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A/N: Thanks to all of you for the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you are still enjoying the story and I will continue it as long as you keep those reviews coming. Thanks to Betherdy Babe as always for her beta.

I need to send a special thanks to my military advisors: One of the Lost and Starclipper01. First, thanks for your service to your country and second, thanks for all the questions I asked to get ready for the Siege. I hope I can finally put some of your advice to good use.

"You can't," Stackhouse snapped as he got his gear ready to return to Atlantis. "You're supposed…"

"I've been relieved," Jennifer angrily replied. "Your new commander, Colonel Everett, said civilians could return. I've already briefed Major Hawley so I'm going."

"What about Bates?" Tommy slung back.

Jennifer paused for a moment. He'd understand. "He's in good hands with Captain Cole." She quickly turned and headed to the civilians and Athosians gathered near the gate.

"Doctor Keller," Halling addressed her. "Many of us wish to return to fight, will we be allowed to?"

"I'm not sure," she said, looking past Halling to at least thirty Athosian men and women. "I don't know how the military will react to assistance from our local allies, but I can assure you that Doctor Weir and I will plead your case." The physician couldn't help but notice Halling's reaction to Elizabeth's name and understood why.

The temporary leader of the Athosians didn't like Elizabeth Weir. They clashed often over matters of Athosian belief and most recently over the destruction of Atlantis. Halling confided in Jennifer that many Athosians, himself included, would separate from the expedition once they had all evacuated to a safe site. He knew it would upset Teyla, but he couldn't follow Doctor Weir's decisions because he didn't have faith in them. I understand she is doing what is best for your people, by sacrificing mine.

"I appreciate your honesty," the big man said. "We shall return and see if we are allowed to help."

Jennifer couldn't help but smile. Halling and his people weren't going to tell her that she had to stay behind. The Athosians viewed her differently than most of those on the expedition who saw a young genius dragged to Pegasus by her mentor and way out of her element. Because life could be short in Pegasus, her youth meant nothing to these people and Jennifer never felt prouder then when thinking about their unconditional support of her.

"Thank you, Halling. Kanaan. Jeran." Jennifer nodded to the other leaders of the Athosians who stood around her.

"Doctor Keller," Pamela Simpson called.

"Yes," Jennifer replied after turning and seeing the scientist with several of her staff. "All the science personnel with the Ancient gene are here as Major Hawley requested."

"Thank you, Pamela," Jennifer said and then stepped closer so only Pamela could hear. "I'd like you to stay behind."

"Hey, I'm a great marksman. Top of my class at the Academy," she replied.

"Pamela, if you come along with Miko and Visnic, who have to go because they have the gene, Peter Kavanagh will be the most senior scientist here." Jennifer stared intently into the engineer's eyes.

"Understood," Pamela said grudgingly. "You know he's still unconscious, so we could tie him up…"

"Tempting, but you might forget him if you have to move on," Jennifer smiled.

"That's the whole idea." Pamela winked. "You know just being there won't save them if something happens."

Jennifer felt tears in her eyes again. "I know, but my family is on Atlantis."

Simpson pulled the smaller woman in for a brief hug. "Listen to whatever Richards tells you to do. He'll be pissed, but won't have time to send you back."

Jennifer smiled, but her heart plunged. I can handle Gunny; it's Rodney I'm scared to face.

Rodney stood in stunned silence as soldiers from the SGC walked into Atlantis. He'd been looking forward to seeing Jennifer again on the other side of the gate, but would admit the Marines walking toward him were a beautiful sight. Not as beautiful as Jennifer, but a sight for sore eyes nonetheless.

The leader of the newcomers, an older man with graying hair and a standard Marine haircut, approached Elizabeth, John and him. Aiden and the Marines standing nearby saluted him, but John just stared, which Rodney found odd. I know John's not a Marine but shouldn't he salute too?

"Doctor Weir?" the older Marine said.

"Yes," Elizabeth responded.

"Colonel Dillon Everett, United States Marine Corps," came the crisp reply.

"You should know..." Elizabeth started.

"General O'Neill sends his compliments on a job well done under extraordinary circumstances." Everett saluted her and said, "You are relieved."

The comment stunned Rodney as he tried to imagine this tough soldier as his boss.

Everett's brown eyes passed over Rodney and came to rest on the man standing behind the astrophysicist. The genius turned to see Gunnery Sergeant Richards standing at attention.

The Colonel had a grin split his face as he saluted and stepped forward with his hand outstretched. "Damn good to see your face, Gunny. Damn good thing."

"Not as good as seeing you, sir," Richards responded as he reached to shake Everett's hand.

"Where's Bates? At the Alpha Site?" Everett asked.

"Yes, sir, but he's been severely injured. We had a Wraith infiltrate the city recently," Gunny explained. "But it's been neutralized."

Rodney saw pain cross the newly-arrived officer's face for a brief instant. The genius had a second of hope that if Richards was glad to see this guy, maybe they all should be too.

"Understood. You'll have to brief me…"

"Sir, we're about to evacuate," Sheppard said as he interrupted the Colonel and Gunny's reunion.

"Without a fight?" Everett snapped as he turned back around to face John.

