Far Away

 

Seven years ago Frank Rice had paid off a comfortable piece of beach side property in South Florida and had his eye on a pretty little boat. He had planned to retire and spend his life split between deep sea fishing and watching the pretty young things sunbathing in barely anything. Had anyone told him then that he would sell his retirement home, forget his boat and move to Colorado, miles away from any ocean, he would have sent him or her for psychiatric evaluation. But that was exactly what he had done.

He opened the door and stood by to let David run in ahead of him. The boy was smeared with grass stains and sweat, his left knee skinned up from a tumble he’d taken on the soccer field. He hadn’t shed a single tear, hadn’t fussed at all. He was too wound up about the game and the two goals he had made for his team. “Is Mom back yet? Can we call her and tell her?”

Frank chuckled. “No, she’s not where we can call her yet. But she can watch it for herself.” He waved the video camera he had taken with them before setting it on the bookcase near the door. “Go and get cleaned up while I make dinner.” He locked the door as the boy ran up the steps two at a time. He was tall for his age, just like the rest of his family, but they wouldn’t know if he’d be long and lean, like his grandfather, or tall and muscled, like his father, until he hit puberty. Either way, he was beautiful child. He had dark brown eyes, like his father, but both parents had thick, dark hair. His hands were long fingered with oval shaped nails, like his mother, and he had Frank’s angled chin.

He was also very bright. He had a good, solid vocabulary and already knew his letters and numbers. Now that he was retired, Frank spent a lot of time with his grandson and made it a point to read to him. He made certain to include important things, like teaching the boy Morse Code, which allowed them to exchange secret messages at the dinner table since Jenny had never learned it herself. She pretended that it irritated her, but Frank knew she found it amusing. Besides, she had her own secret language with her son. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his mother whenever she was home and made a serious effort to learn Ancient along with her. She often left him little love notes under his pillow written in the dead script when she had to depart. David saved each and every one of them in a shoebox he kept under his bed.

He heard the shower turn on upstairs and gave a nod to himself. A career officer, Frank ran the house like he ran his ships, making it into a kind of game for David that would also teach him to be a fine, well disciplined young man. Every morning, before he was allowed to watch any cartoons or go outside to play, David had to make his room ready for inspection. All toys were put away, the bed was made, laundry in the hamper and any excess water from his morning shower or brushing his teeth had to be wiped dry. He also expected the child to obey direct orders. There were rewards and praise given out for good behavior, and David had learned that it paid to be a “good ensign”.

Frank whistled an old sailor’s tune as he washed up his hands and began to prepare the evening meal. The longer he lived with his daughter, the more it became apparent that it was a good thing he had come here. If it were left up to Jenny, most of David’s meals would likely come frozen and reheated in a microwave while she, herself, forgot to eat with the exception of maybe a cereal bar or cup of yogurt. Jenny knew how to cook; his wife had seen to it, she just had to be reminded to do so. He, on the other hand, had learned much about cooking since becoming a widower. Since there were weight restrictions in the military, portion control was not a foreign concept to him. Tonight’s menu was lemon chicken, a bit of rotini pasta mixed with sweet peas and broccoli and baby carrots. The carrots were a bribe to get David to eat the broccoli.

He was checking the chicken as it cooked on the little electric counter-top grill his daughter bought him as a freshly showered and still hyper David came into the kitchen. “Hey, Grandpa! I still have some money from my birthday.” He climbed up into a tall chair at the breakfast bar.

“You do? What do you want to do with it?”

“You said Mom’s birthday is next week. I wanna buy her something.”

Frank smiled as he rinsed the pasta. “That’s an excellent idea. We’ll start looking tomorrow.” David grinned and stole a carrot as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” The child scrambled down and ran into the living room. Frank paused, listening as he heard David open the door, the rattle of the chain indicating that he had not removed all the locks. “Friend or foe!” He heard someone give a reply, but it was too far to hear. David’s voice rang out a moment later. “Grandfather Admiral Rice, Sir! General Jack O’Neill requests permission to come aboard!”

Frank laughed. “Let the worthless excuse for a pilot in, Ensign Copeland!”

Jack walked into the kitchen a moment later. “Who are you calling ‘worthless’ you old sea dog?” Frank laughed as Jack put a six-pack of beer into the fridge, pulling out a bottle for each of them. “Smells great, but why is everything you cook good for you?”

“Because I’m trying to raise David right.” Frank accepted the beer. “Set the table, Ensign.”

Jack moved aside as David got into one of the lower cabinets where Frank kept place settings within his reach. “David was saying he made two goals today.”

“He did. The boy’s a natural.”

“Thought about signing him up for hockey?”

“You’ll have to take that up with his mother. She’s not that happy with the violence in hockey.”

“There’s violence in soccer, too.” Jack picked up the bowl of carrots and carried them to the table as Frank mixed the broccoli and sweet peas with the pasta. “What are you two doing tomorrow?”

“Grandpa’s taking me to find a birthday present for Mom.” David started to put out the silverware, making sure they were lined up just as his grandfather had shown him. “I think we should have a party for her.”

Jack went back to carry the pasta as Frank pulled the chicken breasts off the grill and carried them over on a plate. “Ambitious, isn’t he.”

“It started off with just a present.” Frank put down the chicken. “You want milk or water, Ensign?”

“Milk, please.” David got into his chair, sitting directly across from Jack. “Will you come to Mom’s party?”

“If you throw a party for your mother, I’ll be there.” Jack dished out some of the pasta to the child as Frank brought over a glass of milk. “So, Frank, Sam was wondering when you and the airman here are going to come over again.”

“Whenever you think you can keep up with the ensign.”

David perked up. “Can we go fishing?”

Jack grinned. “For as long as you like.”

They ate dinner in relative silence with the exception of Jack and Frank discussing hockey. Jack often joined them for dinner while Sam was off world. He had handed in his resignation, claiming that someone he trusted recommended that he do so and follow his heart for once. It just so happened that his heart was dead set on a certain Lieutenant Colonel who had been under his command but from whom he had kept well away from for the sake of her career. Now that he was a civilian, he was enjoying the part of the lovesick husband.

Frank and Jack had become fast friends during their stint as co-commandants of the SGC. Jack had been Frank’s most stalwart supporter when he had told the Joint Chiefs of Staff that he was resigning so that his daughter didn’t have to give up her career. In truth, Frank’s decision had been driven by the selfish desire to do for his grandson what he had failed to do for his daughter; be there as he grew up. This was fine by Jack. By the time he had tendered his resignation, David was old enough to take out into public. Two retired military officers and a baby. Hollywood should be so lucky as to come up with a plotline like that.

“Oh, Frank, by the way, I picked up an extra season ticket this year so the airman here can come with.”

“I’m sure the ensign will enjoy that, just fine, Zoomie.”

Jack gave Frank a smarmy smirk as he helped clear the table. “You mark my words, Frank: That kids gonna go Air Force, all the way.”

Frank looked at his friend. “David, tell General Jack what you’re going to be when you grow up.”

David grinned. “I’m gonna be an admiral, like Grandpa!”

“Chew on that, Fly Boy.”

Jack leaned forward. “Are you sure you wanna be an admiral? General’s are way better.” David grinned from ear to ear after swallowing the last of his milk and setting the glass down. “Any ideas what to get your mother for her birthday?”

“Something pretty. Maybe a necklace. That way she can take it with her when she goes away.” David wiped his mouth with a napkin. “General Jack, where does Mom go when she leaves?”

Both men hesitated, exchanging a nervous look over the boy’s head. Frank left this one up to Jack. “She goes some place far away and does great things.”

“What kind of great things?”

“The kind of things that you can’t tell other people about. Secret stuff.” Jack came up behind the kid and ruffled his hair. “But if you eat all your veggies, grow up strong and join the Air Force, you just might learn about them some day.”

David rolled his eyes and pointed towards her grandfather’s nearly empty bottle. “Can I try some?”

Frank looked at the two or three inches of beer left in the bottle in contemplation. “Don’t tell your mother.” He handed the bottle to David and went to claim a fresh one from the fridge. Jack gave his friend a smirk.

“Yeah, doing a bang up job raising him.” Jack accepted a new bottle from Frank, leaning up against the counter as David tried the beer and made a face. “You still planning to drag the kid and Jenny to Alaska next summer?”

“Two full weeks. If we stayed any longer we’d lose Jenny to some ancient Eskimo burial ground or something.”

Jack laughed in the middle of taking a drink, causing him to nearly choke on his beer. David laughed, pointing at him as he turned around to the sink, reaching for a dishtowel to wipe his chin. Facing this direction, he was looking out the window into the back yard. Something made his brow furrow. “Hey, Davey… you know that drill we taught you, the one about what to do if an enemy attacked?”

“Yes Sir, General Jack! If an enemy attacks, I go hide in the secret place.”

Jack looked over at Frank while still speaking to David. “Yeah, I think we need to practice that. Run for cover! Don’t come out until we call you!” He smacked his hand twice on the counter for emphasis. David leapt from his chair and ran out of the kitchen to the door under the stairs that led to the basement.

Frank had already set down his bottle. “Trouble?” He reached up above the fridge, opened a small cabinet and pulled out a pistol and three extra clips. He handed them over to Jack.

“Company.” Jack reached up by the light over the sink to where a small button had been installed. There was at least one in each room of the house, high enough up that they were unlikely to be touched by accident. Jack depressed it, knowing that it would alert the base. “Jaffa, by the look of them.”

Frank and Jack both headed out of the kitchen, Frank stopping to take up another secreted pistol and ammo on the way. “Jaffa? How did they get past the orbital defense system?”

“Dunno. We should try to take one of them alive. It’ll give the guys on the base something to do.”

“Dr. Copeland?” Jenny looked up from where she was crouched by the crumbled remains of an altar. The familiar form of the Jan’al native who had volunteered to be her assistant was hovering in the archway. “You have been working for a long time. I thought you might wish for some nourishment.”

She smiled. “Did the soldiers put you up to this, Tessan?”

The man grinned. “In truth, they did tell me that you were likely to forget to eat when you are working.” He was carrying a wooden tray ladened with light fare, mostly fruits and thin cuts of meat. He sat them down on the worktable she had brought in for her tools. “You need to keep up your strength.”

She stood up, wincing as the stiffness in her knees from being in a squatted position for so long, and came over to join him. “I am starting to feel a bit peckish.” Tugging some wet wipes out of her pack, she cleaned off her hands the best she was able before selecting a wedge of fruit. When the Goa’uld had brought humans to this planet, they had brought several species of plants as well. Oranges, pomegranates, olives, mangos and multiple species of grapes thrived here. The locals had developed a rich and diverse diet, including some exquisite wines and ales. When Jennifer wasn’t working, she was in heaven.

Tessan smiled and started to pour something from a wineskin into a goblet. Jenny shook her head, swallowing the fruit. “I can’t drink on the job.”

“It is not wine, it is only fruit juice. Freshly pressed this morning.” He sat the goblet down before her and filled his own. He put the plug back into the wineskin and selected a piece of fruit to eat on. Jenny was helping herself to some of the meat as Tessan looked around. He reached down and pulled out something from her pack. “This is your son?”

Jenny looked at the picture and nodded. “That’s him. His name is David. He’s a little more than five-years-old now.”

“He’s a handsome child. You must be very proud of him.”

She chased down some of the food with a mouthful of juice. “I am. He’s wonderful. I can’t wait to get home and see him again.”

Tessan nodded. “It must be difficult, to be a mother and to be parted from your child. Your husband cares for him while you are away?”

She smiled. “My father. I don’t have a husband, not any longer.” She took another drink of the juice. It was pleasantly sweet and light. “What of you, Tessan? Do you have any children?”

He hesitated at first. “I… I have a daughter. She was born only a few months ago. Her mother did not survive the birthing.”

Jennifer bit her lip. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have pried.”

“No, it is all right. I have a sister with a young one of her own. She helps me to care for her.” He paused as Jenny yawned, covering up her mouth. “You are weary.”

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I guess I’ve just been keeping too many hours.” She looked truly embarrassed by her actions, but she also looked exhausted. Tessan refilled her goblet.

“You have been working since before sunrise. You should rest once you have eaten.”

“Can’t. The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can go home and I can get back to David.”

Tessan nodded. “You must miss him terribly.” She yawned again, this time frowning. “But you will be with him again.”

“Why am I so tired?” She looked at the food and drink. “What’s in this?”

“It will not harm you. It will only help you to sleep.”

“What have you done?” She tried to get up from the table, but she stumbled, her legs suddenly feeling very heavy. Tessan moved to her side to keep her from harming herself.

“I have done what our god has commanded of me. You and your son will be reunited with him, soon.” Tessan lowered her to the cracked stone floor of the ancient ruins, taking care not to harm her. Once she was lying down, he stroked her hair gently. “What an extraordinary woman you must be, to have been chosen to bear the child of your god.”

“Tessan, he is… he is not a god.”

“Is that what I think it is?”

Corporal Tyler peered through the binoculars his sergeant passed to him and nodded. “If you think it looks like a group of Jaffa, then it’s exactly what you think it is.” He zoomed in the view. “Oh, look… they work for our old buddy Camulus.”

Sergeant Dobson sighed and reached towards his com unit. “Just once I’d like a nice, boring mission. You know, one that doesn’t involve gunfire and fighting for our lives.”

“Where’s the fun in that, Sergeant?”

“Funny.” He opened the channel. “Colonel, we’ve got visitors. Looks like a unit of Jaffa, bearing Camulus’ mark.”

At the base camp, Sam answered the call. “Are you certain?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Not a big group, only eight that we could see.”

Samantha exchanged a look with Teal’c. “Understood. All personnel check in.”

Dobson and Tyler checked in first. Chan and Delacroix were next. She already knew where Teal’c was. Danny’s voice came over the channel with a bit of static. “I’m here, on my way back to the site.” There was an extended silence, but Danny eventually came back over. “Jenny, it’s your turn.”

There was no response. Sam looked back at Teal’c as she lifted her com unit again. “Dr. Copeland, report.” Again, nothing. “Chan, Delacroix, rendezvous at the dig site. Dobbs, you and Tyler get to the gate and get ready to dial home. We’re getting out of here.” She terminated the communication and looked at Teal’c. “Let’s go.”

They moved through the remains of the ancient city, but slowed as they heard Daniel’s voice. “Tessan, move away from her.”

“I have not harmed her. She is only sleeping. Our god wishes her returned to him, uninjured. He wishes for the mother of his child to be at his side as she is meant to be.”

Carter held back a growl as she edged towards the voices. Daniel was still trying to buy them time. “Jennifer does not wish to return to him. She does not belong to him.”

“She is confused! You have poisoned her mind against him!”

Carter’s com crackled on as Chan’s voice came over. “Colonel, we’re in position. Do you want me to take the shot?” She had just gotten into a position where she could see Daniel and Tessan. There was a lump on the ground behind Tessan, presumably Jennifer. Her would-be kidnapper had a crossbow trained on Daniel.

“Keep it clean, we don’t want to kill him if we don’t have to.”

“Understood.”

Daniel was still trying to reason with the man. “Tessan, Camulus is not a god. He is part of a highly advanced race, but he is not a god.”

“You lie! Lord Camulus works miracles. He watches over his…”

A report sounded as Chan fired. The round pierced Tessan’s shoulder, knocking him back. Carter and Teal’c moved in quickly. “Teal’c, get Jenny. That shot will bring the Jaffa. We’ve got to get out of here.”

Teal’c lifted the unconscious woman into his arms as Chan and Delacroix ran towards them. One of the grabbed Jenny’s pack while the other one applied a pressure bandage to Tessan’s wounds as quickly as he could. They all took off running, not wishing to risk there being more Jaffa than had originally been counted. Dobbs and Tyler were already dialing in as they drew closer, the IDC code sent by the time they reached the podium.

General Landry was frowning as he entered the infirmary about thirty minutes later. “Colonel Carter, you weren’t due to return for another forty-eight hours.” He cast a glance over at Dr. Copeland, silent and unmoving in one of the clinic beds. “What happened?”

“We joined Dr. Copeland’s team so that Daniel could work with her on the site. While on patrol Dobson and Tyler located a contingent of Jaffa, bearing the mark of Camulus. When I asked for all personnel to report in, Dr. Copeland failed to respond. Daniel arrived at the dig site first to find Tessan, the local who had volunteered to be her assistant during our stay there, attempting to abduct her.”

Landry frowned and looked over at the doctor. “What do you have?”

“There is residue on her lips, consistent with a sweet drink, like fruit juice, maybe just fruit. From what Dr. Jackson says about the encounter, it’s obvious they were attempting to take her unharmed, so it’s most likely some type of fast acting sedative. We’ve taken blood samples to make sure, but she should wake up on her own after a few hours.”

“That’s good to know.” All heads turned as Jack came in. Samantha frowned as she noted her husband’s arm was in a sling. “Hi, Honey.”

“What happened?”

General Landry took a breath. “There was an incident at Dr. Copeland’s residence. A group of Jaffa somehow managed to make it to the planet surface without detection.”

Jack grimaced. “I was over there for dinner when they attacked.”

Sam blanched, Daniel looked from Jack to Landry and back. “Is David all right?”

“Yeah, David’s fine. He’s in one of the VIP suites. Siler volunteered to keep him entertained.”

Sam frowned. “You brought David here? Where’s the Admiral?” Jack lowered his gaze, confirming her fears. “Oh, God.”

Admiral Frank Rice, retired, was buried with full honors as we befitting a man who has spent so many years in service to his country. During his career, he had made a great number of friends, both civilian and military. A lone figure standing apart from the crowd looked out at the multitude of brass standing around the grave. Dark eyes zeroed in on the tall, slender woman standing amongst the throng of uniforms, dressed head to toe in black, one hand gripping that of a young boy who snapped a salute as the admiral was lowered into the ground.

The man did not approach the woman that day. Timing was not yet pressing down on them and he could wait for nearly two weeks, when she would have returned to her office to begin packing things away in preparation of her departure. He found her there, apparently trying to deal with what looked like the contents of several file cabinets that had somehow exploded. He knocked on the doorframe to get her attention. “Dr. Copeland?”

Jennifer Copeland made some non-verbal noise, her back still to him at first. He watched as she closed up another manila file folder and slipped it into a cardboard box marked ‘Dr. Brophy’ before turning around towards the door. Her expression was neutral until she caught full sight of him, at which point her eyes widened and he saw her lunge for something behind the stacks of files and papers. Before he could ask if something was wrong, she had brought up a standard issue sidearm and leveled it in his direction. It became suddenly clear to him that he should have inquired about whether or not anyone had spoken to her yet, or at the very least, he should have had Dr. Jackson bring him down here.

He raised his hands to show that he was unarmed. “I’m going to assume that no one warned you about me. I’m Colonel James Coburn, U.S. Air Force. I’ll be the OIC during the trip to the Pegasus Galaxy.” He looked from the muzzle of the pistol to Jenny’s wide, fearful eyes. “I assure you; there are no snakes in my head.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“What if they break it?”

Jenny shook her head in amusement. “They’re not going to break it.”

“But they might.”

“We packed it up in that special case it came in, the one with all the foam. You’ll see; we’ll get to Atlantis and you’ll unpack it, and everything will be just as it’s supposed to be.”

David looked unconvinced. “But what if it isn’t? Grandpa said it cost a lot of money. I don’t want it broken.”

She ran her fingers through her son’s hair. “It won’t be. You’ll see.”

“Doctor. I trust everything you want to take with you is loaded up and ready to go.”

Jenny looked towards the voice. Upon making visual contact with the speaker, she jumped with a yelp. Unfortunately, her fingers were still in Davey’s hair at the time. “Ow! MOM!”

She let go of his hair and hugged him close. “Sorry, Sweetie. Mommy just got a bit startled.” She gave an uncomfortable look towards Coburn. “Yes, Colonel, we’re all set.”

James gave mother and son and cautious look and nodded. “Good. Captain Sands wants to depart at twelve hundred hours. You’ll need to be aboard by then.”

“We’ll be ready, Colonel.”

He nodded and gave a look to Captain Ford. “Let’s go.” They left Jenny and David in the observation room, looking out onto the Icarus. Once the door was closed behind, Ford gave a puzzled look behind him.

“What was that about? She looked like she’d seen a ghost.”

Coburn sighed. “Camulus.”

“That sounds familiar. There were some rumors flying around about a Goa’uld named Camulus. Something about him being granted asylum.”

James nodded. “He was, and he played by the rules for a time, then he stabbed us in the back. Doctor Copeland was his unwilling guest for a while.”

“Yeowch. But if you don’t mind my asking, Sir, why would that make her afraid of you?”

James swiped his ID card to open the lift and stepped in first. “Almost seven years ago I was stationed on P4X-650, the alpha site, working as a test pilot for the F-302. One day the SGC dials in, a security team and medical tech come through and I’m ordered to present for a full medical evaluation. MRI, blood work, everything you could think of. Turns out that Camulus arrived on Earth in a host body that could be my identical twin. The Air Force wanted to make certain that I was where they had left me and that I hadn’t been taken as a host.”

Aiden Ford blinked and gave a low whistle. “Damn, that’s gotta be creepy. Some snake walking around with your face.”

“It’s not a pleasant thought. On the bright side, though, once we get to Atlantis I’m likely to be too busy to cross paths with Dr. Copeland very often. With any luck, once we get her out of the Milky Way Galaxy all together, she’ll stop jumping at shadows.”

Ford tried to fight a smile. “She must have freaked first time she saw you.”

“I’d say so. She pointed a gun at my head.”

Aiden blinked. “She did? What did you do?”

“Thanked God she wasn’t my ex-wife. She would have pulled the trigger.”

~***~

“New arrivals.”

Teyla stood on the second level with Rodney, Major Copeland and Dr. Zelenka. “Who are your leaders sending this time?”

