Part 1

John actually couldn’t make sense of what was being said to him. Dr. Weir was speaking gently as if he were some fragile flower instead of a Force Recon Marine. He took a deep breath and pushed back from the conference table, then stood. All conversation stopped. The silence was oppressive. Jack O’Neill had come through the gate personally to tell him that his father was missing, presumed kidnapped, and probably dead. He walked away from them, considered pouring himself some coffee, but then stopped to stare at the contents of the little bar that had been set up for O’Neill’s benefit.

“Colonel Sheppard?”

John turned and focused on Elizabeth Weir. They didn’t get along, and he’d had to lay down firm boundaries more than once about her calling him by his first name. While that had worked, it had caused more hostility. The whole thing had been rooted in a campaign to undermine his command, and he’d seen it exactly for what it was from the start and hadn’t allowed it. John hadn’t been her choice to lead the military on the city, and he forced her to adhere to the expedition charter to the letter.

It irked the hell out of her, but once contact with Earth was reestablished, none of her complaints were given any weight. In fact, she’d received a severe dressing down from O’Neill and the IOA for trying to destroy the military command structure on the city in a power grab. She’d barely kept her job. He was of the opinion that she should’ve been fired and replaced. She wasn’t qualified to lead a scientific expedition at all, much less in a generally hostile galaxy.

“Major Lorne will be in command in my absence,” John said. “I’ll send an email when I have a timeline on how much leave I will require.”

“Are you sure that’s the best choice?” Weir questioned. “You can’t do much for the investigation. Wouldn’t email updates be enough? We can increase data bursts to daily.”

“I have two younger brothers,” John said. “Neither of them has been read in regarding the program. They need me more than the city does.”

“I’ll go pack a bag,” McKay said and stood.

“Why would you think you’re going?” Weir demanded.

“John needs someone on his team to go with him,” McKay said. “Teyla is unreachable off-world, and Ronon hasn’t been fully acclimated on Earth. He wouldn’t be allowed out of the mountain. Clearly, I’m the choice.” He waved a hand. “Let’s consider it a trial run, Elizabeth. You’ve been trying to tell anyone who will listen that the expedition doesn’t need me since that whole Doranda mess that you mismanaged into utter destruction.”

Weir’s cheeks flushed, and she glared at McKay. “It’s your fault the facility was destroyed.”

“Actually, that’s fundamentally untrue,” O’Neill said dryly. “As you already know, Dr. Weir. An entire committee of his peers reviewed his work, at your insistence, regarding the Doranda project. It was agreed that there was a construction flaw, and McKay was right to evacuate the entire site when he did. It couldn’t have been saved.”

“We’ll never really know if that’s true,” Elizabeth said. “Experimental science takes a stronger constitution than Dr. McKay has. He should be on Earth where he can be coddled and protected from having to make the big decisions as he’d clearly prefer.”

“Dr. McKay has more off-world experience and a higher body count than some of the military assets on this city,” O’Neill said mildly. “He doesn’t require any sort of coddling, Dr. Weir. He’s also the foremost authority on alteran technology and is a peerless asset to the program as a result. There are plenty of people on this mission that could be easily replaced, you included, but McKay isn’t one of them. He never will be replaceable. Every single thing he learns and experiences out here makes him more valuable by the minute, and that fact came out of the mouth of Colonel Sam Carter.

“Since I trust her absolutely, with no qualms, then I believe it. The President of the United States believes it. The IOA believes it. They’d let him have this city to himself before they’d take him off of it against his will.” He stood. “This is an unnecessary conversation, at any rate. Sheppard, McKay—I’ll meet you in the gate room in thirty minutes. I have something to give to Dr. Kusanagi.”

“She accepts tribute in the main lab,” Rodney said and stalked out of the room.

John exhaled slowly and focused on Weir, who looked furious. “I don’t have the resources to deal with your bullshit right now.”

Her mouth dropped open, and O’Neill cleared his throat.

“I don’t expect you to understand this since you dumped the man you were going to marry on a video that he got after you left Earth, but my brothers are going to be heartbroken over this, and they’ll need me to handle all the details they can’t. Moreover, in the next week or so, I’m probably going to have to bury my father, who is the only parent I have left.”

“We don’t know that he’s dead,” O’Neill said roughly.

“I recognize that, but I need to prepare for the worst, General. Otherwise, I’ll be useless to my brothers.” John rubbed his face and walked out of the conference room.

If Weir had anything else to say, then she could say it to Jack O’Neill.

* * * *

McKay was leaning on the wall by John’s quarters when he exited. “O’Neill apparently brought Miko ten pounds of Kona.”

“Is he trying to avoid her taking over Earth or something?” John questioned, and McKay shrugged a little. “You don’t have to come with me, Rodney.”

“Shut up,” Rodney muttered and shouldered his duffle. “Like I’m going to let the SGC or Homeworld run this show for you.”

John laughed a little, sad and worried at the same time. “I….”

“It’s been a while since you’ve seen any of them in person, right?”

“About five years,” John admitted. “Dad and I argued over a deployment he knew I volunteered for because I left the teaching post at Annapolis that he set up for me to do it. He was furious because he was trying to work me into a DOD research project and completely out of the field. Then I disappeared into a black op that he had no security clearance for despite being the Secretary of the Navy at the time. Even now, our emails are few and far between. Matt, my youngest brother, is sad over it. David is furious that I haven’t come home and made it right with Dad.”

“Plus, there’s the other thing,” Rodney said.

“Yeah, there’s that,” John said warily.

He’d only discussed the issue of the surprise brother with his team off the city because he didn’t want anyone else to know about it. Elizabeth Weir used civilian security people to monitor cameras in the halls and public areas. He couldn’t be certain his quarters were free of surveillance, either. Weir was an empire builder with a skill set that didn’t serve the expedition at all. Despite her history as an ambassador, she’d never acted in that role in Pegasus.

The woman had never even stepped foot on the mainland, much less gone through the gate unless she was going back to Earth. Atlantis was a political stepping-stone for her in some ways, with a secondary concern for her ascension agenda. John didn’t trust her and never had. He kind of blamed Daniel Jackson for that since the man had taken him aside shortly before the expedition had launched and told him that Elizabeth Weir was a problem. Of course, that had been about McKay, as the two men had a weird friends-with-coffee-benefits relationship that baffled John. Jackson had wanted to make sure John had the right person’s back in Pegasus.

“Dad was told about the thing,” John said.

“I’d sincerely hope so,” Rodney muttered. “Considering.”

The windows of Weir’s office were dark as they came into the gate room, and she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. O’Neill was leaning on a railing, arms crossed, looking contrary as fuck. Evan Lorne, his XO, was standing near Chuck Campbell.

“Major Lorne.”

“Sir,” Lorne said and crossed the space to stand in front of him. “I’ve taken the liberty of contacting the SGC to arrange an aide-de-camp for you. Teldy is currently in the mountain and took that duty on for herself. She’s arranging transport for you as we speak. I told her that you’d be traveling with Dr. McKay. We’ve set up a schedule for briefings every forty-eight hours outside of an emergency. I’ve stood my team down and removed us from the off-world schedule for now.”

John nodded and glanced toward Weir’s office. “Not a single inch, Major.”

“Of course not, sir.” Lorne gave him a nod and returned to Chuck’s side.

The process through Midway Station went smoothly, and he quickly found himself in O’Neill’s office. John sat where he was pointed to, and McKay meandered in with a cup of coffee. The man had a preternatural ability to acquire caffeine no matter John’s pointed interference.

“Your father has been missing forty-eight hours, as I’ve already said,” O’Neill said as he sat down at the desk. “There was a home invasion, and we’ve found one body. The admiral put up a bigger fight than they expected.”

“Where was his security?” John questioned. “I realize that circumstances would’ve changed when he left the SECNAV position, but his threat profile wouldn’t have decreased by his move to an official position in Homeland.”

In reality, his father was the Director of Homeworld Security, a position John was certain he’d taken to keep an eye on the stargate program and him. Still, his dad had given him space and waited patiently for John to come to him. He regretted the way the situation had unfolded.

“Homeland rotates a pair of assets in three shifts around the admiral. The team that was on the house that night was killed,” O’Neill said. “Their bodies were found first.” He opened a file in front of him. “The man inside the house is a former Army Ranger who worked for the NID. The organization has disavowed him, as they are prone to do when their assets go rogue. Very little blood on the scene and both guards were strangled. One was near the house, and the other in a car. We have evidence of four assailants based on security footage inside the house. Your father killed one and injured at least one other, as most of the blood on the scene isn’t his own. They used a taser on him.”

John took a deep breath. “He has a heart condition. It’s why he retired from the Navy.”

“Ransom demand?” McKay questioned. “John’s family has money.”

“It was an angle, and the FBI is pursuing it,” O’Neill said. “But Homeworld is handling the real investigation currently. Agent Rossi is waiting for you in DC, and your family has signed NDAs to receive a full briefing on the circumstances and program. But Agent Rossi felt it would best it start with an introduction from you, especially the part where he’s your father’s firstborn.”

John made a face. “I was really comfortable with being the oldest.”

O’Neill grinned. “At least he isn’t an asshole.”

“Granted,” John agreed.

“Good to know he’s bucking the family trend,” Rodney muttered before draining the last of his coffee.

* * * *

His brothers were nothing like him or the father they shared. Matt was a doctor, and David was a lawyer who worked for the Department of Justice. Their mother had inherited an aeronautics company and had been a major stockholder, so none of them had followed in her footsteps either. At her death, all of that had been sold, and the money put into a family trust, which their father controlled. Money wouldn’t be a problem for the family unless someone got stupid with it. None of them appeared to be inclined in that direction.

They both focused on him as he came into the room. He wished he’d changed and put on civilian clothes. But leaving Atlantis and heading to the SGC out of uniform felt weird and unacceptable. So, he was wearing his service uniform. He sat down at the table when neither of them stood and cleared his throat.

“What’s going on John?” Matt questioned. “We know basically nothing at all at this point. I signed a fifty-page NDA this morning. Some guy from the Air Force stood over us while we read it!”

“Paul Davis?”

“Yes,” David said roughly. “He was kind but certainly firm regarding the reading and understanding of the document.” He rubbed his face with one hand and took in a ragged breath. “Is Dad dead, John?”

“It’s uncertain at this point.”

“There hasn’t been a ransom demand,” David said plainly. “Or at least, I haven’t been told about one, and I figured that FBI agent we met earlier would’ve mentioned it.”

“Fornell,” Matt supplied. “Tobias Fornell. He wasn’t a jerk about it, but it was clear he was preparing us for a body, John.”

“Because the man knows the longer this goes on, the less likely he will be found alive,” David said. “Tell us what’s going on. I thought the deputy director job at Homeland would actually lower his threat level.”

“Dad’s not a deputy director for Homeland,” John said quietly. “That’s just the public cover.” He put both hands on the table. “I need to back up and tell you a few bare facts about the circumstances of our planet.” Matt’s mouth dropped open. “It’ll be quick and dirty—you’ll get a bigger briefing at a later date.”

“Okay,” David said slowly.

“In 1906, the Germans found a device in Egypt. They had no idea what it was or what it would’ve meant to figure it out. Since they didn’t see the significance of it, they stored it away. In 1928, another device was discovered in Egypt. It turned out to be the companion piece to the one the Germans had. In 1945, under orders from President Roosevelt, the second device was given extensive study as they hoped it was a weapon. When it was discovered that it wasn’t a weapon, they discontinued the project.

“In 1981, a new project in the US began concerning the device. The people involved were building a supercomputer in the hopes of gaining control of the device. It would take them fifteen years to accomplish it. In 1996, Dr. Daniel Jackson figured the device out, and with the help of the supercomputer, the stargate, as it would be called from that point forward, was opened. It would later be discovered that it was accidentally opened during Roosevelt’s project. There’s a whole story that can be discussed later.”

David took a deep breath. “What does the stargate do, John?”

“It creates traversable wormholes,” John said. “There is a vast network of them all over at least two galaxies, perhaps more. We know for certain the Milky Way and Pegasus. Over the years, teams have left the planet repeatedly seeking technology, and eventually, we waged war to protect the planet and to free humans on other worlds who were taken from Earth in the past and turned into slaves by a species called goa’uld. We’re still waging that particular war. There are dangerous elements out in the galaxy, and in opening the gate, we accidentally prevented an alien invasion of Earth. It had been in the works for over a decade.

“Since the founding of the stargate program, the people guarding the gate have prevented more than one invasion. The most recent involved a species called the wraith. They come from Pegasus and consider us food.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Matt said, and John focused on him.

Matt was pale, and his hands were shaking.

“Mattie?”

“John, what do you do for this program, and how is Dad involved?”

“I’m the military leader of an expedition in the Pegasus galaxy. My mission is to prevent the wraith from invading the Milky Way for as long as I can. No one thinks it can be avoided forever unless we can figure out how to kill them all.” He cleared his throat. “And Dad is the Director of Homeworld Security, a secret department within Homeland. His team defends the gate from internal threats and manages assets to preserve the cover story for the project.”

“Why was Dad kidnapped?” David questioned.

“I think it’s my fault,” John said frankly.

“No, it isn’t.”

John turned slightly in a chair and found Tony Rossi standing in the doorway. “You might as well come in.”

Tony pulled the door shut, walked across the room, and sat down.

“This is Agent Tony Rossi. He works for Homeland.”

“Specifically,” Tony began as he unbuttoned his suit jacket, “I’m the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Intelligence Group. There are ten such groups across the country in different agencies. Mine is the only one in Homeland. I hunt domestic terrorists.” He focused on John. “Why do you think it’s your fault?”

“Shouldn’t we tell them the rest first?”

“No,” Tony said firmly. “I have an asset on the other side of the door waiting on the answer to that question.”

“I’ve made a few decisions lately that upset people in the NID,” John pointed out, and Tony nodded. “And Dad backed me up.”

“Granted,” Tony said. “But we’ve been working that angle since the moment we knew he was kidnapped, and we can’t figure out the why. Killing him on the scene would’ve been revenge. But kidnapping is usually about leverage, and we aren’t sure what they could realistically get out of trying to control you. Security procedures would prevent the passing of technology, you rarely work as a scientist with the expedition anyway, and while you’re an immense military asset…you’re not exactly unique in the higher echelons of black ops professionals as far as anyone on Earth should be concerned.”

The door opened again, and Rodney entered with a laptop. “I’ve got something interesting.”

“What?” Tony questioned. “How?”

“I’m not in law enforcement,” Rodney said simply and smiled as he sat down with the laptop. “And I don’t care about procedures and search warrants or whatever.” He put the laptop.

“McKay,” John said.

“Relax, John, your president already pardoned me.”

“Pardoned you for what?” John questioned.

Rodney shrugged. “Whatever necessary thing I do during this situation. He did say specifically that I couldn’t kill anyone unless they really deserve it.”

Tony exhaled slowly. “Tell me what you’ve got, Dr. McKay.”

“Don’t act put out. I’ve been enduring that particular pouty look for ages now, and I’m immune,” Rodney said tartly and focused on the computer. “Besides, stop pretending any of these people will ever see a proper court of law. If they survive, they’re going to end up in some deep dark hole because that’s where the US puts assholes they can’t afford to put on trial in public.

“As to the matter of Admiral Sheppard, it’s not specifically about John, though there is chatter on several dark web servers about the potential usage of him now that he’s on the planet. There are several situations converging on us, and this is potentially one of them.” Rodney turned the laptop around so that Tony could see it. “Mossad put out an unofficial hit on you, Agent Rossi, fourteen hours ago. If it’s them, then it is probably related to the fact that you didn’t respond the way they’d hoped to the kidnapping of Admiral Sheppard. If they can’t manage you, then they’re going to kill you. If it’s not them, they’re using this situation to target you in the hopes of casting suspicions elsewhere after the fact. Is this woman familiar?”

“Mossad operative. Her name is Ziva David,” Tony said. “Her and her brother were involved in a plot against the Navy. I worked for NCIS at the time, but I left that organization when Director Morrow offered me a job here at Homeland.”

“The man my father killed wasn’t Mossad, Rodney,” John said roughly. “He was a former Army Ranger.”

“Yeah, rogue NID and a gun for hire,” Rodney said with a nod. “He’s also an independent contractor for InterOps, a private defense company, in Iraq. He takes side jobs from the NID as a sniper. He was mid-range on that front and not a standout. His record was serviceable at best, but even an average Army Ranger is a concern for a civilian. He clearly thought he was more than a match for your dad. If he’d read your father’s military records, he’d have certainly made a different move on that front. Engaging him in hand-to-hand was a mistake.”

“Dad was in intelligence in the Navy,” David protested.

John winced. “David.” He shook his head. “Dad was a Navy SEAL and spent the last decade of his commission running those teams. He’d have done it until the Navy forced him to retire if it weren’t for his heart.”

“Why would anyone use Dad to gain leverage over Agent Rossi?” Matt asked, and Rodney winced as he took back his laptop. “And what do they hope to gain?”

“I assume they want Ziva David back,” Tony said mildly. “As to the other….” He turned to John.

John made a face.

“We agreed it would be best said in person with all of us in the room,” Tony reminded.

“Yeah, well, we’re missing someone,” John snapped.

“John.” Tony waved his hand. “Misleading them would be a mistake.”

“Right.” John nodded and took a deep breath. “The Stargate Program discovered over the years that an alien species from another galaxy came to Earth and interbred with humans. That genetic legacy is especially valuable as it allows interaction with the technology they left behind. I happen to have a very high percentage of that legacy. Individuals working for the US government were asked to volunteer for DNA testing; most will never know why. Those that agreed were tested specifically for alien DNA. When Tony was tested, it was discovered that he was my brother.” He paused. “Our brother.”

“No way,” Matt said and waved a hand in building fury. “No fucking way did Dad ever cheat on Mom.”

John caught his brother’s hand and held it tight. “Of course not, Mattie. Tony is two years older than me.” He squeezed Matt’s hand gently. “It’s no less tawdry, however, as Tony’s mother was married. Dad swore he didn’t know about the marriage or the fact that he fathered a child with Claire DiNozzo. I believe him.”

“Why are we finding out just now?” David demanded.

“Dad wanted all of us to sit down together to discuss it,” John said.

David nodded slowly and crossed his arms. “I know an Anthony DiNozzo. He’s a real piece of work and a criminal. There are four investigations in the DOJ regarding his activities both here and abroad.”

“My mother’s first husband,” Tony said. “When he found out I wasn’t his—he divorced her. My mother’s second husband adopted me. When they divorced, he kept me, and she walked off into the sunset. She died when I was ten in a drunk driving accident. My Dad is a profiler for the FBI. I’ve asked him to consult, and he’s bringing in another agent to work the case as well.” He exhaled slowly. “Sorry.”

“Well, it’s hardly your fault,” David muttered and left the table. “We should’ve known about you the very fucking day that Dad knew, and if he wasn’t always waiting on John to come home, then maybe we would have.” He walked away. “At least you’ll never have to apologize now, John.”

“I have nothing to apologize for.”

“Don’t you?” Matt questioned. “You just bailed on our whole family and barely bothered to email us all these years. For a while, we heard nothing from you at all!”

“I wasn’t even on the planet!” John shouted. “Christ, Mattie, don’t you get it? I’m fighting a fucking losing war in another galaxy.” He exhaled sharply when McKay put a hand on his arm. “And Dad has known exactly where I was since he took over Homeworld Security.”

“Which he clearly did to get closer to you,” David muttered. “His golden boy.”

“Matt’s the golden child,” John said and scoffed.

David leaned on the wall next to the window and stared at him. “Maybe, but you’re his pride and joy. I’m not saying I doubt how much he loves us, but you’ve been the center of his world since the day you were born. I used to think, when I was little, that he’d have been happy enough just to have you.”

“Well, being the center of a micromanager’s attention is no fucking picnic,” John retorted. “Christ, why are we arguing about this?”

“Because you’re all assholes,” Rodney interjected, and all four focused on him. “Even the new one probably is, and I don’t care if O’Neill thinks otherwise.” He focused on his laptop. “Now, Sheppard Juniors, you have plenty of reason to be upset in this situation. But your brother has been putting his life on the line to protect this planet for years. First in the SGC and now in Pegasus. This situation is stressful, but hurting each other with old, petty arguments isn’t going to help anything.”

“Right,” David said wearily.

“Agent Rossi, your asset is named Jodi Perks, right? She’s outside the door?”

“How did…you know that?” Tony questioned.

Rodney shrugged. “I’m sending her the stuff I found, and her laptop needs better security. There are two sets of people searching for Ziva David, one here in the US and another in Europe. How they haven’t realized she’s in Gitmo is beyond me. Her father clearly overestimates how useful anyone would find her and assumes she’s being kept close at hand or being used to stage operations in the Middle East. Interpol is monitoring the team in Europe who aren’t Mossad agents. They’re Hamas.”

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “POTUS can’t pardon you for international espionage, Dr. McKay.”

Rodney stared for a moment and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t hack Interpol. I just logged in.”

John laughed. “Sorry.” He waved a hand when Tony glared at him. “There’s a reason he does the job he does, Tony. And it’s not all to do with the fact that he can take a star supernova.”

“That isn’t even that hard,” Rodney retorted. “Okay, so there’s no chatter on his actual location. But whoever took him just put him up for auction and listed him as alive. I’ve used an alias to get an invitation to the auction, which takes place in forty-eight hours.”

The door opened, revealing a young woman holding a laptop. “Adopt me, teach me your ways.”

“Agent Perks?”

“Yes, but I’m willing to take your name in a legal adoption,” she said earnestly, and John was actually a little worried that she meant it.

“She says that now, but she’ll throw me aside if Miko gets brought in. They always do,” Rodney muttered. “I’ll come with you. These assholes have family stuff to work out.”

“Rodney,” John said.

“No pouting, Colonel, you know the rule.”

“Whatever,” John muttered as the scientist left with the pretty little federal agent.

“What’s the rule?” Matt asked.

“I’m only allowed to pout in off-world prison facilities if we’re held hostage for more than a day,” John said huffily and smiled briefly when Matt laughed. He focused on Tony. “We might have a leak.”

“I know.”

“I don’t follow,” Matt admitted.

“Five people knew that I’m Patrick Sheppard’s biological son,” Tony said easily. “Me, him, John, General Jack O’Neill, and the scientist at the SGA who did the DNA work. Once the connection was made, General O’Neill classified the results, and nothing was documented digitally. That scientist is currently in another galaxy studying the genetics of another species in an effort to prevent their extinction.”

“She agreed to go in exchange for them agreeing to stop kidnapping humans for experimentation,” John said wryly.

“No, shit, the greys exist?”

“Yes, and they’re just as creepy as you’d expect but also strangely helpful,” John said. “And snarky.”

“So, that leaves General O’Neill?” David questioned.

“No, not him,” John said. “Tony, you said your mother never told your adopted father who your biological father was.”

