[May 31 - afternoon]

[jill_langston]

In the end, she simply didn't have the energy to continue looking. Early that morning Jill had woken up alone, as she still did from time to time, but Rodney had been with her the night before. More often, he was sleeping in her hut, reluctantly abandoning his special mattress to make sure Jill was the comfortable one as her pregnancy progressed.

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[has_2ls]

Jack had actually had a decent day. ITF training was always a kick in the ass and worked up an appetite, so after a morning of that, a quick shower and then some time with Sam, he was finally ready to tackle the rest of his day. Of course, not a lot to do on a deserted island, and he and Sam usually had to end up making their own entertainment.

Entertainment turned out to be a walk and he didn't usually wander so close to the ferris wheel, but boredom was boredom. He saw someone sitting there and squinted, trying to see who it was.

"Who do you think that is, Carter?"

[gate_expert]

"It's Jill, I think," Sam said when they were a little closer. And McKay's dog, she realized, at the same time she realized that Jill didn't look all that great. She gave Jack a look that clearly said let's go see if she's okay, knowing he'd get it.

"Jill?" Sam stopped just short of the ferris wheel, Jack right behind her. "Everything okay?" Which was a stupid question, anyone could tell just from looking at her, and if something was going on, Sam wondered where McKay was. He was useless at being there for people, but he could at least try, for Jill's sake. Was she going to have to go have another talk with him?

[jill_langston]

This was always part of it and Jill had known it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier when finally confronted with the people who would need to know. Jack and Sam had known Rodney before they'd even come to the island now he was gone. Unless they went home, too, they'd likely never see him again.

And even if Jill went home, she'd never see him.

"No," she admitted, although she wasn't crying. Her eyes were dry. "Uh... Rodney's gone." Even trying to get it out quickly didn't make it any easier and she had to look down at Cash and count to ten before looking up again. "From the island."

[has_2ls]

Jack frowned. First Ronon, who he wasn't that close to, and now Rodney. He didn't know who this screwy island was run by (and it damn sure wasn't the Council; he meant whatever freaky Goa'uld or Asgard had them trapped here) but he didn't particularly care for their timing. Jill was pregnant, alone and scared, and the island just thought it'd be brilliant to snatch away the father of the baby.

"When?"

[with_diamonds]

There was too much going on, between the setup for the traditional party and the holiday that no one else seemed to realize it was, for Lucy to feel like doing much of anything. Focusing on one or the other felt wrong, and to give the attention she would have liked to both would have required far more energy than she had. She'd taken, then, to wandering, finally heading back towards the Compound when she caught sight of Jill in the ferris wheel, instinctively heading over.

"Hey," she said, loud enough to be heard, but hopefully not to startle. "What's up?" From the look on Jill's face, now that she was close enough to see it, it couldn't be anything good, but she bit her tongue, determined to keep any assumptions at bay. It could very well have been nothing. It just wasn't likely.

[jill_langston]

Upon looking up and seeing Lucy, Jill shook her head, not in denial of Rodney's disappearance or even in answer to the question. She'd been so wrapped up in trying to deal with the stress of the pregnancy that she wasn't even sure Lucy knew about it. And now she was going to have to try to explain that Rodney was gone, on top of that.

"Rodney isn't here anymore," she said simply, knowing it was always easier just to get it out. There was no way to beat around the bush when it came to the disappearances and she found she didn't want to anyway. "Which wouldn't be great news at the best of times, but I'm also about four months pregnant." She paused and managed a faint smile. "I should have told you that part sooner, but I've mostly been keeping it to myself."

[with_diamonds]

"Oh," Lucy breathed, momentarily at a loss, her face falling as she let all of that sink in. It was a lot to take in all at once, either piece of news a big deal on its own, but she allowed herself only that second to process the information, her own surprise not half as important as what this meant for Jill. Losing a boyfriend was hard enough, she knew from experience, but while expecting a child, it was nothing she could imagine. "Oh God, Jill, that's -"

There were, of course, plenty of words she could have used to describe what it was, but none of them would have been quite accurate, so instead, she just shook her head. "Fuck, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

[jill_langston]

"It's a lot of information to throw at you at once," Jill said, finishing Lucy's sentence, even if that wasn't what she'd been about to say. Even after four months, Jill wasn't sure she'd had time to process the fact that she was pregnant, but not, with Rodney gone, she didn't have much of a choice.

"You know how it is," she said after a moment, shaking her head. "There isn't a hell of a lot, is there?"

[codexthepriest]

I'm never really into the parties that go on here. Usually I attend just because, but I don't feel like dealing with the big crowds this time around. Instead, I take a walk, since I know the place is going to be filled soon and I don't want to get stuck in my room. What I don't expect to see is someone in the Ferris wheel as I pass by, especially when I realize I know who's in it. Walking over to go say hello, I instead frown when I realize how upset Jill looks.

"Hey," I call out, unsure if I should bother her. "Are you okay?"

[jill_langston]

Having to deliver this news to other people who had known Rodney was almost as bad as the realization itself. It was like a reminder, over and over again, that he was gone and no one here would see him again, Cyd included.

"Cyd, hi," Jill said, then frowned, wishing this was easier with time. She'd told so many different people about so many disappearances, but it still sucked every single time. "Uh... Rodney's gone, actually. Back home, I guess. I know he was helping you with the Dungeons and Dragons..."

[codexthepriest]

I'm not expecting that at all, and it takes me a few moments to process it. I've never been good with these kinds of things, and I feel a twist in my gut when I realize I won't see him again. I'm not who I focus on, though, because even if Rodney had been becoming something like a friend, I wasn't as close as Jill was to him. Obviously.

"I'm sorry," I say, quiet, because really, I don't know what else to say. "When did it happen?"

[jill_langston]

"Sometime during the night, I guess," Jill answered, although she wasn't entirely sure. They'd gone to sleep together and she'd woken up alone, but it could have happened at any time. "I spent most of the day looking for him, but he's definitely not around anymore. I'm sorry."