Author's Note: This chapter is a transition before we go back to Atlantis. :P A little fluff! Enjoy! :) - Nika

"There my wee girl." Carson closed the door behind him and stepped into Jen's small room.

"Carson!" Jen grinned and threw her arms around her mentor, hugging him fiercely. "Oh, it's good to see you!"

Carson dropped the large case he was carrying and hugged her just as fiercely. "Aye, lass." He lowered hands to her arms and stepped back, giving her a quick assessing once over. "You look well enough."

"I'm fine." She smiled, then glanced over his shoulder at the closed door. "Where's John? I thought he was supposed to be with you?"

"He and the big man are down the stairs." Carson nodded. "I've relegated your hounds to remain there. And, told them short of a Wraith attack, not to disturb us. We'll be down for dinner when we're good and ready."

"I bet that went over well." Jen grinned to think of Ronon and John being forced to sit and wait.

"Aye." Carson smirked. "I haven't had to wheedle those two in quite some time. Patience was never a virtue."

"No." Jen nodded her agreement. "It's still not."

"Well, then." Carson grinned and picked up the large silver case he'd brought with him, setting it on the small table near the fireplace. "Let's get this wee test over with, and then you owe me a story."

He snapped open the case and extracted several items including a hand-held scanner, a small medical kit, and a full bottle of The Macallan.

"Carson!" She laughed and picked up the heavy scotch.

"Och, ya can't tell a tale without a wee dram o' the good stuff!" He snorted, taking the bottle back and placing it on the table next to two small glasses. "And from what I've heard… You, lassie, have a tale that needs tellin' !"

"Well, there ya' go." Carson nodded, sliding the scanner around so Jen could see it.

She picked up the small handheld and paged through the data, the confirmation of her originality shining happily back at her. She grinned as Carson extracted the small computer and replaced it with a filled glass of Scotch.

"A toast." He nodded, clinking his equally overflowing glass against hers.

"To what?"

"Clones." He snorted "Without which I wouldnae be here… and neither, dear girl, would you."

Jen burst out laughing, at his undying positivity, and raised her glass. "To clones." She echoed, then braced herself for the burn as she drank it down.

"Sparring?!" Carson snorted, and refilled her glass. "Och lass, I'd pay a handful to have see that!"

"Well keep your money, 'cause you ain't seein' nuttin." She yanked up the waistband of her trousers and returned to her chair. "Carson!" She waved her hand at the amber liquid. "No more!"

"Or what?" He shoved the glass towards her hand. "You'll knock me on my keister?"

"Don't tempt me." She wriggled her eyebrows and then burst out laughing.

"When I'm done," Carson nodded, tucking the edge of her collar back up around her neck, and patting her on the shoulder. "You'll have no more than a wee scar to pair with the one on yer hip."

"Carson… I know it sounds so vain… but… I just…"

He patted her hand gently. "I know lass. It's a big reminder to carry around on such wee shoulders."

"He stun'd ya?"

"Well," Jen shrugged. "Smart really, when you think about it. It's a great anesthetic."

Carson inhaled deeply then exhaled with a snort. "Aye. It would be at that."

"It's funny… well… now it's funny… but for just a minute there, I thought…"

"What?"

"I thought… maybe… he wouldn't believe me."

Carson's eyes narrowed. "And what? Ya' thought he was gonna blast ya' ta' kingdom come?" He scowled at her.

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Stupid, right?"

"So whaddya' do?"

Jen stared into the small glass in her hand, swirling the golden liquid around before draining it completely. She raised her shoulder and set her empty glass onto the table next to his. "I apologized."

Carson blinked. Blinked again. Then collapsed back in his chair shaking with laughter.

Jen snorted and refilled both their glasses, smiling as he slapped his palm on the table.

"Ah, lass." He finally sniffed when he could breath again. "I've missed ya, Jennifer. I've missed ya."

"Ya' dinn't"

"I did."

"Dinn't!"

"Did!"

"Och, lass, you're killing me."

"I did!"

"Aye. Ya did, din'n ya, ya' crazy woman!"

"It's awfully quiet in there." John frowned, glancing sideways at Ronon, who stood beside him in the hallway. The dinner hour had come and gone and neither Jennifer nor Carson had yet appeared. Neither man had seen the other pair in hours, but neither had they come past them down the stairs. They could only be inside. Rapping quickly on the door with his knuckles, John didn't wait for a reply before swinging the door open.

"Good lord." He snorted, eyes quickly scanning the room and landing on the two sole occupants at the table, next to the low burning fire.

Still seated in her chair, Jennifer's head rested on her arms, her eyes closed, and her breathing deep with sleep. The fingers of her right hand still clutched a half-filled glass, which Ronon carefully removed and set aside.

