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It rolled carefully over the soft surface. Target Human One had spent 3.61 hours conducting focused labor in the local vicinity before departing for biological imperatives. An unknown factor here must be important. Target Human One's focus must be understood.

Obstacles required deployment of manipulative appendages. Alternate locomotion preserved specimens until importance could be determined.

Specimens were biological and not included in current databases. Further research would be required to determine strategic interventions.

Target Human One was returning. Return to surveillance mode was indicated.
#"Hi, I'm Tito Juarez, and for our cooking group today, we'll be making Buche de Noel, or Yule Log cakes."Lokusay clapped softly, excited to see nen medical mentor teaching something different to at least forty Atlantis expedition members. Beside nen Doestossay was all smiles, not just in support of their family friend, but because he had the greatest sweet tooth of anyone in their family.Spencer stood between those two and Ronon and Sawasay at a prep table in the auxiliary kitchen, just off the main prep kitchen for the mess hall. The tables were metal, but unlike the sterile white of a commercial kitchen on Earth, the walls were a warm yellow with orange and red patterns inset. The floor was the same red stone as the Gate room and seemed impossible to chip or scratch. There was a great deal of light, even at night when the skylights were dark, as wall sconces and ceiling fixtures ranged from the Ancient equivalent of clear glass to colorful crystal structures, a fantastical cross between chandeliers and inverted punch bowls.This was the largest community cooking night they'd hosted so far. It didn't have quite the inclusive, getting to know each other feel Spencer had originally promoted the series to create. But he was happy to see a mix of civilians and military, both Earth and Pegasus natives, had shown up.Projecting on the front wall a picture of a chocolate roll cake decorated to look like a log, Juarez said, "I should start by saying that my family has no known connection to France or French colonies, with which this recipe is usually associated. I think French cooking was popular in the United States when my mom was learning to cook, and she liked this cake. She wasn't Christian either, so we didn't particularly celebrate Christmas, the twelve days of Christmas, or even the Winter Solstice that various European countries seem to associate with Yule logs. But my mom raised me in Washington state, where the winters were cold and snowy. We burned wood in a fireplace, partly for heat and partly to enjoy watching the fire. I was the only child of a single mom, so I was the one who helped her make this cake at least once every winter. Today, I'm hoping all of you will help me make enough of these cakes to share with everyone at the Generic Winter Holiday Party in three days' time. We'll make enough extra for each of us to try a slice tonight."As they all started separating eggs, Lokusay said, "I don't understand the Generic Winter Holiday, Christmas, or Yule."Nen looked to Spencer who realized he couldn't separate eggs while focusing on his explanation. Luckily, Ronon turned out to be one of the best in the class at quickly and effectively separating yolks from whites. It probably had more to do with combat training and manual dexterity than Tracker gifts, but Spencer was never sure how Ronon did all that he did. Spencer's sensitivity to touch seemed to be a side effect of his Spirit Leader gifts and empathy, but it certainly didn't help him with the eggs. He was pleased to let Ronon take over Spencer's share of the eggs as the analyst concentrated on explaining Earth customs."The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice, happens when one of Earth's poles is tilted as far away from the sun as possible during its annual revolution. Can you guess what that would mean for those living in the hemisphere nearest that pole?"Sawasay answered without looking up from mixing egg yolks and sugar, "The longest night of the year. My people lit fires for it too, hidden from the Wraith of course."Thinking back to what Ronon had told him about fire being a symbol of peace on Sateda for reasons of visibility as well, Spencer promised himself he'd ask more later. "Right, so many peoples on Earth developed holidays near the Winter Solstice that involved fire, light, or warmth. Common elements also include sharing food, which might be limited for much of the winter, and socializing, which might be harder with snow on the ground or fewer hours of daylight. Celebrations of Yule in Northern Europe often involved burning an entire tree over the Twelve Nights of Christmas, starting with the largest end. The remains of one year's tree might be saved to start the fire the next year. In the Netherlands, I've read the remains were commonly stored under someone's bed all year.""Why twelve nights?" Doestossay asked after a break. He'd been beating egg whites and adding cream of tartar and then part of the sugar.A number of Pegasus peoples and some others had drifted over to listen and Spencer asked, "Would anyone who actually celebrated Twelfth Night like to explain this?"Parrish, who'd been working at a nearby table, had drawn closer when his apprentice, Doestossay, first asked the question. "I can share what I learned from my Catholic grandma, but I think this might be more confusing than not for anyone who didn't grow up knowing about Christmas.""Confusion is better than knowing nothing," Lokusay said while folding