A/N: I do apologize for this chapter. I have either been in massive, nauseating, blinding, exhausting, crippling pain or dealing with farm chores and taxes (can anyone say cause and effect?) this week. So this chapter fought me like a wild horse. I feel it's not my best. But maybe what I was trying to accomplish was done well enough that you will still be able to see it. I hope so anyway, as I'm seeing it through the "author glasses". Evil things those.

Thank you for having patience with me.

As always like, follow, subscribe, favorite, and review.

JR

Recap:

With the saboteur finally identified, it feels like a hollow victory when they find out the reason why. What will they do now?

Episode 12 Part 2

Woolsey's office.

Romanov was sitting in a cell. It felt wrong. He had been her friend for years. It was only weeks after he joined her company that she had considered him that, even though he took a while longer to come around. And even if they weren't in each other's back pockets, she still considered him a friend. And she wasn't about to abandon him. Stakes be damned.

"There has to be another way." She insisted quietly, leaning back in the rather uncomfortable office chairs that Woolsey had. Fingers digging into the imitation leather of the arms to keep her seated, keep her calm, Sophie was very nearly certain that there would be tiny crescent moons cut into the fabric before this meeting was through. But as her father and grandfather had drilled home for years, if lose your temper you lose control of the situation you lose respect and any ground you may have gained. Stay calm, they had insisted, at all costs and stay in control.

The fabric would tear under her nails into before she let loose this time. It was simply too important.

Woolsey, leaning back in his own chair with fingers stacked, observed her coolly. This was his first real disagreement with her, and he had to admit, he was mildly impressed. She had struck him as diligent and hard working. But now she was showing a loyalty against the odds that he had to appreciate, as well as the intelligence and control to make it a deadly combination. It was a quality that tended to show up in the most trustworthy members of the SGC. People that he would very much want to keep around. Even if they tended to be reckless at times, he amended thinking about the former flagship team.

The problem was how. He was rather backed into a corner on the issue at hand. Romanov was a traitor. Sort of. An unwilling one at any emails that had been provided as proof, did indeed say exactly what he had confessed to the colonel. So at least he wasn't guilty of espionage and trading national secrets. Granted he was a hacker and programmer, but he had willingly turned over his hard drive and his backups. Thank goodness for the paranoia of the man in question and his partner, because somehow there had been a worm in the latest message that deleted everything on Romanov's email address but left everything else in tact and then deleted itself.

A brilliant move in its simplicity really. There had only been one thing that fouled it.

Romanov's backups. They had scanned the message, killed the worm before it did any damage, and then held everything in what Romanov had nicknamed deep freeze. Including what Sophie had termed the "skeleton" of the dead virus for later examination.

Rodney, as much as he didn't particularly like Sophie and her team, was even arguing for them. "Everything he told us was true and now we have a real lead on who orchestrated the attack that happened on Earth. That's gotta be worth something to Command." He insisted. "We can't just let talent like his go."

Woolsey lifted a single eyebrow. "But would you trade Dr McIntyre for Mr Romanov?" He asked. "Allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment if you will. I guarantee that the International Board and Homeworld defense are going to want something or someone to hold responsible for the sabotage. And they will argue that the last attack was aimed at Dr McIntyre personally and so it would be unwise to keep the two in the same place. What if he tries again?" Woolsey gave his head a tiny but emphatic shake causing the lights of the room to flash of his wire rimmed glasses. "Even though we know that he aimed his attack at someone he knew could foil it and follow the trail of breadcrumbs that he left, they will not buy it."

Sitting back stiffly in his chair, Rodney pondered it for a moment. Ronon was his friend. Ronon liked Sophie. If he argued that Sophie should go back to Earth, not only would Ronon be hurt but Sophie, being Furling, would be in danger. So would Luka and her family who would refuse to stay if she left. But if Romanov went back to Earth, even in protective custody, he would be vulnerable to whoever was behind all of this to begin with.

"That's not the only problem I see." John admitted, leaning back against one of the doors that would open out to view the gate room. "I'm betting they had no intention of letting Natalia live even if Romanov complied with everything. It'd be too dangerous. But now Issac is a loose end that they'll need to clean up eventually. Because with his skills? Even if he's in another galaxy? I'd be very scared to have him trying to find me." He scrubbed his face with his hands. "And if whoever is behind this could get to him on Atlantis, he'll never be safe on Earth. Not even in protective custody." He admitted, mirroring Rodney's own thoughts.

Leaning against the wall behind Woolsey, the generals looked at each other before Jack shrugged, rolling his eyes at his wife and long time partner. He trusted her. And she trusted Sophie's instincts about the man. He may not like it. But between the two of them, and even Rodney if he were honest, they were the smartest people he knew other than Daniel, who got out of this entire conversation because he was not military, or involved really, and was briefing his newest translation teams on the differences and similarities in the Goa'uld, Ancient, Ori, and Wraith languages. Lucky dog.

"I may have an idea." Sam smiled at her husband. It was good, knowing that he trusted her even when he didn't like to.

Everyone who had been staring at the commander of the Atlantis base turned to her. Even Woolsey turned in his swivel chair to face her. "Well I need a programmer who is intimately acquainted with the Lantean coding to work on the space station and dockyard." She began, folding her arms across her chest. "Someone who is familiar enough with Sophie's engineering and design shorthand to speed up the process on my end of the build. Issac has been with her so long he can translate it in his sleep."

Sophie snorted, nodding. Her notes had always been difficult for people to read. When she sent in official designs and reports, her notes had all been cleaned up and "dumbed down" for people outside her team using language and measurements that they would understand. But Issac was one of the very few people that saw and read the raw data she churned out. He may not realize it, but he had been learning Furling bit by bit since they began working together.