“No, he swore it. He knew that I was the product of an affair, and I think he basically married my mom to protect me. The marriage didn’t last long—the adoption was finalized mere months before he filed for divorce. She was a raging alcoholic even then, and it only got worse after they divorced. Her family cut her off and gave her trust fund to me. She was living with some guy ten years younger than her when she died in a single-vehicle accident. I was relieved to know that she didn’t kill anyone else.”

“I’m sorry,” Matt blurted out.

“What?” Tony questioned.

“You had a terrible mom, and I’m sorry. Ours was…amazing. She was beautiful and graceful. Mom filled every single room she entered with love and light. I wish she’d been your mom, too.”

Tony smiled then. “My dad took great care of me, Matt. I wanted for nothing after I was adopted, and I don’t even remember the first man my mother married. I barely remember her. She was gone from my life by the time I was four.”

“You should investigate your mother’s first husband,” David said shortly.

“What?” Tony focused on him.

“It just…if my wife cheated on me and had another man’s baby—I’d find out who,” David said. “Honestly, I’d invest myself in finding the man that fucked my wife regardless of a child being produced and make him pay for it.”

“Fortunately for all the men in the country, Della doesn’t even notice that other men exist,” Matt said wryly.

David shrugged.

“But speaking of your wife,” Tony said and pulled a folder out of the stack he’d brought into the room.

“You did a background check on my wife?” David demanded with a frown.

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Your father runs a classified government department—one of the most classified and important departments in the US to ever exist, in fact. I did background checks on everyone. Della Hawkins Sheppard, criminal attorney, is clean personally. But her brother is embezzling funds from the business he works for. I’ve already reported that to the appropriate authorities, so that’s a heads-up so you can prepare her for that fallout. I’ve already put in an all-clear on your security clearance and hers regarding the incident.”

David huffed. “Great.” He loosened his tie.

“Also, the nanny agency you’ve been considering is a no-go. None of their employees are licensed appropriately, CPR isn’t a requirement, and they hire off the street with no qualifications or experience required.”

“Nanny?” Matt questioned. “Is Della pregnant?”

“No,” David said and sighed. “But we’re trying, and she wanted to get everything set up in advance. Della is a planner. It makes her happy. I only put my foot down when she tried to make a list of universities.”

John had never met his brother’s wife, and he felt like a bastard for it. He’d seen pictures and a video of the ceremony. He exchanged emails with her more often than he did his brothers and father combined. Mostly because she never, ever tried to guilt trip him into coming home. She’d also sent him the first care package he’d gotten from home in years, the only time the SGC arranged for it to happen. Everyone on the expedition had gotten something, so it was a nice surprise.

“What use would someone have for you, John?” David questioned. “Your doctor friend said something about people discussing uses for you. What does that even mean?”

“I’m good with the alien technology that is genetically locked,” John said. “And some of it is very destructive. I also have some…there was an incident and I was exposed to a virus that caused me to mutate. You’ll get the specifics during the full briefing. The basics are that I’m less human than I was before, but most of the ugly parts were corrected through genetic manipulation. Some of it couldn’t be undone, and not all the changes were positive. I can’t have kids anymore.” He cleared his throat. “Not that I’ve ever really wanted them. It’s why Nancy and I didn’t get married. She realized that I wasn’t going to change my mind about my career or the fact that kids weren’t a goal for me at all. Still, it is a little weird to be told I’d be shooting blanks the rest of my life.”

“Because the decision was taken out of your hands,” Matt said. “I get it.”

“Yeah, something like that,” John admitted.

“So, what were the good parts they let you keep,” David questioned neutrally.

“Strength, endurance, durability,” John said reluctantly.

“Was it a choice?” David asked. “Or did they pretend they couldn’t remove it all?”

“They couldn’t remove it all,” John responded firmly.

“Are you sure?” David asked. “Because the DOD has been trying to find some sort of moral way to create a super soldier for a while now.” He paused. “Probably around the same time the stargate program was founded.”

John couldn’t deny that. “Yeah, I’m sure. McKay oversaw the entire thing and had the process and work put under an immense amount of scrutiny. Moreover, it can’t be duplicated, so having a one-off super soldier isn’t exactly useful. Less useful because of how classified the project is.”

“And you trust McKay?” Matt questioned. “Where’s he from anyway?”

“Canada,” John said shortly. “And yes, I trust Rodney McKay. He’s rabidly loyal. It’s why he’s here. He’s the kind of friend that would help you set the world on fire.” He paused. “Then complain about the heat.”

He shrugged when they all laughed. They needed it because things weren’t going to get easier.

 

 

Part 2

John wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom. Teldy had ensconced him and McKay in a government-owned apartment building. McKay had done a sweep for listening devices immediately, then had gone into one of the bedrooms to work. The doorbell rang, and he considered the odds of McKay getting it before going to the door. He opened it just as he got a sharp little knock.

He stared for a moment even as his sister-in-law’s mouth dropped open. David huffed.

“Christ, John, put on some clothes,” David muttered. “Then come back out here and greet my lady properly.”

“I was supposed to be at your house in two hours,” John said, decided to put a hand on his towel for safety’s sake, and left them in the doorway. “Where’s Matt?”

“I decided that we’re eating in here. He’s picking up dinner,” Della said.

“Great,” John said and hurried into the bedroom.

“Was he shot?” Della asked as he shut the door.

John touched the scar on his upper chest as he used his towel to dry off, then dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He wondered if Tony was showing up as well and thought probably not. David was clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing and probably wanted the room to talk about it. He picked up the phone he’d been issued by the SGC.

John: Hey, David just ambushed me here at the apartment. He’s clearly put out by the secret of you.

Tony: Patrick told me that David didn’t do well with secrets or surprises. He suspected that he’d be the most difficult to deal with during the whole conversation about me and my mom. I’d ask you if you need backup but you’ve got McKay who is backup enough for practically anyone. Jodi has an immense crush. If she doesn’t talk her way onto Atlantis inside the next year I’d be really surprised.

John: Sorry?

Tony: Nah she’s a good kid and Atlantis would be an adventure. I trust you’ll take good care of her.

John: Yeah, I will. He liked her a lot so he might just take her home with us. Be prepared to replace her.

He tucked the phone into his pocket and inhaled deeply as he tried to settle his mind. The iratus DNA had done things to him that he actually appreciated, but he was more aggressive than ever. The Marine Corps had always appreciated his propensity for violence and general state of aggression, so there hadn’t been any real fallout from his last physical assessment that had taken place on Earth.

John left the bedroom and found Matt on the sofa. “I thought you were bringing food.”

“That scary woman you have running your security confiscated it. Someone should’ve told us that McKay was allergic to citrus.”

“Well, we didn’t actually have plans for you to bring us food,” John pointed out reasonably. “His allergy is potentially fatal, so I wouldn’t even eat an orange in a room he might visit in the next twelve hours.”

“Della finished up with the NDA about an hour ago and got a basic summary from Dad’s admin with permission,” Matt said. “We’re all meeting with Major Davis in the morning. What will you be doing during that?”

“Whatever Tony thinks is best at this point,” John said.

Matt grimaced.

“What?”

“It’s just you’re putting more faith in him than I’ve ever seen you give either David or me.”

“That’s extremely unfair,” John said. “I trust him to do his job because he’s got a decades-long reputation that tells me that he is very good at what he does. He has the investigative skills to handle this situation, and I’ve learned along the way to let people do the jobs they’re good at. Where’s David?”

“He and Della are in the kitchen having a moment,” Matt muttered. “He said something she thought was inappropriate.”

John huffed a little. “About me?”

“Yeah, of course. She thinks that none of us are great with you. Her father was a Marine and died in combat. The first time David was pissy in front of her about your service, she broke up with him for being a disrespectful dick. Despite being married, I think he might still be on probation for that shit.”

“She sent me a care package.”

“Yeah, that was a thing.”

“What do you mean?” John asked curiously.

“Well, Dad was going to do it, but he admitted he really didn’t know what you’d want or need. He could cover the basics, but everything else was a mystery. So, Della reached out to your command, spoke with someone at length, then went shopping. She filled the box to the absolute weight limit and was disappointed that there hasn’t been another opportunity. Now we know why.”

“The care packages were a reward for surviving.”

“What?” David demanded.

John sat down in an armchair as his brother glared at him from the doorway that led into the kitchen. Della was staring at him in shock. “Hi.”

“Hello, John,” Della said warmly as she pulled David fully into the room, and they sat down on the sofa. “It’s nice to see your face in person. Your pictures hardly do you justice.”

John smiled briefly. “Same. You were beautiful in your wedding dress. I’m sorry to have missed it.”

“What about the survival thing?” David questioned.

“I serve in a war zone, David,” John said. “Every day is about survival. But there was an incursion on our base, and we had a ship full of wraith above us in orbit on the planet.” He focused on Della. “I don’t know what you were told.”

“The wraith considers us food,” Della said shortly. “I’ll save my questions for Major Davis. There’s no need to add to your stress.”

John cleared his throat. “We lost ten people the first day and another twelve before it was over. They kept our gate locked out by dialing it repeatedly. It was our only method of evacuation and communication with Earth. It wasn’t the first time a wraith hive had attacked the city, but this time they’d brought a series of weapons that were specifically designed to break down our shields. They were quickly depleting our power as well. At any rate, McKay built me a bomb, and I infiltrated the hive—dropped off the bomb and….”

“He crash-landed on the planet in the ocean in a wraith dart,” Rodney said sourly as he left his bedroom. “Darts are single-seat fighter craft that the wraith uses to harvest people. We used that beaming technology to carry the bomb up. We spent three days looking for John. Fortunately, darts are space-worthy, and it kept John relatively safe until we located him.”

“That’s the last time I fly without a week of meal bars tucked away somewhere,” John muttered. “At any rate, morale was low after the attack despite the fact that we’d gotten through it and came out basically on top. Someone in Colorado decided that a little piece of home might benefit everyone. Every single person on the expedition got a care package. Most came from family, and others came from friends if there was no family available. Rodney was really stingy with those Coffee Crisp bars.”

He focused on Rodney as the man sat down at the dining table, which was situated between the kitchen and the living room area. “What have you found?”

“No surprises in his financial data,” Rodney said. “It’s SOP to check for blackmail opportunities during the security clearance process, and your father’s never had a blip, but I wanted to check. Some might consider the situation with Agent Rossi a sensitive issue.”

“Dad’s only apparent discomfort on that issue was disclosing to David and Matt,” John said as he stood and joined Rodney at the table. Della, David, and Matt joined them. “His emails on the subject have been brief. He was also pissed that Tony came to the mountain two months ago to meet me before I went back to Atlantis.”

“You were on the planet two months ago and didn’t come home?” David asked. “Christ, John, what do we have to do to get you to think of us, at least in passing?”

“Hey!” McKay snapped. “John was on the planet for barely twenty-four hours after throwing himself at a wraith super-hive that made it to the Sol system. He risked his life with an experimental hyperspace engine to get here on a ship that basically shook apart within minutes of his arrival. If a ship from Earth hadn’t arrived to pick him up, he’d have died in space, in the wreckage of that super-hive.”

“The meteorite shower,” Matt muttered. “It filled up the sky over the South Pole for three days. That was debris from a wraith hive?”

“Yeah, we have a facility down there that has an ancient weapon in it,” John said. “And a crew of a hundred people manning it at all times. It was their first target, and that’s the only reason the program wasn’t outed at the time. I was kept in isolation for twelve hours due to radiation exposure, treated, and returned to Atlantis for my full recovery. The morale of the people serving under me out there required that of me. I was needed out there because the situation wasn’t contained.”

“By radiation, you mean from a nuclear weapon, right?” Matt questioned. “Not just general exposure in space.”

“Well, we learned the hard way it takes more than a bit of C4 to take out a hive unless we can get inside for engine access, and the super-hive was five times the size of anything we’d ever seen before. They had at least three of them, and we’ve taken out two. Both were built specifically to come to Earth—a place they call their new feeding grounds,” Rodney said. “So, I’ll build John as many nuclear weapons as he wants.” He focused on his laptop. “One day, we’re going to find their homeworld and bomb the shit out of them from space. Then we’ll see how they like that shit.”

“What do you mean?” David asked quietly.

“It’s how they subdue the people in Pegasus and prevent technological development,” John said. “They eat and sleep in cycles. But there are always hives awake, feeding and suppressing their food supply. If a society rises up when they aren’t looking—they go to that world, bombard it from space, and cull the people to near-extinction to set an example. They leave a few survivors, so there’s someone to tell the tale. Through force, horror, and propaganda, they’ve held the Pegasus galaxy hostage for over 11,000 years. Though to hear one tell it, they’ve ruled over that whole galaxy for ten times that amount.

“But they have to limit their active numbers due to lack of resources. They can’t afford to all be awake at once, they can’t advance their technology fast, and they’re prone to fighting each other for territory. They see the Milky Way, and specifically Earth, as the gateway to a new kind of life for their species. And for the record, you guys were all I thought about that day. I have vivid nightmares about the wraith coming here and attacking unchecked. They have no mercy in them, David, and precious little restraint. They sprung from a species of insect, you see. They live in hives, like bees, and serve a queen. Their females are precious and few.”

“And you’re fighting a losing war,” Matt said. “That’s what you said earlier.”

“Unless we can find some way to commit outright genocide, yes,” John said evenly. “Though most of the people we work with don’t like to call it that. But that’s what it will be, and I don’t have much of a choice. If it comes down to it, the wraith are an unnatural and predatory species that serves no purpose at all in Pegasus.”

Matt nodded. “Why did you and Dad argue?”

“I’m sure he’s told you.”

“His side, yeah,” Matt shrugged. “But you never bothered to tell us yours.”

“Because you and David back Dad’s play every single time,” John said. “And I don’t resent it, Matt, but I can’t tolerate it either. Dad and I have a complicated relationship, and his new job hasn’t helped the way he thought it would. Maybe he thought that more information about what I do and where I am would make him feel better.”

“He just wants you to be safe,” David said. “I think any father would want that, John.”

“I agree, but also, I would hope that such a desire would be tempered with the knowledge that personal freedom is just as important as safety,” John said dryly. “I’m not saying he manipulated you guys, but you and Matt did exactly what he wanted. Look at you, with a job in the Justice Department, married to a strong, educated, and beautiful woman who’s going to give him a grandchild. I’m sure he’s ecstatic.”

David flushed. “When we told him, he offered to buy us a house.”

“We’re going to let him,” Della said wryly, and John smiled. She focused on Rodney, who was working silently on his laptop. “What is your doctorate in, Dr. McKay?”

“Call me Rodney,” he said absently as he typed. “Astrophysics and Mechanical Engineering. I did my undergrad work in physics then took a mastery in engineering before pursuing my doctorates. I have a cross-discipline education due to my work with the government. I’m proficient in several arenas. You have to be when you’re the chief science officer in another galaxy. Teldy said she’d bring me coffee, John.”

“You should sleep soon.”

“Coffee,” Rodney said firmly, and Matt got up.

“Where are you going?”

“To make him coffee,” Matt said shortly. “I understand that tone well enough, John. There’s no need to antagonize a man who can build a nuclear weapon. Besides, he’s working on finding Dad.”

John sighed. “He takes it black.” He focused on Rodney, who was frowning at his laptop. “McKay.”

Rodney made a face at him and kept typing. “Your family drama is worse than mine, John. My sister just married her college English professor and acted like I was a problem for finding the whole thing unethical. An affair with a student is shady, and it should’ve gotten him fired. Instead, he married my sister and her trust fund. Imagine his surprise when he found out that her trust is managed by a law firm and has extremely rigid rules about spending.” He huffed a little and inclined his head. “Frank Simmons.”

“That Air Force colonel who tried to blackmail you into killing someone, right?” John questioned. He wasn’t sure if he should mention an actual alien living on the planet in front of his family. He’d have to verify how thorough their briefing was going to be.

“Yeah,” McKay said. “He works for the NID as a civilian now. They couldn’t really prove anything regarding that incident, and the most they could do was make sure he was discharged from the Air Force. I heard it made him absolutely furious. I had to have extra security for weeks until they determined that he’d calmed down enough not to outright murder me.”

He pulled out his phone, dialed a number with his thumb, and put it down on the table as Matt brought him a cup.

“Dr. McKay, I’ve almost finished a timeline on Anthony DiNozzo. The DOJ gave me a lot of information without much groveling on my part. The old bastard is currently in Russia. He took a private plane but didn’t pay for it. In fact, he appears to pay for very little himself. His banking records are perfect, which you know means they’re being cooked. No one has perfect finances.”

“Granted,” Rodney said as he started typing. “If he was bribed, then it was probably done in cash. The Russians are part of the IOA and stamped out their version of the Trust with an extreme amount of prejudice.”

“Yeah, I can just imagine.”

“Add Frank Simmons to your list.”

“Agent Rossi keeps Frank Simmons at the top of the list. He’s just a jaded old man at this point—in a powerless job at the NID that was overtly done as a method of controlling him for their future purposes.”

Rodney hummed. “What do you have on him?”

“Financial data and all of his travel are monitored. Nothing stands out.”

“Mistress?”

“None listed.”

“Going to call bullshit on that—a man like Frank Simmons is fucking or fucking over someone,” Rodney retorted. “A white male in his age group, who is used to having power…he’s likely to hide a male partner. Dig deep and figure out where he’s putting his dick. Because if he’s making side money, then he probably has it in their name.”

“On it.”

Rodney ended the call with a jab of his finger and went back to typing.

“You have a potty mouth, McKay,” John said wryly.

The man looked up, then flushed when Della just grinned at him. “Sorry?”

“It’s fine,” she assured. “I’ve certainly heard worse over the years. And you’re right—he’s definitely sticking his dick somewhere in some fashion. Probably even if he doesn’t want it just to keep up appearances.” She paused. “Most especially if he doesn’t actually want it. So, I’d bet on a woman—half his age and dumb as a box of rocks.”’

Rodney nodded his agreement, picked up his phone, and sent a text.

“You didn’t finish telling us about what you could be used for, John,” David said suddenly. “You said what was done for you couldn’t be duplicated.”

“The colonel works where he wants these days,” Rodney said as he continued to work. “The right person with the right leverage could make him change his mind about where and how he works. Even within the US government, there are people who’d do a lot to get him on their team, willing or not. If I wanted someone taken out, with as little fuss as possible…well, John would be the first person I’d ask.” He shrugged when John huffed a little. “I’m just being honest. You compartmentalize very well, and I wouldn’t hesitate to ask you to kill if I had a good reason. I know it wouldn’t haunt you.”

John shrugged when Matt looked at him in shock. “Some people get exactly what they deserve, Mattie. Whoever has taken Dad—I’m going to make them all pay for it one way or another. And God fucking help them if he’s dead because no one else will.” He stood and left the table. “I know the two of you think that I…don’t care. But I love him, and I forced myself to separate from him as much as possible because I realized I’d let him run my whole life. After Mom died, I made it a goal to do everything I could to make him happy and safe. It was unhealthy, enmeshed, and bordering on insane. I couldn’t help myself, honestly.”

“So, you ran away?” David questioned.

“Yeah,” John agreed. “Maybe these bastards who took him believe that I won’t care, and maybe it is about Tony Rossi and his position in Homeland. If that’s the case, they really don’t consider me a threat, or they don’t even know I’m coming. Either way, I’m going to fucking kill every single one of them if I get my hands on them, and McKay’s right; it won’t bother me at all.”

Rodney winced as John left them. The snap of the bedroom door shutting was pointed enough. He picked up his phone and sent a text to Teldy.

“The two of you are stressing him out,” he said.

“I figure he’s already stressed out,” David protested.

“There are different kinds of stress, as you well know,” Rodney retorted. “He can retreat to a combat mindset and deal with a physical threat. But you aren’t that—you’re an emotional one, and really, it’s galling that you blame him entirely for the issues he has with your father. It isn’t like Patrick Sheppard didn’t sit in his office in DC while his son was being rescued from being fucking spaced. He was concerned, of course, but he could’ve been in Colorado in minutes due to the technology available to the SGC. He said he wanted to respect John’s wishes about contact. But whatever—they’re both unreasonable and stubborn. I tried to get John to call him, and he arranged transport back to Atlantis instead.” He waved both hands. “This wouldn’t be a problem at all if Patrick hadn’t tried to rearrange John’s career to suit himself.”

“Dad wouldn’t….” Matt trailed off. “Right. Of course, he would.”

David huffed. “Yeah, he did.” He rubbed his face. “He just told us that they argued over John taking a combat posting. Which I guess is a variation of the truth. Dad’s far more politician than he appears.”

“Yeah, well, one doesn’t become the Secretary of the Navy without some savvy and ambition,” Della said and checked her watch. “Major Teldy said she’d have new food delivered soon?”

“Yes, I’d gotten a family meal of chicken piccata, which she treated like an assassination attempt. Fortunately, she accepted my ignorance on the subject of McKay’s allergy at face value,” Matt said and glanced toward the bedroom that John had retreated to. “Who wants to handle that?”

“I’ll do it,” Rodney said. “Let him cool down for now. If he doesn’t come out for food, I’ll go get him.”

* * * *

John was standing by the window when Rodney entered the bedroom. He relaxed only a little when his friend flipped the lock into place. “Sorry to leave you with them.”

“Dealing with your family is child’s play compared to the jerks I work with on a regular basis. I’d rather have four versions of your brothers at the same time than one Peter Kavanagh.”

John nodded because he agreed.

“Dinner is here.” McKay joined him at the window. “Anything I can do to help?”

John shook his head. “It’s just…somewhere out there, my father could…already be in a shallow grave. Or just thrown out in a fucking field.”

“If his death was the goal, they’d have killed him in his own house.”

“They could’ve already killed him by accident, and he hasn’t had any medication in two days. I don’t even know how he’s managing his heart condition. He’s certainly in no condition to be held hostage, Rodney. Any amount of strain on his heart could be enough to….” He cleared his throat. “And maybe I do feel guilty about avoiding him and the conversation we owe each other for years. Part of me just didn’t want to ever be that angry with him again because I was fucking furious when he tried to get my orders changed. It hurt to be that mad at him.”

“Because he disrespected you.”

“Yeah,” John admitted quietly. “And it was the last thing I’d expected to get from him.” He focused on Rodney. “What are the chances we’re under surveillance?”

“Nothing interior. The building is shielded, so there’s no chance of someone using a parabolic device to listen in. The building itself is controlled by SGC personnel, and security is handled by the Marine Corps. Teldy would’ve told you if she had concerns, right?”

John nodded.

“I can do another scan if you’re concerned.”

“I don’t know what kind of reach Weir has,” John admitted. “Because she kept her fucking job despite my best efforts to get her removed from Pegasus.”

“The previous US rep to the IOA backed her,” Rodney said. “She’s a pain in the ass, John, but I don’t consider her a threat.”

John did, and he couldn’t explain it. “I think she is.”

“Since the bug-out?” McKay asked curiously.