"Yes, sir," Sheppard replied as the Colonel glared at him.

"On my order," Weir replied.

"That evacuation order is rescinded." He looked around the Gateroom and said, "I assume you've armed the self-destruct device."

"Sir, what happened, as Doctor Weir was trying to tell you..." John was interrupted.

"I'm gonna need you to disarm it immediately," he stated.

"Hold on a second, Colonel, I don't think you fully grasp our situation here." Elizabeth looked exasperatedly at the soldier.

"You have three Wraith hive ships bearing down on your position and precious little to defend yourselves with. That about sums it up?" Everett replied in a condescending voice.

"You got our message!" Rodney felt his heart soar. It worked. It really worked. I can still amaze myself.

"We got your message," his eyes met McKay's for the first time.

"It's down to two hive ships. We managed to destroy one of them," Elizabeth interjected.

"Good for you. That should make my job a little easier." He started up the steps.

"What exactly is your job, sir?" John asked, still looking totally skeptical.

"I should think that would be obvious to you by now, Major. We are going to defend Atlantis at all costs," Everett stated and turned again.

"Colonel?" Elizabeth moved to follow him.

Everett turned and held out a folded piece of paper for her to take. "Signed by General O'Neill."

Elizabeth unfolded the paper as John stepped forward to look at it.

"Colonel, it's not that we don't appreciate the thought, but if you had read the report on the armada heading this way, you'd know that there's not much we can do about it." John looked back up at the Colonel.

"Oh, I've read your report cover to cover, Major."

Rodney's mind was racing. They got the signal and dialed us. How the hell could they dial us? We depleted… "You found a ZedPM. That's the only way they could have dialed in from Earth."

"It was discovered in Egypt by a group of archaeologists. Damned thing's been under our noses the whole time," Everett confirmed.

"Fantastic! Wait a minute - how could you possibly bring the ZedPM back here? You'd need it to maintain the wormhole," Rodney said. His euphoria at having a fully functional ZedPM was dashed.

"As we speak, it is being transported up to the Daedalus, our new battle cruiser," Everett explained.

"Sister ship of the Prometheus. I didn't even know it was finished." Rodney's euphoria returned.

"With the ZPM boosting her engines, she should be here inside of four days. That's how long we have to hold this base. Major Sheppard, dial Pegasus Alpha site, recall all military personnel, as well, any civilians who'd like to return and help take part in damage control are welcome to do so. And when you're done with that, please join me in my offices in the conference room. We'll discuss our tactical position," Everett stated.

Rodney didn't really pay attention after he heard four days. Deciding to cling to the excitement over a ZedPM for several more minutes, he smiled at the Marines left standing around him before he headed up to the control room. The only thing to make this any better would be to be able to tell Jennifer about it.

Jennifer felt like she was breaking curfew or at least going somewhere she shouldn't. There was no doubt in her mind that Rodney, Carson and John would go ballistic if they saw her back on Atlantis. Believing that Pamela's assessment of the big Marine was correct, Jennifer wasn't afraid of Richards finding out she'd returned. She knew he'd glare angrily, but not do anything else.

There wasn't anyone Jennifer recognized in the Gateroom or up on the control room level. Looking for a high-ranking officer, she stepped up to a female Marine captain. "Excuse me, I'm Doctor Jennifer Keller from the Alpha site. I'd like to report in to the new commander. Do you know where I could find him?"

The woman, who stood a tiny bit taller than Jennifer, looked at her like she was a bug to be squashed. "Colonel Everett is in a tactical briefing. You can wait for him outside the conference room, Doctor Keller."

"Thank you, Captain," Jennifer said, turning quickly to see the eighteen civilians and forty Athosians who returned with her. You need to do this for all of them. They still think you're somehow in charge. The desire to head to the infirmary and plead with Carson was strong, but she knew that she needed to act like she was a leader and marched purposely up the stairs.

The walk seemed to last for an eternity. Every step reminded her of the exhaustion, emotional fatigue, loneliness and stress that wracked her body for the last few days. Her stiff muscles from the beating they took at the first Alpha site protested once again any movement.

Once Rodney left Atlantis it was as if the physician needed to keep her mind on a constant treadmill, lest it remember his smile or the feel of his arms around her as he pressed a kiss to her lips and made her fall apart. After hearing that he was safe, she suddenly was able to process everything in her head and the terror and sorrow at Peter's death came out unchecked. What an idiot I was, sobbing and carrying on. Radek dragging me through the corridors. I'll never be able to look at him again.

"Can I help you?" a deep male voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I'm Doctor Jennifer Keller. I'd like to see Colonel Everett, sir," she replied.

The soldier entered the conference room, leaving her standing with several others. Her eyes were caught by bright blue ones and were rewarded for pausing with a dimpled grin. The Air Force officer stood immediately to her left with several Marines.

Returning a friendly smile, Jennifer realized how surreal the situation she returned to was. Tons of weapons were being moved around below her and new soldiers with unfamiliar guns moved around the control room. They must have brought new guns because those are definitely not P90s.

"Doctor, the Colonel will see you," the young man said to her. "Sir, you may enter as well," he addressed the men nearby.

