fic: Back Home [Pt.8]
TITLE: Back Home - Pt. 8
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Settling down won't be easy for either of them. A sequel to “Making Up the Past.” Ronon/Keller.
CATEGORY: Romance/Drama
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: ~1,600
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: A slightly shorter chapter. Everyone takes a moment to breathe.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Back Home - Pt. 7
Ronon Dex was not fond of cramped spaces. Whether trapped in a cocoon aboard a Wraith ship or a brief moment in transporter on Atlantis, he always got antsy when he was closed in. So as he rode in the elevator he focused on other things, like the fact that Jennifer still had not told her aunt that he was coming home with her. He knew that she was worried about her father's health, and he understood her hesitance about revealing her pregnancy. Even so, he felt she should have least mentioned him by now.
Jennifer shifted beside him and he looked down at her to see sliding her cell phone back into the front pocket of her pants. She looked up at him with a nervous smile.
“Everything ok?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Dad's doing better, so Aunt Jo told him that I was on my way to see him.” She hugged her arms around herself, avoiding Ronon's eyes.
“What is it?”
“My dad. . . He didn't really want me to come. He's stubborn like that,” was all she said.
Ronon furrowed his brow. He wanted to ask her more, but picked up that this wasn't a conversation to have with certain other parties present.
The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and Agent Ramirez inserted a key and unlocked a panel below the floor numbers to reveal a key pad. She pressed a code in, and after a beep, the elevator continued its descent.
“Well, that's new,” Jennifer mumbled.
Ramirez turned to Jennifer with a wry smile. “Ah. Our offices are located below the airport.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened. “Follow me please,” she said as she exited the car.
Ronon took Jennifer's hand so that she would walk out beside him. He quickly took in their surroundings. Directly in front of them was a reception desk manned by two men in black suits. On either side of the elevator doors stood two more men in suits, apparently on guard. Ronon didn't have to see their weapons to know that they were armed. He was beginning to regret that his gun was safely packed away in his luggage. These NSA people were supposed to be the good guys, but he'd learned that the lines separating friend from foe blurred quickly and too often. The tattooed skin on his left forearm itched at the thought.
They walked in silence as Ramirez led them down the grey-walled corridor. The click of the woman's high heels against the smooth floor tile was the only other prominent sound. Ronon doubted her shoes were designed for any practical purpose other than to accentuate her long legs and toned calves. However, he had come to realize that when it came to Earth women's dress, the prospect of looking good often won out over practicality.
Ronon put an end to his musings when Ramirez stopped to swipe her access card through the security panel and opened the door to a room at the end of the hall. “Mr. Dex, you'll find confidential materials on the laptop inside,” Ramirez explained.
She turned to Jennifer. “Dr. Keller, would you like some refreshments while you wait. Coffee, tea, bagels . . .eh, Krispy Kreme?”
Jennifer perked up immediately at the last item. Ronon was unfamiliar with that Earth term, though he surmised from the context and Jennifer's reaction that it was food. “For real?” Jennifer gawked, and Ronon couldn't help but smile at the goofiness of her expression. It was a new one.
Agent Ramirez responded with a genuine smile. “Yes. 'For real,'” she laughed. Ronon noted how much more youthful the woman looked as the mirth displayed at Jennifer's comment spread across her face and twinkled in her dark brown eyes. “I've got some stashed away in the break room.”
Jennifer smiled even bigger. “Well, let's go.” She squeezed Ronon's hand before releasing it, and he immediately regretted the loss of contact. “I'll be right back. You have fun with your 'confidential materials.' Try not to maim anyone while I'm gone.”
He rolled his eyes, but replied, “Sure.”
He entered the small room and watched as Ramirez began to close the door. “Agent Ross is going to be right outside the door, if you need anything further. You can meet us in the break room when you're done. It's just down the hall and to the left,” she instructed.
She lowered her voice, “Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to her,” she winked.
Ronon was slightly taken aback by her honesty, but he appreciated the sentiment. He was glad that this woman sensed how important Jennifer was to him. He held her eye and nodded. There was something about this Ana Ramirez he liked. She reminded him of Teyla in a way, as the woman displayed a regal strength and keen intelligence that had obviously served her well working in the ranks of an organization that seemed to be dominated by men. If the events earlier were any indication, the agency was in sore need of more of her type.