egg whites into a mixture of chocolate and egg yolks.Parrish smiled at nen and Doestossay who crowded close to watch over nen shoulder. "Well, my grandma believed that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was born in a manger on Christmas Eve, and a special bright star appeared that night over the manger. She had a miniature manger set up called a crèche. It was like a dollhouse version of a barn with little statue figures of baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, some shepherds, and animals gathered around. Christmas Day, when they celebrated the birth of Jesus, was the first of the twelve days of Christmas."Half of the room had quieted to listen to the story being told. Juarez interrupted at this point to lead them all in pouring the cake batter into shallow pans and placing them in the ovens around the edges of the room. Then he demonstrated how to make chocolate ganache frosting and set out to help various table groups with that as Parrish continued his story."As a child in my grandma's house, I was put in charge of three little statues that represented wise men from far away who were following the star to bring gifts to baby Jesus. On each of the twelve days of Christmas, I moved the wise men closer and closer to the crèche. Each day was also associated with a Catholic saint. I don't remember all the details now. I know on the second day we sang about Good King Wenceslas who looked out on the feast of St. Stephen. And the third day was for St. John the Apostle. On Twelfth Night we shared a special cake. It involved a lot of eggs like this. It was much denser than what we're making and involved bits of fruit and nuts. The next day was Epiphany when the wise men finally arrived at the manger and gave their gifts to Baby Jesus."Juarez joined their table then and said, "In Mexico, where some of my mother's family came from, they call it 'El Dia de los Reyes,' meaning 'The Day of the Three Kings' rather than Epiphany. There's a cake for that too, although I never learned to make it. The baker hides a little figure of the baby Jesus inside, and whoever gets that piece is supposed to be lucky or blessed for the year.""So that person kept the little Jesus statue for the next year's cake and someone else slept with a log under their bed to start the next year's Yule fire," Doestossay said very seriously before asking Parrish, "What did your grandma do with the barn dollhouse for the rest of the year?""We didn't have the Jesus figure in a cake or a Yule log. As for the crèche, I think she stored it in a box with the Christmas ornaments." Parrish was then asked to explain about Christmas ornaments and decorating a Christmas tree. Others told how their families had decorated and reminisced about various other Christmas traditions and gift giving. Still others mentioned Solstice, Kwanzaa, and started explaining Hanukkah, including Ashkenazi and Sephardic variants, by the time the cakes were cooled.Juarez demonstrated filling, rolling, and the basics of making frosting look like tree bark and left them all to their own creativity.Doestossay resumed the previous discussion by saying, "I understand that there are a lot of different groups on Earth that have a lot of stuff and different holidays. But what's the Generic Winter Holiday we're supposed to celebrate here in three days?""Oh, 'generic' means not specific," Spencer added, realizing they'd all been part of a group ramble that maybe skipped points that should have been covered earlier. "Woolsey wants everyone on Atlantis to be included and able to honor whatever holiday traditions they care about. It's common at many schools and workplaces, at least in the United States.""We bring burnol soup each year," one of the Athosian cooks offered while using a fork to decorate a log with very swirly bark. "It is a traditional food for the Athosian Winter Festival. Our people have long met midwinter with shared food and camaraderie around a fire. This seems to fit with many Earth traditions and their ideals for a Generic Winter Holiday Party.""Do any of your people have traditions or foods you'd like to add?" Spencer asked his pinta.Doestossay shivered, and Spencer guessed he'd triggered a negative memory. Lokusay passed Doestossay a spatula with frosting, pressing in close as nen did so. "In the hills, we spent the longest nights of the year reflecting on those around us. It could take a day or a season, but each person was expected to share some realization with every person they'd shared a connection with in the past year. Large or small, it had to be as true as possible. Sometimes people shared deep feelings they hadn't spoken before or made apologies. Other confessions were smaller, how much an artistic creation or a shared moment had touched someone. When I was a child, the stone carver once thanked me for bringing nen water on a warm day half a year before when nen had been caught up in nen work and become dehydrated, something I'd forgotten but was pleased to know an adult I cared about remembered.""Would you like to try that as a family or with our wider family of choice?" Spencer asked, intrigued by the idea but also a little intimidated."As with the 'nen' pronouns, others are more than welcome to adopt and share what I bring. I had already started those reflections for myself, and have written my realization for your mom."#
Spencer had arranged to take his new family to visit his Mom in early December, when he was granted his annual visit to Earth. He hadn't been sure how she'd react. With her schizophrenia, there were bad days and good days, even bad hours and good hours.

