A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been working on other things. This chapter is a lot of romance stuff and Ford stuff.
John and Teyla were still awake, even though it was quite late. The fire was low and still warm, casting dancing shadows on their faces. Teyla stroked the tiny head on her lap, knowing how exhausted the child was. John was staring sidelong at the two of them; the two girls he cared most about, though he would never admit it. Ever since the knowledge had come about that Jessalyn was his daughter in another version of his life, he had felt an inexplicable care for her safety. Probably his paternal instinct kicking in.
Teyla felt his gaze and secretly smiled. John was one of the few men she felt comfortable around and accepted by. The others were Drs. McKay and Beckett. Previously, there had also been Lieutenant Ford. But John was the only man she felt purely safe with. As long as he was there, she would be fine; If she were to be wrapped in his arms, nothing could hurt her. She could tell John liked her; he liked her a lot, actually. She had known and tried to dissuade him from it. As handsome and charming as he was, he had still been a stranger. He had attempted to charm her into trusting him by bring open and honest. He had said that he liked Ferris wheels and football, if she remembered correctly.
"So," came the throaty voice, "Is she asleep?"
"Yes, I believe she is." Teyla replied.
"Good, good," John smiled wickedly. "C'mere for a minute."
Jessalyn awoke with sun jumping around the room. She smiled slowly at the scene before her: John holding Teyla and both of them asleep. Deciding to not wake them, she tried to get up from her position on the floor quietly. A floorboard creaked; she cringed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she didn't disturb them. 'Mmm, breakfast. Where's the kitchen?'
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Elizabeth sat next to Rodney on the couch in his room. She was snuggled up to him, her legs folded to the side, wrapped in his arms.
He had always stood at her side, professionally; close enough to see every thought flitting across her face, to take in her fragrance of coffee and lavender. Tonight, he wasn't sure if his senses were distorted, but her sweet scent was more intoxicating than ever before. He had to make sure not to breathe too deeply for fear of becoming overwhelmed with feelings sometimes described as lust.
"So tell me," Elizabeth began, in a voice husky with drowsiness, "Tell me what it's like in Canada. I've only been there for a conference."
"Canada," Rodney thought of his homeland, "Is a very nice place. If, of course, you didn't grow up with my family. I didn't have the best childhood, so I turned to music."
"Music?" she asked, tiredly. Being that she was almost asleep, the extent of her thought was, 'Man, he has a great voice. Very sexy.'
"Yeah, the piano."
"Mmm?" was the noncommittal reply.
"Yeah, I quit because my parents and instructor didn't think I could play well."
"Mmm," this time, it was sympathetic.
"Hey, just a question, do you miss Earth? Or, more specifically, anyone in particular?" Rodney asked, tentatively, somewhat fearing the answer. There was silence and he moved to wake the woman next to him then thought better of it. She seemed so peaceful.
"No," came the soft voice, almost a moan, bringing a sweet smile to his lips.
They stayed like that for how long, Rodney didn't know; it seemed eternal. Elizabeth was positioned so that she was leaning against his chest, which made his pulse race and yet felt so natural. His arms were clasped loosely around her; he could feel her chest rising and falling in a soft, slow rhythm.
He must have fallen asleep, for the next thing he knew was Elizabeth shifting slightly in his arms. Light was streaming in through the windows. 'It almost looks like home,' he thought. Loud laughter echoed through the corridor and infiltrated into the room. Someone knocked on the door, calling boisterously for Rodney to let them in.
"It's John," Rodney told her softly, "Come on in!"
"Auntie Elizabeth! Uncle Rodney!" called Jessalyn, almost flying into the room. "Hi!" She bounced onto the other end of the couch, staring excitedly at the two of them.
"You two look comfortable," John remarked, smirking slyly at his friends.
"Good morning to you too!" Rodney snapped, back to his old self again. The self that hadn't slept enough and hadn't had coffee yet. He didn't want to show the secret soft side to John just yet. As a barrier, he became grumpy, grouchy and just unpleasant to be around.
"Hey, how was the trip?" Elizabeth asked, trying not to show just how comfortable she really was.
"It was very….enjoyable," Teyla answered kindly, still struggling with the language. She was also trying not to give away how much she had liked it.
"Very enjoyable," John interjected. Elizabeth shot him a 'don't-go-there' look and he had the grace to look embarrassed. Jessalyn giggled at her (sort of) father's behavior.
"What happened here?" John had obviously gotten over his embarrassment very quickly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, mouth twitching in amusement.
"Ford remembers nothing, or so he claims," Rodney answered skeptically, deciding to ignore the innuendo behind John's comment.