He decided to take her at her word. He nodded to show his acceptance before turning to the laptop on the table before him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Here you are,” Ana (she'd insisted Jennifer call her) said.
With a big smile of gratitude, Jennifer accepted the offering of the warm donut wrapped in a napkin. The woman had been kind enough to heat it up for Jen. She blew across the golden surface to cool it before taking a large bite. Her eyes fluttered closed as she savored the taste. “Oh. My. God,” she mumbled around the mouthful of goodness, inhaling as the sweet taste triggered a heady sense of euphoria.
“Been a while?” Ana smirked.
Jennifer swallowed before responding. “You could say that. Where I work, Krispy Kreme donuts are extremely hard to come by.”
“Ah,” Ana nodded, but didn't press further. Jennifer supposed that Ana was used to people not being able to reveal the specifics about their work. They sat in silence as Ana watched Jennifer finish off two donuts.
“Wow,” Jennifer said as she balled up her napkin. “It's sad to admit, but that was the best thing I've eaten in a while.”
“I'll bet,” Ana smiled. “Krispy Kreme did it for me when I was pregnant with my daughter.”
“Oh. . .you have a daughter?” Jennifer blushed at the bluntness of her question. She didn't intend to sound so surprised at the information.
Ana took the question with grace and a bit of humor, though. “Yes.” As proof, Ana took out her badge and opened it. From the space behind her ID, she pulled out a picture and handed it to Jennifer. “Micaela. She's eight, going on thirty.”
“Oh dear,” Jennifer laughed. She let her eyes rest on the portrait of the little girl with a mess of long dark curls. Her eyes stood out from the oval face. Her penetrating eyes shone above a Mona Lisa smile, like she had a great secret that she was perfectly content to keep all to herself.
“Indeed,” Ana agreed. “She's just very precocious is all. Always wanting to know why things are the way they are.”
“I can relate to that.” Jennifer recalled her own days as a young girl wanting all the answers of the world at once. “Sorry to inform you, she'll probably never grow out of it.”
“I don't expect her to, really,” Ana admitted. “But if I could only get her to grasp why adults get to make the rules, things would go a lot smoother.”
Jen smiled at the thought, toying with the edge of her balled up napkin as they fell into a comfortable silence.
“So. . .how far along are you?” Ana asked after a moment.
“Almost eleven weeks,” Jennifer said quietly. In a moment of bravado, she reached into her pocket to retrieve her most recent ultrasound image. “See?” She bit her lip as she watched Ana take in the picture.
“Wait. . .” Ana's eyes narrowed, and then darted up to Jennifer's face at the realization of what she was seeing. “Twins?”
Jennifer nodded. “Yeah.”
“Oh wow. And these are your first?”
“Yes. 'Wow' is right. I'm still trying to get over the shock myself,” she mumbled.
“It will be fine,” Ana stated with confidence Jennifer longed to feel about her situation. Still, it was good to hear someone else say it. “Ronon Dex seems to be. . .” she paused a moment as she considered her words. “I think he cares about you very much.” At that Jennifer looked up to see nothing but seriousness in Ana's dark eyes.
Jennifer opened her mouth to question how Ana could tell such a thing in such a short time, but the woman seemed to perceive this and continued to explain.
“I was watching you two earlier on the security feed-it's how I knew things were going awry and came out to meet you. But I was able to observe the way he looked at you. He wasn't overly affectionate, but you definitely had his attention.”
Jennifer didn't quite know what to say to that, or why Ana was being so forthright in telling her all of this. Maybe she perceived that deep down, Jennifer really needed to hear it. She'd been so wound up these past few weeks with the pregnancy and these agonizing few days worried about her father, and-now that she thought about it-Ronon had shown a unfathomable level of patience and understanding that she had yet to truly appreciate. Jennifer wondered if her current feelings of uncertainty were so plainly written in on her face.
“Hey,” a familiar, deep voice said.
Jennifer looked to her left to see Ronon standing in the doorway and blushed.
TBC.
Back Home - Pt. 9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Sorry, you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out what was in that coded message. I didn't think it would be much of a point of interest, but it turns out some of you (the readers) are dying to know. Talk about pressure. So, with one part fluff and two parts character development, the story ekes on. Betas:
lizbet0 .
