Author's Note: I wrote this story months and months ago and looked at it a few days ago. I'd originally written this to send into an SGA fanzine, but my e-mails were probably lost in the black hole of the internet and I never heard back - so all the better for you guys! A little longer than the usual one shot, and more of a family and background focus than a romantic one. Thanks to PurpleYin for betaing and AniLuLu for helping me choose a title! I hope you guys enjoy.
Spoilers: SG1's "Redemption" and "48 Hours"; SGA's "Letters From Pegasus"and "The Siege Part III"
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (I suppose the interpretation of Jeannie and Rodney's father, but whatever. If you really want to steal them, you must be desperate) or, well...anything having to do with SGA.You guys know the drill.


-I'd like to thank whoever nominated my stories "The Blonde Effect" and "Obvious Heart" for the Isis Awards. I'm really excited just to be nominated; that someone actually enjoys my stories enough to nominate them. The Isis Awards is basically the Stargate Fan Awards, but with focus on het pairings other than Sheppard/Weir (and Jack/Sam for SG1). There are several great stories nominated, so if you haven't already, check it out at isis dot worldstowander dot com.Votingbegins on February 15 so be sure to look over the noms and make your choices!-

More Than Useless

Elizabeth Weir took a deep breath as she strolled along the sidewalk leading to a large brick house, the gold numbers beside the front door glittering in the sunlight. She wrapped her arms around herself as a light breeze fluttered past. The sound of her heels clicking against the concrete was strikingly loud against the relative silence of the neighborhood. Looking at the upstairs level of the house, Elizabeth tried to imagine Rodney McKay growing up there. Somehow, this house didn't seem to suit him. She smiled as she walked up to the door, knocking on the wood briskly. It opened a few seconds later, and Elizabeth was taken aback for a moment. There was a broad-chested, bald man standing in the doorway, his body blocking the entrance. His belly hung over the waistband of his jeans, and he was staring at her with such distaste, a look akin to the welcoming stare a termite would receive crawling its way into his home.

Elizabeth tried not to judge people before she got to know them, but animosity was simply radiating off of the man. She lifted her chin and set back her shoulders before speaking, suddenly glad that she had chosen to wear a suit – she had a meeting scheduled immediately after this errand, so it was out of necessity that she had worn it, but that coincidence now served another purpose.

She introduced herself with a tight, curt voice, "Hello, my name is Doctor Elizabeth Weir." When she spoke, she placed emphasis on the word doctor, having an acute feeling that this man cared more about her credentials than her personality. That is, if he cared at all about the identity of the woman standing on his front porch.

"Yeah?" he didn't bother to introduce himself, looking her over before asking crossly, "What do you want?"

"I would like to speak with Jean McKay," Elizabeth said, her voice firm and commanding.

"Jeannie? Why?" he looked at her suspiciously with narrowed green eyes. Elizabeth suppressed the urge to snap a witty retort at him and unflinchingly met his gaze.

"Air Force business," she deadpanned, neither her voice nor her face betraying anything. Maybe she was bending the truth a little – but it was worth the look the man gave her. Studying him, Elizabeth had the nagging suspicion that this was Rodney's father. She could see the similarities in their faces – though, in her opinion, those cheekbones belonged to a better man elsewhere.

"Did that little twit screw that up, too? I knew he wouldn't be able to keep a job like that." He straightened up, eyes assessing her for the first time. Elizabeth clenched her jaw for a moment before speaking again.

"Who are you talking about?" she questioned diplomatically, though she had a very good idea of who he meant. Ethics told her to assume the best of people, but it was hard to think of this man as containing something other than the rudeness he'd displayed so far.

"Rodney," he replied, and Elizabeth had never heard his name uttered with such venom, even by Major Sheppard when the two were in a fiery argument. But even then…it was different when John said it, because she knew it was in the heat of the moment. The way this man said Rodney's name was something else, he said it with unadulterated hatred of the man attached to that name.

"Listen, I need to speak to Miss McKay as soon as possible. I have another meeting at 1600 hours," Elizabeth kept her anger firmly in check. The man stepped away from the doorway and pushed the door open, allowing her entrance into the house but not sparing a drop of hospitality.