The first day, when Spencer called Bennington Sanitarium, Dr. Ghosh said Diana Reid was having a bad day, angry and isolated, and not open to even discussing visitors. He promised to do everything he could to prepare her for a visit the next day.

Instead, Spencer's pinta spent their first day on Earth touring the desert. He drove them out to the Valley of Fire State Park to show them the ochre red outcroppings that had fascinated him as a child, although he'd rarely been able to find a way out there. Then he took them to the fossil beds by Tule Springs, where Ronon proved adept at spotting fossils from small plants and animals while Spencer explained the large excavation pits where remnants of mammoths, lions, and camels had been found.

After a long discussion of large Earth animals, Spencer regretted not having a real zoo in Las Vegas, even though he was ambivalent about zoos in general. The best he could think of was the Secret Garden exhibit at the Mirage, which had lions, tiger, leopards, and what turned out to be the hit of the day, dolphins. It was a lot to absorb, and the whole family was exhausted by nighttime.

The next day when Spencer called Bennington, Dr. Ghosh said they could visit, because he knew it would be hard for them to stay another day, but he wasn't sure Diana was up to meeting so many new people. When they arrived, Dr. Ghosh met them in the lobby. It was large and airy. The white walls partially hidden by floral curtains and watercolor paintings. There were real flowers in large vases that covered some of the medical smells, although Spencer could see Ronon's nose twitch with his enhanced sense of smell.

Dr. Ghosh, in his tie and jacket, knew from Reid's past visits not to offer his hand to shake. "Dr. Reid, it's so nice that you and your family came all this way to visit."

Spencer wasn't sure where the psychiatrist had deduced they were visiting from. The small man looked at each new person with an analytic eye. Although Ronon and their pinta were all in jeans and tee shirts, Spencer knew they stood out as unusual, even discordant. Their body language read as foreign if not alien. Lokusay and Doestossay hovered beside each other, too close and too quiet for most young people their age. It was easy to imagine a professional reading Doestossay as anxious or recovering from trauma. Lokusay's calm might seem forced, or the product of years of therapy, given their association. Sawasay and Ronon both read as dangerous to Spencer's profiling eye, and he didn't want to know what Dr. Ghosh made of that combination. Spencer had his empathic shields firmly locked down for this visit.

It was the first time that Spencer had visited Bennington Sanitarium since he'd left Earth, the first time, and since he'd learned about his empathic and other gifts. Of course, he couldn't tell his mother he worked in another galaxy or about being a Spirit Leader, but in the letters he sent via Penelope, he'd been telling his mom about his relationship with Ronon for over a year. He'd explained what he could a couple months later about taking in a sixteen-year-old boy, Doestossay, who had been abused and orphaned. In letters she received almost daily, he'd described Lokusay and Sawasay as close friends of Doestossay who followed him to the military base where Spencer now worked and became part of his new family. It was surprising how much Spencer could share about his pinta, telling about each of their internships and mentors, even the neopronoun "nen" that both Lokusay and Sawasay used. All he had to leave out were references to other planets, gifts, and the Wraith.

