“You okay?”
Alisa looked up at Ronon from her position flat on her back on the crash mat in the gym, “I forgot how much this hurt.” She waved his hand away and sat up shaking her head, “Show me again.”
Ronon frowned, “Are you sure about this?”
Alisa let out an annoyed sigh, “Look, I want to be considered for going off-world at some point which means I have to be able to defend myself. Back home you took over my training after Aidan...” she paused for a second as the name slipped out and the memory of her friend came flooding back.
“Alisa?”
“Sorry,” she shook herself and stood again focussing on him, “I took some self-defence classes when I was on Earth but it was nothing like what you taught me. I missed you.”
Ronon saw the young woman’s cheeks colour at the confession, he wasn’t the same person she’d known. He patted her shoulder, “Let’s go again.”
Alisa dropped into the seat across from Laura taking the water offered and gulping it down.
“Hi,” Laura said as Alisa dropped the cup on the table and dropped her head onto the table.
Alisa nodded; she was taking deep breaths trying to remember how to breathe properly.
“I take it Ronon is being tough on you,” Laura chuckled.
“He made me run with him and John,” Alisa managed to get out, “After tossing me about the gym for an hour.”
Laura laughed, “In Ronon’s defence, you asked him to train you.”
“I thought you were on my side,” Alisa frowned at her friend making Laura laugh even harder.
Alisa let out a long sigh frowning as she noticed a few people in the corner whispering, their eyes kept drifting to her.
“It’s been over a month,” Alisa snapped annoyed, “You think they’d be over who my father is by now.”
Laura chuckled, “There’s not been much other gossip around here lately. Once something new happens they’ll have another topic of conversation. You had to have been used to this when you were...”
“I came with the original expedition,” Alisa told her as she took a bite of her toast, “Though there was a brief period the second year but that blew over pretty quickly.”
They both sighed as they were called; together the friends left the mess and headed to the conference room.
Rodney wandered into the conference room to find John, Laura and Alisa were already there, wondering why they’d been called.
He gave John a nod hello, and Laura’s cheeky grin made him smile back slightly against his better judgement – their bizarre acquaintance from before she left had become an even more bizarre friendship but he was beginning to like it. Then he saw Alisa – his daughter. It was a concept he was still trying to get his head around properly. When she was on Earth and they only communicated via email it was easier in a way, because no one else knew about her and there wasn’t as much pressure on their conversations as he could plan and rewrite several times before sending.
Now everyone knew. Everyone knew who she was – though not the complete story and it was interesting. Having this young woman here who could keep up with him mentally, who could argue back with him with equal bite but who still smiled at him as though he was a great guy at the end of it.
“So why are we here?” Rodney asked as he took a seat beside Alisa.
“No idea,” John replied.
“You are here,” Woolsey stated as he walked into the room, “Because we’re getting a new member of the military contingent.”
Alisa and Rodney looked at each other in confusion.
“Then why are we here?” Rodney asked for them.
“Considering who is coming,” Woolsey sighed, “I thought it would be best to warn all of you at the one time.”
“Okay,” Alisa murmured, “Now I’m worried.”
Woolsey handed them all a file and waited. Three faces looked at him confused as they read the file in front of them while the fourth gasped in amazement.
“Lissa?” Rodney asked worriedly, “What is it?”
Alisa stared at Woolsey, “JD. JD is coming here?”
“You know this guy?” John stared at the shocked young woman.
“So do you,” Alisa told him, “JD Tyler is the clone of General Jack O’Neill.”
“Exactly,” Woolsey nodded at her, “He’s now returned to the SGC but considering who he used to be Colonel Tyler requested a transfer to Atlantis.”
“Colonel?” John choked out.
“Considering his experience,” Woolsey smiled slightly at the look of horror on John’s face, “He’s been given the rank he had at the time he was created by the Asgard.”
“What exactly does that mean for the command structure on Atlantis,” John demanded.
“He’ll be given command of one of the off-world teams,” Woolsey explained, “You are still in command of the military in the city, Colonel Sheppard.”
“But he outranks me,” John noted.
Woolsey shook his head, “Not with your promotion.”
