Adopting Rodney 13/?
Title: Adopting Rodney
Author: sg_lab
Rating: G to PG
Summary: “We’re adopting Rodney,” John said. What happens after Rodney suffers a brain injury. Set a few months after First Strike
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir
Characters: Sheppard, Weir, McKay
Spoilers: First Strike, Sunday
Warning: Character death
A/N:
Disclaimer: The characters and Stargate Atlantis don’t belong to me and I’m not making anything from this.
Feedback: Yes please
Chapter 13
Elizabeth opened the door of her and John’s apartment letting their guests in. Teyla and Ronon entered. No words were said as Elizabeth gestured for them to sit. John was standing next to the couch when they sat down. He and Elizabeth took their own seats in the sectional.
“I take it you have news,” Teyla said at last.
“Jeannie asked we send Rodney back to Earth as soon as possible,” Elizabeth stated.
“When?” Ronon asked.
“Tomorrow morning John and I are going back with him,” Elizabeth raised a hand as Ronon and Teyla were about to speak. “The Apollo has been repaired and has a ZPM. We will return on it in a couple of weeks. We thought we’d fly to my mother’s before going to Jeannie’s,” Elizabeth looked up at them as her composure looked ready to crumble at any moment.
“We’d bring you along,” John jumped in taking Elizabeth’s clasped hands in his. “But the powers that be nixed that idea.”
“We understand,” Teyla offered. “Where is Rodney now?”
“He’s with Kate Heightmeyer,” Elizabeth said.
“Does he know?” Ronon asked.
“We haven’t told him,” John said. “But he knows.”
“Have you had breakfast yet?” Teyla asked.
“No actually,” Elizabeth said. “Why don’t you go ahead and take Rodney to the cafeteria. John and I will be with you in a bit,” Ronon and Teyla nodded and left the apartment.
When they were alone Elizabeth leaned into John who wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder wrapping arms around him.
&
“Lizabeth, where’s my navy shirt?” John called from their bedroom.
“Honey, you’re in the Air Force, not the Navy,” Elizabeth was looking at her tablet PC as she entered their room.
“Navy as in the color…” he tossed a sock at her when he saw the corner of her lip twitching.
She looked up grinning. He pulled the computer out of her hands dropping it onto the bed and pulled her over to him. “Cheeky,” he kissed her.
“John, why are we in the closet?”
“I thought you could help me find my shirt,” he said still kissing her.
“Guys,” Rodney was standing in their bedroom doorway.
They pulled apart feeling like a bucket of cold water hit them. They were finishing packing. In about an hour they would be returning to Earth to take Rodney to live with his sister.
“Do you need help with anything, Rodney?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, I’m finished.”
“All right, why don’t we meet Ronon and Teyla in the cafeteria for lunch?” Elizabeth suggested.
&
The gate had been activated as John, Elizabeth and Rodney stood ready to depart. Ronon and Teyla stood before them. Teyla stepped in front of Rodney and grasped his shoulders bringing his forehead to hers. “You will write?” She asked.
“Umm, I’m taking my video camera,” Rodney said. “I’ll send you messages that way.”
“We will do the same,” Teyla said before stepping back and allowing Ronon to move forward.
Ronon stepped in front of Rodney and enveloped him in a great hug. He didn’t say anything after stepping back looking down at his boots.
John and Elizabeth said a brief goodbye to them before walking Rodney through the gate.
&
Elizabeth pulled up the driveway and stopped. She looked behind her to the back seat and smiled. John and Rodney were both asleep. Their heads were tipped to the side leaning against each other.
“We’re here,” she said.
John’s eyes popped open. “What?” He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked out the window. He saw the house and blinked. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, my mom will like you.”
“Up to the point when she finds out I married you without her blessing or knowledge,” he said nudging Rodney who grumbled in his sleep. “God, he sleeps like a log. Rodney, wake up.”
“Wha…” Rodney blinked his eyes several times before focusing. “We’re here?”
“Yep,” Elizabeth said getting out of the car. She came around to the back on Rodney’s side and opened the door.
John got out while Elizabeth was coaxing a still sleepy Rodney out. They walked up to the front door with Rodney in the middle.
Elizabeth rang the doorbell and the door opened a moment later. “Elizabeth,” an older woman smiled opening her arms and taking Elizabeth into them.
“Mom,” Elizabeth hugged her mom back.
