“Newton, get down!” Rodney grumbled as he plucked his cat off his desk for the umpteenth time. Sighing, he put him in his lap instead, petting the cat while he continued to go through his mail. It had piled up during his time in Antarctica, and while he’d canceled any subscriptions and put a permanent redirect for everything else to the SGC on it effective today, he still wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed anything important.

Not to mention, this would be his last chance to catch up on the latest in the science community, and one of his favorite hobbies – if one could call it that – was to rip other people’s papers apart, pointing out every glaring mistake he could find. It had been years since he’d been able to put anything in print himself, and there were times when he regretted the sacrifice that working for the SGC brought with it. Not that he didn’t have several papers written and waiting to be released as soon as the program declassified. All the scientists in the program had them, and he’d read most of them. They had to be their own peer board, after all.

Scouring through the article in front of him, Rodney scoffed at the headline ‘Friends have more DNA in common than strangers’. Shaking his head, he automatically began to toss it on the discard pile. “Just what we need. More voodoo crap being pawned off as science,” he muttered to Newton, who meowed in response.

Rodney was already reading through another paper, this time about DNA sequencing in mice, and how they’d successfully introduced rat DNA, thereby creating a viable cross-breed. Rolling his eyes, he flung it aside, too. Newton jumped back on the table and pawed at the paper, meowing. Rodney chuckled softly, scratching Newton behind the ear. “What is it, boy?” Another meow was his answer and Rodney sighed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. This seems like something up Caron’s alley. Mac’s, too. I’ll pass it along to them, how’s that?” A satisfied meow followed by a headbutt against Rodney’s chest was Newton’s reply.

Lifting the cat up, Rodney cradled him in his arms as he got to his feet. “I’m going to miss you, you little furball,” he said, pressing a kiss to Newton’s head. “You’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had, Newton. I wish you could come with me, but we’re not allowed pets.” Rodney walked over to the kitchen, his face twisting in displeasure at the sight of all Newton’s food ready and waiting to be delivered to his neighbor.

“Guess I can understand, though, even if I don’t like it. I mean, who knows where we’ll end up and how safe it’ll be. Better you’re here, where I know you’ll be taken care of.”

Newton gave what sounded like a sad mreow to Rodney, which just twisted the knot in his stomach even further. “I know, buddy. It’s not fair, is it? I’m sorry.” Sighing, Rodney hugged his cat to him tightly, then put him in his carrier. “It’s time, Newton. Gotta get you to 12B.”

Newton made his displeasure known by meowing and pawing at the small gate as Rodney gathered the boxed paraphernalia up and placed Newton’s carrier on top. Rodney was extremely glad that he only had to carry it one door over, because the load was heavy and more cumbersome than he had thought. “You’re one spoiled rotten cat, you know that, Newton?” Rodney said fondly before knocking on his neighbor’s door.

After a minute, the door opened to a scowling brunette, though the scowl quickly morphed to a genuine smile when she saw Newton. “Hey, kitty.” She gingerly touched the paw that stuck through the gate of the carrier, then turned her attention to Rodney, her expression instantly changing back to her scowl. Rodney was all too aware of her feelings toward him, and they weren’t charitable to say the least. But she loved cats, and had a special fondness for Newton who had visited her a few times in the past whenever he’d escaped his apartment. It was the only reason he had even considered asking her to take care of him.

“So you’re really leaving, then?” she asked curtly, disapproval and relief evident in her face.

Rodney nodded. “Yeah, unfortunately. May I?” he asked, indicating he would put everything inside for her.

Reluctantly, she let him in and watched as he kneeled down in front of the carrier to say his final goodbye to his faithful friend. “You behave, okay? I’m sure she’ll take great care of you and give you all the treats and scritches you deserve. I really am going to miss you, Newton.”

His face flushed slightly as he realized he’d shown more than he’d intended, but letting go of Newton was turning out to be much more difficult than he’d imagined. He couldn’t quite meet his neighbor’s eyes as he straightened up. “Err… well, that’s it, I guess. Thanks again for taking him in. It… it means a lot to me to know he’s in a good home.”

That earned him the first genuine smile from her that he’d ever received, small as it was. “You’re welcome. And… have a safe trip, McKay.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” With that, he left, and it wasn’t until he was packing his bag that it dawned on him that she’d known his name. And that he had no idea what hers was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kimberly looked up as someone knocked. “Oh good, would you mind terribly?” she asked the young lieutenant hovering by the door, pointing to a large crate. “I’m afraid they packed it a little too heavily for me to carry, and it needs to be on one of the first carts out.”

Grinning, Ioan walked over to her, holding out his hand. “Hi, don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m lieutenant Ioan Lorne.”

Shaking his hand, Kimberly gave him a bright smile. “Dr. Kimberly Smyth. Lorne? You related to major Evan Lorne, by chance?”

“Yep. He’s my big brother. You know him?”