I really appreciate your continued reading and reviewing, as I find it very encouraging. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUTHOR: renisanz
SUMMARY: Settling down won't be easy for either of them. A sequel to “Making Up the Past.” Ronon/Keller.
CATEGORY: Romance/Drama
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: ~1,600
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em, but they're fun to play.
NOTES: A slightly shorter chapter. Everyone takes a moment to breathe.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Back Home - Pt. 7
Ronon Dex was not fond of cramped spaces. Whether trapped in a cocoon aboard a Wraith ship or a brief moment in transporter on Atlantis, he always got antsy when he was closed in. So as he rode in the elevator he focused on other things, like the fact that Jennifer still had not told her aunt that he was coming home with her. He knew that she was worried about her father's health, and he understood her hesitance about revealing her pregnancy. Even so, he felt she should have least mentioned him by now.
Jennifer shifted beside him and he looked down at her to see sliding her cell phone back into the front pocket of her pants. She looked up at him with a nervous smile.
“Everything ok?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Dad's doing better, so Aunt Jo told him that I was on my way to see him.” She hugged her arms around herself, avoiding Ronon's eyes.
“What is it?”
“My dad. . . He didn't really want me to come. He's stubborn like that,” was all she said.
Ronon furrowed his brow. He wanted to ask her more, but picked up that this wasn't a conversation to have with certain other parties present.
The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and Agent Ramirez inserted a key and unlocked a panel below the floor numbers to reveal a key pad. She pressed a code in, and after a beep, the elevator continued its descent.
“Well, that's new,” Jennifer mumbled.
Ramirez turned to Jennifer with a wry smile. “Ah. Our offices are located below the airport.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened. “Follow me please,” she said as she exited the car.
Ronon took Jennifer's hand so that she would walk out beside him. He quickly took in their surroundings. Directly in front of them was a reception desk manned by two men in black suits. On either side of the elevator doors stood two more men in suits, apparently on guard. Ronon didn't have to see their weapons to know that they were armed. He was beginning to regret that his gun was safely packed away in his luggage. These NSA people were supposed to be the good guys, but he'd learned that the lines separating friend from foe blurred quickly and too often. The tattooed skin on his left forearm itched at the thought.
They walked in silence as Ramirez led them down the grey-walled corridor. The click of the woman's high heels against the smooth floor tile was the only other prominent sound. Ronon doubted her shoes were designed for any practical purpose other than to accentuate her long legs and toned calves. However, he had come to realize that when it came to Earth women's dress, the prospect of looking good often won out over practicality.
Ronon put an end to his musings when Ramirez stopped to swipe her access card through the security panel and opened the door to a room at the end of the hall. “Mr. Dex, you'll find confidential materials on the laptop inside,” Ramirez explained.
She turned to Jennifer. “Dr. Keller, would you like some refreshments while you wait. Coffee, tea, bagels . . .eh, Krispy Kreme?”
Jennifer perked up immediately at the last item. Ronon was unfamiliar with that Earth term, though he surmised from the context and Jennifer's reaction that it was food. “For real?” Jennifer gawked, and Ronon couldn't help but smile at the goofiness of her expression. It was a new one.
Agent Ramirez responded with a genuine smile. “Yes. 'For real,'” she laughed. Ronon noted how much more youthful the woman looked as the mirth displayed at Jennifer's comment spread across her face and twinkled in her dark brown eyes. “I've got some stashed away in the break room.”
Jennifer smiled even bigger. “Well, let's go.” She squeezed Ronon's hand before releasing it, and he immediately regretted the loss of contact. “I'll be right back. You have fun with your 'confidential materials.' Try not to maim anyone while I'm gone.”
He rolled his eyes, but replied, “Sure.”
He entered the small room and watched as Ramirez began to close the door. “Agent Ross is going to be right outside the door, if you need anything further. You can meet us in the break room when you're done. It's just down the hall and to the left,” she instructed.
She lowered her voice, “Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to her,” she winked.
Ronon was slightly taken aback by her honesty, but he appreciated the sentiment. He was glad that this woman sensed how important Jennifer was to him. He held her eye and nodded. There was something about this Ana Ramirez he liked. She reminded him of Teyla in a way, as the woman displayed a regal strength and keen intelligence that had obviously served her well working in the ranks of an organization that seemed to be dominated by men. If the events earlier were any indication, the agency was in sore need of more of her type.
