A/N: The timeline for this story is just after "Quarantine."

Many thanks go out to Lone-Ranger1 for brain-storming, assistance with Betas, suggestions, ideas, outline for the story, the distinctly Canadian "cultural" references and, of course, his friendship.

Gracias,

Sunny

Chuck's Canadian Crime Connection

Chapter 13

Home Is Where the Chuck Is

"Excuse me?!" Zack just stood there holding the wriggling screaming child carefully in both arms.

Rodney came up with a second baby wrapped in pink. He rested her gently over his left shoulder then began walking back and forth slightly jiggling the little girl while he alternated rubbing and patting her soothingly. Zack watched him a moment then copied him carefully easing the boy onto his right shoulder, and walking back and forth while rubbing the boy's back. The unmistakable scent of baby powder reached his nose. A few minutes later the crying slowed and finally stopped.

"Dr. McKay…" Zack started to say, but Rodney interrupted when the child started to cry again.

"Sh!" Rodney waved commandingly. "You have to keep moving. If Declan starts crying he'll get Cadence going again, and I'll never get any work done."

The young man did as instructed with wide-eyed bafflement. This was the strangest interview he'd ever attended. He looked to his friends for support, but they'd gone, leaving him alone with his hero, who turned out to be a madman, and two small babies.

"Why, uh…"

Still in that same soft voice Rodney said, "My wife is offworld on a medical something or other. I have a lot of work to do, and there wasn't anyone who could stay with them. At least no one that I trust." At the look on Zack's face he hastily added "Not that I don't trust Chuck, Amelia or Dusty. It's just that, well, you see, what I mean is…"

Zack rolled his eyes. "I understand."

~~O~~

Rodney and Jennifer married, and set up housekeeping on Earth only to return to Atlantis a couple of years later. Sheppard still referred to it as the time they "ran away and joined the circus." Declan and Cadence Keller-McKay were born within a year of their return to Pegasus.

The small bundle on Rodney's shoulder yawned and moved her head causing her breath to brush across his skin, and her little pink nose to rub his neck. His face glowed with delight and a smile so brilliant it could have lit up Atlantis. "No other feeling in the world comes close to holding a child in your arms, and giving them comfort." Zack just nodded and smiled back. "Now, about your theory…"

Zack had heard about Dr. McKay and his wild mood swings, and had just witnessed the man run through a series of emotions from arrogant and condescending, to nervous and anxious, to caring and gentle in record time. Amazing!

~~O~~

Dusty looked back at the main science lab with concern. "Think Zack'll be okay?"

Chuck took her by the hand and guided her away. "He'll be fine. McKay likes him."

"How can you tell?"

"He let him hold Declan, didn't he? And you know how picky he is about who holds his kids."

"Yeah. You're right." Dusty checked the time, grabbed Chuck by the lapels of his jacket, pulled him up against her, and gave him a long, hot kiss. When his hands came up to frame her face the light glinted off the circle of gold on his left ring finger, a simple band that matched the one Dusty wore. "Gotta go, Chuck-o-my-heart. Back in a couplea days."

He let her go reluctantly. "Love you."

"You, too."

"Be careful! And bring me back a t-shirt!" She stuck her tongue out at him then took off at a run, jumped into a transport, disappearing with a wave and a smile. When he turned around Amelia was watching him with a silly grin. "What?"

"Married life really agrees with both of you. Who would have thought you'd end up married to the woman who shoved you head first into a pumpkin shell within seconds of your first meeting?"

Chuck laughed, and put his arm around Amelia's shoulders as they walked down the hall. "Don't know what it was about her, but once we got past the Chuck-o-lantern phase…" he paused while she laughed "…it was like we'd known each other forever. Sort of like when we met. Remember?"

"Yeah. Shortly after I arrived we had that lockdown, and Colonel Sheppard accidentally set off the self-destruct. You were so calm I was sure we'd make it." Her face pinched in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"Back hurts a little." She smiled.

"I wasn't nearly as calm as I appeared, believe me." They laughed together, and she rested her head against his shoulder for a moment. "And we got to blow stuff up."

Amelia was quiet for a few moments then said, "Tell me something."

"Anything."

"When did you start feeling more than friendship for Dusty?"

His smile was sad. "This will sound a little weird, but it was a few months after Leesh died. They were good friends, and it really hit her hard though she didn't show it. You know how our little soldier girl is. She told me about it herself, came to my quarters after the mission. I cried a little." He saw her knowing smile. "Okay, I cried a lot.

