“Alisa?”
The teenager glanced up as Radek came onto the balcony, “Hey.”
“Is there something wrong,” the scientist sat beside her.
“No,” she replied lightly with a shrug.
Radek frowned, “Then why are you sitting out here when you were due in the lab half an hour ago?”
“Huh?” Alisa looked confused before she checked her watch and grimaced, “I didn’t realise it was so late, I’m sorry, Radek. I…”
“It is alright, Alisa,” he cut her off, “I did not come here to scold you,” he smiled as she rolled her eyes, “But I would like to help with whatever is troubling you.”
Alisa glanced up at him, “I’m fine, Radek. I just lost track of time that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, resting his hand on her shoulder.
Alisa smiled at him, “I’m fine. Come on, I should get to work.”
She bounced up and left Radek standing on the balcony frowning, he’d talk to Rodney once he arrived back from trying to fix the Stargate on M5S-224 to connect back to Earth.
Alisa sighed as she played with her dinner, it’d been a long day wondering if her father had managed to make the connection to Earth and wondering what would happen if he did.
A tray being placed on the table made her look up.
“Hey, kid,” Peter Grodin slid into his seat, “Is the food that bad?”
“The usual,” Alisa replied, shrugging at him, “I was just thinking.”
Peter laughed, “And killing your potatoes.”
She looked at the plate disgusted, “It was mercy killing,” she pushed it away, “I guess I’m just a little worried.”
“Your Dad is the best,” Peter reminded her, “He won’t break the Gate beyond repair.”
“That’s not what’s worrying me,” Alisa sighed.
“What is?” he pushed.
Alisa grimaced at him, “Do you miss Earth?”
Peter looked a little amazed at her question but nodded, “Occasionally. I miss my family and proper food. Little things like that. Why? Don’t you?
“Not really,” she told him, “My family is here. And for once Dad isn’t some place where I only see him a few days a month. I know people don’t really like him but I do.”
“It’s not that people don’t like your Dad,” Peter told her, “It’s more he scares them.”
Alisa grinned, “He’s a teddy bear.”
“To you maybe,” Peter laughed, “But he has teeth and claws.”
Alisa gave a sharp laugh before sighing sadly, “I don’t want to leave here, Peter.”
“What makes you think that you will?” Peter asked.
“Because they’re not going to let a kid stay here when the Wraith are coming,” she replied before leaving.
*********************************************
“It didn’t work,” Alisa said softly when her father entered the main room of their quarters, “Did it?”
Rodney sighed annoyed, “Thought we were back on Earth and everything but it wasn’t real.”
“Good,” she murmured.
Rodney frowned at her, “What do you mean good?”
“I…”
“We have to be able to contact Earth,” Rodney snapped, the exhaustion of the day catching up with him and shortening his temper, “We need to let them know we’re still alive and that the Wraith are coming.”
“I guess,” Alisa muttered.
Rodney turned to her, “You guess? Lissa, is something wrong?”
“Why would there be anything wrong?” she snapped back, “Life is wonderful.”
“That’s enough,” Rodney barked, “I am not in the mood for you to have a tantrum right now over nothing.”
“I’m not the one yelling,” Alisa shot back at him.
Rodney drew in a deep breath, trying not to lose his temper, “Alisa, stop acting like a child you’re almost sixteen.”
“Well stop treating me like one,” she cried.
Rodney stared at her astonished, “When have I treated you like a child? When I gave you the choice to come here, when I let you work in the lab or when I give you the freedom you have around here?”
“Freedom?” Alisa laughed harshly, “Your little network of spies keeps tabs on me no matter what I do.”
“That’s nonsense,” Rodney replied sharply, “You think I’m treating you like a child then fine that’s what you’ll get. As of now, you’re no longer working with Radek. Any projects you were working on are on permanent hold. You are grounded; you study and leave the room only for meals. Your computer is also confiscated.”
“What?” Alisa yelled.
“If you’re bored, read a book,” Rodney snapped, “Major Sheppard has War and Peace with him. Borrow it.”