He decided to take her at her word. He nodded to show his acceptance before turning to the laptop on the table before him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Here you are,” Ana (she'd insisted Jennifer call her) said.
With a big smile of gratitude, Jennifer accepted the offering of the warm donut wrapped in a napkin. The woman had been kind enough to heat it up for Jen. She blew across the golden surface to cool it before taking a large bite. Her eyes fluttered closed as she savored the taste. “Oh. My. God,” she mumbled around the mouthful of goodness, inhaling as the sweet taste triggered a heady sense of euphoria.
“Been a while?” Ana smirked.
Jennifer swallowed before responding. “You could say that. Where I work, Krispy Kreme donuts are extremely hard to come by.”
“Ah,” Ana nodded, but didn't press further. Jennifer supposed that Ana was used to people not being able to reveal the specifics about their work. They sat in silence as Ana watched Jennifer finish off two donuts.
“Wow,” Jennifer said as she balled up her napkin. “It's sad to admit, but that was the best thing I've eaten in a while.”
“I'll bet,” Ana smiled. “Krispy Kreme did it for me when I was pregnant with my daughter.”
“Oh. . .you have a daughter?” Jennifer blushed at the bluntness of her question. She didn't intend to sound so surprised at the information.
Ana took the question with grace and a bit of humor, though. “Yes.” As proof, Ana took out her badge and opened it. From the space behind her ID, she pulled out a picture and handed it to Jennifer. “Micaela. She's eight, going on thirty.”
“Oh dear,” Jennifer laughed. She let her eyes rest on the portrait of the little girl with a mess of long dark curls. Her eyes stood out from the oval face. Her penetrating eyes shone above a Mona Lisa smile, like she had a great secret that she was perfectly content to keep all to herself.
“Indeed,” Ana agreed. “She's just very precocious is all. Always wanting to know why things are the way they are.”
“I can relate to that.” Jennifer recalled her own days as a young girl wanting all the answers of the world at once. “Sorry to inform you, she'll probably never grow out of it.”
“I don't expect her to, really,” Ana admitted. “But if I could only get her to grasp why adults get to make the rules, things would go a lot smoother.”
Jen smiled at the thought, toying with the edge of her balled up napkin as they fell into a comfortable silence.
“So. . .how far along are you?” Ana asked after a moment.
“Almost eleven weeks,” Jennifer said quietly. In a moment of bravado, she reached into her pocket to retrieve her most recent ultrasound image. “See?” She bit her lip as she watched Ana take in the picture.
“Wait. . .” Ana's eyes narrowed, and then darted up to Jennifer's face at the realization of what she was seeing. “Twins?”
Jennifer nodded. “Yeah.”
“Oh wow. And these are your first?”
“Yes. 'Wow' is right. I'm still trying to get over the shock myself,” she mumbled.
“It will be fine,” Ana stated with confidence Jennifer longed to feel about her situation. Still, it was good to hear someone else say it. “Ronon Dex seems to be. . .” she paused a moment as she considered her words. “I think he cares about you very much.” At that Jennifer looked up to see nothing but seriousness in Ana's dark eyes.
Jennifer opened her mouth to question how Ana could tell such a thing in such a short time, but the woman seemed to perceive this and continued to explain.
“I was watching you two earlier on the security feed-it's how I knew things were going awry and came out to meet you. But I was able to observe the way he looked at you. He wasn't overly affectionate, but you definitely had his attention.”
Jennifer didn't quite know what to say to that, or why Ana was being so forthright in telling her all of this. Maybe she perceived that deep down, Jennifer really needed to hear it. She'd been so wound up these past few weeks with the pregnancy and these agonizing few days worried about her father, and-now that she thought about it-Ronon had shown a unfathomable level of patience and understanding that she had yet to truly appreciate. Jennifer wondered if her current feelings of uncertainty were so plainly written in on her face.
“Hey,” a familiar, deep voice said.
Jennifer looked to her left to see Ronon standing in the doorway and blushed.
TBC.
Back Home - Pt. 9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Sorry, you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out what was in that coded message. I didn't think it would be much of a point of interest, but it turns out some of you (the readers) are dying to know. Talk about pressure. So, with one part fluff and two parts character development, the story ekes on. Betas:
lizbet0 .
I really appreciate your continued reading and reviewing, as I find it very encouraging. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .