beckett was empty, barren of anything personal or identifying to the jovial resident who once lived there. Brady sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the large window that faced away from the Central Tower and gave an excellent view of the sea.

"So, yet another person yanked away from me through the gate," she said. She wasn't sure why she still came to talk to Carson—she knew he wasn't there—but sometimes it made her feel a little better to vent to the memory of her friend as if he could offer her some of his sage-like advice. "I gotta admit, Carson, I'm a little anxious as to who's next. I know the baby wasn't mine and I know I couldn't keep her, and I know she isn't dead, but I just can't stop from resenting that damn circle for taking so many people from me. Ok, so I know I'm not the be-all-end-all to this place, but these people are my family, same as the guys from SGC." She huffed an aggravated breath as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Same as you were. And I'm tired of losing my family through that gate."

As expected, silence was her only reply. She tried to imagine what Carson would say, but in her mind, his voice sounded a little off. It made it more painful to pretend than to just listen to the silence.

As the north sun set on the horizon, Brady stood and shook off her melancholy, pasting the carefree smile on her face that everyone expected to see.