Jennifer glanced at the blue-eyed officer and was once again greeted with a friendly expression. Everyone else appeared stoic and much like Gunny when on duty so a relaxed look made the butterflies settle in her stomach a bit.

The conference room was bustling with military staff and at least a dozen computers tied into the large monitor showing a picture of the planet and several red dots in orbit. It looks like the bridge of a battleship. Memories of watching war movies with her dad came to mind.

"Doctor Jennifer Keller," the older man with graying hair said as he turned to look at her.

"Yes, sir," a slip of a woman, who didn't look as old as her file stated, replied.

He couldn't tell if the Sir was out of respect or mocking. With the scientists in the SGC, it's always hard to tell. The Colonel was very busy and only spoke to this woman because her file intrigued him.

This physician, who created the gene therapy he and his men desperately needed, was mentioned in the reports of all the senior staff on the base. Doctor Beckett, Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir raved about her intelligence, dedication to the mission and strength in a situation she was unprepared for. Beckett recruited her so his opinion was suspect and Weir and Sheppard's opinions meant nothing to the soldier either. The Major's record was a disgrace before he arrived on Atlantis and his actions since made Everett distrust his judgment even more. It was the report of the Head of Science that caught his eye. In the years he'd known of Doctor Rodney McKay, the arrogant man never complimented anyone.

Everett read several reports where McKay claimed that Samantha Carter was an idiot. The Air Force Lieutenant Colonel was the smartest person Everett had ever met, so he was shocked to see glowing comments about this medical researcher coming from McKay. The cranky astrophysicist even petitioned repeatedly in twenty-page emails to Weir and Beckett that she belonged in his department.

"What can I do for you, Doctor? As you can see, I'm a busy man," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jennifer Keller really did look like a deer in the headlights. Her brown eyes widened and he could see her visibly swallow, but she didn't remove her gaze from his eyes.

"I… I wanted to tell you the Alpha site is secure," she began.

"Major Hawley informed me already," he said, stepping in front of her in his most intimidating posture.

"I… I wasn't sure if I needed to check in. I came back with a little over a dozen civilian scientist with and without the gene as well as forty Athosians who all want to help," she said with a quiver in her voice.

Everett narrowed his eyes. "You didn't need to check in, but I appreciate it."

She seemed to relax a bit until movement behind him caught her eye and the look of fear returned. Momentarily however as it was replaced by one of stubbornness. Everett glanced behind him and saw a look that sent most men he knew scurrying for their lives.

"Do you have a problem, Gunnery Sergeant Richards?" Everett asked. He'd read in Bates' file that the Marine had protected the young physician on several missions.

"No, sir," Richards said as his eyes left the doctor to look at his CO.

"I was going to have Doctor Keller take these pilots to the infirmary and start inoculating them with the gene therapy," he said. "But if you object, I'll send her packing."

The physician in front of him was positively livid, glaring at the big Marine. It took all of Everett's control not to laugh. He was almost expecting her to stick her tongue out at the Marine.

"The infirmary is the best place for her, sir," Richards replied.

"Doctor Keller, take the civilians with you for now," Everett said. "As for the Athosians, they can return to their quarters until… we need them." The Colonel didn't trust them based on the new intelligence about Teyla's link to the Wraith. Better to keep your enemies close.

"Thank you, sir," she replied with obvious relief. "Is there anything else you need before I go?"

"Doctor Beckett will be needed in the chair room as back-up to Major Sheppard, so you'll have to brief my medics on any information you might have about potential wounds from the Wraith." Everett watched her closely to see how mentioning a Wraith attack might affect her.

Her expression saddened. "I'll share what we know, which isn't a lot I'm afraid. No one has survived."

"Except you."

"Me?" she replied, pointing at herself. "I only survived because Gunny… I mean Gunnery Sergeant Richards gave me his battle armor." The physician pointed toward Richards standing to the side of Captain Radner before awkwardly lowering her hand.

Everett nodded. "Most of us owe our lives to Gunnery Sergeant Richards. Even me." A smile crossed his face as he nodded to her.

A smile spread over the woman's face as she obviously felt some bond with him. "He's the best."

"I'll be sure to put that note in his file," Everett replied. "Now, if you don't mind escorting these pilots to the infirmary."

"It takes at least four hours for the treatment to take hold or not. They can start their training in the jumpers after the shots," she stated.

Everett was having a hard time not smiling. This is going to kill my reputation. "Outstanding."

"Thank you." She turned without another glance at Richards.

"If she's nearly as smart as McKay, we don't want to lose her," Everett said, looking at the head of security of the Atlantis expedition.

"After you, Doctor Keller." The Air Force officer's voice interrupted his conversation.

"Thank you, Major…" Jennifer replied.

"Lorne."

"I'll send Raven and Cole to guard the infirmary, sir," Richards said, glancing at the door.

"Some of your best boys?" Everett looked at the backs of Jennifer Keller and the pilots. "I agree."

TBC

A/N: There is going to be a lot of Jennifer coming up since this is her story and what happens with the other characters doesn't change. If it does, I will write about it.