"You know Dusty and I went together to take Alicia back to Earth and talk to her family. We told them what we could, and they understood there were some things they weren't meant to know. I knew she was sad, but she never said anything, didn't mention Alicia again, not once on the way back or since.

"Then, oh, two weeks or so after we got back to Atlantis AR-3 was on a mission with Sheppard and Lorne's teams plus a couple of squads of Marines. Six of our people were culled, and the Hiveship got away before we could mount a rescue. Much later we found out from Todd that they'd been fed upon almost immediately."

"Yes." Her eyes were sad. "I remember."

"Well, a few nights later we were in the Mess Hall eating dinner…"

Four Years Ago

"You gonna eat your apple?" Dusty asked Chuck pointing at the Granny Smith on his tray. They were sitting across from each other in the Mess Hall at the same table with Carson Beckett, Allison Porter, Lorne, Teldy and a few others.

"I am, but I'll share it with you." He cut it, and passed her half.

"Thanks." The fruit made a satisfying crunch when she bit into it, drops of juice dribbling down her chin.

"You've got a little, uh…" Chuck reached over with a napkin to dab at her chin.

Dusty snatched the napkin from his hand with a friendly glare, and used it to wipe the juice away herself. "You goin' to the movie?"

"No. You?"

"No." Dusty stifled a yawn. They'd gotten to be friends during the mission to catch Blitz and Boone. A few months later she came to Atlantis, and their friendship grew stronger. Not long afterwards their mutual friend Captain Alicia Vega was killed, further solidifying their friendship. Because he knew her so well, he could tell the dark-haired woman wasn't saying what was really on her mind. He stood, and picked up his tray.

"I've been having trouble sleeping. Think I'll go sit on the balcony off the barracks level. Get a little fresh air. See ya."

~~O~~

Chuck looked at his watch and sighed. Today was three months since Alicia Vega had been killed. Telling Dusty he would be out here was his way of letting her know he was available, if she needed or wanted to talk, or just wanted someone to sit with so she didn't have to be alone. He'd been certain she would come, but he'd been here for almost an hour.

The sun had set hours ago, and there was a chill to the air. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, and was contemplating going back inside when he heard footsteps. He knew who it was without turning. Standing up, he walked to the railing, leaned on the upper rail, and looked out over the city. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dusty come to stand next to him, copying his casual pose both hands gripping the rail. He missed Alicia, and knew Dusty did too, though she would never say so, not out loud.

He heard a pop then, "I miss…" Her voice trailed off.

"What?"

"…snow. I miss the snow."

Chuck knew she been about to say something else. "Not me. It was my job to shovel it when I was a kid."

"My brother and I took turns." She blew a bubble, and let it pop then rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"Cold?"

Dusty shrugged. "A little." She almost jumped when Chuck draped his jacket around her. "Thanks."

Chuck moved to the bench and sat down. Dusty followed a short time later. She shivered again so he did the gentlemanly thing and put his arm carefully around her shoulders, bracing himself just in case she tried to hit him. Shifting slightly, she pressed herself just the tiniest bit closer to his side. It was barely perceptible, but for someone like her, it spoke volumes.

He didn't know or care how much time had passed before she scooted away. She stood up, and handed him his jacket, letting him know she was ready to leave. He slipped it on, and stood as well. Together they went back inside.

Over the next couple of months, they met on the balcony several times a week. How often all depended on if she was offworld on a mission or he was on duty. Most of the time they just watched the city or the stars without speaking, enjoying a companionable silence, sharing friendship. Occasionally, others would be there, but mostly it was just the two of them.

When they talked, they got close to, but never actually touched on the subject that drove them to seek each other out. And that was okay with Chuck. What was said didn't matter. It was reassuring just to know that he wasn't the only one who missed Alicia.

Present

"So, you didn't…?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, letting the question hang in the air.

"Didn't what? Oh! No." Chuck waved a hand to indicate the negative. "That didn't happen until we returned to Earth.

"One night, she showed up on the balcony after being offworld for a few days. We sat on the bench and talked for a while, I don't remember what about. Probably about her mission. Later, we watched the moon come up, and move across the sky. That night, for the first time, she reached out, and held my hand. When I stood up to leave, she didn't let go. Suddenly she, uh…" He didn't finish the sentence and Amelia giggled. "Well, to say I was surprised would be an understatement. We'd been friends for a while, and she'd never given me the slightest indication that she thought of me as anything more than a friend." At Amelia's smirk a blush washed over his face. "What? I'm a guy, and a beautiful woman was suddenly telling me in no uncertain terms that she wanted me. Under the circumstances, resistance wasn't just futile, it was completely nonexistent.

