fic- "Mei and the Anomaly" Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, PG-13, Complete 2/4
Title: Mei and the Anomaly
Author: CJ aka WritinginCT
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis/Stargate SG-1
Author's note: This story goes back and forth between time lines. An age/year chart is located at the end of each section for clarification.
Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4
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8 years ago -- 2025
Sam was leaning a hip against the counter in Mei's apartment, watching Mei adding seemingly random things to the stir-fry she was cooking. She reached over and stole a pepper from the cutting board and asked, "So you think he's finally going to propose?"
Mei shrugged, "Probably. He's been hinting at it pretty hard lately. And don't forget the boys' little meeting last month."
She and Christopher had been seeing each other for just about a year. The long distance relationship was work, but they made the most of it. He was currently stationed at Norfolk in Virginia and Mei was flying out the next day to meet him for a week of vacation. A month ago he had made a surprise weekend trip to Colorado just to go and have dinner with her father and her Uncle Jack, who both came in all the way from Pegasus and Minnesota respectively. Christopher wouldn't tell her what it was all about, but she suspected they had discussed his intentions to propose. Everyone was expecting her to come back from the Virginia trip engaged. Everyone except Mei that is.
Sam picked up on something not quite right with Mei's tone and said, "You don't sound too excited."
Mei asked quietly, "Can I tell you something, Mom? Just between us?"
"Yeah, absolutely. What is it?"
"I'm going to say no if he asks."
"Why? I thought you both were happy."
"This is really going to sound selfish, but the long distance thing works for me. It's nice having someone out there for me, but I don't think I'm up for trying to be in a relationship where we're together all the time. I like being able to not have to worry about it if I want to spend an extra few hours in the lab. Or if some extended off world project comes up and I need to be gone for weeks at a time. And I'm just not ready to give up the SGC to stay home and have babies and dinner parties."
Sam reached over and stroked Mei's hair, and said gently, "I know. There's never an easy balance. When you first arrived here and we were trying to figure out who was going to take you, your dad and I had a talk and I think what he said to me then sort of applies here. He said, "That's not selfish, it's honest." And that's all you can be, Mei. It might hurt both of you at first, but it will save heartache later on. Better to get that all out in the open now, rather than later on after you're already married."
Mei didn't say anything, but nodded thoughtfully.
Sam regarded her daughter for a moment and prodded, "Do you love Christopher?"
Mei's eyes were wide as she stared back at her mother, but she didn't answer.
The telephone ringing gave her a respite in having to answer. Sam watched as Mei's face went ashen and she told the person on the other end, "I'll be there in ten minutes."
Mei hung up the phone and turned the burner off underneath the wok. "I have to get to the mountain."
Sam grabbed her own jacket as Mei pulled on a sweatshirt far too big to be her own and asked. "What's going on?"
"There's been an incident, Jonathan's missing."
---------------
Jonathan groaned and tried to draw in a breath. That was a mistake and his cracked ribs let him know so. He looked around carefully, trying to assess the situation. He was in some sort of makeshift cell. One of the rebels that had blown up the aeronautics lab where he and his team had been working with scientists from the planet's legitimate government opened the door to Jonathan's cell and asked with a sneer, "Are you ready to talk?"
Never being able to say no to an opportunity for sarcasm, Jonathan replied, "You know, now's really not a good time. Maybe we could reschedule this round of torture for next week. Say Tuesday?"
---------------
It took five days to find him. Five days of Mei screaming to be heard that he wasn't dead no matter what the evidence might have otherwise indicated. The only person that believed Mei was Sam. Oddly, no one even questioned her presence at the temporary staging area near the gate the SGC had set up for the investigation. Even retired, she was after all, Samantha Carter.
And when Mei said with a defiant tilt to her chin that Sam knew all too well, "He's not dead. I'd know if he were dead," Sam had all the answers she needed about Mei and Christopher and where Mei's true feelings fell.
When the rebel camp was finally found, Jonathan was in bad shape. When the Marines brought him on a stretcher to the staging area, Sam was the first one to his side. His eyes were nearly swollen shut from repeated beatings, and his mouth and lips parched from a lack of water. He somehow roused to consciousness though, and with a tremendous effort lifted his hand towards Sam and in a croaked whisper said, "Mei..." before the blackness overtook him again. Sam looked behind her but didn't see Mei, and it took her a moment to realize that Jonathan thought she was Mei and her mind couldn't help but flash back to being stuck under the ice with a dying Jack who called her Sara.
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He was in a coma for six days. And Mei refused to leave his side. In the dim light of the infirmary the third night Mei started to shatter. Worry and no sleep had pushed her to her brink. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat close to his bed, stroking his hand just as she had since they found him.