John stared at him, barely hearing the congratulations from Laura and Rodney.
“You timed that well,” Alisa noted to Woolsey who smiled at her.
“It’s not often he’s lost for words,” Woolsey murmured back before returning to the subject, “Captain Cadman, Colonel Tyler will be accompanying your team for his first few missions before he takes over Adamson’s team when the Major returns to Earth next month.”
“Of course,” Laura nodded.
“I understand why you have those three here,” Alisa said, “But why am I included in this meeting?”
“You knew Colonel Tyler in the Universe you came from,” Woolsey stated.
Alisa nodded, “When we were kicked out of the city by the Ancients he was my bodyguard while I was at college but I only really knew him for a few hours.”
“However, you are aware of who he truly is,” Woolsey stated, “Therefore I am assigning you to the team as well.”
“What?” Rodney snapped.
“Colonel Tyler arrives tomorrow,” Woolsey ignored Rodney, “Dismissed.”
Alisa disappeared quickly as Woolsey finished the meeting, she had work she needed to do. John followed Woolsey wanting to know more about what was going on leaving Rodney and Laura together.
“You look mad,” Laura noted as Rodney started walking towards his lab.
“Why would I be mad?” Rodney demanded through gritted teeth.
Laura chuckled, “She’s a big girl, Rodney. You can’t stop her from going off-world.”
“Watch me,” Rodney snapped.
Laura sighed and rolled her eyes as he marched away from her. Laura knew she should leave him to stew but she didn’t.
“Rodney.”
“Cadman, this is none of your business,” Rodney told her when she caught up with him.
“Actually, it is,” Laura told him, “Who do you think she’s going to complain to about you? So I’m being proactive and hoping to stop this.”
He ignored her and stomped to his lab with Laura wandering along beside him, as he sat to work he frowned to find she was still with him.
“Cadman, go away,” he snapped.
“Not until you’ve talked to me,” she crossed her arms and stood in the doorway, “I’ll start to sing in a few minutes if you don’t.”
Rodney glared at her, a glare that had been known to send people scurrying to get away from him but Laura simply smiled at him, blithely waiting.
“I don’t want anything to happen to her,” Rodney gave in, “I just got her.”
Laura moved and took the seat beside him, “You can’t wrap her in a bubble. Alisa is like you, she wants to explore and if you try to stop her you’ll lose her anyway.”
Rodney sighed sadly and Laura gently squeezed his arm.
“I will look after her,” Laura promised, “I’ll protect her with my life, you know that.”
Rodney grimaced before he nodded.
*********************************************
JD Tyler, once known as Jack O’Neill, stepped out of the Stargate and onto the city of Atlantis and looked around the brightly lit Gateroom.
“Welcome to Atlantis,” Woolsey greeted him.
“Thanks,” JD replied as he fell into step with the leader of the base, “So, I’m assuming the other me has already talked to you.”
Woolsey nodded, “General O’Neill asked me not to intervene.”
“Will you?” JD asked, leaning against the wall across from Woolsey’s desk.
Woolsey frowned at him, “I don’t like it but I’ll let you do this your way. After all, despite the name, you are the ‘great’ Jack O’Neill.”
JD nodded and started out the door.
“I still think we should tell them,” Woolsey said making the other man turn back.
“Why?” JD demanded, “So they can worry? So they spend every moment looking over their shoulder and suspecting everyone? No, I was sent here to protect Alisa McKay and that’s what I’ll do - my way.”
Woolsey frowned again, “Alright, we’ll do this your way.”
JD smiled slightly, “I’ll be ready to meet everyone in an hour.”
Alisa pulled her flyaway blonde hair back into a ponytail before clipping it up so it was out of her face. She was looking forward to seeing JD again. Alisa would die before admitting this to anyone, even Laura, but she had a huge crush on him when they’d first met. Dampened a great deal by the insane night when the guy from the Trust had tried to abduct her but Alisa had regretted that she didn’t get to spend some more time around him. She briefly wondered if the real version of her had actually done that but as with most of her wonderings about the life she should have lived she pushed it from her mind fast.
“Okay,” Laura appeared at her side as Alisa left her room, “Tell me what you know?”