"Really?" John asked, losing his entire joking manner, "He's awake?"
"Yeah, Carson'll probably let you see him if you want to."
"Yeah, I guess I should. Hey," he squatted next to Jessalyn, "Do ya wanna stay here with Eli- Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Rodney or come with me? Actually, maybe you should stay here, if that's ok with you?" he addressed the cozy couple on the couch.
"Yes," Elizabeth answered as Rodney drew breath to protest, "that would be lovely."
"Lovely?" Rodney snorted under his breath; Elizabeth elbowed him, hard, much to the delight of Jessalyn.
"John?" she asked, once she had gotten her sniggers under control, "Can I call you dad yet?" John stared speechless, which was a weird thing for him. He decided to do the right thing and not disappoint her.
"Sure," his voice was soft and husky with emotion. The usual clear, chocolate eyes were full of conflicting sentiments, but they still held the usual good humor of this happy-go-lucky man.
"Uh, Teyla," John cleared his throat, "Y'wanna come with me to see Ford? I'd love to have some company."
"I will go with you." She consented with a nod.
"So, let's go, shall we? Bye, you two. See ya, Jessalyn."
"Bye John, Teyla." Elizabeth called to the two retreating figures.
"Story time!" cried Jessalyn, jumping on the couch like a very excited puppy.
"Ok, what do you want to hear?" Elizabeth inquired.
"How the two of you met," she stated with a smirk uncannily like her father's.
"Oh, what a story," Elizabeth teased. "Well, it all started one fateful day in Antarctica. We were setting up the base and he was trying to figure out some obscure problem or another. I walked in on him 'strongly disagreeing' with Dr. Zelenka. I didn't really want to interrupt, they were having so much fun, but I did anyways. What was it that you said to me?" she turned to Rodney, who was looking embarrassed at having to relieve the humiliating ordeal.
"Uh, I think it was something to the effect of 'Go away-I'm working and don't want to deal with you.'" He cringed a bit as he said it.
"Yes, that was it. Then, he saw Zelenka's reaction as to who I was and turned around," she smiled wickedly at the memory, "The look on his face was priceless! He said to me, 'Hello. And you are….?' When I told him, he actually had the grace to look embarrassed. And, he actually stayed silent for, oh, I don't know, two minutes? Can you believe that?" Elizabeth feigned shock while grinning widely at his indignant face.
"Yes, well, I had just screamed at the leader of this expedition. My female commanding officer," he stressed the word. He continued on, defensively, "And I was very pleasant after that. I showed you around and everything; whereas Radek just stood and stared at you."
"Rodney!" Elizabeth admonished, looking scandalized.
"Well he did! He always does. That's all he does: sit and stare. It's understandable but odd. I mean, he makes it a bit too obvious, if ya see what I'm sayin'. Even for people who aren't as brilliant as I am," he mocked. She rolled her eyes then laughed, slapping him playfully on the arm.
"Hey, hey!" Rodney held up his hands to fend off her blows. It was rather difficult seeing that she had stood up and he was still sitting. He finally got a hold of one of her wrists and twisted her in such a way that she collapsed onto his lap. They stayed that was for a minute; just staring at each other and the position they were in. She was warm to his touch and that warmth sent…something coursing through him, as good as any coffee buzz he had ever had.
"Awww!" the two turned to Jessalyn, "Look, the two lovebirds!" she cackled, sounding very much like John.
"Rodney!" Elizabeth finally found her vocal cords, "I am a lady; you do not treat a lady in such a way!"
"Since when is it my fault?" he played along, "You were hitting me! You started it!"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly seeing what time it was, "I need to send AR-3 out in a little while. We better go!"
"Oh, right! Let's go; Jessalyn, ya ready?" Rodney was already in his room, changing into his other short-sleeve blue shirt. "Elizabeth? What about you?" he came out in a new shirt, his hair a little mussed.
"No, I'll be fine, I guess. Thanks, though. Let's get going."
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Jessalyn skipped ahead, often turning back to grimace at her Aunt and Uncle, complaining that they were too slow. Leading the way to the gateroom, she nearly ran into a very agitated Kavanagh. She looked up and grimaced in a menacing way; she loved to torment this really annoying man.
"You almost ran me over!" he cried; he was escorting a young Athosian boy around her age. Turning on the charm and flipping her chocolate brown hair, she sauntered up to the boy, completely ignoring the shouting old man.
"Hey," she drawled, her eyes the same color of her hair lighting up, "I'm Jessalyn. What's your name?"
"Hello. I am Kenti," he scanned her face, " You are very pretty and remind me pf someone I know." Kenti bit his lip, thinking hard, "Possibly Teyla Emmagen."
