Dara turned as she heard someone shouting on her. John paused as he reached the alternate earthling. "What?"
"So tonight's the second Saturday of the month." John spoke quietly to Dara, who looked at him suspiciously.
"What do you want? And what is it going to cost me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as he tried to grin innocently.
"What on Atlantis makes you say something like that?" He wanted to know.
"John?"
"Yes?"
"You're you, and I'd like to think I know you pretty damn well."
John laughed, and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Is there any chance the gang and I can use your common room tonight for our usual team night?"
"Why can't you use your normal room?" Dara pondered.
"The ceiling is too unstable because a certain someone keeps landing on it." John replied.
Dara nodded. "Okay, what time will you guys be there for?"
"Oh, about seven." John replied. 'Ish.'
o0o
At six o'clock, that night Kimberley dragged Dara into her room. "What the hell are the guys doing here?"
"Team night." Dara replied, moving to walk back into the room, kangarooing back as Kimberley grabbed her arm.
"I mean why are they in our common room?" The Scottish one asked,
"That's what you get for ruining their usual room." Dara replied, giving her the look.
Kimberley let her go and whispered 'oh', before grabbing her laptop. "If you need me I'll be on the balcony."
"Just don't jump off." Dara replied, leaving her friends room and, ignoring John and Ronon, walked straight to her room.
"Hey Dara." Rodney spoke loud enough to cause her to pause in her tracks. Slowly she turned around to look at him. "Why don't you join us?"
"It's a team night for a reason." Dara declined, and then jutted a thumb towards her room. "Now I gotta go do stuff in my room, really busy, bu-bye."
Daras face fell as she felt someone wrap their arms around her and lift her from the ground, deposit her on the couch next to John. Turning around she glared at Ronon.
Ronon smirked at her.
"I hope you're happy." She continued to glare, and then motioned to the door. "Are you getting Kimberley in here too?"
The Sedetan nodded, ignoring John's groan of annoyance and headed for her door, knocking on it, then ran a hand over the crystals. He turned to the group. "McKay, open it up."
"What if she's indecent?" Rodney replied, standing up all the same and walked over.
"She's more than likely got her earphones in." Dara pointed out from her spot next to John, scotching over to put her legs closer to her chest.
Rodney rolled his eyes and muttered something, stepping back as the door was opened and Ronon stepped inside the room.
John bit back a grin as Ronon walked backwards holding Kimberleys laptop on one hand, his gun trained on it, and Kimberley walked with her headphones still in, watching a video on the computer.
Dara frowned. "What are you watching?"
Kimberley ignored her, considering she had her earphones plugged in.
"Is that McKay in his birthday suit?" Ronon asked, looking at the computer strangely, catching Kimberleys attention. "Why do you have a video clip of McKay, in his birthday suit?"
Kimberley muttered something about a Dogs Breakfast and narrowly missed Johns shoe as it was thrown at her. "What? It isn't Atlantis centered! That was the rules!"
Dara muttered something about 'not the point' and Kimberley didn't pay any attention, sitting down on her couch and accepting a bowl of popcorn, placing it on the seat beside her and turned the volume up.
o0o
"Chose." the alien leader demanded.
Kimberley stared at horror; how could she choose between Dara, who was her best friend and the man that Dara cared about? Either way she would have been better off killing the other. "I can't!"
"Then they will both die." He replied, calmly raising the stolen .38 and aimed it at John, pulled the trigger, then aimed it at Dara, pulling the trigger once more.
o0o
With a gasp Kimberley sat up, bowl of popcorn flying from her lap. 'Oh my God.'
Ronon turned to look at her from his spot on the floor. "You okay?"
Kimberley swallowed and looked to where John and Dara where sitting on the other couch, sleeping peacefully.
"Kimberley." Ronon bent his head back and looked up at her, frowning as he noticed how pale she was. "Hey Kimberley!"
"Yeah, what?" She asked, snapping her attention to him, mouth twitching. "Sorry Ronon."
"Will you two spot yakking?" Rodney turned around from his spot beside Jennifer and gawped. "You do know you're supposed to eat the popcorn Ronon, right?"
"My fault." Kimberley replied, making hand movements for Ronon to move. "Back in a bit."
"Where you going?" Dara asked with a yawn, stretching and smacking John at the same time.
"Hey!"
"Watch the hands."
"You didn't -"
"Finish that sentence and you're for it."
