Another chapter. Interesting.
I still don't own Stargate Atlantis…it's still MGM's.
I have no idea what Keller's mother's name is, at least I don't recall it ever being mentioned. I may be wrong about that and I'm willing to be corrected.
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Neither Jennifer nor Rodney could remember why they hadn't picked out a name for their child before the birth. They had theories of course, like they wanted to wait to see if it was a boy or a girl, (neither wanted to know beforehand, which delighted John to no end as Rodney usually despised surprises of any kind), but they just couldn't remember consciously deciding not to pick one.
As it was, they were glad that they had waited, for doing so gave them the chance to gauge their child's temperament and behavior, hoping that some little quirk of hers or some other quality would help them to choose a name that was truly worthy of her.
Two weeks after Jennifer delivered the baby into the world and an exhaustive search of every baby name book known to man, they still didn't have a name that really fit their little miracle.
"Still haven't figured out a name, hunh?" asked Sheppard as he sat down in the chair across from Rodney.
Rodney looked up from his lunch and groaned at the look of sheer pleasure on his friend's face. "No, Mister State the Obvious, we haven't!" Sheppard opened his mouth but Rodney quickly added, "And no, we're not naming her Sue. Or Katy. Or Rosanna. Or Rose. Or any other female name that just so happens to be in the title of a Johnny Cash song."
Sheppard frowned as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "You're no fun, Meredith." His eyes widened and he pointed excitedly at Rodney. "Why don't you…"
"I am NOT naming my daughter Meredith, thank you very much!" Rodney gave the Colonel a dismissive wave and turned his attention back to his lunch. "Don't you have anything better to do than sit here and waste my time with your juvenile suggestions?"
Sheppard gave Rodney a smile and stood up. "Now that you mention it, I'm supposed to have a meeting with Woolsey about getting some replacement MALPs." He tapped Rodney on the shoulder as he passed by and said, "See you later, Meredith."
Rodney's shoulders shrunk and he refused to give the Colonel any type of response, hoping that if he showed his friend that it didn't bother him, (even though it irritated the hell out of him), he'd stop doing it. He knew the odds were against it, but nothing else seemed to work.
"Is there something the matter, Rodney?"
Rodney looked up to see Teyla standing next to him, concern easily evident in the tilt of her head and the look in her eyes. "What? No, not really." He picked up the tablet that had been sitting abandoned on the table next to his lunch and held it up so she could read the list of names on the screen.
"I see," said Teyla as she moved towards the chair that John had vacated moments earlier. She motioned to the chair and asked, "May I sit down?"
Rodney nodded without giving it a thought, Teyla being one of the very few people on Atlantis that he'd given carte blanche seating privileges to, though she still always asked first.
"Perhaps you are trying too hard," she suggested once she'd settled into the chair. "The proper name will come to you when it comes to you, and there is no doubt that it will come."
Rodney sighed as he nodded at her. "I know, it's just…I want to be able to talk to her and about her without calling her 'the baby' or 'kid' or whatever."
"That is understandable, Rodney," Teyla said with a smile that told him she did indeed understand perfectly. She reached over and placed her hand on his and gave it a supportive squeeze. "Remember that we are here to help you if you need it."
She released his hand and sat back, suddenly smiling and waving at someone behind him. He turned around and found Torren and Kanaan sitting at what had become the Emmagan table.
Rodney returned Kanaan's wave and turned back to look at Teyla. "Thanks for…well, thanks for everything."
"You are most welcome, Rodney," she said as she stood up. She started walking towards Kanaan and Torren but hesitated beside Rodney long enough to say, "It is what family is for, isn't it?"
Rodney thought about that for a moment. You know, I wouldn't mind if my little girl grows up to be like Teyla, he thought. Strong, beautiful, intelligent, kind…
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Three hours later the team, plus Woolsey, sat and waited in Jennifer and Rodney's living room in silent anticipation. The call had come moments earlier that a decision had been made about baby Keller-McKay's name and everyone had rushed to the room, with Woolsey leading the charge.
It seemed that being one of the little girl's godfathers had put a little extra spring in the bureaucrat's step.
The bedroom door opened and Jennifer, with the little one in her arms, walked out with Rodney close behind. The threesome moved to a place near the rocker-recliner where everyone could see them and Jennifer spoke.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she said with a smile, "but we have an announcement to make."
She turned to Rodney and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"You came up with it, Rodney," she said with no small amount of pride in her voice. "You tell them."
Rodney hesitated for a moment and then scanned the expectant faces watching him. "We decided to call her," his eyes found Teyla's, "Teylanna Suzanne Keller-McKay."
Out of the corner of his eye he could see nods, smiles and other gestures of approval from Ronon, Woolsey and Sheppard, but he could read nothing from Teyla at all.
He motioned to Teyla with his hand and said hesitantly, "If it's, you know, okay with you."
Teyla stood up and walked towards him, and it wasn't until she was about to wrap her arms around him that he could see the gleam of a tear in the corner of her eye.
"Of course it is okay," she said as she hugged him. "I am very honored. Thank you, Rodney."
He returned her hug and nearly sighed in relief. "You're welcome."
Rodney released Teyla from the hug and shook Woolsey's hand as she stepped over to Jennifer and hugged her as well.
Ronon was next to congratulate him with a grin and a nod, and then Sheppard.
Rodney saw the look of smug satisfaction on Sheppard's face as he shook his hand and immediately went on guard. "What!?!?" he demanded.
John shook his head at first, but after a rather intense glare from Rodney he said, "Teylanna Suzanne Keller-McKay."
"Right," said a wary Rodney. "'Teylanna' after Teyla and 'Suzanne' after Jennifer's mother." Sheppard grinned and Rodney said, "What?!?!?!"
The Colonel's grin only widened. "Suzanne," he repeated.
"So?"
Sheppard's grin turned into a full-fledged smile. "Suzanne…as in Sue?"
Rodney closed his eyes, and when he opened them a moment later all he could say to Sheppard's Cheshire Cat impression was, "Crap."