"Diana is settled in the sun room for tea," Dr. Ghosh began. "I think it best to have your new family sit at a table nearby while you approach alone and make sure she is comfortable seeing you. Then you might be able to introduce the others one at a time. I'm sure you'll understand if meeting everyone is too much for her today? I'd hate for her to become overstressed and upset herself as well as ending your visit on a bad note."

"We understand," Spencer said. He felt a pulse of support through his bond with Ronon.

As they entered the sun room, which was a light and airy space with potted plants and pastel furniture, Dr. Ghosh settled the others at an empty table set with tea for four. Spencer approached his mother calmly, from a direction where she could easily see and identify him. He paused at a chair next to hers and asked, "May I join you?"

His mom scowled at him, bottom lip out, eyelids only half open. "You're not my son. He's stopped visiting me."

The words hit hard, crashed into Spencer as such moments always did. But he didn't clench his hands, didn't change his breathing. "Or he could have been far away and unable to visit for a while. You still receive his letters, don't you?"

"Letters about new people in his life—special people that he would have brought to visit by now if he was coming." Diana sipped her tea and her grip was steady, a good sign.

"Maybe he wrote about them because he couldn't bring them to visit right away. Wouldn't you want to meet his new family whenever they finally managed to visit?" Spencer asked calmly, but he saw his mother looking down, tightening her mouth.

"He wouldn't want them to see me like this, see me here."

Something older than the gifts he knew about stirred in Spencer. He couldn't let his mother believe that. It wasn't true. The least he could offer her was the comfort of his love and how proud he was to introduce her regardless of her disease or present state of mind. His shields cracked open, and he tried to project comfort and caring. Juarez had the better gift for that, but in this case Spencer's feelings were strong and sure.

Even as the shields opened he felt the nails on a chalkboard wrongness that he had first guessed as mental illness when faced with a confrontational elder on Shan Mal. At least his mother wasn't feeling combative. She was despairing. Even as Spencer sensed that, it shifted.

Diana looked up to meet Spencer's eyes. "You feel like my son."

Spencer froze. Could his mom perceive the comfort he was trying to broadcast? Was there something else she'd sensed from him before he'd known about his gift that was hidden with his empathic shields closed?

"Take my hand." His mom reached out.

Spencer knew it wouldn't feel good. Suddenly, he had a whole new understanding of his touch aversion. But he loved his mother and would endure a lot of pain if it meant she'd accept him again and possibly meet his family.

He stepped forward and reached out his hand.

The moment when they touched stung. He'd learned as a small child to hide his flinch at first contact, especially if he knew it was coming. The screeching unpleasantness in his mind didn't grow any worse with contact. Instead, his mother's despair reformed into a sort of hope.

"You really came," she said, pulling him down to sit beside her as she poured him a cup of tea. "Did you bring Ronon?"

"Yes, would you like to meet him?" She nodded and looked around. Her eyes flicked to the table where the big man sat with three adolescents. Some part of her must have been aware all along, but even now, she didn't let herself look at them for long.

"Ronon," Spencer said. He didn't need to raise his voice. The Tracker came to their table with as smooth of steps as anyone that size could manage.

"Mom, this is Ronon. Ronon Dex, this is my mother, Diana Reid."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Ronon said.

Diana glanced at him repeatedly but didn't meet his eyes. Finally, she motioned to a chair on the far side of Spencer. "You may sit there."

"Thank you," Ronon said. He spoke gently, without any sign of insult or sarcasm. Spencer knew Ronon would respect Diana and show her kindness whatever happened this visit.

"Ronon is a poet, Mom," Spencer tried to break the building silence.

"I know. A poet, warrior, tracker, from an almost vanished people. You've written about him enough. Your letters didn't capture quite how big he is. Do you find that more attractive?" His Mom met Spencer's eyes, searching there, even though she could barely look at Ronon.

"I don't think it matters what he looks like. I could never love anyone more," Spencer said.

