Kassandra’s Page

This story takes place after Of Rituals and Red Ribbons. It is stand-alone however, and can be read by itself.

Sniffles and Sneezes

Evan sighed softly and raked a hand through his hair as he glanced over at Kenzie. He’d been taking care of her for the last several days, while Kass was off-world. As he watched her sleep, curled up on the couch, he wondered not for the first time, how Kass had done this alone for so long. He’d barely been watching her for a few hours when she spiked a fever, making him rush her off to the infirmary.  Jennifer had reassured him that it was nothing more than a minor virus and with some rest and fluids she’d be fine in a few days.  He’d still ended up spending a very long, sleepless night up with the little girl.

Suddenly the door chimed and he dashed over waving it open. “Shhhh!” he whispered, as he pressed a finger to his lips.

“I just thought I’d drop by and see if there was anything you needed.” John said quietly, as he glanced past Evan to Kenzie’s sleeping form.

Shaking his head, Evan looked at John. “No sir, I think we’re okay for now. Rodney dropped some food by earlier, and Teyla watched her so I could run to the gym, thanks though.”

John nodded silently. “Okay then, if you need anything else just coms me.”

“Okay sir, will do.” Evan said before waving the door shut.

He turned, sighing softly as he walked over and scooped Kenzie up, carrying her to her room.  Settling down in her rocking chair he began to hum softly to her.

       *****************************************

Kass waved their door open, frowning at the abnormal silence in their quarters.  ‘Hmm, that’s odd. Wonder where Evan and Kenzie are?’ she mused to herself as she glanced around. 

Peeking into Kenzie’s room she grinned seeing them both asleep in the rocking chair.  Padding over she eased Kenzie from Evan’s arms and laid her down in her bed with a soft kiss.

Walking back over to the chair, she ran her fingers through Evan’s hair, while pressing a light kiss to his cheek. “Wake up, flyboy.” She whispered shaking him gently.

“Hunh? Wha?” he mumbled, as he blinked tired eyes open. “Hey, when did you get back?” he said as he stretched. Standing from the chair, he pulled Kass close, watching Kenzie sleep.

“Just a bit ago. Jen told me she hasn’t been feeling well?” she asked softly, indicating Kenzie with a slight nod.

Evan sighed, his voice soft. “No, night after you left she got a fever. It scared the crap out of me.”

Kass turned enough that she could press a gentle kiss to his cheek, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

“Hey! You were out on a trade mission, its part of the job, I get that Kass. Anyway it had to happen sooner or later.” He said with a wry chuckle. “Though it did make me wonder how you managed to juggle her and working at the SGC, for so long alone.” His voice was soft, as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

“It wasn’t easy to say the least,” Kass said quietly, remembering the long days and even longer nights.

As if sensing her sudden unease he snaked an arm around her waist tugging her closer. “Hey you’ve got me now, honey and I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long, long time.”

Kass sighed contently, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I know and I’m glad I’ve got you.”

As he held her close, the two of them watching Kenzie sleep, he sighed contently. “You know I’ve come to think of her as my own kid this last year.” He paused when he saw Kass frown, pressing a reassuring kiss to her cheek. “Though the last few days have gotten me thinking…” he trailed off for a moment, before leaning in and whispering the rest of his thought in her ear.

Kass’ eyes widened and she spun to look at him. “You are kidding right, flyboy?” she finally gasped out, her expression still shocked.

Shaking his head, he chuckled softly, “Nope, I thought it was about time.”

Kass blinked again, pondering. “Okay, we can at least think about it.” She replied before kissing him gently.

“Good” He said with a lazy grin.

“Though right now, I’m exhausted and would love to get a good night’s sleep.” She said quietly.

Evan grinned, guiding her into the living room. “Well then let’s get you to bed.”

The End

This story is set in the Squirrel Fic timeline, shortly after “Flyboy” and before “Letters Home”. If you haven’t read Flyboy I would recommend you read it first.

Kassandra’s Page

Of Rituals and Red Ribbons

Kass sighed as she looked at the walls of the prison- bare blank stones, just like every other alien prison. What was different about this one however, was that instead of being held in here with her team she was alone.

The negotiations had seemed like they would be easy, until it was mentioned that the Goosians would only negotiate with one who had been ‘claimed’ by another for life.  Of course it had come out that Kass wasn’t claimed and the next thing she knew she was cooling her heels in jail, waiting for her team to get back from fetching Evan from the city.

He’d proposed a few weeks before but they’d yet to do much in the way of planning, Kass having pointed out that the triplets would want to put their 3 cents in.

The door cracked open, the echo of heavy boots approaching the cell. Evan’s face appeared on the other side of the bars, a familiar grin playing on his lips. “You know, it’s not often that I get to play Prince Charming riding in to save the princess.” He teased Kass with a soft chuckle.

“Ha-ha, real funny.” Kass said with a soft smile, as she walked over to the bars. “Thanks for coming.” She said in a quiet voice, as she grabbed his hand through the bars.

“You honestly think I wouldn’t come?” Evan replied, a look of false horror on his face.

“Well it’s just that…” Kass started to say before Evan cut her off.

“I was just teasing Kass. You should know I’d have come no matter what.” Evan said, as he squeezed her hand. “Now you just sit tight and I’ll see what I can arrange for your release.”

               *************************************

Evan ran a hand through his hair as he exited the council chambers.

“How’d the negotiations go, Sir?” Lt. Smith asked with a slight grin as Evan approached.

“Well enough, I guess Lieutenant.” Evan chuckled, “though I should have known it would come down to a ritual alien wedding, when they called me out here.”