“My goodness, are they feeding you where you’ve been?” Mrs. Weir stepped back to look at Elizabeth.
“Mom,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You remember Rodney McKay,” she pulled Rodney next to her.
“Why yes,” Mrs. Weir said. “You were the young man Elizabeth had a meeting with five years ago when I was visiting her in Washington DC.”
“I…I’m sorry, I don’t have a very good memory anymore,” Rodney stumbled.
“Rodney suffered a…” Elizabeth hesitated.
“Brain injury,” Rodney filled in for her pointing at his head.
“Mom, I’d also like you to meet Lt. Colonel John Sheppard,” Elizabeth jumped in.
“Ma’am,” John put out his hand.
Mrs. Weir raised a single eyebrow. It reminded John of Elizabeth and he had to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel.”
“John, Ma’am.”
“Please come on in. I’m sure you’re all tired from the trip. Do you have any bags?”
“They’re still in the car,” Elizabeth said. “Mom, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“So when did you and John marry?” Mrs. Weir’s question had the pair stunned into silence. “I noticed your rings for one thing,” she smiled. “Elizabeth tends to be a little obvious when she’s in love,” she said leaning over next to John.
“Uh a little over a month,” Elizabeth said.
“Why don’t we sit,” Mrs. Weir said leading them into the family room. “Does anyone want anything to drink?” There were murmurs of no as John and Elizabeth sat on either side of Rodney on the couch.
Elizabeth’s mother looked at them for a long moment and smiled. “You can relax John,” she said. “I have no plans of interrogating you.”
John turned slightly red.
“I assume I can’t ask what you’ve been up to for almost the last year other than setting up house,” Mrs. Weir smiled. “What brings you here other than introducing your husband to me?”
Elizabeth looked at Rodney and squeezed the hand she had been holding. “John and I are taking Rodney to live with his sister.”
“Elizabeth, why don’t you help me with making some dinner while John and Rodney bring in your bags,” Mrs. Weir stood up and waited for the others to move.
“Come on, Rodney,” John tugged on his friend’s arm. Rodney followed John out grumbling all the way.
Mrs. Weir smiled. “They look like a handful.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I feel like I’m raising two overgrown children sometimes.”
“How was Rodney injured?” Mrs. Weir asked.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. How to tell her mother without telling her? “He was injured while studying some technology. We didn’t realize anything was wrong until a few days later.”
“I assume Rodney’s family asked he be returned to them,” her mother said.
Elizabeth nodded swallowing back the lump in her throat. “It’s the best thing for him.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier,” Mrs. Weir came up to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. At that moment all that Elizabeth had been feeling and holding back came out.
Elizabeth sniffed and took a deep breath. “I never really thought about having kids, but now John is against it. Things happened that changed his mind. I know where we live isn’t the most ideal, but family’s are developing all around us. I don’t know,” she sighed slumping into the nearest chair.
“It sounds like the two of you need to talk,” her mother said.
Elizabeth nodded. “I thought we’d do that while we were here. We never seem to have a time for that at home,” it startled Elizabeth how natural it was to call Atlantis home.
“You two seem to have made a place for yourself. Three actually,” she corrected herself. “Rodney doesn’t seem to want to go live with his sister.”
Elizabeth wiped her face. “I’m going to the bathroom to wash up,” she slipped up the back stairs just before John and Rodney entered from the other door.
&
After dinner everyone was feeling tired. Mrs. Weir showed them where they would be sleeping. The guest bedroom had a trundle bed under the main bed and Rodney would be sleeping in it while John and Elizabeth took the other bed.
The house had been silent for a few hours as everyone was asleep. A terrible cry broke the silence and woke everyone up. John and Elizabeth were sitting on either side of Rodney’s bed when Mrs. Weir came in.
“What happened?”
“Rodney had a nightmare,” Elizabeth said over her shoulder. Rodney’s head was resting on Elizabeth’s shoulder. Her hand was at the nape of his neck brushing through his hair. The other hand was rubbing circles over his back.
“Mrs. Weir, do you have milk and cocoa?” John asked.
“It’s a bit warm for that,” Mrs. Weir said.
“It helps him sleep,” John said shrugging his shoulders.
She nodded. “I think I can find something.”
“I’ll help,” John stood up.
“No,” Mrs. Weir said. “You should probably stay with Rodney.”
“He’ll be okay with Elizabeth,” John looked at his wife who nodded. He squeezed Rodney’s shoulder before following his mother-in-law out the door.
