A/N: First of all I want to thank you all for your nice reviews! I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you'll the next chapters as well! Keep telling me what you think!

Another huge 'thank you so much!' goes to my new beta-reader!!! Without Haleakala's help the chapter would be a lot less understandable:-D

3. An Innocent Invitation, Part II

The music was so loud he heard it getting out of his car. The Rolling Stones were thundering "Paint it, Black" out of the kitchen window. Shit, this is gonna get ugly - again. John put his key in the lock of the front door of the huge old house, trying to get the door open without a sound.

The short camping trip to the small lake his father had shown him all those years ago was so laid back, so relaxed, so … quiet. But now John Sheppard was back in reality. Before he left four days ago, he thought he'd perceived the slightest hope of returning to a halfway normal relationship with her - she'd made coffee and shared it with him without spilling it on him vindictively like she'd done a few times, mostly after his halfhearted attempts of apologies - but now? Loud rock music seemed to be a bad sign.

Welcome to another day in hell.

Although it seemed that he had managed the front door without unnecessary noise, but there was no way he could make it past the kitchen without drawing attention. Come on, Sheppard, you've faced evil terrorists. An - admittedly pissed - little sister won't kill you.

Even though John wasn't totally sure Annika wouldn't simply tear off his head, he entered the kitchen bravely, turned the music down a bit and greeted her tentatively. "Hi!"

"Johnny, oh my beloved older brother! Welcome home!" Looking up from what John guessed to be meal preparations (although Annika usually never cooked) Annika welcomed him with an evilly polite smile and a voice dripping with sarcasm. She's gonna kick my sorry ass all the way to the moon and back. John suddenly regretted teaching her those nasty self defense moves.

"Can I help you?" John asked carefully.

"You're so wonderful , you always want what's best for me. What would I do without you?"

"Annika, are you alright? You seem so … "

"… happy?" She hissed in a dangerous tone that dared him to reply. "Oh, I am happy. You know me, I'm always happy. But today there are so many reasons for me to be especially happy." Annika's voice was on the verge of a manic scream, and the knife she used to chop the lettuce heads became more and more like a lethal weapon in her hands.

"And that's why you're slaughtering innocent vegetables?"

Looking down at the battlefield her cooking place had become Annika breathed out deeply and put the knife down, a gesture John truly took comfort in. Maybe he had interpreted the last week correctly that had indicated she was also sick of fighting all the time. Maybe today was the opportunity for a civilized talk after all.

The younger Sheppard walked around the kitchen aisle to sit at the small wooden table. "Lorne called today. His mission has been extended so that he won't be returning until the beginning of October."

Annika's features betrayed the hurt she was feeling, and John immediately felt remorse. He knew this mess was mostly his fault and although he'd apologized a thousand times already he decided to try and say sorry another time. With a bit of luck in the end it would initiate the first real conversation between brother and sister since his return from Afghanistan.

"Annika, I'm sorry." He sat down next to her and lifted her chin with his hand to make her meet his eyes. "I am truly sorry. I shouldn't have reacted … like … that."

Exhaling noisily, Annika leaned onto the table, her elbow resting on the tabletop and her hand supporting her chin. "You're terrible, you know that? As if I could stay mad with you when you look at me with Bambi eyes."

"I promise to see what I can do to help to get him back earlier." John smiled encouragingly, genuinely glad to be back to their old ways of mocking and teasing each other.

"Thanks." She said, gathering herself again. "Umm, anyways, there's another reason to be happy, because we received an invitation today." Annika picked up something from the table that John hadn't seen before and handed it to him.

"Please, take a look. This will make you happy as well."

After having read the dangerously pink card John sank down deeply into his chair, resignation written all over his face. "Oh no."

"Oh yes!" Annika shot back with cynicism and clearly pretended enthusiasm. "Don't tell me you're not excited! I can't wait to see cousin Maddie going down the aisle. Remind me to bring enough tissues along, I'm sure I won't be able to hold back my tears."

"The whole mob is going to be there." John groaned. "Hell can't be worse. Do I have to go?"

"Since the mob happens to be our family, there's hardly a way to avoid it, unless you decide for the noble way of suicide, but even then Grandmother would probably make a deal with the devil to get you back just for the day of the wedding."

John could tell that Annika was right. Good old granny was a dragon, a trait she'd passed on to the one and only grandchild she was pleased with, cousin Maddie.

"Do you know the poor creature she decided to torture for his sorry lifetime?"

"Never heard of the guy. But experience tells me that 'Maddie-honey' somehow found out he had hefty checkbook and never bothered to inquire further."

"Do I really have to go?"

"Yes. It's heaven's punishment for destroying my love life."

"Oh gimme a break!" There were several things a brother didn't want to think about regarding to his little sister. The whole disaster between them had only started in the first place because of the connection of those two, for John simply incompatible, terms: baby sister and love life. John shrugged, yet again trying to free his mind from upcoming nightmares.

While John was busy clearing up his head, Annika changed the subject. "Oh, before I forget, I have to be at the University for a Project meeting awfully early tomorrow so you're gonna have to get your coffee yourself tomorrow morning. Don't know when I'll be back though."

"Yeah, I know. Your boss likes to take his time."

"Dr. Jackson just loves his work. Tomorrow we'll make the preparations for his next excavations near Giza."

"You Indiana-Jones-wannabes are strange figures." Unfortunately, John chose that moment to shake his head in mock dismay, and didn't see the sponge flying through the air.

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

"Well, you got what was coming to you!" Annika said, laughing.

After a while of a halfway comfortable silence, John raised his eyes to his sister again. "Anni?"

"Don't call me that."

Plainly ignoring the complaint about her detested nickname, John continued. "I'll take over the house cleaning for a month if you tell the mischpoke that I can't come to the wedding because I'm mortally ill, fighting the grim reaper, positively on my death bed. "

"You know what they say, a problem shared is a problem halved," Annika replied sweetly, and added vigorously, "If I have to be there, you have to be there. Period."

"House cleaning for two months?"

"In your dreams."