Dr. Rodney McKay was stuffing his face with half the contents of the kitchen when John wandered back into the mess hall twenty minutes before noon.

He made a point of checking his watch as he strode up to the table where the scientist had seated himself and commented, "11:40, my, but you're up early this morning, Rodney."

"Can it, Sheppard," Rodney snapped ill temperedly. "I've already had to deal with that intellectually challenged Czech today, and I am in no mood for your childish games."

John smirked unrepentantly, ignoring Rodney's bad attitude. It was commonplace, and John had long since learned to take it in stride, much like he had learned to when Sergeant Gunn had been screaming all manner of obscenities in his young just-recruited ears a long, long time ago, in a galaxy now far, far away.

Rodney scowled up at the American, ready to start a sarcastic tirade at any given moment. Some people were intimidated by this surly man, but John Sheppard was not among their ranks. Sure, as far as sarcasm went, Rodney McKay could probably send a parade ground running, but other than that, the prickly Canadian wasn't that intimidating. After four years, he still couldn't shoot straight.

Teyla Emmagan came into the mess hall. Honestly, it was as if the woman could sense an squabble brewing between the two men. Well, maybe three, John added to himself as Ronon made his entry seconds later.

The team soon gathered around the table to have an early lunch, except for John. He scanned the mess hall to see if Kathy had arrived yet, and, seeing that she hadn't, sat down to join his friends. Rodney had to stop his blathering since it was a little difficult to shovel in food and make sarcastic comments at the same time. However, he was a man of many talents, and he gave it his best effort.

They soon slipped into their relaxed banter, which naturally included scathing comments from Rodney. Teyla said nothing about their conversation in the gym, just watched John with her all-seeing eyes to see whether or not he'd tell the other half of his team about his early morning encounter.

Rodney made the decision without even realizing it, however. He stared across at the empty table space before John and inquired, "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

Figures the one thing he'd ask about is my feeding habits, John thought dryly.

"No, Rodney, I'm fasting," he replied sarcastically.

Rodney's eyes narrowed into a glare. John decided to backpedal, as he wasn't really in the mood to get into an argument with Rodney just yet.

"I'm meeting up with an old friend," John said with a shrug of indifference.

Rodney stuffed a chunk of cantaloupe into his mouth and spoke around it. "Oo iv it?"

"Oh, just one of the doctors," John told him.

"Figures you'd know one of those numbskulls who calls himself a scientist," Rodney muttered with a roll of his eyes.

John snorted. "No, Rodney, she doesn't work with you, you wouldn't be able to handle that. She's one of Keller's people."

Rodney, for all his supposed brilliance, zeroed in on the single syllable word. "She?"

Now Ronon was looking at him curiously, too, while Teyla seemed quietly amused. John shifted slightly in his seat. He felt strangely awkward about the interest, and that was unusual.

"Yeah, her name's Sanders," John said as he shrugged again. "Not much to look at, if that's what you're wondering, Rodney. Black hair, used to be a redhead, still is mentally, comes from Arizona."

"Arizona?" Rodney's eyebrows went up. "She must have a great tan."

John chuckled, although he kind of felt like throttling Rodney at the moment. Sure, Kathy was a pretty woman, but he didn't feel about her that way. He didn't want to.

"Not anymore," he said. "She's been here since day one; most of the tan's gone now." Actually, quite a bit of the tan was still there, but Rodney didn't need to know that.

Rodney looked crestfallen. "Too bad." He had seemed almost excited, though why anyone would be excited about Kathy was beyond John's understanding.

Rodney brutally stabbed another piece of cantaloupe and brought it up to his mouth, asking a question before popping it in. "So you're meeting her for lunch?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

John rolled his eyes in exasperation. For Pete's sake, it was lunch, not a lunch date. "We're just going to talk, Rodney," he said.

"Talk." Rodney's flat tone made his belief in that statement transparent.

John glared at him. "I'm not dating her, Rodney," he snapped. "We're just catching up. It's been a long time since we last saw each other."

"Yeah, and everyone knows how reunions like that go," Rodney said.

At that moment John spotted Kathy walking into the mess hall. She stood by the door, looking around.

John stood up, shaking his head at the scientist. "Rodney, you're pathetic. Just because I'm meeting someone for lunch doesn't mean we're seeing each other. Quit trying to play matchmaker, it really doesn't suit you."

With that, John walked away, grinning as Rodney sputtered indignantly at being called a yenta.

…...

Kathy smiled when she spotted John coming her way and offered a wave, trying to control the nervous feeling joggling her insides. John gave her a responding smile that didn't seem as open as smiles should be.