Leaning her hip against her desk, she crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Hmm, yes. Well, sort of. I’ve helped his team out a few times in the field.” She paused, curiosity and amusement clear in her eyes as she continued, “Ioan, you said? So was there a particular reason your folks named both their sons ‘John’?”

Startled, Ioan laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “Actually, yeah. We’re both named after our grandfather. It’s a bit of a tradition in our family, but mom refused to have us both with the same name, so we each got a variant instead.”

Grinning, she nodded approval. “Interesting way of getting around that. I like it.”

“I’m rather surprised you knew that, to be honest. Not many people ever catch onto that,” Ioan admitted, giving the young doctor an appraising look.

She shrugged. “Names have always been a bit of a hobby of mine. Though mine doesn’t really mean anything. Something I still tease my mom about,” she added with a wink.

Ioan grinned, blushing faintly. “I kinda like it.” Clearing his throat, he indicated the crate. “So, where to?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Got a minute?” Daniel asked, sticking his head into Jack’s office.

Sighing, Jack nodded as he straightened in his seat. “The answer’s still ‘no’, Daniel,” he said tiredly. He really wished Daniel would stop asking about Atlantis. Jack hated seeing the look of hurt and disappointment on the man’s face. The thing was, there was just no way Jack would ever agree to Daniel joining the expedition. At least, not without another ZPM, and they were fresh out.

“But-,” Daniel started, walking over to the desk.

“Ah!” Jack interrupted, holding up his hand. “We’ve been over this, Daniel. I need you here, and that’s that.”

And there was that hurt look on Daniel’s face again. Dammit all. Pushing himself back from the desk, Jack got to his feet and closed both doors to his office and shut the blinds so no one could see inside. It wasn’t something he did often, mostly because he liked transparency in his command, and he figured he didn’t need to start the rumor mill if he could avoid it. This was one of the few times that called for an exception in his book, though.

“Daniel,” Jack said firmly, cradling the man’s jaw in both hands, his thumbs tucked in front of his ears. Taking a deep breath, Jack gazed into his friend’s eyes, wishing like hell he could give him everything he wanted. “Twice, you’ve gone where I couldn’t follow, Daniel. For all we know, Atlantis is a one-way deal. Please… don’t ask me to watch you go a third time. I just can’t do it, okay? I know that makes me a selfish jackass, and I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

There were so many emotions running their course over Daniel’s face that Jack almost couldn’t take it anymore, so he crushed the younger man to his chest, holding on for dear life. The thought of losing what he held most precious in this world again was one Jack O’Neill simply wasn’t equipped to deal with.

Daniel clung to him just as fiercely, his hands gripping Jack’s uniform tightly as he tucked his face into Jack’s neck. His breath ghosted over Jack’s skin as he murmured, “Then what are we going to do, Jack?”

Jack shivered, hugging the man a little tighter still. “I don’t know,” he croaked, and he really didn’t. The only thing he was certain of was that he couldn’t keep pushing Daniel away anymore. At the same time, their jobs made it to where they weren’t allowed to be together. There were few times where Jack hated the military more than he did right in this moment.

“Jack,” Daniel breathed.

“I know, Daniel. I know. We’ll figure it out, okay? Together,” Jack said gruffly, pulling back to look into the man’s eyes. He had to be sure they were on the same page, and judging by the look of hope and determination he saw reflected back at him, he was confident they were.

“Together,” Daniel agreed, giving him a small smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Elizabeth and Rodney sat across the desk from each other as they went over last minute details. They’d been at it for a couple of hours already, so when Elizabeth asked Rodney if he wanted coffee, Rodney was all too happy for the break. As she handed him his cup, he tried to make conversation. He’d readily admit that it wasn’t one of his better skills, but he figured he’d better try since they’d be living in each other’s pocket soon enough. “So I dropped Newton off at my neighbor’s yesterday.”

Raising a brow in question, Elizabeth took a sip.

“Newton. My cat?” Rodney explained.

“Ah. I see. How’d that go?” she asked, mild understanding on her face.

“About as well as you could expect it to go, considering she hates my guts. She loves Newton, though, so she’ll take good care of him for me.” Staring into his cup, he added, “I’m gonna miss that cat.”

Elizabeth reached across the desk to pat his hand. “I’m sorry, Rodney. I wish you could have brought him, but you understand why-?”

Waving her off, he nodded. “Yes, yes, I get it. It wouldn’t be safe for him. I’ll be fine.” Clearing his throat, he glanced over the rim of his cup and asked, “What about you? Did you get to say goodbye to your family and stuff?” before taking another drink.

To his amazement, Elizabeth ducked her head and her cheeks flushed. “Not really. I haven’t left the base. There’s just been too much to do,” she hedged.

It was obvious, even to Rodney, that she was hoping he’d drop it but something didn’t seem right so he pushed ahead. “What do you mean? Everyone got leave to take care of matters, Elizabeth. Everyone. You didn’t spend time with your family at all?”

