Greywolf Lupous- I am so proud of you! And, no, Charlie came from my own warped head. (:
Sgafan33- Glad you like it. And, as much as I love Teh Hewlett- I have to go with the fact that he said 'he' instead of 'she' in the actual show. :P
Miran Anders- thanks- 'cause I look forward to your reviews.
nebbyJ- here's more. (:

Oh yes- and I just thought I should probably clarify this before we go any further-- this story is set in-between The Brotherhood and The Siege, m'kay? Somewhere between those four eps.

And now, the stuff you actually want to read:

(5)

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Once again, I left the med lab feeling unsatisfied, and now I was more then a little worried. Carson said he could do nothing for me. The music had been a fluke, brought on by stress and sleep deprivation.

Probably.

He highly recommended I get some rest.

But I headed towards my lab instead; I needed to do something to work out this dreadful feeling of helplessness. I don't sit around idly, twiddling proverbial fingers, doing nothing. That's not me.

Besides, I remembered I still had to finish up the damn MALP. I'd figured out the problem last night, now I just needed to clean out the program and get rid of the nasty virus Kavanaugh had caused. Although, I allowed myself a satisfied smirk, it was going to be fun to tell the annoying bugger it was his fault.

"Doctor McKay."

I glanced up from my boots at the unexpected female voice. "Yes?" Teyla was standing in front of me, blocking my path with her head tilted slightly to the side. I tried to side-step her while asking, "Can I help you?"

"You are up early." she said, whirling around and blocking me once again. Smiling innocently as I grew increasingly annoyed, she inquired, "When was the last time we trained together, Doctor?"

I groaned, placing a hand over my face. Oh man, was I not in the mood for this. "Not long enough." I dropped the hand, telling her quickly, "I don't have the time to train right now Teyla. I have work to do in my lab concerning the MALP problem." And I really needed time to brood about what had just happened to me- and I tended to do my best brooding while working on something.

"Can it not wait just an hour?" she asked plaintively, lifting an eyebrow.

Yeah, probably. But she didn't need to know that. "No," I insisted, adding importantly, "Elizabeth really needs it finished."

Teyla lifted an eyebrow. "You," she poked my chest accusingly, "are a terrible liar."

I rubbed a hand across my cheek tiredly, "My eye twitched didn't it?"

She smiled apologetically, giving me a little nod.

Hm. Time to change tactics. "Teyla," I whined miserably, "I'm really not in the mood right now. I just came from Carson, and I'm exhausted, and I need time to think, and…and… " I shrugged, spreading my hands, "Really, I just don't want to get the shit kicked out of me today. Call me crazy."

She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on my arms, spinning me around and pushing me towards a transporter. "Come on. I promise, you will feel better after a bit of exercise."

I moaned and groaned, but she ignored me, swiftly leading us to the transporter and pressing the map to send us on our way.

Pouting glumly, I crossed my arms and made her push me out of the transporter and towards the training room. Fine, she wanted to train, but I wasn't going to make it easy for her.

She took my childish behavior in stride though, chatting amicably to my stony-faced silence-- as if I was being quite the good company-- leading me through the training room doors.

"Shall we try one staff, or two?" Teyla asked lightly, leaving me by the door and heading to the Athosian weapons-holder thingy she'd brought over from the mainland.

I didn't reply.

She watched me expectantly, lifting her eyebrows.

Sighing heavily as it became increasingly clear that I wasn't going to escape this, I grumbled, "Fine, fine, fine." I ran a hand over my slightly damp hair, considering. "Two?" I started hesitantly while I slid off my coat, remembering the last training session was with one stick, and that she'd beaten me down unmercifully. I'd had bruises for weeks. "Wait, wait." Two sticks just meant double the pain. "Okay, one. Just one." I tossed my coat to the side of the room, deducing that I'd made the best decision with crappy choices.

"Are you sure?" she said, sounding amused, "Perhaps we should try three?"

"Three!" I exclaimed incredulously, then quickly realized from her fleeting smile that she was messing with me. "Oh ha ha." I sneered, easily catching the long pole she tossed towards me, "Very funny."

Laughing, she slid her own staff out of its holder, spinning it around elegantly in her hands, before coming to a stop, gripping it tightly and holding it behind her back., not unlike a sword in it's sheath. "Do you remember the opening stance?" she questioned.

