A/N:

First, I would like to thank very much for all the kind words I had. I appreciate you took time to write them and fed the author

I very sorry, but this is 10th chapter and it is going to be quite a long break before I publish more. There is the thing that I have quite a lot of time travelling planned and some visits also, so there is not much computer access for me in the near future and 11th chapter is just started. I hope you like the story so far and hope you will come back for reading when I'm back with more text

There is one small story that bothers my imagination and one big that is probably going to have to wait until finishing this one and some more time/strength. The short one is probably going to surface during my trip in my paper notebook and be rewritten to post here sometime.

Thanks once more for reading and have a good time reading. And do not hate me for a cliff-hanger because you'll probably know what happened anyway…

A small Earth vacation

It was probably the worst two weeks in his SGC history. He was restless and this combined with two exactly boring missions made him even less pleasant. Even Ronon had enough of him at the end of their working period.

"So, Chewie," asked Sheppard during their routine check up in the infirmary. "Four days of freedom. Any plans?"

"Not really."

"What about San Francisco?"

"What about it?"

"Oh, come on, I know you asked one of the gate techs to buy you tickets to fly there Friday morning." He teased. He knew someone asked a gate tech about the flight tickets and that Ronon was not going to stay at SGC for their free days. "Does it have something with Amelia Banks?"

"Can I go, doc?" Asked Ronon.

"Amelia Banks?"Asked Beckett with a wide grin. "The nice gate technician with long hair?"

"Yup…"

"Sheppard!" Growled Ronon.

"Ok, son" said finally Carson patting the big man on the shoulder. "Off you go and please be careful during your weekend, I don't want to patch you up when you come back."

"I seriously think there's something going on between the two, Carson."

"Judging by his reaction, I would say so."

"How about you, doc? Any plans for weekend?" Asked John jumping off the bed finally. "Staying here or…?"

"Ya, I need to redecorate the apartament I got from SGC."

"Doc… I know you five years, now tell me."

"Ok, I'm going for dinner with Allison." Becket nearly blushed. "Satisfied?"

"Oh my…" John headed out of the infirmary. If Beckett was not preoccupied with some test results and charts he would notice his friend voice. "Can you feel the love tonight…" sung John quietly.

It was a lot later that day, when he finally arrived in a hotel room in Georgetown, Washington. He let his bags fall to the floor and throw himself on the bed. After check up with Carson he had to finish some reports and hand them to general Landry. Then he was free to take a car and drive to the airport. Then the flight to Washington DC and some taxi to the hotel. He was tired, to begin with. He decided to sleep through the night first and then do what he came here to do. Tomorrow. It was too late anyway to pay any visits. He had some bad feelings for tomorrow, but pushed them away from his mind to sleep peacefully.

It was strange to knock on that door again after those two weeks. He had some messages from Susan Weir during that time and Carson received Elizabeth's test results, but this was different. This was simply seeing them again, checking everything in person.

He knocked. A moment later he was enveloped in a tight hug by Mrs Weir. It never gets old, he thought, I can get used to that. Woman was smiling so he decided not to worry. He knew already that Elizabeth's health was improving in a very satysfying pace, nearly all the medications were already out of the system, her bloodwork was almost good. Carson was positive that she should make a full recovery. All that was really good.

"I'm so happy to see you, John." Susan greeted him. "I'm afraid Elizabeth will not be happy to see you like-"

"I understand" John cut into her words. "I would just like to speak to you about her."

"Oh my..." she suddenly looked at them, standing on the porch. "Where are my manners. Come in, John."

She led him to the same room they talked before getting Liz out from the institution. Following Mrs Weir through the corridor he saw something. First he noticed a shadow near the steps. Then he looked and saw fingers on the wall by the stairs. He smiled just for himself. Elizabeth.

"So, what do you want to know?" Asked Susan giving him a cup of tea.

"How is she?"

"Better every day. She eats, she sleeps, she even managed to smile a few times." Smiled woman. "The only thing that worries me are her nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Asked John worrying. "What kind of nightmares?"

"About the psychiatric ward."

John sighed with relief. He should have known she would be plighted by those particular event, not something else. "You realize I should know about all that… I will give you a number so you can reach me if there's anything wrong, ok?" He smiled. "Does she go out much?"

"No, she stays home all the time. I don't want to push her. She lost her memory of the last five years and she looks scared."

"Probably that she will be taken to some mental institution if she goes out." He winced. "I would like to be there the whole time, to try and make her feel safer, but…"

"I understand you would. I know how much you care." Said Mrs Weir. "And I know she will welcome you next time."

He liked this woman. She was much like Elizabeth in manner and he felt welcome in this home even when he came to inform about Liz's death. And it really felt like home. Something he recognized in Atlantis and lately in Dave's home.