Rodney shrugged. “Primarily military personnel, some scientific personnel. Thom here is going home along with some others. With any luck, we’ll get Aiden back.”

“Jenny.” Copeland leaned over the railing, looking at the arrivals. “It’s Jenny.”

Rodney frowned. “Who?”

“My ex-wife, Jennifer Copeland.”

“Oh… that could be uncomfortable, if you weren’t leaving.”

Teyla frowned. “Your ‘ex’ wife?”

“She got a divorce. It was all my fault, she did the right thing.” He frowned. “And she brought the kid.”

Rodney was suddenly more interested. “Kid? What kid?” He turned back around and sought out a slender woman with a small boy by her side. “When did they start clearing families? This is great. There are brilliant minds we haven’t been able to bring in because they have spouses and children. If they start letting entire families come through…”

Thom had already moved away from the group to head down a spiral staircase and move towards the group. “Jenny!” She heard him and looked up to note his approach. David frowned at the approaching stranger and pressed more closely to his mother as Thom came to a stop before them. “I didn’t expect you to come all the way out here.” He looked her over. “You look great.”

Jenny gave a gentle smile. “Hi, Thom. I could say the same for you. Pegasus appears to agree with you.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope that I can still make it on Earth. I’m swapping out with someone else.” He looked at the child. “You must be David. I’m Thom.”

Davey was still looking uncertain. “How do you know Mom?”

“Well,” he gave Jennifer a brief look, “we’re old friends. Used to hang out together all the time.”

“Oh.” David looked around himself at the crowd. “Are there any kids here?”

“You’re the only kid from Earth, but there are the Athosians here as well, and they have kids. I’m sure they’d love to get to meet you.”

David’s eyes got big. “Aliens? Cool! What do they look like?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Kid, but they look like us.” He grinned as the boy gave a disgruntled look before directing his attention back to Jennifer. “What brings you guys all the way out there?”

She looked uncomfortable. “Well, actually… we’re on the run.” She gave a single shouldered shrug. “It’s a long story.”

Thom winced. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s a snake involved?” He looked around the crowd and gave a momentary jerk. “Wow, they weren’t kidding. He does look exactly like Camulus.”

Jenny frowned. “You mean someone told you guys about Coburn?”

“Yeah. They dialed up the gate to transmit a report and got the file on the new OIC and other personnel. Since Dr. Weir was the one Camulus asked asylum from, the brass thought she should know about Coburn’s resemblance.”

She scowled. “Well, it would have been nice if someone had told me. He about scared me shi… uhm… half to death.”

“It’s okay to say ‘shitless’, Mom. Grandpa said it all the time.”

Thom turned his head back around to look at Davey, and then give a barely repressed grin to Jennifer. Jenny was pinching her son’s nose. “That doesn’t mean you should say it. Do as I say, not as I do.”

“Don’t argue with your Mom. It’ll make her cranky.” His grin turned mischievous. “So… what did you do when you met him?”

Jenny blushed scarlet. “I might have pointed a gun at him.”

“Oh, sometimes I really wish I were a civilian. I would have been court-martialed for that.”

“Thom, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Thom turned around to find that the others had come down as well. “Oh, sorry. Jennifer, this is Teyla Emmagen, leader of the Athosians, and this is Dr. McKay and Dr. Zelenka.”

Jennifer smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Rodney jumped in first. “Doctor of what?”

“Anthropology and Archeology. I also speak ten languages, including Ancient. I’m here to help with translating the database.”

“Oh, good, that will free up the real scientists.” Jenny’s brow raised as Zelenka gave McKay a sharp punch in the shoulder. “What? It’s not like we have a lot of call for an archeologist.”

David became interested again. “Really?” He craned his neck back. “Does that mean they won’t send you away all the time?”

“That’s the plan. Back to a plain, boring, old desk job for me.”

Teyla crouched down with a gentle smile. “And who might you be?”

David looked at the beautiful woman with a bit of shyness. “David Franklin Copeland.”

“It is an honor to meet you, David. What is that you have in your hand?”

The child opened his hand to reveal a small figuring of a man in a uniform. “It’s my grandpa. Well… it’s not really my grandpa, it’s supposed to be Captain James Sythe, but I pretend that it’s my grandpa.”

Thomas looked at Jenny in askance. She smiled. “Captain Sythe is the current commander of the Ronald Reagan.”

“The aircraft carrier?”

“Yeah. The moment Dad told Davey he used to have one, he started begging for one. Dad bought him this hideously expensive replica, almost as long as David is tall. It’s the kind of thing that serious collectors and museums commission. He’s been fretting over its safety ever since we left Earth. I can’t wait to get where he can unpack the rest of it and make sure it’s all right.”

Thom as about to make a joke, but the overhead system kicked on, calling all military personnel to formation. “Gotta go.” He looked at Jenny for an extended moment. “Welcome to Atlantis. I think you’ll like it here.”

James Coburn stood and watched as the military personnel gathered. Air Force, Army and Marines. Although Atlantis was a city surrounded by water, they hadn’t brought any Navy with them, though he wouldn’t have minded at least one SEAL team. Once they had fallen into rank and file, he nodded to Major Sheppard to call them to attention and walked down the small flight of steps to address them. It wasn’t a large garrison, and would be even smaller once those finishing up their tour left, but it was his.

“My name is Colonel James B. Coburn, and I am your new commanding officer. For those among you who have served here, your countries and your home world would like to extend their deepest gratitude for all that you have done. Your sacrifice and your courage are deeply appreciated. For those of you who arrived with me, this is, without doubt, the most important mission you are likely to ever undertake. However, before we get started, I need to get my first official piece of business as your CO out of the way. Major Sheppard, front and center.”

Captain Ford detached himself from his group to accept a paper from Coburn. John looked at the smile the two men exchanged with some trepidation. If it were anyone but Ford, he’d be worried. Coburn reached into a pocket and pulled out something as Ford began to read from the paper. “In recognition of service above and beyond the call of duty, bravery in the face of extreme adversity and performance that exceeds the requirements of rank, Major John Sheppard is hereby promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel, with all the duties, responsibilities and privileges that accompany that rank.”

By the time Ford had read through the promotion orders, Coburn was fastening the second leaf on Sheppard’s collar. John looked like he’d been hit in the back of the head with the blunt end of an axe. James kept his face professionally neutral before giving the new Lt. Colonel a salute. Only then did he speak in a tone that could only be heard by the two of them. “It’s long over due, Sheppard.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Coburn looked back over the gathered soldiers. “For those of you who are to head back to Earth, you have seventy-two hours remaining before Icarus gets underway. Any of you who have second thoughts about leaving or staying, bring your concerns to me. Dismissed.”

John looked over at Aiden. “Did you know about this?”

Ford grinned. “I might have heard something, Sir.”

“I asked the Captain if you’d rather have this done in private or at formation. He said you’d be more comfortable if I just handed it to you behind closed doors, but that your expression would be more amusing in public.” John gave Aiden a look of false irritation as Coburn handed something to him. “Here, not that we probably wear dress uniforms here often, but you may still want to hold on to them.”

John accepted the silver oak leaves that were the dress version of black ones now on his BDUs. “Lt. Colonel. I thought I’d be kicked out before I’d make this.”

“It wasn’t easy.” James motioned for them both to walk with him. “I had to get General Hammond to call up some buddies of his and convince them that I needed you to have enough rank to give orders to the two majors I brought with me. There are still those who can’t see past your record, and the fact that the last three colonels sent out here all ended up dead.”

“You worried, Sir?”

James shook his head. “Not at all. Sumner was a good man, and a seasoned member of the SGC. I doubt he went down easy. Everett and Michaels, neither of them were SGC. They were good soldiers, don’t get me wrong, but they only had reports to go by and they’d never faced an enemy that wasn’t from the same planet they were.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, Sir, how are you different?”

James arched a brow, but smiled. “I’ve been where you are, Sheppard. I was on SG-2, one of the first teams to go through the Stargate. We rushed into things that we were in no way prepared for. Faced situations where the rulebook didn’t work because the rules to handle them hadn’t been written yet. We had to come up with new ideas, new ways of thinking and had to do it all with Jaffa and Goa’uld and staff blasts going over our heads. I’m not saying that I can just walk in and know what to do, but I know better than to assume I’m fully prepared to face the Wraith based solely on reports. You wrote this rule book, and I’d be ten different kinds of an idiot not to use you.”

Coburn turned away and resumed walking to where his new office was. John looked at Aiden, who grinned and asked, “Well?”

“I think I’m going to like this colonel. And I’ve never liked a colonel. Anyone with higher rank than me always comes across as an asshole.”

Aiden grinned wider. “I’ve got a good feeling about this one. I think he might actually be up to the job.”

John gave a slight smile. “You mean this one might actually stick around and be in charge so I can spend more time exploring? Thoughtful of the Pentagon to send me a colonel for my birthday.”

“It’s your birthday?”

“Not really.”

~***~

James gave an inquiring look as he entered his office. “Dr. Weir, you were next on my list.”

“Your list?”

He motioned for her to have a seat. “My list of key people to meet up with. What’s on your mind?”

“You are.” She crossed her legs at the ankles. “The two colonels before you both made their first act an attempt to shut me out. I was wondering how difficult setting a working relationship between us would be?”

James shrugged as he took his own seat. “How hard do you want it to be?” She raised a brow. “I’m not going to cut you out of the loop, Doctor. Atlantis is a research station that is populated by some of the finest minds from a multitude of nationalities. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of underlying tension and strain that can lead to. The only difference between this place and the United Nations is that these scientists can’t influence their leaders to start an altercation against another country or levy trade sanctions. You are respected for your skills as a diplomat and talent for negotiations. I’m a soldier.”

He leaned forward. “I love the military. I love being a soldier. And I really love how interesting my life in service became after we started going to other planets. However, I am not so blind that I can’t realize that, as much as we complain, we need people like you.”

“How so?”

“People like you keep people like me from swallowing our shoes.” She gave him a confused look. “You keep us from putting our foot in our mouths.”

That made her smile. “Then how come the military so rarely listens to people like me?”

“That’s easy. You’re not always right.”

Elizabeth looked about to argue that, but stopped. “Okay, I’ll give you that.” She took a breath. “Is Copeland going to be a problem?”

“Major or Doctor?”

“Doctor. The Major is leaving, and I’m more concerned about a Gao’uld System Lord showing up on our doorstep. The Wraith are enough of a headache.”

James shook his head. “I doubt it. For all their advanced technology, there has never been any indication that the Goa’uld are capable of intergalactic travel. Even if Camulus knew where she was, it’s unlikely that he could get here. That’s why this is the perfect place to send her. Besides, this way you get one of the finest linguists and anthropologists the SGC has to offer.”

“I hope you’re right about this, Colonel. We have enough troubles with borrowing more.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Jennifer looked through the carefully packed case of ‘office supplies’ to find two e-books. “Okay, we’ll take a story book, but you have to complete at least one writing lesson and one math lesson before you can use it. Understand?”

“Uh huh.” David took the slim, portable computers into his hands gingerly. “What happens if I read everything we brought? What will I do, then?”

Jennifer grinned. “Well, if you manage to read twenty e-books, each with the equivalent of one hundred books, before you’re old enough to be put to work like an adult, then we’ll just have to think of something.”

“Like what?”

“Like reading something more than once. People do read books more than once, y’know.” Jenny ruffled his hair playfully. “Besides, by the time you read through all that, you’ll probably be harassing the scientists to make you a lab assistant so you can learn some really cool stuff.”

David rolled his eyes. “They think corn flakes are cool.” He had been gravely disappointed that breakfast hadn’t been something new and unusual. At the very least he would have thought it’d be a different color. She fought to keep from laughing.

“Honey, these people haven’t had corn flakes in a while. Remember how long it took us to get here? That’s how long it takes to get supplies from Earth.”

“Why don’t they just send them through that thing that makes the tunnels?” She hadn’t been quite certain how to explain the Stargate to Davey. Describing it as something that made tunnels between planets seemed to be more understandable to the five-year-old.

“Well, it’s a very long way from Earth to here, and it takes a lot of energy. Until we find where in the database it tells how to make a zero-point-module, every one that is found has to be used sparingly. That means that they can’t risk opening a tunnel unless it’s a real emergency.” She gave him a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that when we run out of Earth food you’ll get to try something different. Now, let’s go. I need to get started on my new job.”

She had been given a room to use for an office that was easily accessible by most of the different ‘departments’ on Atlantis. It was also large enough that David could have his own area. This was where he had wanted the Ronald Reagan set up on a low-lying table. He had spent nearly an hour making sure that each tiny sailor and marine was where they were supposed to be and that all the fighters still had their wings and ordnance in tact. He also had a little desk and chair for him to work at while doing his lessons, sitting right next to the doors that opened out onto a balcony.

Jenny set him to his lessons before sitting down at her own desk and firing up her work terminal. She preferred working with paper and pencil, but such things were a rarity on Atlantis. Most things were digital because hauling enough paper to document everything here would be a needless waste of precious cargo space. Apparently two metric tons of vacuum-sealed coffee was more important. Not that she was complaining about the coffee. She had managed to snag two cups at breakfast herself.

David was clever enough not to bother her while she was working, although she would look up to check on him from time to time. He was bent over his math problems when the door to their room opened up and Dr. McKay came through. “Oh, good. You’re here.”

Jenny looked up from her screen with a smile. “Is there something I can do for you, Dr. McKay?”

“Yes.” He approached her and handed her a data recorder, the screen filled with Ancient script. “I need you to translate this block of the database for us. We think it says how to build zero point modules.”

She accepted the recorder and skimmed the text. “It does look promising.”

“That’s what I said.” McKay caught sight of David where he sat with his head bent over his schoolwork and walked over to examine it. “Basic math? How old are you?”

David looked up at Rodney. “I’m five.”

“Five? Good Lord. I was doing algebra at five.” He turned his attention back to Jennifer, so he didn’t see David making faces behind his back. “I shouldn’t have to tell you that this is of the highest importance.”

Jennifer was concentrating on not laughing at her son, who was now sticking his tongue out while pretending to pick his nose. “Of course, you’re right. I’ll get right on it.”

“Good. Let me know when you’re done.” McKay left the room in the same, quick step he’d used to arrive. Jennifer looked back at her son, who was now pretending to be perfectly innocent.

“He was doing algebra when he was five.” She kept her voice quite even, but she was unable to keep from smiling. David rolled his eyes and went back to his schoolwork.

She was making quite a bit of headway in the translation when she felt David standing beside her. “Mother, mere mortals must eat.”

She paused and looked up with a single brow raised. “You know, you don’t have to copy everything your grandfather ever did or said.” He giggled in response as she reached out and began to tickle him. “Come on, brat. Let’s go find something that resembles food.”

They were just at the door when it opened to reveal Dr. Beckett. “Oh, I’m sorry. Where you two going somewhere?”

Jenny smiled. “We were on the search for lunch. How can I help you, Doctor?”

Carson came into the room. “Well, I need you to report to medical in the next few days for the gene therapy. There’s no guarantee that it will take, of course, but if it does you can access the database directly from the system rather than needing it downloaded first.”

David craned his neck up to look at the doctor. “Do I get the therapy, too?”

Carson looked down at the boy. “Uhm… no… not at the moment. But perhaps when you’re older…”

Davey sighed. “Everyone says that.”

Jenny shared a look with the doctor that communicated the cuteness of young children. “I’ll be certain to stop by.”

“Good. That’s good. There was one other thing, though.” He held out another data recorder. “This section of the database, we think it is a record of what the Ancients knew about the Wraiths biology. We hope that it will give us enough that… I can’t even believe I’m considering this.”

Jennifer noted the distinctly uncomfortable posture of the man before her. The reason was immediately evident to her. “It’s all right, Doctor.” She took the recorder. “I’ll get the translation to you later.”

Carson gave a relieved sigh. “Thank you. I appreciate it. We all do, really.” He smiled. “It’s a relief to have a real linguist on staff for a change.”

“She’s also an arkologist and an ant-row… anto…”

Jenny ruffled Davey’s hair. “Anthropologist. And archeologist. And I’m happy to be here, Dr. Beckett.”

“Yes, well… welcome.” He moved to turn away and stopped himself. “Oh, and this section of the database; it truly is of the highest importance.”

David frowned. “But that…” He was cut off by Jenny’s hand over his mouth.

“I’ll get right on it, Doctor.”

“Thank you. I’ll just let you two get on with lunch, then, shall I.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll get the translation to you as soon as I can.”

She watched him leave before taking her hand away. “What about Algebra Man?”

“Dunno. I’ll just have to think of something.”

Lunch was, to David’s disappointment, plain, old hamburgers and fries. He did, however, enjoy the ice cream. They split a bowl between them before going back to the office. Jenny started on Dr. Beckett’s translation, mainly because she felt Carson Beckett was a nicer man then Rodney McKay. David had finished his math and writing lessons, but had opted to play with his ship rather than stare at a digital screen any longer. ‘Admiral Grandpa’ was just about to order that they scramble the fighters for an attack when the door opened again.

Jenny looked up and froze for a moment. She managed to force a gentle smile on her face before speaking. “Hello, Colonel. What can I do for you?”

James paused at the door before coming in. “No jumping. No firearms pointed at my head. I think we’re making progress.” He tapped the data recorder in his hand against the opposite palm as he looked around the room. His eyes rested on the replica. “Nice!” He walked over to examine it. David beamed at the obvious appreciation. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s the Ronald Reagan. She’s an aircraft carrier. Grandpa gave her to me for Christmas.”

“You made out like a little bandit. I haven’t seen anything this good since touring the Smithsonian.” The colonel squatted down to look at the fighters. “That’s really amazing detail on those planes. I can even make out the instruments on the consoles.”

“They’re Navy fighters, because Navy pilots are the best and get the best.”

James paused and looked over at the boy. “Who told you Navy pilots are the best?”

“Grandpa.”

“And what if I say ‘Air Force Pilots are the best’?”

David rolled his eyes. “Grandpa was an admiral. That outranks a colonel.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s smarter than a colonel.”

“Uh huh.”

James turned around at the sound of Jennifer coughing. It was obviously fake. “Was there something you needed, Colonel?” Her eyes were shining with amusement. He gave her an irritated glare in exchange as he got up.

“I have a portion of the Ancient database I need translated. We think it deals with the city’s defensive weapons.”

“It’s of the highest importance.” David didn’t even bother to look up from where he was marching the captain across the deck of the ship. James looked back at the child, then at Jennifer, his expression puzzled for a moment before he seemed to catch on.

“How has your day been, Doctor?”

“Not bad. Just a few things that are all of the ‘highest’ importance.”

He gave a brief chuckle. “Such as?”

Jenny shrugged. “Dr. McKay has what he thinks are the instructions on how to build a ZPM and Dr. Beckett thinks he may have found detailed information on the biology of the Wraith. Now we have weapons systems.” She leaned back in her chair. “These people needed a dedicated translator long before now.”

James nodded and sat down in a chair across the desk from Jennifer. “True, but people who can read, write and speak Ancient are a rare commodity. The SGC couldn’t afford to send anyone. In truth, they still can’t. Your unusual situation is Atlantis’ gain.”

Jenny cast a solemn look towards David. He was still playing, now making engine noises while pretending to fly a fighter from the ship. “Yeah, I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

Coburn studied Jennifer’s now serious expression. “Doctor Copeland, it’s not your fault. None of it was.”

Blue eyes turned back to him. “Yes, it was. A good portion of it, anyway.” She looked back towards David. “But that’s not really something I feel comfortable speaking about it right now.”

James looked over his shoulder at the child. “I understand.” He looked back to Jennifer. “Defense, tactics and offense.”

Jenny blinked. “Pardon?”

He looked back. “We need to be able to defend ourselves against the Wraith before we try and go after them. Work on McKay’s power source first, the weapons second and then deal with Beckett’s file.”

“Oh. Okay.”

James grinned. “Lucky for you that Beckett is the nicer of the two. He’s less likely to give you grief over the order.” James got up from the chair, handing over the data recorder with his section of the database on it. “Have fun, Doc.” He gave her a little salute before heading towards the door, pausing to look back at David. “Hey, Kid… what do you think of generals?”

David looked up. “Jack’s cool.”

“Jack O’Neill?” James looked at Jennifer. “He’s on a first name basis with Jack O’Neill?” Jennifer held up her left hand, her index and ring finger close together as she mouthed ‘like this’ to him silently. Coburn let out an exaggerated sigh. “Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

James lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. He needed to be sleeping, but every time he closed his eyes to do so, he ended up having the most inappropriate dreams.

They had started back on Earth after he had med Jenny Copeland face-to-face. Dreams filled with heated kisses and explorations, and clear blue eyes looking up at him with desire. He liked to think that he had complete control over himself, but he seemed to be having trouble keeping that woman out of his thoughts during the day and had no ability to keep her out during the night.

She wasn’t even the type he usually went for! He preferred his women blonde and curvy. Jennifer didn’t lack for a decent figure, but she wasn’t nearly as ample as he usually liked. And she was anything but blonde. He also didn’t usually go for women smarter than he was. He didn’t consider himself unintelligent, but he at least wanted to be able to understand half of what his partner was saying.

He gave up on getting any more sleep that night. He threw the covers aside and got up. He pulled on his favorite pair of sweat pants, a muscle shirt and some running shoes. If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well get in some exercise. Atlantis was a big place. Maybe it was time for a run.

~***~

Jenny sat up in bed with a scream, but covered her mouth quickly. Her breathing was rapid and her heart was hammering. She trained her ears to listen for any noises from the small room connected to her own, but it did not sound as though Davey hadn’t heard her.

She had been dreaming about James Coburn. They had been in her room back on Earth with her on her back in the large bed she had bought after the divorce. There had been so much of him to touch and to taste. Broad shoulders and warm skin. He had been moving within her with such gentleness and care that she had felt like she would fly apart.