“Ritual alien wedding, sir?” Smith asked, frowning.

“Yeah, it is matrimonially based society after all.” Evan sighed. Not that he didn’t want to marry Kass; he wouldn’t have proposed otherwise, he just thought they’d have more time. “Well we better go get ready for this thing, Lieutenant Smith”.

                        ***********************

Kass shifted nervously again as she glanced at Dr. Rogers, waiting for the locals to take them to the town square.

“You know, you two aren’t the first and you won’t be the last to go through one of these things.” Dr. Baker said, trying to calm Kass’ nerves.

“Yeah, well it’s just that it is my first ritual wedding.” Kass said with a soft laugh.

Reele, one of the native women, appeared suddenly in the chambers. “The elders are ready for you in the square.”

Kass paused for a moment as she emerged from the prison building, allowing her eyes to acclimate to the harsh sunlight.  Looking down she furrowed her brow, running her hands over the heavy material that made up the dress she’d been handed.  It was a sunny almost golden color that made her glow, her hair having been tucked back in a neat bun.

Only Dr. Rogers had been allowed in to ‘attend’ to her since Evan had finished negotiating with the natives. The general understanding was that she and Evan were now going to have to go through the traditional Goosian claiming ceremony.  Kass wasn’t certain but from what she could gather, the ceremony was similar to many Earth ones. 

“It will be fine, now that the one who claims you is here.” Reele reassured them as she led the other two women toward the town square where the ceremony would take place.

Reaching the square the native woman paused for a moment, surveying Kass’ dress, before quickly producing a wreath of flowers and laying it atop her head. “We shall proceed with the ritual now.” She stated simply, before taking Kass arm and leading her toward a dais in the middle of the square. Gesturing at a simple mat on the dais, she murmured, “Sit here and your chosen one shall join you for the claiming ceremony.”

Kass sat where Reele had indicated, taking in the town square that was filling with people. Dr. Baker moved off to the edge of the square to talk to Lt. Smith who had suddenly appeared with the MALP.  She heard the approach of heavy military issue boots, turning toward the sound, she couldn’t help but grin when she saw Evan approaching. He was attired in a deep red shirt and pants that were embroidered in a golden design. It was a striking contrast to his normal Atlantis uniform and she sucked in a subconscious breath as he approached.

Evan approached the dais taking a seat on the mat next to her as indicated by another elder. “Hey you look nice.” He whispered, smiling at her as he settled in.

“You don’t look half bad yourself, flyboy.” She whispered back, as one of the elders took their hands, binding them with a heavy red and gold ribbon.

The elder recited a traditional Goosian chant while he did so, murmuring blessing and platitudes about the claiming ritual. Kass listened closely as the elder chanted, picking out what she could and whispering a translation to Evan. “He’s binding us together and asking that we be protected from harm by those around us.”

“Okay, but what is with that?” Evan whispered, as he jerked his head at the Goosian people filing up to the dais and laying items at the base of it.

“Uhm, well best I can gather it’s the Pegasus version of bridal gifts.” Kass said with a soft laugh as she surveyed the items, everything from rugs and blankets to dishes and other items a new family in Pegasus could use.

Kass sat a little straighter as the Goosian chief approached them, smiling as he unbound the ribbon, handing it to Evan. “Come, now that you two are claimed we celebrate.” He said with a bright laugh, leading them off the dais.

             ****************************************

The party to celebrate their claiming lasted late into the night, Evan finally getting a chance to drag Kass away sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Pulling her into a quiet alcove, he tugged her close to him. “You know, you make a really pretty bride” he said with a soft smile as he kissed her forehead lightly.

“Well you don’t make a half bad groom.” She retorted, laying her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.

“So, uh, I hate to ask…but I was thinking soon as we can, I’d like to go back to Earth. Make this all official. If that’s okay with you of course?” He looked at her intently, waiting for a reply.

Kass smacked him lightly before she answered, “of course it would be fine with me flyboy. I said I’d marry you didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but….” Evan started to say, Kass’ glare cutting him off before he could finish the thought.

“No buts.” She said with a grin. “Oh so I noticed that Lt. Smith and Dr. Baker were able to film the whole thing, using the MALP. We’ll have to get a copy of that video, I have an idea.”

“Should I be worried?” He said with a light laugh, seeing Kass shake her head.

“No…I was thinking we should make a care package for the Trouble Triplets.” She said a hint of a grin on her lips. “Break the news to them nice and gently.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He murmured, before leaning in to kiss her lightly for a second. “I better let you go finish your trade negotiations though; I want to take my wife home.”

The End

Kassandra’s page

This is a new story by Kassandra.

Kass doesn’t want me to give away too much of the plot, so all I can tell you is that this is set during the time when Kass and Kenzie were living in Atlantis.

It had been an agonizingly long mission and now all he wanted to do was go home and take a long hot shower.  Lorne had been off world for three days on the god forsaken river planet where it seemed there were rivers and mud everywhere.

Waving open the door to his quarters, he had to grin at the tableau in front of him. Kass was hunched over her tablet, probably going over the latest data burst from Nikki, while Kenzie played nearby on the floor.  They’d been sharing quarters for a while but had yet to make the official transition. He leaned down giving Kenzie a quick peck on the forehead before walking up behind Kass and rubbing her shoulders lightly. 

“Hey honey, what are you working on?” he asked, peering over her shoulder at the jumble of data on the screen.

Kass sighed softly as she replied, “It’s just the newest data burst from Area 51.”