“What I know?”
Laura rolled her eyes, “What you know about our new Colonel.”
“About as much as you do,” Alisa answered with a chuckle.
“Come on. You said you knew him,” Laura reminded her.
Alisa shook her head, “For a very short time and most of it was spent running for our lives. I’m interested in seeing how he looks now.”
“Really?” a wicked grin covered Laura’s face.
“Oh please,” Alisa frowned at her friend.
Laura chuckled but said nothing else as they continued to the conference room.
Laura smiled as she entered the conference room with her friend, Rodney and John were already there laughing about one of their previous missions.
“Hi,” Rodney said, giving his daughter a smile before nodding to Laura.
It struck the marine how different Rodney was these days, and Laura liked it. When they’d met Laura had heard so many stories of how he’d terrorised the science staff from day one and she had to admit he was abrasive.
Then she’d spent several days within his head and got to see a completely different side to the scientist. As much as he hated to admit it Laura was one of the few people that Rodney counted as a close friend. Not that she would ever have known this except for a few weeks before the Ancients arrived and tossed them back to Earth.
Rodney was salvaging a small ship while Laura’s team stood guard. When the engine started to overheat it activated a lockdown, Laura was injured and trapped as a countdown started. She discovered later while recovering that Rodney refused to leave her despite how close the countdown came to hitting zero.
Laura would never admit it to him but she did adore Rodney and with Alisa in his life he had changed even more.
“Good, everyone’s here,” Woolsey stated as he walked in with their new Colonel at his side, “Let’s begin.”
JD looked around the table at the people who were watching him intently. As his eyes settled on his reason for being here he studied her for a moment equating the information he’d read with the young woman facing him with cool blue eyes.
“Dr McKay,” he greeted her before turning to the man at her side, “And Dr McKay – doesn’t that get annoying?”
“It’s not come up yet,” Rodney replied.
“This is Colonel Sheppard and Captain Cadman,” Woolsey finished the introductions, “Shall we sit.”
JD dropped into a chair across from Sheppard and leaned back as Woolsey started to speak.
“Well,” Laura said as she followed Alisa out of the room.
Alisa grimaced at her friend, “Well what?”
“I like him,” Laura replied innocently, “What do you think?”
“I think your hair’s too tight and it’s affecting your brain,” Alisa told her.
Laura laughed, “You have history with him.”
“I have history with a different version of him,” Alisa reminded Laura without missing a beat, “History which means that whatever you’re suggesting is just not right.”
Laura walked along beside her in silence for a few minutes before asking, “So what happened?”
Alisa sighed, “When the Ancients turfed us out on our ass after helping them I went to college. I was seventeen and felt so out of place, so scared. Then this really good looking guy started talking to me and made me smile. He appeared a few times and I just thought it was coincidence. I also thought he thought I was some dumb little girl.”
“How did you find out who he really was?” Laura asked, they entered Alisa’s lab and both took a seat.
“The Trust tried to grab me,” Alisa told her, “I ran and called, well you actually, I was told to get to a rendezvous point and I would be met by someone who would protect me. There was the guy I thought was cute. He became less good-looking as I realised he was nuts.”
Laura laughed sighing as she realised the time, “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”
*********************************************
Alisa walked through the corridors heading to get a snack. She grimaced as she found Alison Golding walking towards her. Alisa hadn’t seen Golding in a month since before the mission where Alisa had opened her mouth and accidentally spilled her secret. Golding had been part of the rotation heading back to Earth; Alisa assumed Golding had returned with the group that came with Tyler.
“Bonner,” Golding said as they came face to face.
“You obviously haven’t talked to anyone yet,” Alisa replied sharply, “I’m using my real name now.”
Golding let out a sarcastic laugh, “And what would that be?”
A smug smirk covered Alisa’s face, “McKay,” at the stunned look on Golding’s face Alisa’s smile widened, “It’s a girl.”
“You’re Rodney’s daughter?”
Alisa spread her arms out and shrugged not losing the smug look.
“Don’t feel bad,” Alisa told her, “Only Laura actually worked it out. Not even your dear friend Jennifer did and she didn’t take it well either.”