"Hey," she greeted him as he came up.

"Hey," John repeated. "Ready for lunch?"

Figures the first question he asks is about food… "Sure." She added a teasing tone to her voice as she asked, "So is this your first lunch or second?"

John chuckled. "First," he replied.

They started heading to the food tables and picked up their trays, conversing as they picked out their lunch. "I thought a guy as busy as you would eat about as much as a hobbit," Kathy said with a laugh lurking beneath her words. "Or maybe a bear."

John raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated fantasy," he said.

"You can blame my brother for that," Kathy replied. "He adores Lord of the Rings. What about you? Did you ever get to reading the books?"

"Nah," John shrugged. "Too busy with Greek mythology." He grimaced. "Teachers. Love 'em."

"Don't let my brother hear that," Kathy laughed. "He's a teacher."

"Bet he's always complaining about the lousy salary, huh?" John said, snagging a brownie.

"Nope," Kathy said proudly. "He's always talking about his students. Graduated, current, etcetera. Students, students, students. He loves 'em. Funny thing is, at the start of the year he's the most hated teacher on the campus, quite possibly on the planet." Seeing John's expression, she laughed again. "Yep, he's one of those teachers. His graduated students love him, though. They've all gone on to universities and gotten scholarships, every single one."

"Wow." John was impressed. "And he thinks he's the one who did it?"

"Oh, he doesn't say a word. His students lavish praise on him. It really embarrasses him, so sometimes I'll tell the students to use the longest, most flowery words they can come up with."

John snorted. "Why am I not surprised."

Kathy looked at him innocently. "I have no idea what you mean by that."

They left the tables and headed for a spot of their own, passing the table the rest of AR-1 was sitting at on the way. The scientist amongst the group was watching the two of them suspiciously, and Kathy had to suppress a laugh as they went on by. The expression on the guy's face was priceless.

They found themselves a table by a window and sat down, Kathy on one side, John on the other. Wasn't that the way they had used to do it? She couldn't quite remember

John immediately set his focus on his food, which Kathy wasn't at all surprised by. She arranged her silverware precisely and casually asked, "So, what made you go into the military?"

John stiffened ever so slightly. He leaned back in his chair with an air of relaxation. "Oh, this and that," he said vaguely.

"Your dad?"

There it was again, that stiffening, that fake smile he was using as a shield. "Some of it, yeah." He shifted in his seat, forcing himself into a flippant attitude. "So what about you? What made you become a doctor?"

"A long train of confusing, very sad, and plain-out stupid actions, mostly done by me," Kathy said bluntly. "After your family left, things changed. I wasn't too happy you were gone, you were my best friend, and the other girls were all just so… fluffy."

John raised his eyebrows. "Sophelia?"

Kathy smiled at John's use of the old nickname they'd come up with for Sophie Celia Musterforth, a girl around Kathy's age who would try to follow them around like a shadow.

Kathy nodded. "Yeah, Sophelia. She attached herself to me like a limpet. All parties and pink and kittens and… Blech."

John nodded sympathetically. "Did you ever get rid of her?"

"Alas, no. I've learned to deal with her," Kathy said. "She's tolerable, so long as you don't actually try to listen to what she's saying."

John chuckled at that. "Sounds a bit like Rodney."

"She is a real sweetheart," Kathy said, good-naturedly trying to defend the other woman. "Just a bit… vague."

John snickered. "Yep. Vague."

Kathy shook her head, chuckling. "Okay, back on subject; a few years after you left my parents decided they were going to adopt. They looked around and found two boys, both a few years younger than me, and had them come into the house to stay for a couple of weeks."

Kathy hesitated as she went back to the memories. Those years of her life had been painful, and she was in no hurry to talk about them, especially to a man she barely even knew anymore, childhood friend or not.

"Anyway, we got along well enough, so they adopted them," she said, skipping over a lot of the details. "The older one, two years younger than me, is Alex-well, Alexander, actually, I'm the only one in the world who can call him Alex and live. He's the teacher I mentioned before, and the Lord of the Rings geek.

"The younger one, five years younger than me, is Jay. He's a social worker, works with kids. He came from horribly abusive parents, and he knows how scary it is to be in the foster system. The kids in the system, all the ones that know him, just love him."

"That's nice," John said, tone distant. Kathy got the impression he wasn't really listening, but she couldn't be sure.

"And you already know my mom Annushka and my dad Braden," she said.