“Well sounds intriguing,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m just going to grab a shower and then if you’re feeling up to it I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Kass laughed as she sat back in her chair more, “You know how I feel about surprises Evan, can’t you just tell me what it is?”

Pulling his hands off her shoulders, he headed for the bathroom, shaking his head, “Nope that would ruin the whole surprise.” Just before the bathroom door slid shut he tacked on, “Oh and Teyla said she would watch Kenzie for us.”

  **********************************************

Kass shifted again in the co-pilot’s seat on the Jumper, making Evan chuckle.

“Would you just sit still already? Jeeze, you’d think you had never been in a Jumper before.” He teased her as he piloted the Jumper toward the mainland.

“It’s just that I’m not used to being the passenger and you know it, Evan.” Kass replied as she smoothed the front of her skirt that he’d insisted she wear, citing that she’d want to look nice for this.

Reaching over he grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I know, but I also know that I’m a pretty good pilot,” he said while trailing his thumb over the back of her hand.

“So you aren’t going to tell me why we are going to the mainland are you?” she asked as she squeezed his hand back.

“No, once again that would ruin the surprise.” He said with a soft chuckle as he effortlessly guided the jumper into their favorite cove, setting it down well above the tide line.

“Now I want you to stay here for a minute, okay?” He said as he stood up grinning at her. Kass nodded, watching as he shut the bulkhead door on his way out.

   ********************************************* 

Evan kissed Kass’ cheek lightly as he covered her eyes from behind the chair, leaning in close before whispering, “Hey beautiful, ready for that surprise now?”

Kass grinned as she stood up, “Of course I am.”

Evan smiled as he gently guided her out of the back of the jumper, left hand dropping for a moment to his pocket to check it.  As they stepped onto the sand, Kass let out a content sigh as the last golden rays of sunset hit her face.

Evan pulled his hand away from her eyes, voice soft. “You can open your eyes now, Kass,” he said as he pulled his hand away and watched her blink her eyes open slowly, taking everything in.

“Oh Evan!” she exclaimed softly, her eyes scanning the picnic he’d laid out on a blanket, “its perfect, all my favorite foods.”

“Well it’s all for you, sweetheart.” He said as he sat down on the blanket looking up at her. Kass plopped down on the blanket next to him, watching as the sun sank into the water and the twin moons rose over the beach.

  *************************************************

Evan glanced at his watch, running a hand over her hair, leaning down to kiss her forehead in his lap. “We should probably get headed back to the city, it’s getting pretty late.”

Kass sighed and shifted her head out of his lap, with a grin. “Yeah, I guess you’re right Flyboy, home would be good.”

Evan got to his feet with a grin. “You just wait right here while I clean up.” He said as he grabbed the picnic basket heading back for the Jumper.

Kass sighed, flopping onto her back looking up at the stars dotting the velvety sky. When Evan came back a moment later he held out a hand to her, pulling her to her feet. Without hesitation he pulled her close, arms wrapping around her waist as he kissed her gently for a moment.  Kass smiled at him as he leaned down to grab the blanket, gasping softly when he dropped to one knee on the sand.

He took her hand, gently smiling up at her in the moonlight. “Kass, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while…”

Kass opened her mouth to interrupt, but before she could he held up a finger stopping her. 

“Let me finish?” he said softly, looking at her before continuing. “Since you came to the city it just hasn’t been the same,” he paused for a moment when he saw her look, “no, no that’s a good thing! It’s been better since you came out here full-time. It’s gotten even better since we’ve been sharing quarters- I love having you be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning. I love Kenzie, she’s a great kid, and most importantly I love you. So will you marry me, Kassandra?” with his last words he pulled out the box he’d been carrying for days and opened it, looking at her expectantly.

Kass looked down at him in the moonlight, wiping at her cheeks, before grinning at him broadly, “Yes! Yes of course I will Evan.” She pulled him to his feet, kissing him for a long moment before looking up and smiling.

“What?” he said as he slipped the ring on her hand.

“It’s just that the Triplets are never going to believe this.” She replied with a soft giggle.

“Well it’s a good thing that I taped it then isn’t it?” he said with a conspiratorial grin.

Kass just nodded before dragging him back to the Jumper. “Come on, let’s get home Flyboy.” She said with a wink as the back hatch closed behind them.

The End?

This story is co-authored by myself and Kassandra (Mackenzie’s Momma), who also beta reads my stories.

This story is a sequel to the The Solaris Device so you should probably read that first. The plot overlaps with Kassandra’s Atlantis Party story, and occurs before Lycan Amulet.

*******************************************************************

Nikki stared at her computer screen, wondering if there would be anything from John in the weekly data burst from Atlantis. It had been a couple of weeks since the Apollo had returned to Earth and Nikki still hadn’t heard anything.  Each week Nikki sent Radek a compressed file filled with research work, published journals, gossip, her latest chess move and personal messages for her other friends in Pegasus. The last data burst had included a message for John, and Nikki was hoping he would send a reply.

Nikki had tried to convince herself that it was silly to think that she had a chance with someone like John, because people only lived happily ever after in fairy tales. Except that recently her life had been a lot like a fairy tale, really. She had traveled to a city in a distant galaxy, on an important quest. She had been captured by the evil queen, and rescued by the handsome prince. Of course the prince was actually a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force, the queen was a Wraith and strictly speaking she had been rescued by Teyla, Mirth and Ronon, but Nikki felt that was just quibbling about details.

Jayne walked into the lab and placed a coffee mug down on Nikki’s desk. Nikki thanked her and sipped the warm, comforting drink.
“You ok?” Jayne asked, her voice gentle.
“Oh, just a bit of a headache.” Nikki replied. “Maybe I should take a break and get some fresh air.”
“Yeah, sure.” said Jayne, who wasn’t fooled by Nikki’s excuse. “Stop worrying, he probably had a mission or something, I’m sure he’ll write soon.”

