John was making his way past the science labs to speak with Rodney that morning, he hadn't seen the way ward scientist at breakfast and was concerned that Rodney was beginning to neglect himself as he worked to keep the city running at maximum.

He jumped, startled when he heard a loud crack of a gun shot, he looked down the hall and realized it was coming directly from Rodney's acclaimed lab. His feet carried him suddenly, hopping he wouldn't find a dead body, hoping he wouldn't find a Wraith, hoping he would find the gun in Rodney's hand 'Where the hell did the idiot get the gun from in the first place' ran through John's mind.

There he stood in the middle of the room, grinning from ear to hear, staring at the gun in his hand, which was glowing green. On his chest was a small green device, John searched wildly for blood of a bullet hole. He saw nothing Rodney looked fine.

"What the hell are you doing?" John yelled at him. His eyes met John's and he saw pure glee in them, similar to what you'd find in a five year old at Christmas.

"John! You'll never believe this!" Rodney began to talk faster than most men he knew could; telling John all about the gene therapy Carson had given him and how he had just shot himself in the head and he was fine.

Finally John held up my hands, "whoa, stop, you mean to tell me you just shot yourself in the head. Rodney, that's a little…"

"No I'm not suicidal, I had to see if it worked, and it does! Here, shoot me, anywhere," he said handing John the gun. John found himself slightly impressed that his brother knew how to hand someone a gun, much less hold it. Taking the 9mm from Rodney, John looked at it, then back at him. John couldn't, nor would John shoot his younger brother.

"Rodney…."

"No, it's okay, really I won't feel a thing, you can shoot me anywhere!"

John was stunned, as much as he wanted to shoot him at times, he couldn't, he couldn't induce physical harm on someone who he had grown up with for almost ten years, he couldn't do it. John loved him, Rodney was the only brother John had ever had. Besides John and Rodney had years of trouble to get into ahead of them, what if something went wrong?

"McKay this is crazy!"

"No, it's not, really go ahead I can take it," John raised an eye brow at him, he was fairly sure there was little this man could really take. But with a severe doubt in what he was doing John held the gun up at point blanket range in front of Rodney's face.

He didn't even flinch, John began to pull the trigger, at the last moment he dropped the gun and shot at Rodney's thigh. He was right the bullet hit whatever was covering his body and then dropped to the ground. There was no bullet hole, no blood, nothing.

"Isn't this great?" Rodney said with excitement. John grinned from ear to ear in similar glee, he was fine. They went about the lab throwing things, hitting him, throwing him off balconies like we were small children again just having a fun game of ball. Except Rodney was the ball and I was doing everything I could to throw, hit or kick the ball.

John walked into the infirmary after a short debriefing with Dr. Weir and eyed his second in command on his team, and his little brother. Rodney sat, legs dangling over the side of the gurney, looking pathetic, exhausted and annoyed as Carson gave him an earful.

"Carson, how's our hero?" John questioned the doctor.

Carson smiled, he was the only person aside from Weir that knew of John and Rodney's family relationship. Neither one said a word, because the two managed to fool everyone else that they were not related and actually could barely standing being around one another.

"The wee bugger is lucky to bloody be alive," Carson stated eyeing his patient.

"Yes, well he does seem to be lucky quite a bit. Carson, could I speak with my brother for a moment alone?"

Carson merely nodded and headed of to work on some paper work in his office. John turned and looked at Rodney for a moment, eying him, looking for any sign that his little brother really truly wasn't fine and needed serious medical attention.

Finding none John plopped himself down on the bed beside Rodney and paused for a moment, crossing his fingers in his lap he tried to think of what to say, "Let me begin with, if you ever pull another fool hearty stunt like that ever again, I will personally hit you into next week, or sic Teyla on you. Now with that said, I'm proud of you."

"Someone had to do something… Might as well have been me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's face it Major you think I'm worthless just like everyone else! You don't think I pull my own weight around here, and you think I complain too much."

"Well, you're right about one thing, you do complain too much. However, I don't think your worthless, I have never, not since the second I met you; thought you were worthless, annoying and perhaps had a tendency to go overboard at times, yes. And I know for a fact you carry more weight and a heavier burden more than anyone here besides maybe Weir. You are the Chief Scientist on this expedition, for someone reason your thick skull seems to think that means you need to have all the answers."

"Shouldn't I?"

"No! Rodney, where did you get these wild ideas from?"

"This afternoon…"

"When? When I was joking with you about fainting?"

"Just leave me alone okay," Rodney stood up and began to walk away, but John reached out and snatched his arm.

"Freeze, this conversation is far from over Rodney. I don't know what has you suddenly thinking I feel your worthless or think you shouldn't be on my team, but you or whoever put those thoughts in your mind was grossly mistaken."

"Are we done now?"

"No!" growled John, "another thing, you're not going to sacrifice your life because you think I hate you or because you think you need to prove someone to people. You have nothing to prove to anyone. No one here thinks you need to prove anything, no one's waiting for you to fuck up, and no one wants to see you screw up so you're wrong. If you mess up it's because it was a damn accident. If you have anything to prove to anyone it's yourself, and you best prove it pretty damn quick. I will not take you into any mission if you have self doubts. You aren't worth a thing to me if you can't trust yourself."

Rodney said nothing, he stared at John for a moment, then stalked up unsteadily. John stood there for a moment watched as Rodney left him alone in the infirmary.

Rodney was in his lab when he heard a knock on the door, he didn't reply, desperately searching for some relative peace. However he heard the door 'whoosh' open, and didn't need to look to know it was John.

"I don't mean to sound soft on you, but when you first arrived at our house…some twenty years ago, I couldn't help but think I always wanted a little brother, and maybe this was someone's way of telling me to watch over you. But you watched my back just as much. I can't think of the number of times your quick thinking got me out of trouble with mom and dad. Today, yet another moment of you quick thinking saved my ass, but not just mine. Everyone's ass. Rodney, you're here because you work hard, you do your best, and when all seems lost you don't sit on your ass and wait for things to come to you. We've watched each other grow up, you are the best friend and brother I've ever had, I know how sappy and pathetic it sounds, but it's the truth."

Rodney turned and looked at the man, the man he had come to see, that he had originally met standing at a door twenty-four years earlier. Here they were today, in the most unlikely place, living the most unlikely adventure.

Rodney didn't response, he didn't know how to. However, as he watched John he realized he didn't really need words, John seemed to understand him perfectly, in every way.

Without another word, John turned on his heel and walked out, understanding the look he saw in his brother's eyes, it was the same look all those years back when John had spent countless hours helping Rodney catch up on his homework when he had mono, the same look he offered when John taught him how to fly, when John taught him how to swim, ride a bike, and all around how to have a damn good time.