“It’s worse now,” John murmured. “Less annoying and more dangerous on an instinctual level.”

“Okay,” Rodney said.

“Just okay?”

“I’ll get rid of her,” Rodney said with a shrug. “I’ve been fucking around on that subject because it’s amusing to watch her flail around and try to get rid of me. I’d have to commit mass murder…unjustified mass murder to lose the approval of the IOA. They understand my value and appreciate my ability for wholesale destruction.”

“I appreciate it, too,” John admitted wryly and cleared his throat. “I want you to ask Teldy for a ZAT or one of those new stun weapons the SGC traded for.”

“Why?”

“So, you can take me down if I go off the rails,” John said bluntly. “The retrovirus changed me, Rodney, and frankly, I’m not all that upset over it. It’s helpful in Pegasus—it gives me an edge. But these circumstances are different.”

“I’ll ask about the stunner, but I’m never using a ZAT on you,” Rodney muttered. “There’s no predicting how the iratus DNA would respond to one of those things. I can’t even say the new stun weapon would knock you out, and I’m not on board with testing it, either.”

“Ronon did it with his gun,” John pointed out.

“Yeah.”

“I want to say that I wouldn’t have hurt you that night,” he admitted, and Rodney just responded by pressing their shoulders together. “But I was drugged out of my mind and so narrowly focused on you…that it got hard to think. Harder to think, maybe, than it would be otherwise.”

“Well, those bastards really regret drugging you,” Rodney muttered. “At least the ones that survived it.” He cleared his throat. “And I wasn’t afraid of you. It’d take a lot to make me fear you, John. Ronon just did what you told him to do in such a situation, and the most irritating part was having to haul you back to the gate while Ronon and Teyla kicked the asses of the people you didn’t get to kill.”

“Right.” John rubbed the back of his neck.

“Do you know why you reacted that way at this point?”

“I have a pretty good idea,” John admitted and swallowed hard. He shook his head, and Rodney sighed. “Let’s go deal with food. What did Teldy bring?”

“Steak, fried shrimp, and lobster mac and cheese. She swore it was citrus-free, so I’m looking forward to it.”

John followed Rodney out of the bedroom and found plates being set on the table under Della’s supervision. He sat down where he was pointed.

“Anne told us that you prefer your steak rare. The rest are cooked medium,” she said and put a plate down in front of him. “Dr. McKay, I can put yours in a skillet for a bit if you prefer a different level of done.”

“This will be fine, but thank you,” Rodney said.

John watched them all settle in, and he focused on his gorgeous sister-in-law, who had a glass of red wine in hand. “You know you’re out of his league, right?”

Della grinned even as David groaned. “Of course I do. But I do appreciate a man with lofty aspirations.”

 

Part 3

The apartment was quiet, still in a way he wasn’t really comfortable with. He missed the ocean—the sounds and smells that the water brought to Atlantis. Some gene carriers were borderline addicted to the hum of ancient technology. John was grateful not to suffer with that as it made sleeping away from the city difficult. It was one quirk everyone had been relieved to see transferred with the ATA gene therapy. He wasn’t exactly immune to the synergy the city created, but he didn’t crave it, and it didn’t seem like he ever would.

He did enjoy Atlantis’ overt acceptance and affection of him. John had rarely felt safer in his life than he did on Atlantis. Even during the last wraith incursion, he’d been more furious than anything else. The city had been furious, too. She hated the wraith, and she wasn’t all that fond of the ancients either, as far as John could tell. He couldn’t blame her since the assholes abandoned her on the bottom of an ocean and left her to leech a bare amount of nutrients from the water. She worked best with a mixture of microproteins harvested from the water and solar power.

Her collectors for solar energy had been the first thing they’d cleaned up once they realized she needed them. That activity alone had endeared the entire population to the city and had helped create a pseudo-symbiotic relationship. Atlantis trusted them to take care of her, and in return, she protected them the best she could. The power issues were the biggest concern when it came to their relationship with the city, and he hoped that they could resolve that issue sooner rather than later.

“Can’t sleep?”

John shrugged, and McKay shifted closer. He shouldn’t have allowed it because being close to McKay was all he wanted, and he worked very hard to keep himself to himself. The last thing he needed in Pegasus was to give Elizabeth Weir ammunition to use against him. She was already doing her best to remove McKay from the mission, and it would only get worse if she knew how much John wanted him.

“I want to promise you that you’ll get him back alive, but that would be cruel,” Rodney said.

“I appreciate the sentiment,” John said and cleared his throat. “How are you going to get rid of Weir?”

“There are a variety of options.” Rodney’s tone was cool and speculative as if he didn’t already have a plan. John knew differently. “How permanent do you want it to be?”

“If I wanted her dead, I’d have already done it,” John retorted. “Or at least, I’d have let it happen. I saved her life during the incursion. I was relieved that I didn’t hesitate because I loathe her, and part of me worried that I might let that interfere with my duty.”

“Oh, well, I wasn’t suggesting that,” Rodney said. “But I could ruin her professionally and personally. She’s not particularly discreet, and I have a lot of data on her already. She facilitated the sale of illegal arms six months before she was hired by the IOA to work for them.”

“What?” John turned to stare at him. “What the fuck did you say?”

“She was in Afghanistan—the US State Department sent her there to manage some resources—facilitate freshwater installations and all that stuff. Very humanitarian slant. In the midst of that assignment, she exchanged a series of emails with the founder of InterOps, who then made some very lucrative sales in the same region. It looked shady, so I looked into it. They sold C4 and several cases of AR-15s to insurgents.”

“The government contractor,” John said. “I got a hard pitch to resign my commission and sign on with them shortly before I joined the SGC.”

“Yeah,” Rodney said. “O’Neill works hard to keep assets like you out of their hands. You were already on his radar before we found the ancient outpost because of your service record. O’Neill’s first act after the asgard returned him to Earth was to pull you and several others in for a conversation. All of them stayed, but he was the most invested in you.”

John nodded. He’d spent a year at the SGC leading SG4 before being offered the command of Atlantis’ military assets. It had been an informative experience that had taught him a lot about the politics of the program and the power games that were played both on and off the planet.

“So, InterOps is dealing black-market arms,” John prodded.

“Yes, and they sell to the highest bidder. The CEO has contacted Weir many times over the years, and every time that company comes out on top of whatever situation they’re in afterward. They make a lot of money from the US government and abroad from various organizations that can only be considered terrorists.”

“How long have you been sitting on this?”

“Miko and I have been taking turns coming back to Earth to…search for the data since the Doranda situation,” Rodney said. “We finished putting it together a few weeks ago, and we’re weighing our options when it comes to Weir. I’ve already contacted the NSA and the CIA about InterOps, and the company is going to be taken apart as quietly as possible within the next few months. Her involvement isn’t overt, and from InterOps’ end, it never happened at all. They’ve done a better job of cleaning up their connections here in the US than they have in other countries.

“But Elizabeth keeps everything—she has emails that were sent on the very day she started getting emails. Hell, she has digital copies of letters from college archived on that portable drive that she carries everywhere. She’s left it in her office a few times, and Atlantis helped me cull the data.

“I was worried that my activity might have been the reason your father was kidnapped since the reports I generated did go through his office. Everything the SGC generates does, no matter its level of classification or subject.”

“You’ve already eliminated it as a possibility.”

“Yeah, first thing, or I’d have told Agent Rossi,” Rodney said. “I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t my fault.”

“I’d have never blamed you,” John murmured. “But I’d have certainly blamed Elizabeth Weir. If she wasn’t corrupt as fuck, you wouldn’t have had to file that report.”

“Granted,” Rodney said. “There are other options. It wouldn’t take much for me to convince certain members of the IOA that Elizabeth’s ascension agenda is unhinged and dangerous to the mission. I’ve already seeded that idea with Richard Woolsey, the new IOA rep, who finds the ancients appalling on a personal level. He considers ascension to be a form of ritual suicide, and he’s Roman Catholic.”

“That’s the makings of a witch hunt,” John said.

“True, but I don’t care.” Rodney shrugged. “She’s a problem, and we’ve been working on it for a while. Radek thinks getting her fired is enough, but Miko would like to make war on her until Elizabeth has herself committed to a facility.”

“I shouldn’t say this, but Miko’s bloodthirsty nature makes her ten times more attractive than her beautiful face.”

Rodney laughed and nudged him gently. “True.”

John’s gut tightened, and he exhaled slowly.

“Sorry.” McKay shifted away.

“It’s fine,” John said.

“This is going to sound weird, and I don’t mean for it to be some kind of accusation, but Teyla’s bummed that the whole iratus thing ruined our campaign to get in your space.”

John laughed. “What?”

“At first, she and I both thought you were just opposed to touch. You don’t even want to hear a summary of the conversation I had with her about asexuality. We found out you’d nearly got married, so that made that theory a little less likely, though I’ve known ace people who married and engaged in a relationship just so they could have kids. Then, you had sex with that woman off-world. So, we just started trying to get in your space and inure you to our affection.”

John was both charmed and embarrassed at the same time.

“Then the iratus thing happened, and you did a full retreat. I’m not afraid of you, John. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know that,” John said quietly.

“Are you?”

“Afraid of myself?”

“Yeah,” Rodney said.

“Sometimes,” John admitted and focused on looking out the window. Traffic wasn’t thick, but certainly steady. “It’s weird being here. On the city, at this time of the night, less than thirty people would be awake. Millions of people are awake all over the world.”

“And you can’t stand watch over them all,” Rodney surmised.

“That sounds…about right,” John admitted. “As far as Weir goes, I want it so that she can’t ever gain any sort of authority in the Stargate Program again. She just needs to go away, and I don’t care if that means a prison cell. So, reveal every shady ass thing she’s ever done to whomever it would concern most and let the chips fall where they may.”

“Okay.” Rodney started to move away from him.

“McKay.”

“Yeah?”

“It isn’t that I don’t want….” He trailed off. “I have to put my people first. Giving Elizabeth Weir a single bit of leverage could get someone killed.” He focused on the other man and found his eyes wide with shock. “I’m in command. Some people play fast and loose with that kind of authority, but I never have. I never will.”

McKay’s jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened with fury. “You’ll never have to set eyes on Elizabeth Weir again, John.”

He winced as McKay walked away. John really didn’t know what his friend had gotten out of that admission, but it had clearly pissed him off. He took a deep breath and let his forehead rest briefly against the window glass before he cleared his throat and stepped away. He closed the curtains and wished he could shut the world away just as easily. Since the retrovirus incident, he needed less sleep, but going without entirely made him short-tempered, so he went to bed.

* * * *

Rodney’s hands were shaking. He’d rarely been so angry in his life. All the while, he’d been playing some foolish game with Elizabeth Weir, and John had been…. Well, he wasn’t entirely sure what John was doing or what he was denying himself. But the man had stripped himself down to the bones to serve the mission, and that was fucking unfair. He picked up the cell phone that had been forced on him by Anne Teldy and called Sam Carter.

“McKay. What’s wrong?” She yawned.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.”

“No, but I’m getting ready to leave the lab. You never call me when you’re on Earth.” She paused. “In fact, you’ve never, ever called me. Not even when you lost rock, paper, scissors and had to spend six months in Russia getting paid several million dollars to risk your balls getting frostbite. You just send me long, vicious emails that I read aloud to other people for entertainment purposes.”

“Since you don’t have balls, you can’t possibly understand the risk I took,” Rodney muttered, and she laughed. “Listen.” He exhaled slowly. “Elizabeth Weir.”

“She’s in a state, apparently. I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but she got shitty with Zelenka, so he forbade overtime work on the city and sent half the staff to the mainland for vacation.”

Rodney snorted. “And she thought he was the more reasonable one.”

“When she complained, he accused her of her human rights violations and threatened to report her to the IOA for providing a hostile work environment. She tried to get Major Lorne to arrest him. The major filed two different complaints in under an hour through Midway. It’s like they all just decided to be….”

“They’ve clearly activated Operation DICK.”

Sam laughed. “I’m not sure I want to know, but I’m gonna ask anyway. What’s Operation DICK?”

“Disrupt, instigate, confuse, and kvetch.”

“That could be the best thing I’ve ever heard,” Carter said with a delighted laugh. “Why did you call me?”

“I’m about to drop a bomb on Elizabeth Weir, figuratively speaking. Does she have anyone in the SGC in her pocket?”

“Kavanagh,” Carter said immediately. “She’s tried to recruit others, especially during the situation on Doranda and after the retrovirus incident.”

“Why the retrovirus incident specifically?” Rodney questioned.

“One of the consulting medical doctors here in the mountain said that Weir was extremely put out by the fact that you had Colonel Sheppard’s medical proxy. She seemed to think if that wasn’t the case, she would’ve been the one to make all of the medical decisions during that situation. When it was explained to her that the expedition leader didn’t equal some kind of overreaching authority of everyone on the city, she disagreed and said she’d been discussing that with the IOA. She disagreed with nearly all of your choices regarding Sheppard, and if she’d had her way, he’d still be mostly iratus and in a cage here on Earth at Area 51 being studied.”

Rodney exhaled slowly.

“Did she have something to do with Colonel Sheppard’s father being kidnapped?”

“I’ve not been able to connect her with anything. Why do you ask?”

“Well, if she’s corrupt and she wanted Colonel Sheppard studied, then the best way to make that happen would be to get him on Earth. Going at a member of his family certainly did that job very quickly. General O’Neill said that Weir wanted you to stay on the city.”

“Every single geneticist that studied the results of that clusterfuck confirmed that what happened to John couldn’t be duplicated without a near 100 percent fatality rate. His survival was deemed to be statistically impossible. That one asshole called it a miracle.”

“Sure, they can’t put other soldiers through the process safely, but that doesn’t preclude cloning.”

“What…are you serious? That was discussed as an option?”

“Weir suggested it, and General O’Neill had the asgard cloning tech we had removed from Earth without telling anyone about it. The IOA requested information on cloning a week after that, and the general pretended that he had no idea what happened to the tech Thor gave us. He suggested that perhaps the asgard merely took it back as they are prone to taking things and people from Earth whenever they want. The IOA had no choice but to accept it.”

“Who knows where that equipment is?” Rodney questioned.

“Well, it doesn’t exist anymore at all. After the request from the IOA came down, I went to the bolt hole where we’d stashed all of it and destroyed everything,” Carter said. “It was dangerous for us to have to begin with. The asgard should’ve taken it back when Dr. Brandon agreed to join them on their homeworld to offer her own stupid ideas to their research efforts.”

McKay laughed. “Still burns, huh?”

“Like you would not believe,” Carter muttered. “Regardless, if you want to split the load on the Weir front—I’ll take any angle you’d like. I can’t stand her and recruited her ex-fiancé to the SGC just to spite her.”

“I thought that you were banging him to spite her.”

“I’m banging him for other reasons,” Sam said with a laugh. “Miko will be here in the morning, even if I have to go Atlantis and retrieve her personally. Weir made some noise about denying the request, and the general told her explicitly that it was not a request.” She cleared her throat. “What’s she done, McKay? I mean, I’ve seen the data you and Miko are gathering, and it looks like you’ve got a great case file started to use against her. But what flipped this switch for you?”

“John lives the smallest life possible on Atlantis, so Weir can’t gain any sort of leverage over him. He’s concerned, rightly, that she’d weaponize anything she had on him, and it would get his people killed. I thought he was just emotionally unavailable, Sam. I had no idea he locked himself down like a monk to prevent her from undermining his goddamned command.”

She was silent for a long moment. “Well, you know the rule at the SGC.”

“There are several,” Rodney said.

“Yeah, but I mean the rule. The big rule.”

“Don’t cock block the person that saved the world?” McKay questioned.

She laughed. “Well. That should be a life rule. But I meant the other one.”

“We don’t tolerate enemies within.” McKay focused on his closed laptop.

“Not even for a fucking minute,” Sam said quietly. “Bombard that bitch from space, McKay.”

* * * *

Tony Rossi shot McKay a wide-eyed look as he entered the conference room, and John wondered what his friend had done after he’d gone to bed. The man looked well-rested, for McKay, but that didn’t really mean much. Sometimes, McKay ran on nothing but caffeine and spite. Several other people followed Tony into the room.

“This is my team—Carter Larsen, Morgan Cross, and Jodi Perks,” Tony said. “Agents Cross and Larsen are on their way to Colorado to take custody of Dr. Elizabeth Weir. Warrants for her arrest were requested and issued two hours ago by Homeland Security in relation to investigations already taking place within several different government organizations. I’m sure none of this surprises you, Dr. McKay.”

Rodney just quirked an eyebrow and sat back in his chair with his coffee. “No one’s protesting it?”

“My team has been fully briefed on the program, and no, the IOA is not protesting the investigations. All member countries were given thirty minutes to respond to the situation, and they all immediately declined to be involved. They’re already working to replace her as leader of the expedition.” Tony paused. “From a shortlist, they were provided by someone they claim to trust implicitly.” He focused on McKay again.

“Do you have a question?” McKay asked. “I don’t allow one to lead me around, Agent Rossi.”

“Please call me Tony,” he said and smiled pleasantly. “Dr. McKay, you’ve clearly been building a case against Elizabeth Weir for a while. Why pull the trigger now? Do you believe she’s involved in the kidnapping of Admiral Sheppard? Or did you think some players on the board needed a distraction?”

“It seemed like a good time to clear the board,” Rodney said evenly. “She’s conniving, manipulative, and working against the mission. I can’t say she isn’t involved in some way in this situation. She’s been actively working on getting rid of the colonel since we reconnected with Earth. She fully expected to run the expedition like a dictator, and when it wasn’t allowed, she went completely off the rails. She has some deep connections both locally and abroad, so we had to gather a lot of evidence that couldn’t be refuted or ignored.

“Last night, I learned that she suggested that if John’s physical circumstances couldn’t be duplicated that perhaps the IOA should consider cloning him.”

John’s stomach lurched.

“That’s been circumvented as the only technology that could do it was removed from the planet unexpectedly. It is generally accepted that the asgard simply took their technology back since the cloning research for their species had been discontinued on Earth. Dr. Brandon took herself off to another galaxy to try to help them. She insisted on taking her own food.”

That was probably for the best, John thought. He’d heard about the asgard’s little food cubes, and it didn’t sound remotely appetizing.

Tony just nodded. “Dr. Weir has been asked to come to Earth by the IOA. She protested it on the grounds that it would leave the city without leadership since you and John were here. General O’Neill responded by sending Colonel Sumner out there to sit in Weir’s chair. Which apparently made her nearly rabid. I’m unsure as to why.”

John grinned. “Marshall Sumner was the military leader of the expedition before we left Earth. I replaced him because of my gene status, and he was mostly relieved because he’d been fighting with her about everything to do with the mission. She was ecstatic, for about thirty minutes, about his removal. Not only did I disagree with practically every single decision she’d made regarding issues that were not within her mandate, I didn’t allow her to argue with me. I reordered the entire military half of the expedition from the ground up, and that included giving myself a full company of Marines with more officers than I actually needed, just to prove a point.”

“So, he’s like her archnemesis,” Tony questioned.

“I’m her archnemesis,” McKay interjected immediately. “How dare you think otherwise.”

Tony grinned, and McKay flushed.

John cleared his throat, and his brother focused on him.

Tony quirked an eyebrow and smiled more broadly. “Larsen, Cross—go get McKay’s enemy and put her on ice. Director Morrow is waiting for her arrest. The case has already been assigned to one of his investigative teams. We can consider her a non-issue at this point unless we discover that she had some part in the admiral’s kidnapping. Jodi, go back to the timeline for my mother’s first husband—look for time periods where he was in the same place as anyone else we have on the board.”

The young woman left with a quick nod.

“Did you separate me from Matt and David for any particular reason?” John questioned. “Is Major Davis’ story hour necessary at this exact moment?”

“It could’ve waited,” Tony acknowledged. “I don’t know any of you well, but you’re a Marine. I know Marines—how they operate and how they think. We both know this probably won’t end well, and I frankly don’t know how to proceed with them. I never expected to have siblings of any kind. I’ve asked my adoptive father, David Rossi, to come in on the case and help me profile the situation. He works for the BAU at the FBI and normally hunts serial killers for a living.”

John exhaled slowly. “Right.”

“This situation is different, but he’s worked kidnappings, too. He’s bringing in another profiler—Dr. Spencer Reid. They’re very good at their jobs. But, I’m uncertain about introducing them to Matt and David, considering what they do and what that’s going to look like.”

“Because it looks like you’ve transitioned—you’re more focused on finding out who did it than finding Admiral Sheppard,” Rodney said neutrally. “Is that true?”

“I can’t say it’s not. Victimology will only take us so far in a situation where there is no overtly obvious motive, no ransom, no contact, and no body. We have nothing to work with, so we need a new perspective.”

John nodded. “I’ll manage them. David is already preparing for a body. He’s worked for the Justice Department long enough to know what this looks like. But Mattie is an OB/GYN. He’s always been a very hopeful kind of person, even as a kid. He was fourteen before he realized that Dad had replaced his hamster four times over the years. He thought he’d had the same hamster since he was three. Of course, he was inconsolable and insisted on knowing where Humphrey the first, second, and third had been buried.

“I’m not saying he’s gullible or incapable of accepting loss. But he was a bit coddled when he was younger, and it was magnified by our mother’s death. He stayed home the longest and lived with our father until he graduated medical school. Honestly, he’d probably still live at home if his last boyfriend hadn’t called him out on it and accused him of being immature.”

“Was it immaturity or co-dependence?” Tony questioned.

“I think he felt like it was his job to keep an eye on Dad,” John admitted. “Mom died when I was ten years old. In some ways, the loss of her haunted us for years, and Matt idealized her. You’ve heard him talk about her.” Tony nodded. “Mom was a great person, but she wasn’t a perfect ray of sunshine. She cursed people out in traffic, watched crap on TV just to complain about it, and thought most of the people that worked for her were complete morons, but they were the best she was going to find, so she might as well keep them.

“She ran her company with an iron fist and made more enemies than our father has ever managed to do. She was brilliant, competent, sarcastic, vicious when crossed, and prone to brooding when she didn’t get her way.”

“Wow,” Tony said wryly. “Just wow.”

John flushed because Tony was not only way too observant, but for the first time in his life, he realized that having a big brother was going to be awful.

“What?” McKay questioned.

“Nothing,” John said hurriedly. “Don’t you have places to destroy and people to ruin?”

McKay’s gaze narrowed. “I keep a list, yes.”

“Then you probably need to start undermining anyone that would be in a position to help Weir.” He paused. “In whatever legal fashion you can.”

“Yeah, of course,” Rodney said and turned to Tony. “A private office would be helpful. I might need to make some phone calls that I don’t want an audience for.”

“Jodi is the room next door. She’ll set you up,” Tony said.

Rodney picked up his laptop bag, touched John’s shoulder briefly, and left the room.

Tony quirked an eyebrow as the door shut on McKay. “I was on the fence about this whole big brother thing, but I can see the potential for genuine amusement in the future.”

