Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish it was, but its not. Except for the stuff you don't recognize, i.e. the plot and the original characters which I won't name because there's just so many and you haven't even met all of them yet. But that's not the point. The point is that I do not own Stargate Atlantis, its places, people, or things.

A/N: Right. So. Here is chapter two. What can I say about this chapter? Umm… I like it. It got harder than it had been previously because suddenly I have characters from the actually show that I didn't invent so it's harder for me to guess how they'll react. But I think I did a pretty good job. Many thanks to Bann for the editing and to Chibi for… well being Chibi. And by this I mean the continuous "write more so I can read more because this is good and I like having a say in what happens" speech I got whenever she managed to get to the end of what I had done. So now… onward.

Breakfast

Rayne and Del are waiting and together the three of us walk into the transporter. Rayne taps a location close to the mess and the doors slide shut. When they open again we step out into a hallway that was 3 levels down and a half-hour walk from our tower.

We walk through the twists and turns that comprise the hallway maze of Atlantis to the mess. The hallways are horribly confusing and Rayne and I usually spend the first week after new personnel are brought down in Del's lab during our free time. Watching through the security camera feed as the newbie's attempts to get themselves un-lost only serves to get them more so. But those of us who grew up here could probably walk the hallways blind and still find our way around.

The mess doors are closed when we get there because the cooks are hard at work cooking breakfast. And I use the term cooking very lightly. The mess is always open, there is always hot coffee and some kind of food in there for the night shift or what not, but when the cooks are 'cooking' the doors are closed. Not that it matters, the cooks have taken a liking to the three of us and will make us stuff whenever we stop by.

Del opens the doors and the three of us walk through the mess and into the chaos that is the mess kitchen. I spot a frazzled middle-aged woman with curly strawberry blonde hair yelling at a younger woman and pointing at some random thing further on into the kitchen.

This is Annie Janelin or AJ as she prefers to be called. AJ is head cook and is kind of like a doting grandmother to the kids in Atlantis. She always gives us food and trying her latest dessert recipes on us. She's like that with my dad, too. Her reasoning being that he's still a kid himself, which is kind of true.

"Morning AJ." I call to her as soon as she stops yelling at the poor girl. AJ turns to look at me and I catch the irritated gleam in her light green eyes before she recognizes me.

"Ashlei. G'day honey." She's Australian originally. "Up a tad earlay aren't ya?"

"Just a tad. Is it OK if we eat?"

"Course. Megan, Josh," she called to two of the other cooks. "Can you get some food up here for these ankle-biters?" the two cooks called back affirmative and AJ turned back to us. "The three of ya jus' sit on down over there and ya'll get ya food in a sec."

"We don't mean to be a problem. We can wait." Rayne doesn't like to impose on anybody, but the cooking staff in particular for some reason.

"Ah. No worries. Those two are already done doing their chores anyhow. Now jus' go sit."

We sat, and sure enough Megan and Josh brought out breakfast.

"Thank you." Rayne said as we accepted our food from them.

"Anything to get out of there for a minute. Bye." Then the two of them were gone, back into the kitchen. I glanced down at the food on the tray.

Scrambled eggs, toast, mini waffles, and bacon, all courtesy of the still docked Daedalus. I know my parents like it when the Daedalus brings Earth food even though we haven't actually needed it for years, most everyone who came from Earth does. Those of us who grew up here are used to the food, though, and it's not such a big deal for us. I will admit to having a bit of a weakness for chocolate, but I think all of us suffer from that particular affliction.

"Yum." And that was the last we heard from Rayne for awhile. She has a one track mind when it comes to food. Eat first, talk later. Del and I looked at each other, and then looked at Rayne, who was so deeply involved in her food she didn't even notice, then looked back at each other and shrugged. It was something you got used to. The two of us dug into our food more calmly, but I had skipped dinner in favor of a soccer game on the south pier last night and I was starving, so it wasn't a whole lot calmer. At some point I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to see Rodney headed for our table, tray of food in his hands. I swallowed quickly.

"Morning, Rodney." I greeted. It had been decided so long ago I wasn't even capable of remembering it that we'd just call the senior staff by name. Maybe it was because they were the parents of our closest friends, or maybe it was just because it sounded kind of stupid to hear anyone call Rodney, Mr. McKay. We didn't know but the decision had been made and we stuck to it, with the notable exception of just about everyone calling my dad, sir, of course. Del looked up at my greeting and even Rayne managed to pull away from her food for a moment.

"Morning, Dad." Del smiled.

"Morning." Rodney responded, smiling back at his daughter. He nudged her gently with his shoulder as he sat down besider her. Rodney may be a little emotionally distant in the mornings but he somehow always finds a way to let Del know he cares. "Rayne." She nodded at him before returning to her food, satisfied that she been polite enough. Rodney looked at me. "Morning, Mi-chi."