She had woken up when his face had been looking down at her and his eyes had glowed.

She lay back down on the bed, trying to push the image out of her mind. Coburn wasn’t Camulus. She knew this. Coburn was an officer of the United States Air Force and a good man. General Landry had assured her of as much when she had voiced her concerns about him. They had even shown her the latest MRI, taken only two months before, to assure her that he wasn’t a host. And there was no familiar pull from Naquadah as she felt with Camulus. It was just a coincidence. A freak accident of genetics that made Coburn look like Calum. Maybe Coburn and Calum were related, though separated by generations. That could explain how the same combination of genes had shown up again after so many centuries.

Besides, she wasn’t looking for entanglements on Atlantis. She had Davey and he needed her to be there for him, not gallivanting off after someone with a handsome face. Not to mention that it would take an extraordinary man to willingly come into the life of a single mother. Not just anyone would do for a stepfather for her son. He’d have to be someone pretty amazing.

Now look at her! Thinking of stepfathers and boyfriends, like someone who actually had any business looking for romance. She scolded herself and rolled over onto her side, giving her pillow a firm punch as she settled in and tried to go back to sleep.

~***~

Coburn slowed his pace as he caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure leaning against one of the windows looking out onto the water. “Major Copeland.”

Thomas straightened up and turned. He was off duty and just getting one last look around the city before shipping out tomorrow. “Colonel.”

James came to a stop at the same overlook. He’d been running for a good thirty minutes so far and had worked up a nice sweat. “Looking forward to the trip home?”

“Kinda torn, actually. I don’t really have anything to go back to Earth for. I was going to ask you to possibly change my orders to let me stay on.”

“There’s still time. Given the unique situation we’re in out here, I’ve got full permission to do so. You can stay.”

Thom shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think I should.”

“Why not?”

“Jenny. We parted on good terms, for the most part, but I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. I’ve had my run here, now it’s her turn. I don’t want to cramp her style. And it would probably confuse the hell out of the kid.” He took a perch on the railing as Coburn leaned against the wall.

“I’ve read your file. It said that you were taken as a host for a time?”

“Yeah, by a snake who called himself ‘Zeus’. I didn’t remember much at first, but over time more and more has come back to me. You know how Teal’c and the Jaffa are always saying that the Goa’uld are born evil?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re right. Rotten to the core, all of them. There wasn’t a single, redeeming quality in that thing. And all I could do was scream inside my own mind as he plotted and schemed… and all the times he used Jenny for his own gratification… I had to spend a lot of time in Heightmeyer’s office when I started remembering those parts.”

James frowned. “I can’t imagine what that must be like. You know, with all the things that we had to go through with the Stargate program, it’s a miracle any of us are still sane.”

“Who said we’re sane? I don’t know about you, Sir, but I’m nutty as a fruitcake.”

James laughed. “Yeah, I guess our sanity is often in question.” He shook his head, remembering his days on SG-2 with fondness. “Have you talked things over with your ex-wife? If you parted on good terms like you said, she may not have a problem with you staying here. In fact, she might enjoy having someone who was connected with everything she went through. You’ve got another… sixteen hours before Icarus leaves. Catch her at breakfast, talk it over and let me know what you decide.”

Thom shrugged. “Maybe I will. If she doesn’t punch my lights out, I’ll take it as a ‘yes’.”

Coburn arched a brow. “Does she usually resort to violence?”

“She’s the daughter of an admiral. She’s usually docile, but she’s not opposed to self-defense.” Thom grinned. “But at least she’s never pointed a gun at my head.”

“Oh, very amusing. I hope you do ask to stay. I’m sure they could use some help with KP.”

~***~

“Froot Loops?”

“You’d prefer Cheerios?”

David made a face and picked up his spoon. Jennifer was treating herself to an omelet, well aware that once the eggs, ham and cheese they’d brought with them were gone that she’d be unlikely to have another one for a long time. She was about a third of the way through her breakfast when a shadow fell over the table. Looking up, she gave a surprised smile. “Thom. Good morning.”

“Morning.” He gave a look towards David who was poking at his cereal with his spoon, not looking that happy about his breakfast choices. “Mind if I sit down?”

“Now, help yourself. Ignore the brat. He was expecting things like green eggs and ham. Froot Loops are kind of a let down.”

Thom sat down across from her. “We could always let some ham and eggs sit out for a while. Then they’d turn green. You wouldn’t want to eat them, but they’d be green.”

Jennifer took another bite of ham, cheese and eggs, smiling as David stuck his tongue out at Thom. “You all packed?”

Thom frowned. “Yeah, about that. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Shoot.”

He pushed his potatoes around on his plate. “I’ve been thinking, and I don’t really want to go back to Earth.”

“Then don’t.”

Thom blinked, rendered speechless for a moment. “That’s it? ‘Then don’t’? That’s your response?”

She shrugged. “Sure. You don’t wanna go, then don’t go. I heard Coburn. He said anyone who wanted to rethink going home should talk to him. You still got a few hours left, so go talk.”

“I did, last night. But I told him that I was afraid it would make you uncomfortable. He said to talk it over and let him know what I decided.”

“Why would it make me uncomfortable? We’re not married any longer. You wanna stay, then stay.”

“You were married?” David stared at Thom with his mouth agape. The adults paused, looking at one another as they tried to figure out how to explain this.

“Well, Honey, Thom and I were married, but it was over before you were even born.”

“Why?”

Thom moved his food around a bit more. “It didn’t work out between us. I was all wrong for your mom. Completely wrong for her. So we… ended it.”

David looked from one to the other. “I thought grownups who got divorced were mean to each other.”

“Well, not always. Thom and I both agree that our marriage wasn’t working, and we’re both adults, so we’re able to be mature about this.”

“Why didn’t it work?”

Thom winced a bit. “I… did some things that made your mom sad. Some really mean things.” He looked up and found David now scowling at him in a way that seemed oddly familiar. “Whoa… you have no idea how much you look like your grandfather right now.”

“I know, scary, isn’t it? I think Dad spent hours teaching him how to get that look just right. But seriously, Thom, I’m all right with it if you want to stay here. You don’t have to ask me.”

Thom smiled. “All right, then. I’ll talk to the Colonel and get my orders changed.” He scooped up a forkful of potatoes. “I wasn’t looking forward to that trip anyway.”

~***~

“Does it hurt?” David was leaning forward to watch he needle going into his mother’s arm.

“It’s like a pinch. Nothing bad.”

Dr. Beckett was administering the injection for the gene therapy. “It will take a little while before we know if this is successful. But, as I said, if it is you’ll be able to access the database directly.”

“That would be handy.”

“Have you made any progress on those files?”

Jenny winced. “Yeah, about those. There were two other projects handed to me at the same time. We think one tells how to build ZPMs and the other deals with the city’s defensive weapons. Colonel Coburn asked me to complete those first.”

Carson paused as if he were going to protest, but changed his mind. “I can see where those two things might take precedence. We need to be able to defend the city before we can attack.”

David reached out to hold the gauze over his mother’s arm as Beckett withdrew the needle. “That’s what Colonel Coburn said, too. Will this help Mom read Ancient, too?”

Carson gave a chuckle. “No, it won’t help her read or speak the language. It will only help her run the machines they left behind, if it takes. The therapy isn’t successful with everyone.” He opened an adhesive bandage to place over the injection site, indicating for David to let up on the gauze.

“Are you sure I don’t get a shot, too?”

“I’m quite sure.”

“Good.” David grinned. “I like you more than the doctors at the mountain base. They always wanted to give me shots.”

Jenny ruffled his hair. “They were always wanting to run more tests on Davey, trying to see if he was anything other than a normal kid.”

Carson gave a snort under his breath. “I’ve read the files. Most of what they were doing was completely uncalled for. All they were able to confirm is that the naquadah in you both has infused itself into your bone marrow and nervous systems. This was something that we already knew happened in such cases. Major Copeland has it as well.”

Davey frowned. “Why does he have it?”

Jenny kissed his temple. “It’s a long story, and one that isn’t for us to tell.”

“Would Thom tell me?”

“I think it’s best you don’t ask him, Sweetie. It’s not a very nice story and it might make him sad.”

“Oh.” David started swinging his feet off the side of the examining table absently. “Mom?”

“Yes, Honey?”

“Why aren’t there any ships here? There’s lot of water.”

“I don’t know. Maybe the Ancients didn’t use ships any more. They had those things that fly through the gate, instead.”

“Oh.” He watched as Carson checked some readings. “Are there fish on Atlantis?”

Jenny blinked. “I don’t know.” She looked at Dr. Beckett. “Have they found any fish?”

“We haven’t really looked for any. It’s a big planet, though. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Well, if we find fish, shouldn’t we build ships? We’ll need something to fishing on.”

Jennifer shook her head. “No, he’s not Navy in the slightest.”

Dr. Beckett laughed. “He has a point, though. And we’re always looking for new food supplies. Can’t imagine why we haven’t thought about it before now.” He looked towards David. “You should tell Colonel Coburn about that idea.”

“Yeah!” David scrambled off the table.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Colonel Coburn.” He took off towards the door at a dead run. Jenny was about to follow, but Beckett had put the blood pressure cuff back around her arm.

“Davey! Don’t go running off!”

“It’s all right! I won’t get lost!” He was out the door and down the hallway.

“He’ll be fine.” Beckett began inflating the cuff. “It’s not like there’s anyone to snatch him, here.”

~***~

“Colonel Coburn! Colonel Coburn!”

James turned around to see a lanky five-year-old barreling towards him. John and Teyla fell silent to observe as the child skidded to a stop. James took a mock-stern stance. “Ensign Copeland, did Admiral Rice allow you to run wild under his command?”

“Uhm… no, Sir. He…” Davey frowned. “Hey! How did you know I was an Ensign?”

“You’re a Navy man, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re too young to be anything higher.” James maintained a frown. “Does the Navy have some rule about not saluting a superior officer?” David snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute, which James returned. “That’s better. Now, tell me why you’re running through the halls screaming like a banshee.”

“Fish. You need to look for fish, Sir.”

“Fish? That’s a good idea, Ensign, but I’m sure they’ve thought of that already.”

John frowned. “Not that I remember, Sir.”

James turned to his 2IC. “You never looked for marine life?”

“There wasn’t any immediately evident when we arrived and the city was submerged, and we’ve been a bit preoccupied since then. Surely they would have put the city somewhere in the path of the food supply.”

Coburn shook his head. “Not if they wanted to avoid disturbing breeding grounds and natural habitats. Ecology is a delicate thing.” John was looking at him strangely. “My parents wanted me to be a scientist. My major was biology with a minor in military history. One semester dealt with marine life.”

“Nothing like a liberal arts education, Sir. But still, wouldn’t there be something close?”

David straightened up. “My Grandpa told me that the sea was like a desert.”

James nodded. “He’s right. It’s a common misconception that the sea is completely filled with life. In actuality the sea floor is wide, barren expanses with some areas of life here and there. Fish and other marine life tend to keep to certain currents and near shorelines where sunlight can penetrate far enough to promote an abundance vegetation. If there are fish on this planet, you’ll find them closer to land than out here.” He smiled down at Davey. “This is why the military is never complete without representation from all branches. We need a Navy man with us.”

David grinned broadly under the praise. Coburn gave a firm squeeze to his shoulder as he looked at John. “We need to get a team started on this. If there are fish of some sort on Atlantis it could mean a healthy and stable food source. That could go a long way in making us less dependant on other planets in case we get cut off by a blockade or an ally falls to a culling.”

Sheppard nodded. “I’ll get right on it, Sir.” He smiled down at the boy and gave a salute. “Good thinking, Ensign Copeland.”

David returned the salute, his smile blinding.

-----------------------------------------------------------

“And Colonel Coburn was a test pilot at the Alpha Site.”

“Was he, now? That sounds important.” Jenny pulled the covers up over Davey’s chest as he snuggled down into his pillow.

“What’s the Alpha Site?”

“Well, that’s a planet where there’s a base for research and to be a safe haven if Earth ever came under attack and we needed to hide important people to keep them safe.”

“Oh.” He hugged his plush orca to his chest. “Mom, are you and Major Thomas going to be married again?”

She blinked. “No. Why would you ask that, Sweetie?”

“When Mrs. Brandon divorced Mr. Brandon, she screamed at him and tried to hit him with his golf clubs. You’re nice to Major Thomas.”

Jenny stretched out on the bed next to her son. “Not everyone who gets divorced is mean to each other. Some people can be civil. Some can even remain friends.” She brushed a lock of his hair from his eyes. “Thomas and I don’t hate one another, but we don’t love one another any more. We won’t get married again.”

“Will you marry someone else?”

She supposed that every single mother got questions like these at one point or another. “Well, I don’t know. But I can tell you that if I ever did, he’d have to be a really special man.”

“How so?”

“Because he’d have to have enough love in him for both of us. I would never marry anyone who didn’t love you as much as I love you.” She gave him a playful tap on his nose. “And you’d have to like him, too.”

“I like Colonel Coburn. Is he special enough?”

She hadn’t really expected that particular move. “Well… uhm… I’m sure the Colonel is a… very nice man.”

“What’s a sex machine?”

She coughed. “What? Where did you hear that?”

“Some of the women were talking and they said that Colonel Coburn looks like a sex machine. What did they mean by that?”

“Well… they mean that they think he’s… very handsome.” She was going to have to keep a tighter rein on her son or somehow remind the people of Atlantis how to censor their speech around a child.

“Do you think he’s a sex machine?”

“I think you need to stop saying ‘sex machine’.” She tickled him playfully, making him squirm and giggle. “And I think you need to go to sleep.” She tucked the covers more tightly about him. He started making kissing noises at her with his ‘fishy kissy’ face. She showered his cheeks with kisses.

“Mom, if they find fish, do you think they’ll let me name one?”

She had to smile at that one. “They might. What kind of name do you want to use?”

“I want to name one after Grandpa. I miss him.”

Jenny felt her eyes start to tear. “I miss him, too, Baby.” She kissed him again. “I think any fish would be lucky to be named after him.”

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Will you stay here with me? Just until I fall asleep?”

She put her head down on the pillow next to his. “Yes, Baby. I’ll stay.”

~***~

Lt. Stefan Tyler felt as though a cheese grater had been run over his entire body, but he wasn’t bleeding at all. He wasn’t sure what the hell that thing was, but the snake torturing him seemed to be having fun with his little toy. “I will ask you again; where is she?”

“I told you I don’t know! I’ve never seen that woman before!”

“She is a vital part of your Stargate Command, one of your scholars. You would have at least heard of her.”

Stefan took a shuddering breath, shaking his head. “I swear I haven’t.” He took another breath, each movement of his chest feeling like abject torture. “I was just assigned to the SGC about six months ago. If she’d left before then, I wouldn’t know her.”

Camulus approached his prisoner and leaned forward. “How very unfortunate for you.”

Tyler was drug into the holding cell a while later and left there. The team’s best hand at first aide knelt down beside him to check his wounds as his CO crouched down on the other side. “You gonna be all right, soldier?”

Stefan licked his lips as his teammate tended to the cut above his eye. “I’ll live, Sir. I didn’t have anything to tell him.”

“What did he want?”

“He had a picture of some woman and a boy. I think it was from Earth. It looked like they were at that place in Florida where you can swim with dolphins. He wanted to know where she is, but I don’t know her.”

Major Killjoy frowned. “Can you describe her?”

Stefan swallowed. “Pretty. Long brown hair. I think her eyes were blue. Kid had dark hair and dark eyes. The snake said she’s some kind of doctor.”

Killjoy bit off a curse. “Copeland. He’s looking for Jenny Copeland.”

“Who is she, Sir?”

The major gave him a smile. “Used to be a prisoner of his, until the SG-21 SEALs went in and got her out. She was one of our egg heads.” He gave the injured man a firm, reassuring pat on his shoulder. “He’s chasing his tail. The last time he made a grab for her, she got packed up and shipped off to the Pegasus Galaxy to work in Atlantis. Ain’t no way he can reach her from here.”

They patched Stefan the best that they were able and fell silent when the guards brought them their meager supper. It was late during what their bodies told them was night when guards came and separated them from one another. Stefan was led into a room where Camulus was seated on his throne, one hand on the pommel of his sword. The Goa’uld leveled a gaze at the Tau’ri male. “Report.”

Stefan’s eyes flashed just before he began to relay what he had learned.

~***~

The chime on her door sounded. “Come in.” She did not look up from her assignment as the door slid open. It was Davey’s delighted shout that made her raise her eyes and take notice of her visitor. “Colonel Coburn. I’m almost done with that block of text you wanted me to translate.”

James blinked. “So soon? What about McKay’s?”

“I finished his. It does mention some things about making a ZPM, but mainly it was detailing what components are needed and about six other devices they have yet to discover or figure out.”

He winced. “I was really hoping that we were going to solve the power issues. Am I getting off any better?”

“You’ll still have some power issues, but if I recall correctly the weapon systems don’t usually require as much energy. On the bright side, however, this does make mention of some places where it appears they were storing extra drones. You still can’t power up the chair, but you might be able to re-stock the puddle jumpers.”

That caught his attention. He crossed the room to lean over and look at the data pad in her hand. “Really? Yes!” She gave him the pad so he could turn it right side up and read the translation with greater ease. “Have I told you lately that you’re my favorite geek?”

“I bet you say that to all the translators. So if you didn’t come looking for your translation, what were you needing?”

“I wanted to see if I could borrow Ensign Copeland for a while.” He handed the data pad back to her so she could finish it. “The surveys of the warmer currents have detected some masses that move like possible life forms. We need to go out and make a visual to see if we’ve found something. I thought I’d invite him along since it was his bright idea in the first place.”

David’s face lit up like the Fourth of July. “Can I, Mom? Please?!”

“Yeah, Mom. Can he?”

Jenny shook a finger at James. “Don’t encourage him.” She looked over at her son, her eyes narrowed. “Did you finish your math lesson?”

“Most of it. I have about six questions left, but I swear I’ll finish them tonight. Please let me go!”

Jenny looked from David to James and back. “I want you to mind Colonel Coburn like you minded Grandpa. Whatever he says, you do. Got it?” David nodded his head quickly. “All right then. Don’t let me hear that you’ve been a brat.”

“Wahoo!” David ran around the desk and hugged his mother close, placing a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Mom!”

James gave a farewell smile to Jennifer. “Yeah, thanks, Mom.” He escorted the child out of the room and down the corridor.

“Do I need to get anything from my room?”

“I don’t see why. I have another surprise for you, but I thought it might make your mom nervous so I didn’t tell her.”

“I won’t. What is it?”

James grinned. “We found another ship the Ancients used. This one appears to be their version of a submarine.” He watched as the child’s eyes grew as big as saucers. “Colonel Shepard has been testing it out to see if it’s safe. So far, so good.”

“We get to go in it? Cool!”

They moved through the city to a downward sloping area that brought them to a room that had been left alone for the most part. Inside were five vessels that resembled puddle jumpers, only with sleeker, more knife-like design and propellers to better assist in underwater propulsion. James looked over to his 2IC. “We ready to go, John?”

“All set, Sir.”

Teyla was standing near the ship they were going to use. It was hard to read her emotions, but she appeared to be torn between excitement and trepidation. Davey ran up to her side, mainly so he could get a closer look at the ship. “Colonel James says we’re going to look for fish. Isn’t that cool?” His attention immediately turned to the ship. He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it and was oblivious to James as the man approached him.

“I figured Ensign Copeland should be part of this since it was his idea.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and moved him towards the hatch. “Let’s move out.”

The floor lowered to make a ramp into the water. John piloted the craft into the water like a knife cutting through soft butter. James had let David sit in the seat next to John so he’d have an unimpeded view out the front. The boy was barely able to sit still, his eyes glued to the water outside.

The underwater view of Atlantis was one of the most alien terrains that James had ever seen. The sea floor was riddled with peculiar rock formations that spread out as far as his vision could manage. The water muted the colors somewhat so that they had to be almost on top of them before they could see the hues of green and blue. Davey took great delight in pointing them out.

Their destination took them close to two hours to reach once you factored in maneuvering through tricky underwater chasms and twists, but David didn’t seem to mind. When he tired of looking at the landscape, he questioned Teyla about her people and their lives. It seemed as though there was something of his mother inside of him after all. John was watching the instruments. “We should be coming up on the current soon. Just over this rise up ahead.”

David’s attention was immediately brought back to the front of the little ship. James grinned as he saw the boy slide to the very edge of his chair, leaning forward and hardly breathing. The sub began to slow down, causing David to snap his head in the direction of the pilot. “Colonel John!”

“Oh, sorry. I got distracted.” John’s lips tugged into a grin, proving that he was just yanking the kid’s chain. He started going normal speed again and climbed the rise. When they reached the peak, all of them were impressed.

Nestled in a natural indentation that appeared to have been carved from the warm current that gave it life was some type of structure much like a coral reef on Earth. The area about it teemed with life. When the external lights hit the reef, marine creatures scattered in all direction. James leaned forward. “John, find a quiet place to set down and dim the lights. Maybe they’ll forget we’re here.” They came to rest and waited. Davey stood up and leaned forward towards the front view port. They didn’t have to wait very long before the fish started to come back out.

“They look like fish back home… only not.” Davey tilted his head to the right. “They’ve got extra fins.”

James got up to crouch down by the child. “Well, the brains back at the city think it’s likely that the Ancients seeded the basic components of life all over this galaxy, even here. How the fish formed would have differed based on the environment here. This isn’t Earth, so they’ll be a little different.”

“I like them. They’ve even got crabs. Over there.” He pointed through the glass to a gathering of multi-legged creatures that seemed to be fighting over a fish one of them had caught. “Do you think we can eat them?”