Mrs. Weir had four mugs out when John stepped into the kitchen. “I figured we all may as well have some,” she said setting the kettle over the stove and pouring the packets of instant cocoa in each cup.
“Mrs. Weir, I wanted to apologize for not telling you about Elizabeth and me before we were married,” John fidgeted with a spoon in one of the cups.
“John, I think you can call me Marisa; I am your mother-in-law,” she smiled. “You know, Elizabeth wrote me about you a few times over the last few years.”
John’s head came up and his eyes were wide.
“Don’t worry, she didn’t say anything bad,” she smirked. “Well, not too bad,” she looked at him with serious eyes. “For every letter I received, the more in love she seemed to be. Not that she would say anything outright.”
“We were both a little slow,” John admitted. “I think our friends were about ready to lock us in a storage closet if we didn’t do something soon,” he laughed, but it didn’t last long when he thought of another lost friend. “After a friend of ours died we both felt we were both knocked over the head and realized what we felt for each other. A few months later I proposed,” he decided to leave out the part where Elizabeth almost died (again) before he proposed. He figured that was Elizabeth’s place if she wanted her mother to know anything at all.
“Well, I think we’re ready,” she placed the mugs on a tray and followed John to the guestroom.
&
The next morning after breakfast Marisa offered to keep Rodney entertained while John and Elizabeth took a walk alone to talk. For the first several minutes both were silent.
“John, do you still want children?” Elizabeth asked holding his hand.
“Yes,” he said. “And no.”
She looked at him and frowned.
He sighed and pulled her back to his front wrapping his arms around her middle. “As certain as I am that taking Rodney to live with Jeannie is right, the moment we leave him, I’m going to want to go back and take him with us. I’m not so certain Atlantis is such a bad place for him to live or our kids. And yet I can’t get rid of that little bit of fear. The only alternative would be to come back here, but Atlantis is our home,” he groaned. “I’m not sure I’m making any sense.”
Elizabeth turned in his arms. “You are. I have the same fears. I worry about Rodney on a daily basis. He’s as vulnerable as any child would be and I’m always asking myself if bringing a child into that world is the best thing. But I can’t let fear rule my life. The people of the Pegasus galaxy continue with their lives despite the threat.”
“Give me some time?” He asked.
“I can do that,” she smiled. “Just don’t take too long; we’re not getting any younger.”
He gave her a mock affronted look and grind before kissing her.
&
“There are some fireworks in the park tonight,” Marisa said later in the day after John and Elizabeth had returned from their walk.
“I hadn’t even noticed the date,” John said looking at the calendar in the kitchen. “It’s the Fourth of July. What do you say, Rodney?” John wrapped a loose arm around Rodney’s neck. “Want to see some fireworks?”
“Okay,” Rodney nodded.
“Sounds like fun,” Elizabeth agreed.
“I’ll get a picnic basket ready,” Marisa said. “We can get to the park early and find a spot to eat before they start.”
They all agreed and the other three stood up and helped Marisa with the dinner.
&
They were just cleaning up their picnic dinner when the fireworks began. Rodney jumped startled of the loud bang. John placed a hand on his friend’s back to steady him.
The next bang caused Rodney to jump again. This time he whimpered grabbed hold of John who was the nearest person.
John patted Rodney’s back. “Rodney, it’s all right,” John could feel Rodney shaking now as the fireworks continued.
“Rodney,” Elizabeth placed a hand on the back of his neck. “Do you want to go back to the house?”
John looked at his wife. “I think that was a yes,” he said when they heard a muffled sound from Rodney. His face was buried in John’s neck and shoulder and John could feel the slight nod.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Marisa said.
“It’s all right, Mom,” Elizabeth hugged her mother. “We should have known better anyway,” she shared another look with John remembering the day Rodney and John had turned down the wrong hall and went past the firing range. The guns going off had scared Rodney so much he ran down the hall. John had to run after him and take him back to their quarters for the rest of the day canceling their plans for movie night in the rec. room.
When they got back to the house John walked Rodney (still clinging to him) to the couch. Elizabeth sat on the opposite side of Rodney and Marisa sat in the armchair across from them.
John let Rodney settle more comfortably against him an arm wrapped around him. “Hey Elizabeth,” John said. “How’d you and Rodney meet?”
“Lizbeth already told you that story,” Rodney said.
John grinned; he could hear the annoyance in his friend’s voice. “Well, I’m sure Marisa would like to hear it.”
