xoxoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo
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"I thought your brother said this place was a dive?" Ronon reminded John. "What's wrong with it?"
John chuckled and looked around Jake's. It was very rustic with two large sections. One side was a dining room/bar and through a large archway was a game room with a foosball table, two pool tables, a few card tables, some dart boards, and a scattering of high tables and chairs for drinks and snacks. It was all very clean and tidy … just rustic.
"Julia and Dave's taste run more toward the country club atmosphere. This place would be slumming it for them."
"Then it's a good thing they had that appointment tonight," Rodney said.
Dave and Julia had left shortly before the rest of the group to meet with the caterers to sample food and to plan the menu for the wedding. Julia had felt bad about not being with John for his birthday dinner but Dave reminded her that they'd been together all day.
They had grilled some chicken and had a half dozen side dishes as well as the birthday cake Julia had made. There had been a few token gifts to open but John knew his biggest present was sitting in the chairs surrounding the table. He had thanked everyone a few more times for being there with him.
The warmth of the day drove them all into the pool for a while then John self-consciously announced that if he was going to make it past nine tonight, he'd need to take an afternoon rest.
Now he was sitting at a table with his team, plus Carson, enjoying a steak and a beer. If he tried hard enough he could imagine that none of the last few months had happened. After all, he was finally out of the wheelchair and his cane was hanging on the back of his chair, out of sight. This place wasn't that different from some of the establishments they'd been to on a few of the Pegasus worlds. Only here they didn't have to be concerned about being culled by the Wraith.
"The food is quite good," Teyla commented, "and the atmosphere pleasant."
"Yup," John replied. "One of the reasons I wanted to come here."
He pulled out his wallet and picked up the bill the waitress had left on the table.
"What are you doing, John?" Carson objected. "It's your birthday! You can't be paying for the meals."
John chuckled. "So who's going to pay? You? How much American cash do you make doctoring people in the Pegasus Galaxy?"
Carson had the grace to blush.
"Ronon and Teyla?" John questioned again. "Pretty sure they don't have any money. So that leaves …"
Everyone at the table looked over to Rodney who was scraping the last of his dessert from the plate in front of him. He looked up as he pulled the spoon out of his mouth and saw the others staring at him.
"What?" he said and wiped a drip of chocolate from the side of his face.
"Nothing," John said sarcastically and started pulling bills out of his wallet.
"Rodney!" Teyla admonished. "John is paying the bill for everyone's dinner."
"Oh!" Rodney shouted and pointed to the small strip of paper in John's hand. "Make sure they didn't charge me for that first soda. The whole thing was nothing but ice and I told the waitress that, too."
John's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I'm really gonna worry about that, McKay."
"Rodney!" Carson snapped. "I just pointed out that John shouldn't be paying the tab for his own birthday dinner."
"Oh, right," Rodney said, only slightly chagrined. "Yeah, I um … can throw in something."
He pulled a ten dollar bill out and put it in the middle of the table. John just rolled his eyes, shook his head and finished counting out the bills in his hand.
"Don't worry about it, McKay."
When Carson seemed ready to object again, John raised his hand and assuaged them.
"Listen, I wanted to come here tonight. And I'm just happy to have you all here with me. That's the best birthday present I could ever have hoped for. So … I don't mind paying."
"See!" Rodney said smugly and reached to grab the bill he'd just put down. "He doesn't mind paying."
As Rodney's hand touched the money, Ronon's hand covered his, lifted it and snatched the currency with the other hand. As McKay sputtered, Ronon tossed the bill to John who added it to the pile he handed to the waitress.
She thanked him with a huge smile and asked if there was anything else she could do for him.
"Actually," John said, "We're heading into the other room. You could bring us another round of drinks."
She looked slightly disappointed but said she'd have them ready in a few minutes.
"I think she was looking for a different answer, laddie," Carson told John chuckling.
John gave a wry smile as he finished off the beer in front of him and pushed his chair out to stand. "Too bad."
He grabbed his cane and hobbled with the others to the game room and settled in some chairs near the wall. As promised, the waitress came back with a tray of beer and deposited them on a nearby table.
She sidled up to John and asked, "You want to pay as you go or run a tab and you can pay me later?"
The look she gave John as well as the tone of her voice as she said the last three words was laced with so much innuendo Rodney almost choked on the sip of beer he'd just taken.
"We'll pay as we go. Rodney, you can get the first round."
Rodney sputtered again. "I thought you said you were paying?"
John scrunched up his face and criticized, "I paid for my own birthday dinner. The least you could do is get the first round."
"All right," Rodney agreed petulantly. He looked at the waitress and asked, "How much?"
She kept her eyes on John and cocked her head. "It's your birthday today?"
At John's nod she answered, "Then we'll give you one on the house." She gave a price for the rest to Rodney who counted out the exact amount. John sighed and limped closer to his friend, grabbed a few more ones and threw them on the woman's tray.
Her smile grew large again as she said, "Thanks." She looked down at the cane in John's hand and inquired, "Recent injury?"
At John's casual nod she moved closer and asked what happened.
"Battle wound," Ronon grunted and the woman's eyes lit up. "Military?"
"Air Force," John nodded off handed and attempted to step back but the woman stayed close and questioned, "What kind of aircraft have you flown?"
"Pretty much everything." John's polite smile was starting to fade.
The waitress took the bills off the tray and tucked them in the short apron she had tied around her hips which was about the same length as the skirt she was wearing.
She leaned forward as she took her hands out and cooed, "If you're ever looking for something new to fly, just let me know."
John's mouth dropped open at this blatant come on but the next words spoken were not his.
"I am afraid his injury has left him grounded for a while," Teyla disclosed as she slid her hand around John's arm and leaned into him.
The disappointment reappeared in the woman's eyes but she simply nodded and offered, "When you need another round, let me know."
As she left, John let out a sigh and said, "Thanks, Teyla."
"Thanks!" Rodney spat incredulously. "That girl was seriously hot! And she was … you know … after you. Why would you thank Teyla for butting in?"
John just shook his head. "I'm here with friends tonight, Rodney. And just a guess but I'll bet she's offered a lot of guys the opportunity to fly."
"Well, maybe," Rodney conceded. "But still …"
John let out another audible sigh and moved toward the closest dartboard. "Okay, who wants a go?"
Ronon joined him and they spent the next half hour trading off with Carson against Rodney who were both equally bad at darts. Teyla tried her hand a few times but mostly was content sitting on the high stool nearby watching.
After the waitress had dropped off another round a bit later, John ambled over behind Teyla to lean against her stool. Rodney and Carson were asking Ronon for pointers on how to get the dart to actually hit the target.
"Would you like to sit, John?" Teyla asked concerned as she made to get up. John put his hands on her shoulders and kept her in place.
"Nah, I'm fine really."
Teyla tilted her head sideways and lifted one eyebrow. "Yes, our waitress seems to have this opinion, also."
A grin appeared on John's face as he leaned in and whispered, "Are you jealous?"
Teyla leaned back against John and moved her head slightly, "Would it please you if I were?"
John chuckled softly and felt Teyla shudder a bit as his breath warmed her neck. "It might."
Teyla tilted her head again in John's direction. "Fortunately I am not prone to that emotion very often."
John felt a little disheartened at this until she added, "However, if that woman attempts to stick her ample bosom in your face one more time I am afraid I may attain the urge to inflict harm with your walking stick."