John sighed and rubbed his face. “Tell me Dad’s alive, Tony.”

“He’s alive,” Tony responded immediately. “If they’d killed him by accident or design, we’d already have a body.”

“You’re sure of that?”

“Very sure,” Tony said. “Let me show you something.”

John stood when Tony did but hesitated. “Will I be far from McKay?”

“Jodi probably put him in the guest space in our unit, and that’s where we’re heading, which is just down the hall.” Tony put a hand on the back of the chair he’d just left and stared at John. “I learned the hard way that living for duty is lonely and soul-crushing, John.”

John took it for the criticism that it was. “Sometimes intimate connections are just a form of ammunition an unethical person can use against you. Living and working in a war zone requires sacrifices that we aren’t told to expect and aren’t prepared for. My mission is bigger than me.”

“If anyone else said that to me, I’d consider it posturing,” Tony admitted. “Let’s find our wayward father.”

“Is it weird? Is your adopted dad upset?”

“He’s relieved to have a name; it gave us both some closure around the issue. It never sat right with him that my biological father was unknown. He believed that Patrick had every right to know about me from the very start. There’s no concern on Dad’s part when it comes to Patrick.” Tony opened the door.

Agent Perks was sitting at a large desk with an array of monitors spread out around her. There was a large screen on one wall, and he could see McKay sitting in an office behind a large glass window.

“You have a small team to be hunting domestic terrorists,” John said.

“I coordinate with several teams at other agencies,” Tony said. “Most of our work is intelligence analysis and data collection. I can bring more agents as needed for complicated situations. I often end up distributing incidents and suspects to various agencies depending on jurisdiction.”

“It’s different than what you did before, right? With NCIS?”

“We handled terrorism sometimes, but most of our cases were murder,” Tony agreed. “It was hard work but rewarding—giving victims and their families justice.”

“Why the move?” John asked as he was pointed toward a small table with a group of chairs. He sat down. “Burn out?”

“Unmitigated fury,” Tony muttered. “My partner was killed—assassinated by a foreign national. The new director of NCIS expected me to just accept that she was going to replace Kate, my partner, with the sister of the killer.” John’s mouth dropped open. “Director Morrow was moving to Homeland at that point, and he invited me to go with him. I agreed and eventually created this unit at his behest.”

John nodded. “I asked around after O’Neill told me about you.”

“Hear anything that concerned you?”

“Just that you got the plague,” John muttered. “How did you end up at NCIS if your dad is FBI?”

“How did you end up in the Marine Corps if your father was in the Navy?”

“Touché,” John muttered.

Tony laughed. “I actually moved around a bit—worked as a cop in New York after college, then Baltimore, where I met an NCIS agent who recruited me. I always figured I’d eventually go federal—Dad had suggested the NSA more than once. It was appealing, and I liked the mandate, but the opportunities were never quite right for me. Homeland gives me a lot of room, and the work is interesting. Sometimes, I meander a bit and stumble across something so interesting that I don’t pass it along until I’ve solved a ten-year-old murder. Because justice is important to me. It drives me.”

“Is there a reason? Or is it just because you were raised by a career FBI agent?”

“He certainly set an example,” Tony said. “And it wasn’t always a good one. The job can be time-consuming, and doing the work he did was never easy. I went to NYU to study criminal justice and was considering law school when I witnessed a murder. I ended up in protective custody as the guy decided that he should kill the only witness, too.”

“Has my Dad heard this story?”

“Yes,” Tony said. “The look on Patrick’s face the whole time was very similar to the one I got from Dad when it actually happened. Put upon fury is the best way to describe it. At any rate, I testified and earned the approval of a mob boss since it was his own precious boy who’d been shot and killed in the street in front of me.”

“Oh God,” John muttered.

“Yeah, at any rate, I’m given an inappropriate amount of red-carpet treatment whenever I go to Philadelphia, where the mob boss actually lives. The last time I went—he had an extravagant fruit basket and a dozen roses delivered to my hotel room before I even checked in. It wasn’t even a planned trip. I’m glad he likes me because I’d be dead otherwise. His reach is immense.”

“If you’re trying to distract me and make me feel better, you’re failing miserably,” John told him firmly. He looked around the room. “Tell me what’s being done that you don’t want Matt and David to hear.”

“It’s not that I don’t want them to hear it. I just don’t know how to relate to them, as I already said.” He cleared his throat as there was a knock on the door. He checked his watch then walked across the room to answer the door.

John stood as two men entered. He knew one to be David Rossi, as he’d read a report provided to him by the SGC. He was one of the founding members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit and had helped create the system of profiling used to find serial killers. A methodology so successful that law enforcement in other countries used it, too.

“SSA David Rossi, Dr. Spencer Reid, this is my brother, Colonel John Sheppard.”

“It’s good to meet you both,” John said quietly and accepted handshakes quickly. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome, Colonel,” Spencer Reid said and smiled. “It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve never met anyone that saved the planet before.”

“I can take you to Colorado and introduce you to a bunch of people who’ve done the very same thing over the years.” John shoved his hands into his pockets and focused on the case board that he’d avoided since he’d entered the room. “Will you tell me what you see?”

“Sure,” David Rossi said. “You’re chafing a bit due to the lack of power over these circumstances. It’s probably a rare circumstance for a man of your rank and experience.”

John just nodded. “I can’t say it’s not. There’s always someone above me, of course, but I’ve rarely been in a command where I didn’t have a lot of room to work and handle whatever situation was thrown in a way in my direction.” He watched Spencer Reid walk across the room and put aside a messenger bag as he focused on the images that Tony had on display.

“They got more than they bargained for,” Reid murmured and briefly touched the crime scene photo of the dead ex-Army Ranger. “Bad intel on their part speaks to a lack of resources. Is that just greed, or were they pressed for time?” The younger man hummed under his breath. “Very professional work on the two agents working security—two different teams then.”

Tony joined Reid at the board. “Four men in the house and another outside.”

“Just one?” Reid questioned. “It doesn’t jive with the sloppy work inside.” He shrugged out of his jacket, and Tony took it. “This looks…staged.”

John just sat down and watched Dave Rossi as he crossed the room to join the younger agent.

“Staged how?” Tony prodded.

“You know how.”

“Yes, but I’m looking for perspective here, Spence.”

“Right, well, the mess is precise in a way. I’d expect more broken glass. This lamp looks top heavy, and yet it hasn’t been broken despite the fact that the table it’s sitting on is askew.” Reid frowned. “I think Admiral Sheppard failed to cooperate in more than one way when he was kidnapped. They didn’t expect a fight, certainly, but maybe they also hoped to subdue him in other ways as well. The fact that they resorted to stunning him means they came prepared to subdue him with as little harm as possible.”

“Even as their asset outside garroted two agents,” Rossi said. “A single line, a lot of force, and very little struggle.”

“That’s the work of someone from special forces,” John said, and they all three focused on him. “I was taught to do that maneuver—quick, silent, and hard to defend against if you get it right. He clearly did since there’s no indication that he had to reposition whatever he was using to strangle them with once he struck.”

“Forensics says paracord,” Tony said. “Strong, thin, easy to purchase, and not particularly distinctive. I wouldn’t consider it a weapon of opportunity, but it doesn’t have the feel of a signature either.”

“It was just…expedient,” Reid said. “Leaving behind the compatriot was badly done.”

“They had to move fast as they’d set off the alarm,” Tony said. “Arlington PD was on the scene within four minutes.”

“Known associates on the dead body?” Dave questioned.

“None that appears current,” Tony said. “William Quincy, the dead Army Ranger, was accused of theft, and at the point of arrest, he had enough cocaine on him to face distribution charges. He did a five-year stint in Leavenworth. He was hired by InterOps after he was released from prison and was immediately sorted overseas. He’s also done work for the NID, but the information on those jobs is sparse, to say the least. Tax records are sketchy on the company, and all of its assets are treated as independent contractors. He was moved back into the country without the use of his passport.”

“So, either InterOps or the NID brought him in to do the job. Stands to reason the others were as well,” Dave nodded. “Human trafficking is tricky, even with willing participants. Got a line on it?”

“InterOps brought in a so-called empty cargo plane two weeks ago. We’ve uncovered evidence of several bribes, so the plane wasn’t inspected upon arrival, and nothing that got removed went through customs. We have them all under surveillance but haven’t made any arrests yet.”

“You’re hoping someone will lead you to Admiral Sheppard,” Reid nodded. “I think….”

“What?” Tony prodded.

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” He tapped the dead man’s photo. “Highly trained assets like this guy in the civilian sector wouldn’t go into a situation with bad intel. Yet, he did. He participated in the kidnapping of a former Navy admiral without knowing the man’s background in the service. The other option is that he knew Admiral Sheppard was a Navy SEAL and assumed his age would make that a moot point. Which also speaks to lack of genuine information.”

“They also brought a stun gun to a fight with a man with a heart condition,” Dave said. “I’m leaning toward misinformed and sloppy.”

“Which means money,” John interjected.

They all three turned to look at him. “What?” Spencer questioned.

“You throw enough money in front of a man like William Quincy, and he’ll convince himself he’s capable of anything,” John said and crossed his arms. “A big payday would’ve made them all ignore how little information they had. They might not have even known the address until they were sitting in front of his house in that van.” His gaze flicked to the non-descript white van on the board. The grainy image was a still from security footage. “If they were just hired muscle, and it appears that they were, then even his name might have been unknown to them.”

“If we work on the theory that only their leader knew the target and he isn’t the dead guy….” Tony focused on the board and nodded. “Jodi, start running the numbers. Look for transactions between fifteen and thirty thousand—not from an executive account or anyone high up in the company. If that yields nothing, look for small transactions that create a pattern of cash movement. Go back six months to start.”

* * * *

“Don’t even,” John said as he sat down next to Matt, who was openly checking Spencer Reid out.

“What?” Matt questioned.

“It’s really bad form to flirt with your brother’s partner,” John said and inclined his head toward Tony.

“You sure?”

“Very,” John assured. “They either keep it private for security purposes or because it’s new. Either way, leave that pretty doctor alone.”

Matt huffed a little and slouched in his chair. “I like to be the pretty one anyways.” He focused on John. “How are you?”

“Angry, tired,” John admitted and cleared his throat. “Sad.”

“You think he’s dead.”

“If he isn’t, then he’ll probably….” John leaned forward a bit and braced his hands on his knees. “Dad’s stubborn and unreasonable. He’s going to take being held hostage badly to the point of aggression. He won’t comply or obey a single instruction. They’ll have to keep him drugged to truly control him, which won’t be good for his heart. If he gets a chance, he’ll kill anyone he can get his hands on.”

Matt paled. “But….”

“Mattie, Dad’s war record is outstanding. He is the epitome of what it means to be a Navy SEAL, and the fact that he survived to make the rank he did speaks to the kind of service that is a stand out in the Navy. They don’t give out the Medal of Honor like it’s candy.”

“No, I realize….” Matt frowned. “Do you have one?”

“Not officially,” John said.

“What does that even mean?”

“It means that they can’t award it because of his classified circumstances and couldn’t explain it if it were to be known. A concern considering his father’s high-profile job history,” Tony interjected. “And he’ll probably receive it the very day it can be bestowed. But he has practically everything else, including the Navy Cross.”

John relaxed in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. “I promised myself when I joined the Corps instead of the Navy like Dad wanted that I would hold myself to the standard our grandfather set just as Dad did. He served with distinction every single day he was allowed.” He adjusted his watch. “I wouldn’t want him to be ashamed of me.”

“Well, there’s not a damn thing about you to be ashamed of,” Dave Rossi said easily as he joined them. He sat down with a cup of coffee. “Any good and decent man would be proud to call you his son, Colonel.”

John felt his cheeks flush. “Thanks, and please call me John.” He turned to Matt. “I figured we might keep him to round out our parenting experience.”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, I heard he can cook. Dad can’t, so that’d be an improvement. Plus, two Davids are better than one. He might even be able to curtail Dad’s…habitual dating.”

“He means manwhoring, Agent Rossi,” Della said with a smile and perched on the arm of John’s chair as they laughed. “Patrick isn’t even discreet. He’s in the social columns all the time but doesn’t seem to care at all.”

“Well, if I looked like him, I wouldn’t be discreet either. And please call me Dave. That should work to keep me and your very lucky husband separate in conversations.”

She nodded, and her hand fisted on her thigh as she shifted to keep her balance. John stilled the urge to touch her as it felt weird and kind of inappropriate. Still, he was on guard in case she tipped off toward the floor due to the position and the ridiculous shoes she was wearing.

“Are we getting him back?” Della asked.

“Nothing is certain,” Dave said. “We don’t have a lot of information, and the motive is murky. If it was about Tony, then we should’ve gotten some sort of action on it already. If it were about John, then they’re going to make a play to get physical custody of him very soon.”

“I wish they would,” John muttered and shrugged at the looks he got. “Without getting into specifics, I’m nothing to trifle with, and I tore through a solid concrete wall a month ago. When we had the material analyzed, they determined it was precariously close in makeup to ancient Roman concrete.”

“With your hands?” Matt asked curiously.

“No, the alien equivalent of a crowbar. It took me about ten minutes. I do heal pretty fast, but I’d still be suffering if I’d had to do it with my hands,” John said and glanced across the room where Tony was speaking in a near whisper with Jodi Perks. If he wanted, he could’ve probably isolated the words to figure out what they were saying.

“We’re working it like he’s alive,” Spencer Reid said firmly as he came to stand by Dave’s chair. “We need you all at the conference table.”

Della slid gracefully right off her perch and strolled away on four-inch heels. John wondered if it was one of her superpowers. He turned to Matt as they followed her. “I don’t get it.”

“I know. She could do so much better.”

“Fuck you both,” David muttered as he sat down at the table. “Not to be rude, Tony, but I don’t think I want the two brothers I got.”

Tony laughed. “I’m not worried—I’m going to be everyone’s favorite.”

“How do you figure?” Matt asked.

“I wasn’t raised by an asshole,” Tony said with a shrug, and John opened his mouth then shut it.

Matt huffed, clearly put out that he couldn’t disagree. “Why are you keeping us here? I don’t think families are normally this involved in a case. Right?”

“No, in normal circumstances, I’d have you all in a safe house under armed guard. But I never turn down the level of ability that McKay brings to the table, and he’s always going to be a package deal. In an effort not to alienate the two of you with protective custody and a lack of information, I’m keeping you close. Additionally, separating you would also split my focus unless I could convince John to go into the safe house with the three of you.”

“Not on a bet,” John said because he felt like he’d already lost his father, and he wasn’t going to let anyone put anything between him and McKay.

“I can take care of myself,” Rodney interjected and frowned at John.

John inclined his head and gave the man his very best don’t fuck with me look, and McKay made a face at him then focused on his laptop.

“Christ, you’ve never looked more like Dad in your life,” David said and shook his head.

“Any traction on the auction?” John questioned and focused on McKay. “Have you gotten a list of other bidders?”

“Yes, and two different members of the TRUST entered the fray about an hour ago. I don’t get the angle, as precious few people on this list should be in the know in such a way that would make your father worth the risk they’re taking. I understand the TRUST angle a little. None of the admiral’s security codes are going to work at this point. He can’t log in remotely to anything to get the data. His ATA gene is valuable, but he’s never interacted with ancient tech and can’t offer any sort of experience to it.”

“Then he’s just the leverage,” Tony said and focused on John.

“Let’s make me available,” John said. “The auction is either a distraction, or they’ve made some kind of mistake that is interfering with their ability to get their original payday.”

“What if that dead guy was the ring leader?” Matt questioned. “And now the assholes he hired to work with him are floundering because they don’t really know who they’ve got. They have a name and an impressive title off the Homeland Security website. They can’t ransom him to the government, and they haven’t figured out that we have family money.”

They all stared at him.

“What? I’m not just another pretty face,” Matt said and shrugged.

 

 

Part 4

“We’ve got a body.”

John felt the world drop out from under his feet.

Carter Larsen put a folder down on the table and opened it. “White male, mid-thirties, brown hair, blue eyes.” He put a picture on the board. “No identification, no labels in the clothes, no jewelry, and no tats.”

“Carter,” Tony began tightly. “Let’s work on your people skills.”

John rubbed his face and shared a look with David, who was pale and clearly shaken. Matt was wiping his eyes hastily.

“Fuck me,” Larsen said. “Sorry. I….” He huffed and cleared his throat. “That was thoughtless.”

“It’s fine,” Della said firmly and glared at Tony when he started to disagree. “Agent Larsen isn’t used to having the family of a potential victim in his workspace. It would be unfair of us to assume he could adjust his workflow and communication style in a day in order to pat our feelings.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but please accept my apologies regardless.” He cleared his throat when Della nodded. “We also have the van.” He put up another picture. “The dumb bastards rented it under a fake identity with a cloned credit card. Two men picked it up.” He put up a picture taken from a surveillance video. “One of them being William Quincy.”

John frowned at the second picture. He stood and walked across the room to stand with Larsen. “I know the other guy.”

Rodney joined him. “From the mission?”

John shook his head. “No, he’s never served with me. I don’t forget the names of men and women I directly serve with—I could name them all.”

“There must be over a thousand at this point in your career,” Tony said as he joined them.

“Yes,” John agreed. “I have a very good memory.”

“Me, too,” Tony said and smiled when John looked his way. “Bordering on eidetic.”

“Our grandfather, John Mathis Sheppard, was the same. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II, in the Pacific, and in the Korean War as a fighter pilot. He was very successful.” John focused on the photo from the rental car place. “David resembles him the most, but we should have pictures at Dad’s house. Our grandmother’s name was Beryl Patricia Sheppard nee Forrester. He came home from the war as a hero, got a lot of attention, and ended up married to a beautiful woman with a rich daddy. She was an only child, and her father absolutely loved our grandfather. They had two children—Patrick and Sandra. Our aunt is a hellbeast. Dad gives her a living allowance from the family trust and hasn’t spoken to her directly since Matt was born.”

“Why?” Tony asked curiously.

“She questioned Matt’s paternity because he came out with curly, blond hair. My maternal grandmother was Dutch and a natural blond,” John said. “At any rate, Dad was furious, and Mom was a sobbing mess. I barely remember it. I was too busy trying to get the nurse to let me hold Matt. David was being a brat because our parents didn’t use the name we’d picked out for the new baby.”

“What did you guys want to name him?” Rodney asked.

“We were big fans of Happy Days at the time,” John confessed and flushed when Rodney laughed.

Tony groaned. “Shut up. Seriously?”

“Mom was so…frustrated with our efforts to name her precious new baby Fonzie,” David said with a laugh.

“Well, you have zero naming privileges,” Della muttered.

John focused on the photo again and cleared his throat.

“Coming to you?”

“Yeah,” John said. “I’m leaning toward Navy. It would’ve been during my second tour, shortly after I finished the training for Force Recon. Dress blues.” He tapped the picture. “Officer.” He closed his eyes and let his mind settle on the memory. “He saluted me first.”

“Lower rank then,” Tony murmured. “You were promoted to captain a year out of OCS.”

John nodded. “We’re on a ship.”

“Okay, take a deep breath. Can you smell the water?”

“Yeah,” John murmured and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and let the connections form as he shifted through his memories quickly. “Greer. Second lieutenant in the Navy in 1995. USS Nevada.”

“Got him,” Jodi said. “Great job, Colonel Sheppard. Kelly Michael Greer, medical discharge in 2000.” She went to the printer and plucked a piece of paper out as soon as it was ejected, then took it to the board. “Age thirty-three.” She went back to her laptop briefly. Then, put a better picture of Greer up on the board. “He had a mental breakdown on the ship.”

Tony nodded. “Domestic issues?”

“His wife had apparently asked for a divorce,” Jodi said as she continued to read. “No children, no job history after his discharge. I’ll start warrants for phone records.”

“Include the ex-wife,” Tony said as she walked away. “Carter, Larsen—go find Kelly Greer.”

John focused on the picture of the dead man as the two agents left. “Was the body in the van?”

“Just outside of it,” Tony murmured. “Abandoned building, there was no indication that they used the property for anything more than to change vehicles.”

He tapped the photo. “Did Dad do this?”

“I think so, yes. If he’d been shot, I’d speculate that the group is fracturing and turning on each other. But this guy has a broken neck.” Tony rubbed his face. “Their sloppiness is starting to bother me a lot.”

“It speaks to a lack of control,” John said in agreement.

“Isn’t this good, though?” Matt asked in confusion.

“No, it’s not good,” John said carefully. “The lack of control is dangerous for everyone involved. In high-stress situations, it’s important that someone do the work to keep everything going according to plan.”

“Their plan may have fallen apart when Quincy died, as Matt speculated,” Tony said and shook his head. “Greer’s probably on InterOps payroll off the books. Jodi, ask Rhea Cooley for a list of suspected off-the-books assets for InterOps and pull Greer’s service record.”

“On it,” Jodi said and went into one of the small offices to use the phone.

“I’ve got the second dead guy,” Rodney announced, and they all turned to look at him. “I did an image search through DOJ employment records first, then did a pass through the DOD. Got a hit.” He motioned toward the printer as it started to work. “Despite having no military background or law enforcement experience, he worked as a security guard at a classified DOD lab in Virginia. Curtis Long, age 28, no marriages, no documented children.”

“You did a reverse image search through the employment records of two different government organizations?” Tony questioned. “Several tech companies are still trying to figure out how to do that, Rodney.”

McKay shrugged. “I wrote a little program. It wouldn’t serve a large-scale operation like the whole damn internet. But it will serve your purposes. I’ll pass it to Jodi so she can build a user interface.”

“Thank you,” Tony said. “I’ll make sure it’s registered as your intellectual property, and Homeland will cut you a check for the usage.” He focused on the board. “Curtis Long. What is the lab researching?”

Rodney said nothing.

John turned to look at him. “McKay?”

Rodney cleared his throat. “It was Dr. Brandon’s lab until she joined the asgard in the Ida galaxy.”

“So, cloning.” John made a face. “They had the asgard equipment?”

“Yes, but Carter told me all of that tech is gone, and I believe her. Her ethics as a scientist are second to none. Sometimes, she comes off callous as a result.”

“What are they doing now?”

“Just ATA gene research. They’re trying to figure out how to create genetically locked technology,” Rodney explained. “It’s the road to modifying ancient tech and locking into a different genetic signature. Or making our own technology safer from the wraith and other races that are a threat to us.”

John nodded. “It’s not a coincidence.”

“No, it’s not,” Tony agreed as his cell phone rang. He walked away as he answered it and went into one of the little rooms.

He didn’t know if there was a policy around phone calls and how they were done or if they were working to keep things less explicit for his brothers and sister-in-law. John went to where Rodney was sitting and slid into the chair next to him.

“What’s going on?”

McKay shrugged.

“You’ve got your aliens are probably going to make us do something weird and unfortunate face on,” Joh said wryly, and Rodney laughed. “Come on.”