“You broke them up?” anger filled Golding’s voice.
“She dumped him. Not my fault,” Alisa replied shortly, “I have things to do so I’ll hopefully not see you later.”
Golding watched the younger woman as she walked away amazed at what she’d just been told. Her eyes were drawn from the young woman to the column sitting just outside the entrance to the hallway, she had no idea where it had come from but the one thing she knew was that it was not stable.
“Look out,” Golding yelled, running forward as the pillar started to topple.
Alisa turned confused, crying out as Golding threw them to one side as the stone smashed on the ground. Golding could feel Alisa shaking almost uncontrollably as she stared at where she’d been a moment before covered in rubble.
Alisa sat still trying to catch her breath as Jennifer checked her. She had a cut along her right arm but other than that there appeared to be no other injury.
Rodney appeared and moved straight to his daughter, “Lissa? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Alisa whispered, “Thanks to Lieutenant Golding.”
Rodney turned and nodded quickly to the other woman before returning his attention to his daughter. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. Jennifer picked up her kit and moved to her friend, leaving father and daughter alone.
“She’s his daughter?” Alison said as Jennifer started checking her for any injuries.
Jennifer nodded, “I’ll admit it was something I definitely wasn’t expecting to be told. But as soon as I knew I couldn’t believe I’d never worked it out. Look at them.”
“Is she the reason you broke up?” Alison asked pointedly.
Jennifer shook her head, “We broke up because he didn’t trust me, Ali. He hid this secret from me for so long and told Captain Cadman before he told me. How can I trust him to be honest with me?”
Alison squeezed her friend’s hand, “Sorry.”
Jennifer shrugged frowning as she saw Woolsey arrive with John and the new Colonel, “I think something’s up.”
*********************************************
Alisa sat wondering what was going on as she’d been dragged back to the conference room instead of getting to go lie down for a while. Her father was sitting at her side hovering protectively as Woolsey and JD talked quietly in one corner. John was pacing looking grim, every so often looking over to where Alisa was sitting.
“Lissa,” Laura appeared rushing over to her young friend, “I just heard. Are you okay?”
Alisa nodded, “I am.”
Laura sighed in relief turning and frowning, “Sorry, sir.”
“Completely understandable,” Woolsey noted, “Where’s Dr Keller?”
Jennifer appeared, “Sorry I was just finishing up.”
Woolsey nodded and motioned her to take a seat. Jennifer sank into the chair beside John as Laura had taken the one beside Rodney who was sitting beside his daughter, Woolsey was on her other side and JD sat just across from her.
“What’s going on?” Rodney demanded suddenly breaking the silence, “Because you seem more annoyed than surprised that this happened.”
JD sighed, “I didn’t request this assignment, I was asked by General O’Neill to come here.”
“You’re here to protect me,” Alisa whispered, her nails digging into her palm.
He nodded.
“I should have known,” Alisa shook her head.
“Why wasn’t I told?” Rodney demanded sharply glaring at Woolsey.
“That was my decision,” JD told them, “I didn’t think there was any point to both of you spending all your time looking over your shoulder.”
“Typical,” Alisa snarled, “I’m already constantly looking over my shoulder. I’ve been looking over my shoulder since I got to this universe.”
“Lissa,” Rodney said resting his hand on her shoulder to calm her.
“It’s true,” she told him, “I’m still waiting for them to turf me back to Earth again. I look over my shoulder all the time, and there is no way in hell I’m letting anyone send me away from here.”
“That’s why I’m here,” JD reminded her.
“Then you better be damn well good at your job,” she retorted before standing and marching out.
JD shook his head; he gave Woolsey a quick nod before heading out after Alisa. He could see the blonde head just ahead of him and JD jogged forward to catch her.
“You can’t blame me for this,” he noted as he reached her side.
“Why not?” Alisa stopped and turned to him, “You appear in my life once more and cause chaos again.”
“Hold on,” JD frowned, “You’re blaming me for something the alternate version of me did?”
“I’ve been doing it for almost everyone else,” she replied with a fake smile, “What makes you so special, Colonel?”
JD started to laugh, “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you Dr McKay.”