Meanwhile, in another galaxy, John Sheppard was slouched on the narrow bed in his room,  staring at the screen of his laptop. In the open email editor window two words were displayed:
“Hi Nikki.”
John Sheppard didn’t know what to write. He had never been very good at talking about  his feelings and writing them down was torture. He wanted to tell Nikki how much he missed her, wanted her to come back to Atlantis, but he couldn’t put it into words. He sighed in disgust, and closed down the email application, before putting the laptop back on the tiny desk. Maybe he would think of something tomorrow.

In the end, John did send Nikki an email, but it wasn’t what she had been hoping for. The tone was friendly but impersonal, full of news about Atlantis. Nikki told herself that it was fine, that she hadn’t expected to be more than friends with Colonel John Sheppard and did her best to get on with life. If she wasn’t quite as cheerful as usual, her friends didn’t mention it. It never occurred to Nikki that maybe John just wasn’t very good at expressing his feelings, especially in an email. She didn’t know just how much courage he had required to write that simple message, or how much he treasured her reply.

                                   *********************************

The party in Atlantis had been Kassandra’s idea. Nikki had been meaning to organize a party at Area 51 for several weeks, but somehow there never seemed to be a good time. Then Trish had mentioned that she needed to go back to Atlantis for a medical check with Dr Keller, and Rodney had asked Nikki and Jayne to help out with a project to recharge empty ZPMs. Kassandra wanted to go with them, to organize some jumper flying lessons, so they would all be going to Atlantis at the same time.

When Colonel Caldwell beamed Nikki and Kass down to the large open space that the Lanteans had christened the Ball Room, most of the preparations were complete. Radek Zalenka and Evan Lorne had recruited everyone they could find to help out. John Sheppard stood nervously behind Lorne, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach, as Nikki and Kass appeared in front of him in a beam of white light. He stepped forward in turn to greet the visitors, but barely had a chance to say hello before a dark haired woman dressed in a military style jacket and BDUs rushed forward and hugged Nikki.

“Oh My God, Mirth, when did you get here?” said Nikki breathlessly.
“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later.” said Mirth grinning. “So where’s Bar?”
“Stuck at the SGC. They’re close to a big break through on the Solaris project.” Nikki told her.
“Shame, I was looking forward to catching up on the gossip.” Mirth said wistfully.
“Well you’ll just have to make do with me.” laughed Nikki. She turned her head to look for John, but he had wandered off to talk to Rodney. Nikki told herself it didn’t matter, there would be plenty of time to see John later. Meanwhile she had plenty of gossip to catch up on with Mirth.

John was disappointed he didn’t get a chance to talk to Nikki, but he didn’t mind waiting while she caught up with the news from her friend. He told himself there would be plenty of time to talk later. 

                                        ******************************

The party was a lot like any other party Nikki had gone to, apart from being in an alien city in another galaxy. People ate food, drank Athosian ale and home brewed vodka, talked and danced. Of course Kassandra and Evan had disappeared early in the evening, claiming they had to help out with the food. Soon after, Mirth had mentioned the need for a cigarette and had wandered off towards the nearest balcony. Nikki was sure she saw Rodney follow her soon after and she exchanged a grin with Jayne. Of course Trish wanted to know what was so funny, so they ended up telling her about their last visit to Atlantis.

Dr Keller and Katie came over to chat, and Radek brought a round of drinks. Nikki sipped slowly, feeling the burn as Radek’s famous vodka slowly slid down her throat. It wasn’t long before she felt the familiar sensation of her brain synapses slowly shutting down. After that her memory of the party was a little hazy, but she remembered that Teyla had asked if she was going to join the dancers. A group of the marines had decided to try to teach Ronon and Teyla earth style line dancing. Nikki found herself standing in line between Teyla and John. The steps were complicated and Nikki kept making wrong moves. She stumbled against John and he caught her before she fell. Their eyes locked and for a moment Nikki felt a jolt of attraction. Then John’s mouth curved up into a grin, and they both laughed, the tension between them broken.

The party carried on all night, into the small hours of the morning. It was 3:40, Atlantis Standard Time, when Trish finally convinced Jayne that it was time to go back to their guest quarters and get some sleep. Jayne searched the dance floor for Nikki, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Finally, they spotted her with John and his team in the far corner of the ball room. Nikki had fallen asleep, her head resting on John’s shoulder. He had his arm wrapped round her shoulder protectively. John was chatting to Teyla, while Ronon listened, his feet resting on the table. Across from them, Rodney and Mirth were caught up in a private conversation. John reassured Jayne that he would get Nikki safely back to her room when she woke up. Satisfied that her friend would be well looked after, Jayne finally managed to get to bed.

                                       *******************************

Nikki woke the following morning feeling tired, with a dry throat and a headache. As Radek had provided the drinks for the party, Nikki felt she had probably got off lightly. She went to the mess in to meet her friends and grab some breakfast. Kass had already left, to do some maintenance on the jumper. She had left a message with Jayne for Nikki to meet her later, in the gym. Nikki sighed when she read the note; Kass had recently become obsessed with making Nikki work out. Her friend meant well, but working with weights wasn’t Nikki’s idea of fun.

Later that morning Nikki walked into the gym, dressed in sweatpants and a baggy T shirt, expecting to find Kass waiting for her. Instead she found Colonel John Sheppard, dressed only in sweat pants and a black wrist band, cooling down after a brisk workout.