“Elizabeth Weir is currently being interrogated,” Rodney said. “I’m getting updates from Carter, and it doesn’t…look great.”

“What do you mean?” John questioned.

“Well, she’s not getting out of the hole she dug with InterOps. That evidence is rock solid, and several different cases are going to result in prison terms for her. She’ll probably spend upwards of twenty-five years in prison. Due to what she knows, it’ll be a specific prison run by the DOJ for people who are a threat to national security based on their knowledge.”

“Okay,” John said. “That doesn’t sound bad. So, what is she saying?”

“That you’re….” He shook his head. “We need a private conversation.” He stood, grabbed his laptop, and went into one of the glass rooms.

John followed with a quick glance toward his family, who all looked surprised. He shut the door. “What’s going on, Rodney?”

“Weir is making all of these accusations,” Rodney said roughly. “Some of them are so outlandish that no one is ever going to take them seriously. The first thing she did was try to claim that you actually ascended when you crashed on the planet and that you’re just faking being a normal person now. Well, we know that the ascended can certainly assume a human body, but they’d never let one of their own get away with the things you do.”

“What else?” John asked and leaned on the table. “I’m not fragile, McKay.”

Rodney wet his lips. “She said that you can’t be trusted now due to your iratus DNA and that there’s no telling how you’ll react the next time you get near a wraith. She said that we should all be worried that you might consider the wraith brothers-in-arms. Elizabeth all but called you a traitor, and I want to go to wherever she is and curse her out.”

“The thought of the wraith makes me sick,” John said quietly. “I’m worried about encountering them, but not because I doubt my loyalty to my own kind. I feel human, Rodney.”

“You are human,” Rodney retorted. “She also said you were emotionally unavailable, unempathetic, and probably a sociopath.”

John made a face and shook his head. “Am I going to end up getting a psych evaluation?”

“I’m sure,” Rodney said. “She’s grasping at straws. She said I’m emotionally immature and unstable because I’m a genius. Then she went on a xenophobic rant about Radek and a few others who aren’t American. I think that was about trying to garner some kind of sympathy or whatever from the team interrogating her. But all that did was piss them off.” He frowned and focused on the wall.

“You aren’t emotionally immature,” John said, and Rodney nodded. “I mean it.”

“It’s not the first time someone has questioned my competence. My father tried to put me in a conservatorship. The only reason he stopped was because I put the money I had at the time in a very strict trust and hired an accounting firm to manage it. He stopped once he realized he wouldn’t get access to my money without a long legal battle that would certainly reveal all he’d really wanted was my money. I keep a whole damn series of testimonials and affidavits in several places proving I’m not legally incompetent to handle my own financial and legal matters.”

“But he’s dead now.”

“Yeah, but there are others out there that might take advantage of me given a chance. That’s why I set up a living will giving you guardianship of me if I become incapacitated in any fashion. Miko is the guardian of that document, and Radek has a copy as well.”

“Shouldn’t I have a copy?” John questioned.

“I can get you one,” Rodney said, and it sounded like he was placating him, so John frowned at him. “I mean it. It’s just you get weird about that stuff, and I didn’t want to stress you out. I did it after the bug-out thing because you’d already done it, and I’d always thought you were kind of jaded about the whole thing and didn’t think it was strictly necessary. But you were right, and I should’ve done it at the same time. Still, it’s taken care of, and I’ve left explicit instructions, so you don’t have to worry about making a wrong decision. I trust you to do what is necessary to preserve my quality of life.”

Quality of life. John hated the implication as he had no idea how he’d ever let Rodney go. He didn’t want to think about making that kind of decision, which more than proved Rodney’s point, so he didn’t say anything. He looked out the window and found his brothers and sister-in-law staring pointedly at them.

“Do I need to worry about Weir, Rodney?” John focused on McKay as he spoke. “Is she more dangerous now?”

“She’s not a problem for you,” Rodney said firmly. “I just didn’t want you to be blindsided by her agenda at a later date. She’s lashing out now, mostly out of revenge, and it’s obvious. But you don’t need to worry about her. You deployed the right weapon here.”

“I don’t consider you a weapon,” John said quietly. “So, please never think that.”

“I was being flippant,” Rodney muttered.

“I’m not.” John took a deep breath when McKay turned to stare at him. “I know you’re often discussed in very dehumanizing terms by the IOA, the SGC, and even various government leaders all over this planet. I don’t consider you a resource, a tool, or a weapon.”

McKay flushed. “It’s fine, John.”

“It really isn’t, and it’s awful that you’re so used to it that it doesn’t even phase you. I realize you have it better at the SGC than you ever have in the past, but that’s a pretty low damn bar. You’ve no problems demanding anything you want, McKay, so I don’t get the disconnect here. The disrespect you tolerate from some sectors is galling.”

Rodney squinted at him. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”

John laughed. “Shut up.”

“I’m not suffering here,” Rodney said. “My work is rewarding, I love our team, and even if the wraith are a nightmare—I’ve never been happier professionally than I am on the city.”

“Professionally,” John repeated. ‘What about personally?”

“Ah, well,” Rodney said and shrugged. “Things are okay.”

“I thought for a hot minute there that you were going to date Katie Brown.”

“Miko talked me out of that,” Rodney admitted and huffed a little. “She said that Katie is a hothouse flower, and I’m a land shark.”

John laughed.

“John.”

“I mean, Miko’s rarely wrong.” He shrugged.

“I know, which is exactly why I didn’t ask Katie out. Miko wouldn’t have said it if she wasn’t concerned about the situation and the potential emotional fallout. Still, Katie’s nice, and I thought it might be…okay.”

“Is that really what you want?” John asked curiously. “Nice and okay? Don’t you want…love and sex up against a wall?”

“I’m too old for that,” Rodney declared, and John laughed. “Stop talking about my love life. I can’t take any advice from you anyway. I have no evidence to demonstrate your knowledge on this subject.”

John leaned back on the desk with a smile and stared at McKay. “Thanks for having my back, Rodney.”

“Yeah, well, you’re the Marine I’ve got, and I’m not interested in breaking in a new one.” Rodney left the office with a little huff.

John followed because Tony had come back to the table and appeared to be waiting for them. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Tony said. “We’ve found Patrick’s fingerprints on the van. There was blood as well, but it turned out to be someone else’s.”

“The dead guy?” John questioned.

“No,” Tony said and shook his head. “At this rate, he’ll have taken out the entire group. Here’s hoping he doesn’t end up trapped with a dead body.” He slouched back in his chair and winced when Della took a shaky little breath. “Sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Della said quickly.

Tony focused on Della even as he said, “Perks, give us the room.”

“Yes, sir,” Jodi gathered up her things and left without another word.

Della shifted under Tony’s gaze; her body swayed closer to David, and he responded by taking her hand. It was far more telling than John thought either of them would like.

Tony cleared his throat. “You’re not okay.” He paused when she glared at him. “None of us are okay. It’d honestly be a red flag if you were okay with any of this. I’d be looking at wills and the Sheppard trust with a great deal of scrutiny. Because it wouldn’t be a new thing for a man to be killed by his own family for money. There’s nothing more damaging, really, than greed. Many crimes come down to it—people wanting and coveting whatever they can’t have to the point of selfish destruction.”

“I don’t need to be coddled.”

“Nor do you need to be treated with callous disregard during a very stressful situation,” Tony said and loosened his tie. “None of us need it. I had nightmares all night.”

“Me, too,” Matt confessed. “I just stopped trying to sleep.”

“I just had a hard time sleeping,” Della said. “And kept David up a result.”

“I passed out due to lack of an appropriate amount of caffeine,” Rodney said with a frown in John’s direction.

“You are never under-caffeinated,” John said dryly. “I slept a few hours, and if I dreamed, I don’t remember it. I’ve not remembered my dreams since…the bug-out. I’ve had a few tests done, and the doctors determined that I just need less sleep now.” He cleared his throat. “And Tony’s right. None of you have to pretend to be less upset by the mechanics of the investigation.”

“You’re not falling apart,” Della said.

“I’m not….” John exhaled slowly. “I’m not allowed to fall apart, Della. I can’t afford to be emotionally devastated by my own thoughts and anxieties. The people around me depend on my self-control and my resolve. It’s often the difference between life and death.”

“I don’t know how to relate to that,” Della admitted.

“It is what it is,” Tony said. “The first time a fellow cop made a joke over a dead body, I was so appalled that I nearly left the scene. It took me a long time to realize he was just a man who’d seen too much death and had learned to cope with the carnage by cracking jokes.” He checked his watch. “I’m going to have lunch delivered.”

John watched him walk away with his phone and wondered if he should ask the others to go home. He glanced toward David and got a hard look for his trouble. He just inclined his head and focused on McKay, who was reading on his laptop. The man was frowning just a little, which was more about concentration than displeasure. He turned to Matt.

“Dating anyone?”

Matt huffed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Just a lot of dumbass behavior. The last guy I dated broke up with me because I had to leave a date for an emergency. He only thought he was okay with dating a doctor, but the realities of my schedule put him off like mad. He also didn’t like that I never drank. But hell, I can’t afford to get drunk. What if one of my patients goes into labor?” He made a face. “And the one before him told me I spent too much time looking at…well, he used a foul word. Let’s just say that he doubted my gayness due to how much I’m exposed to female sex organs. Then I had to explain to him that I’m actually bisexual, and he slut-shamed me.”

“Wow,” Rodney muttered. “Give me his name, and I’ll ruin his credit.”

Matt laughed a little.

“I favor terrorist watch list myself,” Della said and shrugged when they all looked at her in shock. “Don’t look at me like that. A lady has to have a hobby.”

* * * *

“I’ve got the money,” Jodi said excitedly. “Is it good or bad that the original payday was two million dollars?”

John took a sip of coffee as Tony considered that question. He was relieved that David had taken Matt and Della home. They’d also agreed to have Carter Larsen as a guest. The protective detail was informal at present, and he hoped it stayed that way.

“It’s good because they value him, but it’s bad because we think these idiots have screwed up. They missed out on a big payday because their target was more than they could handle.” Tony rubbed his face. “Who paid who?”

“A month ago, Terrance Evans, the CEO of Procyon Media Enterprises, put a bounty out on Admiral Patrick Sheppard. Paul Adamison, former Navy and CEO of InterOps, accepted the contract and was paid the two million in advance. The digital trail on the money ends with a transfer out of the country. We can’t confirm where and when William Quincy entered the fray as he’s supposed to still be in Afghanistan,” Jodi said and rearranged a few pictures on the board to add more. “Terrance Adams bought a biochemical company called BioMetrics two weeks ago. That company has been on our radar for a year as they’ve made some moves scientifically that speak to knowledge they shouldn’t have. We have no proof of industrial espionage, but there is an ongoing investigation.”

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Tony told her. “Don’t worry about the audience.”

Jodi bit down on her lip and went to an unused whiteboard. She picked up a marker and took a deep breath. She started to write names. “Okay, this is what we’ve got. Admiral Patrick Sheppard—he has the highest possible security clearance available. That’s not exactly rare because everyone in this room currently has that. So, there’s the secret baby angle—some might see that as a blackmail point, but they didn’t come at him for money. They took him. He has the ATA gene but no experience with the tech.

“If I wanted to have leverage over him—I’d have taken the youngest of his children. Dr. Sheppard is young and beautiful, and the press would eat up a story about him. The rich man who became a doctor and insists on working in a public hospital and volunteers in low-income clinics in his precious spare time. He’s practically a unicorn, honestly.

“But again, they didn’t do that. So, they don’t want leverage over him in that way. There are probably two men left from the original team, and we don’t know how many they have on hand. If they’re smart, and there’s no evidence that they are, they’d be sedating him at this point.

“If they wanted to force you to do something, sir, they’d have already contacted you to let you know how you can get your biological father back.”

Tony nodded. “Agreed.”

“Finally, there’s Colonel Sheppard—he was off-planet when his father was kidnapped. If they wanted him on Earth, then they succeeded. There’s been no activity in his direction, however. No one has touched his service record outside of you in over a year. Dr. Kusanagi has been auditing communications in and out of the SGC, and the only chatter about Colonel Sheppard is….” She shrugged. “He’s the top choice in the fuck category in Fuck, Marry, or Shove Through a Spacegate.”

Rodney snorted. “I can guess what I am.”

“Marry,” Jodi said absently as she drew lines to different names. “Which makes sense—you put off a Daddy vibe.”

“What?” Rodney asked aghast.

Jodi turned and flushed. “You do. It’s generally discussed that most people are torn between wanting to sit on your lap and being dragged across your lap.”

John burst out laughing.

“Shut up, John.”

“I mean, I get it,” John said with a grin. “Do you think that’s why Kavanagh acts out so much? Maybe he wants a spanking.”

“Oh my god, John Patrick Sheppard. Shut up immediately,” Rodney hissed.

Jodi shrugged and refocused on the board. “The genetic angle regarding Colonel Sheppard is the most likely scenario. They want him for experimentation, or they want to kill him because they think he’s too dangerous to let live. The TRUST isn’t known to tolerate alien influence on the planet. They’ve tried to kill that Teal’c guy at the SGC more than once. Early on, the NID tried to take custody of him for scientific exploration.

“Which is ten kinds of a nightmare,” she muttered as she wrote. “POTUS signed a secret executive order forbidding any sort of experimentation on Colonel Sheppard. To get around that, they’ll need a new president, undermine the IOA, and keep it from NATO. We’re keeping an eye on future candidates who get funds from known TRUST operatives.

“In that vein, any operation would be off the books and would involve either taking him physically or acquiring samples from the SGC through whatever means necessary. No one has brought samples back to Earth as far as we know.”

“No, I oversee all research on John’s genetic mutation,” Rodney said shortly. “And by that, I mean I watch blood being drawn, tested, and destroyed. There were tissue samples during the event itself. I policed the custody of all of that material throughout testing and destroyed all of it personally when the analysis was done.”

Jodi nodded without looking at them. “That’s been discussed as well. Apparently, Dr. Keller has complained several times about the lack of genetic research on the city in regard to Colonel Sheppard’s mutation. Oddly, Dr. Weir has disagreed with her repeatedly. Of course, she also used the colonel’s accidental mutation as a reason why he should be removed from the city. She certainly wouldn’t ever lobby for a cure. She’s such a fucking heifer.”

John laughed.

“Anyways,” Jodi continued. “There’s been no action on Admiral Sheppard’s access codes. The only other option is revenge.”

“Revenge?” John questioned.

“Paul Adamison, of InterOps, was in the Navy and retired at the rank of admiral,” Jodi said and put a bunch of stars above the man’s name. “I can’t find any indication that he actually served with Admiral Sheppard at any point. Terrance Evans of Procyon Media Enterprises was also in the Navy. He retired at the rank of commander over a decade ago. He tried and failed to become a Navy SEAL. He didn’t make it past the initial assessment, apparently, but was allowed to remain in the Navy. I’d have to do some digging to find out why he washed out.”

“It’s not easy to become a Navy SEAL,” John said. “It’s a lot of work, both emotionally and physically. Washing out of the process early on isn’t exactly a red flag. It could’ve been an issue of stamina or personality. SEALs are a breed apart.”

“Isn’t that true for all special forces?” Jodi questioned. “Like you?”

“I’m nothing to trifle with, sure,” John said. “But if there is a hierarchy of special forces assets, then SEALs are on the top, at least in the US. Internationally, the British Special Air Service and the India Marine Commandos would be the ones to watch. I wouldn’t go up against either without a very specific sort of team I could trust with everything.”

“Trust is important,” Jodi said as she drew several stick figures on the board then put an X through two of them. “Then there were three.” She tapped one of the figures. “The guy outside—the assassin. From the data we have, he’s the problem, and so far, he’s survived.”

“He could already be gone,” Tony said. “If he did his part and bailed, that’s a matter for Homeland to deal with. There are agents already working those two murders independently from us.”

“I’m getting all of their data,” Jodi said as she stared at her board. “They’ve narrowed it down to a handful of highly trained individuals who traveled to the area in the last week. The front runner is a man named Alan Morse, and I agree. He’s American, disavowed CIA, with a sketchy and probably fake employment history starting at the age of eighteen. I’m not even sure if he’s using his real name, and neither are they. The CIA refused to discuss him, which pissed off Agent Castillo so much that she filed a complaint.”

“The CIA never plays nice,” Tony said. “I can call in a favor if need be.”

“It might be if this guy is still here,” Jodi said. “And he’s the one.”

“He’ll have multiple identities,” Tony said wearily. “And I doubt even the CIA has a full list of them. Operators like him don’t stay long in any location, and he had to be expensive.”

“InterOps has money to spare,” Jodi said. “I look forward to taking every single penny.”

“Is that legal?” Rodney asked curiously.

Jodi shrugged. “I have immunity regarding such things. I’ll put the money in an account set aside for Homeworld, and it’ll eventually drift into the SGC through various budget line items and the like. It won’t be the first time such a thing has been done. The program is expensive to run, and hiding that amount of money in the government budget is difficult as hell. I can steal terrorists’ money all day long as far as POTUS and the Joint Chiefs are concerned. Who’s gonna complain?”

“Did you want to hyphenate your name after the adoption?” McKay questioned, and she grinned at him.

“Dr. Jodi Perks-McKay,” she said and nodded. “I can terrify people all over the world with that name.”

John sighed and got up to get more coffee. He brought more for McKay to avoid dirty looks and whining. Rodney closed his laptop and accepted the cup.

“What’s up?”

“Weir took a plea deal and is being transferred to the federal facility where they hold prisoners with classified information,” Rodney said. “It’s basically a fucking country club, but she’s going to spend twenty years in it. She narrowly avoided being charged with sedition.”

“She’s gone.”

“As gone as she can be without being executed for treason,” Rodney said mildly. “They’re replacing her with a man named Mason Blake.”

“Former Air Force Chief of Staff,” Tony said. “Good man, from all reports.”

John nodded. “I’ve heard the same. Why did the IOA pick him?” He focused on Rodney.

“Because I told them to,” Rodney said and shrugged when Tony laughed. “They had a choice between him and Richard Woolsey. I don’t think Richard wants to live off-world, but I trust him. I’ve known Mason for a long time, and he’s…exactly what we need in Pegasus. He’ll have your back, John, and that’s what matters.”

* * * *

“How did you meet Mason Blake?”

“He’s been in and out of the SGC for years. But I met him at Area 51 about ten years ago,” Rodney said. “Why?”

“Just curious,” John said idly. He was strangely jealous of a decade-long friendship he’d never heard about. “You’ve just never mentioned him, and I thought I’d heard about all of your friends.”

Rodney frowned at him. “Are you being serious right now?”

John rolled his eyes.

“Wow,” Rodney said and shook his head. He took off his shoes and tossed them under the coffee table. “He’s not that kind of friend, Sheppard.”

“It’s been your habit to avoid discussing former lovers,” John said. “Especially male ones. I get it, you know. Homophobia in the military ranks can be a problem. But I don’t tolerate that shit on Atlantis. I’ve never tolerated it.”

“I know.” Rodney stared at him as he got comfortable on the couch. “I’ve never slept with Mason Blake.”

“Okay.”

“Talk to me,” Rodney instructed.

“I have…nothing to talk about that you don’t already know about,” John said roughly. “I’m worried about Dad. He’s clearly not being a cooperative hostage, and I know how wrong that can go. Also, I know I would be no different in his place.”

“I got dropped off on some random corner,” Rodney said.

“What?” John focused on him. “What?”

“Oh, well, when I was twenty and working on a joint thing with NSA and CSIS, I was kidnapped. They kept me for about twelve hours. I complained, refused to do the work they wanted, questioned their parentage, speculated regarding the forking of their family trees, and made one of them cry.” He shrugged when John laughed. “None of them had the stomach for murder, or I’d be dead. Either way, they trussed me up, put me back in their stupid van, and dropped me off in front of a CVS. Then I didn’t get kidnapped again until I started going off-world with you.”

“I didn’t know you worked for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.”

“It was actually my introduction into working for the US government,” Rodney said. “They kept contracting me out after that, and eventually, dual citizenship was offered as part of a compensation package. I accepted. Then, I was recruited to work at Groom Lake. I couldn’t turn that down. I’d been hearing things for years that didn’t make sense. There were alien devices already being studied there—things that had been taken from Roswell specifically. Then we started to get more stuff, more data, and it was exciting. Then I was introduced to the stargate, and it was love at first sight.”

“Yeah,” John said. “It scared the hell out of me. I don’t know that I even believed anything I’d been told until I watched a wormhole establish. It was beautiful, but it also made me feel small and helpless.”

“The universe is huge,” McKay said. “Did the removal of Elizabeth Weir make things better? Instinctually, I mean?”

“Everything feels more manageable. I wish I’d known it would’ve been that easy.”

“I’m sorry that discussing it on the city was difficult. I never felt like we could talk about it off-world, as Teyla has a very black-and-white view regarding the leadership of societies. I wasn’t sure if she would be offended or not.”

“I don’t know either,” John admitted. “She appeared to like Elizabeth a lot. I wonder how she’s reacting to her removal. I guess I’m concerned about how most of the expedition is reacting.”

“You needn’t,” Rodney said. “The first time she ignorantly interfered in an experiment, every single civilian on the city realized we couldn’t trust her with ourselves or our work. It changed the tone a lot. Plus, Miko can’t stand her, and everyone knows when Miko can’t stand someone, they’re probably one step away from being the actual devil. Miko tolerates Kavanagh, John. It’s the only reason he hasn’t been fired. Carter keeps asking her, just in case she changes her mind, and we miss it.”

John laughed.

“That’s serious business, John,” Rodney said huffily and smiled when John continued to laugh.

He turned slightly on the couch and tossed his socked feet in McKay’s lap. “I hope the changes for the city will be good. Maybe she’ll calm down.”

“She was clearly responding to your discomfort. I should’ve paid better attention,” McKay said and focused on the darkened television.

John glanced toward the remote. “Want me to turn it on?”

“No, it’ll just be dumb. Television shows are always so stupid, annoying, and aggravating.”

“Yeah,” John agreed with a laugh. “I think the city was responding to the growing dissent of everyone. I can always tell when you’re having a bad day, specifically before I ever see you. I asked Lorne about it, and he wasn’t getting any sort of feedback in regard to you, but he did in response to his own team. I know where Ronon and Teyla are on the city at any given moment.”

Rodney nodded slowly. “Yeah, I never have to look for you guys. We should probably start talking about that and get a grip on it. It was hard to speak about any of that because of Weir. I’m sorry for fucking around on that issue.”

“I should’ve found some way to speak with you about it,” John said. “It only recently got really bad.”

“After the bug-out.”

“After Doranda,” John corrected. “Every single time she went at you, I’d get so furious I could barely breathe. The city is surviving because of you, McKay. You’re the linchpin for the whole damn thing, and her selfish fucking greed was the problem. I’m sure her micromanagement was difficult on your staff, especially since she wasn’t qualified to manage those resources at any level.”

“Is there someone?”

