Author's Note: This should not have taken so long to write out, but I have been so sick lately that I just haven't felt like doing anything. Sorry!

OOOOOOOOOOO

The recovery room they helped him to was much like the one he'd woken up in. Fairly large, well lit, with three beds in it – one holding Rodney McKay and the other two empty. Fraiser gestured to the one beside McKay's (leaving the one on the very far right empty) and Teal'c guided Ian to it and helped him into bed. Which was a relief, really, since his leg was killing him and he was still fairly tired from the anesthesia – and from confronting his mother.

McKay had had his eyes closed when the door opened, but he opened them and watched as Ian was put to bed, a slight smile on his face.

"You're alive. That's good."

Ian scowled.

"I'm glad you're so pleased."

Now it was McKay's turn to frown.

"You were supposed to say that you were glad to see I'm okay, too… You know… considering you did crash the ship."

"I told you I couldn't fly it."

"And I told you to aim for Colorado. We're in Iowa in case no one told you."

"They told me."

Ian closed his eyes, wondering if Fraiser would put him in another room – or maybe another hospital.

"You two should get some rest," Janet told them before McKay could speak up again and continue the conversation – taking it who knew which direction? "Colonel O'Neill will probably want to debrief as soon as you're feeling better. Especially about how you both managed to get shot…"

Ian opened his eyes.

"It's simple. Dipshit here-"

"It all happened so fast…" McKay said, quickly, interrupting. "I'm sure Lieutenant Brooks will need a chance to think about it – you know, sort things through in his mind…"

Ian scowled, glancing over at the astrophysicist, who was obviously trying to say something with the odd facial expressions he was throwing his direction. Too tired to really care one way or the other just then, he shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess."

Janet's frown was an easy match for Ian's best scowl. Now her curiosity was really piqued, since when she'd asked McKay about it, he'd started muttering and stammering and had told her that he couldn't really remember all that well. She'd known she wouldn't have that problem with Ian, and was surprised that he was going along with whatever it was – especially since the two of them didn't get along all that well. Which made her wonder if they'd actually shot each other, or something – which was ridiculous the more she considered it. Ian was a good shot and McKay had looked decidedly uncomfortable with a gun in his hand. If they'd actually gone after each other, chances were McKay would be dead and Ian unscathed.

But since she couldn't get either of them to tell her what happened – not yet, anyways – she'd have to wait and find out when it came out eventually. And she knew it would. Until then, she'd just have to be patient. Annoyed, but patient.

"I'll let you get some rest, then…"

Ian nodded, and there was no hiding McKay's relieved sigh.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Sir…?"

Hammond looked over at the Airman who was interrupting the tour he was giving of the gate room.

"Yes?"

"We're being hailed…"

The Airman said it softly, uncertain if his commanding officer would want the delegates to hear what he was saying, but Hayes frowned.

"Hailed? By whom?"

"The Asgard, sir."

Hammond nodded.

"I'll be right there." He looked at the President. "Sir? I should go-"

"I thought we were done with secrets?" asked the Chinese ambassador, pointedly.

"We are," Hayes said. It wasn't like he could really say anything else, really. "Let's return to the briefing room and find out what's going on. George? Brief us the minute you know what they want."

"I would like to see these Asgard for myself," one of the diplomats said.

"Me, too." Another agreed.

"We can't force them to come down here," Hayes said before Hammond could say anything. "It might just be that they want to check on us or something – and we're definitely not in any position to tell them what to do."

Well, that much was true they had to admit. Despite the fact that they had pulled through the threat of an alien invasion, the fact that they weren't alone in the universe was now very much on the mind of all of them – as was the obvious evidence that not every alien race was a benevolent one. They already knew from their previous briefings that the Asgard were far superior to their own people and they definitely didn't want to antagonize them.

Especially these diplomats who had no idea what kind of people these Asgard were.

"Tender them an invitation to come here," the President told Hammond.

"Yes, sir."

Hammond turned and walked away with the Airman, and the others followed Hayes back to the briefing room.

"What about Atlantis?" Elizabeth Weir asked.

Hayes looked over.

"What about it?"

"Are you planning another mission there?"

The President frowned.

"From what I understand, we don't have the power source to return."

"But if you did?"

Hayes shrugged.

"It's not something we've really had time to consider, Doctor Weir."

"But it's something we should think about," she said, smiling. "If anyplace would have a way of protecting ourselves and our world from the Goa'uld, it would have to be the city of the same Ancients who left that weapon in Antarctica."

Hayes smiled, but it was an uncomfortable one. He had too many other things to consider just then. Atlantis was way down on his list of priorities.

"We'll look into it, I promise."