The Fourth Month
"Are you sure about this?" Jen whispered, brushing against Ronon as she slipped just a little bit closer.
"If I wasn't…"
"I know, I know." She muttered. "I wouldn't be going."
"Come on, Doc." Evan grinned, adjusting the grip on his P90 as he took up a position in front of her.
John turned around to face her, his P90 already in his hands. "What's wrong?"
"All the firepower's making Doc nervous." Ellis answered from behind her.
"Oh shush." Jen glared at him from over her shoulder, then shot equally deadly looks towards Sanchez and Brown, who continued to smirk. "It's not funny." She pointed, which only made them grin more. She glared at them then glanced up at Ronon. "Shoot them."
Ronon shrugged and turned slowly, yanking his blaster out of the holster tucked against the small of his back.
The smirks quickly disappeared behind wide eyed stares.
"Doc…" John cautioned. "Please don't shoot your bodyguards. It kind of defeats the purpose."
Jen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Ronon grinned at the men behind him and slipped the weapon back into the holster.
John glanced up at Chuck and spun his finger in the air, and the technician began the dialing sequence. "There's nothing to worry about, Doc." The Colonel grinned. "We got you covered."
"So says you." She gnawed her lower lip.
"So says me." John nodded, turning around again to face the solidified gate. He glanced at his watch. "Thirty seconds."
Jen took a deep breath as the circle of TAC vests crowded in around her on all sides, save for the tall muscular wall who moved to stand directly in front of her. As John counted down, they slowly stepped forward, crossing the event horizon as he reached one. Jen couldn't see anything other than Ronon's back as she was herded through the gate.
As soon as they reached the other side, she heard John kick in his com. "Colonel Caldwell, we have your package."
Chancing a quick peek from around Ronon's blocking stance, she caught a brief glimpse of Mr. Coolidge's surprised and confused frown, then a flash of white surrounded her and she was left standing on the bridge of the Daedalus with Ronon.
Feeling relief slumping her shoulders, Jen turned around and let out a gasp to when she saw the broadly grinning faces of Colonel Carter and General O'Neill.
"Sam!" She laughed, rushing over to hug her friend. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I suppose I have you to thank for all this cloak and dagger stuff?"
"I may have made a few… suggestions." Sam hinted and hugged her tightly, releasing her only to turn and throw her arms around a surprised Ronon.
"Congratulations." She whispered in his ear, then released him quickly.
Jen laughed as Ronon's expression turned from surprise to a broad grin as he looked at his old CO. Then Jen turned to Jack, and gave him an equally boisterous hug.
Jack smiled and hugged her back. "You certainly know how to make an entrance."
"The SG team has returned through to Atlantis." The officer at the com announced.
Relieved to hear her friends had made it back safely, Jen laughed and stepped away from Jack, banging against Ronon's front.
Jack extended his hand past her, gripping Ronon's tightly. "Congratulations, Dad." He leaned forward, his voice low so as not to be overheard.
Ronon shook firmly, nodding. "I hear I have you to thank for the paperwork."
"Meh." Jack shrugged it off. "Anytime I can help piss off the IOA, I'm so there. Although I would have loved to see Coolidge's face when you waltzed in then disappeared."
"Hmm." Sam made a face, glancing at him and shaking her head with a laugh.
"Okay then." Jack clapped his hands together then rubbed them back and forth maniacally. "You ready for phase two?"
Jen glanced up at Ronon, who was watching her intently. She turned back to Jack and Sam, then nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it."
Jack turned towards Colonel Caldwell, who was watching them with a closed expression. "Colonel." Jack angled his head.
"Very well." Caldwell nodded. "Doctor Keller. Mr. Dex. You have twenty four hours. We leave tomorrow at seventeen-hundred. With our without you."
Jen nodded.
Jack raised an eyebrow and glanced at Caldwell. "Seeing as how you're beaming them up, I'm pretty sure they'll be with you."
The Colonel clenched his jaw.
"Don't worry." Sam leaned towards Jen. "If the IOA makes any move towards your position, we'll bring you right back up."
"Send em' down." Caldwell ordered, and in another flash of light, Jen suddenly found herself standing in the soft green grass of a wide open back yard, with sun on her face and the sounds of early summer surrounding her.
In front of her, stood the massive wrap around porch attached to the two storey farm style house she'd spent most of her life running around on. Large honeybees buzzed in the flowerbeds next to the back steps, moving slowly from flower to flower. Sparrows flittered along the eaves, chirping at them, then launching quickly into flight. Mrs. Tattinger's overweight tabby cat, lounging on the bottom step, squinted his eyes and gave them a thorough once over. Apparently satisfied, he lowered his head slowly and closed his eyes.
She turned to Ronon, and threw her arms around him.
"Hey." He frowned, pulling her in close. "You okay?"
She nodded, her face burrowed in his shirt. "Yeah." She smiled up at him. "As long as you're here."
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Good." She grinned, and turned in his arms, resting her back against his chest as she stared up at the second floor window on the right, and her childhood bedroom hiding behind it. "So?" She asked after a moment. "What do you think?"