A gentle hand on her head made her jump, she hadn't heard anyone behind her. She turned to see the one person that might be able to make her somehow believe that Jonathan would be okay: Jack. She stood and allowed herself to be enveloped in a strong embrace. Her silent tears turned into sobs as Jack held her. Her fist weakly thumped on Jack's chest as she pleaded, "He can't die on me, Uncle Jack. Not like this. Not like this."
Jack rubbed her back and tried to comfort her, "He's tough. You just have to give him some time."
When she had finally cried herself out, Jack managed to convince her to crawl up into the empty bed next to Jonathan's and get some sleep. He took her place in the chair near the bed. He contemplated Mei's emotional outburst and wondered what it meant exactly. He knew they were close, as teammates and friends. But that wasn't what he had heard in Mei's voice. Jack forced himself to look at the situation objectively and came to a startling observation. Looking at Mei as a woman, and not as the adopted niece he had raised, he realized that she fell into the category of being completely his, and ergo Jonathan's, "type". Sara, Sam, and Mei, they were all smart and independent, as well as blonde and beautiful. And in a bizarre mirror of he and Sam, Mei and Jonathan's physical age differences were about the same. Jack hadn't even considered any of that when he had dropped Mei into Jonathan's care almost five years ago. Now he wondered if it were a problem. And where exactly did Christopher fit into this puzzle? The young man had planned on proposing but Jack knew at the moment Mei wasn't even returning his calls.
After a while he stood and stretched and pulled the blanket up a little on Mei. He stepped over to Jonathan's bed and regarded the battered man lying there. He leaned in and whispered, "I don't know what's going on between you two, but don't you dare die on her. You hear me?"
---------------
Mei was trying to sort through her backlog of paperwork as she sat next to Jonathan's bed. She had finally been convinced to shower and change and she had on her BDU pants with the big baggy sweatshirt she had left in her locker when she had hit the locker room to change before heading off world to help in the search the fateful night they got the call about Jonathan. It was actually Jonathan's sweatshirt that Mei had pinched out of his truck one night after they had gone to a hockey game. She was shuffling file folders around when a hoarse voice teased her, "I wondered where that sweatshirt went."
She looked over and saw familiar brown eyes looking at her from amidst fading bruises. She dropped the folders back down on the little bedside table she had commandeered before she closed her own eyes for a moment and sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving. A single tear of relief snuck out on her. She opened her eyes again when she felt his thumb clumsily wipe it away as he chided, "No crying."
She put her hand over his and pressed her cheek into his palm and let out a shuddering breath. "No crying."
---------------
A week later Jonathan maneuvered his crutches around and fell blissfully back into Mei's couch and eased his wrapped ankle up onto the coffee table. "Why can't I go home to my apartment?"
Mei was in the kitchen putting away the bag of groceries and replied, "Because you live on the fourth floor in a building with no elevator."
"Good point. You sure you don't mind me staying here?"
"Oh, please."
She made them dinner and he asked lightly, "Christopher isn't gonna have a problem with this is he?"
Mei took a big sip of wine and replied a little stiffly, "Doesn't matter if he does."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Mei chewed another bite of pasta and swallowed before answering, "He and I are... taking a break."
"How long of a break?"
"A permanent one." Her tone let him know she didn't want to talk about it, and he let the subject drop. She'd tell him when she was ready. She always did.
---------------
Two days later they were having breakfast when Jonathan noticed she wasn't eating and had a decidedly greenish tint to her face. "You feeling okay?" he asked.
"My stomach's just a little upset. Too much coffee and not enough food over the past few weeks I think. I'll be okay."
He could see there was something she wasn't telling him but he didn't pry. However after she left to head into work for the day, he did find the pregnancy test in the bathroom trashcan that she tried to hide.
She didn't say anything to him, and again he didn't ask. But he wondered if Christopher knew.
---------------
Two days after that, Mei arrived home unexpectedly in the middle of the afternoon. She mumbled something about not feeling well and headed straight for her bedroom to lie down. She looked a little groggy and pale and Jonathan had just gotten up and his crutches underneath him to go check on her when he noticed a folded piece of paper that had fallen out of her jacket pocket. He picked it up and unfolded it. He saw the name of the clinic on the top and registered the words "Aftercare Instructions" before the realization hit him. He dropped his chin to his chest and let out a sigh.
Without knocking or asking permission, he went into her bedroom. He could hear her softly crying and she was curled up in a ball on top of the quilt. Without hesitation he ungracefully managed to curl up behind her on the bed and gently pulled her in close. He pressed his cheek to the side of her head and said softly, "You should have told me. You okay?"
