kriadydragon | SGA Fic - Fortunate: Epilogue

Epilogue

Never had Rodney been happier to say “I quit” to a project that, really, if it couldn't benefit from his expertise then it was a hopeless cause. He handed it all over – the simulations, results, schematics, and months of notes – to Bill Lee with a smile and nary a moment of hesitation. He'd hated that project, that planet – there were no regrets.

Sheppard's recovery time had included mandatory sessions with a shrink who ascertained Sheppard the same stubborn ass he had been before getting doped to the gills. Not the shrinks words, of course, but Rodney felt the translation close enough.

There were still issues – of the emotional kind, no doubt – that was like a door with a complicated lock between Sheppard and active duty. And one didn't have to be a psychiatrist to notice Sheppard's occasional flinch when someone brought their hand up too fast, the way he'd tense when a needle came near him to draw blood, and occasional moments when he would stare off into space with an anxious or sometimes feral look on his face. If there were nightmares, Rodney didn't know about them, but he was sure they were there.

Some of it would fade in time, the psychiatrist promised. Some might not, but that wasn't a guarantee. Sheppard still needed time. However, it was agreed upon by both the shrink and Dr. Lam that the colonel would benefit greatly from familiarity – familiar places, people, things, family, friends....

Home, even if it was in another galaxy.

“Will Sheppard be able to eventually return to active duty?” Rodney had asked Lam the day before they were to head back to Atlantis. The shrink was being obnoxious about the whole doctor/patient confidentiality thing, never giving him a direct answer, only the run-around.

“I would think so,” Lam replied. “Not overnight, but the colonel is resilient.” She grinned. “His medical file alone attests to that much about him. If he hasn't already, he'll find his way back to who he was.”

The next day, Rodney and Sheppard were on the Midway station. Hours later, they stepped through the 'gate onto copper floors and into the sunlit shine of Atlantis, where Ronon, Teyla, Lorne, Keller, Zelenka, and Sam stood waiting to welcome them back.

Ronon immediately charged forward, grabbing Sheppard into a manly bear hug that shoved the air from the pilot's lungs.

“Easy on the ribs, big guy,” Sheppard gasped.

Ronon released him, keeping both hands on his shoulders as he looked the smaller man up and down. “You're skinny,” he said. Sheppard had gained back pounds and worked out as much as Lam would let him, but standing next to Ronon was making him look a tad frail. Ronon slapped his shoulder good-naturedly. “Easy enough to fix.”

Teyla quickly pulled Sheppard in to touch foreheads before he could retaliate. “You look well, John.”

Chuckling, Ronon then whirled on Rodney. Rodney barely had time to lift his hands to ward the Satedan off when the bigger man had him in his arms, squeezing every molecule of oxygen from him. He was saved by Teyla needing to repeat the greeting process with him. Exuberant pleasantries were exchanged with the others, assurances made that Atlantis was still in one piece despite a few minor mishaps and one larger that involved some kind of sea-monster trying to climb the towers (it turned out it was just trying to escape another sea-monster and climbed down as soon as the other creature had been chased off by the 'jumpers) and finally Keller elbowed her way in to hustle Sheppard off to the infirmary for a quick once-over.

The team followed, because though even sitting around the Midway station couldn't have possibly affected Sheppard's health in anyway, paranoia lingered, and Rodney knew he wouldn't get a moment's peace until it was obliged. Ronon and Teyla followed because they were a team again and apparently weren't going to waste a moment of it.

It's also what they did, what they had always done.

Ronon clapped Rodney on the shoulder. “You did good, McKay.”

Rodney looked up at the Satedan, confused. “Huh?”

“Colonel Carter told us more about what happened on Earth, what almost happened to John,” answered Teyla.

“You took care of him, protected him,” said Ronon. “You did good.”

Rodney beamed. “Really?”

Teyla nodded. “Really.”

They followed Keller and Sheppard into the infirmary, hanging back as she looked him over until she was done, then accompanying him to his quarters. Ronon wanted to celebrate Sheppard's and Rodney's return with movies and junk food which sounded like a plan.