Rodney was fervently pushing thoughts of his sister aside, knowing full well he hadn’t taken the opportunity to make amends with her before leaving, either. That they had not spoken for four years wasn’t just his fault, in his opinion. “Well?” he demanded.

Scowling slightly, Elizabeth sighed and sat back in her chair. “I sent a video to Simon.”

Rodney sputtered. “A video? Are you kidding?” Rodney vaguely remembered the name Simon Wallace from somewhere concerning the SGC, and thought it was the name of her fiancé.

“No, I’m not. I explained about the expedition, leaving for Atlantis, everything.” At Rodney’s look of incredulity, she added, “The President granted him the clearance.”

Rodney stared at her, utterly flummoxed. “So you decided the best way to read him in on the whole thing was by video with an ‘oh hey, by the way, I’m leaving for another galaxy’?”

He had always considered Elizabeth to be one of the strongest women he knew, and that she had a good moral compass… for someone as practiced in politics as she was, at any rate. He would have never believed her capable of something like this, however, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it.

Elizabeth sunk a little lower in her seat. “I know. I know. I just… I couldn’t do it. I was all set to go see him the other day, but when it came down to it, I just couldn’t face him. I’ve been wanting him to join the program for years, but the regulations never allowed him to be read in because I was part of the SGC already. With me leading the expedition, the President conceded that there was enough leeway in the regs for Simon to have a chance here. I wanted him to hear it from me, but… I knew if I saw him, he’d try to talk me out of it, and I just didn’t want to risk it.” With a quiet voice, she added, “None of this is fair.”

They sat in silence for a while. Rodney because he had absolutely no idea what to say to that or even how to process what he’d just learned about the woman who was to lead them. And from the look of her, Elizabeth was just happy to drop the subject.

After a few minutes, Rodney snapped his fingers a couple of times and said, “Right, so, botany,” getting them back to business.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Right in here, sir,” Walter said, indicating the office Elizabeth and Rodney occupied.

They both looked up and Elizabeth got to her feet. “Major, glad you could make it,” she said, stepping around her desk with outstretched hand.

Shaking her hand, John gave her his easy smile. “Thank you, ma’am. It was my understanding that you’re the leader of the expedition, so I wanted to check in with you first before reporting to Colonel Sumner.”

John was well aware he should have done that first, but he had his own way of doing things and he figured that the whole reason for him going on this joyride in the first place was to play lightswitch. It had been made clear to him he was outside the chain of command, so checking in with Dr. Weir first seemed the logical thing to do.

Glancing at Dr. McKay, John’s smile turned to a grin when he saw the look of wry amusement on the man’s face. John had to admit that one of the factors playing into his agreeing to go on this adventure was the fact that the good doctor was going. He hadn’t been able to put the man out of his mind since that fated day John had ended up in that chair. There was just something about him that spoke to John, though he couldn’t put his finger on it – aside from the man’s brusque, no-nonsense manner, which John found particularly refreshing.

“Thank you, Major, but all things considered, you might want to hop to and get it over with,” she said dryly. “Wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression, would you?”

John scoffed. “I seriously doubt there’s anything I can do to avoid that, ma’am. My jacket tends to go ahead of me in that regard.” He was well aware that she knew all about the details surrounding his black mark, and he was grateful that she didn’t seem to hold it against him like so many others had in the past. Which was partially why he had come to her first rather than heading directly to Sumner.

“Right,” she said, a look of understanding on her face. “All the same, report to Sumner. If he doesn’t have any need for you, come find me.”

John gave her a crisp salute – something he only ever really did for people he respected – and with a nod to Rodney, he was off to find his latest superior officer. John got lost in the maze that was the SGC and ended up having to ask help from a rather exotic looking doctor, who escorted him to the office Sumner had been allocated.

“Reporting as ordered, sir,” John shot off, executing another, less crisp salute. He stood to attention while he waited for the colonel to acknowledge him. Something the other man took his time with.

In his periphery, John could see the man grab a file, open it, and leaf through it before closing it with a thump. It took everything John had in him not to roll his eyes at the expected huff of disapproval that followed.

“Major.” The silence stretched on for several seconds before Sumner continued. “I hand picked every military asset on this expedition. They are the best and bravest this country has to offer, no matter the branch they are from.”

John remained quiet, not having been given permission to speak. It was painfully clear to him that Sumner had made up his mind already on the matter of one John Sheppard, and it wasn’t in his favor. Not that he’d expected it from a man like Colonel Sumner. Badass Marine poured off of him in waves.

“You are neither the best nor the bravest, Major, and I do not trust you. However, it has been impressed upon me that you are mission essential, so I am saddled with you whether I like it or not.” Sumner got to his feet to stand in John’s personal space, putting him nearly nose-to-nose with the man. “While you are under my command, you will follow orders. To. The. Letter. Major. Do I make myself clear?”