"You know Teyla?" surprise showed on her face.
"Yes, of course. She is my people's leader."
"Ahhh," was all Jessalyn said; a smile growing on her radiant face.
"Your kid," Kavanagh pronounced the word with absolute distaste, "Nearly ran me over. I have to get down to the labs, as do you, McKay. So if you'll excuse me…."
"Come on," Elizabeth said to Jessalyn, who was talking animatedly to Kenti, and Rodney, who was staring after Kavanagh with such loathing. "Let's go to the gateroom."
"Lead on, MacDuff!" Jessalyn cried, having been pried away from Kenti.
"Now that she got from John," Rodney grimaced as Elizabeth grinned.
AR-3 was waiting for the ok to go. The minute Elizabeth walked in, she changed from playful to professional. Rodney struggle hard to follow suit, his mind wandering to random thoughts about life and love in general. He tried to pull himself back to what the other team's mission was.
"….Good luck." Elizabeth finished with her standard phrase and a warm smile. The gate engaged; the figures stepped through, none showing any hesitation or fear at all.
"Dr. Weir," Lt. Taittinger called from the control room balcony as the gate shut down, "Dr. Beckett needs you and Dr. McKay in the infirmary. He says it's urgent."
XOXOXOXOXOXO
"Carson!" Elizabeth cried softly, "Where are you?"
"'Ere, love. There you are, and Rodney and Jessalyn. Good." The Scot sounded distracted.
"What happened?" Rodney asked, more concerned for his ragged-looking doctor than for anything else right then.
"It's Ford" was all the gooddoctor said, but it was enough.
Rodney, Elizabeth, and Jessalyn followed the troubled doctor to the room especially for people deemed "special cases." There they saw the man who had once been Lieutenant Aiden Ford. No longer was there the young man with exuberance and good health; in his place, there lay a skeletal, sedated shell being watched by two doctors and several guards.
"Oh, Aiden," Elizabeth whispered, already feeling the loss of a good man and a good friend. "Carson, what exactly happened?"
"Well," he started, "After you two left, he drifted back to sleep. A few hours after that, he woke up and went crazy again. We 'ad to sedate 'im," he sighed.
"Did he say anything specific?" Rodney asked, quickly becoming his analytical self, trying to figure out what and why.
"Well, he said some things about taking over the planet, the galaxy, but I can only assume that's the Wraith speaking?" Carson pronounced the last as a question rather than a statement.
"Yes, assume," Rodney replied distractedly. Carson knew his friend well enough that when Rodney spoke in two word sentences, he was thinking and not to be disturbed or he got angry. "But how? Makes no sense. Radek?" Rodney tapped his earpiece.
"Yes?" came the heavy accent.
"What do we know about the Wraith's ability to control people? Besides Teyla's thing."
"Ford? Well, we do know that they have a very advanced technology, very much like the Goa'uld, but, other than that….." Zelenka left the sentence open.
"No documents, artifacts, anything? 'K, I'm going down to the labs. Meet me there in oh, say, 15 minutes?"
"Rodney. I do not believe we have any-"
"Meet me there," Rodney finalized, edge creeping into his voice. He didn't like being contradicted at all, but especially where his friends were concerned. "Thanks Carson," he looked the tried man in the eye and that look said more than Rodney could ever vocally express. After all, he had a reputation to maintain.
"Thank you, you've done so much. Go get some rest," Elizabeth said softly, "We can't have our main doctor being sick." They grinned at each other, Carson nodding slightly to her "order".
"Hey," he looked down at the girl at his feet, "If it makes you feel any better, I find you quite dishy," she actually had the audacity to wink at him and laugh hysterically. "You should see the look on your face!" she squealed.
"How old are ye, darlin'"
"9 and a half years old," Jessalyn answered proudly.
"Well then, shouldn't you be concentrating on someone your own age?" he winked, "Not that I mind, o' course."
"I am. Kenti is my almost boyfriend. But I like your voice. And your eyes. And you have a very pretty smile," she grinned almost wolfishly.
"Aren't you a cheeky little thing? Thank you, but I think you need to leave." He nodded to Rodney and Elizabeth, who were standing by the door, speaking in low tones.
"Nope," to his raised eyebrows, she added, "I'm here as long as you want." Carson coughed gently,
"I'm not sure where you got that from. I do think you need to leave, though. Not that I want you to, " he added hastily at her tearful expression, "But your escorts are leaving."
"Oh, okay. Bye-bye Carson." She hugged him fiercely.
"Oh. Bye darlin'. See you later," he gazed almost wistfully after the group
Ok, so that was it. The usual: please review but no flames, please.