John briefly considered feigning confusion. “Yeah.”

“Is it reciprocated?”

“I…don’t know,” he admitted, and that kind of hurt.

“Well, only an idiot would turn you down, and Atlantis is full of smart people,” Rodney declared. “And some actual geniuses.”

John laughed. “Yeah.”

“I mean seriously—you’re smart, brave, successful in your career, and beautiful.”

“Maybe I’m awful at relationships,” John said.

“Nah, you’re great at it,” Rodney said. “Teyla told me that you were definitely emotionally more mature than Ronon and me. Of course, she was trying to make us talk about our stupid feelings, and Ronon ran away. I got trapped, is what I’m saying.”

“Trapped by a beautiful woman, how tragic.”

“Is it Teyla?” Rodney asked curiously.

“No.”

“Uh, there will be some bets lost on that one,” Rodney said thoughtfully. “Miko?”

“No.”

Rodney made a face. “Are you serious?”

“She’s beautiful and brilliant, but I don’t have any romantic interest in her.” He paused. “Or any woman, actually.”

“Oh.” Rodney nodded. “Right. Not Ronon, your vibe with him is way too fraternal. None of the men in your command because you’d never cross that line. Graham Simmons?”

“Who is that?” John questioned.

“Answer enough,” Rodney responded with a laugh. “He came to Atlantis about six months ago. He’s a former Air Force officer and worked at the SGC for years as a gate tech. He finished his doctorate in biomechanical engineering about a year ago. Very attractive—very nice ass.”

“Oh, that guy,” John said. “He does have a great ass.”

Rodney took a deep breath. “Is it me?”

John stared for a moment and smiled. “How could it ever be anyone else, Rodney?”

Rodney blinked in surprise, then slid down the couch and right on top of him. John spread his legs, and Rodney settled between them like he belonged there. He cupped Rodney’s face and pulled him close as soon as he could. From his perspective, the kiss was years in the making, and it wasn’t a disappointment. McKay deepened the kiss briefly, and John shuddered.

Rodney ended the kiss, and their eyes met. “This is a not yet, not a no,” he said and retreated to his spot on the sofa. “You’re very stressed out and emotionally compromised. I’m not that kind of bastard.”

John licked his lips and nodded. “I know you’re not, Rodney.”

“Right, well, go to bed before I start wondering if this moment is my supervillain origin story.”

John laughed and rolled off the couch. “Good night, McKay.”

 

 

Part 5

“Agent Larsen arrested Kelly Greer overnight,” Tony announced as soon as they got settled around the conference table. “He’s refusing to speak, not even to ask for a lawyer.”

“Options?” John questioned.

“I’m going to offer him a plea deal on the kidnapping charges,” Tony said, and David nodded.

“He gets a soft landing for this?” Matt asked with a frown.

“No, he doesn’t,” Tony said.

“He’ll face murder charges for the deaths of both of the agents,” David interjected when Matt started to ask another question. “If he pleads guilty to the kidnapping, then he won’t have a leg to stand on regarding the murders since they took place during the progression of a crime he’s already admitted to.”

“Is he that dumb?” John questioned.

“Most criminals are. He may even think he can do it without a lawyer,” Della muttered. “The whole criminal mastermind thing is a myth. I’ve rarely met a criminal who was even of above-average intelligence.”

“Because the genuinely smart ones rarely get caught, and when they do, it’s for minor shit that doesn’t lead to a jail sentence,” David said, and she laughed.

“Why would they get caught doing something minor?” Rodney asked.

“To establish a certain kind of criminal record,” David said. “Say a person has a history of petty crimes like check fraud or maybe even an incident or two of shoplifting. If they end up on a suspect list for a serious felony, the police are likely to outright dismiss them as an option unless there is direct evidence connecting them to the crime, like fingerprints or DNA. The problem with profiling is that very smart people will learn how to lay down a false trail of behaviors to throw people off.”

“Interesting.” Rodney nodded.

“He did not need that information,” John muttered.

“Fortunately for the rest of us, such people rarely become serial killers,” Spencer Reid said as he sat down at the table beside Tony. He had a mug of coffee cupped in both hands. “SSA Rossi sends his regrets. There was progression on a case in Georgia, and he took a flight out last night with the rest of our team.”

“Thank you for staying,” Matt said.

Spencer took a sip of coffee before responding, “I’ve been seconded to Homeland through the course of this investigation. I may have to consult with the team at some point as I’m the geographical profiler.”

“Does that work?” Rodney questioned.

“It’s how we caught Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer,” Spencer said. “It can be a very good tool in the right circumstances as some killers are deep creatures of habit and have a narrow territory they function in due to their own pathology. While any member of my team can do it, I’m the most accurate at it due to the way my mind works out problems. There are technical aspects, of course, but it also requires a certain sort of mindset regarding what crimes to include and exclude in the process.

“Outside of vacations and work trips, most people stay within a certain area of their home. They shop, eat out, and entertain themselves close to their sanctuary. The primitive part of our brain still finds safety in such routine. Even those who wonder in a nomad fashion gravitate around their shelter when they stop in one spot to gather resources.”

“I rarely travel more than ten minutes from my apartment,” Jodi admitted as she stood and walked to her whiteboard. She drew an X through one of her stick figures. “And now we probably have one. I almost feel sorry for him. Admiral Sheppard is definitely going to kill him if he doesn’t get caught soon.” She shook her head and drew a little skull over the stick figure’s head. “It’s no wonder his call sign was what it was when he was in the field.”

“What was it?” Matt asked.

John winced and took a deep breath when Agent Perks hesitated. “They called him Reaper.”

“What?” Matt asked aghast. “Are you serious?”

John laughed. “Yeah, I’m totally serious.”

“What’s yours?” David asked curiously. “You have one, right? Most pilots do.”

“Phoenix,” John said. “Before the Stargate Program, it was Viper. I chose it because it was Granddad’s call sign when he served. It had to change because of the classified nature of the program. I can’t have Viper attached to my current mission. It could lead to questions if it appears on a random report at the DOD.”

“Why Phoenix?” Della questioned.

“Because he has a habit of surviving the unsurvivable,” Rodney muttered and exhaled slowly. “Fortunately.”

“Specifically,” John began dryly with a look in McKay’s direction. “I was flying an experimental craft at a classified facility, and the engine failed. The ejection system malfunctioned, and I had to do it manually. When I did get it released, it was really too late. I got out of the craft a couple hundred feet short of the crashlanded in the debris. I walked out of the crash with a sprained ankle. The next thing I know, my call sign was officially Phoenix.”

“I never want to read your file,” David said. “I’d probably stroke the fuck out.”

“Like his father and grandfather, John has an outstanding service record full of heroics and hard decisions. He serves our world with uncommon valor every single day,” Tony said. “Frankly, it’s an honor to be his brother.”

John flushed. “Shut up.”

They all laughed as he focused on Perk’s whiteboard. “I agree. If there is just one guy left, then he’s not going to make it unless he runs and leaves Dad trapped wherever they have him. How did you guys get Greer?”

“He used his own credit card to buy groceries,” Tony explained. “We had him picked up by Arlington PD, then Carter retrieved him.”

“Let me talk to him,” John suggested. “Just talk.”

Tony inclined his head. “Your word?”

“Yeah, I won’t lay a hand on him,” John promised.

Twenty minutes later, he sat down across from Kelly Greer and watched the man pale. John stared for a long moment. He wished the others had stayed upstairs, but they’d call come down crowded into the observation room. He wondered how Tony was dealing with them all up in his space. Keeping them close was more an emotional concern than a security one at this point. John didn’t like operating as he normally would in front of his younger brothers. Neither had the right mindset to understand it.

“My name is John Sheppard.”

“I know who you are, Colonel Sheppard,” Greer said quietly. “If it means anything, I didn’t know who the target was until we already had him in the van.” He wet his lips. “And I never laid a hand on your father to hurt him.”

“It means something,” John assured.

“Your old man is a badass,” Greer said and shook his head. “I told them to let him go after he killed Long. We should’ve aborted the mission after Quincy was taken out.”

“Do you know why he was taken?”

“Some guy wanted…his body,” Greer blurted out and wet his lips. “But I don’t do murder for any amount of money. They were insisting he be delivered dead because they knew they couldn’t handle him alive. I suggested sedation, and they balked at even that. They also weren’t prepared to kill him themselves. He’s not superhuman or anything, but they’re all pussies, and when they found out he’d killed Quincy, Long, and Morse….”

“Alan Morse is dead?”

“Yeah,” Greer said and shook his head. “Your father got out of the room we had him in. No clue how, and Morse…well. I guess the best term is a shiv. Your father made a shiv and gutted Morse. We had to taser him again. We threw Morse’s body in a river.”

“Who’s left?” John asked curiously. “Any training?”

“Weekend warrior type, washed out of boot camp when he tried to join the Army,” Greer said. “Brad Eaton. He ain’t gonna make it.”

John agreed. “Who wanted my father’s body, and do you know why?”

“Some guy named Blaylock was the buyer,” Greer said. “It was something about his genetics and how he couldn’t be tracked. I don’t know what it meant.”

His father didn’t have a subcutaneous transmitter, John thought. He was going to put one in every single member of his family as soon as possible.

“Why him and not one of my brothers?”

“Once I realized who we had, I complained to Adamison about it. He’s the guy running InterOps. He figured you wouldn’t care about your father, but you’d rain down on them like a biblical plague for one of your brothers.” Greer grimaced. “I told him he was an idiot. Because that’s your old man, and I’ve never heard a single thing about you that would make anyone believe you’re heartless.”

“Why talk to me?” John questioned. “You’ve refused to say a word to anyone else.”

“I don’t have much left, sir,” Greer said quietly. “I’m never going to be a free man again. I’d like to say that when I had the opportunity to make a better decision, I did so.” He took a deep breath. “Ignoring that fed was easy. I’ve heard enough about you and your service to know that ignoring you would be a fucking sacrilege.”

* * * *

Perks had added another stick figure to her collection and crossed it out. John shouldn’t find it as amusing as he did.

“What did he mean about tracking?” David questioned.

“All SGC personnel have a subcutaneous transmitter that can be tracked from orbit,” John said. “Dad is probably the only known ATA-positive gene carrier without one by his own choice. They might assume that both of you have one, but they couldn’t be certain.” He focused on Rodney. “Can we put one in all four of them?”

“Tony already has one,” Jodi said. “He went off-world, and it was required.”

“Okay,” John said.

Rodney nodded his agreement and pulled a radio out of his pocket. He hooked it into his ear. “Apollo, I need priority transport to the SGC.”

He shimmered away with a flash of transporter technology.

“Holy shit,” Matt whispered.

“Weird to hear about, amazing to see,” John said. “Declassification will change the world—for good and bad.”

“Is that coming?” David questioned.

“No big secret can be held close forever,” Spencer said and checked his watch. “Tony’s team should be getting ready to move on the location that Greer gave us. Here’s hoping that the last of them didn’t move the admiral when Greer didn’t come back.”

John was kind of proud of himself that he only argued with Tony briefly about staying put. The man was as stubborn as any of them, and John understood that Tony had already pushed the limit on the legality of their involvement, and he wanted a clean arrest of the last guy if he wasn’t dead.

“If he tried to move Dad and he’d recovered from the second taser hit, then Eaton’s probably dead,” John muttered even as Rodney returned with another person.

“This is Dr. Iona Brightman,” Rodney said. “She’ll be handling the procedures.”

David stood. “Me first.”

“Does anyone have a problem with needles? It’s fairly large,” Dr. Brightman asked.

“We’ll be fine,” Della said as she shed her sweater. “Will this device influence my ability to get pregnant or negatively impact a fetus?”

“No, it’s inert and will exist in a benign fashion in your soft tissue. The electrical current in your body will power the device for as long as you’re alive,” Iona explained. “They’ve been in use for five years with no side effects at all.”

John watched all three of them get injected and relaxed a little. Better late than never, and he was glad none of them protested it. He figured that the kidnapping had done a lot to quell any complaints they might have had about the government tracking them. Iona Brightman worked quickly and left the same way she’d come.

Matt was rubbing his shoulder.

“Hurt?” John questioned.

“No, and that’s weird considering the size of that needle,” Matt admitted. He dropped his hand. “You live an entirely different life than the rest of us, John. And by us, I mean like ninety-nine percent of the planet. It’s hard to wrap my head around.”

“There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,” John said. “For every fucked-up moment, there are hundreds that are beautiful and inspiring. There’s honestly nothing like stepping through the stargate to go to another world. It’s amazing. I’ve seen things that defy imagination. There’s an alien race here in the Milky Way called the Nox. They live on a floating city, and they can bring back the dead.” He paused when Matt’s mouth dropped open. “At least the recently dead. They have a deep power rooted in nature. They’re a kind and generous pacifist race.

“So, not everyone out there is out to destroy us. We’ve made really good friends and allies over the years.”

“But the ones that want to destroy us are powerful,” David said quietly.

“Yeah,” John agreed. “Greedy, unethical, and often deeply disturbing on a moral level. It’s hard to have any sort of conversation with a species that considers your kind only good for slavery or food.” He stood and walked to Perk’s whiteboard. “What about William Blaylock?”

“Founder and majority shareholder of Procyn Media Enterprises. Since he lets the leader of the TRUST run his company as he sees fit, we consider him an immense problem. He’s extremely wealthy and owns several companies that used to deal in government contract work. He’s been frozen out of that kind of work completely in the last two years due to his connections to the TRUST and Terrance Evans. It doesn’t appear to bother him.”

“Especially not if he’s switched to dealing in black-market arms,” John muttered. “If they want the ATA gene, then they must have ancient tech.”

“Or they anticipate getting it,” Jodi said.

“Perhaps they want to start making tech of their own that is genetically locked. If they’ve been told that the ATA gene was originally an artificial construct, then the key to understanding how that technology works is important. They wouldn’t need a device of any kind of importance, right?” Spencer focused on Rodney.

“No, even a life signs detector would be enough to get them started,” Rodney admitted. “But there are mental components to the ATA gene that can’t be replicated without specific genetic legacies, and the therapy doesn’t work on everyone. You have to have some alteran DNA.”

“And they considered my father a viable source,” John said.

“Well, if they’re well-informed, and we must assume they are, then you’re not exactly viable for what they need any longer. Any future ATA gene research won’t include you due to the iratus markers left in your body,” Rodney said. “That means your father and brothers are a resource for that. Specifically, Tony at this point, as we know he has an identical gene to yours, which you both got from your father.”

“But not me and David?” Matt questioned.

“We don’t know,” Rodney said. “It isn’t like we go around testing DNA without permission. But it seems likely considering Tony and John.”

“And any children we might have,” Della said and took a deep breath. “They’d be genetically valuable, too.”

“Yes.”

Della crossed her arms and nodded. “Rodney, can you arrange for one of those transmitters to be available shortly after the birth of any children I have? I want them…to be trackable as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, of course, I’ll make sure you have contact with Dr. Brightman. If you want, she could even attend any birth.” He paused. “Is this something we should concern ourselves with soon? I only ask because you asked about fetal impact.”

“I’m two weeks late,” she confessed and exhaled slowly when David just took her hand. “So, we’re hopeful but not ready to make any announcements. I’ve not tested yet.”

“I’ll go finish the background checks on the nanny services,” Jodi said and went to her desk. “Agent Rossi will insist. You’re seeing Dr. Blevins in Dr. Sheppard’s practice, right? I did her background check already. She’s great, even if she has terrible taste in dudes. Her last one was a real piece of work.”

“Is that a violation of her privacy?” Della questioned.

Jodi paused and shrugged. “It was all over social media. He threw a hefty bitch fit on Facebook about her dumping him.”

“Can you clean that up?” Matt questioned. “Because he was awful, but her lawyer said she couldn’t do much about it.”

Jodi nodded and shrugged a little as she opened her laptop. “I know a guy.”

John was only slightly tempted to ask. He put a hand on Matt’s arm when his brother started to speak. “Never ask a geek about the guys they know. Sometimes, that’s just information you don’t need.”

Matt laughed and rubbed his face. “Spencer? Any news?”

“No,” Spencer admitted as he browsed through his phone. “But Tony wouldn’t deliver any news via text. He makes every effort to be very present in his interactions with people, no matter what his relationship with them. It’s what makes him good at his job.”

“He told me once he got his hands on Dad, he wouldn’t leave his side until I could take his place,” John said. “Homeworld has a new security team ready to go.”

“Better than the ones he had?” Matt asked and winced. “Christ, sorry. I mean, they’re dead, and I’m sitting here critiquing their job performance.”

“If they’d been doing their jobs, they wouldn’t be dead,” Spencer said plainly. “They were treating the security detail as a trivial matter, and it got them killed.”

“As to the matter of his future security, I’ve picked them personally,” John said, and both of his brothers nodded. “And I’ve asked for him to be assigned a military aide-de-camp.” He paused. “And I provided a list for that as well. I suggested that last year, but he dismissed it as unnecessary. So, I plan to emotionally blackmail him and expect all of you to support me.”

“I’m prepared to cry,” Della said seriously.

John turned to David. “If she ever gets tired of you—we’re keeping her and sending you packing.”

David nodded. “I’d honestly expect nothing else.”

The door opened, and Anne Teldy stepped in. “Sir.”

John stood. “Major, has something happened?”

“Your father is on his way to Bethesda. Once there, he’ll be transported to the SGC via transporter. He’s in stable condition, but he’s having heart issues and reported that he’d been tasered three times.” Teldy paused. “The remaining kidnapper is in critical condition.”

“My father’s doing?”

She grinned. “Of course.”

John sighed. “McKay, arrange our transport to the mountain, please.”

“We’re going be teleported?” David questioned. “Is that safe if she’s pregnant?”

“It’s safe,” Rodney assured. “Our beaming technology is asgard, and they left nothing to chance regarding the preservation of life.”

“Major, if you’ll pack our stuff and transfer it to the SGC, I’d appreciate it,” John said. “I’m living out of my bag, so it won’t be much. We did send some stuff out for laundry last night, including my service uniform. I’ll need that back or another one provided.”

“I’ll take care of it, sir,” Teldy said easily.

Shortly, McKay had them all sorted for beaming, and John went first. He was deposited in a conference room at the SGC after a mind-jarring process that left an afterimage of the Apollo in his head for a few seconds. General O’Neill opened the door shortly after McKay, who came last, arrived.

He looked them over. “Dr. Brightman says he’s fine, just exhausted and dehydrated.” He paused. “And furious. He’s utterly furious.”

John nodded. “Figured. General O’Neill is the commanding officer for Stargate Command. Sir, this is my sister-in-law, Della Sheppard, and my brothers.” He paused. “David and Matt.”

O’Neill grinned and took the hand Della offered. “It’s a pleasure, ma’am.”

“Thank you. I’m truly honored to meet you.” She took a deep breath. “You were featured heavily in the briefing we attended with Major Davis.”

“Ah, well, sorry about that,” O’Neill said and offered her his arm. “Let’s head for the infirmary.”

John just grinned at David as he shook his head. Della took the offer and left with O’Neill.

“Nice to meet you, too, other Sheppards,” O’Neill called over his shoulder.

“I’m used to it,” David muttered as he fell into step beside John. “We’re in NORAD?”

“Well, NORAD is on top of us,” John said. “It provides cover for the activity being done in the mountain. When declassification happens, things will change.”

“How long on that?”

“Inside the next five years,” Rodney said. “Unless we have an alien incursion on the planet that we can’t hide.”

“God, that’s no kind of comfort,” Matt muttered.

In the infirmary, O’Neill handed them all over to a nurse whose name John missed and left with a look in John’s direction. An indication that the older man wanted to speak with him in private at some point. He took a deep breath when Iona Brightman joined them.

“The admiral is as well as he can be considering his ordeal,” she began, and John exhaled slowly. The knot in his gut, which he’d had for days, slowly started to unravel. “His heart is fine, and I’ve taken the opportunity to do some advanced healing on it that he didn’t allow in the past. I deployed an immense amount of guilt to accomplish it and regret nothing.” She smiled when they all laughed. “He’s got an IV for fluids, and I have a few monitors on him that might be a little startling for you since two of them are ancient tech. Just be assured that I’m relieved by his condition as I anticipated and prepared for worse.”

Their father was in a private room, and Tony stepped out as soon as they were escorted back. John leaned on the wall even as Matt slipped past Tony to go right into the room. David and Della hesitated and focused on him.

“I think I should see him in private,” John said. “Whatever he wants to say to me, he should be allowed to say it, and he might not want an audience.”

“Right,” David said and nodded. He pulled Della with him when she appeared to start to protest. “Darling, please.”

“Okay, but they’re talking today, David. I mean it.” She glared at John, who only nodded.

John focused on Tony. “How is he? Dr. Brightman told us he’s basically okay physically.”

“Hypervigilant, furious, and he asked for you twice,” Tony said quietly. “He was worried that they might have taken you or they were going to use him as bait to get to you. He heard enough about the genetic angle to make a few connections but not enough to realize that he was the intended target.

“My team has been doing some work during this, and it’s…basically sort of my fault.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My DNA results hit the desk of the wrong person at Homeland. I have no idea how that happened, as no reports should’ve been generated here. It’s being investigated. That information was passed along to the TRUST. They decided that Patrick Sheppard had fathered two very strong gene carriers with two different women, so he was the best resource they were going to get on the planet for their own gene therapy. They have the research but not the blood product required to create it. The TRUST doesn’t appear to know about the bug-out because we’re both on the list to be acquired for their research.”

“But not David and Matt?”

Tony shook his head. “Patrick admitted to faking DNA data for both of them, John. They’re listed as latent ATA gene carriers. I don’t know their actual status.”

“That’s good,” John said, and Tony nodded. “And it’s not your fault. Don’t get weird about it. If this was their agenda, then it was going to happen regardless of your discovery, eventually. They’d have just gotten desperate at a later date. Maybe when he was older and less capable of defending himself.”

Tony sighed. “He was in the midst of choking out that last guy when we got to him, John.”

John laughed briefly. “Sorry, that’s not funny.”

“Especially considering he was zip-tied at the wrists and ankles,” Tony said and shook his head. “Eaton was unconscious. They aren’t sure he’ll survive.”

“Depending on how long he was deprived of oxygen, he might not want to,” John muttered, and Tony nodded his agreement.

“Okay, I need to go back to DC for clean up, and I promised him I’d make sure his house was set to rights. It’s probably a lot, but you should start coming home more. I think he needs it.”

“Yeah,” John agreed, and McKay bumped up against him gently as Tony gave them a look and left. “Right.”

“He’s a good guy. You got really lucky in the sibling department. My sister is a shrew.”

“She’s…not great,” John agreed. “But her perspective is narrow, and she doesn’t know enough about you to realize how terrible she is to you about everything.” He crossed his arms when the door opened, and everyone piled out. “Something wrong?”

“He wants you,” David said pointedly. “And we need food.”

“I’ll take them to get food,” McKay said, and John nodded.