Sheppard even had the “perfect” movies that he pulled from his duffel after dumping it on the bed. Rodney grabbed the collection from the colonel's hands, glaring at each one he flipped through – Blues Brothers, Cannon Ball Run, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Smoky and the Bandit, The Italian Job....

“Daniel got those for me,” Sheppard said with an unrepentant smile. “They were all on sale at Wal-Mart. He said you'd get a kick out of them.” He shrugged, just as unrepentant. “Don't know why.”

Rodney snorted, tossing the movies onto the bed. Chuckling, Sheppard patted his shoulder and said, “How about a Star Trek marathon, instead?”

Rodney grinned. “Now you're talking.” And started digging through his own bag that he'd decided he could drop off later rather than waste energy making the short trip.

“Hey, McKay.”

Rodney looked up in time to catch a box tossed his way. He turned it around to read the title – Star Trek, season one, special edition. When he looked up at Sheppard with eyes popped wide, Sheppard tilted his chin at it.

“Thought you'd get a kick out of that.”

Rodney looked back at the box. If anything said loud and clear “thank you for saving my ass” without all the awkward stumbling about for the right words and emotional inflections that were impossible dredge up, this was it. After all, they were men of action, not words: stubborn and selfish and trying the best that they could even when it never felt like enough.

Neither one of them could fix everything, but, damn it, they certainly kicked ass trying, and sometimes didn't do too bad.

The End

A/N: Big smooshy hugs and thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and basically kept me from wanting to crawl into a cave and never come out again. And a second big thanks to those who offered advice on what to do about my posting problems, thus saving me from going completely bald after ripping out my hair in frustration.

Also, not being a big Trekkie, I have no idea if a Star Trek season one special addition even exists, so profound apologies if it doesn't. But you have to admit, McKay deserves it after all he's been put through, so let the man have his Star Trek! This is fiction, after all ;D

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*claps* A fantastic story, as you always manage. :) I was glad to see Sheppard wasn't magically fixed by the end, but instead has some recovering to do.

Thank you :). I always try to leave a few miles left for Shep to go on the road to health. Much more realistic, I think ;)

Excellent! Great mystery, great whump, long recovery...what more could I ask for? Loved the dynamics between Rodney and Daniel, and the occasional sick-scared-paranoid Sheppard. Very well handled throughout the story -- It made for a great read. Thanks for posting!

Thanks!

This was a great story and I was soo looking forward to each new chapter, thank you!! :) Keep on writing :)

Heh, thanks for reading :)

Big giant huge ginormous WOW!! That was completely awesome, filled with anxiety and humor and fear and action and snark and everything else you could put in a story. Great job with Rodney's little inner thoughts - so perfect and so Rodney in every way. Loved all the character interaction. Loved the greetings when the boys got back home and the team hovering, as we all know they would. Very right that Sheppard would take a while to work through all the CRAP he was put through.

And McKay definitely deserves a special edition!! As always, you totally ROCK!!

Thank you. I'm so glad it was thoroughly enjoyed. As much as I enjoyed writing this, posting made me absolutely nervous. I wanted this to be enjoyable for the fans of all three of our favorite boys ;)

Wonderful story! I enjoyed coming home each day to a new entry. Lots of Shep whump and Rodney, being Rodney.

Oh and to show a little of my inner geek - there IS a Star Trek Original series special edition, and Rodney would love it. ;)

Thanks! And you have no idea how relieved I am that there is a special addition. Some people will jump on those kinds of inconsistancies like jackals on a carcass. Hardcore fans can be scary, sometimes ;)

This was AWESOME! I too loved that there was no quick and easy, reset-button solution to this one. I like knowing that John is going to find his way back to his normal, lovable self, but that the road to get there is going to be long and hard. And most of all, I love how his team is there to support him and help him through it. The ending was just absolute perfection. :)

Thank you. I think everyone's well aware by now what an anti-fan I am of quick fixes. Give me slow roads to recovery. For one, they're more realistic, and for another, they sometimes lead to ideas for tags ;).

This was such an excellent read. I love how you brought the team together again and Ronon telling Rodney he did good. It was I think the biggest compliment Rodney would/could get from Ronon.

And the gift from John, the way to say thanks w/out all the words.

