"If you're a woman, I will so believe it," Jill mumbled into the crook of her arm, lifting one hand to absently try and swat Rodney away. Whatever it was, it was too early and if it was too early for Jill, then it had to be too early for Rodney. There was no good reason for him to be awake already, even if he was a woman.
Cracking open one eye, she looked at him over her pillow, making sure he was still a man, then slowly lifted herself on one arm when she realized that she wasn't in the same room she'd fallen asleep in. "What the hell..." Trailing of, she looked around the room, eyes widening the further she looked until she saw the balcony doors and the city beyond.
Rodney decided to let the woman thing slide, because he was far too excited to actually bother with a witty retort.
"It's not just me, then? You can see it too?" he asked when Jill finally sat up. He stood and rubbed his hands over his face, then dropped them and looked at her again, then around at the room. "This is my room," he said, awed. "In Atlantis."
Still holding herself propped up on one arm, Jill stared at Rodney blankly for a moment before she pushed back the sheet and swung her legs out of the bed. Standing up, she wandered toward the balcony, feeling her heart pounding in her chest as she looked out at everything that had been described to her countless times.
"How did we get to Atlantis?" she asked, because if Rodney had gone, she would have stayed on the island. It was how the island worked. Someone you loved disappeared and you were left behind.
Rodney plucked a shirt from the floor, one he could have left there yesterday along with the rest of his uniform, and pulled it over his head before starting to pace the length of the wonderfully familiar room, back and forth.
"Who cares?" he replied, whirling to face Jill suddenly. The megawatt grin on his face could have replaced a ZPM as a power source. "We're here! I'm here! I'm home!"
Someone of lesser poise and intellect might have clapped their hands together and jumped up and down at that point. Rodney just settled for rocking back and forth on his heels and beaming.
That was the question Jill wanted to ask, but when confronted with Rodney's smile, she couldn't. Whatever had happened here, whatever island glitch had sent her home with him, they could figure it out later. He was happy and she had always wanted to see the city, too.
"Yeah, you are," she agreed, smiling in return. "Now find me some clothes and show me your city." She doubted the others in Atlantis would appreciate her wandering around in her underwear and it was only when Jill considered the others in Atlantis that she realized maybe this would be her only opportunity to see John again.
"Clothes...right." Rodney stopped bouncing and looked at Jill thoughtfully. "Well, uh, I guess you'll have to borrow some of mine for now." It occurred to him, then, that he had forgotten his pants.
He crossed to the drawers against the wall and rummaged around in them until he located clean pants and a spare uniform. The latter he handed to Jill, and the former he tugged on over his boxers. They were a little loose - the island had been good for exercise, at least.
He located another jacket, Atlantis patch and all, and pulled it on, smoothing out the front and the sleeves and wishing he had a full-length mirror in which to admire himself. It felt good to be wearing proper clothes again.
The uniform didn't exactly fit, not when one took her hips and breasts into consideration, but it was good enough. Smoothing her hands down the front of the jacket, she looked over at Rodney and smiled properly again, feeling a little bit better now that she was fully dressed.
"Alright," she said, glancing down briefly, still trying to find her stride here. It wasn't that she expected to immediately feel comfortable, but she wanted to be able to enjoy this place as much as Rodney did. "Do you think anyone else is here?"
"Thanks, Rodney," Jill murmured dryly, although she was smiling very faintly and he had to know it was the question that was on her mind as well. "I honestly don't know. This isn't how this ever works. People don't get to leave together. One person disappears and then... everyone else is left behind."
She should have been left behind. That was what she was trying to say without actually having to say it.
Rodney's ballooning glee seemed to be punctured somewhat by this, and he deflated for a moment before, suddenly, perking up.
"Well, you are here," he pointed out. "Maybe it was an extremely small, localized singularity, like a miniature wormhole, and because of your proximity to me at the time you came through too. Maybe we should get Carson...to..."
He trailed off, realizing that most likely, Carson wouldn't be here. He frowned. "Keller should check us out," he settled on after a moment. "To make sure we're still in one piece. Just in case. I don't feel like anything's missing, but even a handful of atoms from my thyroid could seriously impact on my health."
Which meant, if that was all true, that Jill had left everyone else behind. Mayko and Lucy and -- she couldn't quite believe she considered him such a close friend now -- Kirk. It meant she'd left her home behind and as happy as she was to see the city, that was still a depressing sort of thought.
"Absolutely," she agreed, pushing that aside. They would figure it out. Between the two of them and whoever else was on Atlantis, they would figure it all out. "You'll have to lead the way. Maybe give me a bit of a tour as we go."
"Tour! Right. Good idea," Rodney said, clapping his hands together and beaming again. The thrill of being back in Atlantis was enough that he wasn't actually too worried about anything else.
He probably should have been.
"We'll drop by the commissary first," he said as he headed for the door. "Get you some clothes. Then the infirmary...or maybe the cafeteria, I'm starving." Jello! There'd be jello!
"You're the boss here," Jill answered, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender before she reached for Rodney's hand. It wasn't that she needed the comfort of having him nearby, really, but at the same time, she didn't want to go wandering around Atlantis without him.
"We should probably hit the infirmary before the cafeteria, though," she suggested.
"I should be," Rodney said. "Not that Samantha's leadership is lacking, but if I have to rely on singularities to get back home every time I end up on a weird reality-defying island..." He trailed off as Jill took his hand, and squeezed it a little. He wasn't sure why she was here - he wasn't even sure if he'd been away in this timeframe - but he was sure of one thing.
"I'm glad you're here," he said, just before opening the door to his quarters and stepping outside - nearly running into a very familiar face. Familiar or not, it wasn't a face he'd expected to see. Which was stupid now he came to think about it, but..."Katie?"