"Sorry ma'am." John ducked his head.
Dara rolled her eyes. "So where are you going?"
Kimberley pointed to her room. "Jim jams."
The group settled back to their original positions, not waiting for her to come back before resuming play on the movie.
o0o
Ronon cracked an eye open as the front door hissed open, revealing Kimberley in a jogging suit. She entered the room quietly and walked passed the still on TV, pausing at the last second to turn it off, and then look over them. She jumped once she realized he was watching her.
Biting her lip, she waited for him to say or do something.
Eventually he nodded to her and she smiled faintly.
Quickly she crossed the room and passed her hand over the control panel. Glancing back she spotted John and Dara out cold on the couch, and Rodney had an arm wrapped around Jennifer. Teylas blanket was empty, but looking at the time she figured she had went back to her room to be with Kanaan and Torren.
For some reason she looked to where Ronon was sitting and frowned as she couldn't see him. 'Wasn't he just-' "Gah!"
Ronon stood right beside her. He motioned for her to go into her room.
With a glare, she entered the room, and then closed it quickly.
It opened back up seconds later.
"Out." She pointed, glancing around incase she had woken anyone up.
"Where did you go?" He asked.
"To bake a cake. What does it look like?" She snapped. "What's it to you?"
"Nothing." He shrugged. "But you had a nightmare. Just making sure that evil Sheppard wasn't back."
"Just your normal, run of the mill nightmare." Kimberley shook her head, and smiled thinly at him. "Go back to the common room."
"What made you go for a run?" He asked, causing her to stop walking completely into her room.
She turned to look at him and smiled sweetly. "None of your God damned business."
Dara sat up, causing John to go flying off the couch and into Rodney, who spluttered and whacked Jennifer in the face. "I feel a disturbance in the force."
Turning, she observed the group entangled on the floor and raised an eyebrow. "Playing Twister without me? Or the mat?"
o0o
Two weeks later it was time for the gang to meet for their twice monthly 'we survived anther few weeks/we had a semi successful mission/team movie night' (with guests). Tonight they were going old school and watching some of Dara and Kimberleys collections.
It was the girls turn to pick, and they had decided to let Jennifer chose, because she was the one that had to patch Teyla and Rodney up after the latest escapade with the not so friendly locals.
"Star Wars again?" Jennifer asked hopefully.
Rodney pulled a face.
"Well it's either that or Beautician and the Beast." She waved the large laser disc towards him.
"Why are we watching these antiquated things again?" Rodney demanded.
Dara jutted a finger towards Kimberley, who was poured over several psychology textbooks. As if knowing one of the smartest men in two galaxies was glaring at her, Kimberley paused, threw up a middle finger, and then resumed her note taking.
"I think it's a nice idea. Kinda feels like we've gone back in time." Jennifer smiled, and then it faded. "But not in the 'our life and entire future is threatened because we need to get back without changing a single thing' kinda way."
"It may be 'nice'." Rodney pulled a face as Jennifer turned away. "But to hose of us who living in the 21st century and are used to watching a movie without having to change the disc over."
"Auto changer." Kimberley hollered, and then turned to look at him. "It may be old, but like some scientists around here, it does have some uses."
"Like what?" He challenged, and then realized the insult. "Hey!"
"Well, for one, it'll play all the laser discs and DVDs we can get our mitts on." Kimberley explained. "And it's the one thing Catherine won't touch if we ever take it back home, because it's 'out dated technology'."
"Out dated is right." He grumbled to himself.
"Rodney; play nice." Jennifer chided.
"Kimberley, I have a small favor to ask." Teyla placed hand on the slightly insane females arm as she passed her on the way to her seat.
"Sure Teyla, what's up?" Kimberley replied.
"Could you possibly watch Torren for Kanaan and I tomorrow tonight?" Teyla asked. "I am aware that it is very short notice but something has come up on the main land that needs our attention."
"Sure, I'd love to baby sit the little guy." Kimberley replied.
Teyla frowned. "I wish for you to watch him, not sit on him."
"But I meant-uh-hasn't John-never mind." Kimberley sighed and shook her head. "It's a Kimbo thing."
"Oh, so it is not a weird Earth saying?" Teyla enquired.
"Uh, no?" She replied, unsure where to go with that. "What time do you want me to pick him up at?"
"Will six o'clock be alright?" Teyla asked.
