Reminder:
"This is spoken English."
"This is spoken Czech."
This is a thought.

Previously: Rodney's terrible idea (from chapter 93) actually worked out a little. Arrived back at Atlantis after some excitement which Radek and Anna were not around for… though they may have had some almost-excitement (chapters 94 and 95).

While I continue to enjoy this story and I continue to write at a snail's pace, I consider what I'm calling "part one" to be finished here. Do Radek and Anna still have a long way to go? Absolutely! And I want to get there someday. But just in case you only like to read a "finished" story, this is where I would call it "finished." Here we are family. Here we understand. Even if we never stay Here for long.

Chapter 97. Mister Mom.

"This is what you do for birthdays?" Anna laughed.

"Yes." Leto laughed, too, green paint dripping from her fingers. "Now hold still."

Leto's fingers brushed up underneath her eyes, spreading the paste back and then down her chin. Leto concentrated on the artistry of face paint with an intensity Anna had never seen.

As Leto did the other side of her face, she nodded toward Radek. "He's handling this well."

Anna almost turned her head to look.

"Hey, hold still!"

"Sorry." Anna tried to keep from laughing, but it didn't work very well. She had to assume that she was forcing poor Leto to draw strange squiggly lines where they were supposed to be straight.

She shook her head. "This is impossible. You're worse than the Nines."

Anna frowned, momentarily hurt, but it didn't last long. For some reason, today, more than yesterday, more than the days before… she felt free. She didn't doubt it wouldn't last. Nothing ever did. But, she was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

Especially since just minutes ago, Major Ivanov reported that Atlantis was safe and they would go back as soon as the ceremony was over. Radek appeared to want to leave now, but…

"Then go ahead and give me a Nine pattern," Anna said.

"But you're supposed to be able to tell what year someone is by the paint on their face." Leto leaned forward and whispered, "We had to make up a whole new pattern for your father."

Anna giggled and glanced toward Radek. He was handling it incredibly well. More like silent suffering, maybe. His eyes were closed while the two little guards, Cleo and Casta, drew their hands all over his face. Cleo was painstakingly putting brown dots above his eyebrows while Casta put his own artistic expression on Radek's chin.

"How's it going, Radek?" Anna called.

"Do not speak to me," he said, carefully not moving his lips too much.

Anna and Leto burst into laughter.

"I've never met a Thirty-Eight with such a good humor," Leto said.

"Oh?" Anna asked. "How many have you met?"

Leto shrugged, a good-natured glint in her eyes. She may have been an adult… but she was also a little girl deep down. Sort of like Anna. "Only one."

It was as though everything was funny today. Anna doubled over and laughed, gasping for breath. Leto hung off Anna's arm, no doubt getting green paint all over her shirt, incurably giggling.

"It wasn't that funny." Leto laughed anyway.

"I shouldn't be laughing. There is nothing to be happy about today, is there?" Anna feigned an apologetic tone. "So a Seventeen today. That is exciting."

Leto grinned. "I haven't yet finished your Sixteen paint."

Anna glanced around. "Are there any other Sixteens?"

Leto looked around, then she pointed. "Nike is a Sixteen. Phile is a Fifteen."

Anna looked where Leto pointed. "Does my paint look like that?" Green with white stripes. It didn't look hideous like the Thirty-Eight paint pattern. Of course, the Thirty-Eight was designed and executed by a pair of eight-year-olds.

"It might if you would sit still."

"Sorry, sorry." Anna pinched her lips and sat straight so Leto could finish.

She smiled when Leto drew one finger from the top of her forehead, down her nose, across her lips, and to her chin. Six more lines were added to her forehead while Anna tried desperately to ignore an itch on her nose.

"There you are. Finished. Was that so difficult?" she asked.

Anna shrugged with a smile as Leto looked away across camp. She suddenly waved her hand and shouted, "Akylles! Come here!"

Anna watched a two-year-old totter through the crowd, a simple dot pattern surrounding his bright eyes and straight lines on either side of his adorable nose. "Oh, is this your son?" Anna asked when Leto picked the little boy up.

"Yes, it is. Akylles, this is Anna. Say hello."

The boy waved by opening and closing his hand, and said a barely-intelligible greeting, and then he motioned off to one side. "I tree."

Anna didn't know what to say, since she wasn't sure what he meant… Perhaps that he lived in a tree. Or climbed trees. Or… ate trees? She settled for saying, "Oh?" with a very interested tone.

The conversation might have continued, except Radek spoke up. "Are you done yet?"

"Not yet." Cleo giggled.

"No. No, I think you're done, now." Radek lifted Cleo and set her to one side, standing up.

Leto watched Akylles' little eyes grow wide when Radek approached, as if he'd just seen a monster. Anna almost laughed, since the paint on Radek's face did a pretty good job of making him look impossibly angry.