"Um." I glanced down at the wooden pole, feeling incredibly awkward. I put one leg slightly to the side, pointing the toe of my boot towards her while holding the stick out in front of me in a diagonal fashion. "Like this?"

She grimaced, "Close enough."

Without warning, she jumped forward, pulling the stick out from behind her back and bringing it down towards my head.

"Hey!" I cried, lifting my own pole up and barely catching hers before it would've connected with my skull. "Give a guy some warning!" I said angrily, lowering my hands.

She shook her head, saying simply, "Always be prepared." She spun then, hitting the back of my thigh smartly and with a loud crack, bringing me to my knees.

"Teyla!" I barked, rubbing a hand over the offended appendage, really pissed now. "What is your problem?"

She stared down at me, disregarding my anger and asking evenly, "Why are you still on the ground?"

I bared my teeth, pulling myself up from the floor using the stupid stick. I didn't like being bested by anyone at anything- exactly the reason why I avoided training like the plague. It just wasn't something I was very good at. One of a very few things.

Teyla's radio chirped, breaking me from my thoughts. She looked surprised, bringing a hand up to her ear.

Now, normally I wouldn't hit a lady-- let alone a lady who was distracted…

I brought my stick down around her feet, pulling it up from underneath her.

"Hey!" she cried, landing unceremoniously on her back.

"Always be prepared." I gloated cheerfully, my hands on the top of the pole, with my chin resting atop them.

She laughed from her position on the floor, "Now you seem to understand."

No hard feelings I guess. "Who was on the radio?" I asked, trying to keep the peace and holding a hand out towards her.

"Not important." She took my offered help, but surprised me by completely missing my hand and grabbing my wrist instead.

I suddenly realized what she planned to do. "Oh. Hey, wait--!"

Ignoring me, she brought up her foot, placing it firmly on my stomach while she jerked me forward hard, effectively pitching me head-over-heels above her.

Landing on my back, I rolled forward once out of momentum-- completely by accident-- coming up on unsteady feet.

Teyla was already back up on her own feet, regarding me with an impressed look. So, logically, she said, "Impressive."

"Yeah." I agreed, scratching my head thoughtfully as I regained my equilibrium. Then realizing that, I too, looked impressed-- I plastered on an arrogant smirk, grabbing my staff from the floor. "Of course."

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

We were both surprised by a loud growling noise coming from the vicinity of my belly.

Teyla lowered her stick. "Have you not had breakfast yet?" she asked concernedly.

Though I really wasn't hungry, I jumped at the chance to end this torture. "No I haven't," I said, patting my stomach for emphasis, "which is bad, since, as I'm sure you know, I'm hypoglycemic."

"Yes." She smiled, "I believe you have mentioned it once or twice."

Deciding to use this advantage of Teyla being worried about my general health; I headed towards the weapons-holder, saying regretfully as I began to put the pole in it's proper place, "Well, I guess we'll just have to cut this short today. As much fun as it was…"

She nodded, coming up next to me, "Of course, but I hope you're feeling a little better? I know training always seems to help me--"

"Get down, get down!" Hank whispered from behind me.

Ducking behind the bush, I held up a finger to my mouth. "Shut up! She'll hear you!"

"Well with you gawking like that, she'll see you!"

I punched him in the shoulder, quickly returning my attention back to Angela's window. "Oh, hey hey!" I waved a hand behind me, spotting someone moving behind the curtains, "She's back from the shower!"

Hank jumped forward, nearly shoving me out of his way so he could get a better look.

"Watch it!" I hissed, but stared fixatedly at the window, seeing Angela's shadow move across quickly, messing with her hair or something. "Oh man, oh man."

"Yeah!" Hank agreed, peering over the bush excitedly. Then he turned his head slightly to the right, asking, "Hey, did you hear that Rodney?"

"What?" I asked, annoyed. "No, I didn't hear anything."

He looked over at me, saying nervously, "It sounded like a car door, eh?"

I stared at him, demanding, "Who cares about a car! Angela is naked up there!"

Hank blinked, shaking his head slightly as he focused back on the second story window. "You're right."

Glad to see him come to his senses, I returned to trying to get x-ray vision as I stared at the flimsy white curtains.