Suppressing a sigh, John dutifully uttered the expected, “Sir, yes, sir.” He really hoped that the colonel would be able to look past the black mark in John’s jacket sooner rather than later, or else this would end up the station from hell. Not a pleasant prospect, considering.

“Report to the infirmary for a complete physical,” Sumner ordered. “Dismissed.”

 

next

Evan couldn’t quite contain his grin as he stood waiting for his brother’s team to return. They were due any minute now, and he was nearly bursting with excitement over the news. Standing by the door of the gateroom, Evan leaned against the wall and assumed a relaxed stance, folding his arms over his chest even as the first chevron lit up.

It seemed to take longer than normal for the wormhole to engage, but seconds after it did, Ioan stepped through the gate and spotted his older brother. Evan bit his cheek to keep from laughing at the confused look on Ioan’s face as he walked down the ramp.

“Hey, man, everything okay? Something happened, right?” Ioan asked, unclipping his P90.

Pushing off from the wall, Evan easily kept pace with Ioan as they headed toward the infirmary for post-mission medical. “You could say that,” Evan hedged, grinning. Handing Ioan a piece of paper, he added, “We got our orders. Atlantis is a go.”

Ioan’s eyes widened almost comically. “You’re shitting me!”

Laughing, Evan shook his head. “Nope. This was your last mission. We have three weeks to get everything organized for the expedition, then we get a few days’ leave to say goodbye before attending to last minute details.”

That sobered them both somewhat. As excited as they both were at the prospect of discovering the city of the Ancients, and everything that might entail, they knew that the trip would likely be a one-way affair, unless they could find ZPMs on the other side. Neither of them were naïve enough to believe it would be that simple. Still, they were all too aware of what Earth was facing if they didn’t at least try, and it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.

Clearing his throat, Ioan read his new orders to buy himself a little time, then said quietly, “So we’re really doing this then?”

Evan clasped his baby brother’s shoulder. “General O’Neill’ll understand if you want to stay, Ioan. This is still mostly on a volunteer basis.”

Ioan shook his head. “No. No, I’m going. I’ve got your back, Ev. Always.”

Squeezing Ioan’s shoulder, Evan nodded. “I know, and I’ve got yours. Now go. Get your medical over with. As soon as you’ve been debriefed, we need to report to Sumner.”

The following days, Ioan and Evan were hip-deep in paperwork. At least, that’s what it felt like to Evan. He’d known of course that organizing an expedition like this meant they had to try to account for every little thing they might need. Envision every possible scenario and prepare for it. But as much prep as had already been done up to this point – and that was when they only had a vague idea of the trip actually happening – there was still a crapton to do.

It was a given that they’d need as many weapons and as much ammunition as they could possibly get away with. God only knew what mess they’d land in once in Pegasus after all, and they would not have the SGC behind them anymore. They’d be on their own. But it was everything else that stunned him. The uniforms. The MREs. The non-perishable foods. The seeds. The data pads. The batteries and generators. The list was endless.

Ioan muttered unintelligibly under his breath as he checked off his list. Chuck, who was helping them, scratched his head, then asked, “You get the nagging feeling they missed something in all this?”

Evan looked up. “What do you mean?”

Chuck and Ioan shared a glance. Chuck said, “Movies,” at the same time Ioan said, “Entertainment.”

Shuffling through the myriad notes, Evan hummed. “You’re right. They thought of everything else, but not what we might do to unwind. I guess they figured that was for each individual to do?”

Ioan snorted. Sighing, Evan nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see what I can figure out.”

It took some doing, especially since Sumner was a bit of a hard-ass, but Evan finally got the okay to arrange for entertainment, on the proviso he did it on his own time. Help came from an unexpected corner, though in retrospect, Evan should have known better. One afternoon, Vala came traipsing into the office with Cameron in tow.

“Hi, boys! I heard you needed some help spending money on fun stuff!” Vala hopped onto Ioan’s desk and winked at him.

“Vala,” Cameron warned, though he had a hard time not smiling.

“Oh hush, Cameron, and don’t be a spoilsport. These fine young officers are going to a galaxy far, far away, and someone neglected the entertainment. Who knows what trouble they’ll get into and we’re going to have to miss out on all the treasure they might come across, so the least we can do is help them out now.”

Evan and Ioan exchanged amused looks while Cameron seemed to barely be holding it together. Vala either didn’t notice or ignored it, but it was painfully obvious she considered the matter closed. “Right. So,” she said, turning her attention to Chuck, who’d thus far been staring dumbstruck at her, “I’ve got Colonel Tightwad over here looking into getting you a couple of projectors. Teal’c, Sam, Daniel, and I are ordering lots and lots of books and movies – though no porn because Colonel Bossypants here wouldn’t let me. All digital copies of course, and Sam’ll make sure they’re all compressed so they take up less space, but just in case, she’s putting them on hard drives not yet allocated to you, so you won’t lose out on anything for work.”