"You were always such a romantic. Better suited to late 18th and early 19th century literature. Of course you'd marry a poet. You did marry him, didn't you?"

"I'm going to, mom," Spencer said. "I asked and he said yes."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I wanted you to meet him first."

Diana managed to look Ronon in the face, although not quite in the eyes. "As if I'd disapprove of someone you chose. I'm glad you finally found the right one."

"Thank you," Ronon said again. "I'll do my best to be worthy of your son."

"Oh, yes, he's a romantic as well. Are all the kids you took in like that, too?"

"Not all of them. Would you like to meet them and decide for yourself?"

"Call over Sawasay, nen sounds practical from what you wrote." Spencer was impressed that his mother remembered both Sawasay's name and pronoun and seemed to be processing her own deductions based on all he'd written.

Sawasay didn't pretend nen hadn't heard every word. Nen brought Ronon's tea cup as well as nen own and sat down beside him. "I am very pleased to meet you Elder Reid."

"Elder, I like that when you say it. Or you may all call me grandmother if you want. I'm not interested in the technicalities of adoption as Spencer describes them. He wrote to me about your family naming ceremony, and to me you all sound like grandkids. Although you are more grown up than most teenagers. Spencer was like that even when he first went to college. Are you smart like him?"

"I'm smart like myself."

"And you speak and read multiple languages, but only English that I know?"

"Yes, I read well enough to get by in five languages now." Sawasay didn't mention speaking, because nen mostly relied on Gate translation for that, but Spencer had carefully gone over with them all the things they couldn't even hint at while on Earth. Sawasay took it in stride, like an undercover assignment.

"You should consider French or Latin, or Mandarin if you're up for it. I regret not learning to read Mandarin."

"You still could, Mom," Spencer said, leaning forward.

"I'm old and don't get out much anymore. If someone moves here who reads and speaks it, I might bother, but I have enough to do now teaching literature in English to the few people here with the will to learn." Diana made a small flicking gesture with her hand and said, "Call over the other two. I wouldn't want one of them left sitting alone."

Doestossay brought the remaining two tea cups. He took the chair beside Sawasay and met Diana's eyes to say, "Grandmother, I am Doestossay."

Lokusay knelt beside Diana's chair holding out a small piece of embroidery. "Please accept this gift I made for you as the source of our family. It can be worn as a bracelet or used as a bookmark."

Diana reached out a hand to gently tough Lokusay's cheek. "Spencer wrote about your embroidery, Lokusay, about the bracelets you made for your family naming ceremony. Will you fasten this bracelet for me?" With that she moved her hand so her wrist was level with where Lokusay held the bracelet, and let nen tie it on. Then she nudged Lokusay toward the chair on the other side of her from Spencer. "Now sit and explain what this bracelet means."

Keeping a gentle hold beneath Diana's wrist, Lokusay sat on the offered chair. "The silver triangle at the end represents you. I will add it to the other bracelets now that you've accepted us as family. The black and white lines through the center are for Spencer and Ronon. The eight bright colors that zigzag beneath represent your grandchildren."

"You think there will be more?" Diana asked.

Lokusay answered, "I believe so."

"Thank you," Diana said. Then she cocked her head and asked, "Was there something else?"

"I wondered if you'd like to see something I translated into English. It's something my people say about family, but as Spencer probably told you, we don't have a written language. I probably should have written or printed it on paper to give you, but I have it on my tablet if you'd like to read it."

Lokusay pulled out a device that was clearly an Ancient hand scanner, although it could perhaps pass as some Earth technology a teenager might have. Nonetheless, they would all get into trouble if anyone found out Lokusay had taken it from Atlantis, let alone showed it around on Earth. Spencer's empathic shields were open just enough, from trying to comfort his mother, that he felt Lokusay's apprehension and guilt even as nen handed the device to his mother, nen new grandmother.

"Oh," Diana said, "This is nice. I usually don't like reading from a screen, but this feels more familiar, like a good book. Perhaps it's because you wrote this translation." As Diana read silently, Spencer watched and wondered.