"I thought it was going to be a one-time thing, and that would have been fine with me, but she kept coming back." He chuckled a little. "I let her decide the when and the where. This went on for a few months. Then one day I realized that I cared about her as much more than just a friend or even a friend with benefits. In a massive moment of weakness, I told her."

Amelia grinned. "I can guess what happened next."

Chuck grinned. "My timing really sucked. She freaked out, and avoided me for days. Then one day she showed up at my door. That's when I knew she felt the same, though she didn't actually say so until much later. I already knew for absolute certainty that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, but the hard part was convincing her I was serious. But you know me. I'm persistent. It took more than two years, but she eventually succumbed to my incredible charm, and obvious allure, and agreed to marry me."

"Of course she did."

"I think it's not a lack of love, but the lack of friendship that makes marriages unhappy. Dusty and I were friends long before we became more, and that's just one of the things that has made this a happy marriage. I'm not saying everything's perfect. We've had to make compromises. But she's changed quite a bit from the Dusty we first met. She's more mature."

"I know." Amelia's face was scrunched up in thought. "I don't remember ever seeing the two of you…"

"That's because we didn't want anyone to know. Not even you. I don't need to quote the regs, do I?" He gave her a significant look.

"Uh, no."

"I…" He broke off when Amelia gasped and leaned forward with a hand on her stomach. She grabbed his hand, and squeezed to the point of pain. "Ow! What's wrong?" Before she could respond there was a splash, and they both looked down to see a puddle of liquid on the floor. His sisters had kids so he knew what it meant. "Uh-oh."

Amelia's face twisted in pain. "Take me to the Infirmary. Now!"

Chuck guided Amelia to the transport, tapped the screen, and a moment later they were on the infirmary level. "Carson!" The Scot was already hurrying forward as if he could sense they'd be coming. "Her water broke," Chuck told him.

"Well, love, looks like it's time to have a baby. We'll get you fixed right up." A nurse came forward to assist Amelia onto an exam table. She pulled the privacy curtain, and helped her out of her clothes and into a gown. Carson returned just as the soon-to-be mother gasped in pain again. "Now let's have a look. Hmm. Oh, dear!" The doctor's voice floated out to the Gate Tech. "Chuck, how long since the last contraction?"

Chuck looked at his watch. "Not long."

"Call Ronon, and get him here immediately! This little lass is in a wee bit of a hurry." Carson and the nurse wheeled the bed toward the operating theater.

Chuck hadn't waited for the doctor's order. He was already talking to the Satedan. "…Yes, now! Hurry or you'll miss the birth of your daughter."

Ronon strode quickly into the Infirmary not more than a minute later. Chuck pointed, and the big man went over to the nurse who gave him terse instructions for scrubbing up, helped him into a gown, and took him into the delivery room.

~~O~~

Nearly two hours later, Ronon finally came out. He held the doors open while Carson and the nurse wheeled the bed holding Amelia, and the baby out to the ward.

Chuck, Zack, John, Teyla, Rodney, Lorne, Woolsey, Zelenka, and a few others were standing and sitting around the Infirmary in various poses of impatience while they waited. Rodney was feeding Declan a bottle, and John was helping by rocking Cadence. At three months, the little girl already took after her father. She'd finished her bottle in record time, and was sleeping peacefully. She would do so until it was time for her next meal, unless her brother started crying.

Ronan gestured, and everyone gathered around the bed to have their first look at the newest addition to the Atlantis family. The baby girl had a pink crocheted cap on her tiny head, and was wrapped in a soft brightly colored blanket. She was sound asleep. Despite her ordeal, Amelia looked happy, and peaceful.

"She's beautiful," Teyla told the new parents. The sentiment was echoed by everyone.

"What's her name?" Sheppard asked from his position at the foot of the bed, still holding Cadence.

Amelia smiled up at Ronon. "Meleya Izobel. Meleya for Ronon's mother. Izobel for his grandmother."

Teyla nodded her approval as Ronon took the baby from his wife and sat in the chair next to the bed.

John took that as their cue to leave. "Congratulations, Chewy."

Out in the hall the group of friends stood there for a few minutes of companionable silence watching the cozy little domestic scene then Chuck said, "Dusty is gonna be so pissed she missed this." They all shared a laugh and one last look at Ronon, Amelia, and baby Meleya then went their separate ways with John following Rodney to his quarters to help him put the twins to bed.

TBC