“Don’t know yet. We’re supposed to get specimens to take back for testing.”

Teyla pointed to a mass of fish swirling above. “What are they doing? They look agitated by something?”

James watched them for a moment. “We may have spooked them… or they could be sensing a predator of some kind. A system like this wouldn’t be sustainable for long without major predators.” He peered through the water. “Yep, right on time.” He nodded towards a large shape that was approaching through the water. It grew closer at a swift pace, the pod of fish scattering as it entered the area and came into view.

From nose to back fin it had to measure about twenty feet. The body was black with stripes of electric blue, shaped like a bullet from behind the head on, but the head itself was flatter, shaped almost spoon like with a wide mouth. When it moved in for the kill, the mouth opened to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. It struck with speed and efficiency, moving so quickly that it would have been easy to miss it.

John rubbed his chin. “I think we’ve found the local shark. Mean looking.”

“I like him.” David turned to lean down by James. “Do you think they’ll let me name him?”

“Just the one or the whole species?”

“All of them.”

James considered this for a moment before giving a shrug. “We’ve got to name them something. What did you have in mind?”

“I want to name them after grandpa.”

“Frankenfish?”

David didn’t get the joke. He shook his head, quite serious. “I think we should call them ‘Admiral Rice’.”

James looked back at the predator, now apparently moving on. “The ‘Admiral Rice’. Impressive name. I hope they can live up to it.” He ruffled the kid’s hair again. “Let’s get our specimens and head home.”

~***~

“So you’ve been having erotic dreams about the Colonel?”

“They usually start out that way, but then they take a turn for the worse.” Jenny had decided to use the time David was with Colonel Coburn to pay a visit to Dr. Heightmeyer. “They usually start out… hot. Then they go horribly wrong.”

“In what way?”

“It turns out not to be him.”

The psychologist nodded. “It turns out to be Camulus.”

“Yeah. I know that the most likely reason it’s James in my dreams is because he is an exact double to the last sexual partner I had, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Dr. Heightmeyer leaned back on the too soft chair she was seated in. “Have you ever spoken to anyone about the relationship with Camulus?”

“Constantly. The psychoanalysis went on for months after my return. The fact that I was insistent on keeping David didn’t make it any easier. I knew what the problem was, but the doctors wouldn’t accept it until they reached the same conclusion on their own.”

“And what do you feel the problem was?”

“I was weak.” It had gotten easier to say over time. “My life was an emotional wreck at the time, we had just escaped from a rather dangerous situation, and Camulus appeared to be offering physical comfort without any strings. I was prime for accepting the offer at the time.”

“Was there any emotional attachment?”

Jenny shook her head. “I managed to fool myself a time or two, convince myself that he cared for me or that I cared for him, but in the end it was all just smoke and mirrors. He put a pretty picture on it, but I was just another possession to him. I was his bed warmer. The longer he kept me, the most domineering he became. Towards the end I was expected to be washed and perfumed and dressed up whenever he got back from a raid just so he could hold me in his lap and pet me.”

“But he did make it so you could have children again.”

“I had admitted to him the amount of loss I felt from the attack and the miscarriage. Getting me pregnant was just another way to control me. I doubt he ever really cared for David. If I hadn’t gotten out of there, my son would have been a slave at best, a host at worst.”

“I’m sure you’ve been asked this before, but why did you decide to keep the baby?”

Jenny smiled, her eyes going soft. “I’ve always wanted a child. Part of me will always be grateful to Camulus for fixing the damage to my womb and for giving me a beautiful son. I’d managed to come to grips with the knowledge that I’d never have a baby, and then to be told that I had this tiny, little life inside me that I could actually carry to term and bring into the world, it made all the time I was a prisoner worth it.”

“And if Camulus ever did manage to recapture you and David?”

“I’d quite cheerfully blow the son-of-a-bitch’s head off.” She winced. “Does that make me psycho?”

Dr. Heightmeyer managed not to laugh. “No, I believe that just makes you a mother.” She studied Jennifer. “I noticed that you call Colonel Coburn by his given name.”

Jenny grimaced. “Yeah, that’s because I hear it every waking moment of the day. David’s rather… fond of him.”

“A little hero worship?”

“There’s nothing little about it. I’m waiting for him to announce that the Colonel can walk on water any day now.”

“And how do you feel about Colonel Coburn?”

Jenny leaned back in her own seat, worrying her bottom lip a bit. “I… know that he’s a good man. A good officer. I was given a little more access to his files than was proper because of my obvious discomfort at his appearance, and what I read there was very impressive. I know he’s the right man for this job and that he can be trusted. But…”

Dr. Heightmeyer arched a delicate, blond brow. “You keep getting hung up on his appearance.”

“Constantly.” She sighed. “It seems wrong to me that a good man should be walking around with that face and body. I’ve finally stopped jumping out of my skin whenever I see him, but as much as I want to get to know the man, I have a hard time being around him and not seeing Camulus.”

“But you do want to get to know him?”

Jennifer paused. She hadn’t realized it until she had said it. She nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, I do. And it’s not just because David thinks the man hung the moon and stars, it’s because what little interaction I’ve had with him indicates that there is something quite… wonderful about him. My training is to study people and cultures. I’m taught how to look at actions and behavior to determine how a society works, but it can also be used on a smaller scale. So far, I really like what I see… behavior wise.”

“And what do you see?”

“I see a strong spirit coupled with a good sense of humor. I see a successful and honorable officer with an ability to make those who serve with him feel at ease while at the same time getting them to move their asses.” She paused. “Damn… he’s my dad! That’s weird.”

“Actually, it’s not. Women are usually drawn to men who are most like the strongest, positive male role model in their lives. It’s likely why David feels close to him as well. You and he both recognize traits in James Coburn that seem like that of your father. If you were raised in a household with a strong marriage, this tendency would be even more developed within you. I believe your file says that you parents were married for thirty years, until your mother died from breast cancer.”

Jenny nodded. “Yes. I really worried about Dad after that. He wasn’t home much, but when he was you would have had to use a crowbar to separate those two. They were tight.”

“Was that why you stayed with Thom even after the trouble with infidelity?”

Jenny hesitated before nodding. “Yes. I grew up thinking that divorce was a dirty word and that good people didn’t get them. After a while I felt that Thom’s unfaithfulness had to be my fault, that I had failed some how as a woman. Filing for divorce was… very hard for me.”

“What did you do?”

“I… called my father. I expected some kind of scolding, but… he was very supportive. Actually, he hated Thom from the beginning. Never thought he was good enough for his little girl.”

This time Dr. Heightmeyer did laugh. “That’s a problem most fathers have when their daughters get old enough to notice boys. I understand that you and Thom are quite civil to one another, though.”

“Yeah. I divorced him during his absence, while he was host for that Goa’uld. When I realized our supposed reconciliation was all a sham made by another creature entirely, I ended it. The brass helped pull some strings with JAG and muscle the paperwork through. I liquidated the community property and split everything down the middle.”

“Some would think that was rather nice of you. Often a woman who had a marriage go wrong in such a way would be vindictive.”

She shook her head. “That would have been like kicking a puppy. Besides, I make more money, even after the hazard duty offset. It would have been harder for him to recover financially without me than me to do so without him. It would have been petty to attack him when he wasn’t there to defend himself.”

Heightmeyer smiled. “That’s good. It demonstrates a level of maturity that few reach. And for what it’s worth, I’ve seen you with your son. You are an excellent mother. Few women would have had the strength to persevere given what you have had to deal with.”

“Is that your way of saying that you think I’m sane in spite of dreaming that the CO of the post is a Goa’uld?”

“I would be more worried if the fact he resembled Camulus did not concern you. What I do want to ask you is this: If you seek to know Colonel Coburn better, are you doing so because he looks like Camulus or because of who he is in his own right?”

Jennifer thought this over. “Because of who he is. The face no longer holds that much appeal to me. It’s what’s inside that I’m concerned about.”

The doctor smiled. “Then I wouldn’t worry overly much about the dreams. It’s only natural that you would have such fears, given your past experiences. However, you know that James Coburn is not a Goa’uld. You’ve also admitted that you know he can be trusted. Let that knowledge guide you. We are a very long way from home. Don’t let fears keep you from finding new friends.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

He had finished his math lesson and his reading lesson. Mom had gotten asked to go meet with Dr. Weir and David was supposed to be playing in the office he shared with her… but that had gotten boring. Instead, he decided to take one of his fighters down the corridors. He wished that he had a model of one of those puddle jumpers, they were cool, but he was happy with his fighters.

Teyla had said that there was a celebration of some kind that the Athosians were going to have, and that she’d ask Mom if she could take him with her so he could meet other children. He hoped that she said ‘yes’, because he was really bored without other kids to play with, and he couldn’t ‘pester’ Colonel Coburn too much. If Mom agreed, then Teyla and Colonel Sheppard would take him to the mainland with them after the big party they were planning in the city. Many of the fish that he’d helped the grownups to find were safe to eat and the galley crew had been having fun figuring out how to cook them. It was going to be a big celebration.

“I am not going to listen to this! He has been poked and prodded on enough as it is!” David frowned. He had gotten close to Medical and could hear Dr. Beckett’s voice through an open door. “I cannot even believe you would be asking me to do such a thing.”

“Carson, doesn’t it bother you even in the slightest bit that he could be dangerous?” No wonder Dr. Beckett sounded upset. Algebra Man was in there with him. “We know that the Goa’uld have genetic memories…”

“Which are passed on from the queen creatures to the larva, but the queens can also choose not to share those memories. Dr. Copeland is not a Goa’uld queen.”

“Yes, but there is evidence that a human child can be born with the memories and knowledge of the Goa’uld.”

David peeked through the open door to see Dr. Beckett slam down a data pad and glare at Dr. McKay. “When both parents are hosts. Jenny Copeland was not a host at the time of her conception. There is no reason to suspect that Camulus could have passed on memories merely through sperm without constant mental contact with the developing fetus, which he didn’t have, and no history of behavior to indicate that David is anything more than a normal, healthy, well-adjusted boy.”

Dr. McKay cut off a frustrated little growl. “Carson, the Goa’uld are born evil because they are born with all the memory and knowledge of every Goa’uld in their bloodline that came before them. Can we really risk just assuming that David might not have the same memories. How can we be certain that he won’t turn on us and slit our throats in our sleep?”

“I think you should just bugger off! I’m not going to be putting that child through any more tests. Over half of what he’s been forced to endure this far was completely uncalled for!” There was more, but David didn’t hear it. He walked away from the room, his fighter hanging limp in his hand, his head down. He had been having such a happy day up until now.

~***~

The reinstatement of morning physical training was not a popular addition to the men in Atlantis, but they were shaping up quite nicely. Dr. Weir had taken over working with the Athosians regarding fishing details and an amicable arrangement for food in exchange for medical care and protection had been worked out. They were still having difficulty tracking the Wraith and their movements, but at least there didn’t seem to be any indication that the nasty little parasites were planning a recent attack against Atlantis itself. He had come up with a fair and equally distributed security schedule and his off-world teams were in tip-top shape. Teyla was turning out to be an even bigger blessing than the reports about her had indicated.

All in all, his very first complete garrison was coming along swimmingly. He was finding that he dealt well with John Sheppard, who was like an edgier version of himself who never quite grew out of boyhood, and his idea to make the man his 2IC had proven to have the desired effect of keeping the existing men happy while allowing him to integrate the new arrivals seamlessly. He whistled to himself as he walked down the corridor, turning off the data pad in his hand after he had read through all the reports. It was a good thing he did so at that moment in time, or he would have missed the slight figure sitting on one of the balconies overlooking the water. “Davey?”

The boy looked over his shoulder at him, but didn’t get to his feet. Than in itself was an oddity, since David was always game to play the part of a sailor. “Hello, Colonel Coburn.” His voice was strangely flat. James frowned and moved out onto the balcony, lowering himself to sit cross-legged next to David.

“What’s got you down, Ensign?”

“Do you think I’m evil?”

James blinked. He had thought nothing could catch him off guard by now, but that was nothing like what he was expecting. “No. Why would you think you might be?”

“Because my dad was one of those snake things.”

“Your mom told you about him?”

David nodded. “After Grandpa died and she was told that we had to come here. She told me about how my father was one of those aliens that get inside someone’s head and takes over their bodies, and how he kept her prisoner but she got away.”

James reached out and tried to smooth a cowlick from the back of David’s head, but it wasn’t cooperating. “Why do you think that makes you evil?”

“I heard Dr. McKay talking to Dr. Beckett. He wanted him to run more tests on me because I’m dangerous.”

McKay. That pompous, arrogant…

James reached out and pulled the child to him. “Hey, you are not dangerous, and you’re not evil. You got that?”

David had a strained, worried look about his eyes. “You promise?”

James smiled down at the boy. “I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Do you have bad thoughts about hurting your mother?”

“No.”

“Tearing the heads off kittens?”

“No.”

“Sticking needles into little girls?”

“Ewwww! No!”

James grinned. “Then you’re not evil. You’re just an almost-six-year-old with a really cool ship.” The movement was so quick that James almost missed it. David had wrapped his arms about his midsection and was hugging him tightly. He didn’t know how to respond at first, but he found that returning the embrace was quite easy.

David pulled away and looked up at him. “James, what does ‘bugger off’ mean?”

He blinked. “Where did you hear that?”

“That’s what Dr. Beckett told Dr. McKay to do when they were talking.”

“Oh.” He knew there was a reason he liked that doctor. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.”

“Oh, it’s one of those things.”

James chuckled. “Yeah, one of those things. I bet you get the ‘when you’re older’ line a lot.”

“All the time.”

“Well, you’ll be ‘older’ one day. Trust me.”

The boy smiled, the tension gone from his face. He studied the miniature fighter in his hands for a moment, then, “Colonel Coburn?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think my mom is pretty?”

That was like being hit upside the head with a bat. “Uhm… of course I do. Your mother is a beautiful woman.”

“Do you like her?”

James had very little experience with young children, so he couldn’t be sure if this bluntness was usual. “I think she’s… great. She’s smart, witty and she’s a wiz with those translations. I look at that Ancient writing and it’s all a bunch of lines and dots to me, but she looks at it and can see words. It’s… amazing.”

“Do you wanna kiss her?” David looked somewhat hopeful and at the same time somewhat mischievous. James got the distinct feeling of being backed into a corner.

“Hey! You know what? I think that the galley has come up with some items that they wanted me to taste test for them, to get ready for the party. How about you come along with me and give them an honest point of view?”

The boy scrambled to his feet to join, his face split into a wide grin. “You wanna kiss her.”

James stood up, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Never you mind, Ensign. March.”

~***~

Jenny looked out towards what could be considered West on this world, a half-drunken tankard of Athosian ale in her hand. The sun was setting and the sky was a vibrant display of pastel pink, lavender and orange. She rested her head against the frame of the archway, her expression distant.

“If you’re that worried, maybe you shouldn’t have said ‘yes’.”

She looked over her shoulder, but she didn’t need visual identification. She knew James Coburn’s voice well. She had made an effort to memorize the way he spoke to further assure herself that he was not Camulus, no matter what her eyes told her. “I’m not worried.”

He smiled and came out onto the balcony with a picture of ale, refreshing her tankard. “Then why are you staring off in the direction that Teyla and John just took with your child?”

Jenny blushed. “He’s… he’s never been away from home on his own before. He’s always had either my father or myself.” She took a long drink from the tankard.

“Easy on that stuff, Doc. I was getting a good buzz after two pints. It’s strong.”

Jennifer watched as he took another long drink. “And how many are you on now?”

He shrugged. “Five?” He smiled as she laughed. “Shall I walk you to your quarters, Doctor?”

Jenny pondered this, feeling quite a bit buzzed herself. “I think that would be a good idea, Colonel.” They started walking towards the exit. Jenny arched an inquiring brow when he stopped to get a full pitcher of ale. James shrugged.

“I never said we had to stop. This is my first real night off, if there is such a thing for me.” That got him a grin as they left the party and walked down the corridors towards the living quarters. “You gonna be all right? With Davey gone over night, I mean.”

“I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll actually get to sleep in for a change. That’s not something I’m used to.”

“And here I thought you got up early because you were running drills with the Marines.” He noted her blush. “Yeah, I know about that. I hear that you’re almost as tough as most of the soldiers.”

“The officer in charge of my team back home insisted that, if I were going to be sent off-world with his Marines, then I had to be able to do everything his Marines did.”

“That’s good to know. Your file says you’re qualified with most small arms. That’s something else that’s good to know.” They made it to her door. “I think I knew the moment I met you; you’re no one to be trifled with.”

Jenny gave a slight smile. “Life has taught me that you have to be ready to kick ass if the occasion warrants it.” She tilted her head to one side, studying him. “Would you like to come inside for a bit, Colonel? No one would think to look for you here.”

He hesitated, something telling him that the gentlemanly thing to do would be to bid her good night and go to his own quarters. However, he was feeling the affects of the ale and the subtle scent of the ocean breeze that drifted in through the open balconies of the city were drugging. “Thank you, Doc.”

Her quarters were spacious, but only two rooms. The main room was the living area plus her bedroom, as evident by the bed under the archway where the breeze ruffled the gauzy drapes. Off to the right was what he guessed was David’s room, a door separating them. There were also four comfortable chairs and a low-lying table for visiting or work. He noted that the table was currently stacked with what looked like work.

“I haven’t really ‘moved in’. Not by my standards, anyway. I’m known for having a horrible problem with cluttering up my work space, but since we don’t use a lot of paper here, there’s not much to clutter.”

James studied the expression on her face as he claimed one of the chairs, setting the pitcher down onto the table. “You look disappointed.”

“I don’t like neat work spaces. It makes me feel like I’m not getting anything accomplished.” Her expression was so serious that he found himself laughing. She gave him a lop-sided snarl. “Laugh it up, Zoomie.”

“Oh ho! Stooping to service based insults now, are we? Watch it, Egg Head.”

Jenny gave a mock gasp as she settled into the chair next to his. “How dare you! I have half a mind to tell my son you said that. It might cure him of his hero worship.”

“There are worse guys to have a hero worship for other than me.”

Jenny paused, considering this, and then nodded. “I’ll give you that much.” She took a drink from her tankard. “I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For putting up with Davey. I know he can be a handful at times.”

“I like David. He’s a bright kid.” James took another drink. “Actually, I always wanted kids. Unfortunately, Honey was a bitch.”

“Honey?”

“My ex-wife, and yes, her name was really Honey. She was the prom queen; blonde, tanned and a body that could stop a freight train. My brain turned to mush the first time I laid eyes on her.”

“Didn’t work out?”

James shook his head. “I have to admit; I come from a good family. I got my butter bars by going to West Point, salutatorian of my class. Honey was a society girl and she, along with her family, pictured that I would have a brief, but prestigious, stint in the military. Then they would groom me for politics. My unexpected love for being a soldier was not part of their plans.” He refilled his tankard. “Then I wanted kids, and Honey said she wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to lose her figure. Eventually she told me she was ready, but I later found out that she was on the pill after she told me she stopped. That wasn’t the worst of it, though.”

Jenny grimaced. “You don’t have to say anymore. I shouldn’t have pried.”

“Nah, it’s all right. I’ve learned to accept it as a harsh bit of reality.” He gave a crooked smile. “She got sick and was taking a lot of antibiotics. No one told her that antibiotics can screw with the effectiveness of the pill. I didn’t suspect a thing, I was part of SG-2 at the time, until I came home and inadvertently intercepted a medical bill for an abortion.”

“Ouch.”

“Huge blow up. I confronted her and she started screaming at me, like it was my fault. She let it all out; how we weren’t living the life she had wanted for herself, how I had failed, as she saw it, as her husband. She was furious with my being gone for days at a time and not able to tell her what I was doing. It was like looking at a completely different person.” He downed his ale and reached for the pitcher. “I filed for divorce the next day.”

“Sorry to hear it went so badly.”

“It was brutal. She tried to sue for alimony, but the JAG attorney I got was sharp. He plastered the case with records of her trust fund, property she had inherited from her grandfather that I’d never known about, found evidence of affairs she had while I was working, that hurt more than anything, and in the end her attorney told her to shut up and be grateful that I wasn’t the one suing for alimony… because I’d win.”

Jenny started to giggle, but covered her mouth to stop herself. She kicked off her flats and put her feet to rest on the table, relaxing bonelessly in her chair. “My attorney thought I was nuts. He was also JAG. Normally I would have had to go with a civilian attorney, but given the nature of my divorce and the circumstances behind Thomas’ absence at the time, exceptions were made.”

“Yeah, what’s with the divorce? You two seem to get along well enough.”

Jenny shrugged. “He fell out of love with me, or maybe just out of lust. I thought it was all my fault when he started cheating. I tried to figure out how to fix it for a little over a year, then gave in and filed for divorce. He was off world for most of the time, so it didn’t make sense for him to have the house to himself. I took the guest room and tried to stay out of his way. He was never home when he was on Earth anyway. He was always out with some girl or another. Then, after about three of four months, it changed.”

James frowned. “That would be when he was taken as a host.”

She nodded. “Yeah. He came directly home from the base after returning from a mission, not his usual thing to do. He came into the kitchen while I was cooking dinner, fell to his knees and begged me to give him another chance.”

“And you did?” He winced. “Sorry. That came out a bit harsher than I had intended.”

“No, it’s all right. Everyone thought I was crazy. I, on the other hand, was having real issues with the whole divorce idea. People in my family do not get divorced. You’re married for life. So, I gave him another chance. At first it seemed fine. He was attentive, stopped watching football to spend time with me, even tried to take an active interest in my work as hard as that may be.”

“And later?”