“Right.”

He watched them all walk away and felt oddly abandoned. John pushed into the room because he figured he’d let his father wait long enough. There were some bruises, but for the most part, his father looked the same as ever. Patrick stared at him for a moment and took a deep breath.

“You look good.”

“You look exhausted,” John said quietly and walked around the bed to sit in a chair. “Nice trail of bodies.”

“Your brothers are horrified,” Patrick muttered. “And doing a poor job of hiding it. Well, at least the younger two. Tony seemed mostly amused and kind of exasperated.”

“He wanted to put them all on trial,” John said wryly, and his father grunted. “The guy they caught took a plea deal, and the one you were choking out probably won’t make it, so there probably won’t be any kind of situation where you might have to testify.”

Patrick held out a hand, and John took it immediately. “I was worried about you.”

“I wish those barely trained assholes had come at me,” John muttered, and Patrick laughed. “They think we’re in here having a bloodletting, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Della made me promise not to yell at you,” Patrick said, and John laughed. “It’s hard to say no to her.”

“They seem solid. He clearly loves her a lot.”

“He fell like a ton of bricks, got drunk in my salon, and told me his life was going to be over if she said no. He started looking at engagement rings after two months of dating,” Patrick said. “Around the six-month mark, she told him that she was ready to see whatever ring he’d bought.”

John nodded. “Yeah, that tracks.” He took a deep breath. “Dad.”

“I made some mistakes.” Patrick paused. “No, I made a lot of mistakes with you. If my father had done to me what I tried to do to you, I’d have burned shit to the ground.”

He’d been tempted, of course. “I wouldn’t have wanted to damage your career by throwing the fit I kind of deserved to throw. That kind of backroom dealing pisses me off as an officer, even when I’m not involved. I’ve got a kid on Atlantis right now who was basically blackmailed by his father into serving and forced on me through political skullduggery. He hates it out there and barely toes the line on the disciplinary front.

“If I wouldn’t get shit for it, I’d put him in some technical position and wash my hands of the whole situation. But his father has insisted his son needs to toughen up, and combat experience will do that. So, the DOD actually put down orders that I have to put that stupidly ill-prepared kid out in the field on the regular. If it doesn’t get him killed or maimed for life, I’ll be deeply fucking surprised.”

“O’Neill can’t do anything?”

“He’s tried,” John said roughly. “I even spoke to General Rampart about it. The thing is, that kid has just been tucked away because his father is a sitting member of Congress and doesn’t want the potential embarrassment his only son could generate during his next election campaign.”

“Jesus Christ,” Patrick muttered. “Email me his name, and I’ll work on it. He could get others killed.”

“I mitigate the best that I can,” John said. “But, yeah, anything you can do would be great.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For avoiding this conversation for years,” John said. “The fact is that making you unhappy has always been difficult for me. I think I wrapped your grief over Mom’s death up in this idea that I had to do everything just right to make everything better. But living that small, safe life you wanted for me was soul-crushing. I felt brittle, and I realized I was on the road to some deeply problematic and self-destructive actions. I needed to make changes to prevent that.”

“What do you mean by self-destructive?”

“I started getting drunk a lot,” John said. “I can’t even tell you how many people I slept with during that year teaching at Annapolis. The only thing I can say with pride is that I never fucked a student.” He took a deep breath. “I was in some shitty motel one night, and the guy I’d picked up offered me a joint. I was tempted, and I’d never even smoked a cigarette before. I got dressed and left. Then I was sitting in my apartment, furious with myself for everything, and I put in for a transfer back to active duty the next morning.”

“And I tried to prevent it,” Patrick said. “It must have felt like I was actively working against you.”

“Yeah.” John cleared his throat. “Exactly that. I was so furious with you, Dad, that it hurt. I’ve never been that angry in my life, and I carried that with me to Afghanistan. Frankly, I dragged it to Pegasus, too. I don’t think you understand how devastating it was to be that furious with you. I counted myself fortunate that we weren’t in the same room when I found out. Of course, I realized then exactly how bad off I was. I shouldn’t have gone into combat that way, something I only see in retrospect. I wasn’t reckless, but I was merciless.”

“Your record doesn’t really speak to that,” Patrick said. “Every single CO you served under during that time sings your praises, and several of them have approached me wanting to know where I’ve stashed you away. They want you back. It only got worse when it was revealed you were attached to a research project run by the Air Force. I can’t even tell you how many filthy looks I’ve gotten over it.”

John laughed.

“It’s really not funny,” Patrick said sourly. “I almost look forward to declassification so those assholes will realize that you’re working above their pay grade and have been for years.” He looked down at their hands. “Last year, during the invasion, I….” He exhaled slowly. “I didn’t come here because I had another incident with my heart.”

“What?” John demanded.

“You were stressed out enough and didn’t need to know. In fact, none of your brothers know either. It was a mild infarction, and there wasn’t much damage. Dr. Brightman fixed it today. I didn’t come here for treatment because I figured it might get back to you, despite medical privacy regulations.”

“I’d have probably heard you had treatment, but not what for,” John said roughly. “Jesus, Dad, you can’t keep this kind of shit to yourself.” He rubbed his face with his free hand and blinked back tears.

“Hey,” Patrick said gently. “I’m fine.”

“I’m not,” John admitted and huffed when his father pulled him closer. A hand cupped his head, and he just collapsed against the bed, then buried his face against Patrick’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, John.”

He shuddered because he was precariously close to ugly crying, and he didn’t know how he’d gotten in such a place emotionally. The situation was contained, and his father was clearly going to recover. Maybe it was just the stress of the entire situation landing on him all at once.

“When you were small, you fell off your bike and managed to slice your arm open to the point that you needed stitches. Your mom freaked out, of course, because there was blood everywhere. You were sitting there with this expression on your face like you could not believe that your body was doing something without your permission. We took you to the emergency room, and the doctor was treating you like the five-year-old you were. You got all huffy with him and told him to get on with it.”

John laughed and took a deep breath. He lifted his head and cleared his throat. “I’m a mess.”

“You’ve had a hard year,” Patrick murmured and let him go slowly. “It’s not just about the kidnapping, you realize that.”

“Yeah,” John admitted. “Things have been pretty stressful on the city, but Rodney got rid of Weir in the midst of this situation. It’s gotten folded into the investigation, so it won’t look like the tactical nuke it was.” Patrick laughed a little. “She’s been an immense pressure point, and I don’t think I realized how big of one until she was gone.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in a prison cell,” John muttered, and Patrick blinked in surprise. “Yeah, it was that bad. I think there will be more fallout on the subject, and Homeland is currently preparing to launch themselves at InterOps like a surface-to-air missile.”

“I’m going to focus all of my attention on the TRUST,” Patrick said grimly. “Because…if one of those assholes decides to verify that David and Matt are truly latent….” He frowned.

“Plus, the baby.”

“What baby?” Patrick questioned.

John winced. “Shit, you gotta act really fucking surprised.”

“Is Della pregnant?”

“They’re uncertain but late,” John said. “It’s just the kid would certainly be a target, Dad. So, keep that in mind.”

Patrick nodded. “I won’t tell them you said anything, and I agree the baby will be a target.” He stared for a moment. “How do I make this right for you?”

“I don’t know,” John confessed. “We made this hard place between us, and I think it’ll take some time. If that’s something you want to invest in.”

“Why would you think otherwise?” Patrick asked.

John shrugged and looked away.

“Son.” Patrick’s hand tightened in his. “Look at me.”

John blew air out between his lips as he did as instructed. “Sometimes, it seemed like you only wanted to deal with me when it was easy.” He winced when his father paled. “So, I tried to make it as easy as possible when I was younger.”

“I don’t know what I ever did or said to make you think that, but I’m sorry.”

He only briefly considered keeping the rest to himself. “After mom died, things were hard, and one night you were…. Matt had woken up screaming. His nightmares were so bad. David was pretty focused on Matt’s grief to avoid his own, and I was struggling. Looking back, I was jealous because you were giving Mattie so much attention when I was used to being the one. You never meant it, obviously, but I was your favorite.”

“David and Matt made that perfectly clear to me years ago,” Patrick said. “I’ve tried to do better.”

John nodded. “You were tired that night, and you snapped at me. You told me to stop making everything harder.”

“I’m so sorry,” Patrick said hoarsely. “I don’t even remember that, John. I swear it.”

“I took it to heart,” John murmured. “Even when I realized, as an adult, that you were just tired and grieving, it stayed with me. But trying to make things easy to keep you happy was destroying me, Dad. I don’t think either of us handled your interference well, but maybe it was just the moment that my anger took on a life of its own.”

“Then we’ll work on it,” Patrick said carefully. “As much as we can in our circumstances.”

“I have some leave coming up,” John said. “I was just going to take it on the city and relax, but I’ll come home.”

“Okay.” Patrick nodded and squeezed his hand. “Maybe in time for us to throw a party for Della and the baby, if there is one. You can make up for missing the wedding.”

“Yeah,” John agreed. “I can do that.”

 

 

Part 6

“Stop hovering, John.”

John huffed and watched his father get out of the back of the SUV with no help. The SGC had transferred him back to Bethesda for record-keeping, and Patrick was discharged officially from their care. They’d had an argument in the parking lot when his father had found out he was absolutely not driving.

He shared a look with David, who was standing in the doorway of his father’s townhouse. They’d replaced the security system, and the new head of his security team was waiting inside for an introduction. His father was clearly chaffing under all of the attention and security, but he was a target and would be going forward.

Dean Bates gave John a small nod as they entered the house. The man had been discharged from the Marines due to a knee injury. He was fit but not fit enough for duty as a Marine by his own determination. He’d joined Homeworld Security, as many former military from the SGC did.

“Dad, this is Dean Bates. I’ve served with him on and off for a decade in various locations. He’ll be the head of your security going forward.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Dean said and accepted the hand Patrick offered.

“Marines?” Patrick questioned.

“Yes, sir, took a bullet to the knee,” Dean explained. “But I’m running three miles a day now, so I’ve recovered as much as I will.”

“I run four,” Patrick said. “Please make sure my morning shift guards can keep up with that.”

“Of course, sir,” Dean said easily. “I’m still establishing my team, but I have six assets who will rotate around in you six-hour shifts. We can do introductions later. I’ve been told the colonel has to leave soon. There’s no need to take time from either of you with information that can wait.”

“Thanks, Dean.”

Patrick just nodded as the man left, and he focused on John as soon as he closed the door. “I don’t need this kind of security.”

“Right now, there are three civilians in this house who’ve never even held a gun,” John said, and his father took a deep breath. “A couple of years from now, there could be someone far more vulnerable in the house on a regular basis.” He glanced toward Della, who’d left the salon to come stand with David. “What if you hadn’t been alone when those four men invaded this house, Dad?”

Patrick exhaled slowly and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“I get that it’s frustrating,” John said. “You’ve certainly proven that you can defend yourself. It’s going to get around no matter how much we’ve tried to contain it because one guy survived, and he’s going to prison. But he’ll talk, and we can’t even gag him legally as he didn’t see anything that’s truly classified. Next time someone comes at you, it won’t be a bunch of jackasses with bad intel and a few handguns.”

“It’ll be someone like you,” Patrick said quietly. “The one I killed in the house—he was the only one moving like he knew he was doing. The others were clumsy and heavy on their feet. If they hadn’t tasered me, I’d have probably gotten all four of them right here in the foyer.” He glanced around and went to the narrow table by the door. It was empty. “They broke your mother’s bowl.”

“What?” John questioned.

“She took a stupid pottery class,” Patrick said roughly. “And made this awful bowl.” His breath caught. “I put it on this table when I moved in and used it for my keys.” His hand was shaking as he brushed his fingers over the glossy surface of the oak table. “The pieces are probably in evidence.”

“I’ll ask Tony,” Matt said.

“It won’t be the same,” Patrick said. “I never even let housekeeping touch that ugly little bowl. Now strangers have had their hands all over it and….” He shook his head and shrugged out of his jacket. “I need a minute.”

John grimaced as his father walked up the stairs. “Shit.”

“Where’s Rodney?” Della questioned.

“He had to return to the city due to the change in leadership,” John said. “I’m to tell you that meeting you made this visit to Earth completely tolerable.”

Della laughed and nudged David. “I told you he liked me.”

“Only weirdos hate you,” Matt said as he stared at his phone. “Tony said the bowl is…completely destroyed. Putting it back together would be impossible. He’s sorry.”

“Is he coming over for dinner?”

“Dave Rossi is currently in the kitchen cooking our dinner,” Matt said. “So yeah, Tony and Spencer are both coming over. Apparently, Dad and Dave have dinner regularly. I thought he was having some torrid affair because he was unavailable for a whole night at least once a month.”

“He still might be,” John said wryly, and David laughed.

They all meandered into the kitchen, and John took a seat at the bar. Dave was putting together a lasagna, which was his dad’s favorite food. It spoke to knowledge and care. His Dad came into the kitchen wearing a pair of track pants and a T-shirt. He really hoped the man wasn’t going to try to take a run.

“Are you medicated?” Dave asked.

“No,” Patrick muttered. “Dr. Brightman offered me something to sleep, but I declined.”

Dave nodded and poured a glass of wine, which he sat down in front of Patrick. John watched the exchange and shared a look with Matt, who raised an eyebrow in question. David helped Della up onto a stool beside John and went to the fridge. He retrieved several bottles of water, and John was relieved to get one of them.

“How do you feel?”

“Awful,” John blurted out and flushed when they all looked in his direction. “Sorry, you weren’t talking to me.”

“Ah, well, you clearly needed to say it,” Dave said easily. “You’ve had a very stressful year, John. You’re fighting a war in another galaxy, you got spaced while nuking an alien ship trying to invade Earth, you found out your father had a son older than you, then your old man went and got himself kidnapped.”

Patrick huffed. “I don’t appreciate being attached to two different stressful situations in that sentence, Dave.”

Rossi shrugged. “Eh.”

John laughed. “He’s been stressing me out since I was fourteen.” He took a sip of water when his father looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s when he decided I should start planning for my future career and family.”

“Oh, God, I remember those conversations,” David said. “He spent a whole month talking to me about fiscal responsibility and condoms.”

“I don’t….” Dave laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Babies are expensive,” Patrick said. “Trust me, I made certain they understood what an underage, accidental pregnancy would cost them—all of their plans would’ve gone right out the window.”

“It worked,” David admitted. “My high school girlfriend thought I was a real asshole about birth control.”

“I didn’t go near a vagina until I was in college,” Matt admitted, and John laughed. “Seriously.”

“I was petrified of getting a girl pregnant,” John said. “I should’ve bought stock in a condom company. My first girlfriend thought I was a weirdo because I asked about her cycle and refused to go near her when she was ovulating per the calendar I kept.”

“Bless your hearts,” Della said and shook her head. She opened her bottle and took a long drink of water. “It’s clear why you rushed me to the altar. You were afraid I’d find out how crazy your family is.”

David shrugged. “I can’t say it wasn’t a factor.”

The doorbell rang, and David picked up his phone.

“It’s Tony and Spencer,” he said. “Dad, we need to add your phone to the security system so you can use the cameras.”

Patrick sighed and pulled his phone out, which he passed to Della when she held out a hand. David left the kitchen and returned with Tony and Spencer.

“So back to how awful you feel, John,” Della said and put a hand on his arm. “How can we help?”

“Help?” John questioned.

She waved a hand to encompass everyone in the room. “We’re your family, John Sheppard. That means we help each other. What can we do to lower your stress?”

“I don’t know,” John admitted, and she frowned. “Not get kidnapped? Don’t be here when an alien ship appears in orbit and starts attacking the whole damn planet? I think my worries are too big for me.”

“I agree,” Dave said. “You’re a terribly young man to have such a burden, John. And Della is right, we’re your family. I had no idea, of course, when I adopted Tony that I would end up with the whole lot of you. But I’m working with it.”

John grinned. “It’s not a bad deal. At least there’s Della.”

“Well, she’s a hell of a silver lining,” the older man said with a grin. “Let’s talk about your love life.”

John groaned and lowered his head to the bar. “Come on.”

“It’s a valid concern,” Patrick agreed. “Having a partner would make things easier for you, John. You need someone to talk to about the things that you can’t say to anyone else. Being in command in a war zone is a hard road for anyone, and you’re doing it in circumstances that defy imagination.”

“I have a good team,” John said. “And Rodney is my best friend.”

“There’s potential for more there,” Tony said as he poured himself and Spencer some wine. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“Yeah, and I’m…we’re going to discuss it. But I had to make considered and careful choices about personal relationships while Elizabeth Weir was in a position to undermine my command in Pegasus. I couldn’t take any risks with my people.”

“If that bitch ever gets out of prison, I’m going to ruin what’s left of her life,” Patrick muttered and took a sip of wine.

John focused on Della and found her staring at him. “I’m okay.”

“I don’t think you are,” she replied. “And that’s fine. You don’t have to be okay all the time. You’re not in command here, John. Why don’t you stay a bit longer? Can the city spare you?”

“Not really,” John said. “I’ve got a new expedition leader, two new squads of Marines waiting in the mountain to leave the planet with me, and I need to be on hand to keep my people working as the new leader settles in and makes whatever changes he wants. He’ll want to put his stamp on it.” She nodded. “McKay picked him out personally, so I’m confident he won’t be a genuine problem. That being said, conflict can come out of nowhere, and a solid command structure is what comforts the people who serve under me. I represent discipline, forethought, structure, and direction. In a war zone, the right mindset is the difference between life and death.”

“But you’ll come home soon for leave,” she said firmly.

“In about four months,” John said. “I have to plan for that kind of leave. I’ll get two weeks, and that means I need to transfer my command temporarily.”

“Is that about morale and mindset as well?” Matt questioned.

“Basically, yes, but there are legal matters as well regarding the chain of command,” John said. “It’s why I normally take my leave on the city.”

“So, you’ve really not had a genuine vacation in years,” she said flatly, and John huffed a little. “Right. No wonder you feel awful.” She crossed her arms and turned to David.

“Don’t look at me like that, Del. I’ve never once, in my whole life, managed to convince John to do something he didn’t want to do,” David said. “He’s stubborn and unreasonable, just like Dad.”

“I’ll kick you out of my house, son,” Patrick said. “And keep your wife.”

David laughed. “With the way this food smells, she’d definitely leave me out in the car.”

“Dad’s a great cook,” Tony said. “But he kind of ruined me as a kid. The first time I was confronted with store-bought pasta at a sleepover, I was bewildered.”

“Is it weird?” John questioned. “Being here with us?”

“It’s…something to get used to,” Tony said. “But I’m willing to do the work as long as everyone else on board.”

“The pure entertainment value of John no longer being the oldest cannot be quantified,” David said and grinned when John groaned. “Seriously, I can’t tell you how many times he told us he was right because he was the oldest.”

“I was right, though,” John said. “Nearly all the time.”

Tony laughed and leaned on the counter. “I just bet you were.”

* * * *

John put his bag on the bench near the door and walked to stand in front of a mirror so he could work on this tie.

“Here, let me,” Patrick murmured.

John turned and found his dad standing close by. He couldn’t remember the last time his father had tied his tie for him.

“Your senior prom,” Patrick said.

“What?”

“The last time I tied a tie for you was your senior prom,” Patrick said. “I was just thinking about it and how young you were.” He finished the tie and touched John’s medals gently. “Your service breaks my heart, and I know that’s a terrible thing to say. My father didn’t want me in uniform. He never really forgave me for enlisting. Even when I got my degree and went to OCS, he was disapproving. Every promotion, every success was somehow a slight against him and his judgment.”

“He was proud of you,” John said quietly. “He told me so.”

“Yes, because he was a patriot. But as a father, he was disappointed in my choices. The only thing I ever did right was marry Amelia, as far as he was concerned. He only lived long enough to hold you, and he cried when I told him that your name was John. He said it felt like I was forgiving him for all the things he’d said to me over the years.”

“Was it forgiveness?”

“It was acceptance,” Patrick said as John buttoned and belted the jacket of his service uniform. “Because the moment I held you, I understood his every fear. I ached with the grief I’d caused him, John. I don’t want that for you—it’s a terrible burden.” He cleared his throat and stepped back. “You need a haircut.”

“Yeah, the barber on the city is on a month-long leave. He’s going to have a lot of work ahead of him when he returns next week.”

“Maybe go by the barber in the mountain before you have your meeting with General O’Neill,” Patrick said.

John nodded. “Yeah, I should.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Rodney calls this my fluffy-haired idiot look.”

Patrick laughed. “Bring him home with you when you come for your leave.”

“I…maybe.” John flushed. “Sometimes it’s hard to get him to set aside the work, and he’s the CSO.” He glanced toward the empty table. “I’m sorry about mom’s bowl. I don’t even remember what it looked like.”

“She was embarrassed because it was ugly, and she wasn’t used to doing bad at something. I found it tucked away in her closet after she died, and I just…couldn’t part with it. It was a silly thing to keep.”

“No, it wasn’t,” John said quietly. “It reminded you of her in a way that didn’t hurt, right?”

“Right,” Patrick sighed. “Exactly that.” He rubbed his face and went to the stairs. He sat down, and John joined him. “I thought they were going to take you, too. The one I killed in the van mentioned you by name.”

“Curtis Long,” John said.

“Yeah, that one,” Patrick murmured. “I just decided at that moment to kill them all because there’s never going to be a day when I don’t have your back, John.”

John blinked back tears. “I know that, Dad.”

“Do you?” Patrick questioned. “Because plenty of people fucking doubt it. Our estrangement is known, and I’m ashamed of that.”

“It isn’t like you were alone in it,” John said. “That last guy died, by the way.”

“I heard,” Patrick said. “POTUS called me and asked me if my body count was really four in just four days. He laughed when I told him I wished it were five.”

“I think David and Matt will adjust to Tony better than either of you thought,” John said.

His father nodded. “Are you in love with Rodney?”

“Wow.” John made a face. “Way to dig in, Dad.”

Patrick laughed. “You’ve been denying yourself a lot, John. I just want to make sure that you know you can have something for yourself.”

“Yeah.” John sighed. “I’m in love with McKay. It’s crazy, and practically no one will understand it, but I feel like he’s the love of my life.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Well, maybe. I don’t know how he feels about me. There’s sexual attraction, certainly. But that could be all it is for him. We just haven’t talked about it, and I’m not in a place emotionally to have expectations right now. I know what I want, and if I can’t have it, then I’ll make adjustments because, at the end of the day, he’s my best friend. I can’t imagine not having his friendship, Dad. It feels life-ruining.”

“Don’t borrow trouble, son,” Patrick said. “Della seemed to think that you and McKay were already a couple.”

John adjusted his watch.

“Is that your grandfather’s watch?”

“Mostly,” John said.

“What does that mean?”

“His watch, your watch band,” John said and flushed when his father turned to look at him in shock. “You gave me that Rolex you used to wear. I liked the band, so I had it fitted to Grandpa’s watch by a jeweler. He was kind of appalled to disassemble it. I still have the watch part in storage. I don’t wear this in the field—it means too much.” He relaxed when his father wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “But I’ve worn it to every promotion ceremony.”