"Yep," John said. He smiled wryly as he added, "It would be pretty difficult to forget a character like your mom."

Kathy chuckled. "Yeah, she's pretty much just the same, but not quite as scary anymore," she said. "Still pretty strict, but I think she's mellowed over the years."

"Mellowed? Your mother?" John raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

"I think she got hit with the realization that I'd grown up and she hadn't helped with any of it," Kathy said thoughtfully. "It didn't hit her as hard as it did Dad, though: he actually started crying."

John looked surprised by that comment, and maybe a little envious, but he said nothing. After all, what could he say?

"So," Kathy turned her gaze on him sharply, and John found himself feeling slightly unnerved by her pale blue eyes, "that's my family. What about you? Did ya get any additions to yours?"

"Nah," John said. "Dad's still in business, Dave's gonna take over the company eventually, I guess…"

"Dave?" Kathy's brow furrowed. "But wouldn't you inherit the company? You're the older one."

John shrugged. "Dave's always liked business more than me," he said. "It's more his arena."

Kathy's eyes narrowed slightly, and he wondered if she had caught the hidden thought underneath those words: Because I don't like the arena where your sole purpose is to take advantage of people.

"Ah well, you're out here in Pegasus now," Kathy said. "You may or may not have gotten the better deal, but you've certainly got the more exciting one!"

John smiled. Kathy, always trying to lighten the mood. He was glad she'd been here all these years, she must have been great on the morale of the people who knew her.

"Definitely," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Kathy smiled. She seemed to do that a lot. John could tell by the way her eyes wrinkled whenever she did.

Suddenly, almost inconveniently, John realized why other men would find Kathy attractive. She didn't have her carrot-colored locks anymore, since she'd died them black. Her whole face crinkled up when she laughed or smiled, pleasantly dimpling in just the right spot. Her eyes, though cold in color, held a cheerful sparkle anyone would find endearing.

Yes, John had realized, Katherine Sanders was a very lovely lady. But despite that, he didn't feel anything for her. Maybe he couldn't. She was just the girl who lived across the street. His little sister from another family.

And he was just fine with that.

Kathy was chewing a bite of her own sandwich, a classic PB and J. "So, met anyone?" she asked suddenly, a gleam in her eye. "Anyone special?"

John's throat tightened, memories he hadn't wanted to dredge up swamping him. Laughter, smiles, love… draining away into shouts, frowns, and distance. He still remembered her face, her beautiful face, no matter how hard he tried to get it out of his mind. Nancy Sheppard, his wife.

His ex-wife.

"Eh, not really," John said, trying the shake the firmly rooted memories from his mind. "Didn't work out."

A sad look came into Kathy's face, and he knew that she wasn't thinking about girlfriends. "You divorced."

"It wasn't working," John tried to justify. "For either of us."

"Of course it wasn't," Kathy said softly, looking away. "Of course it wasn't."

John winced. He'd wanted this meeting to go well. He'd never thought that the subject of his former wife would come up.

"So, what about you?" he asked, trying to turn the attention away from himself. "You met anyone?"

"Oh," Kathy smiled, somewhat nervously John thought. "I don't date."

John's eyebrows arched at that statement. "So, what, you're gonna be an old maid?"

"I don't have too many problems with it, since one of my brothers is already hitched," Kathy said. She chuckled, and said in the teasing tone that was the universal trademark of all sisters, "They're both pretty handsome boys, so I didn't have to wait too long. It's only a matter of time for the other."

John laughed. And then realized she hadn't answered his question.

Kathy smiled back, and shifted the subject along, "So, what made you go into the Air Force?" she asked, not for the first time.

"Well, what guy can resist a job that offers flying, big guns, and a high likelihood of explosions?" John joked.

Kathy snorted. "Good grief, John, you're ridiculous."

"Oh? And what were your reasons for going into a medical career?" John challenged.

Kathy didn't miss a beat. "Alex has a heart condition ever since he was a kid," she said. "There's no known cure, but there is a some certainty that it was caused by an exposure to an unknown disease. Alex told me about it when I was fifteen, and that was when I knew what I was going to be."

John blinked. "Wow," he said. "That's… pretty noble."

Kathy shrugged, something ashamed lurking behind her eyes. "It was the least I could do. Alex has done a lot for me. You could say he saved my life."

"How did your parents react?"

"Dad was surprised, but overjoyed," Kathy smiled. "He'd been pretty worried about what I was going to do with my life, considering the absolute mess I was making of it, so to hear that I had a purpose was a pretty big relief to him. Mom was… less enthusiastic, and produced at least half a trillion reasons why going into the arts could give me a better and easier life than a medical career would."