Ronon didn't immediately answer. He wasn't sure how to explain the tiny twinge of hope to know her planet stood so untouched by the Wraith. To see such advances in technology. Huge houses. Manicured lawns. The sounds of life and happiness echoing around them. But the feeling faded quickly, leaving him with the knowledge that this was her home… a piece of her that he'd never seen… never touched. Something tightened inside him to know she was sharing it with him. Even if only for a such a brief time.
"It's nice." He finally answered.
She tipped her head and looked up over her shoulder, her laugher evident by the sparkle in her eyes. "Nice?"
He shrugged, quirking his mouth up at her infectious smile.
"Come on…" She laughed, stepping forward and reaching for his hand. "Let's go inside the nice house."
Ronon looked down at his front. "You sure you don't want me to change?"
Jen stopped and turned back around, her eyes soft as she moved to stand chest to chest with him. Reaching up, she placed her hand against his neck, rubbing her thumb across his tattoo. "No." She shook her head. "I want him to meet you." She paused. "The real you. Clothes and all."
Ronon shook his head slowly, once again amazed at the woman standing in front of him.
She smiled as though she knew his thoughts, and hooked her arms around his neck. "I love you." She said softly. "Not your clothes. Although I do have to say the leather pants are most definitely a bonus."
He laughed against her mouth, sliding his arms around her when she lifted herself on her toes and kissed him soundly. He returned the favour, parting her lips with his tongue and pulling her higher up against his chest. A tiny murmur escaped the back of her throat and she hopped up, his arms instantly slipping down to catch her against him. When she finally leaned back, her breath a little quicker, she was laughing.
"What?" He grinned.
She shook her head, wriggling to get down. "We'd better get inside before the neighbours call the cops."
He released her reluctantly, setting her back onto the grassy yard. His fingers threaded through hers as they climbed the steps of the porch.
"Is he home?" Ronon asked, reaching out to grab the back screen door she pulled open.
She shushed him and stepped into a roomy kitchen. Ronon watched her move forward, his eyes following her movements. She moved slowly, her head turning past the yellow walls and white cupboards, to the small table for two set in the corner. Clean surfaces, happy feelings. She turned towards him again, her face lit with happiness. In two quick steps she was at his side, her fingers snatching his to pull him forward into a long hallway. He followed wordlessly, heading into a beam of sunlight that crested through the large front door ahead of them. Pictures lined the walls and he turned to see them, stopping suddenly and pulling her back against him.
She giggled at the one he was standing in front of, a picture of her as a child, wearing a sparkling cone hat, ice cream covering her face, pigtails sticking haphazardly out from the sides of her head while she grinned up at the camera. "My fifth birthday party." She whispered, then pointed to the one beside it, a shot of her sitting on the front steps, holding a raw, scraped knee with one hand, and a red popsicle with the other, tear tracks easily visible on both cheeks. "The day I tried to ride Billy McGail's two-wheeler." She snickered, moving to the next picture, a little older, but still with the pigtails. Standing near a fence overlooking a massive mountain with faces carved in it. Ronon squinted and raised an eyebrow. Jen looked up at him and laughed. "Mount Rushmore." She shrugged and shook her head. "Long story."
"Hmm…" He nodded, pointing to the next photo.
And on they went, down the wall of pictures of Jennifer through various stages of her life. Images he committed to memory. Unruly pigtails and big blue eyes. And a beautiful smile filled with the innocence and sunshine. When they reached the end of the wall he turned towards her. She smiled up at him, her fingers still entwined through his, and he realized with a start that even with everything she'd seen, everything she'd done since leaving her home, she still had it. The smile. The innocence. His chest tightened with a surge of anger and protectiveness at the thought of anything, or anyone, ever taking it away from her.
"What?" She asked softly, her smile faltering at his expression.
He narrowed his eyes and purposely looked at her hair, which was hanging long and loose down around her shoulders. "I kind of like the pigtails." He said with a frown.
"Yeah, I bet you do!" Jen snorted and wacked him across the shoulder, angling him towards the stairs that sloped up to the right, disappearing around a landing to the second floor. "Wanna see my Dad have a heart attack?"
Ronon raised an eyebrow. "Is that another one of those redundant questions?"
She giggled and released his hand, tiptoeing up the stairs. "You're learning."
"Hmm…" He made a face and followed her to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs she turned and tiptoed down the hallway towards a large, sunny room to the front of the house. He could see the edges of a bookcase lining the wall beneath the windows, and the corner of a desk partially hidden behind the door to the right. The sounds of a page turning caught his ear. Jen turned at him and grinned, waving him closer but he shook his head and angled his chin, indicating she should continue alone. She shrugged and smiled, then turned to walk quietly into the room. He waited at the top of the stairs, somehow knowing he needed to let her do this alone.
When she stopped in the doorway, Ronon heard a quiet intake from the occupant of the room. "Well shit." A man's voice rasped out from around the corner. "You tryin to give your old man a heart attack?!"
Jen burst out laughing and disappeared into the room at a run.
