Disclaimer: MGM owns SGA; KOI does NOT.

Note: The feedback for last chapter is greatly appreciated. Also appreciated, DaniWilder's tireless beta skills.

Stargate: Atlantis

Second Choices

by koinekid

Chapter 2

After the box containing what was to be her engagement ring plunked into the ocean, Jennifer retreated to the infirmary. Throwing on a lab coat over her rain-dampened dress, she sought to lose herself in routine and a familiar environment. But her red-rimmed eyes drew curious stares, while her stuffy nose blocked out the clean, calming scent of antiseptic that perfumed the air.

Had she come inside when Rodney asked, she'd be celebrating at the party instead of secluded in her office, mired in overdue paperwork. They'd toast their engagement, argue playfully over what caused her congestion—her crying or the cold he warned her about—and twirl about the dance floor, not a care in the world.

Though Jennifer never wore a ring, her finger felt naked without one. She snatched a Kleenex from the box on her desk and blew her nose.

"Physician, heal thyself," a familiar voice intoned.

Jennifer stiffened. "Sam."

Colonel Samantha Carter stood in the doorway, arms folded over her chest. She pointed suggestively at the radio on her ear.

"Sorry." Jennifer plucked her own radio from its charger and fitted it in place. "Technically, I'm still off duty," she explained.

Sam strolled into the office and perched on the edge of the desk. "Scared your fiancé might call?"

"More scared he won't." Jennifer frowned. "And he isn't my fiancé."

"Oh?" Sam blinked. "You turned him down?"

A bitter laugh. "He never asked. It must have slipped his mind after I hurled Grammy Mozelle's ring off the pier."

Sam chuckled dryly. "I'm sure you didn't hurl it."

"I might as well have. Rodney couldn't have been any more upset."

"Do you really think he'd let an accident define the rest of your lives together?"

Jennifer gave her a weary look. "He spent our first date griping about colleagues who slighted him in grad school. The man can hold a grudge."

"And a torch. Don't forget that."

"The ring was a family heirloom, Sam, not a cheap knockoff he picked up at Costco."

"Yeah, Jeannie told me." Clearing her throat, Sam recited: "Don't you dare lose it, Colonel. It's been in the family for seven generations, since before the McKays left Scotland."

"Seven!" Jennifer buried her face in her hands and groaned. "Rodney only mentioned his grandma."

Fingertips brushed the crown of Jennifer's head. She looked up, startled by the familiarity in the colonel's gesture.

"Did you see the ring Rodney got for Katie Brown?"

"We weren't that close back then. Wasn't it the same one?" Anger twisted Jennifer's gut that Rodney would even consider recycling a ring from a failed proposal. Heirloom or not, it still hurt.

"Not even close. You saw the size of 'Grammy's' diamond. Katie's was pitiful by comparison."

Relief flooded Jennifer. Still, "Maybe he forgot about it. He can be absent-minded."

Sam shook her head. "Jeannie says she begged him to let her send the family ring. Rodney wouldn't hear of it."

"So, this time he caved and, thanks to me, lost one of his prized possessions." Jennifer sighed. "Gee, Sam, you sure know how to make a girl feel better."

"Don't you get it?" Sam seized her hand. "Rodney wanted you to have the ring. You, not whomever he happened to marry."

"But—"

Holding up a hand for silence, Sam tapped her radio. "Carter…yes, I'm with her…you did? Great, we'll be right there." She hopped off the desk and hauled Jennifer to her feet. "Come on, we're going or a walk."

"But my paperwork and…" Jennifer gestured to the mascara that a fresh spate of tears had sent running down her face.

Removing a handful of tissues from the box, Sam dabbed at Jennifer's puffy eyes. "And nothing. Technically, you're still off duty, remember?"

To be continued

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