Miller's Crossing tag - Peace Offering
Title: Peace Offering
Author: padawan_aneiki
Rating/Pairing: G/None
Characters: Rodney and the Miller family
Summary: Rodney returns home with Jeannie.
Peace Offering
“It’s uh...it’s nice,” Rodney said awkwardly as he turned the paper around and tried to figure out what it was that he just complimented.
“That’s upside down, silly!” Madison Miller declared as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world, and then Rodney realized abruptly that it was...there was the head and...Well, what do you know, it is a cat. I think.
“So it is,” he amended his mistake hastily, turning the crayon drawing right-side up and reminding himself that small children didn’t understand the subtleties of constructive criticism.
“It’s for your desk at home, Uncle Mer,” Madison encouraged, a large grin as her uncle perused her handiwork. Never mind that she had no idea where ‘home’ was, or where it was; she was determined it seemed to decorate it.
Across the way, Jeannie watched her brother, and smiled at Madison’s efforts to cheer him up. It was never a subtle thing with Meredith, particularly for those who knew him well enough. His emotions, no matter how he tried to disguise them or hide them, were firmly on his sleeve if you looked closely enough.
Despite his protests over the guilt thing, the Prius he had purchased was fully loaded. She hadn’t meant to hold it that far over his head. It was in his eyes, always in his eyes, the looks he flashed at her, or Kaleb when he thought they weren’t looking. It was in the way he’d actually hugged Madison when they arrived back.
“Just what my desk needs,” Rodney offered a smile, but it was tight, strained. “Another piece of paper.”
Sarcasm, apparently, was also lost on small children. Madison grinned and declared that she was going to draw him another picture.
“Uncle Mer?” the child paused in mid-crayon stroke, and looked at him perceptively. “Do you feel better now?” She might not have been aware of what was really going on around her, but he was floored that a five-year-old had read him so easily, had known something was wrong. Maybe she’d known from the minute he’d hugged her, Rodney didn’t know; he could only gape at her. “It’s okay if you don’t,” she said sagely. “Sometimes when you feel bad it takes awhile to go away.”
Blue eyes blinked now, and Jeannie saw Meredith swallow tightly.
“Madison...” she started, intending to distract her, but Rodney shook his head slightly when the child looked over at her mother.
“Actually,” he said, his voice a little strained, “I...still feel a little bad.” He picked his words carefully. “But I’m sure another...picture would help me.” Jeannie could see him struggle for that control he normally tried to project.
“Mer...”
“I’ll just get myself a glass of water,” Rodney declared and pushed up from the couch, wandering into the kitchen, rummaging in unfamiliar cupboards for a cup and fumbling with the Brita tap. He leaned on the counter for a long moment, cup and water forgotten until a quiet voice spoke behind him.
“Rodney.”
“Kaleb!” Rodney exclaimed, a little startled, although he couldn’t have said why. After all, this was his brother-in-law’s house for pity’s sake. “I...uh...”
“You got her back,” the quiet assertion came, no waiting for Rodney to turn around. Rodney put the cup down when his hand started to shake.
“I almost got her killed,” he snapped. He forced his hand to still, reached for the glass of water. “And all...All I could think of, was what I was supposed to tell you and Madison if she...” Rodney waved his free hand; he didn’t want to go there. “Look, maybe this is a bad idea; maybe I should just go back to Atlantis and...”
“Rodney, you got her back,” Kaleb repeated calmly, and then added, “Thank you.”
“Well...uhm...” Rodney finally managed a swallow of water. “You...you’re welcome. I mean...she’s my sister, you know?” He turned around at last, and was surprised to find his brother-in-law smiling at him.
“Yeah, I know. Which is why I ordered a pepperoni pizza.”
Rodney blinked. If he’d expected anything from Kaleb Miller, that wasn’t it. “Uhm...”
“Well, I mean...I got pepperoni on half,” Kaleb said awkwardly. “We usually do the vegetarian pizza but Jeannie said that’s not your thing, and that’s okay. I just thought it would be nice if you could stay for supper; Madison would really like it and...” The taller man smiled a little. “She’s alive, Rodney and right here with us. I know you can’t tell me everything but...right now, that’s enough.”