"I couldn't keep it."
"I know." He knew the same way he knew she wasn't going to say yes if Christopher had proposed. She had something left unfinished. A part of herself that she had to go back and find before she'd allow herself to go forward. Every step she took, and had taken since she was nine years old, was towards the singular goal of finding a way back to her father. He knew she cared about Christopher, maybe even loved him in her own way, but also knew that she wasn't ready to settle down into the steadfast role of wife and mother. In fact, it wasn't a role he could ever see her in until there were two floating cities in Pegasus, each with their very own John Sheppard.
He held her until her breathing had evened out and she was almost asleep. Her soft voice surprised him as she whispered, "Jonathan?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
As she faded off to sleep her words trailed off, answering the unasked question that was echoing in his head, "I would have kept yours...."
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'Lantis -- Day 65
John and Jonathan were looking for Mei. John started to turn a corner and quickly put a hand up to stop Jonathan. With a grin John put his finger to his lips for Jonathan to be quiet. They peeked back around the corner to an area that was filled with multi-colored sunlight streaming in through the beautiful stained glass the Ancients were so fond of to see Mei there with her eyes closed as she went through the motions of some sort of ancient waltz to music only she could hear.
John whispered, "Atlantis sings to her. Just her."
The look of pure joy on Mei's face was one Jonathan had never seen before. And for the first time he realized that it wasn't just her father that Mei had been missing all these years. It was the city herself. Mei was home. She was finally home.
There was something humbling about that thought and Jonathan gave a little nod to John and the two men left as quietly as they arrived, leaving Mei to her music.
---------------
Later that night Jonathan caught Mei as she was leaving the dining room with fresh cup of tea in hand. She was heading back to one of the terminals to keep inputting needed code. Jonathan was hungry and looking for a sandwich. Mei tagged along with him back to the kitchen and kept him company as he rooted around for food.
As he made his sandwich he teased, "Your dad and I saw you dancing earlier."
Mei blushed and shot back, "You weren't supposed to see that."
"He said that Atlantis sings to you, and only you."
Mei shrugged. "I'm just special I guess."
"It is appropriate to sing to one's offspring."
After two months on the city, Jonathan was starting to get used to the city butting into conversations. But he did take exception to the city calling Mei her offspring. It just wasn't right. But before he could say anything, Mei pressed her finger to his lips and said, "Don't argue with her. It's not worth the effort. My dad tried for years and never won."
Mei addressed the city, "'Lantis, I love it when you sing to me. I always have."
"One sang to you even as you incubated."
"I didn't know that," Mei said with a smile.
Jonathan squeezed some mustard onto his sandwich and asked, "What does it sound like?
A dreamy sort of look came over Mei's face and she tried to explain, "It's like a hundred voices all coming from one person, all singing different keys and melodies. And then there's music in the back ground behind it all. It's hard to explain."
"I bet it's beautiful."
She smiled widely. "It is." Looking up she asked the city, "'Lantis, will you let Jonathan hear too?"
"You wish to share One with the Anomaly?"
Mei's brow furrowed. Answers to Atlantis' queries sometimes had to be worded carefully and the true context gleaned from the city's choice of words. "Jonathan and I share everything 'Lantis. And I would very much like to share you with him."
Atlantis didn't respond formally, but a heartbeat later Mei saw the exact moment when John heard 'Lantis sing for the first time.
He closed his eyes and just let the music in his mind wash over him. He had always thought opera was powerful, but the song of the city was something else entirely.
A little while later John was treated to the sight of Mei and Jonathan dancing as he stood in the doorway to the dining area. It seemed to be a silly, lighthearted moment between them. As he watched them, John suspected they shared a lot of those little moments. He walked away and let them have their fun in private, and as he did, John wondered what it was exactly keeping the two of them apart. As he had gotten to know both of them over the past couple of months John could see the bond between them was a force unto itself. And once he had gotten past the idea that Jonathan was Jack's clone he had started to both like and respect the man for himself. John couldn't even begin to comprehend what it had to be like to be Jonathan. Most men would have lost their minds a long time ago, but somehow Jonathan survived. And John wondered what exactly it was that kept Jonathan sane.
The muted sound of Mei laughing in the dining area traveled down the hall and John suspected that he had his answer.
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6 years ago -- 2027
"She shoots, she scores, the crowd goes wild." Mei taunted as Jonathan fished the puck out of the net.
"Lucky shot," he zinged back.
They were goofing around on the ice, waiting for the rest of the folks that had signed up for the friendly weekly game. Most were from the SGC where everyone's schedule was far too fluid to allow anyone to sign up for a formal league. The casual games where people could come and play as their schedules permitted were a good alternative for the base hockey nuts. And under Mei's carefully tended encouragement, more and more women were showing up to play.