"Follow me," he ordered, and Elizabeth nodded. As they walked down the tiled floor, Elizabeth looked around for signs that Rodney McKay had grown up in this house, but found none. As they passed what Elizabeth guessed to be the family room, she glimpsed a few pictures of Rodney's parents and who she assumed to be Jeannie, but there were no pictures of Rodney. Elizabeth swallowed tightly, recalling Rodney's confession that his parents had always argued and blamed him for the fights.

"So," Elizabeth sped up for a moment to walk next to his father. "What's your name?" she was driven by curiosity.

"Eric," he grunted as they turned another corner. "After my father." Elizabeth wondered if he had thought Rodney not worthy of being Eric McKay the third. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "So what was Rodney doing in the Air Force? He's obviously not a soldier," he scoffed. "Couldn't shoot worth anything, worthless shit he was."

Elizabeth swallowed her indignant reply. "He's a scientist," she said, and Eric rolled his eyes. "One of the best," Elizabeth added, but she doubted it made a difference. "He has saved millions of lives."

Eric stopped and faced her as they reached a stairwell. "Don't patronize me," he said crossly. "I don't care what he's done. He's the one who screwed up my life. I'm just happy he's out of it now."

Elizabeth glared at him icily, and when she spoke spite seeped through her words. "Maybe it's best for Jean and me to speak in private."

"Her room is up the stairs on the left," Eric said, contempt still in his eyes. Elizabeth nodded and turned without a word, going up the stairs. He watched her for a long moment before walking back into the family room, flipping the television on again, only to find that his mind wouldn't stay on the projected images before him. It had been years since he'd last heard from Rodney.

After high school, Rodney had left, taking all of his possessions when he did so. Occasionally they – no, his wife – would get a short letter in the mail: just a few brief sentences. Eric had eventually gotten to the point in throwing away any mail with his return address on it. Years later, Rodney had shown up at their doorstep. He'd looked the same to his father: skittish and wimpy. As his mother walked up beside his father, he'd stuttered out news of the degree he would be receiving, followed by softly asking if they would come watch him receive it. Eric had laughed, viciously asking him why they would come to the ceremony that would officially deem Rodney a waste of time. He wasn't stupid; he knew Rodney was there on the doorstep in an attempt to prove himself. But really, what had Rodney proven? All he'd shown was that he could get good grades in a class. He wasn't on any sports team, he was far from muscular, he had stayed in his dorm all throughout college life instead of taking up a fraternity…Rodney was everything that Eric had never wanted.

After shutting the door in his son's face, Eric had shrugged off his wife's annoying pleading and gone on with his life with his only child. They heard less and less from Rodney – a birthday card here and there was all the post they received. At the family Christmas party Rodney invariably showed up. He always stayed away from his parents, hanging near the back with a few cousins. Once or twice he'd brought a date, but the dates had consistently been more interested in the other men. Eventually he'd stopped coming to the annual party and the post had stopped all together.

Eric had realized the signs of trouble before Rodney had even begun junior high. He was taking things in too quickly, he had few friends and even less interest in sports. He lied and bent the rules, pulling off experimental stints in his room that consistently ended in burned carpet or miniscule fires. There was a level of intelligence required for life, but the amount Rodney took in was too much. They went into grocery stores and Eric would have to wait for Rodney to read through the list of nutrients of a random box before continuing onward. At stores he'd listen to a five minute lecture on why cotton shrinks, all the while his face reddening in anger and humiliation from the chuckles of nearby shoppers. Embarrassment after embarrassment followed, all because of Rodney. He wasn't normal. That's all Eric had wanted from his son.

Rodney was now working for the Air Force as a scientist. Eric leaned back in the overstuffed chair as he considered that fact. How had Rodney pulled that one off? 'With the old McKay—' he stopped before finishing the smug answer. Rodney was only a McKay by blood and law, and was far from anything to being proud of. He wasn't a strong soldier or pilot serving for the United States Government; keeping people safe and being a hero. That was something to be proud of, not a scientist that had all but dropped off the face of the Earth. Eric doubted Rodney had ever been in the line of danger, ever looked down the barrel of a gun, or ever done something to deserve recognition. Rodney had always been systematic, looking at the facts and options before making his move. His son would have been dead already if he'd been to the front line. That woman had referred to him in present tense. So why was she here? Perhaps Rodney had gotten seriously wounded. He had no doubt that Rodney would put Jeannie as the first to contact over his parents. Eric squelched the minute bit of sorrow within him before it even began.

It was a perfected skill.