Pepperoni as a peace offering...heckuva a lot cheaper than a Prius... Rodney mused, and oddly enough, felt a little better. There were things he couldn’t talk about, not with Kaleb, not even with Jeannie. Those things he would discuss with Sheppard later, back on Atlantis. But for now, right now, his brother-in-law was right. Jeannie was alive, right here where she belonged, and surely he could spare a little time for some pepperoni pizza.
“You know,” he finally said, and his voice was a little steadier. “That sounds...pretty good. Really good, actually, I’m starving.”
When he emerged from the kitchen, the first thing he saw was Jeannie, watching him worriedly. Almost as worriedly as he looked at her, but then he was interrupted once more by a flurry of motion and a five year old voice.
“Uncle Mer! Guess what this one is?” Madison held up a piece of construction paper, and Rodney tore his gaze away from Jeannie, refocused his attention on the Crayola masterpiece in his hand. He blinked twice more before some niggling of recognition reached him, and oddly enough, it made him grin.
“Is this me?” he asked, pointing.
“Uh huh!” Madison hopped once. “And this is Mommy, and this is Daddy, and this is me.” She pointed to each of the disproportionate figures in turn, and then looked up at him.
“Looks just like us,” Rodney declared, and then reached down impulsively to ruffle the small blonde head. “Guess what, Madison?” he said cheerfully-maybe a little too cheerfully, but now he was beginning to allow himself to feel more than guilt and relief. Now he felt gratitude, too, and that was enough to make him feel a little giddy. “I’m gonna stay for supper.”
“Yay!” Madison’s approval was instant and loud. But she looked up at him a moment later, that same sage look in her eyes. “Are you better now, Uncle Mer? Did my picture help?”
Rodney looked at Jeannie, found her smiling this time, and he smiled back. A real smile.
“Yes, it did. It’s a good picture. Did you show your Mom?”
He watched Jeannie gush over her daughter’s artwork and the smile grew bigger.
It helped a lot.
Author: padawan_aneiki
Rating/Pairing: G/None
Characters: Rodney and the Miller family
Summary: Rodney returns home with Jeannie.
Peace Offering
“It’s uh...it’s nice,” Rodney said awkwardly as he turned the paper around and tried to figure out what it was that he just complimented.
“That’s upside down, silly!” Madison Miller declared as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world, and then Rodney realized abruptly that it was...there was the head and...Well, what do you know, it is a cat. I think.
“So it is,” he amended his mistake hastily, turning the crayon drawing right-side up and reminding himself that small children didn’t understand the subtleties of constructive criticism.
“It’s for your desk at home, Uncle Mer,” Madison encouraged, a large grin as her uncle perused her handiwork. Never mind that she had no idea where ‘home’ was, or where it was; she was determined it seemed to decorate it.
Across the way, Jeannie watched her brother, and smiled at Madison’s efforts to cheer him up. It was never a subtle thing with Meredith, particularly for those who knew him well enough. His emotions, no matter how he tried to disguise them or hide them, were firmly on his sleeve if you looked closely enough.
Despite his protests over the guilt thing, the Prius he had purchased was fully loaded. She hadn’t meant to hold it that far over his head. It was in his eyes, always in his eyes, the looks he flashed at her, or Kaleb when he thought they weren’t looking. It was in the way he’d actually hugged Madison when they arrived back.
“Just what my desk needs,” Rodney offered a smile, but it was tight, strained. “Another piece of paper.”
Sarcasm, apparently, was also lost on small children. Madison grinned and declared that she was going to draw him another picture.
“Uncle Mer?” the child paused in mid-crayon stroke, and looked at him perceptively. “Do you feel better now?” She might not have been aware of what was really going on around her, but he was floored that a five-year-old had read him so easily, had known something was wrong. Maybe she’d known from the minute he’d hugged her, Rodney didn’t know; he could only gape at her. “It’s okay if you don’t,” she said sagely. “Sometimes when you feel bad it takes awhile to go away.”
