Alisa sat on a stool, watching her father bounce around his lab.
“Just wait, Alisa,” he grinned, he was grabbing things he’d need for Dornada, “This will work, it’ll keep us safe from the Wraith. And I’ll show you everything once I get back.”
“Dad,” Alisa laughed, “You seriously need to get off the caffeine.”
He frowned at her. Alisa bounced off her seat, handing him his jacket.
Rodney smiled at her, “How’s your arm?”
Alisa shrugged, “Still sore. And I haven’t worked it out yet.”
Rodney laughed, where everyone had signed her cast, Rodney had written out an equation that she would see every time she looked down at it.
“I want it solved by the time the cast comes off,” Rodney reminded her.
“Yes, yes,” she rolled her eyes at him, “Aren’t you meant to be in the Jumper bay by now?”
Rodney leaned over and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, “I don’t want you doing too much. Not while your arm’s still in plaster.”
“I know, I know,” she replied, “Radek has given me some work; I’ll do that then watch a movie and I’ll see you when you get back.”
Rodney squeezed her shoulder before he headed to the Jumper Bay.
Alisa rolled her eyes, the movie had been awful. Checking her watch, Alisa knew her father should be back soon and wondered how it had gone; he’d been so excited about this working. After the death of Collins, he wanted this to work even more so that the man’s death meant something.
With a sigh, Alisa decided to get something to eat; she knew he’d come see her the moment he could. Wandering through the corridors, she absently wondered how she could scratch her arm that was driving her nuts.
“Hey, Bonner,” Donaldson, one of the new scientists, greeted her as she walked into the mess, a gleeful grin covering his face, “Did you hear?”
“Hear what?” she asked.
“McKay screwed up,” he laughed, not noticing her stiffen, “And I mean seriously screwed up. Blew up half a solar system and the only reason he’s still here, is because the Daedalus pulled his ass out of the fire.”
“Really?” Alisa said sharply.
Donaldson was oblivious to her anger, “Apparently Weir chewed him out for a good half an hour. Rumour has it; he’s somewhere licking his wounds.”
Alisa folded her arms, “Donaldson, you’re an ass,” she snapped, turning and marching out.
Alisa walked through Atlantis, hoping to run into her father in the corridors because she had a feeling he wouldn’t go anywhere near his lab. He also wouldn’t be in his room, after…the mission; he’d be too wired to sleep.
Her arm itched, the damn cast was driving her crazy. She glanced down at it, seeing the formula he’d written on the cast.
“I want that solved by the time the cast comes off,” he told her before grinning at Zelenka, who simply grinned back.
She could really hate them at times.
However, she was more concerned with finding her father than solving his riddle just now. Trying one of the balconies near his lab, Alisa was relieved to find him standing staring out across the ocean.
“Dad?” she called softly.
He turned and she was disturbed to see him wipe at his eyes before he faced her. Without saying anything, she walked over and hugged him tightly.
Rodney smiled down at her, “How’s the arm?”
“Still sore,” Alisa groused, knowing he was deliberately avoiding finding out if she knew anything about what had happened, “And it itches like crazy.”
“Well, no using knives to scratch this time,” he told her.
Alisa snorted with disdain, “How old was I then?”
Rodney smiled genuinely, “You should go get something to eat. It’s late.”
“You need to eat too,” she reminded him.
Rodney let out a deep sigh, “I…I don’t need…”
“I can always grab something for us both,” Alisa told him, “And we can watch a movie in my room. I have it all set up from being made to do very little work for the past few weeks.”
At her wry look, Rodney nodded, “That sounds great, Lissa.”
They walked through the corridors in silence until Alisa couldn’t stand it anymore.
“By the way,” she broke the silence, making him look down at her, “Ronan thinks I should be learning self-defence.”
Rodney rolled his eyes, “You have a broken arm.”
“That’s what I said,” she cried with a laugh, “But I don’t think he’ll take that as an excuse much longer.”
“Well,” he mused, “It might be a good idea for you to be able to protect yourself.”
“It’s one thing to learn to protect myself,” Alisa told him, “It’s another to put me in a situation where Ronan can hit me.”
Rodney was about to say something but stopped and caught her shoulder.
“Wait here,” he told her before he jogged after the man in front of him, “Colonel! Colonel! I've been looking all over for you.
“I heard,” John said coldly.
Rodney winced, “I suppose I deserve that,” he paused, “Look, I just…um…I wanted to apologise about what happened. I was wrong. I'm sorry. And I wanted to assure you that…uh…I intend not being right again, about everything, effective immediately,” John folded his arms, keeping his face blank, “That was a joke
“Good one,” John deadpanned before he turned and headed into the transporter, Rodney moved after him, stopping as John turned back to face him.
“I've already apologised to Elizabeth,” Rodney told him, “And Radek. And I thanked Colonel Caldwell for caring enough to spy on the experiment from orbit. I sent him a nice little email, actually. But I saved you 'til last 'cause…ah…honestly, I would…I would hate to think that recent events might have permanently dimmed your faith in my abilities, or your trust. At the very least, I hope I can earn that back.”
“That may take a while,” John told him, his face blank.
“I see,” Rodney swallowed.
“But, I'm sure you can do it, if you really wanna try,” John replied, the door closed leaving Rodney standing.
He stood staring at the door for several seconds before he turned back to his daughter. Alisa moved under his outstretched arm without hesitation and Rodney hugged her close to him, grateful that she didn’t judge him the way everyone else was doing.
*********************************************
Rodney sat in a corner of the mess; his daughter had forced him to come with her for breakfast and he wished he hadn’t. He could feel everyone staring at him; everyone knew what had happened the day before.
“Here,” Alisa set the tray down, “I managed to get the fruit rolls you like.”
Rodney smiled at her, “Thanks.”
They sat in silence as they ate. Rodney watched his friends, those who had been his friends, walk past the table he was sitting at. He also saw Alisa’s eyes narrow each time someone who normally would sit with them didn’t.
“Do you have much work to do?” Rodney forced himself to start a conversation.
Alisa shrugged, “It depends what Rad…Dr Zelenka has for me.”
“Well,” Rodney sipped his coffee, not missing her use of the formal title, “Just wanted to know if you’d be meeting me for lunch?”
Alisa gave him a bright smile, “Sure, I may need some help with my homework.”
Rodney laughed slightly, sighing as she checked her watch, “You’re due in the lab.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, “I’ll see you at lunch, Dad.”
Alisa wasn’t happy at leaving her father alone today, he insisted he was fine but Alisa knew he wasn’t. Her father was not the bastard everyone seemed to think he was. She knew absolutely everything Rodney had done throughout her life, everything he’d sacrificed for her.
“Morning, Alisa,” John greeted her.
She continued past, ignoring him.
“Alisa?” John caught up with her, catching her arm, “What’s up?”
The teenager turned to him, her eyes filled with ice, “What do you want?”
“I just said good morning and you didn’t answer,” he said perplexed, “I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”
“And you care why?” she snapped.
John was taken back by her question, “Because I give a damn about my friends.”
“Yeah, right,” sarcasm flowed from every word.
“Alisa,” John frowned, “If this has something to do with what happened yesterday…”
“And why would it?” she cut him off, “Why would it have anything with you being a smug, self-righteous bastard over a mistake.”
“It was one hell of a mistake,” John reminded her.
“And you’ve never made one?” Alisa snapped, “Of course not. The great John Sheppard has never done anything wrong.”
“Look…”
“No,” she cut him off again, “You look. He made a mistake, and yes, it was big but considering everything else he’s done for this city and for you, you’d think he’d be cut just a little slack from someone who claims to be his friend.”
With that said she marched away, leaving him staring after her completely stunned.
“Something wrong, Colonel?”
John turned finding Laura Cadman standing behind him.
“You’re blocking the hall,” she told him, as he moved out of her way. Laura continued on before she stopped and turned back to him, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
John sighed and caught up with her, “I just had the pint sized physicist yell at me.”
Laura winced, “I heard what happened yesterday. It’s only natural Alisa will be upset that people are so happy her father made a mistake.”
“I guess,” he sighed, “Thanks, Cadman.”
“No problem, sir,” Laura smiled at him, before walking along the opposite corridor whistling to herself.
John frowned, going over what Alisa had yelled at him as he headed to his meeting. Sighing, he decided to just let it go. It would blow over in a few days.
*********************************************
“Rodney?” Elizabeth called anxiously as she waited in the torch lit Control Room.
“I’ve almost got it,” he replied sharply over the radio, “Just two more minutes.”
Elizabeth grimaced down at the console in front of her, “We may not have that.”
“And I was overestimating,” he told her, “Radek, do it now.”
Radek initiated the sequence and a sigh of relief went through the room as the lights returned to normal.
“Well done, Rodney,” Elizabeth told him, “You fixed the overload.”
There was a pause over the radio, “Was there any doubt?”
Radek looked up at Elizabeth and smiled slightly.
“Of course not,” Elizabeth laughed.
She glanced round and saw Alisa standing, her arms, now cast free, were folded and her blue eyes cold. Without a word, she left the room.
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