FAR TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING

Rodney awoke with something poking repeatedly into his side just below his ribcage. Without truly waking up he swatted at it. Whatever it was that was poking him only paused for a few seconds, but then it resumed with greater force.

"Cut it out!" Rodney groaned, then pulled his pillow over his head.

The blankets were then ripped rudely from his grasp and flung out of reach.

Rodney sat up and glared at the insufferably cheerful Lilah. "You are absolutely insane woman." He stated as he dragged himself over to the fire where Bri sat with her hands wrapped tightly around a mug.

"Get used to it," she advised as she held out a similar mug.

Rodney blinked as the aroma of coffee, the real stuff, the really good stuff, drifted to his nose. He took the mug in a daze. He had thought all the real coffee had been used up weeks ago.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, taking a sip, and savoring the flavor of real, Latin-American coffee.

"I brought it in a sealed container marked 'Experimental Drugs, Do Not Touch.' It was one of the really big packing crates and I've been sharing it with Carson and Lilah, John asked for some for you, but for some reason I never got around to giving it to him. I think he wanted a bargaining chip." Bri pulled her cup to her chest and let her head drop so her nose was almost in the chipped, blue Air Force mug.

"That's another thing I get to yell at him for once we get him out of this." Rodney took a long sip, and hummed with pleasure as the slightly bitter, VERY strong coffee slid down his throat. He opened his eyes and saw Bri looking at him suspiciously. "What?"

She snorted and murmured "Like that huh?"

He blushed, something he hadn't done in a very long time, and responded "Well I used up my supply already, I haven't had real coffee since then, just that instant stuff and the liquid gasoline they serve in the mess."

Brianna winced, "I take it back, you are entitled to enjoy coffee far more than any one person should be able too." She set her empty mug beside the fire and stood to join Lilah in the jumper.

Rodney looked at her as she retreated and muttered to himself again. "I honestly can't tell if she's joking or not."

ONCE IT'S NOT QUITE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING

"Well Rodney, are you ready?" Brianna watched as Rodney paled slightly at her words.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess, and if this doesn't work this time we can always try again right?"

"If we need to." Brianna nodded and Rodney re-gained a little color. She could tell that he was relieved that this would not be his only shot at this. The simple confidence he gained from believing he would have a second chance if he failed made her believe that there would be no need for a second chance.

She watched as Rodney visibly gathered himself, then she sighed slightly in relief when he said, "Alright, lets get started."

Brianna motioned Rodney to take a seat by the fire beside the sleeping bag where the two girls had moved John too.

He settled himself and asked "Okay, now what."

Brianna took a similar seat on the other side of John, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees after she sank gracefully to the ground.

"What you need to do is to meditate, but while you're meditating, you need to focus on calling John back. You don't need to use your voice; he'll hear you in his mind thanks to Atlantis' help."

"She'll help us?" Rodney was surprised, the contact he had had with the city had given him the impression that the city was much like the ascended ancients, giving nudges and clues but unwilling to step out and help.

"She's aware now. And she likes John, and Lilah and I begged. So yes, she'll help."

"You had to beg?"

"Well, technically I begged her to relax about you, she just didn't want to help when not everyone knew her as deeply as John, Lilah and I." Brianna shrugged as though it had all been no big deal, "So I convinced her to trust you, and she thanked me for that." Brianna stared moodily at her boots for a second before shaking her head, "Well enough of that, let's get this idiot home shall we?"

Rodney nodded, but stored the information away to think about later.