“Oh sorry, I, uh, was looking for Kass”, WG stammered awkwardly, averting her eyes from John’s bare chest.

“Aw, that’s fine Nikki, I was just finishing up.” John replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with a scrunched up black shirt. He pointed toward the door before speaking again, “I was going to grab some food in the mess; care to join me?”

Nikki paused for a moment, but it looked like Kass had forgotten their appointment, and it was nearly lunchtime. “Sure, that would be great, I‘ll just wait here while you get dressed.”

*****************************************

John sipped his coffee nervously, with none of his normal laid back attitude. He glanced at Nikki through his eyelashes, at a loss for words. John had never been good at dealing with his feelings, and this was too important to mess up. Finally he asked her “So, how are you feeling after the party?”

“Not as bad as the last time,” Nikki grinned. “I think I may have finally got the hang of drinking Radek’s vodka.”
John’s answering smile made Nikki’s stomach flip. “Yeah, you’ve got to be careful with that stuff.”
John relaxed slowly, and his foot slid closer to Nikki’s under the table.

“So, Rodney says you’re here for the ZPM project?”  John prompted.

Nikki launched into a long winded explanation of the ZPM project. John watched her, not really listening, just enjoying the enthusiastic way Nikki described her work. He slouched back in his chair, and his foot slid forward further until it was touching Nikki’s.
He placed his hand on the table and reached across until his fingers lightly stroked Nikki’s hand.

Nikki stopped talking and looked at John, expectantly.
“So I was wondering, how about a walk on the North Pier? It’s a nice sunny day, we could grab a picnic for later?” John asked, hopefully.
WG smiled shyly back at John, “I‘d love to, John.”

As they left the mess, John reached out with his free arm and wrapped it around Nikki’s shoulders. It promised to be a very good day.

The End

The Solaris Device

Solaris has taken me several months to write, so it seems strange for it to be finally over. It feels like the story that ate my life.

This story wouldn’t have been possible without Bar, who gave me the original inspiration, my beta reader Kass, all the squirrels who let me use them as characters and of course all the readers who have given me such encouraging feedback.

Epilogue

(or what happened when they got home)

The Apollo dropped the girls off at Cheyenne mountain, where Kass, Evan and Daniel were waiting to meet them. There was a crazy mix of introductions, greetings and farewells, as Evan was due to fly home on the Apollo. Kass made Nikki and Jayne tell her every last detail of the mission, especially all the gossip about Nikki and John Sheppard. Nikki suspected that her friend was going to tease her about her romantic adventure for years to come.

            ************************************************

If this was a fairy tale they would have turned on the Solaris Device, fixed global warming and lived happily ever after. Real life is never as simple as that. It would take months of careful research and simulations before it would be safe to use the device. The SGC offered Barcardi a job as the head of the Solaris Project. This was rather convenient, considering that she didn’t have a job in Oxford anymore. She would have to go back home first, to sort out all the details.
             *************************************************

Mirth was a good person, and she wanted to do the right thing, so she went back home to her husband, her home and her job. Mirth knew that she had a good life and she wanted to be happy but she missed Atlantis. She missed the people and all the crazy adventures, but most of all she missed Rodney McKay. One day Mirth was doing the laundry when she came across a folded up letter in her jeans pocket. Opening it up, she realized it was a letter of recommendation from Colonel Sheppard. It wasn’t unusual for the SGC to take on civilian contractors to serve on gate teams, if they had the necessary skills.

Mirth stared at the letter for a few minutes, lost in thought. Suddenly she realized that she didn’t belong in this house, on this planet anymore. She had left her heart behind in another galaxy. Mirth didn’t hesitate, she threw a few essentials into a travel bag, phoned a taxi, and left a note on the kitchen table. After she locked the front door, she posted the keys back through the letterbox; she wouldn’t need them anymore. Mirth climbed into the back of the taxi and asked the driver to take her to the airport. She didn’t know what the future held, but she hoped it would include a pair of bright blue eyes and a crooked smile.

The beginning……..

(sorry, please don’t hit me)

The Solaris Device

It’s strange to think that this story is nearly finished. I really can’t believe we got to 17 chapters.

This is the last full chapter, but there’s going to be an epilogue for what happened when they get home.

Chapter 17 Saying goodbye

When Nikki finally woke up, she had a throbbing headache. Her eyes were sticky, her mouth was dry, and there was an ache in her chest. The room was quiet apart from the steady beep of the heart monitors, and gentle snoring. Lifting her head as slowly as possible, she realized that Jayne was slumped in a comfy looking chair by her bed, fast asleep. Next to her, scratched and bruised, with his arm in a sling and a cheerful grin on his face, was John. He passed a glass of cold water to Nikki, who took it gratefully.

“How you feeling?” he asked her softly.
“Terrible” she replied, smiling at his concern. “How about you?”
“Oh, you know.” he said dismissively. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Has Jayne been there long?” she asked.
“Not sure.” he replied. ”She was like that when I got here, a couple of hour’s ago.”

At that moment a nurse came into the room, and ordered John back to his bed. He left reluctantly, pulling a face when the nurse wasn’t looking, while Nikki tried not to laugh.
The noise woke Jayne, who was relieved to see her friend was feeling better.