Kathy shuddered, thinking of the discussions regarding blood, surgery, autopsy, rotting flesh, and other nasty subjects about medical things. "She nearly convinced me a few times, but Dad actually put his foot down after a while-without me even talking to him-and said that enough was enough. So I went to college and became a doctor."

She pulled a disgusted face. "During my job, I have seen the interior of the human body on both living and dead individuals, and worked in I think three different disease epidemics. That's what my doctorate is in, you know," she added. "Epidemiology, study of diseases."

John cocked an eyebrow. "Charming."

"My mother would avoid me when I visited home during college," Kathy laughed. "I would talk about what I'd learned, and it turned out that her stomach couldn't quite handle hearing the detailed descriptions of the varying effects of some of the more exotic diseases our world has known."

John pulled a face, similar to the one she had before. "That I can understand," he said.

Kathy chuckled, "You were the soldier guy who left the room once the autopsy started, weren't you?"

"Hey, there is no shame in not wanting to see the insides of a dead body," John protested. I've seen enough of them from the outside.

"Hey, hey, calm down, John, I was just kidding," Kathy said in placating tones. "Twisted doctor humor, sorry, you have to remember we practically lived in the infirmary until the Sunday-off thing became law."

A sad look crossed her face, and John knew what it meant. She had known Carson too.

"You know, that reminds me…" Kathy smiled in a funny way. "I remember how once, back home a few years before Atlantis popped me on the head, I had done a little bit of research on churches…"

"Churches?" John was puzzled. "How do dead bodies remind you of church?"

"Oh, you know, heaven," Kathy explained.

"Huh. What were you researching?"

"Noise levels," Kathy grinned. "How loud it usually is in churches of different denominations. You know, in some places, it's really crazy. They don't just sing, they dance, jump around, shout… pretty intense, from what I hear.

"Whereas in a Catholic church, if your voice is one octave higher, you get about three hundred old people glaring at you," Kathy laughed.

John snorted loudly, a grin spreading across his face, eyes twinkling in a merry and almost open way. "Oh, don't go telling me that," he said.

Kathy tried not to, but she started to giggle. "Remember the incident with the sneeze?" she asked.

"How could I forget?" John groaned.

Kathy laughed harder, speaking between gasps. "There we were… Sunday morning Mass."

"In different rows of pews," John reminded her.

"Mm-hm! And you needed to sneeze."

John started chuckling. "I remember how mortified I was when I felt it coming, like a tickle way down the back of my nose, and thinking Dear Lord, if You make me sneeze in church, I'll die!"

"I know!" Kathy exclaimed. "I remember you looking across the aisle at me, and mouthing desperately, I have to sneeze, I have to sneeze!"

"And we were in the middle of Mass!"

"You were trying not to sneeze, and I was trying not to laugh," Kathy went on. "You were holding your nose, and then when I looked over again, you were stuffing something into your mouth…?"

"My mom's handkerchief," John nodded, remembering.

Kathy laughed loudly. "What on earth did you do that for?" she asked.

John shrugged. "I don't even know anymore, I can't remember," he laughed.

"And then, just as the deacon lifted the Body of Christ into the air, there was this tremendous AAAAATCHOOOO!"

John burst out laughing at Kathy's stellar imitation of his sneeze years and years ago. Kathy was speechless for a while to, pounding the table as she laughed hysterically.

"And," she wheezed, "because it was the church, your sneeze echoed and echoed…"

"And everyone in the church turned and stared at me," John chuckled, shaking his head. "I thought for sure I was going to die, or God was going to strike me down with a lightning bolt for daring to sneeze in His church."

Kathy chuckled. "Well, they were staring at me, too," she corrected him. "Even then, it was well known that we were into all kinds of shenanigans."

"Of course, it didn't help when you pointed the deacon towards me," John grumbled.

"Well, you were the one who sneezed," Kathy grinned. "Besides, you pointed back."

"You started it!" John protested.

Kathy tilted her head up and looked at him down her nose in a most snooty way. "It's not polite to point at ladies," she said.

John laughed. "Many things you are, Kathy, but a lady is not one of them."

"You wound me, geek boy."

John's eyes widened for a moment, then he glared at her. "If you dare call me that in front of anyone, I will kill you."

Kathy just laughed. "Now that is something I would like to see you try," she chuckled. "Last I remembered, I was the one who hung you from that tree-" She stopped and looked over at the table where John's team was sitting. "Why does Dr. McKay keep staring at us? He's been doing it all through lunch."

"Maybe he has an avid interest in the effects of hysteria," John suggested.

Kathy reacted without thinking, punching her fist down on John's hand, which was resting on the table.

"Ow!" John yelped, snatching back the hand and cradling it protectively against his chest, looking over at Kathy with a wounded expression.

"Sorry," Kathy apologized, but her eyes held a twinkle. She glanced back over at Rodney was again. "But seriously, what is his deal?" Her eyes widened. "Do you think he thinks we're a couple?"

John snorted into his water. "I think I made it pretty clear to Rodney that there's nothing going on with us."

"And the likelihood that he actually listened to what you were saying…?"

"Pretty low," John admitted.

Kathy glanced over at Rodney, and a grin spread far across her face, filled with mischief.

"Oh no, I've seen that look before," John said. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we could tug on his chain. Nothing too over the top, but enough to, oh, I don't know… make his jaw drop, maybe."

John's eyebrow arched. "And that would be?"

Kathy rose, grinning mischievously, and picked up her empty lunch tray. John followed suit, minus the grin.

"You take both trays," Kathy instructed.

John wasn't quite sure where Kathy was going with this, but he followed her instructions.

"Come out from the table."

John went into the main walkway, and looked over in surprise when Kathy sauntered up and slid her arm into his.

"Now we walk past their table as we go to put away our trays," Kathy said.

John grinned. They went to drop off their trays, then headed back towards his team's table. Walking casually, Kathy leaning on his arm and giggling at something, probably the hilarity of her own idea, he passed the table at which Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon sat.

Their mission had been accomplished, for Rodney's jaw had indeed dropped, though he quickly snapped it shut as they drew near.

John nodded calmly at his teammate. "Rodney."

Rodney gave a less than regal nod in return. "Sh-Sheppard."

Kathy smiled at the Canadian, her lashes half-lowered. "You must be Rodney," she said, slowing her voice purposefully. "John has told me so much about you."

John tried not to burst out laughing. Rodney's expression was priceless, even more so when Kathy added, "I hear you're quite brilliant."

"Yes, well, you heard correctly," Rodney said, preening.

Kathy looked over at John, somehow maintaining her cool expression. "So it would seem," she said.

John smiled crookedly, shaking slightly as he tried not to laugh.

"So, uh, you and Sheppard…" Rodney said.

"Oh, yes…" Kathy looked up at John, smile tugging at her lips. "John and I…" She suddenly burst out laughing, "Are totally pulling your leg!"

Kathy's laughter was entirely infectious. Once she started, John couldn't help but join in, and Ronon's roars added to the noise. Teyla was shaking, and Rodney sputtered indignantly as he realized that he'd been had.

"I'm Kathy," Kathy introduced herself as she tried to calm herself. "Dr. Katherine Sanders if you want to be stuffy. But I prefer Kathy." She smiled. "Stuffy's never been my thing."

"I am Teyla Emmagan," Teyla introduced herself, standing up and offering her hand. Kathy took it and shook it strongly.

"You've met Rodney," John said. "And Teyla, now. That's Ronon back there."

Ronon nodded at Kathy, and took her proffered hand.

"Well, it seems everybody knows everybody 'round here now," Kathy said. She glanced down at her watch. "Uh-oh! I lost track of time, I need to get back home-to the infirmary, that is." She glanced over at John and chuckled. "Though, some could argue that you spend more time there than I do."

John kept his face studiously blank as he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kathy laughed, shaking her head as she walked away. John and his team watched her go for a moment before all looking at each other.

"So that's your friend," Rodney said.

"Yeah," John said. "She's kinda different from when we last saw each other… and kinda not." He shrugged.

"That is how change often is," Teyla said, nodding wisely.

"Yeah, I guess so," John said.

"She's different than other people from Earth," Ronon rumbled from his place. "Something in her face."

"Yes, I had seen that as well," Teyla agreed. "Perhaps she carries the gene of the Ancestors as John does."

"Maybe," John nodded. "Maybe."

…...

"Dr. Sanders, you're needed in the infirmary immediately." Kathy furrowed her brow at the statement coming from her headset, and picked up her pace as she tapped the mic and replied, "I'm on my way. Be there in five minutes."

She called for Dr. Neal to hold the door as she ran up to the transport.

A/N: So sorry for the HUGE delay! Stuff was happening in life, and then an ice storm came to Washington of all places, we lost power for a day, and we still don't have our Internet back up... so, yeah. Delays. My sincerest apologies.