"Rod-ney!" I moaned. He smirked slightly and sat down next to Del and across from Rayne. He nudged his daughter gently with his shoulder as he sat down beside her. Rodney may be a little emotionally distant in the mornings but he somehow always finds a way to let Del know he cares.

I should probably explain the nickname. You see Rodney likes to call my dad 'Chia' because of the hair. Rodney also thinks I am a miniature version of my father, more so since I cut my hair boy cut short so I could just spike it up. Thus Rodney took to calling me 'Mini Chia' but that's a bit of a mouthful for a nick name so he shortened it to 'Mi-chi'. He knows I hate it and he really doesn't use it all that often. Before I have a chance to protest the latest use of the hated nickname someone else does it for me. Sort of.

"McKay." The familiar voice of my father cuts through the still mostly empty mess hall. "Not harassing my kid again are you?"

I see Rodney roll his eyes as he turns to glare at my dad. The one and only John Sheppard is walking toward us with the ever guard-dog-like Ronan Dex at his side, both of them carrying trays of food. Ronon sits next to Rayne.

"Rayne."

"Dad." She responds happily. She momentarily leans her head on his shoulder before she goes back to eating.

"Sheppard," Rodney starts, his tone that of a parent to an insufferable child, "I am not harassing your daughter. I never have harassed your daughter. Only a nutcase would. And if, for some reason, I go completely insane and doharass her, only a crazy person would ever admit it to anyone, much less you." He narrowed his eyes slightly at the amused look on my dad's face. "So why bother asking at all?" he snapped.

"Because you just said you'd have to be crazy to harass her in the first place. And if you'd have to be crazy to harass her and crazy to tell me you harassed her, then you'd tell me." My dad flashed Rodney a childish 'beat that' look and sat beside me. "Morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Daddy." I replied, trying to hold back a laugh at the look on Rodney's face.

"Sheppard, that didn't—it didn't even make sense." He protests.

"Sure it did." My dad says.

"Didn't." Rodney snaps back. Del and I look at each other, the same thought likely going through both of our heads. Here they go again. We look at Ronon to see if he'll be any help and come up short. By now he is as deeply engrossed in his food as his daughter.

"Did." The grin on my dad's face tells me he knows what he's doing, and he is enjoying it.

"Didn't."

Del and I look at each other helplessly, and then go back to eating. There's nothing we can do to stop this, and Ronon won't until he's done eating. After about ten minutes of listening to my dad and Rodney go on like a couple of four-year-olds, help finally arrived in the form of a copper haired Athosian named Teyla. Gotta love Rayne's mom, she knows how to handle these two.

"Did."

"Doctor McKay, Colonel Sheppard." Teyla cuts in before Rodney can respond again, sounding like a mother speaking to her errant children. "As entertaining as I am sure the girls find this, perhaps it would be a better use of your time to eat." Very cool. She phrases it as a request but they wouldn't dare defy her. Rodney shot one last glare at my dad, who looked like a puppy who'd been scolded, then started eating.

"Yeah. Uh, sorry." My dad mumbles. I can tell he's not and from the look on her face, Teyla can too. She says nothing, but nods a greeting to all of us, offers a 'good morning, Ronon' to her husband, in return for which she only receives a grunt, to which she smiles fondly, and sits down on Rayne's other side.

"Good morning, Rayne." Teyla says after she hugs her daughter.

"Morning, mother." Rayne reciprocates both greeting and hug. By now, Rayne has finished eating and is elbowing me and shooting meaningful glances towards my dad. I get her point and discreetly motion for her to wait a second. I finished eating quickly and set my silverware down on the tray. Del finished awhile ago and is also waiting for me to make the first move here.

"Hey, dad?" he looks up, immediately attentive to me.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"You're – um—you're off today right?" Okay Ashlei, take it easy. Be careful. Don't rush it.

"Yeah." Oh. Too late. Wariness. Suspicion. Be careful, Ash. Tread lightly.

"Did you um – I mean are you – plans. Do you have plans?" Good. Sound unsure. Tentative. Let him think he has control here.

"Noo." Better. Still slightly wary, but curious. I suddenly notice that everyone else at the table is watching our exchange. Potentially helpful, potentially problematic.

"You think you could – um – maybe fly Del, Rayne and I over to the mainland?" Puppy face. "Please?"

Silence and a frown. I intensify my puppy gaze. He bites his lip and glances around the table. Wait. He looks back at me. Pout just a little more and…

Score! I see the second he breaks.

"Well, I guess if I stay it should be ok." I let my face light up with child-like glee and an ear to ear smile. His face softens slightly and I know any regrets he had about giving in are gone. My dad's a real softie where my brothers and I are concerned, but for me in particular it's really hard for him to say no. "Where exactly on the mainland did you have in mind and what are you planning on doing?" he sighs, resigned to his fate. My answer, however, will have him overjoyed.