John smiled, saw that the others were thoroughly occupied with whose dart went further and moved his nose right into the softness of Teyla's hair. His hands molded themselves to Teyla's sides in the small space between her slim fitting tank top and her short denim skirt.
He inhaled her unique scent and snickered, "No, not jealous at all."
Teyla leaned back against him and John was tempted to explore the curve of her neck as he had this morning. Teyla briefly closed her eyes and the temptation grew. But the argument erupting between Carson and Rodney put a damper on his longing.
He clapped his hands and pulled Teyla off the stool as he said boisterously, "Come on, let's play some pool."
Teyla let her lead him to the now unoccupied pool table in the corner. The other three grabbed their drinks and meandered behind.
John spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the rules to the others.
"I'm not gonna be any good at this," Rodney whined."
"What are you talking about, McKay?" John shot back. "It's all math; geometry, angles, trajectory. You're pretty good at math."
"Ha ha!" Rodney sniped. "I can figure out exactly where to hit the ball to make it go in but that doesn't mean I can actually make the ball go where I want it to."
Ronon picked up the game pretty quickly but Teyla needed a bit more tutoring. John was more than happy to stand behind her, his arms around her under the guise of showing her the best way to hold the pool stick to shoot.
Teyla was usually pretty straight forward but John now wondered if her lack of skill had more to do with wanting additional assistance. As he put his hands again on her back to position her, he felt a small shiver run through her and he began to think his touch was actually distracting her and keeping her from focusing on what she was doing. This was confirmed when he moved a few steps back and she was much more successful.
They decided to team Teyla and John against Ronon and Carson so each team had a weaker and stronger player. Rodney was sulking and stated he would just watch.
They played several games and each team won a few. They had just racked up the balls and John had broken, when a small commotion worked its way into the room. John paused in what he was doing to look at the new arrivals.
A little over a half a dozen men were standing in the archway glaring at them. Most of them were a similar size to Ronan with long, unkempt hair and lots of black leather.
John lowered his eyes and took his next shot. The ball went exactly where he wanted it to so he looked at the table figuring out his next move.
Unfortunately as he limped around the table the 'Gruesome Gang' decided to join them.
"This is our pool table!" one of them claimed and John figured he was the leader of this merry band of misfits. He was shorter than John but probably outweighed him by more than fifty pounds.
Rodney, who'd had a few more drinks than he was used to, addressed the man. "Really? 'Cause I don't remember seeing your name on it."
The leader's eyes narrowed as he said, "You don't need to remember it there, just know that when we come in, the table is ours."
Rodney remained quiet but John repeated, "The table is yours," then added, "as soon as we're done."
John took another shot and grinned as the ball dropped into the correct pocket. He took his cane and walked around to the other side for his next move.
The fat man's face grew thunderous as he stepped closer to John. "Listen, gimpy, maybe you don't know who I am?"
"I don't really care who you are," he told the man casually. "You can have the table right after this game. It's a tiebreaker. You'll just have to wait."
"Who's gonna make me?" the man snickered, "You?"
John seemed to consider that for a moment then answered, "Yeah, me," he then looked behind him at Ronon and added, "and him. Oh, and probably her," he continued looking toward Teyla. He didn't bother pointing out Carson or Rodney because he knew he'd lose all credibility.
The fat man looked at Ronon and took in a deep breath for a moment but when his eyes settled on Teyla they got a malicious gleam in them.
"If I have to wait for my table then I'll need something to occupy my time."
He stood in front of Teyla and ran a grubby hand down her bare arm.
"Boys," he addressed the band of filth behind him, "Do you think we could occupy our time with this?"
John literally felt his blood boil when he saw the piece of dirt actually touch Teyla. Teyla took a step away but found herself with two more men on either side of her. Each of them put out a hand to grab her arms and pull her close. Teyla tried to pull away.
"Get your hands off her, now!" John demanded angrily and moved towards Teyla. Ronon also was heading in that direction but had two ruffians block his way.
The leader put his hand up to Teyla's cheek and stroked it. "You want the table. We want her."
His hand started lowering to Teyla's neck and continued down as he promised, "And believe me, my hands will definitely be on her."
John reached out as the leader's hand started skimming Teyla's chest and he pulled it away threatening, "Not if they're broken they won't."
And John slammed his fist into the fat, little face causing the man to stagger back. Teyla took the momentary distraction to rip herself from the grip of the two men and dig her elbow into the mid-section of one while kneeing the other in the groin.
John lunged toward the fat man before he could get his balance and smashed his hand down on the edge of the pool table, fulfilling his promise.
Ronon now joined the ruckus by taking on the two who had blocked his path. John was just pushing the howling man out of the way when he felt someone grab him from behind and bash his head down on the table.
Totally disoriented, he felt himself lifted off the table only to have a fist fly into his gut then another to the face. He stumbled back and lost his footing, grabbing the edge of the pool table to keep himself from going all the way down.
Two of the goons were teaming up on him and he debated which one he should go after first. The decision was made for him when a pool stick crashed over the head of the one on the left. The man fell down dazed and John saw Rodney holding what was left of the stick.
John pulled himself up and swung his fist in the direction of the behemoth on his right. He scored a hit but unfortunately didn't do much more than piss the guy off. The thug's returning hand connected with John's jaw sending him sprawling over the pool table. A second later he felt large hands wrap themselves around his neck.
Ronon and Teyla were still battling several of the goons while Rodney was simply swinging the broken pool stick in every direction to keep them away. Carson, seeing John's predicament, attempted to pry the big man's hands off John's throat.
As John's vision started to get cloudy, he heard what sounded like a whistle. The hands on his neck loosened enough for John to grab a ball from the table and throw it at the head of his attacker. The giant staggered back and John used the momentum of his throw to launch himself at the man and deliver a few more well-aimed blows.
The man fell to his knees and John heard the whistle again. As he turned to see what it was, he felt his arms being grabbed from behind. He started to struggle but then felt cold metal on his wrists and heard the click of handcuffs locking.
He stopped struggling and looked around. Teyla was breathing heavy and much of her hair had come out of its ponytail. Ronon, on the other hand, hadn't broken a sweat, although, he too, sported handcuffs.
A dozen uniformed cops surrounded them and had restrained Fat Boy and his band of mischief makers as well.
"Hey, this wasn't our fault!" John shouted above the ruckus at the cop holding his elbow."
"Yeah, yeah, you'll get a chance to tell your side of the story at the station," the cop replied.
All involved were ushered outside and herded into half a dozen police cars, John limping and stumbling most of the way. John chuckled when he saw that Carson and Rodney were cuffed but Teyla was not. If only they knew the absurdity of that.
John was put in the back with Carson on one side and Teyla on his other.
"You okay?" he asked as he leaned toward Teyla. He wanted to touch her, comfort her but his damn hands were behind his back.
"I am fine," Teyla assured him. "But you are not. Your nose is bleeding and your lip is swollen."
"It's nothing," John promised but now felt the blood that she mentioned.
He attempted to wipe it off but with his hands in cuffs could only manage to wipe in on his shoulder.
"You need to pinch the end of your nose," Carson instructed and John just rolled his eyes and rattled his hand cuffs.
Teyla reached up and did it for him. John tried to object but Teyla merely pushed him back against the seat and told him to relax for a minute. John surprisingly did as he was told then looked over at Carson.
"Hey, thanks for coming to my recue."
Carson nodded and admitted, "But I didn't do a very good job, did I? That man was quite large."