They all sat listening to her, stunned, as she continued to rattle off what she’d already managed to put together in merely a few hours. Evan had to admit that the woman was impressive. Completely nuts, of course, but impressive.

“So, what else will you need?” she finally finished, glancing from one to the other before settling back on Ioan.

Clearing his throat, Ioan ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “Well,” he mused, “we’ve all been polled on hobbies and skills outside of what the military’s taught us. Which makes sense, because there’s plenty that we’ll need to do for ourselves if we’re truly cut off from Earth. But I didn’t notice much by way of making use of it. I know there’s knitters and sewers, but while they’ve requisitioned sewing machines and fabric to make uniforms and the like, there’s little else. Also no tools for woodworking or other things. Though they have got everything for gardening, thanks to botany.”

Nodding, Vala pulled a notepad from her cleavage and a pen from her hair, which ended up cascading around her face now it was no longer being held up. Evan watched in amazement as she scribbled a few quick notes, then nodded to herself again. “Right. On it.” Hopping back to her feet, she grabbed Cameron and herded him out the door, throwing a casual, “Not to worry, boys, I’ve got you covered. Come on, Cameron, we’re going shopping, and we’re taking Sam and Daniel with us.”

Chuck was still staring after her in a daze when he said quietly, “So… do you think General O’Neill knew what he was doing when he okayed adding ‘fun stuff’?”

Huffing a laugh, Ioan shook his head. “I don’t think anyone’s ever really prepared for Hurricane Vala. She’s something else, that one.” After a pause, he added, “I’m gonna miss her.”

Grinning, Evan couldn’t help agreeing. “Yeah, she’s made life interesting here, to say the least. Not that it was ever boring, mind you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Uncle Ev! Uncle Ioan!” two shrill voices echoed as they walked through the door of their parents’ home. Bracing themselves for the onslaught of their niece and nephew as they barreled into them, hugging their legs.

Evan dumped his bag on the floor, scooping up five year old Joe. “Heeeeey, slugger. You been taking good care of your mom and Natalie?”

Seven year old Natalie, ensconced in Ioan’s arms, looked triumphantly at Evan. “I’ve been taking care of him, Uncle Ev. I’m the oldest,” she said in a voice that clearly questioned his sanity.

Ioan grinned, ruffling her hair. “Of course you have, Nat. Now come on, let’s go find granma and grampa, okay?”

Wiggling out of his arms, Natalie scooted down and ran off to the kitchen, hollering, “Granma! Grampa! They’re here! They’re here!”

Joe giggled, apparently content to stay where he was. Sucking his thumb, he pointed after his sister and mumbled, “Mommy there, too.”

Sure enough, once they made it to the kitchen they found their sister Amanda helping their mother with dinner, while grampa had pulled Natalie up on his lap at the table. Wiping her hands, Sarah stepped up to Evan who put Joe down in order to hug his mother. “It’s so good to see you, son. It’s been too long.”

Suppressing a wince, Evan glanced at his brother who was busy hugging Amanda. He gave a slight nod, and Evan knew Ioan was thinking the same thing he was: This might well be the last time they saw their family, and they wouldn’t be able to prepare them for that eventuality. Granted, they were both in the Air Force, so there was always that inherent risk of them dying on the job, but it wasn’t the same and they knew it.

Clearing his throat, Evan pulled himself together and kissed Sarah’s cheek. “Sorry, mom. You know how it goes,” he hedged.

Sean coaxed his wife off their oldest son and pulled Evan into a hug of his own. “Of course we do, Evan. You know how your mother fusses. She did the same to me when I was in the Force, she does it with Aaron, and I’m sure if either Joe or Natalie enlists, she’ll do the same with them, too.”

That earned their dad a smack on his arm, but the reminder had served its purpose. Evan felt a little better about the situation and he could tell it was the same for Ioan. “Thanks, Dad.”

After everyone had had a chance to reconnect, Evan and Ioan were directed to sit at the table. They were not allowed to help with anything, they never were on their first day home. It didn’t take long, though, for dinner to be served and soon they were catching up over great food.

Amanda handed Ioan a roll. “Aaron requested leave so he could see you, but he couldn’t swing it. He’s sorry to have missed you guys and said to tell you to keep your heads down on your next assignment.”

Tearing at the bun, Ioan nodded. “He doing okay? Where’s he at these days? Still in Afghanistan?”

“Yeah. He’s fine, just really busy. Should be back home in time for Christmas, though. At least as far as things stand now. When’ll you be back home, do you know?”

Evan cringed, then quickly hid his discomfort. “No idea. We’re not going to make it back any time soon, I know that much.”

“We won’t be able to contact you, either. The mission we’re on is highly classified and communications in or out’ll be… tricky,” Ioan added casually, though Evan could see the balance he was trying to maintain. “You know you’ll all be in our prayers, though.”