She took a tense breath. “Things became… tense. He stopped… conversing. Everything became about sex. Whenever we were together, it was all about sexual gratification; his more than mine. He never hit me, but it was almost as though I could sense the potential for violence just under the surface. There were times I was grateful to see him leave for a mission just so I’d have time to let the bruises heal where he’d gripped me too hard or lifted me up and slammed me onto some table or something from his own impatience. There were times he was home that I slept in my office just so I wouldn’t have to go to the house. I was already thinking that I needed to get out of there when we figured out about the symbiote. That just drove it home all the more that Thomas wasn’t sincere in working on the marriage. Thomas wasn’t even the one who asked for the ‘second chance’.”

She ended with a shrug and held out her tankard to be refilled. “That’s my sad story, or at least the part about the divorce.”

“It didn’t bother you, his being gone all the time?”

“Not really. I got lonely, of course, but I grew up in the military. I was used to my father being gone for months at a time. I think it takes a girl who grew up in that life to have a chance at a healthy marriage to a military man. If you’re used to Daddy coming home after work every day, then you’re not going to be happy with your husband leaving you for long stretches. You don’t like it, but you learn to accept it.”

James laughed. “Damn, I married the wrong girl. Where were you hiding when I was at West Point?”

“Considering that you’re about five years older than me, I was pinning up centerfolds of Bon Jovi on my wall and studying…. Arabic, I think.” She grinned. “I would’ve gotten you arrested.” The ale made her a bit more playful than usual. She took one sock covered foot and teased his kneecap with a toe. James grabbed it and gave it a playful tug.

“You might have been worth it.”

“Oh, who knew that underneath all that spit and polish, you’re just a dirty old man? Besides, my father was a ship’s captain at the time. You never would have seen your butter bars, let alone the outside of prison.”

“You wouldn’t have come to see me?”

“I would have been sent to a convent, and we weren’t even Catholic.” She reached for the pitcher, only to find it empty. She shrugged and took James’ tankard from his hand.

“Hey!”

“You’ve had more than me already.”

“So you’re stealing mine?”

“You are paying attention!” She grinned and sat back with the stolen tankard, fluttering her eyes playfully.

“Watch the flirting, Doc. Neither of us are exactly sober at the moment and you never know when I might bite.” He caught something with his foot and looked down to find a small, foam ball. He picked it up and began tossing it lightly, still able to catch it without too much trouble. “Do you regret coming all this way?”

Jenny shook her head. “No, I don’t regret coming here. I regret that David doesn’t have a lot of kids his own age to play with, but how many Earth kids get a chance to grow up in a place like this? He won’t be exactly normal, and there will be all kinds of things that he’ll see and experience that he can never share with anyone back home, but not ever mother can give her son an adventure like this.”

“Do you ever consider your own wishes anymore?”

“I’m a single mother. I don’t have that luxury any longer.” She drank the rest of the ale and set the tankard down. “It was different when Dad was alive. He relished being at home with David. He said he wanted to get it right this time. Now that he’s gone, I can’t go running off to every planet in the galaxy. I have to be there for all the questions and the little crises.”

James gave an understanding shrug as he tossed the ball again. “Lucky kid. Still, if we ever need a rush translation off world, you may still find yourself going through the gate. We’ll try to keep the number of times down, but it could still happen.”

“I know that. It’s always been a possibility.” She got up, wobbling on her feet a moment before getting her bearings and making her way to the bed. James watched as she got down onto her knees and reached for something underneath.

“What are you doing?”

“Dessert.” She came back out with a flat box about eighteen inches square and three inches thick. She opened it up and took out two objects before sliding the box back underneath the bed. James quirked a confused look her way as she swayed unsteadily back into a standing position and came back over to the sitting area. She handed one of the items to him. They proved to be foil sealed items, circular in shape.

“What are they?”

“Chocolate.” Jenny sat down in the chair next to his as she tugged open her foil wrapped goody. James looked over at her in amusement.

“You smuggled chocolate into your personal belongings?”

“Sure, didn’t you?” She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look as she bit into her candy.

“No, not chocolate.”

“What, then?”

He opened his candy. “I’m the leader here. We were all told the rules, you included.”

“Uh huh.” He tried to ignore the sight of Jenny’s tongue scooping out some of the rich, creamy center of her candy. “So what did you smuggle in?”

James looked a bit sheepish. “I might have packed a few adult movies.” He quickly took a bite as Jenny almost choked on hers.

“What?! You smuggled in porn? You are a dirty old man!”

“Hey!” He held up a warning finger. “Watch the ‘dirty old man’ cracks or you might find yourself over my knee for a spanking.”

“Oh, you are so banned from my son! I don’t want you corrupting him.”

James swallowed the rest of his chocolate. “Your son was trying to play matchmaker yesterday.”

“With whom?”

“With us!” He was rewarded by Jennifer blushing a lovely scarlet. “Yeah! Us! He kept trying to get me to say I want to kiss you.”

Jenny quickly adapted a false-hurt expression. “You mean you don’t want to kiss me?” Now it was her turn to be rewarded by James obviously being thrown off balance. “If it makes you feel any better, he tried it with me, too. He had overheard some of the women describe you as a ‘sex machine’ and wanted to know if I agreed.”

“And do you?”

She laughed. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen you in action.”

James found himself laughing along with her. “Are you always this bold when you’ve been drinking?”

“Oh, give me a moment. I have to think about that.” She paused, apparently in deep thought. “That would have been before marriage, back in college… yeah. But I never played through. I was saving myself for marriage.”

“Oh, so you were a tease.”

“Yep.”

He crumpled up the empty foil and dropped it into his empty tankard. “And she doesn’t even deny it.”

“Oh, no, I was a big tease. I used to go to Brazil with the girls on Spring Break and lay on the beach in those little micro-bikinis during the day and dance in barely anything during the night. Gave guys the wrong hotel room numbers, the wrong addresses and phone numbers… even the wrong name. The drunker they guys were, the more unbelievable the name I gave them. I think I even told one guy that my name was Priscilla Sugarbush.”

James shook his head in amusement and got to his feet. “You, Doctor, are dangerous.”

Jenny got up to show him to the door. “This coming from the man who will probably now go back to his quarters and watch ‘Debbie does Dallas’.”

“I only brought classy porn.” He stretched his shoulders before turning to face her to say good night. “Thanks for the laughs, Doctor Copeland.”

“Oh, please, call me ‘Jenny’. If you keep calling me ‘Doctor Copeland’ you’ll end up wasting five years of your life just getting it out.”

“Only if you call me ‘James’.” He paused, not really wanting to leave just yet, but realizing that the hour was growing late. They were only about a foot apart. Without realizing he was even leaning forward, he bent down and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her lips. She tasted of bittersweet chocolate, potent Athosian ale and that indescribable taste of a woman. He couldn’t really remember that last time he had kissed a woman; he’d been too busy helping in the battle to save the galaxy from the Goa’uld. Still, he knew that he probably shouldn’t be kissing this woman.

He forced himself to pull back, something that was harder to do than it should have been. “I… I’m sorry. That was completely out of line. I shouldn’t have done that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Feel free to slap the shit out of me.”

Jenny looked up at him, silent for a moment. James imagined he could see all of the progress he had made to get her to stop jumping every time he walked through the same room fly right out the open window behind her bed. He was about to try and get out of there without too much awkwardness when two slender hands reached up to grab him behind his head and pull him down so she could kiss him again. It took him by surprise, but Doctor Jenny Copeland seemed quite serious in her intentions. He held back for about two seconds before he brought his hands around her back to pull her closer.

She was tall for a woman, but he still had several inches and a lot more muscle mass on her. Picking her up to that her feet cleared the floor and walking over to lay down on the bed with her was an easy enough task to accomplish. A part of his mind registered that she felt amazingly good to be so much leaner than he usually liked his women. What she lacked in size she was more than making up for in exuberance. The teasing and bold suggestions aside, getting lost in her was too easy.

He felt her tugging at his shirt and broke the kiss long enough to lever himself up so he could strip it off. Jenny unfastened his belt as he pulled the tee over his head and tossed it aside. Clothes flew off in every direction possible and he wasn’t entirely certain how he managed to get his boots off without stopping to undo the laces, but he wasn’t going to think too hard on that. He ran his hands over her, exploring wiry muscles under soft skin while at the same time enjoying the feeling of long fingers roaming over his back and arms. The breeze from the window picked up, sending the sheer drapes fluttering over them both just as he pressed forward into her.

Jenny broke their kiss, stiffening up with a sharp intake. James froze. “Fuck!” She was a lot tighter than he had anticipated. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. I just forgot how long it’s been.” He watched her face as she winced a bit, suddenly feeling like he had all the style and experience of a sixteen-year-old with his first girl under the school bleachers.

“We can stop.”

“No.” She gripped him to keep him from leaving her. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Jenny, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“James,” she opened her eyes and looked up at him, “shut up and start moving.”

Well, if that was what the lady wanted. “Yes, Ma’am.” He did start again, but more slowly. The woman wasn’t going anywhere and the kid was gone for the entire night. There was no reason to be in a hurry.

Jennifer was as giving as she was demanding, and not shy about informing him of what she liked. What he enjoyed most, however, was how she seemed just as interested in learning what he liked. She managed to figure out that he liked it when she nibbled her way along the curve of his neck and enjoyed a firmer pressure along his ribs. He was a bit overly ticklish and a light pressure was a potential mood killer for him. And he really enjoyed how she moved with him as he continued to rock inside her, adjusting to fit him perfectly. The entire moment was give and take, and wholly consuming.

He felt himself getting dangerously close to the edge, but knew that she couldn’t be given the uncomfortable this had started for her. Slipping one hand between them, he found the nub just above where they were connected. He felt her buck in response and willed himself to remain in control. The sexy little gasps she made as she came closer and closer to orgasm did little to help him hold back. He was just about to give into what looked like a losing battle when he felt a shudder rip through her. He felt nails dig into his back and finally let himself go.

James let himself collapse atop Jennifer, taking deep breaths to steady himself. He felt her lift one of her hands to run her fingers through his hair lightly. The drapes fluttered again, brushing across his back. “Okay, the curtains are really starting to freak me out.”

Jenny laughed, not an entirely unpleasant feeling given their present situation. “Sorry. I like having the window open when I’m sleeping.”

“Don’t you get cold?”

“I usually wrap myself up in my blanket like a burrito.”

He grinned and rolled off of her to stretch out by her side. “Oh, well, could I offer my services as a space heater for the night?”

Jenny rolled over to face him, resting her head on his out stretched arm. She looked satisfied, and more than a bit sleepy. “I think I’d like that, very much.” She leaned over and gave him one, final kiss before both of them allowed sleep to overtake them.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Do not let yourself believe that he has feelings for you. It will only bring you pain.” Satja nodded in silent understanding as Lord Camulus’ lotar finished brushing her hair until it was a thick, dark curtain. She was nude, with only a silken blanket wrapped about her body, waiting nervously in her god’s bed. “Your eyes are the wrong color. Keep them closed when he is bedding you. He will not wish to see them.”

She nodded again. She had been surprised, and somewhat frightened, when the lotar had shown up at her family’s home. Lord Camulus was visiting their world, and it seemed that he had noticed her. It was hard not to be noticed when you stood so much taller than the other maidens. Her father had often lamented that she would never attract a husband because of her freakish height, but it was her height that seemed to draw their god’s attention. Her height and her hair; long and dark and brown.

The lotar advised her family that Lord Camulus wished her to be brought to him as one of his concubines. It was a great honor, and a better life than what she had been fearing; the maiden aunt caring for her siblings’ children when they were busy in the fields. After she had arrived, however, she had heard bits and pieces of why Camulus had chosen her. She reminded him, somewhat, of his most favored concubine. She was a Tau’ri woman he had treasured so much that he had graced her with his child. The Tau’ri had taken her from him while she still carried his son within her. She was tall, like Satja. She was narrow in the waist and hips, like Satja. She had long, dark brown hair, like Satja. Her eyes, however, were blue, while Satja’s were deep brown.

“Are you a maiden?” She nodded, swallowing hard. “This first time will likely be uncomfortable, but you must not let him know you are hurting. To do so will only serve to remind him that you are not who he wishes you to be. You must be brave.”

He left her in the bedchambers of her god. It was a beautiful room filled with lovely, rich things. A simple farm girl, Satja had never seen such beauty. She was used to hard work and sweat. Now she sat in a comfortable bed, her skin freshly washed and perfumed and her belly full from a rich meal of succulent fruits and meats. All she had to do was provide comfort for her god. She had seen him and knew him to be a beautiful man. It would not be a difficult task.

She waited in silence for what seemed like hours, until the doors finally opened and Camulus entered. Until now she had only seen him from a distance, and even then he had looked too massive to be real. This close he was overwhelming.

He seemed unaware of her presence. He only came into the room, removed the massive sword he always carried and placed it in a gilded cradle before pouring himself a tankard of wine. He did not even look her way. She remained silent, as the lotar had instructed her to do, telling herself over and over again not to be afraid. Looking at him wasn’t helping, so she tore her eyes away and looked down at the floor of the room, maintaining her silence and listing to the sound of her blood pounding in her ears.

She did not hear him approach. He brushed a hand over her hair and she jumped slightly before reminding herself not to speak or to make a sound. She sat still has he rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingers. He released it and turned away again. Curious, she dared to turn her head slightly so she could watch him. He unbuckled his leather breastplate and draped it over a faceless mannequin. The short battle skirt he wore was removed and tossed over the sword in its cradle. He started to turn back to the bed and Satja turned her gaze back to the floor.

She swallowed, hard, as he came towards her. With strong hands, he coaxed her to lie down. Satja closed her eyes as the lotar had told her to do, so that Lord Camulus would not see her brown eyes, and willed herself not to tremble. Those same, warm hands pulled the think blanket from her, baring her skin to the coolness of the room. Fingers moved up and softly traveled over her face, down her throat, over the swell of her breasts and the flat plane of her stomach.

“Close enough.”

That was all he said before he moved over her. Satja reminded herself that it was an honor to be chosen as a concubine to Camulus. If he sought comfort from her in the absence of his stolen lover, then it was her duty to provide that comfort.

She kept her eyes closed and offered up her body to her god.

~***~

He had forgotten how nice it was to actually wake up with a woman and not have a pressing need to leave. He could have done without the long hair trying to crawl into his mouth and strangle him to death, though. James opened his eyes, removed the hair, and lay on his back to stare up at the ceiling. He could feel Jennifer snuggled up to his side, smiling when he realized that the odd sound he was hearing was that his current bedmate sang in her sleep.

Rolling over onto his side, he watched as Jenny shifted in her sleep to adjust to the change. She looked peaceful, untroubled. It struck him that Jennifer had not looked untroubled since the first day he’d met her. Something was always hanging over her whether it was an obsessive System Lord trying to capture her or wondering if she was doing the right thing by her son. That she had maintained a hold on her sanity after all she had been through was mind boggling to him.

He brushed a stray tendril of hair away from her face. He couldn’t keep from comparing her to Honey. The women were as different as night from day. Honey had been a golden beauty with no apparent physical flaws. Jennifer’s hair was waist long and dark, sable brown. He liked the color of her clear, blue eyes, but they were a bit too far apart from one another for their large size. Her high cheekbones made her seem a bit too thin, even though she was a healthy weight, and she had a high forehead that she didn’t bother to hide behind bangs. Of course, the bodies were completely different. Honey had been blessed with a bust line that many women paid thousands to get surgically, a wasp-thin waist and full, round hips. Jenny’s chest looked to be a healthy C-cup, her waist was still rather slender in spite of having had a child, but her hips didn’t flare out a great deal. It made her look a bit top heavy, but he knew that she was perfectly capable of keeping her balance.

Sexually speaking, they were even more different. Sex with Honey had been enjoyable, but she wanted her own needs seen to and anything that he might have felt was just a side effect. Jenny had made an effort to make him an equal part of the act. Sex with Jenny was hot, passionate and fun. He could hardly wait to try it while he was completely sober.

She stirred again, making little mewling protests against waking. James propped his head onto his hand and watched her, smiling. She turned over onto her back, stretching her arms over her head, eyes still closed. The movement made the thin blanket slip down, revealing her torso. James reached out and trailed a finger down between her breasts, running it towards the smooth surface of her stomach. He should have been warned by the way she flinched ever so slightly when he touched her. As it was, he was watching the progress of his hand and didn’t see the look in her suddenly wide eyes just before her hand connected with his nose.

Stars exploded behind his eyes and there was a crunching sound as the cartilage in his nose snapped. “Sonuvabitch!” He threw himself back, landing on his ass on the floor.

“James! Omigod! Oh shit! Are you all right?”

He touched his nose gingerly and brought his hand back to see blood. “That was unexpected.”

“You’re bleeding!” He looked up to see Jenny scramble off the bed to kneel beside him. She reached out, but he pulled back instinctively. “I can’t believe I did that! I’m so sorry! I just… I was sleeping, and then I opened my eyes and all I saw… I am so sorry!”

She had opened her eyes and in her half-sleep thought it was Camulus putting the moves on her instead of him. What had that asshole done to her to make her so fearful? “It’s all right. I’ll live.” Her eyes were shining as though she were about to start crying over her mistake. “That’s some right hook you’ve got there.”

“I can’t believe I did this.” She reached out again, a portion of the sheet in her hands. This time James made himself stay put and allowed her to daub at the blood. “I thought I had this under control, I swear. I know you’re not him.”

“I would hope you knew that. Otherwise last night would take on a whole different meaning.” He saw a tear escape and fall down her cheek. “Hey. Don’t do that.” He pushed her hand away and pulled her into his lap. “I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

“I broke your nose.”

“It’s not your fault.” He brushed her hair back from her eyes. “We both know who’s to blame. I’ll just have to remember to be more careful.”

“More careful? A sane man would be beating feet towards the door right now.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t survive as part of the SGC by being sane. A bit of craziness is required. You should know that.” He wiped away a bit more of the blood. “I’m more concerned about other things at the moment.”

“Like what?”

“Like if you’re going to kick me out of bed after one night, or are we going to try and see if something can come from all of this?”

Jenny blinked, confused. “I broke your nose.”

“I remember that part. It was an accident. Now, do I have a snowball’s chance in hell with you or is my face going to ruin it?”

“You’re a strange man, Colonel Coburn.” She nibbled her bottom lip a moment. “There’s a chance.”

James felt something release inside him, a tension he hadn’t realized was there. “Good.” He tightened his hold on her.

~***~

David came running out of the docking bay, his face bright with a smile that stretched from one ear to the other. There was so much to tell his mom. She was going to be so upset that she missed the celebration! And he had brought her back some of the feela cake for her to try; he just knew she’d like it. He dashed past soldiers and scientists, not really paying attention to faces, until a large figure reached out and scooped him up.

“Whoa, there, Ensign! What have I told you about barreling through the corridors?”

“Colonel James! You shoulda been there! It was… what happened to you?!” David had craned his neck up and caught sight of his hero’s face. His nose had a bandage over it and there were dark bruises coming out from under the edges.

“Your mom slugged me.”

“Huh?!”

James set him back down onto his feet. “It was an accident. She didn’t mean to do it. Now, why are you running down the hall like a wild man?”

“I was heading to Mom’s office to tell her about the party. It was cool! They played drums and these funny flutes and danced and there was cake and games and…”

“You know, breathing is a good thing.” James grinned as he ruffled Davey’s hair. “I take it that you had a good time.”

“Yeah!” He had to take two steps for every one of James’ as the man walked with him to the office he shared with his mother. The door slid open with a metallic whisper. His mother was bent over her work, but she looked up as they entered. Her smile was bright as she abandoned her work to hold her arms out for him to run into. “Mom! It was great!” He let her go and shrugged off his pack. “I brought you stuff!”

“Where did you get this?” She pointed to a scrap on his chin, but David shrugged it off.

“I fell down. I’m okay.” He unzipped his pack and dug out the carefully wrapped cake. “This is feela cake. It’s really good.” He tore off a chunk and stuffed some into his mother’s mouth before she could do anything about it. He grinned as she giggled around the mouthful of sweet, chewing it obediently as he set the rest of it down onto her desk and started pulling out other things.

“This is a necklace that one of Teyla’s friends made. It’s supposed to be lucky.” He reached up and put it over her head before reaching for more. “And this old woman in the village said to give you this. It’s some kind of tea. I told her that you have bad dreams some times and she said this will help if you drink it before you go to sleep.”

“Thank you. That was very considerate of you.”

“I know.” He grabbed some of the feela cake. “Why did you hit Colonel Coburn?”

James laughed, but cut off short. His mother blushed. “It was an accident.”

“Was it ‘cause he looks like Cama… Camu…”

“Camel-Ass.”

Jennifer gave a warning look towards James as David snickered. “Camulus, and yes, it did have a bit to do with the resemblance.”

David rolled his eyes. “Moooommmm, you’ve got to stop this. You can’t beat up a colonel.”

“Yeah, Mom. You’ve got to stop this.”

Jenny pointed a warning finger at the colonel. “You keep quiet. Don’t you have a war to plan or something?”

“Not today.” He walked over and stole some of the cake. “Today we are going over restocking the puddle jumpers, waiting for two off-world teams to report in and there is a testing of a new firearm that is a hybrid of Earth and Ancient technology.”

David’s interest was peaked. “Really? Can I watch?”

James looked over at Jenny who sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I suppose. But take this stuff back to our room, first.”

“Thanks!” David kissed his mother on the cheek with a loud smack before shoving his things back in his pack and running out. Once the door had slid shut, James sauntered over towards the desk. Jennifer smiled up at him.

“Love me; love my kid.” She returned a quick kiss. “Don’t keep him out too late. Kids need to be kept to a routine as much as possible.”

“Have him back by curfew. Got it.” He leaned over her and kissed her lips, lingering over her before pressing his lips to hers again. She nipped at his bottom lip playfully as he pulled back. “I just realized something.”