As folks filled in, there were some new faces in the crowd, both playing and as spectators. Mei decided to play on the opposite team from Jonathan, wanting to rub his nose in the "lucky shot" comment a little. Her Uncle Jack had Mei on skates the same week she first moved to Washington with him. Hockey had been a way for her to make friends and gave her and Jack an opportunity to bond. And once Sam got involved and started teaching Mei the math and physics behind the game, Mei became an absolute terror on the ice, as Jonathan found out the first time they played and he told her he would go easy on her.
About halfway through the game, Mei noticed something and circled around Jonathan to tease him, "Don't look now but someone's got a fan."
Jonathan tried to go for casual and scanned the people watching the game and caught one of the new nurses at the SGC, Linda Greene, watching him with interest. Linda was a pretty blonde in her early thirties.
Jonathan didn't date much. And when he did it was rarely more than two dates with any one woman. He just didn't want any sort of long-term relationship. Mei knew he would sometimes go out to the bars with the guys and that he didn't go home alone. He was after all a healthy thirty-nine year old with physical needs, but he never let any of the women get close to him. He treated them with respect and honesty, but he never made them any promises, and never knowingly broke anyone's heart.
So it was with curiosity that Mei watched Jonathan actually flirt with Linda and offer to teach her how to play.
---------------
Five months later, Mei made Jonathan choke on his orange juice in the commissary when she asked casually, "Should I mention that Linda and friends were in the women's locker room giggling over the latest issue of a bridal magazine?"
When he could breathe again he exclaimed, "What?"
Mei sipped her coffee then nodded. "Sorry. I thought maybe I was going to be the last one to know."
He scrubbed his face with his hands, and groaned. "I'm not getting married."
Mei replied gently, "I know that, and you know that, but somehow I don't think Linda knows that. I thought you were going to sit down and have a talk with her."
"Yeah, well. You know how good at that I am."
Since the night of the hockey game, Jonathan and Linda had been seeing each other. For him it wasn't serious, they had fun and enjoyed each other's company but that was all he wanted. Linda on the other hand, had fallen in love and wanted to plan a future together. Linda also wasn't particularly tolerant of Mei's place in Jonathan's life. And there was a coolness between the two women the likes of which the Arctic Circle had never seen.
---------------
The animosity between the women had grown to gale force about a month ago when Mei got a call that woke her up from a dead sleep.
"Mei, it's Mom."
Mei was trying to figure out which end was up, they had just spent a week on a planet with thirty-five hour days and her sleep cycle was all out of whack. She looked at her clock and saw that it was seven o'clock in the evening.
"Mom, hi, what's up?"
"Do you know where Jonathan is?"
"Probably home sleeping. We just got back late last night. Weird sleep schedule. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Mei, Sara O'Neill died early yesterday of a massive stroke."
"Oh, god. How is Uncle Jack?"
"He's... had better days. But we don't know if Jonathan knows or not. And between you and me, he shouldn't be alone."
"I'll find him."
"The funeral is the day after tomorrow. We're coming down for it."
"Okay. Call me if you need me."
"You too."
Mei threw on jeans and a sweatshirt and grabbed her keys. At Jonathan's apartment complex she looked around and saw his truck in it's numbered spot. A further glance at the lot told her Linda's car wasn't there. She breathed a little sigh of relief on that one. Linda did not know about Jonathan's origins. And trying to explain why Jonathan would take the death of a seventy-three year old woman so hard was not high on Mei's list of things to do for the day.
Mei knocked and got no response. She only hesitated a moment before using the key to his apartment that lived on her ring. He wasn't in the apartment. But the newspaper was open on the table to the obituaries, and Sara's name in bold print was impossible to miss. He knew. But where was he?
She didn't have to search for him. As she was trying to figure out where exactly he would have gone, her cell phone rang. Jonathan.
A short time later she was sliding onto the barstool next to his. There were many empty shot glasses in front of him. And when he turned towards her there was pain so old and so deep in his eyes it brought tears to her own. She reached over and took his hand. His reaction was to latch on it hers like he was afraid she would somehow disappear.
"C'mon. I'll take you home," Mei said gently.
She got him home, and up all four flights of stairs to his apartment. He was lying on the couch under an afghan as close to being passed out as a person could get without actually being passed out. Mei had carefully folded the newspaper back up and tucked it safely on top of the refrigerator knowing he would probably want it.
A knock on the door broke the quiet in the apartment. Mei answered the door to see Linda standing there. Linda's irritation at finding Mei at Jonathan's apartment was evident on her face. And it grew as Mei held onto the door and didn't let her inside.