Elizabeth shared an amused glance with her mother. “It was a couple of years before the project we’re working on now began. I was in Russia. We were both working on separate classified matters and we quite literally bumped into each other in some restaurant. I managed to spill my dinner and his dinner all over him. It was a buffet style restaurant. For the next five minutes he snarked at me,” Elizabeth was grinning.
“When he seemed to be finally winding down, I offered to buy him dinner. He was so surprised he stopped in mid sentence and stared at me. Finally he agreed and we spent the next hour talking about how miserable we were in Russia.
“We didn’t see each other again until a couple years later when I was organizing people for this project,” her grin got wider. “I asked one of his colleagues what their opinion was of him as an astrophysicist. The colleague in question told me he was good at what he did, although a pain in the ass and impossible to get along with. I can’t say I completely agree with that last part,” she turned a smile on Rodney.
Rodney was fidgeting now and his cheeks turned the slightest pink. “She still won’t tell me who this colleague is,” he pouted at her.
“The person in question threatened pain if I revealed the source,” Elizabeth laughed.
Rodney tried to stifle a yawn. “All right, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” John stated patting his friend’s shoulder. Rodney had straightened up in the couch in the last few minutes as Elizabeth was talking. John still had an arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Okay,” Rodney said.
“How you feeling, buddy?” John asked.
“Better. Just tired.”
Marisa moved next to Elizabeth when John and Rodney left the room. “You miss the old Rodney, don’t you?”
Elizabeth sighed and rested her head on her Mom’s shoulder.
&
A couple of days later it was time to leave. Everyone was standing around the living room saying their goodbyes. “I want all of you to keep in touch more,” Marisa said. “You too, Rodney,” she kissed him on the cheek and gave him a hug. She did the same to John and whispered in his ear before releasing him. “Take care of my little girl.”
When John stepped back he nodded at her. “Come on Rodney. Help me get the bags in the car.”
Elizabeth and her mother were alone in the house. She hugged her mother. “I’ll write to you as often as I can.”
“I love you Elizabeth. Take care of yourself and that family you’ve got where ever you are.”
“I love you too,” they hugged again before walking out the door. Marisa stood on the landing and waved to them as they drove off.
Author: sg_lab
Rating: G to PG
Summary: “We’re adopting Rodney,” John said. What happens after Rodney suffers a brain injury. Set a few months after First Strike
Pairing: Sheppard/Weir
Characters: Sheppard, Weir, McKay
Spoilers: First Strike, Sunday
Warning: Character death
A/N:
Disclaimer: The characters and Stargate Atlantis don’t belong to me and I’m not making anything from this.
Feedback: Yes please
Chapter 13
Elizabeth opened the door of her and John’s apartment letting their guests in. Teyla and Ronon entered. No words were said as Elizabeth gestured for them to sit. John was standing next to the couch when they sat down. He and Elizabeth took their own seats in the sectional.
“I take it you have news,” Teyla said at last.
“Jeannie asked we send Rodney back to Earth as soon as possible,” Elizabeth stated.
“When?” Ronon asked.
“Tomorrow morning John and I are going back with him,” Elizabeth raised a hand as Ronon and Teyla were about to speak. “The Apollo has been repaired and has a ZPM. We will return on it in a couple of weeks. We thought we’d fly to my mother’s before going to Jeannie’s,” Elizabeth looked up at them as her composure looked ready to crumble at any moment.
“We’d bring you along,” John jumped in taking Elizabeth’s clasped hands in his. “But the powers that be nixed that idea.”
“We understand,” Teyla offered. “Where is Rodney now?”
“He’s with Kate Heightmeyer,” Elizabeth said.
“Does he know?” Ronon asked.
“We haven’t told him,” John said. “But he knows.”
“Have you had breakfast yet?” Teyla asked.
“No actually,” Elizabeth said. “Why don’t you go ahead and take Rodney to the cafeteria. John and I will be with you in a bit,” Ronon and Teyla nodded and left the apartment.
When they were alone Elizabeth leaned into John who wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder wrapping arms around him.
&
“Lizabeth, where’s my navy shirt?” John called from their bedroom.
“Honey, you’re in the Air Force, not the Navy,” Elizabeth was looking at her tablet PC as she entered their room.
“Navy as in the color…” he tossed a sock at her when he saw the corner of her lip twitching.