**********************************************

Mirth and Rodney found themselves back on the same balcony from before the mission. Mirth reached for her cigarettes, nervously and then put them back in her pocket.
“So.” she said, at a loss for words.
“Um.” Rodney tried, staring at his hands.
“This isn’t going to work is it?” Rodney said, sadly.
“I’m sorry.” Mirth apologized.
“No, it’s OK,” said Rodney, graciously. “It’s not like you didn’t try to warn me.”
They stood quietly for a while, lost in thought.
Mirth finally broke the silence, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Look, I‘ve got one more night here, before I have to go, why not make the most of it?”
“What did you have in mind?” asked Rodney, hopefully.
“How about a date – dinner and a movie?”
“OK” Rodney said, smiling. “I’ll get us some food from the commissary, we can eat in my room and watch a film on my laptop.”
“Nikki’s got all the latest episodes of Dr Who and Torchwood on a flash drive.” Mirth said, grinning.
“Really?” said Rodney, excitedly. “So what are we waiting for?”

*************************************************

A couple of days later, John and Rodney were standing together in the Gate room, watching as the girls were beamed aboard the Apollo.
“So, you going to see her again?” asked John, in a casual tone of voice.
“No, probably not.” Rodney replied, wistfully. “Apparently she’s got someone back home.”
“Oh. Sorry.” said John, awkwardly. Rodney tried to hide his grin.
“So what about you?” he asked.
“I offered her a job in Atlantis.” John stated.
“She said no?” Rodney asked, not expecting a reply. “I could have told you that would happen. Sam asked her before.”
“I guess I can’t really blame her, after the way the mission went down.” said John, thoughtfully. “Shame though, we could do with more people like Nikki.”
“Well obviously.” agreed Rodney.
“You know she has a kid?” asked John.
“Yeah, he’s twelve, or thirteen. Something like that. Gotta be tough, bringing up a kid on your own.”

They stood quietly for a few minutes until finally Rodney broke the silence.
“So, chess?”
“Sure.” John answered.
They started to walk away from the gate room, when John remembered something. He pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket and held it out for Rodney to see.
“She gave me her email address.” he said, with a happy smile.
“I’ve already got it, along with half my team.” Rodney teased. “So does this mean  you’re going to see her again?”
“Maybe.” said John. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

The Solaris Device

 Because every good SGA team fic should have an infirmary scene:

Pt 16.  The Infirmary

Looking back, Nikki couldn’t remember much about that mad flight back to the gate, everything was hazy. She had a vague memory of Teyla dialing the gate address, and sending her IDC. The auto dock procedure initialized, and Nikki slumped over the control panel in relief. She was vaguely aware of Teyla telling someone to have a medical team standing by. Then the jumper passed through the rippling surface of the event horizon, and came to rest on the floor of the gate room.

Someone opened the hatch of the jumper remotely, and Ronon helped the medical team lift John onto a stretcher. Teyla shook Nikki gently. “Nikki, we need to go to the infirmary.”
Nikki mumbled that she was fine, that she just wanted to stay where she was for a few more minutes. Suddenly, she was being lifted by strong hands, and she found herself balanced between Teyla and Jayne. Nikki was glad that she didn’t remember much more of what happened. She had once seen her friend Trish go through withdrawal from the wraith enzyme, and she knew that it wasn’t pretty.

Mirth found herself standing outside the jumper feeling lost. The adrenalin boost of the escape had worn off and she felt strangely depressed. Suddenly, Rodney appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Ohmygod, you’re OK, that is, you look like you are, I was so worried when I heard they were sending a medical team to the gate room and Sheppard’s hurt, but that’s pretty standard for him, I’m sure he’ll be fine, he always is and……”
Mirth listened to his babble with a happy smile on her face, until finally she shut him up with a kiss.

            ***************************************************

Apart from the effects of the wraith stunner, John had a number of bruises and scrapes, but fortunately he hadn’t broken any bones. Dr Keller decided to keep him in the infirmary overnight for observation, along with Nikki. After the usual post mission check-ups, the others were released to get a shower and change of clothes before the post mission briefing.

Later that day, Jayne, Barcardi and Mirth were sitting at a table in the mess, eating dinner. Radek came over and sat down next to them.
“Have you seen Rodney?” Mirth asked him. She hadn’t seen him since he had agreed to move Jumper 1 back to the jumper bay.
“He’ll be in the infirmary, with the Colonel.” Radek told her.
“Oh.” Mirth said, looking disappointed.
Jayne looked thoughtful for a moment. “I thought they weren’t allowed visitors?” she asked.
Radek shrugged. “Wouldn’t stop Colonel Sheppard’s team. If one of them is sick, the others stand vigil. Is old custom.”
“Really?” asked Jayne, a calculating look on her face. “Excuse me, there’s somewhere else I need to be.” She left her unfinished meal behind on the table, and walked determinedly towards the exit.
“What was that all about?” asked Barcardi, looking puzzled.
“Jayne wishes to see a friend.” Radek replied, smiling.

        *****************************************************

Jayne was met at the infirmary door by Katie, the nurse who was friends with Nikki.
“Can I see her?” Jayne whispered.
Katie hesitated for a second, then seemed to make up her mind.
“OK,” she replied, “but you better make sure Dr Keller doesn’t catch you.”
Katie led Jayne to a side room where Nikki was sleeping.
“The worst seems to be over now, but she’ll probably sleep for several more hours.” Katie informed her.
As Jayne walked through the door, she was surprised to see Rodney sitting in a chair by her friend’s bed. He looked up at her, startled, a guilty expression crossing his face to be replaced by relief. Jayne pulled up a second chair and sat down next to him.
“I would have thought you’d be sitting with the Colonel.” she whispered.
“Yes, well, Ronon’s with him right now, and Teyla’s going to drop in later. I thought someone should sit with her.” he waved his hand in Nikki’s direction. “I kind of know what she’s going through right now. Besides she helped save my life once.”
Jayne nodded, as she remembered the story Kass had told her about Nikki’s first visit to the Pegasus galaxy. Nikki wasn’t just Rodney’s friend, she was part of his family.  Jayne realized that Nikki had become part of her family too.