“And that would be?”

“Having the kid around is going to make personal time dodgy.”

Jenny gave him an amused smile. “It will make it interesting.”

“You think we should tell him now?”

She considered this then shook her head. “Not yet. It’s still too… new.” She blushed, running a hand through her hair. “He’s crazy about you, James, but we don’t even know if ‘we’ can be anything. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

He pushed down the unexpected twinge of regret that she didn’t want to just jump in with both feet. “I’ll try to get him back to you before it gets too late.” James leaned down and kissed her again. When he straightened back up he grabbed the rest of the feela cake and gave her a wink as he turned around and left to meet David halfway.

----------------------------------------------------------------

James opened the door to his quarters to find Jenny with her hand raised to press the chime. “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Good morning. I brought that latest translation for you.” Sure enough, she had a data pad in her hand.

“Anything good?” He took the pad and stepped back to let her into the room. The door shut behind her with a hiss.

“Sorry, not really. Keep running into the same thing. We find information on one bit of technology but it requires two more we don’t know about yet to be of any use.”

James grimaced. “Damn the luck.” He looked up at the woman before him. “What’s with the dress?”

Jenny shrugged. “I prefer dresses, actually. I think they’re more comfortable. I just never got to wear them much when I was part of an active gate team.” She gave a twirl to show off a very feminine dress in a shade of blue that matched her eyes. It wasn’t anything daring as far as style, but the way the soft fabric draped over her figure and fluttered as she moved was alluring. “I only packed four, just in case I had to look pretty.”

“Nice choice.” He reached out and slipped a hand about her waist, pulling her close so he could lower his mouth to kiss her. Slender arms came up around his neck as she returned it eagerly. He tossed the data pad over towards a chair so he could free up his other arm to hold her close. The fabric of her dress was thinner than her usual clothing, allowing her body heat to be felt clearly against him.

Fingers ran up into his hair as she let out a little whimper somewhere in her throat. James gave a little growl, feeling his body harden in response to her eagerness. He gave another growl, this one in frustration, and tore himself away. “Damnit! I’ve got to go. I’m supposed to meet Weir to discuss some new missions.”

“When do you have to be there?”

He checked his watch. “About eighteen minutes.” He felt hands reach for his belt and begin to unfasten his trousers.

“You can get to her office in five.” She slipped a slender hand inside and wrapped her fingers around him.

“Jenny.” His tone was half warning, half pained. She kissed him soundly.

“No talking. We don’t have time for that.” She took a step back so that her back was flush with the wall, pulling him with her. Pulling his face down to hers again, she gave him another kiss as he gathered up the skirt of her dress up around her waist. She had a pair of thin panties on, already growing damp. He pushed them down easily before helping her to leverage herself enough that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

His pushed forward, sliding into her. At this angle she felt almost impossible tight. He heard her gasp, then give a throaty chuckle as he started to move, keeping her pinned between himself and the wall. She caught the lobe of his ear with her lips, raking it lightly with her teeth before giving him whispers of encouragement, telling him how he felt inside of her and how much she liked it. There were few things that a man liked to hear more.

He felt his body drawing up, getting close to the edge. Jenny was still egging him on, begging him to go faster, to move into her harder. It was hard to make out all she was saying with the sound of his own blood rushing against his ears, but there was one harsh whisper that fell from her lips that he heard quite clearly. “I love you.”

It pushed him over. He slammed into her one last time, pressing her against the wall as he emptied himself into her. His knees were shaking but he managed to keep standing. He swallowed hard. “Jenny…”

He heard her take a breath and felt a soft kiss at his temple. “Catch your breath. You’re going to be late.”

He raised his head and met her eyes. “Jenny…”

“Shhh…” she put a finger to his lips. “Later.” She seemed edgy. Clearly she hadn’t meant to let that slip just yet. She looked down and flattened the collar of his uniform.

He shifted so that he could pull out of her and lower her back into a standing position on the floor. It took only a moment to tuck himself back in and refasten his trousers. He watched as she smoothed her skirt with trembling hands. “You all right?”

She looked up and managed a smile. “I’m fine. You’d better get running. I don’t want to get into trouble for distracting you from your duties.”

James hesitated for a moment. He really didn’t want to leave it like this, half-spoken and unfinished, but hit gut told him this would be a bad time to push the matter. He bent down and kissed her softly. “Later.”

Jenny nodded. “Try not to let my fellow brains drive you batty.”

“That’s a losing battle if I’ve ever heard of one.” He moved to try and talk to her again, but stopped. He couldn’t push her, not in this. The ones who had come before him and screwed her over royally, in more ways than one. It would take time to earn her complete trust.

~***~

Jenny sighed and rested her head against the shut and locked door of her son’s room. “Davey, I know you’re mad, but there’s nothing I can do. They need me to go.”

“You said no more off-world stuff! You said you were staying put!”

Her son was in the middle of a glorious temper tantrum. He had been for the past hour, ever since he had realized that when she had said Weir was sending her through the gate with John, Aiden and Teyla, it meant that she was actually going. “Davey, it will only be a day or two at the most, then I’ll be back.”

There was a thud against the door. He probably kicked or punched it. “I hate you! I hope you never come back!”

It was just the anger talking. He didn’t really mean it. Still, it cut like a knife. “Davey, can’t I at least give you a good-bye kiss?”

“No! You’re stupid and I hate you! Go away!”

He didn’t mean it. She knew he didn’t mean it. “All right, Sweetie. I’ll go away. We’ll talk about this when I get home.” She pressed her lips to the closed door; her eyes burning from unshed tears. Before moving away, she knelt down and left a data pad in front of the door for him to find whenever he decided to come out of his room. She hoped it was before she got back.

She shouldered her pack and moved towards the door. It slid open just as she approached it, filled by a rather large man in uniform. James took one look at her face and winced. “I guess the kid’s taking it hard.”

“Yeah. He sees this as me breaking a promise to him. He doesn’t want me to go off-world again.”

“Was he always like this?”

“Not until he realized what was out there, waiting for us when we went off world. It started after Dad’s death; only I didn’t go off world after Dad’s death. Davey got kind of clingy after that shake up.”

“Understandable, considering he had just lost a major figure in his life.” He lifted a hand to cradle her cheek. “You gonna be all right?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine. He’s being a brat right now, and it hurts, but it’ll pass. I’m more worried about how he’s going to feel once he starts regretting all that he’s said.”

James frowned. “You want me to talk to him?”

She shook her head. “Only if he starts it. I understand why he’s acting like this, it just hurts.”

He could tell that it was hurting her, but he knew nothing about how to smooth things over between a mother and her irate almost-six-year-old. James tilted her face up and kissed her gently. “I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t worry about Davey. I’ll keep him in line.” She still looked torn. “Hey, trust me. He likes me. We’ll get along just fine.”

“You know, you don’t have to baby sit. You have a garrison to run, and there’s an Athosian family who invited David to stay with them while I’m gone. I’m sure you’ve got more important things on your plate.”

He framed her face with his hands. “Love you; Love your kid. Remember that? I knew when this ride started that you were a package deal. It’d be a fine way to start everything out by farming him off to others.”

“You’re something else, you know that?” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Just remember; no sugar three hours before bed and no matter what he tells you, he doesn’t get to stay up all night.”

“Hey, give me some credit. I’m at least smarter than a kid.”

Jenny gave a half smile. “Famous last words.”

~***~

She did not understand most of what was in this room. Much of it seemed very strange and all of it seemed very old. Many of the items were fragile and had been carefully wrapped up in padded boxes of fur and leather. There were fresh, unmarked rolls of parchment and charcoal marking sticks like she had seen her sister’s husband use when he was courting her. He would sketch her picture, sometimes in rather daring positions that Satja never told their father about, as they were not yet wed at the time.

Something on one of the tables caught her eye. She walked over to examine it further. These items were not old, but still strange. There was a pack made of some moss green canvas and several technical devices she had never seen before. There were also pieces of thin, glossy parchment with images on them. She picked one up to study a small boy who was in a body of water, wearing a strange, thick, yellow vest. The child was kissing some sort of creature with a long nose and large eyes.

“She named him ‘David’.” Satja jumped and whirled around. Camulus was standing in the doorway. She quickly averted her eyes as he entered the room. “I have since learned that David was a Tau’ri boy, anointed by his god to become a great general and king. When he was yet a boy, he slew a giant with only a stone and a simple sling. He grew up to be loved and adored by a nation. It is a fitting name for a son fathered by a god.”

She swallowed. “He is your son, My Lord?”

“He is Jennifer’s son.” Camulus took the image from her hand and placed it back upon the table. “A Tau’ri attacked her while she was heavy with her husband’s child. He killed her unborn son and robbed her of the ability to bear life. David was the one gift I had the power to give her that no one else could match. Only a god could have healed her of those wounds.”

“I am certain she longs to return to you, My Lord.”

Camulus said nothing, at first. He only looked around the room with a dark gaze. “She is a scholar. She has a way of examining ancient artifacts and old bones to piece together the history of entire cultures. She solved the puzzles that lead the way to my sword after it had been away from me for centuries. I add items to this room as we find new mysteries to be solved. They are waiting here for her return. Jennifer lives to gain new knowledge. She feels that continuing to learn is the only way a person continues to grow.”

It was clear that she would never be able to replace Jennifer. Of course, she had never really thought that she could. Not really. “You plan to bring her back to you soon, My Lord?”

“I do.” He turned to face her. “Do not enter this room again. You do not belong here.”

Satja nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

James sat in one of the chairs in Jenny’s suite, his feet propped up on the table as he went over the various reports submitted by those under his command. Reading them here, he found, was preferable to reading them in his office. Here, no one was constantly interrupting him. Occasionally he would slide a glance at David’s bedroom door, wondering how long he was going to sulk.

In truth, he felt a little guilty. He was the one who had suggested that they send Jenny to check out that obelisk. The writing had been too worn for their camera equipment to get a good image, so someone had to go in person. She had been the best qualified. He hadn’t realized how much strain it would put on her family life. David was usually such a levelheaded kid, almost more of an adult than many of his men. He knew the attempt to take him and his mother away had upset him, but he realized that it might still be too soon for Jenny to be away from home.

The door opened and David came out, hands shoved into his pockets and his expression mulish. James shut off the data pad and folded his arms, watching. The child came over and flopped down into the chair next to his. “You still mad?”

“Yeah.” David kicked the chair as if to make his point.

“What about?”

“She said that she was supposed to have an office job. She said that she wasn’t supposed to go off world no more.”

“Don’t be mad at her. I was the one who suggested it.”

David turned his glare on James. There was something rather… high ranking about that glare. Thomas had said that David could look just like the late Admiral Rice. If James hadn’t been secure in the knowledge that he was the adult in the room, he would have feared a court marshal under that glare. “Then you’re stupid, too!”

James arched a brow. “Did you call your mother ‘stupid’?” David’s lack of an answer was all he needed. “That wasn’t very nice. Why would you say that to her?”

“’Cause there are bad guys out there!”

“There are no Jaffa here.”

David leapt from the chair. “There are those sucking bug people! I heard Colonel Sheppard and Miss Teyla talking about them! They suck all the life from you and make you old!”

James tossed the data pad over onto the table. “And if one of them did find your mother and hurt her, how would you feel knowing the last thing you said to her was something hurtful?” David blinked and sat back down. He looked shocked at the very idea. His forehead creased with a frown and he folded his arms over his chest, looking down at the floor. James let him have a few seconds before speaking again. “Are you crying?”

“N…no.” He could barely choke it out, just before he sniffled. James saw a single tear slide down his cheek.

“I would.”

David looked up with those big, dark eyes. “You don’t cry. Colonels don’t cry.”

“Sure we do, if we have reason to. I’d be sad enough to cry if anything happened to your mom. I’d miss her.”

“I want her to come home.”

James motioned for him to come closer. David walked over and James pulled him up onto his lap. “She will.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll go get her back.”

The child blinked up at him. “But you’re supposed to stay in the city. Colonel Sheppard goes through the gate.”

James smiled. “Your mom’s a special case.”

David leaned back so that his head was resting against James’ shoulder. He was quiet, one hand playing with the rolled cuff of Coburn’s uniform. “I keep having bad dreams, but I don’t tell Mom.”

“What kind of bad dreams?”

“I dream that my dad comes and takes her away. She’s crying and reaching out for me, but he just drags her away. He’s hurting her.”

“Hey.” James pushed the kid up, taking hold of his chin. “Hey, don’t you call him that. He ain’t done one damn thing to deserve to be called that. Camulus isn’t your ‘dad’.”

David frowned, clearly confused. “But Mom said…”

“It takes two people to make a baby. He’s your father, he helped your mom make you, but he’s not your ‘dad’. Dads don’t send armed soldiers to drag a kid from his home and kill his grandfather. Dads don’t send flunkies to drug a woman and carry her off against her will. Real dads don’t do shit like that.”

“What does a real dad do, then?”

James wiped away a stray tear from the child’s face. “A real dad watches out for you. He’s there for you when you need him, spends time with you and does stupid things to make you laugh.”

David tilted his head to one side, pondering. “Are you my dad, then?”

Yeah, that wasn’t how he anticipated this conversation going. “Well… I like doing things with you, but I don’t know if you can call me a ‘dad’, yet. Your mom and me aren’t married, so it would be her call as to whether or not I’m your dad.”

“Oh.” David looked down at the floor, pondering. “Do you like Mom?”

“Actually, I do. I like your mother a whole lot. I think she’s a wonderful person and I like having her around.”

“Do you like me?”

“Well, I’m a bit disappointed in you because of the way you were acting this morning, but I still like you. I guess you had some extreme circumstances to explain your behavior.”

David seemed relieved. “I like you, and I think Mom does, too.” He chewed on his bottom lip a bit. “I should say I’m sorry when she gets home.”

“I would, if I were you.” He hugged the boy close, letting him know that everything was going to be all right. “But you know what? I bet she won’t remember a word of it.”

~***~

“I noticed you and the Colonel seem to be getting rather cozy.”

Jenny’s hand paused. She was making a rubbing of the obelisk with thin parchment and a charcoal stick. “Cozy?”

John shrugged. “Close. Affectionate. Lovey-Dovey.”

Jenny concentrated on keeping her hand from shaking as she resumed her work on the rubbing. “I suppose that we are spending more time together.” Her lips felt dry from the heated air of the planet. She licked them a bit, trying to keep her cool.

“Yeah… noticed that, too. Hey, was that you I saw coming out of his quarters the other day, right before that big meeting?”

She dropped her arm, her patience wearing thin. “What’s on your mind, Colonel?”

He grinned. “Betting pool.”

She blinked, looked at him in stunned silence and blinked again. “Betting pool?”

“Yeah. Someone noticed how you and the Colonel acted around each other and got the idea to start a betting pool.”

“And what, exactly, was the bet?”

He grinned again. “How long it would be before the two of you actually hooked up. I picked two weeks ago. Was I right?”

She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you bet on your commanding officer’s sex life!”

John shrugged. “No football. Have to do something to pass the time.” He watched as she started the rubbing again. “So… was I right?”

“No.” She shook her head again as she moved the charcoal over the parchment. “It was after the party.” She said it very quickly, her teeth clenched. John gave a little curse.

“That means McKay wins. Of all the luck.”

“You people need help. Heightmeyer can’t possibly cure all of you.” She pulled the finished rubbing away, carefully rolling it up before slipping into her case. “That should do it.” She looked around at the building ruins, her expression one of longing.

“No, Doc. This isn’t a sight seeing trip. We’re to get the rubbings and go home.”

Jenny gave him an irritated look. “I could always tell James about your little betting pool.”

John’s smile grew even wider. “Oh, so it’s ‘James’, now. My, this is getting serious.” He ignored her glare as he walked closer. “Let me say that I hope you two kids have a great life together.”

“Aren’t you jumping the gun, Colonel?” She shouldered her pack and started to walk away. John followed, grinning like a fool.

“Maybe, but I expect to be the Best Man at the wedding.”

“That would be the groom’s call, not mine.”

“I just thought I should speak up now, in case he decided to give the job to David. He’s crazy about that kid, you know.”

Jenny sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

John noticed the change in mood and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Hey, slow down.” She stopped and turned to face him. “Look, I know things have been rough for you. Thom got smashed on that Athosian ale and spilled his guts about the entire store. He still beats himself up over things. But… I like James Coburn, and as a rule I usually can’t stand anyone with a higher rank than myself. He’s a good man, Doc. I don’t think you have anything to worry about with him.”

She gave a little half smile. “Are you the Dr. Ruth of Atlantis?”

“No. I’m taller than that.” She laughed and he smiled. “Come on. Let’s meet up with the others and head home.” They resumed their trek through the roughly cut trail that led back towards the gate. “You know, I really do hope that everything works out between you and the colonel. You two look right together.”

“Oh, you think so, do you?” She was about to say something more when there was a loud snap from the left of them. John stopped in front of her, his weapon ready. She paused, her hand going for her side arm as she silently cursed herself for being so sloppy.

“Major Sheppard! I would recommend that you lower your weapon or your companion will be paying the price.” Figures came out from the underbrush. John gave a curse and raised his hands and a Genii soldier took his weapon. Another took Jenny’s side arm.

“Hey, Fellas. Long time no see. And it’s Lieutenant Colonel now. Try to keep it straight.”

The leader of the soldiers gave a smirk. “Congratulations on the promotion. And the woman? What is her rank?”

“Civilian, no rank. Jenny, say hello to the nice man.”

Jenny gave an irritated look at a soldier who took her scroll case. “Hello, Nice Man.”

“We have already secured your team members at the Stargate, Lieutenant Colonel. Shall we join them?”

The soldiers started escorting them back towards the gate. John let himself fall back enough that he was walking beside Jenny. “Stay calm, Doc. We’ll get out of this.”

“Never doubted it.” Her thoughts were torn between looking for a way out and worrying about David. “These guys still hate your guts?”

“Probably.” John looked around them. “They seem to think I’m a bad guy.” They broke through the tree line into the clearing where the gate was. Ford and Teyla were there, under guard by six Genii soldiers. “Hey, Ford. Who invited these guys?”

“Not I, Sir.”

“Yeah, not me, either.” John looked over at the leader. “So, what’s the plan? Torture? Execution?”

The Genii commander smirked. “Sadly, no. We plan to trade you for weapons and supplies from Atlantis. I’m certain you’ll fetch a good price.” He turned to dial the gate. The first two symbols were entered when Teyla stiffened up. “John. Wraith!”

Everyone reacted. The commander frowned. “It’s a trick.” About that time an energy blast struck one of the Genii soldiers in the back.

John grabbed Jenny and pulled her towards a large stone flanking the gate for cover. “No trick!” The Genii returned fire. Two different Wraith groups, each comprising four members, came into the clearing from opposite directions. John yelled over at the Genii commander, “Give us our weapons!”

Another blast went off over their heads. A Genii fell, but so did three of the Wraith. John took a chance to scramble forward and grab his weapon from where it had been dropped and began firing from the prone position. Between himself and Aiden, who had also managed to reclaim his weapon, two more Wraith went down. Jenny remained behind the rock, her eyes scanning the scene for any sign of her own weapon. She didn’t hear the Wraith come up behind her. The creature gripped her by the shoulder and spun her around roughly. She landed back against the stone, her back hitting it with a smack hard enough to knock the wind out of her a bit. The Wraith had wounds from bullet rounds that had gone into it, but was grinning maliciously. She watched as it raised back his hand, the gaping slit that worked as a secondary mouth seeming to grin on it’s own just before he plunged his hand onto her chest. It felt like razors cutting into her skin, followed by the sensation of something cold and dark clawing out her organs. She screamed, hand gripping the creature’s wrist in an attempt to pull it away. To her surprise, it did let go, falling back onto the ground.

Jenny scrambled away from the Wraith, gasping for air. The creature’s back was bowed off the ground, it’s mouth opening and closing like a fish robbed of water. He really did look a lot like a catfish, until he started screaming.

Jenny covered her ears. The sound was that loud. The remaining two Wraith drones froze for a moment before they retreated. Still, the Wraith screamed on and on. The Genii soldiers were still at the ready, but the commander made his way over to the creature. Eventually, the thing stopped screaming. It’s body convulsed a few times and then it fell still.

The commander looked from the dead Wraith to the woman who was now holding a hand over the wound in her chest. “What did you do to him?”

Jenny stared at the corpse, shaking her head. “I… I didn’t do anything.”

John stood up, walking over to check on her. “Doc, you all right?”

She nodded, still shaking. “Yeah… I hurt like hell, but I’m all right.” She stood up, her knees a bit rubbery.

“Well, it looks as though you are more valuable than we had originally thought. You’ll be coming with us.” The Genii commander froze as the muzzle of John’s weapon brushed his jaw.

“I think it’s going to be the other way around, don’t you?”

~***~

“Mom!” David ran across the upper walkway and down the stairs, throwing himself at his mother and squeezing her tight. “I’m sorry! Don’t be mad at me! I don’t really hate you!”

Jenny hugged her child to her. “I know, Sweetie. I’m not mad at you.” She winced at the pain in her chest. She moved out of the way of the gate as the Genii soldiers came through, the Wraith body being carried by them. David frowned, staring at it.

“Is that a Wraith?”

“Yep. That’s a Wraith.”

He tilted his head to the side. “I thought they were bug people. He looks like a catfish.”

Jenny couldn’t help but chuckle at how much her son’s mind worked like her own. “Yeah, I kinda thought that, too.”

David craned his neck up, his eyes going wide as he caught sight of the bloody hole in her shirt. “You’re hurt!”

She winced. “Yeah, he managed to get a bite out of me. I’m all right, though,” she assured him when she saw his face pale. “He’s not doing too well, though. I think I may have given him indigestion.”