Angela was in the middle of slipping into a shirt when a soft voice that was obviously not Hank's whispered next to me, "Having fun boys?"

I fell to the side, grasping my chest and trying not to cry out.

"What the--"

Angela's eighteen year old boyfriend was crouched behind us, elbows resting on his knees. And he wasn't amused.

Hank didn't even try not to scream.

"Run for it!" I cried, gathering my wits and darting out from behind the bushes.

A moment later the deep voice bellowed, "You're dead!" and I felt a rock whiz by my ear- just missing--

"Doctor!"

I blinked rapidly, breathing out, "Huh?"

Teyla was grasping my arm, shaking ferociously and turning me to face her.

"Doctor McKay?"

I was confused, trying to remember if I was a twelve year old peeping tom being chased by an angry boyfriend, or lead astrophysicist for Atlantis on a top-secret mission in the Pegasus Galaxy. "Teyla." I said, focusing on her worried face and trying to dislodge the stunningly clear memory. "Yes. Problem?"

She peered at me intently. "I have been calling your name for almost a minute. I was about to get Doctor Beckett on the radio."

"A minute?" I asked, stunned. Had I really just been that lost in memories that I hadn't even registered her talking to me? First the music, and now this… What was going on with me? "Oh, and you don't want to call Beckett." I narrowed my eyes, thinking back to my recent trips to the med lab and informing her, "He's been completely useless lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that." she said, still looking rather anxious.

I glanced down at my hands, realizing I was still holding the long pole. Placing it back in it's holder, I turned as Teyla said, "Well then. Shall we go get breakfast?"

"What?" I grimaced slightly. Even before this strange vision-thing I'd been planning on blowing her off. "Together?" It's not that I didn't enjoy Teyla's company, it was just that I wasn't hungry, and I really wanted to get to my lab and work off some of this confusion I was feeling.

She frowned, "I am trying very hard not to be offended by that."

"What? Oh. Oh!" I waved my hands wildly, realizing what I'd said. "No, no, no! I didn't mean-- I just… uhm." I cleared my throat, deciding to start over. Having Teyla upset with me was not high on my 'to-do' list; the woman could be surprisingly nasty. Placing my hands together, I asked the Athosian, "Would you like to go get some breakfast together, Teyla?"

She nodded graciously, "Much better. And yes, I would."

We walked towards the mess hall side by side, with her chatting about her recent trip to visit the Athosians on the mainland and me half-heartedly pretending to listen while I played with the zipper on my coat.

God, I just wanted to go back to my lab and work. Alone.

I glanced over at Teyla, who was in the middle of laughing about something Jinto had done. Why was she suddenly so interested in my company anyway? Outside of training and missions, we rarely associated with one another. She was a nice enough person, sure, but she and I just… well, when I talk, she probably only understands about half of what I say-- and truthfully, I always thought she found me a little annoying.

"It really was quite funny." Teyla finished with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah." I said, letting the zipper go and trying not to let on that I had no idea what she was talking about. "Ha. Sounds it."

The mess hall doors parted for us, and Teyla headed towards the trays while I broke off and decided to get some of that coffee substitute they'd been serving ever since the real stuff ran out two weeks ago.

That had been a day to mourn. Or rather, not that day, but the many blurry eyed mornings that followed.

Grabbing one of the tin cups from the counter, I held it underneath the little machine, pulling the lever and watching disinterestedly as the small cup filled. Flicking the lever off, I lifted it to my nose, taking an appreciative sniff. Whatever this stuff actually was, it sure smelled good enough to be real.

I took a tiny sip, pulling it away immediately and grimacing. Now taste… I coughed,entirely different matter there.

Turning around, I saw Teyla seating herself at an empty table, already digging into her breakfast.

Heading towards her, and with only a slight sigh (something I was immensely proud of), I realized the mess hall was actually quiet- an unusual occurrence. But it was still early, so only the real morning people were up right now, and that meant mostly military folk.

As I was about to take my seat, the doors to the outdoor balcony swooshed open, and a young sergeant came running in, calling excitedly, "Hey! Hey, everybody! You gotta' come out here and see this!"

Then, quite abruptly, he disappeared out the doors again.

Exchanging quick and curious glances, Teyla and I, and nearly everyone else in the room, temporarily abandoned their breakfasts and followed the young man back outside.