The Solaris Device

Sorry to keep you waiting so long for this chapter. This is the bit where Kass finally gets to go on her mission.

Chapter 15. The Solaris Planet

The jumper exited the gate into a icy wasteland. The sky was a dull grey, with the promise of snowstorms, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. About a mile from the gate they could see the ruins of what might once have been a city, the crumbling walls capped with snow. Kassandra steered the jumper towards it.

“That’s interesting.” said Daniel thoughtfully. “It doesn’t look like those buildings were built by the Ancients. The style is totally different from anything we’ve seen before.”
“It’s not Goa’uld, is it?” asked Evan.
“No, definitely not.” Daniel explained. “If anything, it resembles the architecture of the Mayans, although there are noticeable differences.”
“I think we saw something like this on PX3 – 865.”  Sergeant Miller from SG9 chipped in.
“You know, I think you’re right.” Daniel commented, looking slightly surprised.
“Oh hey, wasn’t that the place with the wolf cult?” asked one of the others.
Kass let the conversation wash over her head, as she concentrated on looking for somewhere to land. She found a wide courtyard in the center of the city, and carefully landed the jumper.

The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by buildings that looked mostly complete. At one end was a more imposing building that looked like a hall or temple. Daniel and Kass decided to start their search there. Evan looked mutinous when Kass suggested he stay in the jumper, but he had the sense to know this wasn’t the time to push his luck. In the shelter of the courtyard, the snow was only a few inches deep. The steps up to the hallway were slippery, and Kass was grateful for her Air Force issue boots. The door was made of some sort of metal alloy and was lighter than it looked. No one had bothered to lock it, suggesting that this was a public place, or that the people of this world didn’t have to worry about intruders. Kass pulled it open, and shone the light on her P90 round the room. In the center of the room, on a stand were several large plain candles, only partly used. Daniel stepped forward cautiously and lit them, bathing the room in a warm yellow light.

The room reminded Kassandra of a church. At the far end, raised on what looked like an alter, was a strange looking device. As he noticed it, Daniel’s breath hitched slightly.
“Wow, that looks just like the weather machine from Medrona.” he said in an awed voice.
“Is that the Solaris device?” Kass asked, her brow furrowed.  Somehow this felt too easy, like there was something they had overlooked. “So is this it, do we just grab it and go home?”
She instinctively glanced behind her, poised for an attack that never materialized.
“Hey, not all missions go bad.” Daniel exclaimed, his eyes filled with suppressed laughter.
“Of course, we still don‘t know if it works. The people left this world for a reason.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” said Kass. She walked up to the alter, and reverently reached out to touch the device, but nothing happened. Daniel sniggered in the background, and Kass glared at him.
“You didn’t really expect that to work, did you?” he asked her. “The Medrona device wasn’t activated by the ATA gene and the people who lived here probably weren’t Ancients anyway.”
“Oh” said Kass, sheepishly, “I guess I never thought of that.”
“The other team in Atlantis is studying how to operate the device, we’ve just got to bring it home.”
“I can do that,” Kass stated and she reached out to grab the device. Like the metal of the doors, it was lighter than it looked and Kass nearly overbalanced as she picked it up.

Daniel was keen to find out more about the people who had built the city, so after they had carefully stowed the Solaris Device in the back of the jumper, the six able bodied members of the expedition spread out around the courtyard. At first Daniel and Kass chose to investigate the markings on the walls of the temple, but then Sergeant Miller called them on the radio, and announced that they had found a library. Daniel dropped the paper he had been using to trace the Ancient script on the walls, and rushed out of the room so fast Kass was sure he would break his neck on the slippery steps.

They found a few books written in the Ancient script, but a lot of the books and scrolls were written in a language Daniel had never seen before. There were also pictograms, reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The pictures were mostly stylized, but they included pictures of people, animals that looked like dogs, and a strange image that was half man and half wolf. Daniel was fascinated, but he was nowhere near translating the language when they got a warning message from Evan that a big storm was blowing their way. Daniel was disappointed to leave such an interesting find, but he managed to grab a few books and scrolls to take back, before Kass dragged him back to the jumper.

Kass flew the jumper as fast as she could, trying to outrun the storm. They had almost reached the gate when it caught up with them. The air was thick with snow, and strong winds buffeted the jumper. Kass was flying blind, relying more than ever on her mental link with the jumper. She was grateful for the inertial dampeners, without which she was sure the air turbulence would have made her sick. When they were close enough, Evan dialed the gate and Kass sighed in relief as the automatic docking procedure kicked in. Missions could suddenly go bad just as easily in the Milky Way as they could in Pegasus.

As they approached the gate, Daniel took one last look at the planet, and sighed.
“Hey, don’t look so down, I‘m sure we’ll be back” Kass tried to reassure him.
“I sure hope so.” Daniel said wistfully.

Voyages

Here is Kassandra’s latest story, which is slightly delayed (sorry, we’ve both been rather busy *blushes*)

Part 1: Snowed In

There was never a time that Kass had been happier to have her Jumper than the present. It had all started innocently enough a few days earlier. She’d woken to a thin blanket of snow, covering the ground and had set about preparing for the guests that she was expecting for the holidays.  As she scrubbed and busied herself entertaining Kenzie, she didn’t notice the snow that continued to steadily fall.