Elizabeth exhaled as she reached the top of the stairs, trying to get a hold of her anger, but it was hard. After all these years, Rodney's father still hated him? Growing up in a close family, it had been hard for her to grasp how parents would hate their child, but now it was even harder to understand. How could they blame Rodney for their marriage problems? Elizabeth stood seething for a long moment before collecting herself together. She was here as a favor to Rodney, she reminded herself. Even though she'd had enough time to digest this mission on the seven hour flight to Toronto, it still surprised her that he had entrusted her with this. The vulnerable look on his face as he asked her to deliver a message to his sister was clear in Elizabeth's mind as she knocked on Jeannie's door.

"Come in," a feminine voice called from inside. Cautiously, Elizabeth turned the handle and stepped in. The room was remarkably bare, except for a calendar hanging on the wall. There was a bed in one corner of the room, the comforter covered in a floral pattern. Elizabeth turned her eyes to the far wall of the room. Jeannie was sitting on a leather chair, staring at the computer screen. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail.

"Hello," Elizabeth said, clasping her hands in front of her, staying a good distance away. Jeannie turned around at the sound of the foreign voice. Surprise registered in her dark blue eyes as she stood up.

"Hi," she said, taking in Elizabeth's professional appearance as she said the single word.

"Doctor Elizabeth Weir," Elizabeth informed her, walking up to extend her hand. She, too, was taking in Jeannie's appearance. She'd imagined what Rodney's sister would look like and would act, and this was not it. Jeannie appeared to be a few years older than Rodney, and had a slim figure. She was dressed in a simple sweat suit and hadn't bothered to put on any make-up.

"Jeannie McKay," Rodney's sister replied numbly, shaking her hand. "No offense, but…why are you here?" Clearly she recognized Elizabeth's name as being the leader of Rodney's expedition. There was worry in her eyes, and Elizabeth couldn't help but be slightly relieved by that. At least someone in his family cared for him.

"I'm here to speak to you about Rodney," she said, and Jeannie cut her off.

"He isn't dead, is he?" she asked quickly, eyes wide.

"No!" Elizabeth replied just as quickly, "No, no. He's just fine." Jeannie's shoulders sagged with relief. "Actually, he was coming to see you today, but some things came up." There had been a damaged system in the Daedalus, and Rodney was needed to fix it. Elizabeth smiled at the thought of Rodney and the Asgard trading insults back at one another.

"Oh," Jeannie said, her voice showing her disappointment.

"He sent me here to speak with you," Elizabeth added, smiling gently.

"Well…have a seat," Jeannie said, gesturing to her bed. Elizabeth complied, and Jeannie sat down next to her, wincing. "Sorry I can't offer chairs or anything, I'm usually not here. I decided to change careers to medicine, so I'm staying here while I take classes at the local university. The rent is free at least," Jeannie explained with a shrug. "So…how is he?" she questioned, moving seamlessly from one subject to the next.

"He's doing pretty well," Elizabeth explained, choosing her words carefully. "I'm one of his colleagues. A few weeks ago we ran into a pretty close call, so we're all still reeling from that."

"The thing he was talking about on the tape," Jeannie said. Elizabeth looked at her curiously, and she explained. "In the message I got, he said something about his demise… It scared me," she said with a sigh, glancing away. "But I'm glad he's okay."

"He's the one who saved us," Elizabeth informed her, smiling. "He's a good guy." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "Rodney wanted me to give this to you," she informed Jeannie.

"Do you mind if I…?" Jeannie gestured to the letter, trailing off as she stood.

Elizabeth nodded, understanding the uncompleted sentence. Jeannie read the letter as she pulled a sheet of paper from her printer and grabbed a pen. Elizabeth moved her eyes from Jeannie, giving her what little privacy she could when she sat just feet away. A few minutes later, as Jeannie began to write a letter in reply to the one she had received, she struck up a conversation. "I know you can't tell me what he's been doing…but…"

"He is…a part of a very important expedition," Elizabeth chose her words carefully. "Rodney is the head scientist. He's gotten us out of a lot of close calls."

"How's he been…personally?" Jeannie delved.

"He's made a few friends," Elizabeth replied with a small smile, remembering her own time with Rodney. He was unique, all right.

"You're one of them," Jeannie commented, and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, surprised how quickly the other woman had grasped that fact. "The way you talk about him…" Jeannie explained. "You see him differently than most people do."