"Rodney," she said, "I was just coming to see if you were awake - who's this?" She'd noticed Jill and was looking her up and down, a frown on her face. All Rodney could do was glance from Katie to Jill and back again, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly.
Jill had heard enough about Katie and who she was to Rodney to know that this probably wasn't an ideal situation. For some reason, she hadn't even considered that something like this might happen and for a moment, she had absolutely no idea what to say to either of them.
"Uh, Dr. Jill Langston," she managed finally, since Rodney didn't seem to be speaking. "We just arrived." But that still didn't make sense and she doubted it would make much sense to Katie.
Without a word to Jill, Katie looked at Rodney again and repeated, "Who is this, Rodney?"
"Uh...Dr. Jill Langston?" Rodney squeaked. The fact he was holding Jill's hand hadn't escaped Katie's notice, however.
"And why is she wearing your clothes?" she asked, crossing her arms. It was never good when a woman crossed her arms.
"Because...uh...because when she woke up here, hers were gone," was Rodney's lame answer. Katie stared at him, and for a horrible moment he thought she was going to cry, but instead she turned on her heel and marched off in silence.
"Katie! Wait! It's not what you think!" Rodney called, letting go of Jill's hand and taking a step forward, but by that point Katie had already turned a corner and was gone. He sighed. "Okay, so I guess maybe it is, but..." he muttered.
Cracking open one eye, she looked at him over her pillow, making sure he was still a man, then slowly lifted herself on one arm when she realized that she wasn't in the same room she'd fallen asleep in. "What the hell..." Trailing of, she looked around the room, eyes widening the further she looked until she saw the balcony doors and the city beyond.
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"It's not just me, then? You can see it too?" he asked when Jill finally sat up. He stood and rubbed his hands over his face, then dropped them and looked at her again, then around at the room. "This is my room," he said, awed. "In Atlantis."
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"How did we get to Atlantis?" she asked, because if Rodney had gone, she would have stayed on the island. It was how the island worked. Someone you loved disappeared and you were left behind.
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"Who cares?" he replied, whirling to face Jill suddenly. The megawatt grin on his face could have replaced a ZPM as a power source. "We're here! I'm here! I'm home!"
Someone of lesser poise and intellect might have clapped their hands together and jumped up and down at that point. Rodney just settled for rocking back and forth on his heels and beaming.
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That was the question Jill wanted to ask, but when confronted with Rodney's smile, she couldn't. Whatever had happened here, whatever island glitch had sent her home with him, they could figure it out later. He was happy and she had always wanted to see the city, too.
"Yeah, you are," she agreed, smiling in return. "Now find me some clothes and show me your city." She doubted the others in Atlantis would appreciate her wandering around in her underwear and it was only when Jill considered the others in Atlantis that she realized maybe this would be her only opportunity to see John again.
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He crossed to the drawers against the wall and rummaged around in them until he located clean pants and a spare uniform. The latter he handed to Jill, and the former he tugged on over his boxers. They were a little loose - the island had been good for exercise, at least.
He located another jacket, Atlantis patch and all, and pulled it on, smoothing out the front and the sleeves and wishing he had a full-length mirror in which to admire himself. It felt good to be wearing proper clothes again.
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"Alright," she said, glancing down briefly, still trying to find her stride here. It wasn't that she expected to immediately feel comfortable, but she wanted to be able to enjoy this place as much as Rodney did. "Do you think anyone else is here?"
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"Wait a second. Why are you here?"
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She should have been left behind. That was what she was trying to say without actually having to say it.
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"Well, you are here," he pointed out. "Maybe it was an extremely small, localized singularity, like a miniature wormhole, and because of your proximity to me at the time you came through too. Maybe we should get Carson...to..."
He trailed off, realizing that most likely, Carson wouldn't be here. He frowned. "Keller should check us out," he settled on after a moment. "To make sure we're still in one piece. Just in case. I don't feel like anything's missing, but even a handful of atoms from my thyroid could seriously impact on my health."
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"Absolutely," she agreed, pushing that aside. They would figure it out. Between the two of them and whoever else was on Atlantis, they would figure it all out. "You'll have to lead the way. Maybe give me a bit of a tour as we go."
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He probably should have been.
"We'll drop by the commissary first," he said as he headed for the door. "Get you some clothes. Then the infirmary...or maybe the cafeteria, I'm starving." Jello! There'd be jello!
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"We should probably hit the infirmary before the cafeteria, though," she suggested.
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"I'm glad you're here," he said, just before opening the door to his quarters and stepping outside - nearly running into a very familiar face. Familiar or not, it wasn't a face he'd expected to see. Which was stupid now he came to think about it, but..."Katie?"
"Rodney," she said, "I was just coming to see if you were awake - who's this?" She'd noticed Jill and was looking her up and down, a frown on her face. All Rodney could do was glance from Katie to Jill and back again, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly.
Crap.
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"Uh, Dr. Jill Langston," she managed finally, since Rodney didn't seem to be speaking. "We just arrived." But that still didn't make sense and she doubted it would make much sense to Katie.
Without a word to Jill, Katie looked at Rodney again and repeated, "Who is this, Rodney?"
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"And why is she wearing your clothes?" she asked, crossing her arms. It was never good when a woman crossed her arms.
"Because...uh...because when she woke up here, hers were gone," was Rodney's lame answer. Katie stared at him, and for a horrible moment he thought she was going to cry, but instead she turned on her heel and marched off in silence.
"Katie! Wait! It's not what you think!" Rodney called, letting go of Jill's hand and taking a step forward, but by that point Katie had already turned a corner and was gone. He sighed. "Okay, so I guess maybe it is, but..." he muttered.
"Crap."
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