A few minutes later they arrived at the police station and were pulled out of the car. When John stumbled again, the officer holding his arm made a derogatory comment about drunken bums.
Teyla stopped and swung toward him. "He is not walking properly because of a recent injury. He currently requires the use of a walking stick and you did not retrieve if for him."
She moved closer to John and the officer allowed her to assist him in entering the building. They were put in a large holding cell with The Fat Boy Gang in an adjacent cell.
As John lowered himself onto a bench, he said to him team, "When they ask, just tell them the truth. We were only defending ourselves."
"Do we tell them who we are?" Ronon checked.
"Give them your name but no other information. They wouldn't believe you anyway."
He looked around. "I know the news program is being broadcast next weekend but until then we're supposed to stay quiet." The others nodded in understanding.
When a few officers came into the holding area, Rodney, still feeling the effects of the drink, moved toward the bars to vociferate, "Hey, we never got a phone call. Aren't we allowed a phone call?"
He looked up as if realizing something. "But I don't have anyone to call. Jeannie's too far away. Plus, she'd never come, she's in another country. Sheppard," he turned and pointed a wobbly finger at John and said, "You should call someone."
Rodney looked back at the officer opening the cell door and demanded, "You need to let me friend over there have a phone call!"
The officer grabbed Rodney and motioned for Ronon to follow as another cop escorted two of the gruesome gang out for what John assumed was questioning.
After a few minutes, Teyla knelt in front of John and touched his face. "Your lip is swollen and a bruise is starting to form on your cheek."
John covered her hand with his and asserted, "I'm fine! You worry too much."
Now that his hands were free, he moved the sleeve of his light blue button down and attempted to wipe the rest of the blood from his face.
Teyla assisted him then expressed, "Thank you for coming to my rescue today, but you are aware it was not necessary. I am quite capable of defending my own honor."
"I know you are, Teyla." John replied. "But sometimes I like to keep the illusion alive that I'm still capable of rescuing someone."
Teyla's eyes flew open. "Of course you are, John," she assured him. "And I love that you did. It provided me the opportunity to break free of my captors. I am thankful for you and your friendship."
John continued to hold Teyla's hand with one of his and slid the other in her hair to cup her head. A crooked grin appeared on his face and he repeated, "Friendship?"
He searched her face for signs that maybe that friendship could grow to more. She returned the intense gaze and stroked the jaw where her hand still rested. He applied light pressure on the back of her head and moved his face closer. He could feel her breath on his face and was anticipating greeting her full pink lips with his own when he heard Rodney's grating voice coming through the holding area door.
"Well, no I'm not an American citizen but I do work for the US Military. You can check."
"We will," said the officer.
John released his hold on Teyla and she stood up and moved slightly away. He noticed that Carson had been staring at them with an incredulous but happy look on his face.
Now he also looked to where Rodney was being let back into the cell.
"Where's Ronon?" John asked.
Rodney looked around him like he expected to see him there then shrugged. "I don't know. Officer?"
He looked at the man who had led him back to his cell. "I lost a big man with lots of shaggy long hair. He looks like a caveman. Have you seen him?"
The officer gave Rodney a small nudge back into the cell and said, "He's getting fingerprinted. He doesn't have any i.d."
John groaned at this and the officer waved for him to come. Teyla stood up and assisted him to the door then said, "I informed one of the other law enforcers that this man is unable to walk without assistance due to an injury."
The man looked doubtful for a second then conceded, "Okay, help him along."
John leaned on Teyla and hobbled out into the hallway. As they were heading in one direction, Fat Boy was being led back in the other. One hand was wrapped in an Ace bandage but that didn't deter him from reaching out with the other as their paths crossed.
The lewd comment he made toward Teyla as his hand moved in her direction was lost as John moved in front of her and threatened, "I can break the other one, too."
The cop with them grabbed John's arms and pulled them behind his back forcing him to take a wobbly step away. The other officer dragged Fat Boy back to the holding area. Teyla helped John into one room where he was told to sit behind a table then she was led off to be questioned in another room, he assumed.
A different cop entered the room a few minutes later and threw John's wallet, which had been confiscated earlier, on the table.
"Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force," The man addressed John. "You want to tell me what you're doing here in our little neck of the woods?"
John gave a little sigh and answered, "Rehabilitation at Meadowgreen for the past four and a half months."
The cop's eyebrows rose as he disputed, "Meadowgreen's not a VA hospital or even publicly run."
"No, it's not," John gave a wry half smile then continued, "But my brother wanted me nearby and insisted I'd recover faster here."
"You've got family around here that can afford Meadowgreen?" the man replied then his eyes popped open and his whole face fell.
"Sheppard?" he questioned. "Not David Sheppard, PSI Sheppard?"
John's grin turned up to full volume at the dread in the man's voice. "I'm afraid so."
The man turned around and left the room muttering, "This is not good."
Through the window John saw his cop talking to another one, this one in a suit, not a uniform. He looked in the window at John, surprise on his face at what the uniformed man was saying. He took a deep breath and entered the room.
"Mr. Sheppard. I'm Lieutenant Patterson."
"Lieutenant," John acknowledged then clarified, "And for the record, it's Colonel."
Patterson closed his eyes and sighed as he sat at the table across from John.
"Colonel," he corrected, "you want to tell me what happened at the tavern?"
"Sure," John smirked. "We had just had a nice dinner and were playing some pool when Boffo and the Leathernecks arrived insisting we stop our game and let them use the table."
"I take it you refused."
"I told them they could have it …as soon as we finished our game."
"I'm betting Thor didn't like that."
"Thor?" John choked out the name.
"That's what they call the leader of the little gang you took on."
John got an image of an Asgard wearing leather and chain mail and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Patterson was already in a mood, he didn't want to make it any worse.
"Go on, then what happened?"
"Thor," John emphasized the name, "decided he and his monkey men would occupy their time with my friend Teyla. I wasn't letting that happen."
Patterson looked in a small notebook he'd taken from his pocket and stated, "Thor claims you threw the first punch."
John opened his mouth to deny it then stopped and started again to defend, "Yeah, I did, but only because that piece of filth had his hand on Teyla's chest."
"The hand which you broke?"
John didn't say anything but the glint in his eye and the mischievous smirk answered the detective's question.
Patterson sat quietly for a minute then started on a different line of questioning. "Why don't you tell me about your friends and why they're here?"
John cocked his head and answered, "They're my team. I haven't seen them in a while and they came to visit me for my birthday."
Patterson picked up John's wallet from the table and looked at the identification inside. "Happy Birthday!"
John gave a sarcastic smile and Patterson got back on topic.
"Your team? You work for the US Military and your team consists of a Canadian physicist, a medical doctor from Scotland and two other people who have no identification whatsoever and refuse to give us more than their name and what happened at the tavern tonight. You can understand why I might be a bit confused and maybe even a little concerned."
"Listen Lieutenant," Sheppard sighed, "We didn't do anything wrong except defend ourselves. I'm not sorry I broke Thor's hand. He's just damn lucky I didn't break his neck. I could have done it quite easily."
Patterson was quiet again as he took in what John had said. "You know, Colonel, your driver's license expired almost five years ago. Is there a reason you haven't renewed it?"
John gave a small chuckle and replied, "I didn't even realize. The fact is I've been stationed out of the country for the past six years, actually longer if you count Antarctica, and DMV's are in short supply where I've been."
"Is that where your two unidentified friends are from?"