Elizabeth took a long moment to think about what Jeannie had said. She was right. Back in Antarctica, she had been surprised by his sharp tongue and biting remarks he'd fired at his team, but at the same time she'd been amazed at how efficient the other scientists became underneath the constant insults. Rodney boasted about his own skills – but at least he could back it up. Elizabeth would have pegged him as another egotistical, cynical jerk had she not seen him talking through the video feed to Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter one day. Ironically, he'd been talking to her about his family. Colonel Carter had been staring off into space, looking anything but interested. Elizabeth had clenched her jaw at his display of nonchalance, but from then on knew that there was more to Rodney. One day she had dared to return his usually one-sided mockery, and eventually they'd struck up a friendship.

From then on, when Elizabeth had heard the whispers of his horrible personality around Antarctica, she had taken to correcting the people who spoke it. They looked at her as if she was crazy, but she only felt lucky that she saw that side of him. He was a good guy – but only a few knew that. The others didn't dare to look any further than the surface.

Elizabeth was jerked out of her thoughts as her cell phone rang. She winced apologetically as Jeannie glanced at her. "Doctor Weir," she answered the call.

"Doctor Weir, your flight to will be leaving in twenty five minutes. It is unadvisable to be late."

"Right," Elizabeth said, and hung up, fighting the temptation to roll her eyes at the military's dislike for long explanations and conversations. It took about a half an hour to get back to the airport from this house, twenty minutes if she slipped the driver a bill or two and said she was in a hurry.

"Here," Jeannie said as Elizabeth stood. Jeannie walked up to her and handed her the quick letter she'd written. "I, uh… I put my cell phone number in there in case he wants to call me. I don't think he's…ready to deal with Mom and Dad."

"All right," Elizabeth nodded. She knew when good times were to ask questions, and this was not one of them. One day, when he was ready, Rodney would explain it to her; go into more detail than his skittish overview before. Sensing her conversation was done, she headed for the door. A question nagged at her, and she turned to address Jeannie. "Why do your parents hate him so much?" she inquired softly. Elizabeth did still have that faith that Rodney would tell her how he was treated, but she wanted to know why he was treated that way, why even his parents didn't bother to look beneath the surface.

Jeannie's eyes clouded with emotion for a moment as she considered the question. "Daddy wanted a stereotypical boy – baseball, football, that sort of thing – and for him to grow up to be a business man. Rodney was the exact opposite of what he wanted. Dad and Mom were having problems, and they blamed them on Rodney," Jeannie bit her lip. "That's why he and I were never close…" she murmured softly, her eyes moving to the floor. Jeannie forced herself to move her eyes back to Elizabeth. "Once you hear something enough…you begin to believe it. Everyone believed it…" she trailed off, wiping her tearing eyes with the back of her hand. Elizabeth stared at her, pity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's not your fault," Jeannie brushed her apology aside. "Promise me something," she pleaded suddenly, eyes locking onto Elizabeth's. "Promise me you'll take care of him."

Elizabeth smiled. "Consider it done."

"Thank you," Jeannie whispered softly. She stood in the doorway, watching as Elizabeth headed down the steps. When the other woman disappeared from sight, Jeannie stepped backward into her room, her sanctuary. Slowly, she knelt before her bed, trembling fingers reaching beneath her bed and pulling out a dusty photo album. With a silent reverence, she sat on the bed and began to flip through the pages. There had been a time, a happy time, before the fights had started. Her fingers brushed a picture of her, Rodney, and their parents standing at the beach, wide grins claiming their faces. Tears pricked at Jeannie's eyes, and she looked away from the picture.

Sometimes it was hard to remember the better times; the happy times when they were a family. It was so much easier to remember the harder times, just as it was easy to forget the good times and be tormented by what their family had dissolved into. She could recall nights where she'd hid in her room, this room, her back against the door, tears burning into her eyes as loud voices penetrated the walls. Jeannie pushed her hair behind her ears and stood up restlessly, moving to the small window.

Rodney. There was so much guilt associated with that name. She swallowed tightly. What kind of sister had she been? She had said nothing when her father reached for his belt, advancing on the terrified boy in front of him – the terrified, innocent boy. She was the older sibling – it was her duty to protect him, wasn't it? Well, she'd failed that. Jeannie bowed her head, letting her forehead rest against the glass for a long moment.