Alisa chuckled as well before she looked up at him without the defensiveness, “Can you protect me?”
“If you let me,” JD replied.
Alisa sighed, she pulled her hair out and ran her hand through it, “Look, I know I can be difficult. I know I can be a total brat but I’ve been alone for a long time and I’m still getting used to being part of a group again.”
“You’re not the only one,” JD told her, “You know who I am then you’ve got to know the back-story and the fact I lost everything too. I’m not trying to compete, Alisa I’m just reminding you that you’re not alone.”
Alisa nodded, “Okay, I’ll agree to a truce for now.”
As JD watched her walk away he sighed, this was not going to be easy. There was no doubt that she was the daughter of Rodney McKay – mouthy and annoying.
*********************************************
Laura sat across from Rodney with John at his side as they sat at dinner both watching him stab at his food.
“Okay,” Laura broke the silence, “Talk.”
Rodney looked up at her before returning to stabbing at his food. Laura shook her head and motioned to John it was his turn.
John took the more direct approach to getting his friend’s attention and yanked the plate of food away from him.
“Hey,” Rodney snapped.
“Rodney, you need to talk to us,” John told him, “Talk and you get your dinner back.”
Rodney glared at his friend finally exploding, “She was meant to be safe here.”
“She is,” Laura said.
“Really? Because were you there this afternoon?” Rodney snarled at her, “She could have been killed.”
“Rodney, she’s fine and now we know we can look after her better,” Laura reminded him.
Without a word Rodney stood and walked away.
“Dammit,” Laura sighed in annoyance.
“He’ll get over it Cadman,” John assured her, “He just needs some time.”
“I don’t think he will.”
Rodney marched through the corridors of Atlantis. That stupid pillar shouldn’t even have been there, the archaeological team had found it and brought it back as there were some possibilities in the writing that it could help them find a ZPM.
He stopped as he saw Laura standing waiting for him.
“You’re kind of predictable to someone who lived in your head,” she answered his unspoken question.
“I don’t want any company,” Rodney marched past her and towards the balcony he’d been heading to. It was a place he and Carson had found that gave an amazing view of the city; Rodney was often drawn to it when he needed to think in peace.
“That’s a pity because I don’t think you should be alone right now,” Laura replied lightly as she walked at his side.
Rodney fumed but said nothing hoping that ignoring her would mean she’d leave him alone. Unfortunately he’d forgotten that Laura Cadman was just as stubborn as he was and she continued to stay at his side as they reached the balcony and he sank onto the cushions.
“Cadman,” Rodney sighed after ten minutes, “Can you just go away?”
“Not until you talk to me.”
“Any topic in mind?” he ground out.
“Rodney, you know why I’m here,” Laura said, “Why are you fighting actually talking to me?”
He shook his head and stared out at the horizon once more for about half an hour before he spoke again.
“I’m afraid, Cadman.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know,” Rodney confessed, “I’m terrified and I don’t understand why?”
Laura gave a soft chuckle and took his hand, “Because you’re a father.”
Rodney shook his head and jumped up starting to pace, “No, I’m not. Alisa is here because of an accident and suddenly because of biology I’m supposed to be responsible for her?”
Laura bit her lip slightly trying not to laugh.
“I can’t be a father.”
“Okay,” Laura jumped up and stopped him, “Did you know Alisa was an accident? She told me one day about a conversation she had with the other you. So, that’s one thing you two have in common and it never stopped him from being her father.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point,” Laura stated, “Is that you have no choice in the matter, Rodney. You’re now a father. You’re also very lucky that she’s twenty-one, completely educated and looks up to you anyway.”
“She shouldn’t.”
Laura smacked his shoulder, “Tough. You’re her father so start acting like it. Did it occur to you she might be pretty terrified knowing someone just tried to kill her? Get over yourself.”
*********************************************
JD smiled to himself as he watched the Stargate burst open, it’d been a long time since he’d led a mission through the Gate and it might not be his original team but they seemed to be a pretty good bunch.