"Yeah," John agreed.
"So where exactly has that been?" Patterson asked.
John shook his head and said, "Sorry, Lieutenant, you don't have clearance for that kind of information."
"Fine!" Patterson huffed, "But you have to understand my predicament. You're the only US citizen among the whole lot of you. I can't very well just let your friends go wandering away. For all I know, they could be dangerous criminals or terrorists."
"I get that," John sympathized, "and I appreciate that you have a job to do. So why don't you let me make a phone call and see if I can't get you some reassurances."
Patterson pulled out his cell phone and pushed it across the table. "Long distance?" he asked curiously.
John shook his head. "I'm just calling my brother."
As Patterson nodded, John picked up the phone and checked the time as he dialed. It was almost midnight. It took a while before the phone picked up and when it did Dave sounded fairly aggravated. John cringed at the thought of what he might have interrupted.
"Hey, Dave, it's John."
"John! Is everything all right? What's wrong?" John felt warmth spread through him when he heard concern from his brother's voice instead of the anger or resentment he was expecting.
"Um, got a little problem," John informed his brother. "We ran into some trouble at the tavern."
Now came the disappointment. "Oh, John, what'd you do?"
"It wasn't our fault!" John shot back in defense. "But we're at the police station right now."
The sigh was audible all the way through the phone. "You need bail money?" Dave guessed. "How much?"
"No, no, it's just that Rodney and Carson aren't American citizens and Ronon and Teyla don't have any kind of i.d. whatsoever."
"Oh!" Dave squeaked and John continued, "I need you to call Carter and let her know what happened. She just needs to let these nice people here know that the US Government knows my team is here and that they're not terrorists."
Dave agreed then said he'd be down shortly after he got things sorted out. "And you're going to owe Julia big time. I'm just giving you fair warning."
That comment made John realize that he was correct in his earlier assumption about what Dave and Julia were up to when he'd called.
John handed the phone back to Patterson and said, "My brother's going to handle things. He's really good at that. You should have some reassurances soon."
"Thank you, Colonel," the Lieutenant said. "Would you like to stay in this room while we wait for word from the Military? It might be a bit more comfortable than the holding cell."
"Just me?" John asked sarcastically. "How'd I get so lucky?"
Patterson shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Your brother's a pretty important man in these parts. PSI provides jobs for quite a few people and David Sheppard has been known for his altruism in donating to and sponsoring charity events and helping the community."
"So, it wouldn't look right if you kept David Sheppard's little brother locked up in a jail cell for a few hours when he was just helping the community take out the trash," John clarified.
Patterson took in the careful wording then nodded, "Exactly."
John just glared at the sycophant and requested, "Take me back to my friends."
He stood up and held onto the edge of the table. "This Sheppard doesn't need any special treatment."
He tried to take a step and realized he was so exhausted, with a few too many drinks in him as well, so corrected, "Okay, so maybe I do need a little something to help me walk, though."
Patterson nodded to someone out the door who returned a moment later with Teyla. She bustled over to John and slid under his arm.
"You okay?" he asked concerned.
Teyla responded, "I am fine, John, you need not worry about me."
He leaned on her and started walking out of the room. As Patterson walked down the hall next to them, he asked, "Are you sure you want to go back in there? I could probably arrange for your friend here to keep you company."
John squeezed Teyla's shoulder and replied, "As tempting as that sounds, I think we'll go back to all our friends."
The two of them reentered the cell and settled on the bench on the far wall. Rodney was pacing but stopped when John and Teyla came back in.
"Sheppard, what are we gonna do? Ronon and Teyla don't have any identification. And I'm pretty sure their fingerprints aren't going to come up in any database."
"It's fine, McKay," John calmed him. "Settle down. I talked to Dave. He's gonna call Carter."
Rodney perked up. "Oh, oh, that's good. Sam'll know what to do. I mean they must have had this problem with Teal'c before, and he's got that …" Rodney put his hand up to his forehead, then looked around and realized the Pencilneck Gang was staring at him and quickly moved his hand, " … uh funny hair."
John just shook his head and chuckled. "So this was fun! What do you guys want to do tomorrow?"
"Sleep," Rodney mumbled as he sat on one of the benches.
Ronon just grunted and shrugged and Carson closed his eyes and sighed.
John looked at Teyla and said, "Looks like it's your choice."
Teyla thought for a moment then responded, "Is tomorrow not the day that your people put aside for worship?"
John looked confused then answered, "Yes … you… want to go to church?
Teyla smiled. "I was quite taken with the beauty of the structure and the solemnity of the ritual. The music was uplifting and the message in many of the stories was inspiring. I would greatly desire to attend again while I am on this …"
"Continent!" John filled in quickly and Teyla's eyes lit up with comprehension.
"Yes, this continent."
John looked over at The Bad News Bears in the other cell and conceded, "I should probably go to confession while I'm there."
Teyla looked confused and John just waved her off then gave a heavy sigh and agreed.
"I'll be happy to take you but we'll probably need to hitch a ride with Dave and Julia since I can't really drive yet. And knowing Dave, he'll probably want to punish me for this little fiasco by going to the early mass."
"I am sure David and Julia would be happy to take me if you do not wish to go," Teyla offered.
John looked down at Teyla and slyly put his hand around hers. "I should go." He looked around at his friends nearby. "I've got more than a few things to say thank you for right now."
He looked at Teyla again and she smiled her thanks up at John. John knew he'd be content just sitting here all night gazing at Teyla's gorgeous face, holding her hand. But he barely got twenty seconds before Rodney comprehended what they were talking about.
"Church!" Rodney bellowed. "Why would you want to go and listen to a bunch of boring old prayers and some old geezer telling you everything you do will send you straight to hell and damnation?"
"That is not what I remember, Rodney," Teyla said. "I recall one saying was 'Children let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.' And I believe it was written by a man named John." She smiled up at the man still holding her hand.
"Wow! Good memory," John congratulated.
Rodney looked skeptical so Teyla added, "I believe this John also spoke of your deity sacrificing his only son and said, 'He so loved us, we also ought to love one another.' Are these not messages that all people should live by. Would the worlds not be a more habitable place if all people were to adopt these teachings?"
Rodney wagged his head back and forth comically and replied, "Yeah, whatever!"
He leaned his head back against the bars behind him and closed his eyes.
"You are correct, Teyla," Carson agreed with what she had been saying. "Those messages are wonderful and uplifting and should be adopted by all people."
He looked over to the next cell where the gang of thugs were trading stories about their numerous scars. Carson gave an inner chuckle when he thought of John and Ronon and possibly even Teyla entering that contest. Their scars and the stories behind them would put the others to shame.
He looked back at John who was fighting to keep his eyes open. Ten minutes later the eyes had won and his head dropped down.
Teyla noticed him about to pitch forward and grabbed his torso and lowered his head to her lap and ordered, "Ronon, lift his legs onto the bench, please."
Ronon did as asked and everyone grew quiet again. Even the rowdies in the next cell attempted to get some rest.
Carson continued to watch as Teyla ran a hand through Sheppard's unruly hair. She occasionally attempted to pat it down but it had a mind of its own and would spring back to attention. Her other hand rested on John's chest and Teyla did little to disguise the emotions she was feeling as she gazed at John's sleeping face.
Carson had always wondered about those two. From the first time they had met they'd always seemed closer, more connected than many people who'd known each other for years. John had trusted Teyla implicitly, even when many others had their doubts. He had stood up for her and defended her against his own people. And Teyla had returned that dedication and trust.