"Hi, Linda. Look, ah, now's not really a great time. Jonathan found out earlier that someone he was close to died yesterday. He went and got pretty drunk and he's almost asleep now."
"Well, I'll just go check on him, make sure he's okay."
"I think it'd be better if you didn't. I'll let him know you stopped by."
Mei's hand on the door didn't give an inch even as Linda tried to push past her. There was ice in Linda's eyes as she spat out, "Fine. I'll be by tomorrow when he's awake."
Mei closed the door quietly and shook her head. There were going to be repercussions from that little exchange, she was sure.
She headed for the kitchen to find a snack to appease her growling stomach and was standing in front of the open fridge when she felt Jonathan's hands on her shoulders to clumsily turn her around. She turned and he pulled her in tightly. His voice was low and hoarse as he whispered, "Thank you."
She squeezed him back and replied, "Any time."
Mei fixed them some food and they ate in silence. The grief coming from Jonathan was almost tangible in the room. After they ate he took her by the hand and pulled her towards his bedroom. Fully clothed they crawled under covers and there in the dark she held him close as he let out his tears for the woman he had loved so long ago. As she gently stroked his head as he slept, Mei realized that a part of him still loved Sara, would always love Sara, and would now always miss her too. She also realized that Jonathan had a lifetime ahead of him of watching people he used to know and love grow old and die. And she wondered if that's why he was clinging to her like she was some sort of lifeline. In the years to come, she would be one of the few left that knew who he really was, where he came from.
The funeral was somber, but the day bright and sunny. The church service was well attended. And the flowers abundant. If anyone thought it odd that there were two somewhat out of place arrangements of bright and cheerful sunflowers among the rest of the tasteful, elegant funeral baskets no one mentioned it. If anyone had taken the time to look, they would have seen that one of those baskets of sunflowers was from Jack. A different, tasteful arrangement bore a card with both he and Sam's name on it, but the sunflowers were from Jack and Jack alone. The other basket of sunflowers had no card. But Jack knew whom it was from.
Jonathan had been adamant that he shouldn't attend the funeral. He was afraid that people that knew a younger Jack would question his appearance. Mei was sitting with Jack and Sam during the service. Partway through she heard the church door open and she turned to see Jonathan slipping into a back pew. She couldn't see his eyes behind the dark glasses he had on, but she was glad that he came.
At the cemetery he hung towards the back of the crowd and wasn't surprised when he found Mei's hand in his. Sara was quietly laid to rest next to Charlie and the crowd dispersed. Jonathan slipped his hand out of Mei's and walked towards Charlie's headstone. She was going to follow when Sam gave her sleeve a little tug and a nod to give Jack and Jonathan a few minutes of privacy.
Jonathan's hands were deep in his pockets as he looked at the stone. It had weathered in the thirty-odd years it had been there.
Jack stepped up side-by-side to the other man and asked quietly, "How are you doing?"
Everyone had been asking Jack that all day. Especially the friends and family that remembered how great Jack and Sara had been together, and of course, Charlie.
"I don't know," was Jonathan's honest response.
"Yeah. Me either. You send those other sunflowers?"
That got a smirk, or at least an almost smirk and Jonathan said by way of affirmation, "They were her favorites."
"Yeah, they were. She grew some every summer."
Jonathan forced a chuckle, "Remember when Charlie was five and picked them all on her?"
"I almost forgot about that. That was one hell of a bouquet. Man, was she mad."
The quiet stretched for a long moment and Jonathan said quietly, "I'm gonna have to do this too many more times. I'm going to bury everyone I... we ever knew."
Jack's own mind cringed at the horror of that thought; it was something he hadn't considered for his clone. And he did something he hadn't done in all the years his clone, no, Jonathan, had existed: he reached out and gave the other man's shoulder a squeeze of support. "I know. I'm sorry."
They turned and walked slowly back to where Sam and Mei were waiting. Jack and Sam were heading back to the reception. Mei stood next to her car with Jonathan and saw him looking sadly at the fresh grave one last time. She reached up and stroked his cheek, wiping away and hiding the evidence that his tears had snuck out on him. She said quietly, "You'll always have me you know. Always."
He swallowed hard and reined his emotions back in and replied with a sad little smile, "I know."
She was about to offer to cook him dinner when his cell phone rang. Linda.
Mei gave him a peck on the cheek and said lightly, "You should get that."
As Mei walked away and got in her car she heard him do just that.