She had failed to protect him; failed to provide any support. She was his flesh and blood, but when he asked her softly if he could sleep in her room after those big fights, she'd crossed her arms over her chest and declined sourly. Now, Jeannie felt the full force of what she had done. She'd been so stupid, so immature, so easy to believe the screams from downstairs… It had been so much more conceivable to think that Rodney was causing trouble than to believe that her parents were anything but good; to believe that they were fighting of their own accord. Parents just didn't do that. Jeannie pushed away from the window, shaking her head. She hadn't been there when Rodney had truly needed her, and that was something that she would never forgive herself for.

She sat on the bed again, staring at the blank wall. Gone were the posters that had adorned her wall before, boxed away in the attic with the rest of her old things. Her present decorations were sitting in a box in the far corner of the room, yet to be unpacked. Jeannie suspected that the box would stay unpacked for quite a while. She couldn't fool herself into thinking this was her home – it had been her home, her haven, but now she was mature, and she understood that this was far from a haven. Jeannie thought of her old things packed up in the attic, and wondered calmly if her innocence was there too.

But Rodney forgave her…for everything. For not protecting him, for not loving him like she should have, for being the favorite, for not understanding, for not caring… Instead of letting go of the anger and betrayal that Jeannie had believed he must have held, he'd stuttered and stated his hope of being closer later. And that was what hurt more than anything; not just knowing how much she and her parents had hurt him, but knowing he only blamed one person: himself.

There was nothing she could do to fix what had happened before; no matter how much she tried. But maybe she could make it up to him. Perhaps she could never erase the memories of a tormented childhood, but she could be the sister now that she should have been years ago.

Jeannie raised her head as the sounds of raised voices reached her ears. She stood, quietly opening the door and creeping to the top of the stairs, eyes fixated on the drama unfolding before, just like she had always done. Old habits were hard to break.

"What did you want to talk to her about, anyway?" a sour, unexpected voice startled Elizabeth, and she turned to see its source, tensing when she saw Eric standing at the foot of the stairs, glaring at her. She took a breath, keeping her chin held high. As soon as she finished walking down the stairs, she turned to meet his gaze.

"I informed you. I needed to speak with Miss McKay about her brother. The rest is classified." Elizabeth was very aware that she'd dipped far too close to bending the truth to suit her needs, but she couldn't help herself. He deserved every lie. In fact, Eric deserved far worse than what Elizabeth could give him.

"I'm his father. I should be the one you're talking to." Eric puffed his chest out, and Elizabeth didn't bother to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Oh, so now you're his father?" the anger in her stomach turned into a hard knot of hate. She stepped closer, fury on Rodney's behalf in her eyes. "You may be his father, but you aren't his parent," she spat venomously. "You don't deserve a son like Rodney. If you would've just, for one second, let go of your stupidity, you might have seen that Rodney was a very gifted child." Eric's upper lip curled, and Elizabeth felt her pulse pick up, knowing she was traveling on very dangerous territory, but somehow knowing that she couldn't go back. "You blamed him for everything when he did nothing. It's your fault that he didn't have many friends, that he didn't have a good childhood."

"I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me, girl," he hissed, stepping closer to her. Elizabeth knew that he was trying to intimidate her, and she held her ground, clenching her teeth. "He never had any friends because he was a screw-up. Why did the Air Force take him? He—"

"Because he's brilliant," Elizabeth replied, bright eyes flashing, "and far from a screw-up." She paused before speaking again. "You know, Rodney never deserved anything you gave him. You are an egotistical bastard." She straightened up, the knot in her stomach loosening. Someone had to put this man in his place. Elizabeth turned, walking for the door, when Eric reached out and grabbed her forearm tightly. She whirled around, her eyes drilling into his, warning him without words.

"You aren't welcomed here anymore…and neither is Rodney. I don't want to see his face ever again," he hissed.

"Well I guess that works out then," Elizabeth replied, snatching her arm back. "You know, with that whole you being an ungrateful, abusive asshole and all." She glared at him for a few long seconds before walking away, her heels clicking against the floor.

Watching from the top of the stairs, Jeannie smiled. She wasn't nearly brave enough to stand up against her father – she never had been, and it was unsure if there ever would be a time when she was brave enough. Still, she was glad that Elizabeth had stood up to him.

But the thing that brought the smile to her face was knowing that someone was there to take care of her little brother.