She looked up grinning. He pulled the computer out of her hands dropping it onto the bed and pulled her over to him. “Cheeky,” he kissed her.
“John, why are we in the closet?”
“I thought you could help me find my shirt,” he said still kissing her.
“Guys,” Rodney was standing in their bedroom doorway.
They pulled apart feeling like a bucket of cold water hit them. They were finishing packing. In about an hour they would be returning to Earth to take Rodney to live with his sister.
“Do you need help with anything, Rodney?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, I’m finished.”
“All right, why don’t we meet Ronon and Teyla in the cafeteria for lunch?” Elizabeth suggested.
&
The gate had been activated as John, Elizabeth and Rodney stood ready to depart. Ronon and Teyla stood before them. Teyla stepped in front of Rodney and grasped his shoulders bringing his forehead to hers. “You will write?” She asked.
“Umm, I’m taking my video camera,” Rodney said. “I’ll send you messages that way.”
“We will do the same,” Teyla said before stepping back and allowing Ronon to move forward.
Ronon stepped in front of Rodney and enveloped him in a great hug. He didn’t say anything after stepping back looking down at his boots.
John and Elizabeth said a brief goodbye to them before walking Rodney through the gate.
&
Elizabeth pulled up the driveway and stopped. She looked behind her to the back seat and smiled. John and Rodney were both asleep. Their heads were tipped to the side leaning against each other.
“We’re here,” she said.
John’s eyes popped open. “What?” He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked out the window. He saw the house and blinked. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, my mom will like you.”
“Up to the point when she finds out I married you without her blessing or knowledge,” he said nudging Rodney who grumbled in his sleep. “God, he sleeps like a log. Rodney, wake up.”
“Wha…” Rodney blinked his eyes several times before focusing. “We’re here?”
“Yep,” Elizabeth said getting out of the car. She came around to the back on Rodney’s side and opened the door.
John got out while Elizabeth was coaxing a still sleepy Rodney out. They walked up to the front door with Rodney in the middle.
Elizabeth rang the doorbell and the door opened a moment later. “Elizabeth,” an older woman smiled opening her arms and taking Elizabeth into them.
“Mom,” Elizabeth hugged her mom back.
“My goodness, are they feeding you where you’ve been?” Mrs. Weir stepped back to look at Elizabeth.
“Mom,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You remember Rodney McKay,” she pulled Rodney next to her.
“Why yes,” Mrs. Weir said. “You were the young man Elizabeth had a meeting with five years ago when I was visiting her in Washington DC.”
“I…I’m sorry, I don’t have a very good memory anymore,” Rodney stumbled.
“Rodney suffered a…” Elizabeth hesitated.
“Brain injury,” Rodney filled in for her pointing at his head.
“Mom, I’d also like you to meet Lt. Colonel John Sheppard,” Elizabeth jumped in.
“Ma’am,” John put out his hand.
Mrs. Weir raised a single eyebrow. It reminded John of Elizabeth and he had to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel.”
“John, Ma’am.”
“Please come on in. I’m sure you’re all tired from the trip. Do you have any bags?”
“They’re still in the car,” Elizabeth said. “Mom, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“So when did you and John marry?” Mrs. Weir’s question had the pair stunned into silence. “I noticed your rings for one thing,” she smiled. “Elizabeth tends to be a little obvious when she’s in love,” she said leaning over next to John.
“Uh a little over a month,” Elizabeth said.
“Why don’t we sit,” Mrs. Weir said leading them into the family room. “Does anyone want anything to drink?” There were murmurs of no as John and Elizabeth sat on either side of Rodney on the couch.
Elizabeth’s mother looked at them for a long moment and smiled. “You can relax John,” she said. “I have no plans of interrogating you.”
John turned slightly red.
“I assume I can’t ask what you’ve been up to for almost the last year other than setting up house,” Mrs. Weir smiled. “What brings you here other than introducing your husband to me?”
Elizabeth looked at Rodney and squeezed the hand she had been holding. “John and I are taking Rodney to live with his sister.”
“Elizabeth, why don’t you help me with making some dinner while John and Rodney bring in your bags,” Mrs. Weir stood up and waited for the others to move.
“Come on, Rodney,” John tugged on his friend’s arm. Rodney followed John out grumbling all the way.
Mrs. Weir smiled. “They look like a handful.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I feel like I’m raising two overgrown children sometimes.”
