"You got family?" Mr. Keller asked as he unscrewed the lid on the dark bottle and poured a hefty amount into one of the glasses.

"Not anymore." Ronon inhaled, the sharp, woody scent of the alcohol teasing his nostrils, reminding him of the concoctions Carson always praised.

Mr. Keller nodded, moving his arm to pour an equally strong portion into the second glass. "You got friends?"

Ronon blinked, and Jen's Dad looked up, his eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Yes." Ronon answered.

"Good friends?"

"Yes."

"The kind that will help you bury a body?"

This time it was Ronon's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Yes." He finally answered.

Her Dad slowly spun the lid back on the bottle and set it down. He picked up both glasses and held one out to Ronon. "You ever bury a body?"

"Yes."

"He deserve it?"

"Yes."

"In your opinion or someone else's?"

"Mine." Ronon shrugged, eyeing the dark liquid in his hand. "And others."

"She wouldn't like that." Mr. Keller angled his head and raised his glass.

"No." Ronon shook his head, and lifted the glass to his lips. "She doesn't." He knocked back the powerful brew, the smooth burn tracing a path down the inside of his throat and chest. It had kick, but it was surprisingly smooth. He lowered the glass and caught the edges of an impressed smirk as Mr. Keller knocked his back. Ronon almost smiled to know he'd obviously passed some kind of test, but he kept his expression closed.

Mr. Keller took care in refilling both glasses, his movements slow and precise. He lifted his glass and sat down, motioning for Ronon to take one of the seats on the other side of the desk. Ronon picked up his glass and dropped slowly into the chair.

"My daughter…" He began, his eyes locked on the amber liquid as he rotated the glass, swirling it slowly. "Is a beautiful young woman. A genius, they tell me. Top of her class. Years ahead of her peers. Wooed by research facilities and government agencies from the time she was fifteen." Then he looked up at Ronon. "A lot of people still want to get their hands on her."

Ronon almost told the older man that no one was getting their hands on Jennifer… except him. But he kept his mouth shut, choosing instead to wait.

"And while I always thought she might find herself a nice doctor and settle down, he always seemed to have other plans. " Mr. Keller sighed angled his head. "Starting with this crazy idea that she can save everyone."

Ronon took a healthy swallow of the alcohol. "She's good at her job."

"Oh I know she's good at her job." The other man replied. "My question is, Son… are you?"

Ronon raised an eyebrow.

"Somehow, and don't ask me how, 'cause it certainly didn't come from my side of the family," Mr. Keller continued. "I've managed to raise a girl who can't see anything but the good in people." He sighed. "And this poses a problem."

"Problem?" Ronon prompted, finishing his drink and setting his glass onto the desk.

Jennifer's father angled his head. "That kind of innocence attracts only two kinds of people. The ones who want to possess it, and the ones who want to protect it." He paused. "Which one are you?"

"Neither." Ronon paused, rolling the question over in his mind. "Both."

Jen's father let a slow grin slide up the corner of his mouth before he took another sip of his drink. "That's probably the most honest answer I've ever gotten to that question."

"You've asked that question a lot?" Ronon wondered aloud.

Mr. Keller snorted and shook his head. "Not nearly enough."

"Good." Ronon grunted, making the other man laugh.

"Now…" Mr. Keller leaned back in his chair. "Just how much trouble is she in this time?"

Ronon frowned, not really sure how, or if, he should answer.

Jennifer's father waved his hand dismissively, and drained his glass. "I know my daughter. Trouble follows her like a shadow. She can't go two feet without trying to rescue something that's going to come right back and bite her in the ass."

Ronon snorted.

The older man glanced down towards Ronon's waist. "You know how to use that pea-shooter?"

Ronon's brow furrowed. "Pea shooter?"

"The gun you're trying to hide back there."

Ah, Ronon nodded. "Yes. I know how to use it."

"You carrying because of her?"

"No." Ronon shook his head, realizing Jennifer's father's worry. "It's just a precaution."

Mr. Keller snorted, not believing the answer. "Precaution, my ass. You've got soldier written all over you, Son. The way you sit without really sitting, watch without looking. You know exactly where everything is without having to turn around to see it's there. I'm not a stupid man. I know she's working some top-secret project she can't talk about. What I don't know… is if she's safe."

"She's safe." Ronon said, his eyes and expression conveying his conviction.

"Because of you?"

"Not just me." Ronon shook his head, thinking of the rest of the teams, and all the self-appointed big-brother's Jennifer had gained in her time on Atlantis. He gave her father a reassuring nod. "She's well looked after."

"I supposed that's as good an answer as any." Her father muttered, moving to fill their lonely glasses. "You two decided what you're going to do with a baby?"

Ronon blinked. "Raise it?"

Her father laughed and shoved Ronon's drink towards him, then picked his own up in a mock salute. Both men drained their glasses and set them onto the desk.

Hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs and Ronon turned, leaving his chair and angling himself towards the hallway. His hand hovered beneath the back hem of his shirt as Jennifer burst into the room.

"You okay?" He growled, but she brushed past him, stomping directly to the desk. Ronon turned around as Jennifer pointed angrily to the bottle.