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'Lantis -- Day 86
Jonathan and John slipped through the gate in a jumper and it disengaged behind them. The planet they were on was bucolic and peaceful. The people that had lived here were good farmers and generous to those in need. John knew they had storage sheds with food stuffed to the rafters and most likely fields full of crops ready to be harvested. Given that the world, like everything else in Pegasus, was now home to only ghosts, John did not think they would mind Atlantis resupplying from their stores.
They avoided the remains of corpses they saw, and worked quickly to load the jumper with what they needed. The vast pastures where the horses and sheep where kept were fenced in but had natural streams and plenty of grazing. The animals were fit, but wouldn't be forever. John swung open the wide gates and secured them, allowing the animals the full range of the planet. Jonathan also brought along information about how to formulate the plague cure and stapled it to the village buildings here and there on the oft chance that it might benefit someone.
Jonathan also found a new friend as he went from building to building. The village had many dogs, herding dogs mostly, but they were avoiding Jonathan and John, choosing instead to watch their actions from a distance. Jonathan had been a little wary when he had rounded a porch corner to see a big shaggy dog lying there in the shade, his tail thumping on the porch in greeting. The dog stood up and Jonathan found out that the dog only had three legs, either by accident or by birth there was just no way to tell at first glance. The dog made its way happily over to him and Jonathan crouched down and gave him a pet. He was a young dog, probably less than a year old, and Jonathan was surprised to feel that underneath his shaggy coat, the dog's ribs were hanging out. Unable to hunt and kill small game like the other dogs, he was slowly starving to death. Steeling his resolve that he wasn't able to save everything, Jonathan stood up and resumed his poster hanging, but found he had a tag-a-long.
Finishing up what they had to do, the two men met back at the jumper. Before either man could stop him, the dog went into the jumper and made himself at home on one of the bench seats in the back. John laughed and said, "He apparently missed the part about stowaways where they're not supposed to be seen sneaking on board."
Jonathan sighed, "I'll get him."
John could see the other man's heart really wasn't in it and offered, "No reason we can't take him back with us."
---------------
Mei met them in the jumper bay and her chuckles at seeing the dog were many as she looked between the two men. She teased, "Big tough guys, huh?"
She and the dog made fast friends. And she shared, "I had a great dog when I was a kid. Uncle Jack and I went and picked him out at an animal shelter. He was this fat, scruffy thing that had been owned by an elderly woman that died leaving him homeless. Rufus was his name. He was so funny and obnoxious and he fit in well with me and Uncle Jack."
Their new canine friend was on his back enjoying a good belly rub from Mei as she told her story. John asked, "What happened to Rufus?"
With a sad little smile Mei replied, "He died of old age a few months before I left for college. His ashes are buried up at Uncle Jack's cabin." John noticed that Jonathan seemed to know this story already.
She looked down at the dog and said, "What are we going to call you?"
Jonathan opened his mouth to say something and Mei held up a finger to stop him and said, "No. We are not naming him Toto... or Tripod. Forget it."
"You know, sometimes I swear you know me too well."
"Better than anybody else and don't you forget it. Now I'm going to go feed our hungry new friend here while you guys unload the jumper."
---------------
"The canine is defective."
"He's not defective. He was just born with three legs. He's a great dog," Mei countered.
"Canines have four appendages. This canine is defective."
---------------
Atlantis was a little put out that no one would agree with her that the dog was defective. And they all had a good laugh about that at dinner. Homer joined in by thumping his tail on the floor from where he was lying on a folded blanket near the window in the dining area. After eating a decent meal earlier, he had dozed happily in the sunshine streaming in through the windows. Mei decided that was now "his spot" and had moved his bowls there and added the blanket. Homer was now a very content canine.
John had caught the looks exchanged between Mei and Jonathan when she told them what name she had decided on for the dog. There was definitely something significant to the name besides the obvious reference to an old television cartoon.
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5 years ago -- 2028
"I still think this is going to be weird," Jonathan groused as he drove, making familiar turns without missing a beat.
"Probably, but he's making an effort and so will you," Mei chided from the passenger seat.
They pulled into the driveway of the cabin and Jonathan turned off the truck. He swallowed hard as he looked around, not much had changed at the cabin in the twenty-five years since he had last been there. There were some new flowers and plants edging the cabin, and the surrounding trees had all grown, but over all it was like walking into a picture of his past.
Sam came out the front door and Mei met her halfway and gave her a big hug. Mei whispered, "What's the weather like here?"
"A little cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms." Given that it was a beautifully clear summer day, they weren't talking about the weather.
"Yeah. Same in the truck."
"I'm thinking that the copious application of beer might help," Sam offered with a grin.
"For them or us?" Mei countered.