"What about keeping him secure?" Woolsey objected. "What would we tell the IOA and Homeworld Defense?"

"We tell them the truth," Jack said, hiding a tiny smirk. "Sort of. That the saboteur used a repeating relay that was found during a maintenance check on the life signs sensors in one section of the city. The triggering signal was sent from earth. The relay was removed. As for Romanov, the Spacedocks are being constructed out of the Delta site. The last of the Tok'ra are there as well as a few of the more open and technologically inclined Jaffa. It'll be hiding him in plain sight with people who are more security conscious than we are."

"Is Teal'c there?" Sophie asked, smiling.

"Occasionally."

"We would of course need to assign him a guard that could do the dual job of keeping him under surveillance until he's earned our trust again," Sam said, not unkindly. But Sophie only nodded. She knew that. Romanov had to prove himself not just capable this time around, but also as someone they could rely on. It would take time and a lot of effort. "As well as keeping him safe should whoever is behind Talia's death get to him. We have to consider that a real possibility no matter where he is."

A tiny smile broke out over the younger blond's face, growing as a tiny idea of how to help her friend bloomed in her mind. "May I suggest Malek?"

Surprised, Jack's eyes flew to the younger woman. "As a guard? You want the least trusting of the Tok'ra that ever existed, who just so happens to be at the Delta site, not because of his abilities with medical technology or technology in general but because of the fact that he doesn't trust us? The Tok'ra who actually called your programmer an incompetent fool? You want him to watch that same programmer? That Malek?"

Eyes glittering, Sophie nodded, relaxing into the chair finally. "Yes. That Malek."

"Why?" Jack asked, a bad feeling bubbling to life inside his gut. "What are you thinking, blondie?"

The tiny smile grew bigger. "I was thinking that the most suspicious person would be the least biased in his favor and so Command would be more likely to agree." Shaking her head and she chuckled softly, the blond waves undulating like waves around her face. "I also know how Romanov behaves around Malek. Malek's partner died nobly, Isacc's wife was undoubtedly tortured to death. I think they would be good for each other."

"I hate playing poker with you," Jack muttered.

"Doesn't hurt that Malek is kinda hot." Sophie teased, delighting in Jack's groan. "Beware if you have a baby girl, papa bear. Conversations only get more awkward."

Jack groaned again, growing pale at the idea.

Engineering Bay

At night, or city relative night anyway, the engineering was a vast echo chamber filled with darkness. Unless there was an emergency and it was all hands on deck. But currently, it was dark as a tomb and filled with just as many whispers. A single light lit one of the many tables in the slightly less chaotic section that filled the far back corner.

Dinner was long over, and while Ronon had eaten with her family, Sophie hadn't been there. No one seemed to think it odd. "She's just working." Her grandmother had assured him, sliding another portion of the pie she had noticed he favored onto his plate claiming that she needed to watch her girlish figure. Her husband had looked at her with a wolfish, hungry look and promised he was watching it for her and proceeded to kiss her so hard that a soldier on the other end of the dining hall was blushing.

Ronon had only smiled at their obvious love.

Kara had wondered out loud if she would soon have a brother or sister soon.

"Thought I might find you here." He murmured, seeing her bent over the touchscreen table combing through the archived plans of the city.

Hands stilling over the screen, Sophie looked up and smiled sadly. "I guess I missed dinner, huh?" Sinking onto one of the high rolling stools, she sighed, stretching her arms behind her back. "Sorry. Just had a lot on my mind."

"Heard about Romanov." Pulling another stool over beside her, he placed an apple on the table for her and pulled her stool between his legs. "You sure you did the right thing?"

"Positive." Her answer came without hesitation, but after a moment she blew out a heavy breath and slouched resting her head on his shoulder. "I just wish I had put things together sooner." She admitted. "Natty died because I wasn't fast enough and now there's nothing I can do to find her killer but to do my job and hope the MP's can do theirs. I lost two of my strongest friends because I wasn't fast enough."

Slowly his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her tighter until her knees knocked on his seat. Grunting, Ronon lifted her to straddle his lap and hugged her close as she began trembling, his shoulder growing damp under her. "Tell me why you trust him." He asked. "He tried to kill you but you trust him. Make me understand and we'll get through this together."

Slowly the story came out. In fits of silent tears that made her voice break and words fail, she told the story that had welded them together. And by the end of it, he could see why she wouldn't lose faith. He had people that he considered friends among the remaining Satedan specialists and soldiers. But nothing like this. Nothing like the missing week of time when she and Romanov had been trapped in one of the evacuation sites that they had been setting up. A relatively safe job. They had just been going the final checks on the structure. It was supposed to be a quick job that took maybe two days maximum.

They had been missing for a week. And more dead than alive when they finally got back. But Romanov had saved her life when he could have left her. And she had saved him when she had every reason to abandon him.

Loyalty was big for Furlings. And Romanov had a very small number of people he was truly loyal to.

"Then we'll find a way to get him back," Ronon murmured, stroking her hair as she calmed. "You'll keep searching through the city for anything to support his case, Rodney will track the emails, Teyla and your family will keep you sane. And when you find something that needs shot, John and I will handle that."

Sighing softly, Sophie kissed his neck in silent thanks for his support. "How did you know that's what I was doing?"

"I'm learning you." He shrugged.

Pulling back enough to look deep into his eyes, she bit her lip. "Move in with me?"

"When you marry me and not a minute before."

"That's what I was asking." A tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Furling weddings are very simple. One spouse moves in with the other, and in front of witnesses they exchange a symbol of their union. Rings or tattoos it doesn't matter. They generally answer a few questions from their high priestess, which is Gran by the way. Then they kiss and there's a party with the friends and family." She explained, twisting her fingers around one of the dreads that hung down his chest.

"Not too fast for you? Or Luka?"

She shook her head.