Sirens and alerts screamed down and red lights flashed at Cressida and Ez as they desperately worked to disarm the Naquadria bomb sat dead centre of the SGC generator room. Cress had tied her hair up in a messy bun so as she could see what she was doing while Ezra had ripped off his jacket, neither looked panicked but their quick movements certainly showed their concentration.
"Ninety-five seconds until detonation." Said the dark-haired boy.
"This isn't going to work." Growled Cress was hunched over on her knees and had her hands among the inner workings of the bomb. "None of these wires make sense! Who the hell wires something like this?"
"Questions later, Sis. Bigger problems... like the huge bloody bomb in the middle of the SGC!" Ezra took a breath as he fished through the blue tool back beside him for a screwdriver. "Forty-five seconds."
"Yes, thank you Ezra. I can read the timer." Responded his sister absent-mindedly.
The two of them had developed a very effective way of working in the four years they'd spent alone together. When working on something small and compact Ezra passed tools and held the light, he'd create the diagrams as they went or hold wires out of the way, while Cress did all the manual work since her hands were smaller and – as the elder Rush – pulled rank.
"Thirty seconds." In truth Ezra's countdown was only stressing his sister. Suddenly he sat bolt upright and nodded to himself which pulled Cressida's attention from the bomb to her younger brother. "Wait, we could-" He gestured to the black Naquadria bomb only to be cut off by Cress.
"Ooh, that's good. Ezra you are clever."
The two of them grinned then launched into sudden movements as though a current had passed through them. They gave up with the nonsense wiring and instead started ripping open the timer casing, Ez passed Cress a pair of wire cutters and she made short work of stripping the colorful casings before wrapping wires together as though hot-wiring a car.
"Eight," Began the youngest Rush. "seven... six... five... four...three..." Ez's voice started to grow concerned. "Two, one... fifty-nine."
The siblings erupted in laughed and fell back onto the floor giving their aching knees a rest. Suddenly the alerts and red lights shut off and Colonel Davis stepped forwards with General O'Neill at his side, Paul held a stop watch but both wore a look of amazement.
"How did you two do that?" Asked Jack as the Rush siblings casually leaned against one another on the floor.
"That test is designed to be unbeatable. It's function is to teach our men that sometimes – no matter how hard you try – there's nothing to be done." Said Paul.
"And you two just kicked its ass!" Added the General with a grin. "Seriously, how the hell did you deactivate the bomb?"
"Didn't." Chuckled Ezra. "We outsmarted it. I do witty single liners, Cress does the explanations and technical bit. Sis, you're up."
Cress fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"We didn't deactivate it, we tricked it. We made the timer think instead of being set for one hour that its been set for ten thousand hours. You've got over a year to deactivate that bomb."
"Four-hundred and sixteen days to be exact." Added Ezra.
"Nicely done." Smiled the Colonel as he tucked the stopwatch back into his pocket and held out his hands to help both teenagers to their feet.
Jack chuckled. "I should give you two your own SG team."
"Why did you have us to this?" Asked Cressida while her brother tried to nonchalantly savour the warmth of Paul's hand. "Surly the two of you have better things to do."
Both men sighed and the siblings could tell this was just another thing their bosses had forced them into.
"The guys at the top want to know what you've got locked up in those heads of yours."
"Huh?"
"What General O'Neill means, Ezra, is that the Pentagon wants to know exactly what you're capable of. And – I'm sorry but this is the only was of phrasing this I know – how much use you can be to Earth and the Stargate Program."
"Listen guys, I know you're going stir crazy here and frankly Rush is starting to do my head in with his storming into my office and demanding you two are let out. So I'm sending you back to Destiny. That ship has been left unattended long enough, other than the both of you I'm sending Rush and Wallace as well as SG3 to lead and a small science team that includes McKay."
The Rush children grumbled in almost perfect unison and pulled the exact same expression.
"Not McKay." Groaned the both of them, they'd met the man once and just like their father taken an instant dislike to the man, yes he was intelligent but much to irritating.
"I'll be going as well, I'm way overdue for some of world work."
At that Ezra perked up, Paul was going with them! Baby brother's in love. If Cress wasn't mistaken Ez let out a little 'yes' under his breath. A thought occurred to her.
"Can I take Vulpine?"
"Sure." Said Jack quickly as he leaned against the door frame. "I don't want to try crating that thing let alone separate you by a wormhole."
Having outsmarted the test, Ezra and his sister made their way back to their room where they found Eli and Vulpine playing on the bed right where they'd left them. The second Vulpine noticed Cress he bounded down off the bed and over to his mistress almost knocking Ezra off his feet as he passed. Cress tickled his head and scratched behind the animal's ears, Vulpine might have been the size of a tiger but for Cressida he was a puppy. Once Vulpine allowed Cress to move she went straight to Eli and sat herself in his lap while Ez dove onto his bed and pulled out the candy bar he'd had stashed. Cressida snuggled into Eli's strong chest and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.
"Thank you for watching him."
"Sure thing. He really does think you're his Mom though." Replied Eli as he pulled the chestnut haired girl closer.
