Aiden woke the next morning feeling just as tired and out of sorts as when he'd gone to bed the night before. You wanted excitement, he grumbled to himself as he pushed the bedcovers aside. A double hurricane and a Genii invasion certainly qualified.

Of course, the storm and the attempted coup weren't the only reasons he'd had trouble sleeping. Thinking back to the past two days, Aiden felt his anger and frustration rising again. First, Doctor Beckett argued with him at every turn about his decisions during the storm. Then when they finally got back to Atlantis, he discovered that McKay had practically given aid and comfort to the enemy by telling Kolya all about the plan to save the city during the storm.

Maybe what he needed was a good workout, he decided. Work up a sweat. Burn off some of the pent-up anger and frustration from dealing with civilians who didn't understand how things worked on a military base.

Decision made, Aiden pushed himself to his feet, changed into a set of sweatpants with U.S. MARINES emblazoned down the legs and a t-shirt, grabbed his workout bag, and headed for the gym.

That early in the day, the gym was mostly empty. Sergeant Thompson sat at a weight machine on the far side of the room while Sergeant Stephens and Corporal Bowers practised hand-to-hand drills on the mats laid out in the center of the room.

Aiden ignored the other Marines as he skirted around the workout mats and stopped in front of the makeshift heavy bag hanging in the corner opposite the weight machine. He pulled a set of gloves out of his gym bag and gave the heavy bag a few experimental jabs. Once he found his rhythm, he let his emotions take over as he pounded on the bag.

The rumors had started flying as soon as most of the city's personnel were back from Manara, not a real surprise considering everything that had happened. Sheppard fighting a one-man guerilla war against dozens of Kolya's men. Sheppard going toe-to-toe with a Genii strike force and winning. Aiden hadn't been around for most of the fight, but he had done his part to help spread the stories. He was proud of his commander and told anyone who would listen what he knew of Sheppard's tactics.

Aiden felt the smile on his face as he recalled some of the larger than life tales already running through the city like wildfire. His expression sobered a moment later, and he punched the heavy bag harder when he thought about the less than heroic antics of his other team member.

He'd been working with McKay for months now, and while he could respect his intelligence, Aiden had never really become that friendly with him. Certainly not to the level Major Sheppard seemed to like the guy. Unlike Sheppard, it wasn't that hard for Aiden to believe McKay would crack at the first opportunity.

"Could have at least tried to put up a fight," Aiden grumbled under his breath. "Instead, he chose to save himself and gave the enemy vital intel. Probably caved as soon as Kolya looked at him."

While he'd done nothing to encourage the negative stories about McKay's role during the invasion, Aiden hadn't done anything to counter them either. A part of him felt a little guilty about leaving a team member to twist in the rumor-mongering wind. The larger part, though, thought McKay deserved all the flack he caught for what he'd done.

"He just doesn't seem to fit in, sir. Even the scientists don't seem to like him much. He just rubs everyone the wrong way."

"I'm not asking you to be his best friend, Lieutenant. I just need to know if you'll be able to work with him during missions through the stargate."

Aiden shook his head. He hadn't thought much of having McKay on the team in the first place. But the chance to be part of the first contact team had been too good an opportunity for him to pass up, so Aiden had kept his mouth shut. He'd had his doubts then, and even though McKay had been easier to be around lately, this latest incident brought all of Aiden's suspicions back to the surface.

Maybe now Sheppard would see the truth, Aiden thought, stepping back from the swinging bag. Maybe now Sheppard would understand that McKay wasn't a good fit for a first contact team. Aiden was certainly convinced they would all be safer if McKay was relegated to his lab, where he couldn't endanger anyone but himself.

Of course, it's not like this was the first time McKay had let the team down, he reminded himself. He thought about the incident not so long ago, when their jumper had been stuck in a stargate. McKay had spent most of that thirty-eight minutes explaining exactly how and why they would die instead of working on the problem so they could get Sheppard back to the city.

He gave the bag a series of quick one-two punches as he let his thoughts roam to a place he rarely wanted to go. He was aware Sheppard had some sort of close, brother-like relationship with McKay. He just didn't understand why or how Sheppard could be friends with someone like McKay even after talking to both the Major and Teyla about it. He didn't understand how Sheppard could trust McKay so completely, knowing how unreliable the man could be if pushed even a little bit. Events with the Genii only seemed to highlight his concerns.

Aiden stood back from the bag and wiped the sweat off his face with a gloved hand. If he hadn't given up the plan, Aiden reasoned, maybe Kolya would have left the city with the supplies, and that would have been the end of it.