"Is this how 38 paint will look?" he asked.

"Yes," Leto said.

"I pity the poor souls who make it to thirty-eight," Radek said. He fiddled with a lock of his hair, braided with grass. "This is unnecessary."

Leto didn't have anything to say about that, turning her attention back to Akylles. The boy still watched Radek, but Anna was wrong. Akylles wasn't afraid. He was curious. He'd never seen anyone as old as Radek before. Radek was wearing his glasses and he must have looked very odd.

"I think he likes you," Leto offered with a smile.

"Oh." Radek looked horrified, and Anna almost laughed. He gave a small wave to the boy. "Hello."

Akylles waved back. "'Lo."

Leto smiled between Radek and her son. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Oh, no." Radek took a small step backward, shaking his head. "No, that's, um…"

Laughing, Leto put Akylles down on the ground next to her. The boy didn't run away, though, but kept looking up at Radek like he was the strangest thing to be seen on the whole planet.

"Don't you like children?" Leto asked.

"Um."

Anna raised her eyebrows at Radek, just in case he forgot that just yesterday he'd called her a child. He didn't notice her reaction, though, his eyes pasted on the little boy. They were like small animals staring one another down, trying to figure out who would eat whom first.

"Um, no. No, only one." Radek's voice trailed away as he knelt down to see the boy closer.

Anna was incredibly, inexplicably gratified to hear that. Except, maybe he was suffering from something like PTSD right now… traumatized and yet desensitized to the presence of children. He let Akylles touch his nose, and smiled when the boy laughed.

Radek stood, and looked at Anna. "Yes, what do you say to painting our faces next birthday?

Anna shrugged with a touch of a mischievous grin. "Well, Rodney's birthday is next week…"

#

"Hey, look who's back!" Doctor McKay laughed. He glanced between Anna and Radek. "It's Mister Mom! How were the kids?"

Anna grinned at how much Doctor McKay seemed to be reveling in his perceived victory.

"They're fine, Rodney." He glanced at Anna for half a moment. "How are you Anna?"

Anna smiled. "I'm okay," she answered. And, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she might have actually meant it.

"Oh," Doctor McKay said. He sounded a little bit disappointed. "Oh, that's good."

"Hm." Radek chuckled and walked toward the transporter.

Doctor McKay was apparently not enjoying this as much as he thought he would. He caught up with them a moment later. "So, I take it the malfunctions were, um…"

"It is fine," Radek interrupted. "It's all fine."

Anna nodded. "We fixed the machine and celebrated Leto's birthday."

"I guess that explains the…?" Doctor McKay paused and gestured to his face and hair.

"Yes," Radek said, reaching with one hand to grip Anna's shoulder. "One thing I do have to say, though. Other kids make you appreciate yours even more." He looked to Anna and smiled. "Hungry for some real food?"

"I would love some real food," she agreed with a grin.

"What are you guys saying…?" Doctor McKay asked quietly.

Anna smiled at him sweetly. "Nothing to worry about, Rodney." She looked at Radek. He looked positively amused at her teasing Doctor McKay. Like Colonel Sheppard said once—a chip off the ol' block? "It's roast chicken day, isn't it?"

Radek laughed. "Maybe. I only know it's not lasagna, so…"

"It would be better than squirrel."

"I can't argue with that."

"You'll have to explain the difference between lasagna and spaghetti to me someday…"

"One is good. The other isn't."

Anna giggled. "That clears it up."

They walked together to the transporter. Doctor McKay still stood on the stairs up to the 'gate, probably wondering what they were calling him right to his face.

Which was nothing. But it didn't really matter.

"So, I guess, you worked out that complex algorithm?" Rodney called suddenly behind them.

Radek glanced back, then at Anna, like maybe she'd know something about it. She shrugged, just in case he was trying to ask her what in the world he was talking about.

He just smiled, and looked back at Rodney. "Working on it, I suppose. Thank you for your help."

"Yeah, yeah…" Rodney waved them off. "See you tomorrow."

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading. Hope it continues to be enjoyable when I return, as I need to take a break to arrange my final month in university and my future. It's a tall order for a month, but here we are. But this is actually a great stopping place for a bit! It's like... I should have stopped here originally? But I didn't. Because I like to have goals I can't possibly accomplish.

Anyway… Holy Grail achieved! That is Critical Mass through and before the anniversary. Granted, just barely. My next goal should be a bit smaller. How about. The Long Goodbye. I'm making it to The Long Goodbye before next year. There. Easy-level achievement.

Thank yous & etc.

MissMeow1968- I think you're right. It's high time we had a "Wow, this is a great universe" episode. I'll need to look and see if I have one slated. If not... I'll put one in there.

Ona- Aw, thanks. :) Hopefully this won't take long and I'll be back in posting-regularly form again soon.

Next time: Are you busy?