So How Did I Meet Your Mom Again?8

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters or story lines. No infringement is intended upon anyone or any subsidiary connected to Stargate: Atlantis or its parent series, Stargate: SG-1 or Stargate The Movie. I'm poor, you'll get nothing out of me!

Summary: When the team discovers McKay's future daughter living with their trading partners, the search is on for the mother because his daughter will have to be conceived in 16 months or cease to exist. No pressure, right?

Rating: PG for language.

Warnings: Possibly some adult situations or at least ideas.

Category: Friendship/Romance/Humor

Author note: I'm going to try to work Taylor back into the story without it being too obvious. I want her to become a part of McKay's life without him really realizing it, so chapters will shorter and have less shocking conclusions revealed. And, I realized I've made a mistake with the other chapters. McKay does have a sister, which I forgot, but for the sake of the story, we're going to pretend he doesn't so I don't have to rewrite it (I'm very lazy). Okay, here goes! Wish me luck!

"Rodney?" Elizabeth asked surprised. She had come in a few minutes early to the briefing, as was her style, only to see Rodney sitting at his customary seat, typing away at his laptop. "Did you need to speak to me about something?"

"Not really. I just thought that maybe I should go on the mission later today." He said nonchalantly, as if asking to go on milk runs with other teams was the most natural thing in the world for him to do.

"Does this have anything to do with Isabel?" Weir asked gently, trying to get to the real reason.

Rodney looked surprised at the question. Wow, I haven't thought about that situation since yesterday. "No. I'm just having a problem with an Ancient device I can't figure out, and I thought that maybe walking away from it for a while would help me look at it with fresh eyes, you know?"

Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. Rodney who complained bitterly every time they took him away from his lab actually wanted to leave it? Voluntarily? And on such an easy mission that he was guaranteed to be bored senseless on it? Were her ears deceiving her?

She looked at Rodney, but could come up with no reason to tell him 'no,' so she said, "Fine." and had a seat, still looking at him curiously as he returned to typing. At exactly 7:30 by her watch, Captain Hanks filed in with the rest of the people going on the mission later that day. Two soldiers she didn't know and the Lt. she had met almost a week ago as well as Carson Beckett and two nurses she recognized, but couldn't remember the names of.

Rodney saw Alex, or Lexi as he couldn't stop thinking of her as since this morning, enter and couldn't help but think she cleaned up nice. Her bird's nest was now sleek, shiny, light brown hair the color of caramel that fell to her shoulders, although he knew she put it up for missions. Her uniform was clean and perfectly creased and he assumed she must have put on a touch of makeup because her skin had none of the redness in the cheeks of the last few times he had really seen her. Although both times I saw her she had been exercising and I was too much in shock last night to have noticed, so who knows? Now that her hair was out of her face, he could see her eyes without a problem. They were a clear, focused, dark blue like the ocean during a storm and were looking right at him! He gave her a quick grin as she approached to sit, but Carson sat in the seat he had been trying to keep open for her without being too obvious. He glared at Carson. Bloody Scot! You'll pay for that!

Elizabeth watched Rodney's face carefully out of the corner of her eye to see if he recognized the Lt., and to her amazement, not only did he recognize her, he gave her a quick grin when she caught him staring, which he immediately covered up with a scowl when Carson had a seat in the only open chair next to him. The Lt. sat on the other side of Carson. Interesting.

"Dr. McKay?" Captain Hanks interrupted her musings. "I wasn't aware that you were going on the mission today."

"Yes, well," Rodney said with his usual gusto, "life is full of surprises isn't it? Elizabeth okayed it, so I'm not sure I see what the problem is." He finished downright snarkily.

Hanks held up his hands in surrender and Elizabeth started the briefing before McKay could antagonize anyone else. Today is shaping up to be an interesting day.

Elizabeth was just getting up for a second cup of coffee when she saw Sheppard bounding up the stairs to her office. Sighing, she sat back down.

"Elizabeth! I just came from Rodney's lab and he's not there. Zelenka said he went on a mission?" He asked out of breath. He had probably run the whole way from Rodney's lab.

"It's not a dangerous mission. In fact, they should be back any minute now. They just had to drop off some medical supplies and Carson was going to give them a rundown of how to use it. Why? Is there a problem?" She asked, worried now.

"No, no problem. I just couldn't see Rodney going on such an easy mission where there's nothing for him to do." John said confused.

"I couldn't either when I saw him the conference room this morning. I have a feeling though, that there was another reason he wanted to go besides getting out of the lab for a few hours." She said with a knowing grin.

"Oh?" Asked Sheppard, intrigued.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer when the off-world activation alarm went off. "You can see for yourself in a minute." She said walking over the control panel where the technician cleared Captain Hanks to come through.

She watched the team come through in good spirits and realized why when McKay exited the gate last with Taylor, who was laughing at something McKay had said while he grinned smugly. Guess he left the snarking behind today. She looked over at Sheppard and saw that his eyebrows were approaching his hairline and smiled at the sight. Seemed like Rodney had made a new friend.

John wasn't sure what Elizabeth meant when she said he only had to wait a minute to find out, but when the team came through and he saw Rodney obviously flirting with Lt. Taylor, he had a very good idea what she had been trying to convey. Hmm. Possible new friend? Or more possibly a new love interest?

Alex wasn't sure what she had expected when she had first gone off-world with the infamous Rodney McKay, but she had tried her best not to be biased. While it was true that he was arrogant, self-centered and whined a lot, he was also funny, charming and cute when he wasn't complaining or putting someone down.

She had also noticed that on this second trip, he hadn't made so much as one derogatory comment about anyone, and instead told her stories of some of Carson's funnier off-world exploits while he glared at Rodney, unable to do anything else because of the villagers watching his demonstration with rapt attention. Both she and Rodney had laughed at some of Carson's expressions when Rodney started telling jokes involving Scots or sheep loudly enough for Carson to hear. Being with Rodney ended her homesickness and made her feel like she wasn't alone, and she could tell that Rodney was happier for their time spent together as well.

Looking up she caught the eyes of both Sheppard and Weir observing them and so quickly made her excuses to Rodney and promised to meet him at breakfast the next morning. He quickly agreed and gave her a smile as she turned to leave. "See you later Rodney."

In a voice pitched low so only she would hear, he said, "See ya, Lexi!" and walked off smirking as he felt her glare at the back of his head. Oh yes, he was quickly learning how to push her buttons!

Author's Note: Please review or I won't post the next chapter for a week! I'm not above threats and blackmail!