He finished another set and grabbed the bag to stop it swinging as he took a few deep breaths. Unfortunately for him, Bowers and Stephens had worked their way across the mats, and Aiden could no longer ignore their conversation.

"Not sure what Sheppard's thinking, keeping McKay on a 'gate team now," Bowers said.

Aiden surreptitiously peeked at the two Marines on the workout mats.

"The arrogant SOB showed his true colors if you ask me," Bowers finished as he swept Stephens' feet out from under him. "Maybe now Sheppard will replace him with someone more worthy of being on a first contact team."

"Someone like you?" Stephens replied as he climbed back to his feet.

"Maybe," Bowers said. "Why not? At least I wouldn't spill my guts at the first sign of danger."

"Ahh, come on, Dave," Stephens said. "He's a civilian. What did you expect?"

Bowers snorted as he ducked under Stephens' guard and dropped him to the mat again. "Did you see that ridiculous bandage he had wrapped around himself?" Bowers shook his head as he pulled Stephens to his feet. "If McKay was so hurt, why didn't he go down to the infirmary right away? He complains about the least little thing, and he didn't go running to a doctor as soon as he could? Nah, I'll bet there wasn't anything under that bandage. He was just hoping we'd take pity on him. Forget what he did."

"I heard from one of the orderlies McKay was in the infirmary yesterday evening, and his arm was pretty cut up. He must have held out at least a little," Stephens replied with a shrug.

There was a loud clang from the corner of the room as Thompson dropped the weights, stood, and glared at Bowers and Stephens. He gave Aiden a fleeting look as well, and Aiden thought he saw more disappointment than anger in the look he received from the sergeant.

Thompson left the gym, and Aiden turned back to the heavy bag before Bowers or Stephens realised he had been eavesdropping. He really didn't want to have to defend McKay if he didn't have to.

Probably doesn't even realise how much he's hurt Sheppard's reputation, much less the team's, Aiden thought with a bitter scowl. Somehow he doubted it. He wasn't sure McKay really thought of anyone other than himself. He finished his workout and headed back to his quarters to shower before meeting the team for breakfast.

Teyla was already in the mess hall when he arrived. Aiden gave her a quick wave as he started down the line, gathering oatmeal, juice, and coffee before joining her.

"Hey Teyla," he greeted as he sat next to her, facing the rest of the room. "How's your arm?" he asked, pointing to Teyla's bandaged shoulder.

"It will heal," Teyla replied. "Doctor Beckett says there will not be much of a scar."

"That's good," he replied with a smile as he started to eat.

They were discussing the merits of stick fighting versus the Marine combat training a few minutes later when Aiden noticed the vibe in the mess hall change. He looked up and saw Major Sheppard and McKay enter the room, talking about something. Aiden noticed McKay had stopped just inside the mess hall. He gave Sheppard an odd look before Sheppard took his arm, the left one, Aiden noticed and tugged him into the food line.

"Ford, Teyla," Sheppard greeted with a nod and a smile when he and Rodney arrived at their table a few minutes later. Sheppard took the seat across from Aiden, leaving McKay the chair across from Teyla.

"Major. Doctor McKay," Teyla replied with a nod and a smile to each of them.

Aiden nodded at Sheppard.

McKay glanced at him, then Teyla and Aiden noticed he had a black eye. When did he get that? Aiden wondered. He didn't remember seeing it the day before. For a split second, he wondered if one of the Marines had taken a swing at McKay, then dismissed the idea. While he wouldn't put it past someone like Bowers to be dumb enough to try, Aiden doubted any of them, even Bowers, would want to risk a confrontation with Sheppard.

He stared at McKay, picking at his food, trying to find any indications either of McKay's arms was actually injured. However, he was wearing his uniform jacket, and Aiden couldn't tell how badly, or even if, there were any cuts on his arms. He felt Sheppard kick him under the table, looked up, and found Sheppard glaring at him.

"Lieutenant?" Sheppard asked.

"Nothing, sir," Aiden replied and focused on his oatmeal.

They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes until Teyla spoke, "I am considering asking Doctor Weir to allow me to take Sora to the mainland if it is decided she cannot be returned to the Genii."

McKay dropped his fork and picked up his coffee cup. Aiden saw the fingers holding the cup were white.

"Taking pity on her?" Sheppard asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Teyla glanced from Sheppard to McKay, who was now staring out the window behind Aiden. "I have known her most of her life," Teyla said carefully. "I would like to help her. If she will let me."

"I have things to do," Rodney muttered as he stood and gathered up his mostly full breakfast tray.

"Rodney," Sheppard said.