"Dad!" She scolded. "What did Dr. Raucher say about alcohol!?" She snatched the bottle of the desk. "Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack?"

"Now, Peanut." Her father gave her a sad, wounded look when she grabbed his glass out of his hands. "I was just having a toast to my soon-to-be grandchild!"

"Ha!" She snorted, turning to glare at Ronon. "And don't you start either."

Ronon raised an eyebrow, and glanced over her shoulder at her father, who was grinning maniacally.

Jen spun around and his saucy grin was gone, instantly replaced with a loving smile.

"Don't you be giving me that look."

"What look?" Her father frowned.

"The one that says you're humoring me."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "That's because I am humoring you."

Jen let out a disgusted snort and grabbed the empty glasses. Spinning on her heel she turned and walked out of the room. "Pizza will be here in ten minutes." Then she stopped suddenly and turned back around, giving her father a wary glare.

"What?" He held his hands up in mock innocence.

Jen glowered and strode back into the room, heading to the bookcase behind his desk. Reaching down between the side and the wall, she pulled up a second bottle, this one still full.

"Hey…" Her father muttered, when she angled her head and tisked. "That's my backup."

"Uh-huh." Jen scowled. "Well say goodbye to your backup."

"Bye backup." He called as she left the room, her footsteps echoing as she descended to the main floor. Then he turned to Ronon and waved him back towards his seat. Sliding open the bottom left drawer to his desk, he extracted two more glasses and set them on the table. Then he rolled his chair towards the bookcase, pulled out a large hardcover volume, and extracted a small mickey of scotch and waggled it at Ronon.

"A backup to the backup."

Ronon laughed.

"Now…" Mr. Keller nodded as he unscrewed the lid and poured the drinks. "As I was saying…"

Ronon stepped out onto the back porch, easing the screen door closed behind him. Night was descending, but the humidity hung on, leaving the air warm and sticky. His eyes immediately moved to the woman standing next to the railing, her hands resting on the top bar.

Jennifer stood with her head back, face to the heavens, the tiny scrap of material she wore fluttering lightly in the breeze. The clothing barely covered her torso – thin straps looping up over her shoulders from low down her bare back – the bottom hem barely reaching the tops of her thighs. And her legs looked incredibly long. Bare. Ending in a pair of tiny spiked shoes. For a moment he couldn't move, and he couldn't stop staring.

Letting out a long, relaxed sigh, she lowered her head, and stared out across the yard. He stepped forward, stopping directly behind her, close enough to feel her energy tickling the hair on his arms. Lowering his head slowly, he kissed her bare shoulder, smiling when she shrieked and jumped to the side. His hands shot out to catch her before she fell, making her giggle.

The shoes she wore made her taller, her head tipping only slightly to look into his face. Her eyes sparkled with laughter as she slipped her arms around his neck. "Sneaky brat."

"Hmm." He answered, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You okay?"

"Yup." She smiled. "You ready?"

He angled his head. "You sure your father doesn't mind that you're leaving?"

Jen laughed. "It's only for an hour. And besides, he's been waiting for this night almost as long as I have."

"He's been waiting for you to go to a dance?" Ronon frowned.

"Not just a dance…" She shook her head. "Sally Fraser's annual barn dance."

Ronon raised an eyebrow. "So the reason we came tonight instead of next week…"

"Is because you're taking me to a dance."

"Right." He nodded. "A dance."

"Yup. A dance."

"I don't dance."

"I do."

"Not wearing that, you're not." He glanced down, his current position giving him a very straight up view of the valley between her breasts… breasts which were clearly not clothed in anything other than the flowing material of the top of the little dress.

She raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem with what I'm wearing?"

"Nope." He growled. "So long as I'm the only one looking."

Jen laughed and rolled her eyes. "I've been going to this party on and off since I was a kid. Trust me. No one's looking."

"Then they're stupid as well as blind."

Jen smiled and kissed him, laughing against his mouth. "I love you."

"You'd better." He snorted, tucking a lock of hair back in behind her ear. "Why tonight?"

"Because Sally owes me twenty bucks."

"Twenty." Ronon frowned, knowing that with what she was being paid by the SGC, twenty dollars wasn't worth the bet. Obviously something bigger was going on. "Is that all?"

"Yup." She nodded, then burst out laughing.

The sound was clear and bright, warming his heart. If twenty bucks was worth that laugh, then he'd see she got it. He dropped his head, capturing her laughter against his lips. A throat cleared behind them and Ronon instantly tensed, lifting his head. Jen patted him on the shoulder, and he released her. She stepped around him to face her father, who was standing in the open doorway with one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, Daddy." She half smiled.

"Hmmm." He nodded, then shook his head with an exasperated sigh. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "You forgot the keys."

"Oh!" Jen giggled, and reached for the truck keys, but he snatched them back with a raised eyebrow.

"I expect a full report when you get back." He said slyly.

Jen grinned. "Of course."

He glanced over her shoulder at Ronon, who was standing a few feet behind her. "You sure he's up to the challenge."

Jen eyed Ronon, then turned back to her Dad. "Definitely."

"Good." Her Dad handed over the keys with a wink. "Give her hell."