Lokusay didn't take pride in nen honesty and openness the way Doestossay did, but nen was cautious and wouldn't have taken such a risk without reason. If anything, nen had probably kept whatever nen was doing secret from the rest of them to prevent them from getting in trouble as well. It didn't take long for Spencer to surmise that Lokusay was using an Ancient medical scanner to see if Ancient tech could help Diana in some way. Whatever Lokusay had typed and displayed on the screen—probably something nen people said about family just as nen had promised—it was an excuse to have Diana hold the device. Spencer swallowed hard and tried not to hope, even as he felt the scrape of his mother's mental illness through his gift.

"That's very sweet," Diana said, "not quite my usual taste in literature, but it's probably the only work first translated just for me. Thank you." She handed the device back to Lokusay and turned her attention on Doestossay. "And what about you, young man? I hear you’re an aspiring botanist?"

Spencer paid more attention to Lokusay, subtly tapping at the device on nen lap, than to the conversation about gardening between his mom and his son, although he was warmed by how easily they spoke to each other. Spencer told himself this was a good day, no matter what Lokusay found. Nonetheless, when nen looked up and met his eyes, nen must have seen the hope there. Lokusay shook nen head almost imperceptibly, and Spencer's hopes crashed to the bottom of his stomach.

"Are you all right, Spencer?" his mother asked.

A pulse of concern pushed through his bond with Ronon. Rather than close his empathy off to his mom, Spencer refocused on how much he loved her and wanted to be a comfort to her. He covered the sorrow that almost brought tears to his eyes with his long term devotion and desire to make this a good day for his entire family. "I'm fine, Mom. Should I pour you some more tea?"

"I'd rather we take a walk in the garden. Your son says he doesn't know most of the plants growing here."

It was a beautiful day for winter in Las Vegas. The gardeners at Bennington did the best they could with the local climate as they grew beautiful roses, orchids, and what his mom called "a pale evening primrose."

When Spencer sensed, both empathically and with his training in observation, that his mother was tiring, he suggested that it was time to leave.

"You're right, we should end on a good note," she said. "But first, I want a picture. You sent me some with all of you as a family, but as Lokusay showed me, I'm part of your family now."

One of the discreetly observant staff quickly volunteered to take a picture for them with the garden as a backdrop.

Then Lokusay asked, "Would it be okay if I practice writing to you in English?"

"And any other language I know that you happen to learn," Diana added, taking both of Lokusay's hands into hers. "I'll do my best to write back, but I know from Spencer's correspondence that you receive mail in fits and starts sometimes." Then she turned to Ronon, whom she had barely spoken to throughout the visit. She met his eyes and reached a hand out to rest on his shoulder. "I don't know where you came for or what you've done in the past, but I am trusting you to be good to my son and my new family."

"I will do my best," Ronon said.

"That should be enough."

On the way back to the car, Lokusay slipped in beside Spencer and quietly said, "There are times as a healer when I have to accept I can't help someone. I'm sorry."

It still hurt, a lot, but Spencer had resigned himself to the facts of his mom's illness years before. He'd had to repeat the effort again today, but it was better that he hadn't had time to build up his hopes. With his shield still partially open, he could feel Lokusay's more professionally distant disappointment, but also nen heartfelt concern for nen new grandmother. "I very much appreciate that you tried."