Reaching across the table, Sarah put her hand over Ioan’s and smiled. “As you will be in ours, boys. Always. You be careful out there, alright? Come home to us safely.”

Evan’s jaw tightened, then he forced a smile. “We’ll do our best, mom. Promise.”

The next couple of days, both Ioan and Evan tried to put thoughts of their upcoming mission out of their minds as they focused on glutting themselves on family time. They played ball with the kids, went on long hikes as a family, played golf with their dad, and went shopping for art material with their mother and sister. On a whim, Evan decided to stock up on paints and brushes, too. Just in case. He’d find room in his allotment somehow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Da!” Mac called out, waving as soon as he spotted his father in the arrivals’ waiting area.

“Mac, my boy, it’s good to see you,” Conall said as he hugged his son tight.

Mac clung to his father, relishing this moment even more than he usually did. It wasn’t often he had the chance to return home, after all, and God only knew if and when he’d be able to visit again. After a couple of minutes, they let go and made their way to the underground, as Mac only had his carry-on for luggage. As was their tradition, they stopped by the pub for dinner and a few pints before heading home.

They only had three days together before Mac had to report to the SGC, so they made the most of things. Mac helped his father around the house, doing those chores the old man no longer could do on his own. They did the shopping, cooked together, played chess, and took a tour of the British Museum. Conall went there every week and held a membership in order to enjoy special exhibits. Usually, he took someone along, be it one of the kids from the youth center or someone from the senior citizen’s home he volunteered at.

On the morning he was traveling back to the SGC, he stopped by the grave of his mother to pay his respects. Conall stood waiting at the entrance as usual, giving his son the time he needed. Placing the small bouquet of her favorite white roses, interspersed with sprigs of lavender fresh from his father’s garden, on her grave Mac sighed. He wished he could tell his father everything that was going on, but since he couldn’t, he took his beloved mother into his confidence.

“Hello, mum. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long. You wouldn’t believe the work I do now. Or maybe you would, if you’re watching over me. I hope you are, and that you’ll be able to keep doing so. I have a feeling we’ll need all the help we can get. I’m going to go to another galaxy, mum. Crazy, isn’t it?”

He reached a hand out and gently touched the lettering on her headstone. “It’s my biggest adventure yet.” He pondered a moment. “I don’t know if you’ll be with me there, mum, but if it means you can’t be here for da, then stay here. Da’ll be all alone with me gone, but I can’t not go. There’s too much at stake. I’m not talking about my career, but I’m sure you know that already. There’s dangers out there, mum, that people here couldn’t fathom. I have to do what I can. You understand, don’t you?”

Mac listened quietly for a moment and smiled when he felt a warm breeze caress his face. He knew people thought him silly for talking to his mother’s grave as if she were there and able to hear him, but he’d seen too much over the years to discount the possibility. After all, hadn’t he seen Daniel die and interact with his loved ones more than once? And then come back, alive and well? Mac was no fool, though, in holding out hope for his mother’s return, but he firmly believed she was still here in some capacity.

After allowing himself a few more minutes, he got to his feet and dusted off his pants before bending to rest his forehead against the headstone. “Goodbye, mum. I love you. Please take care of da.” With that, he turned and walked toward his father who put an arm around his shoulder without saying a word.

 

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“I don’t bloody want to sit in that chair, Rodney! I’ve told you that. I’m not the man for that kind of power,” Carson exclaimed.

Kimberly, Mac, and Daniel exchanged amused looks at the by now familiar interaction between Rodney and Carson. Grinning, Kimberly shook her head. “C’mon, Carson. You know we need all the data we can get on the chair, and we can’t do that without having someone who has the gene sit in it and activate the thing. Do it for science,” she teased.

Carson directed his ire in her direction. “Easy for you to say, lass. You don’t have the bloody gene so there’s no chance of you blowing up the base – or worse!”

“For the last. Time. Carson, as long as you don’t think of anything other than what I tell you to think about, you should be fine. So far, I’m pretty sure there’s a conscious mental component to this tech so just-” Rodney groused, obviously irritated that he had to depend on anyone else to do this for him.

“Fine!” Carson exploded, throwing his hands up in the air even as he moved to take a seat in the dreaded chair.

Mac chuckled, then quickly ducked his head at his friend and colleague’s glare. “Right. You’ll be fine, Carson. Just clear your mind.”

Taking a deep breath, Carson settled uneasily in his seat, closing his eyes.

Kimberly tuned out the snippy comments between Rodney and Carson as she continued to take her readings, not that there was much to see. Apparently, Carson was taking their directions of keeping a clear mind to heart. Perhaps a little too well for their purposes. Still, it allowed her to multitask. Nudging Daniel in the side, she cast him a quick grin, murmuring under her breath, “So Jack’ll be here in about half an hour or so.”