“How was Rodney injured?” Mrs. Weir asked.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. How to tell her mother without telling her? “He was injured while studying some technology. We didn’t realize anything was wrong until a few days later.”
“I assume Rodney’s family asked he be returned to them,” her mother said.
Elizabeth nodded swallowing back the lump in her throat. “It’s the best thing for him.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier,” Mrs. Weir came up to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. At that moment all that Elizabeth had been feeling and holding back came out.
Elizabeth sniffed and took a deep breath. “I never really thought about having kids, but now John is against it. Things happened that changed his mind. I know where we live isn’t the most ideal, but family’s are developing all around us. I don’t know,” she sighed slumping into the nearest chair.
“It sounds like the two of you need to talk,” her mother said.
Elizabeth nodded. “I thought we’d do that while we were here. We never seem to have a time for that at home,” it startled Elizabeth how natural it was to call Atlantis home.
“You two seem to have made a place for yourself. Three actually,” she corrected herself. “Rodney doesn’t seem to want to go live with his sister.”
Elizabeth wiped her face. “I’m going to the bathroom to wash up,” she slipped up the back stairs just before John and Rodney entered from the other door.
&
After dinner everyone was feeling tired. Mrs. Weir showed them where they would be sleeping. The guest bedroom had a trundle bed under the main bed and Rodney would be sleeping in it while John and Elizabeth took the other bed.
The house had been silent for a few hours as everyone was asleep. A terrible cry broke the silence and woke everyone up. John and Elizabeth were sitting on either side of Rodney’s bed when Mrs. Weir came in.
“What happened?”
“Rodney had a nightmare,” Elizabeth said over her shoulder. Rodney’s head was resting on Elizabeth’s shoulder. Her hand was at the nape of his neck brushing through his hair. The other hand was rubbing circles over his back.
“Mrs. Weir, do you have milk and cocoa?” John asked.
“It’s a bit warm for that,” Mrs. Weir said.
“It helps him sleep,” John said shrugging his shoulders.
She nodded. “I think I can find something.”
“I’ll help,” John stood up.
“No,” Mrs. Weir said. “You should probably stay with Rodney.”
“He’ll be okay with Elizabeth,” John looked at his wife who nodded. He squeezed Rodney’s shoulder before following his mother-in-law out the door.
Mrs. Weir had four mugs out when John stepped into the kitchen. “I figured we all may as well have some,” she said setting the kettle over the stove and pouring the packets of instant cocoa in each cup.
“Mrs. Weir, I wanted to apologize for not telling you about Elizabeth and me before we were married,” John fidgeted with a spoon in one of the cups.
“John, I think you can call me Marisa; I am your mother-in-law,” she smiled. “You know, Elizabeth wrote me about you a few times over the last few years.”
John’s head came up and his eyes were wide.
“Don’t worry, she didn’t say anything bad,” she smirked. “Well, not too bad,” she looked at him with serious eyes. “For every letter I received, the more in love she seemed to be. Not that she would say anything outright.”
“We were both a little slow,” John admitted. “I think our friends were about ready to lock us in a storage closet if we didn’t do something soon,” he laughed, but it didn’t last long when he thought of another lost friend. “After a friend of ours died we both felt we were both knocked over the head and realized what we felt for each other. A few months later I proposed,” he decided to leave out the part where Elizabeth almost died (again) before he proposed. He figured that was Elizabeth’s place if she wanted her mother to know anything at all.
“Well, I think we’re ready,” she placed the mugs on a tray and followed John to the guestroom.
&
The next morning after breakfast Marisa offered to keep Rodney entertained while John and Elizabeth took a walk alone to talk. For the first several minutes both were silent.
“John, do you still want children?” Elizabeth asked holding his hand.
“Yes,” he said. “And no.”
She looked at him and frowned.
He sighed and pulled her back to his front wrapping his arms around her middle. “As certain as I am that taking Rodney to live with Jeannie is right, the moment we leave him, I’m going to want to go back and take him with us. I’m not so certain Atlantis is such a bad place for him to live or our kids. And yet I can’t get rid of that little bit of fear. The only alternative would be to come back here, but Atlantis is our home,” he groaned. “I’m not sure I’m making any sense.”
Elizabeth turned in his arms. “You are. I have the same fears. I worry about Rodney on a daily basis. He’s as vulnerable as any child would be and I’m always asking myself if bringing a child into that world is the best thing. But I can’t let fear rule my life. The people of the Pegasus galaxy continue with their lives despite the threat.”