Cadman, she was smart, loyal and an explosives expert - everything he liked in an ExO. Next was the obligatory muscle Lieutenant Ray Ballard, a man who made Teal’c seem talkative he looked like a cross between a football player and the milky bar kid. Finally the brains of the operation and interdimensional stray, Alisa McKay – smart, sarcastic and working on the arrogance to match her father.
They seemed to be a good unit so far and he kept having to remind himself that this was only temporary. He was here to find out who was after McKay and stop them before they harmed her.
As they walked through the wormhole JD grinned to himself, he was back where he belonged.
“Damn, it’s cold,” Alisa gasped as they walked towards what they hoped was a ZPM.
“Suck it up, doc,” JD tossed back at her, “This is what it’s like to be on an SG team.”
The withering glance he received made him grin even more; this was the way it was meant to be.
“Lissa,” Laura interrupted, “What do your readings say?”
“They’re not any different from when we left the Gate,” Alisa replied, as she scanned the detector in her hand, “There is a faint ZPM energy signature coming from that way.”
“Okay then,” JD said, “Let’s get a move on and back home for dinner. I heard that tonight its mystery meat stew.”
A soft chuckle escaped Ballard making the other three turn in surprise before Laura grinned. Softly laughing the team continued their journey talking generally.
Alisa stood at the entrance of the second cavern frowning as she scanned the computer she was working on.
“What’s wrong?”
Alisa jumped as JD appeared at her shoulder, “Make a sound.”
“Sorry,” he replied sounding anything but, “Can we go in now?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Booby trap.”
“Can you disable it?”
Alisa turned to him, “I thought I’d just stand here then walk all the way back without actually seeing if there is a ZPM in here.”
“Alisa,” JD growled warningly.
“It’s complicated,” she explained as though he hadn’t spoken, “There appears to be about six or seven different traps going on and I’m barely getting a connection to the system.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning shut up and let me work.”
Laura smiled as JD came to stand at her side just inside the mouth of the cave watching Alisa work.
“She’s amazingly like him,” Laura noted with a smile, “Unfortunately that includes the annoying things.”
“How close are you to Alisa and her father?” JD asked.
Laura frowned at him.
“I’m here to protect her,” JD reminded Laura, “I need to know this.”
Laura let out a long sigh, “When I was in Rodney’s head I got to know him really well. In fact it’s possibly one of the reasons Carson and I split. I’m protective of Rodney, if someone dared hurt him I know I would go through them.”
JD watched as she took a breath to calm herself.
“When I realised who Alisa was,” Laura continued, “Actually before I knew who she was, I felt like I had to protect her. I won’t let anyone harm her and that includes you - Sir.”
JD nodded, “Good.”
Alisa clicked her tongue as she thought over how to disarm the next trap, whatever was in here had to be something good otherwise it wouldn’t be this well guarded.
“Ray,” she called to the marine standing nearby, “Give me a boost.”
He nodded and crouched, his hands cupped together; Alisa put her computer to one side before she gripped his shoulders and stepped into the waiting step he’d created. She gave a soft squeak of shock as he pushed her up with barely any effort.
“Okay, need you to move about three small steps to your right,” Alisa instructed her fingers moving across the rock face as Ray did as she said.
“What you doing, Doc?” JD asked as he picked up her computer padd.
Alisa glanced down at him, “I think I’ve worked out where the fuse box, for lack of a better tem, is located. If I can disconnect it then we can go in and hopefully get back in time for mystery meat stew.”
JD chuckled, “Brilliant idea.”
“So glad you approve,” Alisa told him before glancing down at the man holding her up, “Okay, Ray I just need you to take two more steps to your right.”
Alisa bit her lower lip as she worked smiling to herself when she found what she was looking for, “Okay. Here goes.”
As she disconnected the power the team heard a hum they’d not really noticed disappear a few seconds before the room began to shake violently. Alisa cried out when she started to fall as Ray lost his balance.
“Lissa,” Laura yelled before she was shoved to one side by JD who dived to the ground as part of the ceiling crashed around them.
*********************************************
“Rodney.”
“I heard you the first three times you said my name, Colonel,” Rodney replied without looking up from the console in front of him, “I’m ignoring you for a reason.”
“Rodney, we’re bored,” John told him.