"What is it?" someone asked as I walked up to the outer railings with Teyla at my side. The sergeant was pointing out towards the expansive ocean, that look of excitement still clear on his face.

It was contagious.

"Just wait for it." he said.

I looked back out at the never-ending blue, surveying the still waters, a cool morning breeze nearly as invigorating as the so sorely missed coffee. It really was nice out here. Idly, I thought about how I never got to appreciate the beauty of this place-- being holed up in the lab all the time, or on another planet… most likely with people trying to kill me. So, scenery wasn't high on my list. It was… well, nice.

I finally understood why the Major liked taking those morning jogs of his. Not saying I would be doing that anytime soon, but I understood.

Gazing over the shimmering water and clasping the warm cup in my hands, I glanced over at the sergeant, getting that first glimmer of impatience. He was still watching the serene water though, eagerness in his very visage. I turned the cup around in my hands, looking back out while asking, "When--"

Suddenly, the ocean exploded.

That's really the only way to describe it. One moment, all was peaceful, and then -- only about forty feet away from where we were standing, a huge creature-- no, no, that's not right-- did I say huge? I meant massive-- creature burst from the ocean, looking impossibly majestic against the early morning sky.

"Holy crap." I breathed as the animal froze in a picture-perfect dive, hearing various gasps and other announcements of shock from others all around me.

The creature hung in the air for another moment, very clearly defying gravity, before crashing down once again, frothy water flying everywhere.

"There were more of them earlier." the sergeant told us after a period of shocked silence, a grin lighting up his face, "I counted at least five."

Five? I turned back to the water, numerous waves spreading every which way, the only proof that the creature had ever been there at all. It didn't seem possible that two animals of that size could share the same ocean, let alone five.

"I… have never seen anything like that." Teyla said in obvious awe.

I had to agree. "Though it did look sort of like a whale…" that earned me doubtful looks from everyone, so I amended the statement with, "Maybe a whale's big brother."

The sergeant laughed, "Emphasis on the big."

"An Earth animal?" Teyla asked me, still with that amazed face.

"Yep." I took a sip from the cup, watching the shimmering waves and wondering when it had become normal for an alien woman from another galaxy to ask me about animals from my home planet. I laughed slightly to myself. And since when had it become normal to refer to Earth as my home planet? Man… strange life I led. "Somebody had better name them before Lieutenant Ford catches wind of this." I said with a small smirk, glancing down at the tendrils of steam rising from my cup.

That got a few laughs, and the sergeant whose name I couldn't remember for the life of me said, "Oh right. Good idea. Would you like the honors, Dr. McKay?"

"Oh no." I said, holding up a hand. I knew if I chose the name, no matter how good it was, I'd get a ribbing from Sheppard for it later on. "You found them. You should, uh, probably be the one to name them."

"All right…" He rubbed his hands together, a pensive look on his face. "Hey!" he exclaimed, looking up at the expectant faces around him, "What about Bales? Huh? You know, whale, and then with a 'b' from big brother. Bales. Get it?"

Not very imaginative, but he looked so happy with himself that I couldn't say anything. Everyone else exchanged shrugs, and little 'meh's' of being unimpressed.

He glared at them. "I like it. And like McKay said, I found 'em, I name 'em."

I grimaced, not wanting credit for any part in the naming of the Bales. Time to take my leave. Turning to Teyla, I told her, "Life calls. Work to do and all that."

She nodded. "Certainly." And it was said all understandably of course; as if she hadn't been making me keep her company all morning. Some people...

I left her on the balcony with the others, all of which were excitedly discussing the Bales; only stopping by the coffee machine to top off my cup again, which had chilled slightly in the cool morning weather.

I pulled the lever.

I slammed the locker closed with my shoulder, sifting through the contents in my backpack, making sure I wasn't leaving any books behind. I was already running late-- damn chess club- and I knew I'd missed the bus by at least a half hour. I'd be walking home today.

"Hey, McKay!"

I closed my eyes briefly.

Crap. I thought I'd avoided him today. Zipping up the backpack and turning around, I slung the strap over my shoulder, saying as casually as I could manage, "What do you want?"

Kurt stood there with hands stuffed in his pockets, two of his ever-present buddies looking very much like menacing body-guards on either side of him. He pulled a hand out, dusting off the little 'C' on his jacket while asking, "Do you have it?"