Blue eyes blinked now, and Jeannie saw Meredith swallow tightly.
“Madison...” she started, intending to distract her, but Rodney shook his head slightly when the child looked over at her mother.
“Actually,” he said, his voice a little strained, “I...still feel a little bad.” He picked his words carefully. “But I’m sure another...picture would help me.” Jeannie could see him struggle for that control he normally tried to project.
“Mer...”
“I’ll just get myself a glass of water,” Rodney declared and pushed up from the couch, wandering into the kitchen, rummaging in unfamiliar cupboards for a cup and fumbling with the Brita tap. He leaned on the counter for a long moment, cup and water forgotten until a quiet voice spoke behind him.
“Rodney.”
“Kaleb!” Rodney exclaimed, a little startled, although he couldn’t have said why. After all, this was his brother-in-law’s house for pity’s sake. “I...uh...”
“You got her back,” the quiet assertion came, no waiting for Rodney to turn around. Rodney put the cup down when his hand started to shake.
“I almost got her killed,” he snapped. He forced his hand to still, reached for the glass of water. “And all...All I could think of, was what I was supposed to tell you and Madison if she...” Rodney waved his free hand; he didn’t want to go there. “Look, maybe this is a bad idea; maybe I should just go back to Atlantis and...”
“Rodney, you got her back,” Kaleb repeated calmly, and then added, “Thank you.”
“Well...uhm...” Rodney finally managed a swallow of water. “You...you’re welcome. I mean...she’s my sister, you know?” He turned around at last, and was surprised to find his brother-in-law smiling at him.
“Yeah, I know. Which is why I ordered a pepperoni pizza.”
Rodney blinked. If he’d expected anything from Kaleb Miller, that wasn’t it. “Uhm...”
“Well, I mean...I got pepperoni on half,” Kaleb said awkwardly. “We usually do the vegetarian pizza but Jeannie said that’s not your thing, and that’s okay. I just thought it would be nice if you could stay for supper; Madison would really like it and...” The taller man smiled a little. “She’s alive, Rodney and right here with us. I know you can’t tell me everything but...right now, that’s enough.”
Pepperoni as a peace offering...heckuva a lot cheaper than a Prius... Rodney mused, and oddly enough, felt a little better. There were things he couldn’t talk about, not with Kaleb, not even with Jeannie. Those things he would discuss with Sheppard later, back on Atlantis. But for now, right now, his brother-in-law was right. Jeannie was alive, right here where she belonged, and surely he could spare a little time for some pepperoni pizza.
“You know,” he finally said, and his voice was a little steadier. “That sounds...pretty good. Really good, actually, I’m starving.”
When he emerged from the kitchen, the first thing he saw was Jeannie, watching him worriedly. Almost as worriedly as he looked at her, but then he was interrupted once more by a flurry of motion and a five year old voice.
“Uncle Mer! Guess what this one is?” Madison held up a piece of construction paper, and Rodney tore his gaze away from Jeannie, refocused his attention on the Crayola masterpiece in his hand. He blinked twice more before some niggling of recognition reached him, and oddly enough, it made him grin.
“Is this me?” he asked, pointing.
“Uh huh!” Madison hopped once. “And this is Mommy, and this is Daddy, and this is me.” She pointed to each of the disproportionate figures in turn, and then looked up at him.
“Looks just like us,” Rodney declared, and then reached down impulsively to ruffle the small blonde head. “Guess what, Madison?” he said cheerfully-maybe a little too cheerfully, but now he was beginning to allow himself to feel more than guilt and relief. Now he felt gratitude, too, and that was enough to make him feel a little giddy. “I’m gonna stay for supper.”
“Yay!” Madison’s approval was instant and loud. But she looked up at him a moment later, that same sage look in her eyes. “Are you better now, Uncle Mer? Did my picture help?”
Rodney looked at Jeannie, found her smiling this time, and he smiled back. A real smile.
“Yes, it did. It’s a good picture. Did you show your Mom?”
He watched Jeannie gush over her daughter’s artwork and the smile grew bigger.
It helped a lot.