Looking up at the man standing at his side Rodney frowned, “I told you to bring cards.”
“How much longer before I can try to fly this thing?”
“John, this thing is a few thousand years old,” Rodney reminded his friend, “It’s not a case of putting in some gas and changing the oil. I am doing the best I can.”
“Sure,” John nodded.
Rodney returned to working sighing as he realised John was still standing there, “What?”
“How you doing with Alisa being on a mission?”
“Thank you,” Rodney snapped, “Thank you so much for reminding me.”
“Come on, McKay.”
Rodney sighed, “Cadman will look after her. So will Tyler. Now go away so I can finish this.”
John clapped his friend’s shoulder before heading back to the rest of the team.
Teyla looked up as John appeared, “Well?”
“Rodney’s working on it,” John shrugged, “We might be heading home sometime in the next few weeks.”
“And?”
John shrugged, “He’s worried but coping with it.”
“This is the first time he’s had to deal with Alisa being off-world when he is not there to protect her,” Teyla noted.
“The one thing you’re forgetting,” Ronon joined in, “Is that Cadman is with Alisa. McKay trusts Cadman. Even if he pretends he doesn’t.”
John nodded, wincing as the power came on through ship and he was thrown forward into the wall.
“I fixed it,” Rodney called back as John pulled himself off the wall.
“We noticed.”
“We should be back in Atlantis in about six hours,” Rodney told them, “If you want to come up here and fly this thing, Colonel.”
“How long overdue are they?” John asked Woolsey the moment he saw the other man waiting for them in the hanger.
“About three hours,” Woolsey murmured keeping his voice down so Rodney didn’t overhear them just yet, “We’ve called them but there’s been no answer.”
John grimaced; Rodney would go insane once he knew his daughter’s team was late. Ronon appeared and saw the look on both men’s face instantly understanding what was going on so as Rodney appeared from the ship he took up position beside him.
“What?” Rodney demanded as everyone looked at him before he sighed in annoyance, “Let’s get going, there’s no point in standing around.”
“I’m sending Dr Keller with you in case there are any injuries,” Woolsey told them.
Rodney paused for a few moments before nodding.
*********************************************
Alisa groaned as consciousness invaded the nice peaceful dream she was having bringing with it a sharp pain in her leg. Checking her leg she didn’t find any blood or broken bones so guessed it had to be a sprain.
“You’re awake,” JD said, “How you feeling?”
“Do you really want an answer to that?” Alisa winced as she pulled herself to sit against the wall, “What happened?”
“The ceiling collapsed,” JD told her as he continued to look around.
“Laura? Ray?”
“Other side of the wall,” JD replied, “They’re at least on the right side to get out but I can’t raise them.”
Alisa frowned and touched her own radio, “Laura? Laura, can you hear me?”
At the static she grimaced and looked up to see JD standing, “Told you.”
“Give me your radio,” Alisa told him, “I’ll see if I can boost the signal. Though it’s possible something’s blocking it, other than the ton of rubble.”
Laura sighed in relief as they managed to push the final large boulder away from the entrance to the cave. Ray had a concussion and her arm felt like someone had been using a baseball bat on it for a couple of hours but together they’d managed to clear the rubble and hopefully that would let a radio signal out when Atlantis called again.
She was worried about Alisa and Tyler; they’d fallen one way while she and Ray had fallen the other before the ceiling had collapsed on them and there’d been no contact with them since.
“They’ll be okay,” Ray assured her.
Laura sighed and grabbed his chin tilting his head up to check him, “How you feeling?”
“I’ll be fine,” he told her, “You?”
“I won’t be wearing short sleeves for a while but I’ll be fine,” she sighed pushing her hand through her hair.
“Tyler? Cadman?” John’s voice came over the radio making her sigh in relief before grimacing in horror at who would be with him, “Come in.”
“Colonel,” Laura replied, “Colonel Tyler and Dr McKay are trapped on the other side of a ton of rubble. We’ve managed to clear the entrance to the cave we’re in and we’re about to start trying to get through to them. We could use some help.”
“We’re coming your way,” John assured her, “I’m sending Ronon to get some equipment to help.”