"If it matters to you at all," Lokusay continued, "she has the strong natural ATA gene, so you probably inherited that from her. You've given her grandkids and provided her a comfortable place to live. And now she'll also have me writing her letters, which I think we'll both enjoy."
#"Did you want to know what realization I shared with your mom," Lokusay asked as Doestossay put a final swirl at the end of their final log cake, "or did you already see it on my desk?"Tamping down his remembered emotions and focusing back on the present, Spencer said, "I haven't had reason to be in your room, and I'd try very hard not to read your personal correspondence in any case.""That's what I thought," Lokusay said. "Except my letter was shifted to the side yesterday while Doestossay and I were both at work. I can't help wondering why."Spencer looked to Ronon and Sawasay on his far side, who both shrugged.Lokusay sighed and picked up a cloth to tidy their work area. "I wouldn't mind if any of you went in there, but I'd like to know if it happens." Then nen focused nen eyes and attention on Spencer. "Anyway, the realization I shared is that I never thought of anyone as a grandparent before. The closest words in my language are more general, like ancestor or elder. I couldn't miss having a grandparent because the idea never occurred to me, but now I truly value having one. Aside from enjoying the relationship for its own sake, I feel connected to her through my connection to you and how she extends her caring for you to include me a little bit, too."Spencer had never known his own grandparents. He'd grown up with the concept and sometimes wished for one. Now that turned on its head as he imagined finding a grandparent before fully absorbing the concept. He reached out to Lokusay and pulled nen into a slow and gentle hug. "Thank you."#The next afternoon, Dr. Parrish radioed both Spencer and Ronon. "Could you please come to the greenhouse? Now?" The botanist rambled on in his own relatively low key way, "The one Doestossay's in charge of, not the new community one. You know where I mean. Hopefully you can explain whatever going on, because Lorax and I are stumped."By the time they arrived, Parrish was nowhere to be seen. Doestossay was on his knees by one of the lowest planters."What happened?" Ronon asked.Doestossay only pointed mutely between two rows of tomato plants where some ferny wisps and leafy greens grew.As Ronon pressed in for a closer look, and probably a deep sniff with his Tracker senses, Spencer asked, "Where's Parrish?""He says Lorax doesn't care if it's animal, mineral, or spirit. So long as it's not a plant and not bothering the plants, he doesn't mind." Doestossay was still staring at the soil, where Spencer did see an irregular line in the dirt and then a few odd divots or holes.Not knowing what to make of the markings he asked, "So Parrish left?""I told him I could take care of this," Doestossay hesitated before adding, "but I wouldn't mind your help. Not as parents. But as Consulting Detective and Tracker."At that Ronon pulled back. "I only smell plants, and the metal and oil of your weeding bots and irrigation system. I guess an animal smell could be hidden by that, but I doubt it.""What about the tracks? That looks like a tail dragged through the dirt to me." Doestossay pointed."I would have guessed a snake, but the trail disappears where these fragile leaves are." Ronon's eyebrows pulled in as he studied the tracks. "You think an animal would lift up its tail to not hurt the plants?""Maybe," Doestossay said, not sounding at all sure of himself. Spencer stepped closer telling himself it wasn't parental, just familiar. Doestossay relaxed into his side. "If carrot tops and leafy greens were wet, it might not like the feel on its tail? Or maybe they made a sound it didn't like?""The footprints are tiny for something that could step over those leaves. It would have to have long skinny legs." Ronon pointed out each divot he saw."Like a giant insect?" Spencer asked.Doestossay tensed against him. "A lot of insects eat plants.""Did you see any sign of that?" Doestossay shook his head, and Spencer said, "Evidently, neither did Lorax."Both Doestossay and Ronon looked around intently, searching far and wide from where the tracks had been. Spencer tried to look too, but realized he was probably the least trained for spotting clues of natural threats in a vegetable patch. Instead, he took pictures with his tablet and collected a soil sample, as he would at a crime scene."Nothing else," Ronon came back to Spencer to report.Looking much calmer and almost relaxed back to normal, Doestossay came to stand between them. "I should have trusted Parrish and Lorax when they said it wasn't a problem.""For the plants," Spencer said. "That doesn't mean it couldn't be a problem some other way or for you. It's good that you called us to investigate. Will it be okay if we check elsewhere and maybe back here a few times?"Doestossay looked at him sideways, clearly aware that Spencer was trying to navigate his welcome as Consulting Detective without overstepping as a parent."Okay, I'll let you know if anything new shows up.""Even if it seems unrelated." Spencer pushed a bit, more concerned for his son's safety than being subtle."I'll also let you know if any flying bots show up with spray paint or any other scientists start acting crazy." Doestossay smiled at his own joke.The analyst decided being able to joke about the last problems involving the greenhouse was better than Spencer could have done in Doestossay's place. "Okay, thanks for showing us.""Some of the yellow fruit in the corner is ripe," Ronon said as they left. "Smells good.""Yellow cherry tomatoes. I was just about to harvest them." Doestossay smiled and waved them away.