"Sure, the common room?" Kimberley bobbed her head. "Will he have dinner with you before hand or not?"
"I shall feed him; I have noticed that if anyone else attempts to do so they tend to wear his dinner." Teylas lips twitched.
"Good idea. That baby food may look yummy, but it's a pain in the aft to get out of your hair." She grimaced in response.
o0o
The doorbell chimed and then the door opened, revealing Teyla, Kanaan and Torren.
They looked around the room and frowned at all the objects on the floor, Kimberley tossing more and more from her bedroom door. Finally, Teyla cleared her throat.
Kimberley looked up. "Uh, hey guys, how are ya?"
"We are well." Kanaan answered, inclining his head and looked to Teyla before stepping inside the room, watching the balls and bears at his feet as he made his way to the strange Earthling.
"Oh, six already?" Kimberley asked, standing up and brushing her clothes off, missing their shared grin. Looking up she smiled and motioned for Torren. "I've got a bunch of educational toys for him, and a few games lined up to hopefully knackered him out for bed. What time do you think you will be back?"
"Before the next moon." Kanaan replied, and nodded his head at Kimberleys look of panic. "Was the joke funny?"
'Joke? Oh!' "Oh yeah, took me a second there, that was quite fast Kanaan!" Kimberley bobbed her head.
"Does Dara know that you have corrupted my life partner?" Teyla inclined her head.
"Hopefully not." Kimberley grinned, holding her hands out to accept the young Athosian child from his mother. "And I'll have him in one piece."
Teyla smiled unsurely at Kimberley, then she and Kanaan left the room.
Torren began to gurgle un happily.
"Hey hey Kiddo, no need for tears!" Kimberley smiled to him, throwing him in the air and catching him causing him to panic and stop moaning, then giggle and laugh as Kimberley made faces at him.
o0o
An hour later Dara entered the common room to pick up the baby blanket she had left the previous night and looked around for her friend who was ignoring the calls on her earpiece and froze as she heard baby giggling.
Torren looked at Kimberley.
Kimberley looked at Torren.
She spotted the duo, Torren standing with one of Kimberleys Eeyore bears in his hands, Kimberley lying on the floor with a mini sparring stick.
Dara backed away slowly.
Kimberley looked up as the door hissed and spotted the time. She grabbed Torren and entered her room, depositing the tired child on her bed and watched him fight sleep before cuddling up to Eeyore and lying on the bed.
She looked over to the balcony door and smiled as she spotted the lock on it, then turned around to place Daras blankie over his body, smiling as he snuggled into it.
Then she looked around the common room and her face dropped. Gabbing a clothesbasket she dumped the clothes next to Torren, entered the common room, methodologically making her way through the mess, and put the toys into her basket, stacking up the shoes and knickknacks that Torren had been playing with before returning to the room.
And dropped the basket in shock as she looked at the bed. 'Where the heck is Torren!'
o0o
The doorbell chime went off.
Kimberley paused, straining to hold the couch up in the air, mystified at the fact there was a pair of socks underneath her couch. 'If I wasn't so preoccupied I could kill them! MY COUCH!'
"Where is Torren?" Teyla asked, the surprise causing Kimberley to drop the couch with a thud.
"Huh, what?" Kimberley whirled around on the spot. "Who?"
"Torren, where is my son?" Teyla asked, stepping closer and searching around the room.
"You have a son?" Kimberley blinked, stepping away from the mother.
"Kimberley, I will ask once more." Teyla stopped and gave the female her full attention. "Where is my son?"
"Er well, you see, the thing is I-er-I-um." Kimberley was becoming paler and paler, backing away from the completely annoyed mother who was advancing towards her with one thing in her mind. "I can explain!"
"Explain what?" Teyla asked.
The door whooshed open behind them. They turned to look at Rodney, who held Torren close to his chest. "That is the last time I do a favor for you."
"Um, thanks Rodney!" Kimberley smiled to him and rushed over, taking Torren from him and hugging the stuffing out of the
"Oh you so owe me." Rodney smirked to her as soon as Teyla left.
"Where was he?" Kimberley demanded, hugging the scientist in happiness.
"Wandering in the balcony." Rodney replied.
'How did he get there?' She asked herself, and then caught his look. "What are you planning?"
Rodney snapped his facial expression clear and simply nodded. "Nothing too strenuous for your brain."
"Okay." Kimberley nodded, and then glared. "Hey!"