“I like it,” Patrick murmured.

“Maybe if one of the others has a son, I’ll pass it along to one of them.”

“Does it really not bother you?” Patrick questioned. “You’ve never mentioned it in an email.”

“That I won’t have my own kids?” John questioned, and his father nodded. “Not really. I…I’ve seen too many dead children to ever want my own, Dad.” His father exhaled sharply. “On and off this planet. Sometimes, it’s just hard to even look at a kid without seeing the worst being done to them. If there was a kid, I’d love them, of course, but I have zero desire to actually make one of my own.”

“What about Rodney?”

“He got a vasectomy in his twenties,” John said, and Patrick laughed. “I mean his early twenties. The only kid I’ve ever seen him willingly hold was during a blessing ceremony on another world, and he bitched for days afterward about how he had to hold a squalling brat just to get a half-full ZPM.”

“Well, at least there won’t be any questions about that,” Patrick said. “I’ve read about that mission file, by the way. His report was hilarious.”

“Rodney oversaw all of my care during that whole thing, so my infertility wouldn’t be a surprise to him. It was also one of the first questions he had asked—if I wanted them to work on fixing that for me. I said no. It seemed unnecessary since I’d never want to pass on the genetics I’ve got going on to anyone.”

“They’re all hovering in the kitchen, waiting for us to have a screaming fight,” Patrick murmured.

“I’ve not yelled at you since I was a kid,” John said.

“I have to admit I would’ve preferred screaming over the very even fuck you tone I got the last time you called me,” Patrick said, and John groaned. “I’ve not been dressed down in such a fashion since I was younger than you are now. I deserved it, of course, and I’m sorry I didn’t see reason pretty much immediately. I carried my own anger and resentment around for a while, you know. You weren’t the only one dragging that crap around like cheap luggage.”

“You need to replace the iron in the guest room; it’s shit,” John said as an afterthought.

“I’ll mention it to housekeeping,” Patrick said. “I don’t know when it was purchased. Did you have an issue with your uniform?”

“Just some wrinkles on the bottom of my pants,” John said. “I left all of my uniforms on Atlantis and had this one ordered since the one I arrived in is being dry cleaned. Anne brought it and only checked the medals and rank. Not her fault; she’s busy as hell settling in as your aide.”

Patrick sighed.

“And I’m thankful you’ve been so graceful about that.”

“Sure.” He paused. “I’m not giving her my keys, John. I can drive my own fucking car.”

John just nodded as he was confident that Anne would get her way. “She’s grateful for the assignment. It’s put her just an hour from her parents, and they’re both retired.”

“No need to pile it on, son. I’ve accepted all of the changes you made to my staff.”

“Next time, don’t get kidnapped out of your own house in your pajamas.”

“That was the most galling part. Those assholes offered me my own house shoes like it was a fucking favor,” Patrick huffed when John laughed but hugged him closer. He pressed a kiss against his hair. “I love you.”

“All the way around the world,” John said, and his father laughed.

“Yeah, all the way around the world,” Patrick repeated and released him. “You meet with O’Neill in about an hour, right?”

“Right.” John stood. “I should get going if I want that haircut.” He cleared his throat. “I love you, too. Even when I was furious. Maybe it would’ve hurt less if I didn’t.”

“I understand.” Patrick stood. “Come out here if you guys want to say goodbye to him!”

John sighed as his brothers and sister-in-law immediately emerged from the kitchen. Tony had stayed while his partner and Dave Rossi had left near the end of dinner due to a case. He figured that having someone who really understood what it meant to be law enforcement made a difference because Tony hadn’t seemed put off at all by the abrupt departure.

Della came in for a hug without any sort of warning. John couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually hugged him. It threw him off so much that he didn’t respond immediately. She frowned at him as he laughed, then hugged her back.

“I can’t believe you married a hugger, David. You hate it.”

“Sacrifices had to be made,” David said as he pulled his wife away. “You’re going to make him crawl right out of his skin, darling.”

“Tony says that there is at least a weekly data burst from Atlantis,” Matt said. “Is a weekly check-in too much to ask?”

“It depends on the week,” John admitted frankly. “And I’d hate to make it a habit then miss one due to an issue and freak you all out for no reason. Dad would be notified if anything happened to me, Matt. But I will email more often. Just don’t attach a schedule to it for your own peace of mind.” He paused. “And remember that all communication in and out of the mountain is scanned for issues. If your email gets flagged, it might be held for a human review and edited.”

“Edited?” Matt questioned.

“Sometimes communications to servicemen are censored for their own good or withheld altogether if they’re in a stressful situation,” Tony said. “Atlantis is considered a forward operating base in a war zone and is subject to such rules. The people on the city live and work in theater.”

“Yeah,” John said. “I’ve had to hold emails back from my people just so I could brace them for impact, basically. Because of our circumstances, I’ve had to tell four different people in the last quarter alone that someone has died in their family. It’s not the worst of my duties, but it rates pretty high. Telling some fresh-faced eighteen-year-old that his mom died sort of ruined me.”

“Yeah, that sucks,” Tony admitted. “Death notifications were the worst part of working in law enforcement because you’re an active participant in someone’s worst day ever.”

His radio vibrated gently in his pocket, so he pulled it out and hooked it into his ear.

“Sheppard.”

“Your beam time is approaching, Colonel Sheppard. Are you ready?”

“I’ll signal momentarily,” John said.

“Understood.”

The channel closed with a little chime, and John cleared his throat. “I have to go.”

“Four months,” Patrick said firmly.

“Yes, sir. I’ll send you an email with the specific dates,” John said as he picked up his bag.

“Bring Rodney with you,” Matt said.

“That’s not what you think it is, currently,” John said.

“What? You can’t seal that deal in four months?” David questioned and raised an eyebrow.

“Bite me,” John muttered, and they all laughed. He activated his radio with a shake of his head. “Apollo, this is Colonel Sheppard. I’m ready for transport.”

He offered his father a perfect salute, and Patrick returned it in wide-eyed surprise as the beam captured him, and he reappeared in the arrivals room on the Apollo.

* * * *

“How is your father?”

“Stubborn,” John said wearily as he settled into the seat O’Neill had pointed him toward. “But recovering well. I wish the doctors had found a reason to keep him another day just to keep him in one place.”

O’Neill nodded and rocked back in his desk chair. “Teldy is settling in at Homeworld, and I expect it’ll all be up to her standard within a month.”

“Thank you for parting with her,” John said.

“She’s due for a promotion soon, and the experience in Homeland will round out her service record,” O’Neill said. “And she could use a bit of a holiday after her last few missions. Micromanaging your father and everyone in his office will make her feel better.”

John nodded. “Is this meeting about Weir?”

“She’s gone. I’m curious as to what finally set McKay off and how long he’d been investigating her.”

“For a while, but he wanted to gather enough evidence that no one could ignore it,” John said and wondered how to frame the answer without explicitly lying. He really didn’t want to bare his soul to his CO. “She had too much pull with the IOA, and I don’t think he ever figured out the how or why of it. He didn’t give a specific reason for the timing, but it folded neatly into Homeland’s investigation and won’t come back on him or any of his people as a result. Weir has been pushing his buttons on a personal level since the whole Doranda incident.”

“She claimed to me, in private, that McKay put a kibosh on the whole project because of his personal investment in you.”

John considered that. “He evacuated the entire site, sir, and within four minutes it exploded. McKay pushed the time on that as far as he could because he wanted it to work. When he realized it wouldn’t and was going to explode, he made the choice that saved his team and the Daedalus. Most of that solar system is gone due to the resulting explosion. Staying would’ve gotten us all killed.”

“The IOA has already received a comprehensive report on that situation and would’ve ignored any accusation she made regarding the situation, which is why she did it with me,” O’Neill said. “I think she hoped I would separate the two of you in some fashion or another.”

“Are you suggesting that I put McKay on a different exploration team?”

“No, of course not,” O’Neill said roughly. “He’s a peerless defense asset, Sheppard. I need to know you’re watching his back every single moment he’s vulnerable to attack, no matter his location. Losing him would be an immense blow to the program in general, and it would be a death knell for the expedition in Pegasus. The IOA would pull the whole thing due to their belief he’s not replaceable out there.”

“Is he replaceable?”

“It would take several people—maybe upwards of ten,” O’Neill said roughly. “But it wouldn’t be the same at all.”

John nodded.

“And I know that we’d lose you, too.”

John’s stomach clenched. “Excuse me, sir?”

“I can’t imagine a circumstance where McKay gets lost that you wouldn’t be right there beside him taking the hit,” O’Neill said plainly.

“Yeah.” John exhaled slowly as that knowledge settled on him. “I’d prefer to take the hit for him.”

“I get it.”

O’Neill stood and refilled his coffee. “Your dial-out is twenty minutes. Carter did some shopping that Dr. Kusanagi didn’t get to do while she was here and has a bag for her.”

“I’ll take care of it,” John said and stood. “Thank you for your time, sir.”

“I’ll keep in close contact with Teldy and make sure your father’s security stays tight. But Dean Bates was a great choice, and he’s not going to drop the ball with your father. In fact, I heard he was really pleased that you requested him personally.”

“He’s a good Marine. It’s unfortunate that his injury took him out of service,” John said. “I trust him to do everything possible to keep my father safe.”

* * * *

McKay had been nowhere around when he returned to the city. John tried not to be disappointed even as it was reported to him that McKay was elbow-deep in repairing a grounding station due to a lightning strike. Of course, immediately after a brief meeting with Lorne, he was guided right into Dr. Mason Blake’s office, which was not where Elizabeth had held court on the regular. The man had chosen an office space a level above the gate room with a large balcony and plenty of windows.

“Coffee, tea?” Dr. Blake questioned.

“No, sir, I’m fine.” John settled into one of the chairs in front of the man’s desk.

“I was relieved to hear that your father was recovered in relatively good condition,” the older man said as he shifted a tablet away from him and folded his hands on the desk. “I’ve only met him in passing a few times but considered him to be a very capable man.”

“He left a trail of bodies,” John said wryly, and Blake laughed. “It’s caused something of a stir in Homeworld as I don’t think most of his staff knew much about his career in the Navy and assumed him to be a desk jockey.”

Dr. Blake laughed. It was a nice, rich sound. “You’ve noted that I’m not using the office that Elizabeth Weir used.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’d like you to use that office going forward, Colonel. Your current location makes no sense considering your duties for the city and off-world.”

John nodded. “Of course, I’ll have that arranged.”

“I have a lot of catching up to do on the scientific front, Colonel, and it’s going to take a while for me to get my legs under me. I’ve read less than a third of the mission reports you’ve generated since coming to Pegasus. The IOA just threw me into this situation with very little preparation. I understand I have Dr. McKay to blame for that.”

“McKay isn’t easy to impress, Dr. Blake,” John said. “Our mission out here is important, as you know, but the emotional and intellectual safety of our people has often been ignored in favor of results or because of fear. The wraith are nightmare fuel. So, I understand the fear, but I can’t allow it to impact our mandate.”

“I agree,” Dr. Blake said. “And please call me Mason.”

John hesitated, and the man smiled.

“I’ve been told that you and Dr. Weir had a difficult working relationship, and she stomped all over your boundaries to the point that you worried that she would work to undermine your command and get your people killed.”

“She did get my people killed,” John said evenly. “I tried for months to make her see reason regarding an alpha site to stage missions, sir. The expedition charter didn’t allow me to establish an off-world base without her permission. As a result, two athosians and four marines were killed by the genii when they invaded the city during an emergency situation. Even after that, she still balked at an off-world base. I didn’t get my way on that subject until the IOA overrode her decision.”

“I have zero military experience,” Mason said frankly. “I don’t have the skill set to make the decisions you are forced to make out here, and I won’t pretend that I do. Your people are yours to manage, and the mission schedule is now under your direct control. I’ll bring any issues or requests to you so that you can resolve them one way or another. I expect you to do the same as it pertains to civilian and scientific matters. I’ve had several long discussions with Rodney regarding the future of experimentation on the city and what our goals should be going forward. I’ll need to confer with the IOA regarding his perspective and what he believes to be attainable goals here in Pegasus.”

John nodded. “Call me John.”

Mason smiled. “I’m looking forward to working with you, John.” He checked his watch. “You’ve been on duty for over ten hours at this point if we count your time in the mountain. Why don’t you call it a day? Things won’t be less complicated tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to dinner. There’s going to be some sort of elk steak.”

John laughed. “It’ll be like venison, mostly.”

“Ah, good then. I can handle that.”

John exhaled slowly as he left the office. He encountered Evan Lorne as he headed for the stairs. “Major.”

“Sir.”

“Dr. Blake would like me to move my office to above the gate room.”

“It was always the best choice,” Lorne said. “I can have you packed and moved.”

“That would be great. I’m exhausted.”

“Heard your dad killed all of his kidnappers,” Lorne said in amusement.

“All but the one that got arrested while he was shopping,” John said and made a face when Lorne laughed.

“Well, they didn’t call him Reaper for nothing,” Lorne said and shrugged when John sighed. “He’s a legend, you know.”

“I wish he’d stay a legend in his own damned house,” John muttered. “I put Dean Bates on his security.”

“Great choice, though your father might start sending you passive-aggressive emails about it,” Lorne said. “Dean’s a beast, and I can’t see how civilian life could’ve diminished that.”

“It hasn’t,” John assured. “Thanks for holding down the fort while I was on Earth.”

“Of course, sir,” Lorne said. “Have a good evening.”

They parted ways on the stairs as John exited, and the major continued on to wherever he was headed. He went to his quarters to shower because he had a long day, and nothing really beat the showers on Atlantis. He’d missed them while they’d been on Earth, so he took his time, masturbated to take the edge off, and then lingered under the shower heads until his fingertips started to wrinkle.

John exited the bathroom, rubbing his head with a towel, and found McKay sitting on his bed. He paused and raised an eyebrow. “Making yourself at home?”

“I fully intend to,” Rodney said and wet his lips. “Did you cut your hair?”

“Yeah.”

He huffed a little and leaned back on his hands. “Regs.”

“Yeah,” John agreed and rubbed his chest with the towel. “One of us is overdressed.”

“Is that how you think this should go? Not interested in conversation?”

John tossed his towel toward the bathroom and walked across the room. He slid right onto Rodney’s lap, then looped an arm around his shoulders for purchase. “I’m tired of not having what I want.”

McKay’s hands settled on his hips, tight enough to feel deliberate and purposeful. “What do you want, John?”

Despite everything, it felt stupidly hard to admit to the fullness of his own desires. “I….”

“Trust me,” Rodney murmured.

“I do trust you—with everything.” John let his forehead rest against Rodney’s and shuddered when the man rubbed this thumb slowly over his hip bone. “I want you.”

“In what way?”

“Every way,” John confessed, and McKay’s hands tightened on him to the point of bruising. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect,” Rodney admitted. “I really didn’t know that this was something we could have.”

“That was kind of the point,” John said and took a deep breath when McKay huffed a little. “I’m sorry. It was never about you or what I wanted.”

“I understand.”

Rodney loosened his grip and slid both of his big hands down John’s thighs. He couldn’t help but tremble. He hadn’t anyone touch him like that in years.

“That woman off-world—”

“You don’t have to explain,” Rodney interjected.

“I do,” John said firmly. “Because I spent the night with her, yes, but there was no sex. She was expected to service me, Rodney, and I’ve never been so turned off in my whole life. She said it was tradition—to offer a fellow military leader her bed and body.”

Rodney stared in shock.

“Since it would’ve been an insult to leave, I explained to her that she could let everyone think what she wanted, but I wasn’t going to have sex with her.” John took a deep breath. “So, it’s been about two and a half years since I’ve had sex with another person.”

“I can’t believe you let Elizabeth Weir, of all people, cock block you for years,” Rodney said and grinned when John glared at him. “Well, I’m glad you’re not sleeping on that toddler bed anymore.”

“Oh, yeah?” John questioned.

“Yeah, I need room to work,” Rodney said and urged him onto the mattress. John laughed and curled one hand into the front of Rodney’s pants as he spread out and got comfortable.

“Take all of this off.” He tugged a little and loosened McKay’s belt. “Now.”

“Bossing me around even in bed, Colonel?”

“Whatever it takes,” John said as seriously as he could muster and laughed when Rodney’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You asshole,” Rodney muttered and left the bed.

John watched him undress, not especially curious as he’d seen the man naked dozens of times, but intent because he’d wanted this exact moment for ages. He’d seen his whole team stripped bareassed more times than he cared to think about it when it came right down to it. John spread his legs, wrapped a hand around his half-hard cock, and stroked himself.

“Why are you so hot?” Rodney asked like it was a complaint.

“Well, you’ve seen the well I spring from,” John said in amusement and took a deep breath as Rodney crawled onto the bed, then up between his legs.

“I got tested after I came back to the city, so I’m clean,” Rodney murmured.

“Did you….” John arched against him as Rodney pressed his cock against his own. “Fuck.”

Rodney nuzzled against his jaw then kissed him. John hooked a leg around Rodney’s thigh as he surrendered a little. He didn’t like a fight in bed, and he was willing to put his lover in the driver’s seat whenever they wanted. The warm weight of another person pressed close was exciting and relieving at the same time. He needed it even more than he wanted it, and that was a startling thought.

“How did you want this?” McKay questioned as his mouth left John’s.

It was kind of an overwhelming question suddenly, and John just took a deep breath. He dimmed the lights a little with a thought, and McKay stared at him as he shifted to the side. He ran a possessive hand down John’s chest and over his stomach.

“Talk to me.”

John huffed a little. “I knew you were going to be like this in bed.”

Rodney laughed. “Come on, John. Tell me what you want.”

“I just want you,” John confessed. “I don’t care how.” He reached over and opened the drawer to his nightstand, then pulled out lube. “Do you have a preference?”

“No, not at all,” Rodney admitted and plucked the lube from John’s hand. “But it’s been a while for both of us—on the penetration front—since my last two partners were women, and you’ve not had a partner at all in a while.”

“Well, I have a toy,” John said and grinned when Rodney blinked in surprise. “A man’s gotta be able to take care of his own needs. You can get me ready.”

Rodney cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Or you could watch me do it,” John offered.

“If you’re trying to ruin me, you’re succeeding,” Rodney told him seriously, and John laughed before he could help himself.

Rodney’s gaze narrowed, and he flicked open the lube. “Right.”

There was a hundred kinds of challenge in the jut of Rodney’s chin as he slid down and nudged John’s legs fully apart. He threw one arm over his head and braced his hand against the wall when Rodney licked up the length of his cock and sucked him in. He couldn’t even give a time frame on the last time he’d gotten a blow job. Slick fingers slid over the rim of his asshole, and he was immediately relieved to have jerked off in the shower.

Rodney’s mouth was hot and demanding, just like John had known it would be. A single thick finger slid in, and John groaned softly, startled by how good it felt. He was certainly no stranger to the sensation, as he’d gotten very familiar with his own ass long ago. Rodney added another finger, and John rocked down eagerly into the penetration. It was so good that he nearly came.

“Christ, Rodney.” John shuddered as Rodney slowly pulled off his cock at the same time that he added a third finger.

“Can you come from being fucked?”

“Sometimes,” John admitted as Rodney pressed in deep and brushed against his prostate. “It’s hit and miss.” He spread his legs wider and exhaled slowly.

Rodney pulled his fingers free, slicked up his cock, and tossed the lube aside. John reached out for him, and pulled him close as Rodney positioned his cock, then pressed in slowly.

“John,” Rodney whispered fiercely against his jaw.

John wrapped both of his legs around Rodney’s waist and got a soft groan in response. “I….” He arched involuntarily against Rodney as the other man started to move. “Fuck, yes.”

Every single thrust McKay made was rubbing the head of his cock against John’s prostate. It was too much and not enough all at once, and he could do little else but accept it. The hard grind of a cock into his body was exactly what he’d needed, and he could at least admit that to himself. Rodney cupped one of his hips and thrust into his body with the kind of skill that made John’s vision blur.

“God, Rodney,” John fisted a hand into the blanket underneath them. “Harder.”

His demand was met before he even got the word completely out of his mouth, and John let his legs fall to the bed so he could get some leverage. Everything got more intense after that, and John fell into orgasm far before he intended, spilling messily all over his stomach. Rodney stilled and sought a kiss.

John cupped the back of his head and kissed back even as he ran his free hand down his lover’s back and shifted under him. Rodney groaned into his mouth.

“Come in me,” John urged.

“You won’t get too sensitive?” Rodney questioned hoarsely.

“No, I promise,” John said and rubbed his back. “Come on.”

Rodney started to move again—one slow thrust after another. It was an intense, biting sort of pleasure that burned along his nerves, and John adored it. He clenched down on Rodney’s cock, and the other man groaned. The grind of their bodies together felt so natural and perfect. McKay jerked against him, then came with a soft gasp, mouth pressed against John’s jaw. He stayed where he was for a few moments, then carefully pulled from John’s body to roll onto his back beside John.

He took a deep breath. “Are you sure you don’t have a preference?”

John laughed. “Shut up.” He caught McKay’s hand and laced their fingers together. “I’m in love with you.”

“I love you back in a foolish fashion that makes me feel like an idiot for not noticing that I’m chest-deep in my feelings over here. I’ve been sitting on this city brooding since I left Earth.”

John rolled to his side and snagged a pillow. “Brooding about what?”

“Weir and the pure damn delight I indulged in dragging out her downfall,” McKay admitted. “Me and Miko both sort of really enjoyed our whole little investigation.” He waved a hand. “Meanwhile, you were…genuinely fucking worried she was going to get someone killed.”

“You mean someone else killed,” John said, and McKay took a deep breath. “Yeah, I was. I should’ve said something sooner. I let my own paranoia get the best of me on that subject. I could’ve and should’ve exerted more control over the security situation on the city. Not a single gene carrier out here could override me. I worried about playing that card, though. I wasn’t sure how she’d react.”

“I had Mason send her entire admin staff back to Earth for interviews and reassignment,” Rodney said quietly. “Not a single asshole she used to spy on you is staying out here. I think you should take over all security monitoring. He’ll go along with it.”

“He seems willing to let people do the jobs they’re suited for,” John said quietly. “You made a good choice.”

McKay nodded. “I should’ve put my foot down from the fucking start. If I’d thrown the kind of fit that I’m known for, Weir would’ve never gotten near Pegasus.”

“Hey.” John waited until Rodney focused on him. “I want this, Rodney, and not just for now, but for the rest of my life.”

“You can have everything I have to give—now and in the future,” Rodney said quietly.

“That easy?”

Rodney huffed. “There’s not a damn thing easy about you, John Sheppard.”

John laughed and, for the first time in a very long time, felt nothing but relief. He relaxed beside his lover, and the city grew quiet around them in response.

 

The End