Max was bored and half convinced Rodney was delusional. Maybe, she reasoned, his ego wouldn't let him admit to the possibility that he was a suicidally crappy pilot.

"Oh don't look at me like that, there are only two more to check." Rodney snapped as she gave him an irritated look. She held up her hands and waggled her fingers at him.

"Behold the horror!" she snorted and trudged after him as he lead the way to the next puddlejumper while muttering under his breath.

"Okay now –"

"Rodney, I've got this." She growled. While he watched she carefully began to run her hands over every exposed surface of the cockpit area. Again, nothing happened. She sighed and sat in the copilot's seat.

"Come on there's just one more jumper."

"Rodney come on this is ridiculous."

"Hey you agreed, no half assing this, look if I'm right and we don't check it out it could go down and not all of us are immortal."

"Fine whatever you say." She growled. Her stomach rumbled as they exited the jumper, Rodney was studying his datapad and she realized he hadn't bitched about missing lunch or being late to dinner all day. She decided to meet him halfway.

"I'm sorry Rodney it's just been a long day and you have to admit this is …odd even for Atlantis."

"Stick around a few more years this will barely rate as an anecdote." He smirked.

"Do you remember anything about the crash?" She asked as they approached the final jumper.

"No, not really, which is not unusual when it comes to physical trauma –"

She let him talk on she had learned to find his rambling comforting.

She sat at the controls again and went over them with no result.

"Happy? Let's get some dinner Rodney." She yawned and stood up.

"This doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does, look neither of us remember the crash maybe you just made a mistake –"

The main console exploded in a shower of sparks. Max stood between it and McKay already but jumped forward to knock him clear anyway. Between her jump and the force of the explosion he was knocked out the rear of the jumper and onto the hard floor of the bay.

Dazed he managed to get to his feet as an emergency response team arrived with medical personnel.

"Rodney are you okay?" Carson asked.

"I'm fine!" He said coughing. A medical technician lead him out of the smoke filled bay to be examined. He was covered in soot and had a shallow cut on his forehead was bleeding freely.

Carson entered the jumper coughing and trying to see through the lingering smoke with his flashlight.

He found her slumped against the rear hatch apparently having bounced off one of the puddlejumper's internal bulkheads before coming to a halt. She was dead, the explosion had made a mess of her. He swallowed hard and knelt next to her to search for any sign of recovery.

There was no telltale display of Quickening energy though he supposed it could take quite some time to repair this amount of damage. As he rose two technicians with a hard back stretcher arrived.

"Easy, she's dead for now but she'll be recovering soon and in a great deal of pain." Carson cautioned as he helped shift what was left of her onto the support. The technicians exchanged skeptical glances at Carson's warning but did as he asked.

Halfway to the infirmary she started to breathe. They nearly dropped her in shock but managed to keep the stretcher level.

"Steady! She's not conscious thank god, hurry we need to be ready to stabilize her."

Rodney limped after them, he had deliberately avoided looking at her when the technicians hurried past. Why hadn't he thought about the explosion occurring again?

"This is all my fault." Rodney said as Carson lead them into the infirmary. He shouted crisp orders to his team and they set about stabilizing Max.

"Rodney let me take a look."

"This is all my fault Carson I –"

"Hush, no sense worrying now, she'll recover and we got there in time so she won't feel much."

"I was so stupid –"

"You weren't the only one there Rodney she didn't think it was dangerous either now hold still." As he examined Rodney Ronon, Teyla and Sheppard arrived.

"What's his status?"

"Banged up but he'll live." Carson reported.

"What of Sergeant Holloway?" Teyla asked.

"Well, I can say with some confidence that she will live, she's receiving painkillers and a supportive I.V."

"What the hell happened Rodney?"

"I screwed up, John." Rodney said bleakly.

She woke up several hours later high as a kite and completely relaxed.

"Holy shit that feels amazing." She croaked.

Someone just outside her line of sight moved and laughed. She raised her head drunkenly and saw Lorne and Sheppard.

"Hi fellas." She said dreamily and dropped her head.

"Carson I think you can cut the juice." Sheppard chuckled.

Carson looked exhausted but pleased to see her awake.

"Is…is…what is his name? Complains a lot?" She asked and giggled.

"McKay is fine, just a little banged up." Carson soothed and removed her I.V.s

"I fucked up doc, I should have had him stay outside –"

"Hey relax you got blown up you can beat yourself up later." Sheppard interrupted.

"I'm so so soooo high sir." She grinned.

"Well, you're in top shape, again. Once the medication wears off you're free to go. Colonel I'd suggest light duty for a few days." Carson said.

"I can totally sleep this off in my …quarters. Why are they called quarters? Are there like four of them?"

"Ah well –"

"I can escort her sir." Lorne said as he finished cleaning up the cards they had been playing to kill time.

"Breakfast! I want breakfast with mick..mac…the guy with the ….noise."

"Major are you sure?" Sheppard asked eyeing Max dubiously.

"Absolutely sir." Lorne knew from talking with Max that she didn't like to sleep in exposed or public areas. She would want to sleep in her quarters, alone, behind a sealed door if she could.

"Okay then. I'll et Rodney know she's fine. Thanks Carson."

"I have to admit, it's quite nice to have a patient that's guaranteed to pull through for once. Very refreshing." Carson said smugly.

Lorne helped her off the bed and looped an arm around her shoulder. She wore hospital scrubs and was barefoot but the cool metallic floors of Atlantis would offer her feet no injury.

She leaned heavily on the Major as they walked.

"I'm really really high was that morphine? Man that's the best time I've ever had coming back to life like for sure number one." She said and yawned.

"Yeah it's good stuff." He agreed. He'd been injured enough to sample the golden cloud and while it certainly did its job he was always grateful when his condition improved to allow for a safer medication.

"Dying…dying super sucks like…every time." She muttered as he lead them to a transport and waited for the door to open.

"Oh yeah?" He asked and smiled at her stoned antics.

"Yeah…yeah like …so much. It's dark and there's never anything there. No one waiting, no…no golden gate or," She started laughing, "or black ones just…nothing. Oh no sometimes it's cold. So there's that I guess."

"Yeah I guess there's that, okay here we go." He said as the transport doors opened. He half dragged half guided her into it and selected their destination.

"You're a good man." She muttered sleepily and leaned against him.

"Ah thanks, I guess."

"You were kind to me when you didn't need to be. I mean, I would've said yes to just about anything to get out of prison…who wouldn't…but you were nice to me on the Daedalus you were…kind….you didn't owe me or need me I had already said yes you were just …kind….thank you."

"Well, it's not like it was hard." Lorne said gently.

"It almost never is." She said wistfully and straightened abruptly.

"Hey take it easy don't fall over." He said softly and laughed as she tried to give him an indignant glare.

"I'm …I'm getting soberer…more sober. Fucking metabolism." She muttered.

"Hey small favors right? I guess hangovers aren't really a problem for you."

"No…getting drunk is hard though my friend? He…well…he's dead now but he used to have the hardest time getting drunk. Really really liked beer. I miss him."

"I'm sorry, how uh how did he –"

"He was like me. He was one of my teachers. See normally we only get one but uh I had some issues? I had two sorta, anyway he sort of…sort of killed himself…a few years ago."

"Oh I…I didn't know that was a thing."

"Yeah. Me either. Fucking Furlings man."

He blinked at her and grunted. The transport doors opened and he helped her to her quarters. She was asleep seconds after stretching out on the bed.