Title: Explanations Are Required - minor spoilers for Season 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize as much as I would like to own Rodney, John and the rest of the company and the mystery guest. I hope you recognize who it is or at least what fandom I am doing a crossover with.

Author's notes: The only fanfic I have ever written before is for the Magnificent 7 and I've only ever managed to finish two stories despite the multitude of them that I have started. However, this plot bunny took hold about an hour ago and refused to go away until I wrote it down. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you think it deserves to be continued. I think that it has unexpectedly turned into a series, also I have never posted at before, so please bear with me.

Explanations are Required

If he ever got back to Earth, he was never volunteering for anything again. In fact, He thought he'd find a nice cave somewhere and turn hermit for a few decades. His hand reached toward his back before remembering the only weapons he had with him were the pistol on his hip and the knife in his boot. Cursing he quickly decided English was far too limiting and expanded his commentary to include several very dead languages. He briefly wondered once again how he had managed to find himself in this situation before considering there was no way in hell they could have kept him from it once he had found out what was involved.

Who would have imagined that a chance meeting with one Daniel Jackson would have the US Air Force chasing him down at the university he was currently teaching at and requesting his services as a translator? Staring at the pictures of a few strange tiles and providing the requested translation from ancient Sumerian was not suppose to lead to facing space vampires on another planet in another galaxy. It especially was not supposed to involve watching said space vampires about to eat the chief scientist of the expedition. Whether people wanted to admit it or not everyone knew that McKay was their best chance of surviving in Pegasus much less ever getting home. His death and what it would do to their resident boyscout would practically guarantee that everyone would be blown to hell or worse when the next crisis occurred.

Shaking his head, he fought to bring his thoughts back in order and to focus on the current situation. He could hear the approach of Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and knew that the man would be too late to stop the Wraith from feeding and was briefly thankful that Sheppard was just ruthless enough to understand what he was about to do. That is assuming he was allowed to explain before he was killed. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the pistol, aimed and fired in one smooth motion. A hole blossomed red in the center of his target,

and he smiled grimly as the Wraith dropped Rodney's body.

He heard a disbelieving shout from Sheppard before the sound of his own gun firing at the creature that was now heading his direction was drowned out by the sound of the Colonel's P-90. When the Wraith finally collapsed a few feet away from him, he ignored the voice shouting at him and ran toward McKay's body. Kneeling down, he was abruptly pulled to his feet before he had a chance to check on Rodney. Sheppard's face was a mask of rage and sorrow and it looked like rage was winning. Ducking under the fist that was aimed at him, he caught the man in a wrestling hold listening to the invective aimed at him for a few moments before the words he was shouting over and over again penetrated the mind of the furious man who seemed intent on removing his head from his shoulders.

"What do you mean he's not dead? Look at him, he's not talking; he's not even breathing. You shot him in the heart and you say he's not dead."

Sheppard dropped to his knees and stared in disbelief at his friend all of the anger draining from him as despair took hold. Despair that was replaced by sheer panic at the sudden deep breath and gasping cough that came from what had a moment ago been the dead body of his best friend. Looking down at Rodney, John looked up at the man standing over them with a strange smile on his face as he bent down to help Rodney to his feet.

John for his part lurched to his feet and grabbed a bewildered Rodney in a brief but fierce hug before turning to the stranger.

"I think you have some explaining to do."