Through the years, Carson had noticed that sometimes John would go above and beyond for Teyla. Oh, John was loyal to many and always gave more than one hundred percent in trying to save people, especially his team. But with Teyla, the stuff he did seemed much riskier and more daring.
He'd been somewhat out of the picture when Teyla had been taken by Michael but he'd heard stories of how badly injured John had been and had still undertaken the task of bringing her back, even offering to surrender for court-martial after they had gotten her.
He hadn't gone that far to rescue Elizabeth. He knew John still felt guilty about not going back for her but the bottom line was that the IOA hadn't wanted him to and he'd complied. Carson wasn't so sure John would have obeyed those orders had it been Teyla.
Teyla looked up and caught Carson staring at her. She seemed nervous and apprehensive for a minute when she realized her face had been beaming while she stroked John's hair and gently touched the bruises on his face. Carson reassured her with a compassionate smile but he noticed she held herself a bit stiffer and caressed John less from then on.
Another half hour passed before the door to the holding area rattled. A uniformed officer walked in followed by two men. One was Dave Sheppard.
Carson stood and gave a sigh of relief. "General O'Neill. Am I glad to see you!"
Jack O'Neill gave a grimace. "Wish I could say the same. It's a little later than this on the East Coast.
When Dave approached the bars and saw the position John was in and the bloodstains on his shirt, he asked concerned, "Is he okay?"
"Just passed out," Ronon said.
Teyla huffed and clarified, "He is merely asleep."
Rodney rose at this point and said, "So … uh…John said you were calling Sam. She didn't come?"
He looked behind the three men to see if maybe she would appear.
"Give it up, McKay," Jack snarled. "She's not here. She's in the middle of something important and asked if I could take care of this situation."
"And we are thankful for that, General," Teyla uttered sweetly.
"You're just lucky the tavern owner isn't pressing any charges," Dave said. "Although I did have to pay for some of the damages."
McKay looked confused. "What I don't get is how the cops got there so fast after the fight began."
The uniformed officer took a step forward and supplied, "We keep an eye on Thor and his gang. Most of the time people are smart enough to get out of their way but every now and then somebody decides to take them on and we have to intervene. Usually before someone gets badly hurt."
"Thor, huh?" Jack cocked his head and took a few steps closer to the other cell. "These guys don't look too tough." He chuckled. ""And they look in worse shape than my guys."
The leader of the gang approached the bars and growled at O'Neill.
"Thor, I presume. Gotta tell you, I've met the real one and you look nothing like him."
Thor glared at O'Neill and said, "General, huh? What are these guys, Special Forces or something?"
O'Neill shrugged, "or something."
"Figured they'd have to be to take out my men like they did."
"Whatever."
Jack looked back to the officer and instructed," Open it up!"
He then addressed the people inside. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty there and let's get out of here, huh?"
Ronon and Carson took John under the arms and pulled him to his feet. He gave a snort, mumbled a few words then his eyes flickered open. They started to drift closed again until they saw O'Neill and Dave standing there. He blinked a few times then shook his head.
"General!"
"In the flesh, Colonel," O'Neill said. "Not too happy about it though."
John looked genuinely regretful and attempted to stand up straighter. "Sorry, Sir!"
As Ronon and Carson helped him cross the cell, O'Neill chastised, "Didn't I teach you to play nice, Sheppard? You're not supposed to hurt the civilians." He looked at the group in the next cell. "Even the less desirable ones."
John glared at Thor and defended, "I only broke his hand."
O'Neill looked thoughtful. "Yeah, you're right. I forgive you. This time."
As they left the holding area, John asked Dave, "I thought you were calling Carter. How'd you get a hold of the General?"
O'Neill fielded the question. "Carter was busy and asked me if I could deal with this."
John's lip curled into a smirk and he repeated, "Busy, huh?"
Jack just glared at him.
They had their personal belongings returned and went outside, Ronon still helping John. The cool night air woke him up a bit and he asked O'Neill, "Does General Landry know about this yet?"
"Nope!" O'Neill denied. "Pretty sure he doesn't. And he doesn't have to know. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets." He looked at John conspiratorially.
"Thank you, Sir," John enthused, "And I'm very appreciative."
"See that you are, Sheppard," O'Neill subtly warned. "Now it's time for me to get back to my nice warm bed."
Rodney looked around and questioned, "Uh, how exactly did you get here so fast?"
Jack pointed up and said, "Ellis was kind enough to give me a ride. I understand he's doing the same thing for some of you Monday morning."
Rodney and Carson nodded and O'Neill said goodbye. "Try and stay out of trouble, Colonel."
John just shrugged and watched as O'Neill disappeared between two buildings. A faint light glowed from the alleyway for a few seconds then also disappeared.
Dave headed to the SUV parked at the curb. "Come on!" he snapped. "Let's go!"
John moved near his brother and pasted on his most remorseful puppy dog face. "I'm really sorry, Dave."
Dave thought he was immune but realized he wasn't completely, so he simply asked, "Did you have a good birthday?"
John grinned, "Yeah, I did."
"Good!" Dave answered then looked at his watch. "But it isn't your birthday any more so get in the car!"
John complied and climbed into the third row with Teyla following him. The drive was barely twenty minutes but John still managed to fall asleep and snuggle his head back in Teyla's lap.
In the dark vehicle, Teyla was emboldened to caress John's hair, face, shoulders and arms, marveling at the muscles that resided in the latter. Dave had said he spent most of his day working out and Teyla could tell.
John also felt bold, even in his sleep. His hand ran up and down the smooth skin of Teyla's leg. Teyla closed her eyes imagining that they were alone, wishing that they were alone.
John's hand travelled up and down once more, this time moving past her knee and caressing her inner thigh. Teyla's leg moved subconsciously allowing John's hand further access. She tried to stifle the small gasp and indrawn breath at the sensations that coursed through her from her legs up further.
Her hand clenched in John's hair as another wave of desire shot through her. When she felt John's head turn and his lips touch her leg she thought she would lose it. But the car stopped suddenly and a door opened turning on the inside light.
Teyla had been so preoccupied with where John's hand had been that she hadn't even noticed they'd reached the long driveway. With the addition of the light John's hand dropped away leaving Teyla to wonder if he had truly been asleep.
Dave and Ronon helped John out and into the house, Teyla following close behind. John seemed to wake enough to apologize again, "Sorry, Dave, the car's still at the tavern."
"I'll send someone to get it in the morning."
Once inside Dave allowed Teyla to take his place and he marched up the stairs with Rodney and Carson shuffling after him. Ronon and Teyla got John on the bed and Ronon went to leave.
Teyla stopped him and chastised, "Ronon, he cannot sleep like this. Please assist me in making him more comfortable."
Ronon pulled his shoes and socks off then tugged on his pants while Teyla unbuttoned his shirt and removed it. John moved only slightly to allow them to pull the blankets out from under him.
"Looks like he's having some dream!" Ronon chuckled as he noticed the front of John's boxers while pulling the sheet over him.
"Ronon!" Teyla scolded and shooed him from the room. He said goodnight and joined the others upstairs. Teyla spent a few minutes in the bathroom before checking on John one last time before she got ready for bed.
She sat down next to him and readjusted the blanket a bit higher on his chest. The light from the hallway spilled in enough for Teyla to see John's dog tags nestling in the soft hair of his chest.
Teyla couldn't resist and her hands followed her eyes and stroked the soft fur. John gave a low moan and his hand found her leg again. It started on a similar path to the one it had travelled earlier and Teyla's breath became shallow as it continued its journey.
John's hand stilled and a light snore escaped from his mouth as Teyla realized he had fallen into a deep sleep once again. She sat for a few minutes enjoying the sensation of his hand on her thigh and her hand on his chest.
She wished she had the courage to shed her own clothing and crawl under the sheets with him. But as bold as she'd attempted to be, that was beyond her realm of comfort. She simply skimmed her lips over his and retired to her room across the hall.
.
.
oxoxoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxo
.
John cautiously peeked into the kitchen to see Julia and Teyla sitting across from each other at the table. He took a deep breath and limped over to grab a chair and sit down right next to Julia, leaning in to face her.
"I am really, really sorry about last night." John truly was and looked nervously at his future sister-in-law's face. Her opinion of him had come to mean a lot to John and he owed her so much. He knew his presence here had been an inconvenience and a royal pain in the ass, not to mention something she definitely hadn't signed up for. If her patience had run out, he wouldn't blame her.
Julia took one look at John's worried face with the split lip and the fresh black and blue on his cheek and any irritation she had felt vanished. Even with Teyla sitting across from her, John had still addressed her first, asking forgiveness. That brought him up a few more notches in her book.
She shook her head in wonder. "Can anyone ever stay mad at you for long?" Julia grinned.
John closed his eyes in relief that she wasn't overly upset. He leaned back and said, "I think my Dad was mad at me for about thirty years. Does that qualify as long?"
Julia chuckled at John's attempt at a joke but knew from Dave and the lingering pain in John's eyes that he hadn't really been kidding.
She pointed to his face and asked, "Does that hurt much?"
John, in typical fashion, shrugged it off with, "I'm fine."
"That is John's response to any question regarding his health," Teyla remarked.
Julia smiled. "I've actually figured that one out myself."
John looked up at Teyla shyly and greeted, "Morning."
He remembered most of last night but there were still some lingering images in his mind and he didn't know if they were dreams or reality. They had to do with Teyla's legs and he was almost hoping they were a dream because if he'd really done what he remembered then he probably owed her an apology, too.
"So what was the brawl about last night?" Julia's question interrupted John's train of thought.
"A group of very disagreeable men did not wish to wait their turn for the pool table we were utilizing," Teyla said.
"Oh, they decided they'd wait," John corrected, "and occupy themselves with Teyla."
Julia's eyes opened in horror. "Did they hurt you?"
Teyla shook her head. "No, but they were quite unpleasant."
John took a deep breath through clenched teeth as he remembered. "I couldn't just watch them manhandle her."
"And you only broke the guy's hand?" Dave added from the doorway. "I would have broken his neck if he'd touched Julia."
"So does this mean I'm forgiven?" John asked hopefully.
"There's nothing to forgive," Dave insisted. "I talked to the tavern owner last night and he said this gang shows up every so often to cause trouble. He had no intention of pressing charges against you and your friends. He was relieved none of you were seriously hurt and even a little glad you managed to bring down most of them."
"You already knew this when you came to get us?" John clarified. "Cause you seemed kind of pissed."
"Well, the tavern owner was more than happy to take a donation from me for the damages plus it was an unwelcome interruption."
John grimaced, blushed and put his head in his hands as he mumbled, "Sorry!"
Julia looked at John rubbing his temples and offered, "Let me get you some coffee, John."
When she put the steaming, black brew in front of him, he smiled his thanks. He took a sip then said, "Teyla wanted to go to church this morning. Can we bum a ride with you?"
"Of course you can," Dave smiled down at Teyla as he took the seat next to her. "We'll leave in about forty minutes."
Teyla looked down at her clothes then up at Julia who nodded in understanding.
"Finish your tea and we'll work on an outfit for you."
Teyla looked worried. "I did not bring the garment I wore last time. I am unsure if I have anything that will be proper."
"Last time was Easter," John explained. "Everyone dresses a little fancier then. Today's just a regular Sunday. I'm going like this."
He indicated the navy blue button down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of tan cargo pants. She looked at Dave who also wore a more casual shirt and slacks.
Thirty minutes later she had on one of Julia's sundresses in a pastel floral pattern.
"Very nice," John approved as he took her elbow in one hand and leaned on the retrieved cane with the other.
Teyla was enthralled again with the ceremony, especially the music and John loved hearing her beautiful voice echoing among the congregation.
Dave and Julia greeted many people on their way in and out and John again felt awkward. Besides Easter, they'd managed to get him here a few times. Usually under the pretense that it was a mass for one of their parents or some other long gone relative.
The worst part was people staring at him. He really hated being the center of attention and also despised the looks of pity many people sent his way. And he never knew who was being nice because they really cared or because they wanted to score a few points with the Almighty Powerful David Sheppard. There were also many faces that looked familiar, probably people who knew him as a kid and he just couldn't place them.
But holding Teyla's arm as he tried to gracefully walk out of the church, he didn't care so much what everyone else was thinking. He was only thinking of her and her animated face at this still new experience. He loved watching her expressions when she discovered new things about this world. It made him want to just take her and travel all over, showing the many more marvels this land had to offer.
As they exited the church, Teyla recognized the two celebrants as the men she had met last time.
"Father Cleary," John greeted and released Teyla's arm long enough to shake the man's hand. "Do you remember Teyla?"
"Of course," He said and grasped Teyla's hand. John's hand went back to her arm for added support as the older priest asked, "Where's your son, today?"
John wasn't sure who he was addressing but Teyla spoke up. "He is back home with my people. The journey is a long one and I did not wish him to endure this only to say goodbye to John once again. He was terribly upset for many days after our previous visit."
"So you haven't seen him since Easter?" the younger Father Donovan inquired of John.
John's eyes filled with pain as he answered, "No, this is the first I've seen of Teyla, also. Except the video messages I get every night," John smiled at Teyla showing her how much he needed and appreciated the nightly e-mails.
"You look like you're getting along pretty well, John," Father Cleary stated. "How much longer do you have to go?"
"I don't really know," John admitted ruefully. "I'm hoping by Dave and Julia's wedding but that's only six weeks away. I've still got a ways to go."
"I am hoping that Torren and I coming for that event will give you the motivation you need," Teyla added.
"I'm not lacking motivation," John said. "I just need these damn legs to start functioning properly." John looked up in apology at the improper word.
Father Donovan just shrugged it off and pointed skyward. "We've got an in with the big guy. Maybe we can put in a good word."
John shook his hand as well and thanked them and they moved out of the church to the car.
.
.
Ronon, Rodney and Carson were all up and sitting on the patio when the others returned. Julia had left a plate of pastry and it was now sitting on a table outside with them, half gone.
"So, you all redeemed and everything now?" Rodney quipped as the four church goers joined them in the chairs outside.
John just smirked as he sat down next to Teyla on a bench but Teyla answered him seriously.
"Today the priest spoke of a shepherd who left his ninety-nine sheep to go out and search for one that was lost. When the sheep was found, they rejoiced. And they spoke often of this Good Shepherd. I thought the name was appropriate. A shepherd is apparently one who looks after and cares for his flock. He keeps them safe and free from harm. They in turn look up to him as a guide and protector."
"Yeah, so?" Rodney asked.