She stepped out the front door a few mornings later to ready the Jumper, for her trip to Area 51 and stopped in her tracks muttering softly.

“Aw man! Come on, you gotta be kidding me!” she said, as she surveyed the three feet of snow piled on the ground and the flakes that continued to drift lazily to the ground. Turning, she hurried back inside to gather her cold weather gear.

                ****************************

Kass guided the Jumper south toward Area 51, surveying the miles of snow that surrounded the farm.  Grinning to herself, she sure hoped they were up for a white Christmas. She hadn’t anticipated the deep drifts around the Jumper and so it had taken longer than she expected to dig it out of the snow.  It was quickly growing dark as she flew.

                ****************************

Nikki was in her living room, wrapping presents when there was a knock on her door. Before she could get to it, it burst open revealing….The Trouble Triplets.

“Oh, Nikki! We’re here!” Mirth called out as the trio entered the room, strewn with paper and ribbons.

“Jayne! You said you would let me know when they arrived!” Nikki exclaimed as she scrambled to hide their gifts.

“Ah yes, well I knew you were busy getting ready for our trip to the farm.” Jayne said, as she surveyed the mess.

“We’re going to the farm?” Bar questioned, looking confused. “I thought Kass was spending the holidays with Major Lorne in Pegasus?”

Nikki sighed, realizing Bar must have missed the email. “No, no, no, there was a storm before she could leave and last I heard, she was still snowed in. Just a moment and I’ll see if she’s dug herself out yet.” Nikki said as she stood crossing to her computer, typing in her password and studying the screen.

“So, she get out yet?” Mirth asked as she dropped onto the sofa.

“Yes, it appears so, as there is a contact approaching the Area 51 landing strip. If we leave now we’ll be able to meet her Jumper.” Nikki said, before she turned and led the group out of the living room, thus missing the second dot that appeared on the screen.

       ***********************************

The rear ramp of the jumper lowered onto the tarmac and the four women moving toward it suddenly stopped in their tracks.

“Well, well, well, looks like we got a welcoming committee after all.” A familiar voice drawled as four figures emerged from the back hatch.

After staring for a long moment it was Nikki who finally broke the awkward silence. “John? Rodney? Radek? What in the world are you doing here?”

As the group exchanged hugs, Radek explained. “The Major informed us that Kass would be unable to join us for the holidays.” He paused gesturing to Lorne, who was now standing off to one side his hands in his pockets.

“So, I suggested that we bring a bit of Pegasus here.” Rodney added impatiently, as the HUD beeped loudly inside the Jumper, Lorne disappearing to investigate.

“The Major said that she is snowed in up at the farm?” John asked Nikki, glancing at the others who were engaged in an animated discussion.

“Yes, apparently over the last several days they have had around three feet of snow.” Nikki replied as Lorne stuck his head out of the Jumper.

“I hate to break up the reunion, but we have a contact approaching the landing strip.” Lorne informed them.  “It appears to be Kass’ Jumper.” He couldn’t hide his grin as he added the last part.

John nodded his understanding exchanging a knowing look with Nikki. “Okay, why don’t you go park the Jumper, Major and join us?”

“Actually, why don’t you all go on ahead to the farm?” Lorne said with a grin.

“Are you sure, Major?” Sheppard questioned, looking at him seriously.

“Yes sir, I’m certain. I have an idea.” He said with a chuckle before turning and disappearing back into the jumper

Kassandra’s Page

Kassandra has written this to wish Bar a happy birthday. I haven’t beta’d it yet as I wanted it to be there in time, and I really need to get to bed.

Barcardicider’s Birthday Surprise

It had been a long start to the New Year with her boiler having gone out days before her birthday and the biting cold of another long English winter. Bar had just arrived home with Ezra and was looking forward to spending a quiet evening in with her duvet and Atlantis re-runs. As they neared the stoop, Ez stopped and growled softly at an oddly shaped box on the mat.

“Aw come on you nutter, it’s just a box” Bar muttered as she picked it up going inside.

She set the box down and started ripping it open, pulling out the contents. “Awww look! Kass sent those action figures I’ve had my eye on!” She exclaimed, quickly skimming the attached note. ‘Bar, hope you have a lovely birthday, ‘tis a shame I’ll have to miss it. Kass’.

She glanced down at Ezra who was still on edge and sighed. “Come on you nincompoop, let’s go put the kettle on.”

She crossed the hall to the living room flipping on the light, a sudden cry of ‘SURPRISE!’ filling the air as her friends appeared from their hiding places. Glancing around she grinned at those assembled: Trish, Kimberly, Nikki, Jayne, and Kass. Finally her eyes came to rest on Mirth an un-readable look on her face.

“Mirth, I thought I told you that the spare key was for World Domination emergencies only?” she said her voice relaying her surprise.

“Yes, I know that you did but I thought you would forgive us since we brought some WKD with us.” Mirth said, as she held up two bottles, everyone else in the room doing the same, except Kass.

Bar turned to her, giving the empty handed woman a look. “And I suppose that you brought Evan with you?” she asked her tone light and teasing.

“No, actually I didn’t, but I did bring you a present.” Kass replied as everyone in the room parted, revealing a figure in the doorway.

Bar turned to look, a surprised look crossing her face. “Radek?!” she exclaimed happily upon seeing the man.

“Yes, it is me.” He replied in his familiar Czech accent.

“What are you doing here?!” Bar said, rather incredulously, as she crossed the room to him.

“Well, I came to bring you some of my home brew,” he paused holding up a bottle of his familiar vodka, “and to vish you a happy birthday.” He said with a grin at the woman.

The End