"Sweetheart" called Susan after John left the house and got into his taxi. "Elizabeth, it's all right. He's gone. You can come down now."

"Who was it, mom?"

"No one to fear, honey." Answered Susan hugging her daughter. "Now, want some cocoa?"

He really had nothing to do. He had almost all the time of his free weekend to himself, but he finished quite early the only activity he had planned. Then the thought struck him. He arrived at the airport as fast as humanly possible and chose his destination.

Jennifer had not seen Rodney very much during their free time for the last two weeks. It was quite strange actually, because he seemed to finish his work on time every day, and that never happened before. He would come to see her afterwards, give her a quick kiss and leave Atlantis until the night and even when he came back to his quarters he was simply drained of energy. He seemed, however, to have some happy expression in his eyes those last three of five days that she saw him. He grinned and laughed and obviously had something to hide.

"I have no idea what has gotten into this man" spoke Jennifer to Amelia on a Saturday morning just after seemingly extatic Rodney McKay entered the control room and kissed her passionately in front of everyone. "He is… different."

"I've heard that he is actually nice to the scientists" Said Amelia Banks with amazement in her eyes. "He requisitioned new chairs for them just yesterday. He said his people are overworked and need at least something good enough to sit on."

"Dr Keller, can you please come to my office, please?" Said a voice in her earpiece.

"I'm coming." Answered Jennifer. "Wolsey" she whispered as an explanation.

She crossed the little catwalk that connected control room to the office and came in. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to clarify something." He said. "Doctor McKay just requested two free days for himself and for you."

"He did?"

"That's what I thought." He winced. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I granted him this free time, so you're free to go and return on Monday."

Keller left the office with a small smile. Rodney was definitely up to something and it was something that made him very happy. She was afraid to admit to herself that he prepared something for them both. What, she did not know, but it took him almost two weeks and he started just after their talk about living somewhere else than Atlantis itself and normal life. She did not want to go to haste conclusions, to expect something more than a nice evening, but she just felt he was up to something more. And Woolsey was looking at her in that unreadable way he had sometimes.

"And?" Asked Amelia. "What was that?"

"Free weekend" was what Jennifer answered. Then she went to her quarters to prepare some spare clothes to take with her.

The next person Amelia saw was Ronon followed by Chuck.

"Hi you." She greeted the tall man. She noticed Chuck was grinning at her. "What?"

"Free weekend, Am" he said. "I wait for you on Monday morning. Ronon here seems to have some plans."

John was surprised at how silent Atlantis was when he stepped inside the gate room. It was simply unnatural to see it so deserted. It reminded him of the time from their third year just after they rescued the city from the replicators.

"Colonel, nice to see you!"

"Hi, Chuck. Where's everyone?" He asked. "Looks … strange."

"Oh, that's probably because many people got some free time this weekend, so there's just doctor Zelenka and colonel Lorne here in Atlantis when it comes to the senior staff."

"I love my luck." John winced. "I have some time to visit friends and what I have? Nothing."

It was not really nothing. He managed to track Lorne down and get him to the mess hall and convince him to have some beer. It was Lorne's day off as well it turned out and he agreed to leave painting for the sake of his now friend.

"So, anything interesting happening here when I'm gone?"

"First, there is the issue of totally crappy secrets of yours…"

"Ok, Evan. Gimme a break, please?" John said taking a sip from his can. "I did what I had to do. Now, any rumours? I would ask Chuck, but I fear he would tell me even those unchecked."

"Ronon took Banks to some restaurant, as far as I know, the big guy is seriously smitten and for some time too." Said Lorne grinning. "But the real news is McKay taking Keller for a weekend out of the city… He had some plans, but was adamant not to reveal them. Believe me, he has some serious surprise for her as far as I can tell."

"Oh my, Rodney, this is beautiful here." Said Jennifer giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Well, there's more…" He sounded unsure. "Here, behind the tree line."

Rodney led her to the small area with newly built houses. He showed her the way and then stopped before one of the buildings and heard Jennifer gasp.

"You want to go in?" He asked. "I can arrange that. If you like it, of course."

Jennifer saw that he sounded more unsure of himself than she ever saw him be. This started to scare her. What could be so unnormal to make him this creeped out? "I would like to. It's like some little house from my dreams." She caught herself telling him some things she always considered very personal. And the odd thing was it felt really right.

Rodney led her to explore the house a little further. It was furnished with some class, but it was not perfect. She felt it was somewhat familiar. Then it stuck her. The way everything was prepared, even the shampagne that she noticed through not closed door of what he informed her was kitchen, to be seen later, was a little too personal to be a house still for sale. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach.

"Rodney, what is this place?"

"You like it?" He was definitely unsure.

"Rodney, I love it, but…" She was not allowed to finish.

"Good. Very good." He said, trembling lightly. "Because I have something to ask you."