When Sam had called and asked Mei if she had plans for the Fourth of July weekend Sam never expected Jack to tell her to tell Mei to bring Jonathan if he wanted to come along. Neither man would talk about it, but ever since Sara's funeral the ice between them had been melting a little. Enough so that they could be in each other's company for small periods of time without killing each other. It was still weird and exceptionally uncomfortable, but they could be civil.
Mei had been equally surprised when Jonathan actually said he'd like to go. Mei and Sam decided it was probably prudent that they not try to sleep under the same roof however, and they were staying in a cabin on the other edge of town. And that was a pleasant surprise for Jonathan all on its own.
Jack made his way slowly around the side of the house. His wooden cane had been replaced with a sturdy metal one with four wide feet that could take all of his weight and not sink into the grass. He was getting old, but fighting it every step of the way.
Jonathan had gotten out of the truck and made his way over to them. Jack stuck out his hand and said, "Glad you could make it."
Jonathan swallowed and replied, "Thanks for the invitation."
Sam and Mei shared a look that screamed, "would you look at that, the world didn't stop turning".
Jack asked Jonathan tentatively, "Did you bring your gear? Fish are biting."
Sam and Mei headed into the house and left the men to their fishing.
---------------
The day actually went well. The quiet fishing and beer let both men relax and not have to feel like they had to force conversation. Later on, they split the barbecuing duties up between them and they compared notes about charcoal and varieties of their favorite marinade- beer.
As they sat at the picnic table and ate, anecdotes were shared, as was news about different folks they all knew both on and off world. From the outside, it appeared to be just a normal family barbecue. But it was anything but a normal family.
Jack asked Jonathan, "Hey, whatever happened to that nurse you were seeing?"
Mei choked on her beer.
Jonathan warned her, "Not a word."
"But...?"
"Not a word."
Sam piped up, "Okay now I'm curious. What happened?"
Mei giggled and Jonathan dropped his chin to his chest and shook his head in defeat.
Mei said, "Let's just say their breakup was fairly... revealing." Mei never would have teased Jonathan about it if he had been at all upset over his breakup with Linda, but since it had actually been somewhat of a relief to him, it was fair game for teasing.
"You're not helping," Jonathan whined.
"What? I didn't tell them how I had to come rescue you in the middle of the night when she locked you out of her house wearing just your boxer shorts and socks."
"I should drown you in that pond."
Jack piped in, "Don't do that. It'll scare the poor fish."
The laughter around the table that followed was genuine.
Later on, they all went into town and watched the fireworks that were put on every year. It was a fun end to an overall surprisingly pleasant day.
Sam and Jack headed home, and Mei and Jonathan went back to the other cabin.
---------------
The cabin wasn't exactly the same as Jack's, but it was similar. As was the acreage and accompanying pond. Sam had been Mei's partner in crime in finding it. It needed work, and hadn't been as well kept as Jack's, but it had its own appeal.
Jonathan was pouring each of them a nightcap while Mei went to go get something out of her room. They met back at the couch and she traded him her drink for a rolled up piece of paper tied with a wide red, white, and blue ribbon.
He set his glass down on the coffee table and asked, "What's this?"
"Happy Birthday," she said.
"It's not my birthday."
"Fine, be that way. Happy Independence Day then."
He slipped the ribbon off the paper and unrolled it. He scanned it quickly and looked up at Mei, the confusion evident in his eyes.
She explained, "It's the deed to this cabin. In your name. I bought it for you."
"You bought me a cabin?" he asked incredulously.
She grinned mischievously and teased, "And your very own pond too."
"Why did you do this?"
"Because it's time for you to have something that's yours. Something that belongs only to you."
Jonathan got up and went and stared out the window at the night. He felt Mei behind him and wasn't surprised when her arms slipped around his waist and her cheek pressed against his back. His voice was low as he asked, "Am I really so transparent?"
"Just to the one that knows you best."
He turned around slowly and she didn't break her embrace. "Thank you."
She reached up and stroked his cheek as she had so many other times and said simply, "You're welcome."
Kissing her was the most natural thing in the world under the circumstances, and she responded in kind. And because it was going so well he was surprised when he felt her hand between them pushing on him to put some space between them. She swallowed hard and whispered, "This isn't a good idea. It was an unmitigated disaster the last time."
His brow furrowed and he asked quietly, "You still haven't forgiven me have you?"
"I forgave you a long time ago. But I can't forget. I'm not her, Jonathan. I can never be her. I'm sorry."
"I know who you are, Mei."
"I know you do here," she put a finger to his temple, "but I don't think you always do here," she moved her hand to rest on his heart.
Before he could formulate a response she stepped away from him and said softly, "Good night, Jonathan," and headed for her room.
