�P6M-681,� Jack replied. Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at him and he chuckled softly. �He�s wrapping up a relocation project with SG teams 4, 7, and 15. Something about a decaying lunar orbit or something� honestly I�ve been letting Hank deal with the day-to-day stuff around here for about a month so I�m not as up to speed as I�d like on where my people are. I�ll find out, though, and get back to you.�
Elizabeth shook her head. �That�s okay. There are just some artefacts and tablets that I thought he would be interested in looking at.�
�Are you kidding? Daniel actually tried to restrict himself to base until you guys got back so that he�d be here waiting when you came through the �Gate with all your Ancient doo-dads and whachmacallits. He�s gonna pout like a little kid when he finds out that the first mission he�s been on since we got back in touch with you guys happened at the same time that you got here,� Jack smiled. He genuinely liked Elizabeth, except for when she was lobbying to get Daniel onto the original expedition, and he was glad that she was safe. �You should go get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be another long day,� Jack said.
�When isn�t it?� Elizabeth asked ironically. �See you in the morning,� she called after Jack as he headed out the door. She looked over at John, who was still in his seat at the table, staring blankly at the stack of files in front of him. �John? Are you okay?� Elizabeth asked gently.
Sighing heavily, John pushed back from the table and grabbed the files. �Headache,� he confessed.
�Well, you did skip lunch� for some reason,� Elizabeth said. The role reversal is not lost on either of them�it�s usually John who is pestering her about skipping meals, among other things. �Why exactly did you decide that using the computer was more important than eating actual honest-to-god fresh food for the first time in months?�
John�s eyes met Elizabeth�s briefly. �I was trying to find Ford�s grandparents. But I couldn�t remember where he grew up. I�m not even sure I ever knew. I mean, he probably told me� but I obviously didn�t remember. It just got me thinking� I treated him like crap most of the time.�
�You treated him like he was a little brother, John, and Lieutenant Ford admired you more than you know,� Elizabeth said.
�Don�t,� John said sharply.
�Don�t what?� Elizabeth asked, confused.
John started moving toward the door. �Don�t talk about him in the past tense,� he said before leaving the room and disappearing into the maze of hallways that was the SGC.
Though the SGC commissary was hardly known for its gourmet cuisine, Sheppard had to admit that it had better coffee than Atlantis. Though, he supposed, that was probably because the coffee on Atlantis was weak instant crap while the SGC actually got fresh ground coffee beans. He wasn�t as much of a caffeine addict as McKay or Elizabeth, but John did like his coffee strong and hot, two things that the coffee back home�he wasn�t entirely sure when Atlantis became home, but it was�never managed to be.
�Mind if I join you?� a woman asked, jolting John out of his coffee-induced stupor.
Looking up, Sheppard smiled brightly at the familiar face. �Long time, Samantha,� he said, pushing a chair out with his foot. A second later the connection was made in his head. His Samantha was one and the same as Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, Rodney�s infamous brilliant tall blonde. Immediately he sat up straight, military training, something that he didn�t have to worry about much on Atlantis, kicking in. �Sorry. <i>Ma�am</i>,� he added. The last time he had seen her they had both been Captains, both freshly promoted. He wasn�t sure why he hadn�t seen her when he first came to Cheyenne Mountain, the same day that he first stepped through the Stargate ten months earlier, and he thought it was a little strange that he had never caught on to the fact that the Sam Carter he�d served with, she of the brilliant astrophysics mind, blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright smile, was the same Samantha Carter that Rodney McKay was constantly drooling over.