A/N: Thanks to the wonderful reviews for this story. Sorry but real life has kept me sick and busy the last few months so my update schedule is way off. I hope to fix that soon. I know this is a story about OCs and minor characters but this chapter will be full of my favorite member of SGA1. Please allow me to indulge myself for a little bit.

"What do you mean, what the hell am I talking about?" McKay yelled. "I want to know why you picked those morons to be on your team." He stabbed over his shoulder with his thumb before dropping his hands to his hips.

"My team?" Victoria said incredulously, her face glowing from swearing aloud at her department head. "I…"

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"Doctor McKay," Master Gunny Richards said from her side. "She appears unharmed, but I suggest she see Doctor Keller as soon as possible."

At the mention of his girlfriend, Rodney glanced at the Marine and nodded. "Of course. Someone call Atlantis and ask for a medical team."

"I'm fine…"

"Then why can't you answer a simple question?" McKay's gaze drilled into Victoria once more.

"Because I'm the most junior member of my department: I catalog artifacts, write monthly reports, haul stuff around off world and make sure everyone's got clean brushes. I don't lead off world teams," Victoria said with anger in her voice. The Great Doctor Rodney McKay was yelling her for something that wasn't her fault. This day was turning out to be disastrous.

"Whoa-whoa-wait a minute. Are you telling me that for the last five years, the most junior person in archaeology has been doing reports to me and Zelenka?"

Victoria realized what she just did. Reporting the wrongdoing of your supervisor to his superior is a betrayal of epic proportions. Her career on Atlantis was over. Tears of frustration and anger threatened to force their way past her stubborn pride, but she held her ground. "I only know that when I got here Doctor Blake, who was the most junior person, gave me my assignments and said she was told when she got here that doing the report was a great way to know what was going on around the department."

Rodney's face was red and his eyes as big as the Stargate. He glared at Radek who shook his head and looked annoyed. "He's gone."

"Rodney…" the Czech started.

"I don't care if he's Vladimir Putin's illegitimate son! He's off my city. There is no way that man is going to keep screwing around with me. He sends the most useless, worthless people he can muster off world with me." His arm swept toward Upton and Toledo again before he continued his tirade. "Then… he can't even do his own reports. No wonder I've gotten nothing but crap out of that department for over four years. Even Jackson can't defend this!"

Victoria wanted to run and hide because this was like getting one of her brothers in trouble, the retribution always sucked. It was going to be a long walk to the Stargate and then even worse when Doctor Sidorov found out what she'd let slip. There was nothing she could say. Trying to salvage some pride and not cry over the fact that her new friends saw her being humiliated in front of them was going to taking all her strength.

"Doctor Jackson hasn't complained about poor reports like we'd seen," Radek added in a calmer voice than his boss. His blue eyes met Victoria's and he suddenly stiffened. "Doctor Parker, you are not in trouble over this. Please don't think we blame you for the actions of your boss."

Victoria offered a weak smile. What the hell, might as well go out with a bang? "No, but I know my boss is going to blame me for losing his job."

"Don't worry about them. You're the only one in that department with part of your brain. You're not going anywhere," McKay stated plainly as if he was saying the sky was blue. "Let Woolsey deal with Jackson," he said to Radek.

Victoria's mouth fell open. She'd just run the gamut of emotions in the last half-hour and getting a compliment thrown at her by Rodney McKay was the last straw. "Excuse me."

Both men turned to look fully at her.

"I'm really sorry to seem like a simple-minded fool, but I'm confused. You said this was my team, but Sidorov just told me to go on the mission," Victoria spoke softly so both men leaned toward her. "He didn't say I was picking a team. And this morning Doctor Upton made it clear I was just carrying stuff."

Rodney turned to stare at the two men who were standing between Ronon and Teyla, who glared at them. "Really? And what was he going to do besides try to score with Teyla?"

It was Victoria's turn to be wide-eyed as Doctor Upton started stammering.

"The last time they came off world, Underhill decided he'd show off his Ancient gene to impress Teyla and nearly blew up a device in the process," Rodney said in the same voice as before, like Victoria were an equal and not far beneath him in the department.

"Rodney, I'll admit that hearing about the inner workings of you department is fascinating, but Lorne called from the gate and Doctor Keller's here. You know how upset she gets if she's kept from a patient," Sheppard interrupted.

It was the first that Victoria realized that Major Lorne and Sergeant Raven weren't part of the assembly at the base of the pyramid. "I said I'm fine," Victoria began.

"No. Sheppard's right. Better let Jennifer decide if you're fit for duty." Rodney nodded back toward the gate and looked away to end the conversation.

"But I'm…" she tried again. Somehow the mention of Jennifer changed Doctor McKay's entire attitude.

"Let's go," a deep voice commanded as a hand landed on her shoulder and gently but firmly turned her in the direction they needed to go.

"Thought I'd have to come to your rescue, McKay," Ronon said as he stepped up to his teammate.

Sheppard approached with a smirk, shaking his head. Teyla stood nearby as she watched Doctors Upton and Toledo grabbing the equipment packs as Victoria left with Richards and Dusty flanking her.

"What?" Rodney questioned with a blank look on his face.

"You wouldn't have had the chance, Ronon. I'd be stuck with a court-martial and paperwork, not to mention one pissed off CMO." Sheppard's eyes drifted to the civilians and Marines leaving the clearing.

"What are you babbling about?" Rodney barked. "I've gotta get back to Atlantis, order the engineers to cut down some trees so we can get jumpers out here to explore that building and deal with Sidorov."

"They are trying to tell you that you were in danger when you yelled at Doctor Parker." Teyla smiled with a knowing look on her face.

"Yelled? I didn't yell at her?" Rodney looked at his team and let his annoyance show.

"You raised your voice to Doctor Parker," Teyla explained slowly.

"So?"

"That's asking for a death sentence." John chimed in while trying not to laugh at how thick Rodney was being.

"McKay, what would you do if some jerk yelled at Jennifer?" Ronon asked

"I'd see that he never stepped foot on Atlantis after I tore him a new one." Rodney puffed up his chest and gave Ronon a questioning look. "Why?"

"Only we know you couldn't physically hurt him," Ronon offered with a grin forming.

"Well imagine you had the skills of a certain ex-Black Ops Marine at your disposal?" John added.

"Holy crap. Why didn't you tell me she was involved with Richards?" Rodney nearly shouted.

"Hey he figured it out," Ronon said chuckling. "He can be taught."

"Very funny." Rodney glared at his team. "So you let me put my valuable life on the line…"

"Because I don't tell you how to deal with your people," John mimicked Rodney's earlier words with air quotes around them.

As his teammates started walking away, the scientist called to Ronon, "So you would have protected me?"

"No. I want Richards to spar with me and not hold back but I'm not going to provoke him by attacking his girlfriend," Ronon chuckled. "That's suicide."

TBC

A/N: Thank you for letting me indulge myself with the Team. Not enough of all of them in stories and they ran away with me.