Daniel’s mouth tightened slightly, but the faint blush on his cheeks belied any real irritation. “I’m aware,” he said quietly.

Kimberly’s brows knit together as she detected the hint of aggravation and longing in those two simple words. “It’ll be okay, you know,” she said sotto voce. “You two are meant to be.” She was certain of that, even if the men in question appeared to have their doubts. She knew they both loved each other but had never acted on their feelings due to the stupid regulations. “I still say the whole fraternization thing doesn’t apply to you guys. You’re not military,” she pointed out, not for the first time.

Sighing, Daniel ran his hand through his hair, then straightened his glasses after having knocked them askew in the process. “But he is, Kim. I can’t ignore that. Not with both of us in the SGC. We’re still ‘team’.”

Giving her friend an understanding smile, she squeezed his hand. “That why you put in for the expedition?”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah. It’s getting to where it’s just too hard to be around him. I think some space would do us both good.” A sudden distant expression came over his face. One Kimberly knew all too well.

“What is it?” she prodded.

“Space,” Daniel murmured, distracted. “That’s it! Sorry, gotta go.” And with that, Daniel hurried off.

Kimberly wondered what that was about. Glancing at Mac, he merely shrugged as if to say, ‘no idea’, before going back to his readings. Carson’s, “You see? Nothing!” brought her out of her reverie. Looking over her shoulder, she blinked in amazement as Carson stormed out of the chair.

“Carson, get back here,” Rodney said tiredly.

“I can sit in that chair all bloody day long and nothing’ll happen. It’s a waste of time. Excuse me, Dr. Weir,” Carson said as he swiftly walked past her, obviously in a hurry not to get pulled back into the chair for more testing.

“Right,” Mac mumbled under his breath, eyeing Rodney warily. Turning to Kimberly, he rolled his eyes, then nodded to their instruments. “You get anything useful?”

Kimberly refocused on her work and went over her findings with Mac, only vaguely aware of Daniel coming into the room again, only to turn around again, taking Dr. Weir and Rodney with him.

Several minutes passed before Rodney returned, an objecting Carson in tow. “You don’t understand, I break things like this,” Carson tried, looking for all the world as if Rodney were taking him to the gallows rather than the Ancient chair.

“It survived for thousands of years, it’ll survive you. Now sit down, shut up, and concentrate,” Rodney said, pushing Carson into the seat.

“Here we go again,” Mac said on a sigh.

Kimberly bit her cheek to keep from laughing, especially when Carson practically attempted to leap out of the chair when nothing happened.

Rodney pushed him right back into his seat with an admonishing, “This time, imagine where we are in the solar system.”

With a heavy sigh, Carson settled back in the chair and closed his eyes, only to have them pop open in shock when the chair lit up and tilted backward. Kimberly and Mac stared at each other for a moment, then both their heads swiveled to the noise from the other room.

Shouts of, “What the hell?” and “Look out!” were quickly followed by what sounded like an explosion. Pandemonium followed as alarms went off and people tried to figure out what had happened.

“Shit,” Kimberly cursed under her breath, her eyes scanning the screen in front of her. “A drone just launched.”

“Did I do that?” Carson all but squeaked.

“Yes, yes, now shut it down!” Rodney urged.

Elizabeth and Daniel came running into the room. Elizabeth started to talk Carson through the process of calling off the drone while Daniel moved to stand next to Kimberly. Her friend looked a little green around the gills as he watched the screen with the drone’s progress. At the narrow miss with the helicopter, Daniel actually swayed a little.

Kimberly gripped his arm to get his attention. “They’ve been told to land, Daniel. They’ll be fine. Carson’s working on the drone. They’ll be fine,” she repeated.

Nodding, Daniel’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. He didn’t stir until Carson let out a sigh of relief and the confirmation came over the radio that the drone had turned off and the general was safe.

Smiling, Kimberly patted Daniel’s arm. “See? Now, how about we grab some coffee? I could use some after the excitement.” She knew she’d better keep Daniel distracted, at least until Jack arrived on base, or else the man would drive himself crazy, and it was a well-known fact that Daniel survived on coffee.

They left the others behind in search of their treasure, neither of them talking but that was okay. It would be enough for Daniel to have her there. Not until they both had a cup of the bitter liquid in hand did Kimberly speak. “So what was the revelation you had earlier?”

“Hm? Oh!” Daniel grinned. “I figured out what was wrong with the address. I know where Atlantis is.”

Eyes widening, Kimberly stared at her friend. “No way! For real?”

Nodding, Daniel took a sip, then explained about the address being an eight chevron one, not the usual seven. “It’s in another galaxy, Kim. Pegasus, to be precise. And we can go there.” Frowning slightly, he amended his statement. “Theoretically, at least. Jack still has to sign off on it, of course.”