“Give me some time?” He asked.
“I can do that,” she smiled. “Just don’t take too long; we’re not getting any younger.”
He gave her a mock affronted look and grind before kissing her.
&
“There are some fireworks in the park tonight,” Marisa said later in the day after John and Elizabeth had returned from their walk.
“I hadn’t even noticed the date,” John said looking at the calendar in the kitchen. “It’s the Fourth of July. What do you say, Rodney?” John wrapped a loose arm around Rodney’s neck. “Want to see some fireworks?”
“Okay,” Rodney nodded.
“Sounds like fun,” Elizabeth agreed.
“I’ll get a picnic basket ready,” Marisa said. “We can get to the park early and find a spot to eat before they start.”
They all agreed and the other three stood up and helped Marisa with the dinner.
&
They were just cleaning up their picnic dinner when the fireworks began. Rodney jumped startled of the loud bang. John placed a hand on his friend’s back to steady him.
The next bang caused Rodney to jump again. This time he whimpered grabbed hold of John who was the nearest person.
John patted Rodney’s back. “Rodney, it’s all right,” John could feel Rodney shaking now as the fireworks continued.
“Rodney,” Elizabeth placed a hand on the back of his neck. “Do you want to go back to the house?”
John looked at his wife. “I think that was a yes,” he said when they heard a muffled sound from Rodney. His face was buried in John’s neck and shoulder and John could feel the slight nod.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Marisa said.
“It’s all right, Mom,” Elizabeth hugged her mother. “We should have known better anyway,” she shared another look with John remembering the day Rodney and John had turned down the wrong hall and went past the firing range. The guns going off had scared Rodney so much he ran down the hall. John had to run after him and take him back to their quarters for the rest of the day canceling their plans for movie night in the rec. room.
When they got back to the house John walked Rodney (still clinging to him) to the couch. Elizabeth sat on the opposite side of Rodney and Marisa sat in the armchair across from them.
John let Rodney settle more comfortably against him an arm wrapped around him. “Hey Elizabeth,” John said. “How’d you and Rodney meet?”
“Lizbeth already told you that story,” Rodney said.
John grinned; he could hear the annoyance in his friend’s voice. “Well, I’m sure Marisa would like to hear it.”
Elizabeth shared an amused glance with her mother. “It was a couple of years before the project we’re working on now began. I was in Russia. We were both working on separate classified matters and we quite literally bumped into each other in some restaurant. I managed to spill my dinner and his dinner all over him. It was a buffet style restaurant. For the next five minutes he snarked at me,” Elizabeth was grinning.
“When he seemed to be finally winding down, I offered to buy him dinner. He was so surprised he stopped in mid sentence and stared at me. Finally he agreed and we spent the next hour talking about how miserable we were in Russia.
“We didn’t see each other again until a couple years later when I was organizing people for this project,” her grin got wider. “I asked one of his colleagues what their opinion was of him as an astrophysicist. The colleague in question told me he was good at what he did, although a pain in the ass and impossible to get along with. I can’t say I completely agree with that last part,” she turned a smile on Rodney.
Rodney was fidgeting now and his cheeks turned the slightest pink. “She still won’t tell me who this colleague is,” he pouted at her.
“The person in question threatened pain if I revealed the source,” Elizabeth laughed.
Rodney tried to stifle a yawn. “All right, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” John stated patting his friend’s shoulder. Rodney had straightened up in the couch in the last few minutes as Elizabeth was talking. John still had an arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Okay,” Rodney said.
“How you feeling, buddy?” John asked.
“Better. Just tired.”
Marisa moved next to Elizabeth when John and Rodney left the room. “You miss the old Rodney, don’t you?”
Elizabeth sighed and rested her head on her Mom’s shoulder.
&
A couple of days later it was time to leave. Everyone was standing around the living room saying their goodbyes. “I want all of you to keep in touch more,” Marisa said. “You too, Rodney,” she kissed him on the cheek and gave him a hug. She did the same to John and whispered in his ear before releasing him. “Take care of my little girl.”
When John stepped back he nodded at her. “Come on Rodney. Help me get the bags in the car.”
Elizabeth and her mother were alone in the house. She hugged her mother. “I’ll write to you as often as I can.”
“I love you Elizabeth. Take care of yourself and that family you’ve got where ever you are.”
“I love you too,” they hugged again before walking out the door. Marisa stood on the landing and waved to them as they drove off.