"What?" Rodney hissed as he bent down next to Sheppard. "I told you this was a bad idea. I should have just stayed in the lab." He glanced over at Teyla and then Aiden. Aiden wondered what McKay saw in his expression since he straightened and stepped back, his back stiff. "I'll see you later," he said to Sheppard and left.

"I should not have brought up Sora in front of him," Teyla said to Sheppard once McKay was gone. "I had forgotten she was with Commander Kolya while Doctors McKay and Weir were held hostage."

"He needs some time," Sheppard agreed with a glance at the door McKay had left through. "I think we all do. I can understand you wanting to help Sora, but I, for one, am not quite ready to forgive and forget just yet."

Teyla nodded. "I understand that, Major," she replied sadly. "I wish things could have been different for her."

Sheppard finished the last of his eggs and stood. "We have nothing on for today so take the opportunity to take care of yourselves," he said. "I'll let you know if we're needed for anything."

"I thought I'd go to the mainland this afternoon and see how Halling and the others are faring," Teyla said and stood as well. "I have not heard how severe the damage was to the village."

"I'll see if I can fly you over if you want," Sheppard replied. "Ford?"

Aiden grinned. "Sure, why not. Just as long as Doctor Beckett isn't the pilot."

Sheppard smiled. "I'll talk to Elizabeth about borrowing a jumper. I'll see if I can pry Rodney out of that lab of his and get him to join us. He could use the fresh air."

Aiden must have made some sort of face since Sheppard frowned. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

"No, sir," Aiden replied, his tone more formal than usual. He watched as Sheppard and Teyla left the mess hall, finished his breakfast, and tried to ignore the looks and whispered comments from the men and women at the neighboring tables.

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

The jumper left Atlantis two hours later in awkward silence. Aiden sat behind the pilot's seat, watching as Teyla toyed with the pockets of her tac-vest. McKay sat in the co-pilot seat, staring out the window. Sheppard divided his time between piloting the shuttle and watching McKay.

"I have been unable to raise anyone in the village on the radio," Teyla said once they'd cleared the control tower and turned toward the mainland.

"The radio is probably on the fritz," Sheppard said. "Rodney can take a look at it." He glanced over at McKay.

"Hmm," McKay said, looking around. "Yes, yes, look at the radio. Fine."

Once they were over the mainland, Sheppard did a flyover of the Athosian village. Aiden saw several downed trees and debris scattered everywhere. He also noticed the fields were little more than mud and broken plant stalks.

"Oh," Teyla murmured as she stood behind McKay's chair, looking out the windscreen at the damage. "It is worse than I expected."

"We'll get some folks out here to help with the clean-up," Sheppard said. "I think Elizabeth was already looking for some volunteers."

"That will be greatly appreciated, I am sure," Teyla replied.

Sheppard landed the jumper in a clear area a mile from the village. They walked into the cluster of battered tents, and Aiden saw Halling and a few other Athosians waiting for them.

"Teyla," Halling greeted and bent forward so they could touch foreheads.

"Halling, I tried calling to let you know we were coming. How bad is it?" Teyla asked as she studied the remains of the village.

"A few of the tents were destroyed," Halling replied as he led them through the village. "Most of the electronics you left here are damaged." He pointed to a dishevelled tent they passed. "Including the radio. We did not have time to remove them before the storm hit."

"Rodney?" Sheppard said.

"Yeah, I'm on it," McKay replied and disappeared under the tent flap.

"As for the rest," Halling continued, "None of our people were killed or are missing. We will recover."

An older woman came out of one of the nearby tents and greeted Teyla with a smile. "It is good to see you, Teyla Emmagan," the woman said as she took both of Teyla's hands.

"Iranda," Teyla said with a smile. "I hope Isla and the baby are well?"

Iranda smiled as she joined them. "Thanks to your friends," she glanced at Aiden and Sheppard, "we are all well."

"I need to check on Charin," Teyla said. "Perhaps we will stop by to visit later."

"It takes only moments to put the kettle on the boil," Iranda replied. She patted Teyla's hand and walked over to several women sorting through the remains of one of the destroyed tents.

"What about your crops?" Teyla asked Halling as they continued to walk around the village.

"The storm destroyed everything," Halling replied, his expression grim. "We can clear the fields, but we may not have time to plant another crop. We will need fresh seed."

Teyla looked over at Sheppard.

"If you know a planet where we can trade for more seed, I can talk to Elizabeth," Sheppard said.

"Thank you," Halling replied.

"For right now," Sheppard added, "let's see what we can do about getting these trees cleared." He took off his uniform jacket and draped it over a convenient branch. "Ford?"

"Yes, sir," Aiden replied and took off his own jacket.

"Major, that is not necessary," Halling started to say.