Teyla tilted her head. "Is this not what John does for all of us on Atlantis? He keeps us all safe from harm. And he searches diligently whenever someone is lost."
"Right!" snapped Rodney facetiously, "and all his little sheep look up to him."
"Actually, McKay," Ronon put in, "if by sheep, you mean the soldiers then yeah, they do look up to him for guidance and leadership."
"You know, Teyla," Carson observed, "that's very astute of you. I never noticed the connection myself but you are absolutely correct. John is 'the shepherd' of Atlantis. I know I always felt safer with you around." He directed this last comment to John.
John's eyes narrowed at Rodney then he smiled at the doctor. "Thank you Carson. Glad to see someone appreciates what I do." Then he added dismally, "Or did."
"Well I think your flock is ready to have you come back again," Ronon suggested. "Cause Armstrong isn't the type to spend a whole lot of time looking for one sheep when he's still got ninety-nine hanging around to do work for him."
John's gaze grew intense. "What do you mean? Who did we lose?"
"John," Teyla diverted his attention, "you must not worry about these things. You need to concentrate your attention on your full recovery."
John took a deep breath in and demanded, "Who?"
"Teyla's right, Sheppard," Ronon admitted. "You need to worry about you. Besides, everything worked out and everybody's fine."
John looked suspicious so Rodney blurted out, "Just tell the man!" He looked up at John and said, "Major Teldy's team was missing for almost a week. They got picked up on some world and sold as slaves."
"What?" John exclaimed. "How the hell did that happen?"
Rodney shrugged his shoulders and continued, "I don't know. But they're like Charlie's Angels, they managed to bust out and gate to a safe world. Luckily Lorne had our allies keeping their eyes and ears open and met up with them to gate back to Atlantis."
Julia looked curious. "Why couldn't they simply go back to Atlantis on their own?"
John leaned forward. "Atlantis has a force shield over the gate so unwanted guests can't just pop in uninvited. You need a specific code to lower the shield. I assume they had their GDO's taken?"
Rodney whistled, "They had everything taken! You should have seen the outfits they came back in, makes Teyla's sparring outfit look downright chaste."
"Rodney!" Teyla reprimanded as she looked disapprovingly at him. "Major's Teldy's team were all quite distressed at the sequence of events."
"Are they okay?" John asked concerned. "They weren't … you know … hurt … in any way?"
Teyla understood what he was asking and reassured him, "Anne says they were …manhandled I believe you called it but nothing more."
John didn't say anything else but his jaw remained tense. Dave noticed this and made an attempt at relaxing him by addressing the whole group.
"Well, what are the plans for today?"
"Nothing strenuous!" groaned Rodney.
John snorted, "Like that's anything new for you, McKay."
Ronon chuckled but Teyla gave John a small tap on the side of his leg. John captured her hand and shifted in his seat to try and hide the fact as he said, "We don't actually have to do anything; we can just hang out."
Everyone seconded that idea and thought a day of just relaxing would be perfect. The day was warm so everyone alternated between the air-conditioned house and the pool.
Lunch time saw John and Dave throwing together some sandwiches in the kitchen while the others listened to Rodney explaining to Julia some of the less complex devices the Ancients had developed.
As John cut another sandwich and added it to the growing pile, he looked at Dave and said, "Thanks Dave! For making this happen, bringing them here. I really appreciate it."
Dave shook his head. "I didn't do anything. It was actually Dr. McKay's idea. He got approval for them all to come then Teyla got in touch with me."
"I know that but you've been putting up with me invading your life for quite a while. And now you're allowing my friends to invade it as well. You didn't have to let them stay here. They could have gotten a hotel nearby," John pointed out.
"Which would be silly," Dave said, "since we have all these extra rooms here."
John grinned. "You and Julia will just have to fill them all up with kids."
Dave laughed. "I'm not sure we're the type to have a whole passel of kids. Now you and Teyla … you're already great parents. I can see you with a few more."
"Really?" John gave a half smirk. "I think I'd actually have to kiss her first."
Dave stopped in the middle of spreading mayonnaise on a piece of bread. "Are you telling me you've never even kissed Teyla?"
John just stared at the mustard bottle in his hand. Dave shook his head and sighed, "What are you waiting for little brother?"
John squirted some mustard onto a piece of ham and threw a piece of cheese on top. "Actually, I did kiss her once … about four years ago. Remember I mentioned the retrovirus I had that started changing my DNA?"
Dave nodded and stopped what he was doing to pay attention to his brother.
"Well unfortunately before I realized that anything was wrong, the virus had already started making changes. Teyla and I were sparring; I was faster and stronger and wasn't getting my ass kicked for the first time ever. And I guess my inhibitions were lowered because at one point I just grabbed her and kissed her."
"What did she say?" Dave asked.
"She didn't say much of anything. I think I scared the crap out of her. I wasn't exactly gentle." John let out a huge sigh.
"I got a whole lot worse before I got better and it was a few weeks before I was recovered enough to remember it and say anything. She told me not to give it any thought. But … I thought about it a lot. I wanted to feel her lips against mine again but I could still see her eyes so scared and confused. I guess I've almost been … afraid … to even attempt it again."
Dave put his hand on John's shoulder and encouraged, "I've seen Teyla looking at you, John. I'm pretty sure you won't have any problems."
"Thanks," John replied. "Now all I need is some time alone with her."
"I can probably arrange something, you know."
John smiled his thanks. "Appreciate the offer but honestly I want to spend as much time as I can with the others, too. They'll be gone tomorrow morning and Teyla and I will hopefully get a little time to ourselves. I think we really need to talk about a few things."
"And hopefully you'll kiss her," Dave prodded.
A mischievous glint came into John's eye. "I'll try and make that a priority."
"What's a priority?" Rodney asked as he strolled into the kitchen and snagged a piece of cheese.
"Getting this food out to you so you don't keel over from hunger."
"Ha!" Rodney snapped his fingers. "That's just what I was thinking."
.
.
xoxoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxo
.
The rest of the day was uneventful and very relaxing. Ronon and Teyla preferred to be outdoors while Rodney opted for indoors to protect his delicate skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Carson spent a good deal of time with Rodney since his visits to Atlantis weren't all that frequent. But he also enjoyed swimming in the pool and seeing the horses. John got his exercise moving between the two groups.
Rodney was sitting at the kitchen table when Dave came in from outside with a load of dirty plates and glasses. He deposited them in the sink then strolled past McKay. The man was currently tapping away at a computer and the screen was covered with a combination of numbers and letters that looked completely foreign to him.
He, again, was struck by the enormous difference of this man compared to his brother and wondered what could have transpired to bond them as friends. McKay looked up as Dave stood staring at him.
When Dave realized, he shook himself and offered, "Do you need anything, Dr. McKay? Something to eat or drink?"
"Call me Rodney, please," he asked then looked at the empty plate next to his computer. "I think I'm all set. That third sandwich finally hit the spot."
"Good!" Dave answered then glanced at the computer screen. "That looks pretty complicated. What is it?"
"Just some calculations I'm working on, figuring out planetary drift. You see, in order for the Stargates to connect there has to be …" Rodney stopped when he saw confusion in the man's eyes. "Never mind. Yeah, it's complicated."
Dave chuckled. "It must be difficult to be around so many people who don't understand what you do."
"Or appreciate what I do. But this," Rodney waved at the computer, "this stuff is relatively easy compared to some of the work I do. I mean Sheppard …uh, John … can do this."