And yes, I do think there is a special edition of ST *G*

Thank you :D I read somewhere that Ronon and Rodney's relationship is kind of a love/hate thing, and I think it's true. Rodney annoys Ronon, but I also think Ronon has at least a little respect for Rodney, if not more, and also trusts him. But because he doesn't often show it, yeah, praise like that means "a lot".

Wow, this was wonderful. I adore your characterizations...John and Rodney of course are perfect, but Daniel was also right on target. This was a very emotional read! I loved the way you handled the guilt issues for both me, oh and the whump of course. And the resolution was amazing. Thanks.

So glad you enjoyed it :D

Wonderful! Loved it - and Rodney to the rescue. *g* Nice bit of Daniel, as well.

As always, your story grabbed me from the start and wouldn't let go...Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading :) There's no end to the joy of knowing one of my stories was enjoyed.

I can't believe it is over. I have looked forward to these updates every day.

Wonderful job. There was a bit of everything throughout. Lots of action and some self doubt, mystery, whump, tension and much more. The characters all behaved as expected. I did love reading this from Rodney's POV. His thoughts move so fast that it kept the story moving right along.

Looking forward to your next fic!

Thanks! I think I've finally gotten used to writing Rodney. His is indeed a unique POV ;)

Woo hoo! I think my favorite part is Rodney and Daniel suddenly realizing they didn't set a watch and then justifying it while being completely baffled. Such geeks!

It must have worked. Ronon had yet to stun his way onto the base.

Bwahahahaha!

And a perfect team reunion at the end. Just lovely.

Heh-heh, to be honest, it's because "I" forgot to have them set up a watch. But rather than fix it, I ran with it because in high-tense situations you do tend to be foregetful. They were bound to overlook something ;)

FANTASTIC!!! All the previous comments up there covered all the bases, but this was a wonderful read, start to finish. :)

*claps enthusiastically* :)

Thanks!:D

Applauses, applauses! I really, really loved this SG-1/SGA crossover. Lots of action, comfort and whump for all! Thank you so much!

:D Thanks for reading.

Wonderful, wonderful fic! Thank you for writing it and sharing it with us! The paranoia dialed to 11 - it transferred to the readers as I for one, was caught up in the "what if" game as well. Fantastic! :D

Thank you :D

What can I say that hasn't been said. Excellent as always; you know how to whump a guy. I did quite enjoy Rodney's inner turmoil throughout, and Daniel helping him along the way. (Sometimes, I just miss SG1!) And who can resist throwing in The Trust. One day, we'll know all about them. Maybe not. They make excellent bad guys.

you = awesome!

thanks! :)

I hope we have more Trust involvement in future SGA episodes. We do need to know more about them and, hey, whump potential :D

Heh, now I want to watch SG-1, too ;)

Much smush! :) Great, I loved it, warm and fuzzies and champagne all around!!!!!

Heh, thanks!

thank you so much for doing double and then triple posts- i was going doo lally what with Exhuming McCarthy alternate postings....

i loved how you showed how conflicted Rodney was, that he had assumed Sheppard was ill, then trying to make sense of the bruises and finally accepting the blood proof from Dr Lam. And then of course he felt all guilty. But as Daniel and he came to realise his gut feeling was correct- help Sheppard avoid the nasty bad guys even when he seems totally bat shit. Loved Ronon's reaction to seeing him and Sheppard back on Atlantis- a bear hug and praise.

i liked how you had Daniel just turn up on the doorstep instead of sending an email! Very in character. Also how he assessed the situation, after all all those years on SG! had to count for something (apart from not splitting the watch guard that night!).

and Sheppard ...::hugs him gently, and pats hair:: i loved the just-because-i'm-paranoid-doesn't-mean-they-aren't-all-out-to-get-me thing he has going and the rapid decline in health. But being sheppard he is still able to go out of the window and beat up the bad guy and pop up behind bad guy2 with a gun. i loved the fact that the recovery takes time and that at the end of the story he isn;t quite fixed yet.

i am sorry it had to end and i'm going to have to go back and read it again all at once instead of in dribs and drabs.

okay where's the next story???

Thank you :D I understand the torture that is waiting for the next chapter, so when I can, will always have everything ready for quick posts.