Coburn came down the stairs. His eyes locked with Jenny a moment before catching sight of the wound. She saw him give a pause and move like he was going to head to her first before stopping himself. She offered him a slight smile and gave her head a little jerk to indicate that it was all right with her if he saw to the Genii first. His jaw clenched, clearly not happy with the idea but aware that he needed to do his job.

She watched him go over to speak with John before looking down at her son. “Wanna walk me to Medical? I think I’m supposed to let Dr. Beckett look at me, now.”

David took his mother by the hand and walked with her to see the doctor. He liked Carson. He spoke with a cool accent and he let him stay in the room while he examined his mother. David sat beside her on the exam table, swinging his feet back and forth as the doctor cleaned and disinfected the wound. Then he took out some kind of spray and coated her skin with it. “What’s that for?”

“I’m numbing her skin so it doesn’t hurt when I put the stitches in.”

“You’re gonna sew her up?” David watched, riveted, as Carson took out a sharp needle and some black silk.

“Yes, I am. If I don’t, she’s likely to have a rather nasty scar and I don’t think she wants that.” Jenny was holding a towel over her breasts, baring just enough that Carson could reach the wound. “So what happened out there?”

“I don’t know what happened. The Wraith attacked me, he got latched on, but then he let go and fell over. He started screaming and convulsing like he was having a seizure of some kind. Then he stopped moving all together.”

Carson slid the needle through her skin again, David watching closely. “That is odd. Have you been feeling ill lately?”

“No, I’ve been fine.”

“All the same, I’d like to get a blood sample for testing. You might have picked up some virus or bacteria that the Wraith react badly to. We do know that there is a protein that some people in this galaxy have that blocks a Wraith’s ability to feed. You might have some genetic trait their allergic to.”

“Oh that this one Wraith was allergic to but the others have no trouble with.”

“That, too. I’ll be testing the body as well.” He tied off the last of the sutures and cut the silk. “That should do it. I’ll want you back in here in a week to take those out. Until then I’ll give you some ointment to use on the wound to keep away infection. Any red streaking or drainage and I want you in here, sooner.”

“Yeah, Mom.” David crossed his eyes at her then giggled as she tweaked his nose.

“Close your eyes. Mommy has to get dressed again.” She pulled shirt back on and buttoned it up as David sat with his eyes covered. “All done.”

He uncovered his eyes and pointed to her shirt. “You need to change clothes. Those are all bloody.”

“It just so happens that is where we’re headed next.” She got up from the table, taking the ointment that Carson offered to her before walking out of the room with David in tow. “So, what did you do while I was away?”

David shrugged. “Hung out with James. He taught me how to shoot a P-90.”

“He did? Did he also tell you that you’re not to touch one unless he’s there to watch you?”

David nodded. “He said that if I even breathed on one without him there, I’d be working KP until I’m thirty. That’s almost dead.”

“Hey! I happen to be quite a bit over thirty, you know.”

David rolled his eyes. “No you’re not.” He was holding onto her hand, his fingers tight about hers. “Mom, why doesn’t James live with us?”

She stopped, shocked at the question. “What? Where did that come from?”

He shrugged. “We like him. He likes us. Why doesn’t he just live with us? That way he’d always be there when we need him.”

She had no idea that trying to have a love life while being a single mother was going to be full of so many awkward moments. “Honey… people don’t just… live together.”

“We lived with Grandpa.”

“Actually, Grandpa lived with us. But still, he was family. James is just a friend.”

David shrugged again. “Then you and James should get married. That way he’d be family, too. Then he’d be my dad.”

Jennifer took a breath, pulling David to the side of the hallway before crouching down to be at his level. Honey… its not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“People… when people get married, they’re making a promise to one another. It’s a very serious thing.”

“What kind of promise?”

“That they’re going to be together forever. That they’re always going to be there for one another.”

“But you’re not married to Major Copeland anymore.”

“Well, that’s because Major Copeland didn’t keep his promise to me. He broke it.”

David frowned at this, but it lasted only a moment. “James wouldn’t break his promise. I know he wouldn’t.”

Jenny sighed, trying to figure out how to put this. “Davey, I don’t want you to get your hopes up with this. James and I get along, but that doesn’t mean he won’t find someone else he likes more one day.”

Her son looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “How could he like anyone more than you?”

She felt flattered. “Not everyone has the same idea of who they want to be with. People are attracted to different things.”

He rolled his eyes. “James likes us. I don’t think he’ll find anyone else. You should marry him, Mom. That way he can live with us.” It all seemed so simple in his mind. He turned away and continued on towards the living quarters, leaving Jenny crouching in the corridor.

“If only life were as simple as a child’s view.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

James was rather proud of himself. He’d sat in his chair for a whole fifteen minutes listening to the leaders of the Genii demand that they turn over Jennifer for study and hadn’t shot either one of them, yet. The Genii had been invited to send someone to collect their men. The commander of the unit had immediately told them about what he had witnessed. The two new arrivals had then insisted on speaking with Dr. Weir and demanded that they give Jennifer to them.

“At the moment we do not know why the Wraith reacted the way that it did. Dr. Beckett is running tests to determine what happened.”

Commander Kastar gave a snort of disbelief. “And we are to believe what your doctor says? Our scientists are more than capable of determining how the woman killed the Wraith.”

James’ fist tightened under the table. “Her name is Dr. Jennifer Copeland, and she’s a mother of a child who will celebrate his sixth birthday tomorrow. She will not be leaving this city.”

“Her sacrifice would be for the benefit of all. The Genii can provide a home for both her and the child.”

“Until you manage to kill her with your experiments!”

“Colonel.” James had been about to get out of his chair, but stopped as Elizabeth spoke. She gave her best, diplomatic smile to the Genii. “Dr. Copeland is a valuable member of this expedition and I cannot turn her over.”

Kastar slammed his fist down onto the table. “How DARE you keep something like this to yourself? Do you not realize what something like this can mean to the galaxy?”

“Yes, we do. It’s been tried before. The last time the so called ‘cure’ had a mortality rate high enough to render it an unacceptable solution!”

“Your Dr. Copeland seemed quite healthy to me!”

“It wouldn’t do you any good, anyway.” McKay, Beckett and Jenny came into the room. Rodney handed a file to Elizabeth. “They couldn’t duplicate it, no matter how hard they tried.”

Jennifer took the empty seat next to James, keeping a respectable distance. Elizabeth opened the file and skimmed over the test results. “Naquadah?”

Carson nodded. “It’s a safe bet that the Wraith have never encountered a Goa’uld before, so it’s unlikely that they ever would have encountered someone with Naquadah in their system before now. Apparently the mineral is highly toxic to Wraith physiology.” He sat down, turning his attention to the Genii. “Dr. Copeland has been exposed to aliens with an unusual substance in their blood. Because of this exposure, she herself has it as well. It insinuates itself into the bone marrow and nervous systems. Most of what the Wraith feed on is energy, which is transmitted through the human nervous system. Whatever he would have gotten from Jennifer would have been slightly altered by the Naquadah, enough so that it is poisonous to the Wraith, thus killing him.”

Kastar frowned and looked over at his companion who straightened up in his chair. “Naquadah? Isn’t that the mineral used in your generators?”

McKay, seated on the other side of Jenny, was wearing his best why-can’t-everyone-be-as-brilliant-as-I-am expression. “Yes, it is. However, that is refined Naquadah in a mostly metallic form and we do not have the technology needed to convert it to something that is readily absorbed by the human body. Even if we did, we don’t have enough for every man, woman and child in the galaxy.”

“How did Dr. Copeland come to have it?”

Jenny shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks flushing. Carson frowned and interrupted. “That isn’t the issue. The issue is that taking her from Atlantis will serve no purpose. There’s no way for us to synthesize the element and there simply wouldn’t be enough in Jennifer’s body that would be extractable in amounts large enough to do any good.”

The Genii exchanged a look. Neither seemed convinced. Kastar looked towards Dr. Weir. “If you have a means by which to make humans unusable to the Wraith, it could mean the salvation of this galaxy. The Genii will not stand by and let more of our sons and daughters die because the Atlanteans refuse to share technology and medicines that could be beneficial to others!”

Elizabeth managed to keep her temper. “If you had been listening, we are not in possession of any sort of technology or medicine that can duplicate…”

“Tretonin.”

Weir looked at McKay about the same time as Jennifer and Carson responded with a ‘Not an option!’ and ‘No bloody way!’ simultaneously. The Genii blinked, looking at the various Atlanteans in suspicion.

Rodney shrugged. “Why not? It is a medication, but it also contains Naquadah. Dosages given over a period of time would result in a build up of Naquadah in the body.”

Jenny looked furious. “Why not? Let’s start with the fact that the only sure source of Tretonin we have is through the Tok’ra and their updated processing. Still, it’s extremely rare and they produce it solely for the use of the Jaffa!”

“So?”

“So?” She blinked, her expression turning to one of disbelief. “These are the Jaffa we’re talking about! The Goa’uld would still have our galaxy in a stranglehold if they hadn’t had the courage to rebel against the System Lords and help us tear them down. We owe them our support and our lives!”

“Not to mention,” added Carson, “that Tretonin is made by liquefying Goa’uld symbiotes.”

James gave a shrug. “I have no problem with that.” He knew it was the wrong thing to say when Jennifer turned a shocked gaze towards him.

“You have no problem with that. The Goa’uld, evil and cruel though they may be, are highly intelligent, sentient beings. What gives us the right to harvest them, throw them in a blender and flip it to puree?”

Rodney gave a snort. “Because they’re evil and cruel. Oh, and let’s not forget how they enslaved countless humans on hundreds of worlds by posing as gods.”

“Dr. Copeland is right, Rodney! By harvesting the Goa’uld and breeding them to make Tretonin, we become no better than they!” Beckett seemed to be imploring the other man to see reason.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Carson, don’t be an idiot. I expected this from her,” he said, jerking his thumb towards Jenny, “but I thought you’d be more sensible.”

Jennifer frowned. “You expected it from me? Just what is that supposed to mean?”

McKay made a disdainful ‘chuffing’ sound. “Oh, maybe because your child just happens to be the biological offspring of a System Lord whose host is an exact double to our ranking military officer. Tell me, Doctor; when you and the Colonel are going at it, are you seeing him or are you seeing the evil, soul-stealing parasite?”

James saw it coming, but at the moment he was not inclined to stop it. The Marines did a good job in training Jenny. The fist that connected with McKay’s jaw had enough power behind it to knock the man out of his seat. Elizabeth was on her feet in a second.

“DOCTOR COPELAND!”

Jenny’s chair slammed into the wall from the speed with which she stood up. James took a drink of his coffee, his expression calm as she yelled down at the annoying scientist. “How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

“Colonel!”

James put down his coffee cup and stood up. He hooked a finger into the waistband of Jenny’s pants and yanked her back towards him hard enough that she bumped into his chest. “Calm down.”

She struggled against him as he put one arm about her waist. “Did you hear that that jackass said?!”

James tightened his grip about her waist. “Calm. Down.” She fought him a second longer, but eventually let up. When he was relatively certain she wouldn’t try to kill McKay, he let go of her. “Now, we’re all a bit upset right now, so why don’t we let Elizabeth and Carson speak with our guests and the rest of us can get back to our regular jobs.”

Weir gave a concerned look towards Jennifer, noting the tightness about the other woman’s mouth and the still clenched fist. She gave a sharp nod. “I agree, Colonel. Would you be so kind as to escort Dr. Copeland back to her quarters? It’s been a rather trying couple of days.”

“I’m bleeding! She broke my nose!” Rodney was scrambling to his feet.

“I hit your jaw, Asshole! You broke your own nose when you landed on it!”

“Colonel, now would be a good time for the two of you to leave.”

James gripped Jenny’s upper arm gently. “You heard the doctor, Doctor. Let’s let the diplomats yell and scream at one another in private.” She gave him no resistance as he walked her from the room and escorted her down the hall. She was muttering dark thoughts under her breath, a few involving Rodney McKay and the business end of an F-302 engine thruster. He didn’t feel the need to stand up for the scientist. He still remembered finding David alone and upset after overhearing what the Canadian had said about him.

Jenny stopped in the middle of the corridor and spun to face him. “It’s not true!”

Coburn blinked. “What’s not true?”

“What he said. I’m not with you because… because of how you look.”

He arched a brow. “This isn’t the first nose you’ve broken, Jenny. I am well aware that I got you on my own merits.” She blushed at the reminder. “I’ve never had a moment’s doubt. You’re one of those rare individuals who can see a person for who they are and not by what they are or how they look. The last one I met was General O’Neill, when he looked past Teal’c being a Jaffa and saw him for someone we could trust. There were a lot of us who had trouble accepting him, myself included.”

“Still… I didn’t want you to worry…”

“I’m not worried.” He almost reached for her, wanting to kiss her, but held back. They were still in a relatively public area and he had to maintain proper decorum. “Let’s get you back to your quarters. I’m sure David’s chomping at the bit wondering if you’re okay.”

She shook her head, but started walking again. “He won’t worry. He likes Carson. I think he’s starting to have his first real crisis of faith in regards to what he wants to be when he grows up.”

“What? He no longer wants to be an admiral?”

“Now he’s starting to think that he may want to be a doctor. I told him that he could be both if he was a doctor in the Navy.”

“Why not be a doctor in the Air Force? He could be a general.”

“Yeah, but he still thinks admirals are way cooler than generals.”

“And what does ‘Mom’ think?”

Jenny shrugged. “I’m still rather partial to admirals, although I am developing a healthy respect for Colonels.”

James couldn’t fight the grin from creeping onto his face. They reached Jenny’s door and both entered into it without question. David was laying stomach first on his mother’s bed, reading one of his e-books, legs kicking in the air. He looked up as they entered and scrambled to his knees. “Mom! Did Dr. Beckett say you’re all right? Did he poke you with needles?”

Coburn shut the door behind him. “Your mother was a real trooper. She even took a swing at Dr. McKay. Laid him out flat.”

David’s eyes grew round as Jenny shot a quelling look at her lover. “Did you really? Did you give him a black eye? Did he say something stupid again?”

“He may have said something I didn’t like, but that was no reason for me to hit him.” Jenny turned back to her son who had scrambled from her bed and was now wrapping his arms about her to hug him. “There’s no reason for people to resort to hitting one another just because of words.” David looked around his mother to look at the Colonel. James nodded his head and mouthed ‘Yes, there is.’

David grinned, but didn’t rat out James. Jenny ruffled his hair gently. “Are you ready for your big day tomorrow? I think I heard Teyla say that one of her friends has made a ton of feela cake for you to share with the Marines and Sergeant Riley said he and the rest of the galley staff were making all your favorite foods for tomorrow’s menu. You get to be king for the day.”

“Just don’t try to throw your weight around.” James walked past mother and son and took a seat in one of the chairs. He examined the picture that Jenny and David made, smiling a bit to himself. He could be mine. This is what a child I had with Jenny would look like. David was quite tall for his age, but he knew that tall people ran in Jenny’s family and Camulus’ host was no midget by any means. The dark, wavy hair. The big brown eyes. David was just as he had always imagined that his son would be. The mother wasn’t anything to sneeze at, either.

This wasn’t really how he had anticipated starting a family. He had imagined that he would eventually meet someone he could trust, remarry and have a few kids of his own. A ready-made one hadn’t even crossed his mind before. Now, however, the concept seemed as natural to him as breathing.

David pulled away from his mother to take a chair next to James. “So can I do anything I want tomorrow?”

That smelled like a set up. “Within reason.”

The child seemed to ponder this for a while. “How about taking me and So-Shu out in the sub to see the fish? Is that within reason?”

Jenny picked up one of David’s miniature fighter planes from another chair. “So-Shu and I.”

“Yeah, us.”

James made like he was thinking it over seriously before giving an exaggerated sigh. “I guess that would be all right. So-Shu is one of the Athosian kids?” David nodded, grinning broadly. “If his parents are all right with it, they can bring him over. We’ll snag Sheppard and take a cruise.”

“What do you say?”

“Thanks, James!”

Jenny held out the little fighter. “Good. Now go put this back where it belongs before you lose it.” David took the model and ran out the door. “You just made his day.”

“Well, considering I can’t very well run down to the local mall and buy him something cool, I’ll have to make do with what I can give him. Actually, I was planning to offer him a ride in an F-302, but if he wants to do fish, we can do fish.” He reached out with one of his feet and nudged her leg. “So what are his favorite foods?”

“He likes those Athosian sweet breads for breakfast and he adores those little crab creatures we’ve found. If we were back home the base would be having peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches with banana bread.”

“Thank Heavens for distant galaxies.”

~***~

Jenny was nibbling on a piece of sweet bread as she walked towards her office, her eyes skimming over the data pad in her hands. The birthday boy had quickly forgot her right after breakfast. Sheppard had brought So-Shu and his mother over at dawn and they had all shared breakfast. The Athosian boy had given him a simple flute he had carved himself. It played off key, but Davey loved it. Once the food had been out of the way, James and John had rounded them up to take them on their underwater adventure.

“I don’t believe it! Do they not understand what it is they’re doing?!”

She paused and looked up. That was Carson’s voice, coming loud and clear from Elizabeth’s office.

“Carson, I don’t like it any better than you do, but this is out of my hands.”

Curiosity getting the better of her, Jenny detoured to Weir’s office and poked her head in. Carson caught sight of her instantly. “The next time you decide to hit Rodney, do us all a favor and break his jaw so he can’t talk.”

“Okay. Love to. What did he do?” She stepped the rest of the way in. Along with Carson and Elizabeth, there were two other members of Dr. Beckett’s staff; Dr. Dirie, geneticist, and Dr. Bateman, epidemiologist. All of them looked rather terse.

Elizabeth took a breath. “After we eventually got the Genii to leave, we completed our monthly report to Stargate Command.”

“Dr. McKay was on hand to give his views on the subject.” Bateman flexed his shoulders, his expression one of severe disdain. It took Jenny a second to cipher out why.

“Tell me they’re not seriously considering his idea.”

“They are.” Beckett looked fit to be tied. “The next supply run the Icarus makes will include a large shipment of Tretonin to be given to the people on this base.”

“Doctors, I understand why you are all upset over this decision. Believe me, I share your reservations regarding the manufacturing of the drug. Unfortunately, the military feels that if we have a possible vaccine that can protect our people from the affects of a Wraith feeding then we need to put it to use.”

Dirie tugged on the bottom of his tunic before speaking. His accent so thick that the man had grown accustomed to speaking with slow deliberation so that he could be understood. “I can allow myself to turn a blind eye to right and wrong when it comes to the Jaffa. The Goa’uld purposefully altered their genetic makeup so that their immune systems fail at puberty. They wanted them dependant on symbiotes to survive, therefore they can pay the consequences for their actions. However, to harvest and kill a sentient race for use on healthy individuals with no need for the panacea is going too far.”

“I understand.” Elizabeth sat down behind her desk. “The decision has been made. The best I can do now is to discuss the matter with Colonel Coburn and see if we cannot at least make the inoculations voluntary. I don’t want to require any of you do to something that goes against your own beliefs.”

The three men were not happy. They bade tense good byes and left the room. Carson paused next to Jenny and spoke to her in a low whisper. “Doctor, when you’ve got a moment, I need you to come to medical for a bit.”

She nodded and waited until the door shut behind Beckett before turning to Elizabeth. “Did the SGC give any thought to the reservations of some of the people on this post?”

“They acknowledged it, but they felt that since most of the scientists have never had close contact with the Goa’uld they are lacking enough experience to make an informed decision.”

“And then there’s myself who is still looked at with a measure of distrust because I had a bit too much close contact with a Goa’uld.”

“Unfortunately, that is something that some of the higher ups on Earth have a problem seeing past. I’ll admit that I even worried about it myself, for a time.” Weir gave her a gentle smile. “Your performance records after your return to Earth along with your behavior since coming here, however, have proved to me that you are an invaluable asset to this team. And, having a dedicated translator is a blessing. Our efficiency has increased by half now that the scientists no longer have to stumble over translating for themselves.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Jenny hugged the data pad to her chest. “Uhm… about my behavior yesterday. I really shouldn’t have let my temper get the better of me like that.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. However, I’m glad it was you sitting next to Rodney.”

She blinked. “Pardon?”

“Better you and Colonel Coburn. I’m afraid if James had been in your place he’d now be locked up in a holding cell and we would currently be planning Rodney’s funeral.”

“Yeah… that might have been messy.” Jenny moved forward to sit down in one of the chairs before Elizabeth’s desk. “Dr. Weir, I want to assure you that I’m not laboring under some delusion that Camulus is my Goa’uld prince in leather armor. I am well aware of who James is.”

“I never thought otherwise, Doctor.” Weir sat back in her chair, her elbows resting on the armrests. “If I may be so bold, I get the feeling that the person most concerned that others might think you’re hung up on Camulus and are just using Coburn as a replacement is you.” Jenny was struck dumb. “Rumor has it that you threatened to put a bullet in the Colonel first time you saw him. I’m thinking that’s a pretty good indication of your true feelings about Camulus.”

“Dr. McKay doesn’t seem to think so.”

“Dr. McKay, although brilliant, is seriously lacking in people skills. It makes him annoying at times, but he’s still one of our top minds.” Weir looked at the younger woman, contemplating the strange balance of competent scholar, trained fighter and insecurity. “What concerns me now is how relationships at work can put a strain on things. If this doesn’t work out between you and Colonel Coburn, are you going to be able to continue your duties here?”

“Oh.” Jennifer blinked, seemingly caught off guard by this question. “I hadn’t thought of that. Not really, anyways. If the truth were to be told, I don’t think David would ever not let this work.”