Dave looked closer at the figures on the screen and commented, "Yeah, but John's brilliant."
Rodney pursed his lips and scoffed arrogantly, "I wouldn't go so far as to call him brilliant, but he's pretty smart. He's definitely smarter than all those muscle head Marines that strut around the city all day."
Rodney looked introspective for a second then said, "Can I ask you a question?"
Dave nodded and Rodney said, "I'll admit that your brother's really, really smart. But it's like he doesn't want anyone to know how smart he is. Is there a reason for that?"
It was Dave's turn to shrug. "I don't really know. John always did well in school which was his saving grace. I think his high scores on everything were the only reason he didn't get chucked out of the private schools we went to."
"Little bit of a mischief maker, our Colonel?" Rodney chuckled.
"There was no little about it. He hated the limelight on him for his academic achievements and I sometimes wondered if he pulled all the stupid pranks to diffuse all the gushing over him."
Rodney shook his head. "I just don't get that about him. He never wants anybody to make a big deal whenever he does something heroic or amazing, which, truthfully, he does all the time. What, is he sick of it from all the attention he got as Mr. Popularity in high school?"
Dave looked confused. "Mr. Popularity? Where did you get that idea?"
McKay cocked his head and said, "Oh, come on, you can't tell me he wasn't the cool popular kid that everyone flocked to in school? He must have been!"
Dave shook his head. "John was well liked and had a good deal of friends but he was never the center of attention like you implied. John stayed as far away from that scene as possible."
"Really? Huh!"
Rodney looked thoughtful and Dave now asked, "So do you mind if I ask a personal question?"
"Ask away!"
Dave sat down next to McKay and began, "I have to tell you I was kind of surprised the first time I met you in San Francisco last year. John had mentioned your name a few times but you weren't really what I was expecting."
"There are a lot of people who are surprised when they find out we're actually friends and not just colleagues."
Dave just nodded and wondered how to ask his question diplomatically.
Rodney held his finger up in the air and said, "You're actually wondering why we are friends and how we got to be that way, aren't you?"
Dave nodded again.
Rodney gave a curious grin. "You know I've wondered that a bit myself. The best answer I can probably give you is that our friendship has grown out of respect for the other. Although I'll admit that at first I thought of your brother as just another dumb soldier who was only brought along to play human light switch."
"But as bad guys started coming out of the woodwork and John started coming up with brilliant plans to save us all, my opinion started to change. Granted, most of his hare-brained schemes were completely out of the box, whacko, but the funny thing is they always worked. Of course they always involved me and some equally brilliant engineering feat. But the fact that John even knew these things were possible made me start rethinking the whole dumb soldier part."
"And you know, he always had complete faith in me, sometimes too much maybe. And the best part of John was that he was okay with me being me. I could be arrogant and condescending and put people down for not being as brilliant as I am, and I do that sometimes, and John was okay with that. He never expected me to change. And he still doesn't."
A small, sad smile came onto Dave's face. "John would never want anyone to change who they were just to suit him. He had too much of that growing up."
Rodney lifted an eyebrow waiting for Dave to explain.
"Our Dad was a very controlling man. He liked things a certain way. He had definite plans for John and me from the time we were young. I guess I just always followed along and did what was expected but John …"
"He never does what's expected," Rodney interrupted with a chuckle.
Dave rolled his eyes and agreed. "No, he doesn't. And the more Dad pushed him to be one way, the harder John pushed in the opposite direction."
"Sounds like John. He can be pretty stubborn when he wants to be."
"Yeah," Dave smiled ruefully. "It used to drive Dad crazy, though. And the fights they used to get into …" Dave trailed off shaking his head.
"You know everyone thought Sheppard had no family," Rodney hesitated. "Well, until he got sent home for the funeral. And even then he wouldn't talk about it. Kept saying he was fine. He wasn't fine. I could tell he wasn't fine. He always has to be so damned stoic all the time."
"I know," Dave acknowledged. "Blame that on our Dad, too. From the time we were little he always drilled into us 'Never let them see that you hurt,' and 'Stiff upper lip' and all that."
"He still follows those orders," Rodney claimed then added sarcastically, "Your Dad would be so proud."
Dave gazed up at McKay whose eyes were focused out the window on Teyla, Julia, Carson and Ronon splashing in the pool and John sitting beside it going through a stack of reports Dave had asked him to look at.
"What's he reading?" Rodney questioned.
"Some reports for the company. He's been helping me with some fiscal decisions lately. I told him he didn't have to do it this weekend but he is anyway. He might just be using it as an excuse if his legs are getting tired from swimming."
Quiet settled between them for a few moments then Rodney said, "Your brother's a good man. You know that, don't you?"
"I'm beginning to see that more and more," Dave answered.
"A little over a year ago," Rodney began seriously, "I was infected with a parasite that attacked my brain and sent me into a degenerative state where I started losing my memories and my abilities to function normally. In less than three weeks I was pretty far gone and they didn't think I'd last much longer. I mean, obviously I did, through a long, detailed story they managed to get rid of the parasite but …,"
Rodney waved his hands around. "The point of this story is to tell you that while I was going through this, John was the truest friend I could ever have asked for. He stayed by me, supported me and refused to give up on me even when it looked like there were no options left."
Rodney paused to take a deep breath. "One night I woke up petrified because I thought no one was with me. I went running hysterically down the halls, yelling for John. Not my finest moment. After I woke John up I felt ridiculous but he just shrugged it off. He said if I wanted to just hang out we could, even though it was the middle of the night. He ended up taking me out to the pier with a six-pack and we just talked for a while."
Rodney smiled. "But you know I realized what an amazing friend he was then. I knew I was forgetting more and more each day and thought we should say goodbye before I forgot who he was. He actually got mad at me and said forget it. He wasn't saying goodbye and that if I forgot who he was, he'd remind me. I tried to argue with him but he was adamant."
Rodney continued to stare out the window. "I could never find another friend that loyal and devoted if I tried."
Dave looked at Rodney and commented, "I'm glad you're okay and that John was there for you."
Rodney's face had a twisted expression and he complained, "I just wish I could have been here this whole time to help him when he needed it. I feel like I let him down, especially after all he's done for me. But short of quitting my job and moving here, it just wasn't possible."
"John understands that," Dave assured him.
Dave thought about all McKay had just told him and a thread of jealousy wove its way through him. He was jealous of the close relationship this man had with his brother. He was happy that John had good friends that were by his side but he wished that he and John could have always had that kind of relationship.
As kids, they'd been close and helped each other through all sorts of hard times, like their mother's illness and death. But shortly after that, when Dave had fallen into line with Dad's plans and John hadn't, it sometimes seemed like lines had been drawn.
But looking back over the last few months, Dave saw that he and John were getting back there again. He'd actually been there for John during a few key episodes and provided the support his brother needed. Teyla and Torren had been able to provide John with support during their time here a few months back but when they left, Dave was the one who had to pick up the pieces.
He'd sat nearby while John had drunk himself silly and then got him into bed. He'd checked on him throughout the night and had even spent some time chatting in the late hours when he'd found John awake just sitting staring out the sliders at the stars.
He stared out the kitchen slider at his brother who was now splashing in the pool, also. It was great seeing John so happy and he desperately wanted him whole and well again. But a small part of him dreaded the time that John would be returned to complete health because he knew when that happened, John would go back to his life in another galaxy. And Dave would be here, without him.
.
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xoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxox xoxoxoxoxo