Carson, the empty bottle tucked against him, was reclined back in his seat, his head lolling to the side while he snored softly.

John extracted the bottle and shook his head with a grimace. "This was full when he came in here."

"Yeah, well it's not full now." Ronon snorted as he lifted Jennifer's head off her arms, picked her up, and moved her to the bed. Laying her onto the blankets, he moved to cover her when she let out a very un-ladylike belch and curled into a ball.

Sheppard snorted and moved her vacated chair around to the side, propping Carson's feet up. Tossing an extra blanket over the man he shook his head and picked up the ancient scanner, holding the results out to Ronon. "Guess they were celebrating."

"Hmm." Ronon grunted, shaking his head with amusement. He'd known the results would be positive, but apparently Jennifer hadn't been as sure.

"Well?" John moved towards the door. "Shall we?"

Ronon followed, after giving Jennifer's sleeping form a parting glance.

"Oh would you relax." John chastised. "She'll be fine."

"What'd I do?" Ronon scowled.

John shook his head and clasped Ronon on the shoulder, half shoving him out into the hallway. "Just get your over-protective ass downstairs. No sense letting them have the only hangover tomorrow."

Jen blinked one eye open to glare at the man squatting next to the head of the bed.

"Morning." Ronon grinned.

"Bah." She frowned, feeling the fuzz behind her teeth and wished desperately for a genuine, Earth made, US Dentist approved toothbrush… and not a Pegasus version with gum ripping bristles. Shoving her hair away from her face she squinted at the bright sunlight streaming in through the window behind his shoulder, then sat up with a gasp. "What time is it? Are we still leaving today? Are we going back to the city? John didn't change his mind or anything did he? The test was positive. Carson said so, right?"

"Jennifer." He stopped her tirade with a quick kiss.

"Ronon, I-"

"You… are coming home… with me… today."

She blinked, unable to believe it was really going to happen. "Promise?" She whispered.

"Promise." He nodded solemnly. "Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded furiously.

He stood up, and stepped away from the bed. "Now come on. You'd better hurry if you want lunch before the kitchen closes for the afternoon."

"What?!" Jen stared at him wide eyed. "How long did I sleep? It's past lunch already?" She looked around the room. "Where's Carson?"

"Downstairs with Sheppard." He eyed her with a slight smirk. "How's the head, anyway?"

"Head?" She shoved the blankets off her lower body and stood up. "Fine. Why?"

Ronon pointed to the empty scotch bottle still sitting in the middle of the small table across the room.

"Oh." Jen laughed and moved off the bed, heading towards the small pitcher of water and her toothbrush. "That."

"Yeah." Ronon nodded. "That."

She shrugged, pouring herself a glass of water. "I'm fine. Scotch doesn't really bother me."

"Really." He eyed her warily as she quickly brushed her teeth.

"Yup." She quickly downed a glass of water and eyed her wrinkled clothing. "Makes me sleep like the dead, though."

"I noticed that."

She grimaced. "Now tequila, however… turns me into a raving lunatic while I'm drinking it, and leaves me for dead the next morning. Damned if I can figure out why I keep drinking it."

"Tequila, huh." He gave her a slow grin when she stepped into him and tilted her head back. "I'll have to make note of that."

"You do that." She laughed softly, then her smile slowly faded. With her fingers twisting into the material of his shirt she blinked up at him. "I'm really going home?" She asked with a whisper.

He kissed her quickly, then pulled her in against him, resting his chin across the top of her head. "You're really going home."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

She gave her head a slight shake then let out a soft snort.

"What?" He angled his head, trying to see her face.

She tilted her head back and laughed. "You know what the first thing I want to do is?"

He shook his head.

"Take a shower." She rolled her eyes back with a soft moan. "An hour long, water-tank-draining, skin-burning, hot-water-stealing shower. With real soap. And shampoo. And conditioner. And body wash. No, scented body wash. Vanilla. Or strawberry. And a razor. Definitely a razor. And a loofa. God I'd kill for a loofa."

"Anything else." He asked with a smirk.

"Duh!" She blurted out. "Of course there is! About a dozen different products and crèmes and soaps. Good lord. Have you never seen the inside of a woman's bathroom? Wait… don't answer that."

He raised an eyebrow.

"On second thought, maybe you should answer that…" She frowned up at him.

He angled his head.

"No." She gave her head a definitive shake. "Never mind. Forget it. Forget I asked." She sighed. "But there is one more thing that's an absolute must have."

He waited.

"Someone to scrub my back." She exhaled slowly, and tilted her head back, raising her eyebrows thoughtfully. "Although I have no idea who I'm going to ask." She snaked her arms around his neck and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone qualified, would you?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer.