John found Rodney in the lab. The scientist was acting weirder than normal lately. It seemed to be his usual response to Jeannie visiting Atlantis. Though the siblings seemed to get along there was always an unexplained tension between the two when they were on the same planet. To make matter worse Ronon (as well as John himself) was guilty of milking the situation for his own amusement.
"You left the commissary awfully quickly."
It probably wouldn't be that bad except Rodney had this odd tendency to walk up or in just when someone was talking about him. This time Jeannie was regaling them with one of the many tales of Rodney getting picked on in school. It had been hilarious until he looked up and realized that Rodney was standing right there listening to them swap embarrassing stories. What was even worse was that the scientist hadn't said anything. He just sat his tray of food down on a nearby table, turned and walked out of the room.
"Well as fascinating as Luke Million throwing me down the stairs must have been to the rest of you…" Rodney didn't look away from his computer screen. "I have a lot of work to do." He dismissed the Colonel with a wave of his hand and hoped he would actually get the hint.
"Come on Rodney. You have to admit it was a little funny. We all tell funny stories about ourselves as kids."
Rodney actually looked up at him. "There was nothing funny about my childhood." His blue eyes were oddly unguarded. John had to force himself not to look away.
"I find that hard to believe." Everyone had fun and funny moments in their younger years. Didn't they? Rodney shrugged and went back to typing at the keyboard. For a moment John wasn't sure he was going to say anything else.
"You want me to sum up my childhood Sheppard?" Rodney almost growled. "Fine It was Fête du Canada. I was twelve. I think Jeanie was nine. Neither mom nor dad were home. I'm not quite sure why but it wasn't unusual for even a holiday." Rodney's voice was soft now, a brillant contrast from a second before.. John sat down in one of the chairs that littered the lab. "They hadn't left me any money to get pizza or anything so I made French toast. It was all I knew how to make really, at least that didn't include the microwave. I mean I was twelve for heaven's sake." The look on his face made John wonder just when the last time the scientist had gotten some sleep was. Probably sometime last October knowing McKay. "Jeannie was furious. She wanted Nanaimo bars and roast turkey like we had at grandma's the year before." He nervously ran his fingers around the rim of his coffee cup; probably the only sustenance he had consumed in twenty-four hours. "But what could I do?" He shrugged. "I only knew how to make French toast."