"Rodney," Elizabeth smiled tiredly as she walked into the room, glancing around at the ship's interior for a moment, inwardly sighing, knowing a long trip in this dreary place awaited her soon enough. Rodney glanced up at Elizabeth, and a weary smile appeared on his face as he walked over to her. "How is it going?" Elizabeth questioned, gesturing toward the group of scientists that Rodney had been berating.

"Yes, well, it's fixed for the most part. I just need to run some diagnostics…"

"I thought you said that this might delay the time for the flight out?" Elizabeth questioned. They still had a couple more days until departure. Rodney shrugged.

"I believe there was a random error in the system that caused it to malfunction. It was easy enough to repair the system, but the real trouble would have been fixing the error."

"Would have been?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, it seems that afterward, the error just…disappeared," Rodney explained, his brow furrowing in confusion. "The diagnostics will determine whether or not there's anything to fix." A long silence hovered between them after his words, in which Rodney wringed his hands together, gathering the courage to ask the question weighing on his mind, "So how…uh…how did it go?"

"It went well," Elizabeth told him. She didn't feel the need to tell Rodney about her interactions with his father. "Oh! Jeannie wanted me to give this to you." She pulled the letter from a pocket in her jacket and handed it to Rodney. As Rodney read the letter, Elizabeth studied Rodney in a new light. She knew that Rodney had had a bad childhood, but she'd never truly understood it until now. Pity welled in her, but she knew it would do no good. Nothing anyone could do would change what Rodney had gone through at such a vulnerable age. A mental image of Rodney's father came to mind, and Elizabeth made herself a promise that she would always be there for Rodney no matter what. She couldn't fix the past, but she could make sure the future wasn't nearly as bleak.

"Thank you," Rodney looked up from the letter, meeting her eyes. Elizabeth simply nodded, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder gently before walking past. Dr. Zelenka intercepted her at the doorway, handing her a data pad and talking a mile a minute, submerging her in business just minutes after her arrival. Rodney smiled, glancing down at the letter.

Rodney,

I got your message a while ago, and to tell you the truth I was scared out of my mind. I'm glad you're okay now. I just wanted to tell you…I'm sorry that we were never close, too. Don't blame yourself for everything. I don't think any of it was your fault. I'm sorry you had to go through what you did, but I'm even sorrier that I wasn't there for you. From now on I plan on being here for you. I know you travel a lot for your job, but if you're ever nearby, maybe we could have lunch or something. My cell number, e-mail, and all that is on the back. I do hope this letter reaches you well, and be careful Rodney.

Love,

Jeannie

P.S. – I attached my card – the number is my cell, if you ever get the chance to talk.

P.P.S. – Glad to see you have some nice friends. Elizabeth seems to care about you a lot; she's a very nice person.

He glanced up at Elizabeth. There was a small frown on her face as she looked down at the data pad, nodding as Radek spoke. Rodney smiled again. Jeannie was right, Elizabeth was wonderful to him. He folded the letter again delicately before walking up to Elizabeth and Radek. Elizabeth handed the data pad back to Radek, giving him some instruction. Radek nodded before walking away.

"Elizabeth," Rodney caught her attention. She turned to him, her eyebrows raised. "I, uh… I was just wondering if I could go to the surface and…" he gestured to the cell phone he had with him.

Elizabeth nodded. "Go right ahead," she told him. "And while you're at it, get some rest, or at least something to eat." Rodney opened his mouth to argue, but she shook her head. "And no arguing. You have been working nonstop, you need food and sleep." Rodney relented and nodded. Elizabeth smiled at him before walking away, moving on to another one of her duties. He cared about her a lot, too. But that was one thing he wasn't planning on telling Jeannie. For all their family problems, she was still his sister, and a woman with a frightening attachment to the word matchmaker at that.

Later, as Rodney dialed his sister's phone, he was struck by a sudden, familiar panic. What if his father answered the phone instead? Rodney's finger hovered over the end button, but this time he pressed send.

Whatever happened now, he had a family. Maybe it didn't include his mother or father, but he had one, a dysfunctional family with bonds tighter than blood. He had Elizabeth, he had John, he had Radek… Things really weren't so bad, after all. And now he knew Jeannie didn't hate him. It lifted a greater weight off of his shoulders than he had ever expected, and he owed it all to Elizabeth.

Now he just had to find a way to repay her.