"Well, we wanted to go to Breakers Beach and surf." Sure enough his face lights up.

"Okay" and he sounds a lot more enthusiastic now. "I have one thing I have to finish up before I tell your mother we're going, so meet you in the Jumper Bay in…" he pauses a moment and thinks "an hour?"

"That'll be great! Thanks, daddy!" After quickly clearing the trip with Rodney, Ronon, and Teyla, Del, Rayne and I stand up and start to go to give our now empty trays back to the kitchen staff.

"Hey Ash?" my dad calls after me as we leave.

"Yeah?"

"Were you planning on telling your brothers?" he has one of those looks on his face that tell me that even if I wasn't, I had better. I grinned at him.

"Headed back up there now." I hadn't actually planned on telling the boys but… they'd have known anyhow. You see my brothers and I share a telepathic link that Carson and Rodney believe is a result of having inherited not only my father's gene but also having it strengthened by being born here in the city.

I wave at my dad then walk out of the mess hall, speaking as I go. "Why don't you two go start loading up boards while I wake the guys."

Undisguised relief washes over Rayne and Del's faces. I don't blame them. My brothers are okay in the morning but their brothers are a pain in the butt and Rayne's little sister is a right devil anytime before noon. Even though I was only going up there to get my brothers, there was a good chance I would run into at least one of the others because it was now 9:15 and they would have all started getting up.

"That sounds great, Ashlei." Rayne replies over her shoulder; she and Del are already halfway down the hall leading to the Jumper Bay.

"Lovely." I muttered under my breath, before making my way through the hallways now full of people to the transporter and then up to Central.

The doors swooshed open and I was greeted by the sight of a now dressed Aaron lounging on one of the couches. His door, my door, Rayne's door and the doors at 11 and 3 o'clock, the rooms belonging to Rayne and Del's little brothers, were open, but the remaining five were closed, their occupants either still asleep or changing.

"Morning, Aaron." I sing-song as I skip over to him. He lifts his feet up off the couch and then set them back down in my lap once I'd sat. He regarded me quietly for a minute with emerald eyes.

"Ash, you ok?" I blink in surprise at his question. "You were kind of freaking out earlier. Woke me up." Aaron offers in explanation. "Took me awhile to get out of bed and all but…" he trails off.

"Fine, Aaron. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." and there really wasn't. More than once in the last few years something rather like what had happened this morning had happened. It had never led to anything serious. I saw him frown and then felt a soft tingling pressure in my mind as he looked at my memory of the latest incident. He pulled back out and nodded in acceptance of my assessment. His face lightened and his eyes cleared as his concern faded.

"So we're going surfing then?"

"Yep. Where's Alan?" I inquire. Alan is my younger brother, the third triplet.

"Changing. He should be out in a bit. Just woke up."

"I'll bet." Silence filled the room, but it was a comfortable silence. After awhile one of the doors opened and Aaron and I turned to see a boy with light blue eyes and ash blonde hair walking toward the transporter. He nodded at us on his way by from his room at 10 o'clock.

Meet Caleb, 19-year-old son of Rodney McKay. Del's older brother. Not much of a morning person. Caleb's the oldest person up here though. He can be kind of cold to people he either doesn't know or doesn't like and to just about anyone in the mornings, but we'd normally invite him to come with us all the same. But Caleb is way into genetics and today Carson had promised to explain how he created the Wraith retrovirus and how it works, so Caleb isn't going anywhere but Carson's lab.

"Oh, hey Ashlei?" and I turn to see Caleb half in and half out of the transporter, looking at me. I smile inwardly, knowing exactly what he wants.

"Yeah, she slept." Caleb nods his head in thanks and then steps fully into the transporter and activates it.

Okay so maybe I exaggerated a bit. Caleb is rather cold in the morning. To most people. But Del? Yeah Caleb has a serious older brother complex. He's extremely protective. Caleb also knows that I've made it my self-imposed duty to keep an eye on the overzealous Del, so he's not so cold to me and my brothers out of appreciation.

A/N: So that's it for now. No promises what so ever on when the next chapter will be up. Depends on when I get time and how depressed I am by school. Oh. But the most important factor… you. And your reviews. Let me know how you feel. Like it and enjoy seeing the updates but notice a few things that you don't like? Love it and have it saved to your favorites waiting in agony for more and wouldn't change a thing? Hate it and will never read another word of it? Hate it but will continue reading anyway just so you can complain? Tell me. I want to know. So just send the reviews in whether they be good, bad, or otherwise. The button's just right there and you just KNOW you want to push it.

'Til next time,

Nimeria, over and Out!