497 words.
Now I have a bit of reading to do and then a couple of tags to write. ;)
Rodney looked at his inquisitor and gave him a scowl to be proud of. "What do you mean what would I do if I had $1,000,000?"
Sheppard slowly shook his head before leaning forward to look out through the bars of their latest 'accommodations' to the cell across the hall. Teyla gave him a barely perceptible nod to tell him that she and Ronon were almost able to escape.
"It's a pretty simple question, McKay," said Sheppard as he leaned back against the wall. He looked over to Rodney sitting on the bench on the opposite side of the room. "If you had a million dollars, what would you do?"
Rodney rolled his eyes at Sheppard's playful patronization and folded his arms across his chest. "The same thing I'm doing now."
Sheppard quirked an eyebrow at Rodney and then let loose a short but unmistakably skeptical laugh. "Right, McKay. I you had a million dollars sitting in a bank account you'd be running around Pegasus getting shot at and jailed every other week."
"No," said Rodney slowly as though he were talking to a three year old. "I should be in my nice lab and getting ready to meet Jennifer for dinner." Rodney snorted in amusement and added, "The whole getting shot at and jailed thing is an occupational hazard brought upon me by my team leader."
Sheppard feigned indignation with wide eyes and by mouthing 'me' as he pointed to himself. "As I recall, Meredith, this was your fault."
"It most certainly was not my fault!" exclaimed Rodney loudly and with enough heat to almost melt the bars of the door.
Sheppard smirked, but he knew better than to rile Rodney up any more than he had in such tight quarters. "Okay, Rodney," said Sheppard, his voice soft and soothing, "it was my fault." Before Rodney could call him a liar John asked, "Would you really keep doing this if you had a million dollars?"
Rodney shrugged, though his eyes remained narrowed and cold. "I had three million when we found Atlantis," said Rodney.
Sheppard nearly fell off his bunk. He couldn't have heard right. No way. "You have three million dollars?" he asked, more than a little impressed he'd managed to keep the question from coming out as a squeak. "Really?"
Rodney tilted his head from left to right and then said, "Well, no not really."
"I didn't think so," replied Sheppard.
"Must be four million by now."
"What?"
Rodney shrugged again. He looked at Sheppard and finally noticed that the Colonel was about ready to have a stroke. "Well the latest interest period ended last week which should have put it over four million."
John shook his head and gasped, "How?"
Rodney gave his friend a little wave. "Hello? Math genius over here."
Just then the door opened and Teyla beckoned for them to follow. As they walked through the door Rodney whispered, "So what would you do with a million dollars?"
A/N: "If I Had $1,000,000" was written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson and released by their band Barenaked Ladies on their 1993 album Gordon.