"Have what?" I asked, playing dumb and stalling for time. Of course I knew what he wanted. Calculus homework. But there'd just been no time to do it last night; I'd barely finished my own stuff, practically passing out on the desk in my room around two in the morning. A person like me doesn't get to have a light workload.

Kurt laughed, but there was no humor in it. "And here I thought you were one of the smart guys." The smile disappeared from his face, and he took a step forward, his henchman flexing their muscles and following suit.

I swallowed, matching him with a step backward, pushing myself up against the lockers lining the hallway.

"You know what I'm talking about." he said, shoving a finger hard into my chest. "Now, where is it?"

I opened my mouth, but for once in my life, I couldn't think of anything to say. Usually I was prepared with some cocky retort, but… damn. I was dead on my feet, and I'd really thought I wouldn't have to deal with this today.

"Where is it!" he growled, adding an almost desperate sounding, "I need it!"

My anger flared at that, immediately covering up the fear of having the shit kicked out of me, I pushed his finger away from my chest, hissing back, "Hey! Here's a crazy idea! Try doing your own homework Kurt!"

"You…" His hand shot forward again, grabbing a handful of my shirt, while his other arm cocked back, fist held tightly, "You asked for this."

But before he could let loose, one of his buddies nudged him hard in the side, whispering, "Hey, hey! Drop him! Teacher's comin'!"

Surprised, I followed the looks of the others, relief flooding through me when I saw the gym teacher standing at the end of the hall, watching us with crossed arms. Talk about great timing, I thought, smiling stupidly. There was no love-lost between me and Mr. Drew, but even he wouldn't let Kurt pound on another student.

My would-be assailant's hands immediately retracted back into his pockets, calling with forced cheerfulness, "Hey coach!"

"Kurt." he said, still watching us carefully from the his post by the door. "Did you turn in your work to Mrs. Simpson yet?"

His jaw flexed as he answered, "Nah, I was… I was just getting it sir."

Oh come on, I scoffed mentally, looking back over at Drew. It couldn't be more obvious what was really going on.

Hey, I thought in that relieved way that came when the adrenaline started dissipating, maybe Kurt would get suspended for this! Perhaps even expelled!

Mr. Drew frowned. "You know if you don't get this turned in, you're kicked off the team?"

The taller boy ran a frustrated hand through his hair, saying, "Yeah, yeah I know."

"We need you on this team." Drew went on in a scolding tone, actually sounding disappointed in his dream student, which was definitely not usual. "It's your responsibility to get your work done."

"I know coach." Kurt said apologetically, "I know. It won't happen again."

Drew nodded. "Good." He looked back over at me, standing with back pressed against the lockers. Still holding eye contact with me, he told Kurt in a frighteningly dispassionate voice, "Get it done, then."

Get it… what? I glanced back at Kurt, who was actually smiling again. What did that mean?

I didn't understand why Drew was turning away then. My brain refused to understand it even as Kurt called happily, "Yes sir!"

And suddenly- I understood.

Horrified, I stepped forward, yelling desperately, "Mr. Drew!"

He just kept walking.

"Shut up McKay." Kurt said, pushing me hard against the lockers.

I ignored him. "Mr. Drew!" I yelled again, my adolescent voice cracking.

But he didn't stop… and neither did Kurt.

Pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

"Ow! Holy-- Goddamn!" I howled, dropping the tin cup and pulling my hand out from underneath the coffee machine, finally registering what it was that was hurting me.

Grimacing, I cradled the injured hand gently against my chest while I dimly realized I was in the quiet mess hall of Atlantis-- and not being tormented by a bully in high school. But… shit, it had seemed so real…

Oh God, what was happening to me?

I couldn't think about it now. The pain wouldn't let me, and though I didn't want to, after seeing the harsh red skin enveloping my hand, I knew I had to go see Carson about this.

Looking down, I saw that the coffee machine was still running; the brown liquid spreading all over the floor and going around my shoes. I flicked off the lever with my good hand, stepping over the mess and heading for the doors.

As I walked towards the med lab, thoughts dwelling on my recent blasts to the past, I tried not to think that I might be going crazy.

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tbc

-- Sorry it took longer for this update. But I hope the length makes up for it? Or the content? Hm?

:P