499 words. :)

As was usually the case when Jeannie visited Atlantis she ended up telling stories about her brother that was guaranteed to do two things: make his friends laugh and make Rodney angry. For her it was simply the way of the world that little sisters elicit laughter from others at their older brother's expense.

And Jennifer was enjoying every moment of it. She believed without a shadow of a doubt that she'd come to know Rodney as well as anyone, and better than most. Yet she dearly loved to hear Jeannie's stories about him because they generally showed brief and exciting glimpses of the person she loved.

As the laughter from Jeannie's latest story died down, Jennifer noticed that the older woman had fallen silent. More than that her eyes, which had been bright and dancing with laughter, had dulled and become eerily sad.

The others in her impromptu audience- John, Teyla, Ronon, Woolsey, Chuck, Amelia and Zelenka- didn't seem to notice and began talking amongst themselves.

Jennifer got up from her seat as subtly as she was able and walked over and sat next to Jeannie. When Rodney's sister looked at her Jennifer quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

Jeannie gave Jennifer a reassuring and appreciative smile. "I am." She leaned closer to Jennifer and whispered, "I was just remembering a time when Mer came to me. He was very upset about something, and I remember him asking if his days would ever get better." Jeannie gave Jennifer a slight shrug. "You know by now that Mer's childhood wasn't exactly fun."

Jennifer nodded at the understatement. She could relate to some of it- the bullying and the ostracization that sometimes went with being a child genius- but when it came to parents and a home life they had been at the opposite ends of the spectrum. She had loving, patient and supportive parents while Rodney didn't.

Jeannie sighed which drew Jennifer's attention back to her. "You have no idea how happy I am that's he's found a place he feels at home in. I've never seen him so happy and at peace with himself."

Jennifer almost laughed at the prospect of a peaceful Rodney but she didn't, mostly because she knew how he felt.

Just then Rodney walked into the room and he stopped when everyone's attention turned to him. He immediately realized what had been happening and his shoulders slumped as he prepared himself for the inevitable onslaught of good-natured yet potent ribbing.

Before it had a chance to begin Jennifer stood up and walked up to him. She put her arms around his neck and drew him into a soul-searing, earth-shaking, kiss to end all kisses kiss. When she finally eased away from him he blurted out, "What was that for?"

She smiled and her voice was low enough so that only he could hear her, "To remind you that these are better days."

Rodney looked confused for a second until he glanced at Jeannie. "I'll say."

A/N: "Better Days" was written by the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) for his 1992 album Lucky Town.