"Hi Papa." She squealed, slamming into the man who'd stood up from the recliner he'd been sitting in, his book tumbling to the floor, forgotten.
"Hi Peanut." He grinned, wrapping his arms tightly around her and rocking side to side. "It's about time you came back to visit your old man!"
Jen laughed and hugged him tightly, kissing him loudly on the cheek. "You look good."
He leaned back, his hands lightly holding her upper arms. "I look old."
She snorted. "Never."
He grinned and glanced down at her stomach, still flat beneath the edges of her blue tank-top. "You taking good care of my grandchild?"
She smiled and dropped her hands to her stomach. "Of course… Grandpa."
Her Dad rolled his eyes and clasped his hands over his heart. "Grandpa." He shook his head. "I'm too young to be a Grandpa."
"Yeah well, you'd better get used to it."
He hugged her again. "How long can you stay this time?"
She shrugged. "Tomorrow at five."
"Ah." He nodded. "Suppose that's better than the two hours I got last time."
Jen wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, sorry about that… I just…"
"I know, sweets. I know." He kissed her cheek. "Now." He leaned back, his face turning serious. "You gonna tell him to come in or do I have to go meet him in the hallway?"
Jen laughed, and turned, knowing Ronon would have heard the words. Booted footfalls sounded from the hallway and he appeared in the doorway, stopping just inside her father's study.
She tried to see him as her father would, but couldn't see past her own heart. Heavy boots, dark leather pants accenting muscular legs, a beige knit shirt with its neckline hanging open in a vee, bare arms, his gauntlets packed in the small canvas bag he wore slung over one shoulder. His dreads pulled back behind his neck and secured away from his face, showing of the strength of his shoulders and the tattoo she couldn't ever seem to stop touching or kissing. Intense green eyes surveyed the room, locking the position of everything into place inside his mind before he moved forward to stand beside her.
"Ronon Dex, I presume?" Jen's Dad dropped his arm around his daughter's shoulder, and eyed the man in front of him, his eyebrows raised in an impress-me glare.
Ronon gave the man a quick once over. Taller than by Jen half a head, he was thin but showed a strength in stature that told Ronon he wasn't a pushover. With sandy hair and a mustache, his eyes were the same intense blue as his daughters – an intensity that was currently being directed right at him.
"Mr. Keller." Ronon greeted, fully understanding the powerplay that was about to take place.
"This is your doing then?" Her father angled his head and glanced down at Jen's stomach.
"It is." Ronon answered, fighting back a grin as the man skipped all the pleasantries and dove right to the point.
"Dad…" Jen groaned, shoving away from her Dad to stand between them.
"You stickin' around?" Her father's gaze narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I am." Ronon answered firmly, mirroring the man's stance.
"Dad." Jen gasped.
"Going to make an honest woman out of her?"
"Dad!" Jen shrieked, spinning around to jab Ronon in the chest with her index finger. "Don't you dare answer that!"
"Oh no, no, no. He can answer." Her father said, nodding quickly.
"Ronon…" Jen warned, her voice low, and her eyes narrowed.
Ronon stared at her father, then raised an eyebrow towards Jen, who was now standing with her hands on her hips glaring at them both. He angled his head back to her Dad and shrugged with defeat, dropping his arms to his side.
Her father scowled, then pursed his lips. "She got to you too, huh."
Ronon nodded. Once.
"Hmm." Her Dad snorted. "She does have that effect."
"Yes." Ronon agreed. "She does."
Jen let out an exasperated snort and rolled her eyes. "She... can hear you…"
"She listen to you?" Her father raised an eyebrow.
Ronon shrugged, and Jen let out a very unlady-like snort.
"Me either." Her Dad scowled. "You think you got what it takes to keep her out of trouble?"
"Oh for heaven's sake." Jen muttered.
"I do." Ronon answered.
"You look strong enough." Her dad said analytically, giving Ronon a cursory once over. "You smart enough to know when she's in over her head?"
"Dad!" Jen practically shouted.
"Now, Peanut." Her father shook his head. "These are questions that need answering if I'm gonna believe that this young man's gonna counter act that luck of yours. You know I worry that I'm not around to keep an eye on you."
"Are you kidding me?" She raised both eyebrows, and pointed to Ronon. "Ronon's worse than you are."
"Good." Her Dad nodded.
"Good?" She repeated. "Dad! This is the twenty-first century." Jen scowled, but Ronon could see the sparkle of love in her eyes as she glared up at her father. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I do NOT need someone to keep an eye on me!"
"Yes you do." Both men echoed.
Her Dad grinned, and Ronon snorted.
"I give up." Jen shook her head and turned away, flinging her arms wide in exasperation. "I'm going downstairs to order pizza." When she reached the edge of the doorway she spun around and scowled at her father. "Play nice." Then she pointed at Ronon. "You too." Then she turned with a flourish and stomped into the hallway, her heavy footsteps echoing down the stairs as she returned to the main floor.
"Alright then." Her Dad moved past Ronon and walked around the desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a dark bottle filled with a heavy amber liquid. He set it on the desk and placed two glasses beside it. "Now that the pleasantries are over with, let's get down to business."