Elizabeth bit back a chuckle. “Yeah, I thought I remembered seeing a little shadow following Coburn around from time to time. And from what I’ve heard, there are a lot of people here happy to see David about. Actually, I’m glad you and David came to Atlantis. It helps set a precedent we may be able to use later to tap into some talent we’ve had to let slip by in the past. It doesn’t matter how great an opportunity this place is, most people aren’t going to be willing to leave a spouse and children behind for an undetermined period of time.”

“But if David and I do well here and we’re able to solidify our defenses, you can argue to bring in actual families.” Jenny gave a nod of understanding. “That’s a big step, though. David adores the military and he’s happy to have so many soldiers he can watch. But more children means we’ll need to arrange for an actual school program, find ways to keep them entertained in their off times, not to mention childhood illnesses and teenage angst.”

“I never said it would be easy, and it may still be a ways off. You’re just the first step.”

“Well, then I’ll do my best to see to it that Davey and I make a brilliant showing so that you can hold us up as a great example.” Jenny rose from her seat, giving her boss a warm smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Dr. Beckett asked me to stop by medical.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, but it probably involves needles. It always involves needles. Didn’t you know I moonlight as a human pin cushion?”

~***~

“And we saw that Admiral Rice shark again! You should have seen it, Mom. He was awesome!”

“It was almost as long as the sub, and it had all these teeth!” So-Shu made jaws out of his hands to demonstrate, pretending to be a giant predatory fish chomping at prey. The boy’s mother watched on with an amused expression.

“And James had us surface so we could go fishing, but we only caught a few little ones. We’ll need stronger fishing gear if we’re going to catch anything cool.”

The boys were tearing into the feela cake with both hands. James looked across the table at Jenny with a slight frown. She seemed oddly subdued, in spite of the chattering boys sitting next to her. She had hardly touched her dinner at all.

“Dr. Copeland, can David some to the mainland and say with us, tonight?”

“Yeah, Mom, can I?”

Jenny blinked. “Oh… if it’s all right with you.” She looked over at the Athosian woman who nodded.

“We would be pleased to have him as a guest. He and So-Shu get along better than brothers. And it would keep my son distracted long enough I could complete some tasks that need doing.”

“So can I?”

Jenny’s eyes flicked over to James. He frowned again at the apprehension there. Still, she nodded. “Of course. Finish your dinner and then you can go get some clothes to take.”

The boys wolfed down their cake, seemingly without breathing. All five of them went to Jenny’s quarters where David hurried shoved some clothes into a small duffle. He stopped to hug and kiss his mother before he led So-Shu and his mother to find Sheppard so they could return to the mainland. As soon as the door shut behind them, James threw the lock and turned around to face his lover. “What’s wrong?”

Jenny took a deep breath. “Uhm… you might… you should…” She swallowed. “Sit down. You… you need to sit down.”

James walked over to the sitting area and folded himself into a chair. He kept his posture relaxed, not wanting to feed Jennifer’s obvious distress. “Okay. Now what?”

“Uhm… Carson wanted to speak to me. There were some test results that hadn’t been ready by the time he confirmed that the Wraith had a bad reaction to the Naquadah. Then there was the part where I hit Rodney, and then you pulled me away and… he didn’t get a chance to tell me until today.”

A little thread of worry started in the pit of James’ stomach. “Are you all right?”

Jenny began to pace, wringing her hands nervously. “I… ah… I’d forgotten about this part. I mean, my social calendar hasn’t exactly been busy. I’m a single mom with a child who’s still considered classified. There weren’t a lot of guy I could spend time with… so I just… didn’t. Then there was coming here, and all the activity and rush… and the ale and the being in an entirely different galaxy…”

“Jenny! Stand still.” She stopped pacing. “What did Carson find?”

Her eyes seemed oddly clear and wide. He’d never seen her this discomposed, this… nervous. She licked her lips before chewing on the bottom one a bit. “I… the thing is… I might be… just a… just a tiny bit… pregnant.”

He went very still, uncertain he heard her right. “Might be?”

She swallowed. “Uhm… am. I am. Just a little, maybe a week or two. I’ve been so busy… I hadn’t even noticed I was late.” She tried to smile, but she didn’t quite manage. James frowned again as he watched her. She looked about ready to cry.

“Jenny?” He stood up, moving towards her. To his surprise, she backed away.

“I… I don’t think I can do this. I just…”

He was beginning to feel a bit sick. Jennifer was the last woman he would have pegged to have problems with motherhood. The whole nightmare with Honey was starting to replay in his mind. “Jennifer… I know this wasn’t exactly planned. I know neither of us were really thinking this far ahead when we started all this, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that it happened. We can get through this.”

She screwed her eyes shut and began to shake her head. “No. No… he’ll just wreck everything again. He always does. Just when I get my feet under me, he shows up and ruins everything!”

That gave him pause, and a bit of relief. At least it wasn’t him who had her upset. “Jennifer, he can’t touch you here. He can’t take anything away from you again.”

She was shaking her head again. “He will. He’ll show up. That’s what he does. He’s like a curse. I was just getting over my divorce, I was on a team, my career was going great and he uses an attack to spirit me off somewhere and kept me as a pet. He didn’t give me David because he wanted to be a father. In his warped, little world he was rewarding me for good behavior. That’s all it was. And I knew… I knew I had to get out of there. I knew if I was still with him when I had David, the first time I pissed him off badly enough he’d just… take him away from me and I’d never see him again.”

James dared to step close again. This time she was too wrapped up in the past to pull away. He put her hands on her shoulders, just lightly. “And then I got home, and I had David. And he was so perfect. He had ten little fingers and ten little toes… and he was healthy and clever and he was so beautiful. I had my job. Daddy was there to help me. We were doing so… well. Then he sends soldiers to my home and murders my father!” She was crying now. James moved his hands to frame her face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears, trying to calm her. “He tried to have me kidnapped. We had to run. Had to leave it all behind.

“And there was you and I thought you were him but all the tests said you weren’t. And we came here and you were here and you were so… different. You were honest and smart. David loves you and you love him and you put up with him even though you don’t have to. And then there was the touching and the kissing and the sex and it all felt… so… good. And I broke your nose and you still wanted me. And now there’s this little life in me and I can’t help but think that things are going too well again. I keep waiting for the mother ship to show up in orbit and for him to come and take it all away again. And I can’t do that again. I can’t…”

She leaned forward, collapsing against him. “I’m so tired. I’m so tired of running. I don’t… I don’t have any fight left in me. He’s worn it all away.”

James hugged her close, his heart feeling close to breaking. “Jenny. Jenny, look at me.” He tilted her head up so that her eyes were locked on his. “He is not going to take anything away from you.” She started to shake her head again, her eyes closing in pain. “No! He’s not. He’s not taking you. He’s not taking David. And he’s sure as hell not taking our baby. I’m not going to let him.”

She looked desperate to believe him. He placed a warm kiss against her lips. “He’s not taking anything from us. And I’m not going to let fear of some jackass we left in the Milky Way Galaxy tear us apart.” He tilted her face towards his again. “I love you, Jenny. We’re both bringing baggage with us; I’ve got a bitch of an ex-wife and you’ve got an egomaniac who likes to pretend he’s a god. Neither of them are important enough for us to let this slip through our fingers.” He kissed her again, taking more time to linger before speaking again. “I want it all, Jennifer. I want you. I want David. I want our baby. And I’ll be damned to Hell before I let Camulus or anyone else keep us from being happy.”

He felt her fingers tighten into the cloth of his shirt and pull slightly towards her, as though afraid he’d back away. Her breathing was slowing, becoming calmer. “If he finds us… he’ll want to kill you.”

James shook his head. “He can’t kill me. I won’t let him.”

He lowered his head to kiss her again, this time pulling her closer. He teased her tongue into twirling around his own, deepening the kiss until she was standing on her tiptoes in an attempt to get closer. With a little growl he reached down and picked her up into his arms, carrying her towards the bed. He knew she was likely still afraid, but David was gone to the mainland and he had all night to make her believe.

----------------------------------------------------------------

James had the feeling of being watched. He opened one eye and found himself looking into a pair of deep brown eyes that were very much like his own. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the mainland with So-Shu?”

“We were playing and he tripped. He broke his arm so we had to come back here so Dr. Beckett can fix him. Are you my dad, now?”

James blinked, then shifted a bit so that his face wasn’t half buried in the pillow any longer. “Hard to say. That’s up to your mother.” Jenny hadn’t woken up so far. He could still feel her weight, solid and warm, pressed against his back.

“What’s taking her so long?”

“She’s just a little scared.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t want to make a mistake. She’s afraid she’ll make the wrong choice, maybe pick someone who won’t care about you like he should.”

The child rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit. “She can be really silly sometimes.”

James smiled. “Sometimes. But she’s still really smart.”

David moved closer to the bed, pitching his voice to a whisper. “You left your clothes on the floor. She really hates it when I do that.”

James gave a low, half-asleep chuckle. That seemed to do the trick. The warm body pressed against him shifted in a muffled protest. “What’s so funny?” He felt her prop up onto one elbow to look over his shoulder. “David!” The sharp tug on the covers indicated that she was making a hurried motion to see that everything was covered. “What are you doing back?”

“So-Shu got hurt.” The child climbed up, using a hand on one of James’ shoulders for leverage. James shifted a bit when one of David’s feet got a little too close to a rather sensitive spot, but he relaxed as the child came to rest, squeezing himself between the adults so that he was half laying on his mother. James rolled over so that he was facing them both as the boy asked another question. “Where are your ‘jammas?”

Jenny looked shell shocked. James grinned. “I knew we forgot something.”

She shot him a look, eyes narrowed. “Shush, you.”

He tried to look innocent. “What?”

“Mom, if James lives with us, is he always going to have to share a bed with you? He share my room if you’d rather.”

Jennifer paused, her brow rising a bit as though she thought the idea had merit. James’ eyes narrowed. “Don’t even…”

“No, wait a minute. He’s got an idea there. You do take up a lot of space.” She tried to not to laugh as one of his hands reached out to tickle her through the thin sheet.

“Then we get a bigger bed!” He reached around to pull Jenny closer, sandwiching David between them. “Besides, you’re going to be taking up even more room before it’s over. You’re not going to be able to hide that from him.”

Jenny sighed. “I know.”

“Hide what?”

James left the ball in Jenny’s court. He propped himself up onto one elbow, his eyes watching as Jennifer tried to form the right words. She looked down at her son who was now staring up at her with wide, expectant eyes. “Honey, James is going to be around more from now on.”

“How much more?”

“A lot more.”

“More enough I can call him ‘Dad’?”

Coburn grinned, keeping quiet. He knew that he shouldn’t be getting this much fun out of watching Jenny squirm, but they had been carrying on this relationship for going on nearly four months now. All the dancing around the subject she’d been doing had been driving him nuts. Now she was finally backed into a corner she couldn’t wriggle out of.

“That’s… that’s really something that the two of you are going to have to work out on your own.”

David’s head did a quick twist over at James. “Can I?”

He reached out and tweaked the boy’s nose. “Not sure, Ensign. Depends on whether or not I can talk your Mom here into making everything official. But I can tell you that we’re going to be more like a family from now on.” He looked over at Jenny. “He’s gonna notice eventually. You might as well get it all out.”

David looked back at his mother. He looked a lot like he was watching a tennis match. Jenny gave him a bit of a nervous smile. “David, you’re going to be a big brother. Dr. Beckett ran some tests on me after I was attacked by that Wraith and he told me that I’m going to have a baby.”

Davey jumped up, twisting over onto his knees with cat-like speed. “Really?” He looked at where his mother’s stomach would be under the blankets. “But your tummy’s still small. Mrs. Dunn got fat when she had her baby.”

James leaned back, coughing to cover up a laugh. Jennifer managed to hold one back as well. “Well, Honey, it takes a while for a woman to get that way. The baby has to grow big enough he’ll be healthy first. It takes about nine months.”

“NINE?! That’s forever!”

“It’s less than a year.”

“I’ll be almost seven by then! Why can’t you have the baby now?”

James pulled his pillow over his face, his torso shaking. Jenny leveled a look at her son. “Because it takes nine months. That’s how long it took me to have you. That’s how long it will take me to have this baby. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

David gave a sigh of exasperation, folding his arms in a huff. “What do I do until then?”

James came out from under the pillow. “Well, for right now, I think it’s time that all Ensigns found their bunks and turned in. Get to bed.”

“But I wanna stay out here with you!”

“You sleep in your own bunk, Ensign.” James kept his voice authoritative. “Your mom and I need to talk.”

The child sighed again, but he leaned forward and kissed Jennifer on the cheek, giving her a tight hug. He was about to leave, but stopped a moment and launched himself at James, hugging the man tightly as well. Both adults heard a soft ‘Good night, Dad’ before he scrambled off the bed and hurried to his room. The door slid shut, leaving the adults alone.

“Well, he took that far better than I thought he would.”

James shifted his weight. “The kid likes me.” He reached out and pulled Jenny across the bed so that he could lean over her, placing a line of kisses along her jaw.

“I thought you wanted to talk.”

“I thought he might be a little young to start sex ed, but if you’d rather I could go in there and tell him what I really wanted.” He slipped a hand under the covers to run it over her skin.

“We just got busted by my six-year-old and you’re horny.”

He ran his hand down her thigh. “Yep.” He trailed his fingers back up, running along the inside of her thigh and moving higher until she caught his hand with her own.

“He’s just in the next room.”

“Then try to keep the screaming down.”

She gasped, her eyes wide. “I do not scream.”

He pretended to ponder this for a moment. “You’re right. You don’t scream. You just moan at high decibels.” He captured her lips before she could protest. There was a brief, half-hearted attempt on her part to keep his hands to himself, but she gave up quickly. A few seconds more and she was returning his attentions happily. She moved enough to open herself for him, making a soft, sexy purr in her throat as he slipped inside her. “Quiet. He’s just in the next room.”

“Oh, shut up.” She kissed him, flexing her hips to urge him to get on with things. He was quite happy to oblige.

~***~

“Four rooms?”

“That’s how many we need.”

Weir gave Coburn an inquiring look. “Why four? I can see three.”

“One for David, one for us and one for the baby.”

Elizabeth stopped. “Baby?”

“Dr. Beckett confirmed it yesterday.” She looked at him in stunned. “Don’t look at me like that. This post has been running for going on eight years with a mix of both male and female personnel. You’re lucky you managed to avoid it this long. You don’t honestly believe the staff has been keeping their hands to themselves all this time. These kids have been damn careful, no doubt afraid they’d lose their jobs if one of them turned up pregnant.”

“Aren’t you afraid that Dr. Copeland will be recalled for the same reason?”

He shook his head. “Not going to happen. Not with Camel Ass looking for her.”

“Have you told David about this?”

“Told him last night.” James gave a grin, his expression just a tad ‘dopey’. “He called me ‘Dad’.”

Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile in response. “Well, that bodes well for you, at least.” She forced herself to be serious again. “Still, I cannot ignore the fact that I have some serious reservations about the impact this can have morale here on Atlantis.”

“What could be demoralizing about having a baby? Last I heard it was part of our nature to adore children. Besides, look at it this way. If we can make this work, then you can use us as an example as to why you can tap in to all that talent I’ve heard you and the other scientists complain about.”

“Are we really that bad?”

“No, not horribly bad. Although it does get a bit tiring to hear someone say ‘Dr. Franzen could have solved this in a day, but he’d never leave the wife and kids behind’.”

“Point taken.” She was about to say something more when she caught sight of a slender figure across the room below them. James saw it as well and frowned.

“Hey!” Jennifer tripped to a stop, looked around, then finally upwards. “Where are you going?” From the distance it was hard to make out her eyes, but she seemed to blink before pointing towards the corridor that led to the engineering labs with a hand that held a data pad. “And you have to run there? You’re supposed to take it easy!” The woman shook her head in what looked like irritation, made a motion in his direction like swatting a fly and took off running again. James stared after her, jaw slack.

“Honeymoon over already?”

He closed his mouth and gave a dark look to Elizabeth. She raised a single brow in challenge. Without a word, the Colonel turned and headed off, intent on seeing what his intended was up to now. Weir followed, still smirking.

They found her with the engineering department, talking excitedly with Dr. Zelenka. McKay tried to take the data pad from her hand but she slapped him away. “I’m the head of this department!”

“Oh, piss off!” Jenny shoved him with a hand firmly in the center of his chest before carrying on the conversation with Zelenka. Coburn came to a halt; feet shoulder width apart and hands on his hips.

“And what, pray tell, has you so excited?”

Zelenka looked up, eyes bright behind his glasses. “She’s done it!”

“Done what?”

Rodney tried to take the data pad again, but Jenny snatched it away. “She’s apparently found the last of the information that gives us all we need to make our own zero point modules.” He reached for the information again, only to have it snatched away another time. “Elizabeth!”

“Dr. Copeland, Rodney is the head of this department.”

Jenny gave Weir a disgruntled look then shoved the data pad into McKay’s chest. “Take it, you big baby.”

James arched a brow. “Jennifer.” She looked at him, her expression one of forced innocence. He beckoned her closer with a crooked finger. She stepped closer, her expression changing to one of confusion.

“What?”

“You ran all the way here?”

“Yeah, so?”

“You need to be careful, especially now.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “James, I’m not dying. I’ve been through this before, remember?”

McKay was practically beside himself with giddiness. “This is great. This is better than great.”

Elizabeth looked on expectantly. “We have everything we need?”

“Well, there are a few raw materials we’ll have to locate, but with Teyla’s help we should be able to locate those easily enough. Once we have them we should be able to get started.” Zelenka was standing slightly behind McKay so he could read over his shoulder.

James raised his stern gaze from Jennifer to look at Weir and the scientists. “How long before we have a working ZPM?” Rodney looked up.

“Once we get the raw materials, it should only be a matter of days. Atlantis actually has outlets for a total of five ZPMs. We should probably get those all up and running first, which would bring the city up to full power. Then another half dozen to take through the gate to Earth, along with the instructions on how to make more. They can start integrating them into the Daedalus class ships.”

Weir gave a pleased smile. “Excellent work, Jennifer. This is the best news we’ve had in a long time.” She turned towards Jenny and noted the rather large officer standing just behind her. “And… I understand there are congratulations of another sort due as well.” The other woman blushed. “I’ll get the quarter master working on locating a suitable living space right away.”

Jenny was about to say something but a large hand came to rest on the back of her neck. “Come with me.” She found herself being steered away from the group and back down the corridor.

“James, you’re not going to be like this the entire nine months, are you?”

“I might have to be.”

“Hello! Perfectly healthy six-year-old running around, causing all kinds of mayhem. I was physically active up until the last week and a half of my pregnancy with him and it didn’t hurt either of us one bit. You’re overreacting.”

“That’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you. There’s something else.” He pulled her into a side room and shut the door behind them.

“What kind of something else?”

He looked at her. She was just early in the pregnancy, not even close to showing yet. She still looked so slender and graceful. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, but he thought he could already see a sort of glow about her. “If they get those ZPMs working, that means we’ll be able to go back and forth from Earth through the gate.”

“Should make supply lines easier, not to mention allowing the soldiers to actually take Leave so they can go visit their families.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

Jenny tilted her head to one side, studying his expression. “You look nervous. What’s up?”

James met her eyes. She was nothing like what he usually went for, but he couldn’t remember ever having lost himself so completely in someone like he did with Jenny. Being with her seemed… natural. “I want you to think on something from now until they get the gate going both ways.”

“Think on what?”

“With everything that’s going on, with you and Davey and the baby… I want to make all this, make us, official. I don’t want to be ‘The Colonel and Dr. Copeland’. I want us to be together, in everything.”

Jenny blinked, taken off guard for a moment. “That has to be one of the most awkward proposals I’ve ever heard. You didn’t do that for Honey, did you?”

He sighed. He sucked at this. “No, actually I don’t remember ever asking Honey. I think my mother may have arranged the entire thing. Hard to tell any more.”

“What is she going to think about me?”

“Well, considering the string of explicatives and slurs I’ve heard her spout over Honey now, I think she’s going to love you. Mom plays the nice, aristocratic lady in public, but she’s got a mouth like you wouldn’t believe behind closed doors. Get a little scotch into her and she’s downright hilarious. And you’ve avoided answering me.”

“Noticed that, did you?” She gave him a slight smile. “James, you’ve got me. All right? I’m not going to fight it any longer. I’ve been acting like a scared little rabbit and I’ll admit that.” She reached out and straightened the collar on his uniform. “And, when we go through the gate and get back on Earth, I’ll be honored to make everything between us official.”

He smiled, a feeling of relief coming over him. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she stopped him with a finger pressed against his lips. “But…”

“But?”

“I will not give up my career to be the happy housewife. I love you, and if you love me you’ll accept me the way I am. Got it?”

He grinned. “I’ve seen your marksman records and I’ve seen you hit. I’m not stupid enough to think I could get you to do anything you don’t want to.”

She smiled, scrunching her nose playfully as she tightened her hold on his collar. “That’s my dreamy colonel. I knew you were a smart one.”

Coburn arched a single brow. “Hmm… wriggled nose, a little purr in the voice, I do believe you’re flirting with me.”

She pulled at his collar and he let himself bend down so she could kiss him. She pressed her lips to his briefly, gave him a little lick, and then kissed him again. “I believe I may be.” She kissed him again, more deeply this time. James returned it happily enough, pulling her closer and reveling in the taste of her until a growl escaped him. She pulled back slightly after that. “Poor baby.”

“How so?”

“Because you’ve got to go back to work.” She kissed him again. “And so do I.”

He was taken off guard, enough so that she was able to slip out of his grasp and make it to the door. “That’s vicious.”

Jenny paused, halfway out of the door. “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? I guess you’ll just have to demand compensation later.” She gave him a brief little wave and ducked out the door, leaving him alone in the room.

James took a deep breath and reached down to adjust the pants of his uniform. “Well, she’ll certainly never be boring.”

....to be continued

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