“This isn’t fair,” she cried.
“Tough,” Rodney turned away and headed to get cleaned up, “Go to bed. You now have a nine o’clock curfew as well.”
*********************************************
Rodney felt guilty for taking his bad temper out on Alisa but her bad mood had only heightened his own. They had similar temperaments so it was now a matter of time to see who cracked first and since Rodney had given in last time, he had no intention of backing down this time.
“You know I haven’t seen Alisa recently,” John noted as he entered the lab, “Something wrong?”
“Why would there be anything wrong?” Rodney muttered his eyes never leaving his computer.
John frowned, “Because she’s usually floating around.”
“Alisa is grounded at the moment,” Rodney told him sharply, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t do anything to undermine this.”
John looked a little confused and leaned against the bench, “What did she do?”
Rodney turned to him, his eyes flashing with anger, “It’s none of your business and unlike you I have work to do. Leave.”
Deciding to make a dignified exit; John nodded and slipped out of the lab, leaving Rodney alone.
John opened the door to Rodney and Alisa’s quarters; not surprised to find the teenager sitting, her nose buried in a book.
“You know Dad’ll go insane you’re here,” Alisa noted, looking up at him.
“Maybe,” John dropped to sit beside her, “Mind you, I’d prefer to find out what’s going on with you.”
“Nothing,” she snapped, looking back at her book.
“Both Dr’s Zelenka and Grodin don’t agree,” he replied, “You’ve been moping around for days now. And it’s not your normal personality.”
“What do you know…”
“Alisa,” John cut her off, “We have been here several months and I actually take note of the people around here. You are brilliant and bright but, unlike your father, you are also a cheery person.”
“Cheery?” Alisa looked at him bemused.
“Yeah cheery,” John grinned, “So, want to tell me why the little black cloud is hanging over your head?”
She dropped her eyes back to her book.
“Or better yet,” John continued, “You could tell your father.”
Alisa sighed, “I don’t know how.”
He squeezed her shoulder, “Alisa, I have never known anyone to have a relationship with a parent like you have with your dad. I could barely talk to mine. Just talk to him.”
Giving her shoulder another squeeze, John left her alone.
Alisa stood outside Rodney’s lab, trying to get the courage up to go in and talk to him. There were very few times she found it hard to talk to her Dad; most things were easy, the only things that weren’t had been things she’d talked to Diane about.
Finally she walked in and stood waiting to be noticed.
“Why are you here?” Rodney didn’t look up, “You’re meant to be studying.”
Alisa grimaced, she hated when he was angry at her.
“When you said you could contact Earth,” she blurted out before she could lose the nerve, “I was afraid.”
Rodney looked round at her, “Afraid of what?”
“That when you tell them about the Wraith, they’ll find a way to come here and I’ll be made to go home,” she sighed, dropping to sit on the stool.
Rodney frowned, “What makes you think that would happen?”
“Because,” Alisa said, slightly sharper than she meant, “They’re not going to let a kid stay somewhere so dangerous.”
“You know I…”
“Dad,” she cut him off, “You won’t be able to stop it and what’s more you know you wouldn’t want to leave everyone here without you to help save them.”
Rodney stared at her, knowing she was right and couldn’t find a way to refute her words.
“I’m sorry I was so bad tempered,” Alisa continued, “I just…I don’t want to be sent away from here and one day be contacted by someone from the SGC telling me you’re dead.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder, pulling her close to him, “Lissa, it’s not going to happen.”
Alisa glanced up at him, tears streaking her cheeks, “You can’t promise that.”
Rodney closed his eyes sadly as Alisa slipped away from him.
“Goodnight, Dad,” she sighed.
“Lissa,” Rodney called after her, “Go see Radek tomorrow morning,” he told her as she looked back, “You’re no longer grounded.”
She nodded silently before she left him alone, brooding over her fears which were now his.
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Fortune\'s Favor by Offworlder FAM
Winner of the Atlantis challenge for the December 2007 fic challenge contest.
Winner of the Atlantis challenge for the December 2007 fic challenge contest.
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