"Because she is." Muttered Ezra through his chocolate filled mouth. "You've seen how she babies him."
"That's because he is a baby." Cress cleared her throat. "Anyway, I hear we get to go back to Destiny tomorrow."
"Yeah, you know I actually miss that ship. Not the constant fear of death, but still."
Eli subconsciously pulled her hair loose of the messy bun she'd put it in and tucked a stray strand behind her ear, to Eli she was the most beautiful thing in creation and for some reason she loved him.
"Pops will be happy."
"You too." Said Cress quickly with a teasing grin. "Flyboy is coming as well."
"Shut up!"
"Flyboy?" Questioned Eli.
"Yeah, Colonel Davis. Ezzy's little crush slash infatuation-"
"Shut up! It's not an infatuation."
Cressida couldn't help but laugh.
"Just think, brother mine, that prim and proper uniform gone for fatigues. Who knows, he might even get sweaty and take off his jacket."
At that point Eli started to laugh as well but not with malice.
"You done?" Asked Ez flatly.
"For now."
"Good. Freak."
"Perv."
"Okay you two. Cress, I think it's time we took Vulpine for a walk."
"That's right, you can go be gross somewhere else."
"Love you too, Ezzy."
Cress and Ezra argued a lot and insulted one another constantly but it was all good natured. At heart they were the best of friends, thick as thieves, and always there to support one another.
Eli and Cressida left Ezra alone in their room and took Vulpine out into the long hallways with Vulpine in tow. The math genius took Cressida's hand in his as they wandered down the halls and couldn't help but smile when she leaned into his side.
"How was your Mom?" She asked as they turned a corner. "I'm sorry I couldn't go with you."
"It's okay," he told her truthfully. "and my Mom is fine. Happy to see me, gave me a hug so big I couldn't breathe for a moment. I got chocolate chip cookies too." Eli grinned at that.
"Ooh, you must have been in heaven." Teased his girlfriend with a smile that shone angelically in her dark orbs. "And her health? Is she still taking her meds?"
"Yes she is. Mom seems to be doing well actually. Didn't look tired or drained, there was some color in her cheeks too so that's good. I didn't realise just how much I'd missed her."
"I know how you feel." Lamented Cress. "There were days on the ship when me and Ez wanted to wake up Mom and Daddy – you too, but that was more me – just for a hug."
"You could have woken me up for that, I wouldn't have minded." Actually he'd have felt rather honoured.
"We didn't want to risk the power supply but I almost did it anyway."
Eli paused then which forced Cress to stop as well since her hand was in his, she looked up at him with those dazzling brown eyes. Originally he'd associated those eyes with an aggravated Rush but now he just thought of perfection and how much he loved the woman before him. I should take her to my high school reunion and watch everyone's jaws hit the floor. Eli liked to refer to his girlfriend as 'sexy as hell', the Nakai had engineered her to be a perfect human female, perfect health, perfect intellect, perfect physical fitness, perfect other things... and damn had they done a good job; it actually made him hate the blue bastards a little less because they'd given him her.
"I love you, Cress, you know that right?"
The teenager with long chestnut curls just smiled up at him, was there any man more adorable?
"I know, and I love you too."
With that Cressida rose up on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to Eli's soft lips, just a gentle press of lips but it meant the world to Eli. They eventually separated when Vulpine barked as if to say 'hurry the hell up' and the two carried on down the hall with the creature, a comfortable silence rang out for a moment or two before Cress started to speak again.
"Back to your Mom though, you don't have any surprise siblings?"
Eli laughed at that, well, snorted but he'd have rather referred to the sound as a laugh.
"No, that doesn't happen in real life-"
"Ezra." She deadpanned.
"Okay, maybe it does happen, but no. Still just me." Eli cleared his throat. "I showed her that picture I had Ezra take of us."
"Oh, I wondered what that was about."
"She thinks you're beautiful, then again there's no denying that and every one thinks you are." Cress let out a little 'awww' but if it was sarcasm or real Eli wasn't entirely sure. "I got the whole 'she's too young for you' speech."
"That's to be expected, she doesn't know what I am. Your Mom will come around once she's actually met me."
"I think she already has come round, she went from 'she's too young' to 'well, if you're happy."
"She Momed you!" Chortled he seventeen year old.
Eli glanced down at her sceptically. "She what?"
"She Momed you, mine does it too. It's the idea that if their child is happy then they are as well. It's quite touching really."
Eli couldn't argue with that. He'd not been able to spend as much tome as he'd have liked with Cress since returning to Earth so walking Vulpine – because he couldn't freely wander around Destiny any longer – had become a ritual of theirs; one that Eli treasured.
"Hey, I was thinking I could go get Thai take-out and we could watch something." She'd never had Thai food before.
"Sure, and by 'watch something' I assume you mean Star Trek or Star Wars." Suddenly her face grew teasing and mock worried. "You'd have to be on your best behaviour though, I need to ask Davis if my boyfriend can stay over."
"He can."
Said Davis suddenly as he and Daniel Jackson suddenly passed them probably heading to Jack's office; neither had heard them approach. As soon as the two older men vanished around one of the corners Eli and Cress burst out laughing.