"Hey, we came to help," Sheppard replied. "We can only stay for the afternoon, but like I said to Teyla, we'll see about getting some work crews out here to help, too."

Aiden found a couple of saws and handed one to Sheppard.

"This is not exactly a relaxing afternoon," Teyla said with a glance at the downed tree.

"Some manual labor could be good," Sheppard replied. "Right, Lieutenant?" he added with a pointed look in Aiden's direction.

"Yes, sir," Aiden agreed and wondered what the look was about.

"Besides, it's going to take some time for Rodney to get the radio fixed, so we may as well do something useful."

Teyla nodded. "I will speak to Iranda and ask what else needs to be done."

Sheppard waited until Teyla was out of earshot, then turned to Aiden. "All right, Lieutenant, let's have it," he asked, his tone neutral.

"Sir?"

"You've had a chip on your shoulder since breakfast this morning," Sheppard stated. "I want to know why. Before we run into a situation on a mission."

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir," Aiden replied, his voice flat.

"Try again," Sheppard said, his tone shifting from neutral to that of a commanding officer.

"It's nothing, sir," Aiden replied, still not giving an inch. "Just been doing some thinking."

"Thinking. Right," Sheppard drawled and shook his head, disappointment evident in his expression and tone. "I'm willing to bet we both know what you've been thinking about. Whatever you think you know about what happened during the storm, you're wrong, Lieutenant." He walked to the end of the downed tree and glared at Aiden. "You were there. I really shouldn't have to tell you that."

Aiden could tell Sheppard was waiting for some sort of reply, but he remained stoically silent.

Sheppard shook his head as he cut through the branches of the tree. "I remember asking you once if you'd be able to work with McKay on missions. I really didn't think after all this time, I'd need to still be wondering." Sheppard frowned, and Aiden looked away. "So, I guess I'm asking, Lieutenant. Are you going to be able to work with Doctor McKay?"

Aiden glanced at him and shrugged. "I guess we'll find out, sir," he replied, just like he had all those months ago. He started working on his own tree and tried to ignore the frustration rolling off Sheppard.

Several hours and one downed tree later, Aiden and Sheppard sat in the shade of one of the still-standing trees, taking a break. Sheppard hadn't said anything else about McKay, but Aiden knew Sheppard wasn't ready to drop the subject.

Teyla walked over to their tree, and Aiden hoped she would give him some excuse to escape Sheppard's scrutiny.

"There is a meal being prepared in the meeting tent," she told them. "Halling insists we join the rest of the village as thanks for helping today."

"I could eat," Aiden said and quickly stood. "I'll just return these tools to Halling first."

He picked up the tools and glanced at Sheppard watching him.

"I'll go get Rodney," Sheppard said to Teyla. "We'll meet you in the tent in a few minutes."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

John watched Ford walk away and shook his head. The fact that any number of rumors were flying around the city didn't surprise him. However, he was disappointed that Ford apparently believed them. "Two steps forward," John muttered to himself and reached up for his uniform jacket.

"Major?" Teyla asked.

"Nothing," John replied. "Go on. McKay and I will be there in a few minutes."

Teyla nodded and walked back to the large tent in the center of the village. John waited until she disappeared inside the tent, then turned and headed for the tent where he'd left McKay.

He knew he would need to do something about Ford's issues with McKay. He wouldn't risk his team on a mission until the problems were sorted out. The question was, how did he explain his concerns to Elizabeth?

He found the radio tent and had his mouth open to call McKay when he heard Jinto and a few other boys all talking inside the tent. He was more surprised when he heard Rodney sounding patient for once as he explained something. John peeked around the tent flap and hid a smile behind his hand when he saw Rodney seated on the ground facing the tent flap with Jinto, Wex, and a few other boys sitting in a semi-circle in front of him.

"Okay, you all have the piece of metal screwed down?" Rodney asked as he looked from one boy to the next. "The last step is inserting the crystals." He handed each of the boys two crystals. "If you hold them up to the light, you can see how they're different."

John grinned as the boys all dutifully held the crystals up toward Rodney's big flashlight propped up on the table behind him.

"The one with all the twisted coils is the power crystal. The other one is your transmitting and receiving crystal. You all see the difference?"

One of the boys held the two crystals up to the light and turned them one way and then the other as he cocked his head. "I don't see how they are different," the boy said.

McKay glanced at the crystals and pointed to the crystal in the boy's right hand. "See how the filament inside this one is wrapped in a circle?"

"Oh!" the boy exclaimed with an eager nod.

Rodney looked back at the rest of the boys and caught John watching from the open tent flap. He waved John into the tent and continued his lesson.