Kimberly was filled with equal amounts of excitement and sadness. She’d been recruited for the expedition months ago, so she knew she’d be going if it ever got the go ahead. But leaving would mean saying goodbye to Daniel, possibly forever if he was right about it being in another galaxy. They’d been friends for years, ever since he’d come to her rescue during an off-world mission. It had been her first time out, and she had yet to learn the nuances of dealing with other cultures. It had led to some misunderstandings that had nearly caused her her head – and she meant that literally – until Daniel had intervened on her behalf.

As much as she knew Daniel wanted to go on the mission to Atlantis, she also knew all too well that Jack would never let him go. She sighed and hugged him awkwardly, mindful of the cups of coffee they were holding. “I’m going to miss you, Daniel,” she said quietly.

Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed the top of her head affectionately. “I know. I’ll miss you, too.”

“General O’Neill incoming,” they overheard someone say as they walked by.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel nodded, pulling himself together. “Right. C’mon.”

She walked Daniel to the elevator where he’d wait for Jack before she headed back to the chair room. Carson and Mac were discussing what had happened earlier, going over the data they’d collected. Joining them, Kimberly soon lost herself in the work until she heard someone say, “So you’re the one!”

Carson paled, presumably because of the rather intimidating man stalking toward them. Mac pulled Carson so the chair was between him and the major as he came closer. Kimberly stepped aside, unsure whether to call for help or not. The major looked pissed, and given what had happened, he had every right to be. Friendly fire was generally not considered a good thing, after all.

“Me?” Carson breathed.

“You’re the one who fired that thing at me,” the major said, glowering.

“Look, we’re doing research, working with technology that’s light-years beyond us,” Carson pleaded, indicating the chair as he continued, “and we make mistakes. I’m incredibly, incredibly sorry.”

The major followed the sweep of Carson’s arm and came to a halt, seemingly equally puzzled and intrigued. He cleared his throat. “Well, next time just be a little more careful, okay?”

The sudden change in demeanor had Kimberly’s attention and she wondered whether he’d really been as upset as he had appeared to be. Especially when he leaned into Carson and conspiratorially asked what that thing that had attacked him was. The look of confusion on the major’s face grew at Carson’s explanation, and she suddenly had the thought that while he had been ferrying the expedition members to and from the outpost, he himself had no clue what was happening here.

Carson apparently had a similar thought as he suddenly paled further. “You do have security clearance to be here?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. General O’Neill just gave it to me.” He held out his hand. “Major John Sheppard.”

“Dr. Carson Beckett. Pleased to meet you. So… you have no idea about the stargate, then?”

“The what?”

“Oh dear.” Carson glanced briefly at Mac, then Kimberly. She shrugged.

Grabbing Mac’s shoulder, she turned him neatly back to the computers and began to go over the information again, looking for any clues they might have missed before about how Carson activated the drone in the first place. She tuned Carson’s explanations to Sheppard out as best she could. She had the feeling they wouldn’t have much more time left in the outpost if Daniel got his way. Not now that he’d figured out the gate address.

Suddenly the room lit up and the computers started to spit out new information. Kimberly and Mac both looked up in shock, turning around to find the major sitting back in the chair, stiff as a rail. “Have you ever seen it do that?” she asked Mac.

“No. Never. Do you think-?”

As one, they refocused on their screens even as Carson went haring out to find Dr. Weir and Rodney. The chair was giving off massive energy readings compared to what it had before and it made Kimberly feel like Christmas had arrived early. Of course, the light display didn’t help much with that impression.

“I thought I told you not to touch anything,” Jack said at the sight of Sheppard in the chair.

“I-I just… sat down, sir,” Sheppard stammered, unmoving.

The general sighed even as Rodney moved to stand in front of Sheppard. “Major, think about where we are in the solar system.” He sounded excited, and with good reason, Kimberly thought.

Above them, a hologram of the solar system popped into existence. Kimberly couldn’t help staring at it, marveling at the detail.

“Did I do that?” Sheppard asked, sounding stunned.

“Yes, you did, now focus,” Rodney said, brusquely. “Wouldn’t want to set off another drone,” he added scathingly, scowling at Carson.

“It was an accident!” Carson explained.

“Right. Major-,” and Rodney went off on a tangent, giving the poor major rapid-fire instructions which he seemed to follow with ease.

Never before had Kimberly seen anyone interact with the chair on the level Sheppard was doing at that moment. It was as if he was one with the device. It was kind of spooky, truth be told, but also very exciting.

Spotting Dr. Weir, Kimberly beckoned her over. Quietly, she pointed at the readings scrolling over her screen. “Dr. Weir, if Atlantis is even remotely like this outpost, we have to have him on the expedition. We need someone with his abilities. The way he’s manipulating this tech, it’s… beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. Not even Peter, Miko, or Carson come even close to what he’s doing.”

Elizabeth nodded, gazing pensively at the major as he was run through his paces by Rodney. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do. Good work, Dr. Smyth.”

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