---------------
Jack wanted Sam's opinion on the Mei/Jonathan situation, but didn't know how to bring it up. As it turned out he didn't have to. They had just climbed into bed and turned off the lights when Sam asked out of the blue, "Do you think there's something more than friendship between them?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly.
"Would you be alright with it if there were?"
"I don't know."
Sam chuckled at his repeated response and he asked, "Would you be?"
Sam rolled over and leaned up on her elbow so she could see Jack's face in the moonlight. "Oddly enough, I think I would be. He's not... well... you, anymore. He's been his own person for what, over twenty-five years now? But at the same time, all those great qualities that attracted me to you are there in him. He's strong and dependable, and smart and funny, and he has honor. As a mother I couldn't ask for a better combination in a person for my daughter to fall for. I'd just have to overlook knowing where he came from."
"Mei told me a long time ago that she doesn't see me when she looks at Jonathan. Do you think that's possible?"
"Yeah, in Mei's case I do. Remember when that alternate me came through the mirror?"
"Yeah."
"You remember how she was me, but wasn't me all at the same time?"
"Yeah."
"That's how Mei sees everyone. People might look the same but they're all different to her. And I think somehow that she just might be the only person that can look at Jonathan, knowing exactly where he came from, and not see you."
"Got a point there. But..." he sighed, "but I raised her. You don't think that it's weird?"
"That's just it, Jack, you raised her. He didn't. He never even met Mei as a child. She was already out of college and a full-grown adult woman when they first met."
"True."
Sam reached over and traced Jack's lip gently with her finger and teased, "Sometimes looking at them is like looking at us through a mirror that's just a little out of focus."
Jack chuckled, "More like a fun house mirror."
Sam nestled down in the crook of Jack's arm and laid her head on his chest and said a bit more seriously, "Everybody deserves to be happy, Jack. And whatever is between them seems to do that for both of them, and if it's more than friendship then I think we're just going to have to find a way to accept it."
"Or borrow a zat so I don't have to try and hide his body."
Sam laughed and gave his stomach a playful swat.
---------------
The next morning Jonathan was standing out in the yard with a cup of coffee surveying all that was now his. He heard Mei approach behind him and turned with a smile. "Good morning." Pretending that last night never happened seemed prudent to Jonathan. He had gotten good at pretending.
"Morning," she replied with a smile, then asked with a gesture of her hand around the property, "So what do you think?"
"It's perfect. Well almost perfect. Just needs some lazy dog named Homer lounging out on the dock in the sun."
She laughed, because of course he would want to name a dog after the Simpsons.
---------------
Sam and Jack weren't expecting them that afternoon. But it was Jonathan that insisted that there was something he wanted to take care of before they had to head back to Colorado in a couple of days. And after a stop in town, he pulled his truck into their driveway.
Jack and Sam came out as Jonathan was lowering the tailgate so he could remove the lumber he had purchased in town.
Jack asked cautiously, "What's all this?"
"I'm gonna fix your dock."
When they had been out there fishing, Jack had cautioned him not to step on a certain dry-rotted plank. Jack told him he was going to have one of the local guys come out and replace all the dock planks after the holiday weekend, he just physically couldn't do it himself any longer. Jonathan had known what it cost Jack's pride to admit that to his younger clone and he wanted to even the score.
"Why? I told you I'd get one of the local guys to do it."
"Didn't you hear? I am one of the local guys now."
---------------------------------------------
tbc...
Age table for those interested:
Mei
2008- 09 (Mei arrived in this reality)
2021- 22 (Mei & Jonathan meet)
2033- 34 (Mission to go to other reality)
2037- 38 (Epilogue)
Jonathan (physical age)
2003- 15 (Jonathan created by Loki)
2021- 33 (Mei & Jonathan meet)
2033- 45 (Mission to go to other reality)
2037- 49 (Epilogue)
Jack
2003- 51 (Jonathan created by Loki)
2008- 56 (Mei arrived in this reality)
2021- 69 (Mei & Jonathan meet)
2033- 81 (Mission to go to other reality)
2037- 85 (Epilogue)
Sam/John (this reality)
2008- 41 (Mei arrived in this reality)
2021- 54 (Mei & Jonathan meet)
2033- 66 (Mission to go to other reality)
2037- 70 (Epilogue)
Sam/John (alternate reality)
2010- 43 (Mei born)
2014- 47 (Sam dies)
2019- 52 (Mei sent away, arrival of 2033 mission)
2037- 56 (Epilogue)
Laura Cadman (this reality)**
2008- 27 (Mei arrived in this reality)
2037- 56 (Epilogue)
**I am basing her age on personal opinion
given her appearance and rank in "Duet"