"The crystal with the coils goes in the slot on the left. The other one goes under the receiver."

John stood just inside the tent and watched as the boys inserted their crystals.

"Okay," Rodney continued as heads came back up from whatever the boys were working on. "Jinto set the dial to 'all' and tap the long bar a few times."

Jinto tapped his bar, and the other boys all jumped as the device in front of them tapped back. He stared up at Rodney in awe. "That's so neat!" He tapped the bar again, and the boys all stared in wonder as their devices tapped back.

"Each of you has a different transmitter and receiver crystal," Rodney said. "So you should be able to talk to each other without interfering with the others. Just set the dial on the left to either 'all' if you want to talk to everyone or pick one of the numbers if you only want to talk to one person."

"How do we talk to someone?" Wex asked as he tapped at his device a few times.

"You can either work out your own codes, or I'm sure Major Sheppard here can teach you Morse Code." Rodney glanced up at John as he spoke.

"Cool!" Jinto exclaimed. "Thanks, Doctor McKay!"

The boys all stood and ran out of the tent carrying their devices and chattering to each other.

"You taught them how to make a telegraph?" John asked as he walked over to the table and pulled Rodney to his feet.

Rodney shrugged. "They kept getting in the way while I was trying to work. I told them if they sat down and let me finish fixing the radio, I'd show them how to make something else."

John grinned. "Gotta say, that looked better than the one I made in Boy Scouts when I was a kid."

Rodney packed up his tools and spare parts then followed John out of the tent.

"Having the crystals certainly makes a better telegraph," Rodney said. "They should have a pretty good range, several tents worth of distance at least."

"David and I drove our parents nuts with the ones we made," John said with a smile.

"I never saw the point after figuring out the basic principles," Rodney admitted. "Didn't have anyone to talk to with it."

John frowned as they entered the large communal tent. Two rows of long tables lined the middle of the tent, and several men and women set bowls of fruit and platters of meat on the tables.

Teyla and Ford stood at the end of one of the tables, and Teyla waved when she saw John and Rodney enter the tent.

John raised his hand in reply and led the way over to the table. They passed Jinto and Halling, and John smiled when he heard the boy explaining how the telegraph worked to his father.

"What has Jinto so excited?" Teyla asked as John and Rodney sat across from her and Ford.

John grinned. "Rodney taught Jinto and his friends how to make a telegraph." When Teyla looked confused, he added, "A simple communication device."

Teyla smiled. "He has been fascinated with such things ever since coming to Atlantis."

John clapped a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "And now we know McKay is a pretty good teacher. How come you're never that patient explaining things to your scientists?"

"Because they're supposed to know the answers already. I shouldn't have to keep telling them the same things over and over." Rodney paused and looked over at the boys tapping at their telegraphs. "They wanted to learn," he added softly. "Anyone can teach someone something if they want to actually learn."

John smiled and squeezed Rodney's shoulder. He knew it wasn't that simple, but let it go as bowls and platters had arrived at their end of the table, and the team set to eating.

"I have been thinking," Halling said after a few minutes. "There was a planet I surveyed with Sergeant Stackhouse a few months ago. The people there harvest a grain crop. It may be possible to trade something with them for more seed."

"Anything else you remember about this planet?" John asked.

"The trees were huge," Halling replied. "Taller than any others I have seen. Sergeant Stackhouse wanted to call the planet the Redwood Forest even though the trees were not red."

"Ford, remind me to tell Stackhouse he's not allowed to name things anymore, either," Sheppard said with a laugh.

"I do not understand," Halling said with a frown.

"Never mind," John said. "Private joke. Were the people there interested in trade?"

Halling nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

John nodded. "All right. I'll talk to Elizabeth and see about a trade mission to the Redwood Forest."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

John sat in front of Elizabeth's desk the next morning, waiting as she reread Stackhouse's report on the Redwood Forest planet. "Halling thinks the villagers would be willing to make a trade?" Elizabeth asked.

"He thinks so. They seemed interested when Stackhouse brought it up as a possibility."

Elizabeth studied him for a moment. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can send another team."

John shook his head. "It should be a nice, simple mission. We can handle it." And it will give me time to sort out a few other problems at the same time, John thought to himself.

"What about Rodney's arm?"

"Beckett cleared him," John said. "As long as he's careful and doesn't pick up anything heavy, he's good to go." John waited a few seconds. When it looked like Elizabeth was still undecided, he added, "The rye crop on the mainland was a total loss due to the storm. If we want to eat, the Athosians need fresh seed."

Elizabeth looked through the file one more time. "All right, Major, you have a go. Tell your team to be ready to leave in an hour."