I'm always so tempted to make Sheppard absolutely vulnerable and helpless - he does it so well - but I can't, because he's Sheppard and will kick butt when he can, especially when friends are in danger :D.

Fab Story!

Thank you :)

*applauds* Yay!! Very, very nice. Lovely end, as always.

*Grins* thanks!

Lovely story - excitement, whumping, and some great comfort at the end. It was everything that I could possibly ask for and more! I can't say enough good things about your characterizations. You have a wonderful understanding of the characters and you're excellent at keeping them real, complex people.

Thank you. That's a quite a relief as this story had me a little worried about the characterization after I wrote it. We all see the same character differently, and somedays I worry whether my view of a character conflicts with everyone else's view.

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From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2008-06-20 03:56 pm (UTC) - Expand

Part 9: Super awesome suspense! I especially loved how Rodney & Daniel forgot to set up a watch and then didn't consider that dog-guy would've brought back-up. Even with all their training, it's definitely like them to do something like that.

Also, an odd comparison of my own thoughts to the guys' while reading this: 1) At the end of part 8, I was really wondering why they went to sleep without setting up a watch, but then just passed it off an an extraneous detail, and 2) when Rodney confronted dog-guy, I was wanting to scream 'no, no, he's not alone! you're screwed!' but then I forgot about that as well until the others attacked...this is either a sign that I'm a genius scientist or very easily distracted and forgetful. I'll bet on the latter. ;)

Part 10: This bit stood out, both for the exchange and the description:

Sheppard's head lolled in his direction. He stared at Rodney, his visage unreadable, until a weary yet sincere and warm smile broke out on his thin face, all the way up to his sleepy hazel eyes.

“We are stubborn,” he whispered, “aren't we?”

“And selfish,” Rodney added. “Can't forget selfish. But in a good way, I would think.”

Epilogue: Ronon hugging everyone! And Shep's gift to Rodney! And the last line!! =D

Thanks for another amazing story. I had tons of fun reading it. :)

Hee-hee! Actually, it was my fault they didn't set up the watch. I'm the one who forgot :S. I was even going to fix it, but deicided to just run with it because, really, I could so totally see them doing that, even with all their offworld experience. They're on Earth, they're not supposed to be in danger, yet were nearly run off the road and, later on, shot. Really, can you fault them for being a little forgetful ;)

I'm so glad you enjoyed this :D

I'm currently ill and probably not coherent enough to come up with useful feedback, but I really enjoyed this. I am and will probably always be a gigantic sucker for John/Rodney friendship stuff.

Thanks! John/Rodney friendship is the best :D Especially when they're looking after one another.

Hope you feel better. I suggest taking your misery out on John and Rodney. It always helps me when I feel like crud ;)

Wonderful, absolutely wonderfully done!

Every time you post a new story I find myself very much enthralled and when you post in installments, I am one of those going, "More, now, please!" *laugh*

Your stories are very much believable because you don't wave the magic wand where suddenly everyone is healed.

So, don't run and hide - you have a gift for a good story and I find myself enjoying them more and more. (And, this is coming from me, the nitpicker! *laugh*)

Good job! :)

Thank you:D The reviews have helped bolstered my confidence, so I think I'm ready for the next fic. Well, not quite yet, I still have to finish the original story. But another SGA chapter fic is on the horizon ;)

You made my inner geek shine. I have Star Trek TOS on DVD and Season 1 has three hours of special features! I loved this and looked forward every day to a posting. Can't wait to see what you come up with next :D

Well that's good to know. Hard core sci-fi fans can be scary and I dreaded incuring their wrath ;) So glad you enjoyed this.

Awesome! I'm glad you dealt with John's emotional issues, the after effects of being drugged and abused are going to linger and that John would undergo therapy until he was fit for command--too many other people would have glossed over this. Wonderful Team ending, Ronon's bear hug, movie night.

This was cool read that had be yelling at the screen then tensing and smiling. Thats great writing.

I hate quick fixes. For one, they're unrealistic. For another, they're no fun ;). Thanks for reading. I'm so glad you enjoyed this :D

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kriadydragon

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Where the Wild Things Are

SGA Fic - Fortunate: Epilogue

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