Laura let out a sigh of relief, “Hurry.”
The first person Laura saw was Rodney and she braced herself for the tirade she was about to be on the receiving end of. She was shocked when he rested his hand on her arm.
“Are you okay?”
Laura nodded mutely.
“Alisa?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, clutching his hand, “Rodney, I...”
“It’s not your fault,” Rodney let out a sigh, “Lissa said it herself, bad things happen when she goes off world. I was hoping it would give her first mission a miss.”
Laura smiled a little surprised, as she looked over Rodney’s shoulder she was surprised to see Jennifer Keller standing there looking at them sadly.
“Tyler, McKay, this is Sheppard. Come in.”
Laura turned to where John was standing waiting for a response from her team leader and friend but nothing came.
“Cadman, what were you doing before this happened?” Rodney asked.
“Lissa was working on getting rid of the booby traps,” Laura told him, “She thought she’d found the power source but when she disconnected it the place started to fall around us.”
Rodney sighed, “She’s trouble. I’ll see if I can remove whatever’s blocking the signal.”
Alisa chewed her lip as she tried to fix the radio, hearing a click then some static she smiled.
“Try it now,” she handed JD the radio.
“Cadman?” JD said, “Cadman, this is Tyler. Report.”
“This is Sheppard,” John’s voice came over the radio making them both smile in relief, “Are you two okay?”
“A little banged up but we’re both fine,” JD stressed ‘both’ knowing Rodney would be listening in, “Are we getting out of here soon?”
“We’re working on it,” John replied, “Get comfortable.”
JD dropped to sit beside Alisa with a wry smile, “We’ve got that covered, so start holding up your end of the bargain.”
An hour passed and the only noise in the cavern where Alisa and JD sat was the sound of rocks being moved.
“Okay,” JD rolled his eyes, “I can’t sit here in silence any longer, you need to start talking about something, anything.”
Alisa chuckled, “Like what?”
“I don’t know but there is no way I’m sitting here any longer listening to that without something to take my mind off it,” JD replied, “How did we meet?” Alisa opened her mouth and he held up his hand, “In the other universe.”
“You were assigned to protect me there as well,” Alisa smiled slightly, “It seems to be your destiny to be my guardian angel.”
“I’ve had worse jobs,” JD noted with a laugh, “So?”
“So the Trust tried to grab me,” Alisa told him, “And you dragged me into a dead end, swung me on a rope in a Tarzan impersonation had me drive while you shot at the car behind us.”
JD grinned, “Sounds fun.”
“You would say that,” Alisa rolled her eyes at him; “Well it freaked me out completely,” she let out a long sigh, “Can you protect me again? You can’t watch me all the time and if something like the column happens again...”
“Alisa,” he stopped her, his voice soft, “You know that was just a freak accident. Don’t you?”
She stared at him, her blue eyes filled with sadness and fear, “Are you sure?”
“We checked over everything and one of the struts was worn away,” he told her, “I overreacted by telling you why I was really here. That was my fault.”
“I would probably have guessed sooner or later,” Alisa replied, “Trusting is something I don’t do very often these days.”
JD wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly, “Well you’ve got to learn to trust me, okay?”
“Okay.”
JD gave her a cocky grin just as the boulders at the top fell away letting natural light in and John’s face appeared.
“Hey, I think I found the toy surprise.”
*********************************************
JD stood on the balcony looking out across the ocean. He’d agreed to come to Atlantis temporarily to protect the young genius but there was something about this place that had got under his skin.
He knew that if he went back to Earth he couldn’t rejoin SG1 again, Daniel had decided to step back from off-world missions to work with the new recruits, Carter was in command of her own ship and Teal’c spent most of his time with his family. Not to mention the other two ‘newbies’.
No, this was definitely the best idea for him – Atlantis.
“Hey,” Alisa appeared from around the doorway, “Are you coming? The quiz is about to start. I want to see Lorne’s team get whipped by Radek’s.”
JD nodded, he’d heard a lot about the monthly quiz and how competitive it got. As they walked through the corridors JD made his decision – he was staying here.
Returning Home von LE McMurray
Kapitel Bemerkung: Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
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