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 woul