#That evening their family met for dinner in the dining hall. It was "taco today," as the Lanteans had long ago given up on day of the week specific menu items. Lokusay and Doestossay had both piled their plates high with their customized versions of taco salad. Ronon had overloaded half a dozen hard taco shells, and Sawasay had taken a similar approach with soft tortillas. Spencer wrapped his beans, meat, cheese and salsa in a tortilla envelop to form something resembling a burrito, and then added salad ingredients including yellow cherry tomatoes on the side. They all sat down together with room at their table for others to join them."How was your afternoon?" Spencer asked Doestossay."Good. The squash and beans are happy with the new layered garden bed and trellis I set up. The leafy greens and peppers did better than before. And well, you saw the weird animal tracks.""Nothing new showed up again?" Ronon asked around his food."Nope," Doestossay answered and then quickly changed the subject. "I also thought of a winter tradition my mom and some of my people had, if you want to know."Their whole family hushed a bit, all attuned to Doestossay's previous discomfort with the topic and general reluctance to speak of his planet or people of origin.Into that silence blundered McKay and Sheppard."Because of course thinking to check the circuit is grounded before testing a recently discovered Ancient device is asking too much of a Harvard man with a degree in electrical engineering." McKay stretched the first syllable of "Harvard" in a mocking way before nen sat with nen tray and asked the table at large, "Why'd you all go silent? We're you gossiping or planning holiday gifts for us?""Don't flatter yourself," Sawasay said, using the Earth idiom in English, rather than relying on Gate translation. Spencer assumed nen picked the response up from nen work with the military."Doestossay was going to tell us something about winter traditions." Lokusay moved closer to Doestossay as nen spoke and prompted, "If you're still willing?""Yeah, sure," he said nervously. "My mom only took me once, but I think other people went every year. It was like a pilgrimage to these hot springs, maybe two or three hours walk away. I was still very young, but I remember lots of kids going. Everyone seemed happy walking together in a big noisy group. When we reached the hot springs, everyone soaked for a bit. When kids got too hot they'd run around until they were cold and jump back in. Some of the adults set up food to steam over little cracks with really hot water underneath. There was a larger pool with cooler water where some tiny kids tried to swim, or learn to swim, but it was only two adult body length across and only chest deep, so no use for real swimming. I never wanted to leave the warm pool. I'd been cold all winter, and at that age, I thought I could store the heat in my bones. I hoped I could store enough for a few days, but I was cold again by the time we walked all the way home. It was worth it though, and I would have gone again. But my mother was sick the next winter and then dead.""Your holiday tradition is to hot tub?" McKay asked."I'm sorry about your mother," Sheppard shifted uncomfortably before stilling himself into better than usual posture.Lokusay already had nen arm around Doestossay's back.Spencer said, "I appreciate you telling us," just as Ronon said, "Glad you had that day."Then Sawasay reached nen glass of water across the table to tap against Doestossay's glass of juice, "To your mom and happy memories." Others around the table tapped glasses.Only then did Spencer realize that everyone in his family was nearly finished eating. Even McKay and Sheppard who'd sat down later had mostly emptied their plates. As Spencer finished up, Sawasay began to tell nen own story."We had something like a family reunion when the ground froze hard. We'd all move to these caves where you could light a fire deep inside to be almost invisible but still vent the smoke through cracks in the rock. The entrances were easy to defend, so mostly it was a time for everyone to talk. Lots of partnering and what you'd call weddings happened there. It was all dark, warm, and crowded—pretty much the opposite of your wedding on Earth."Spencer tried to laugh, but the memory was too fresh and detailed in his mind.#
After visiting his mom, their family had flown to Washington DC, where gay marriage was legal even if parts of the country were still struggling with the definition of marriage. Lorne had helped Spencer arrange for a marriage license, adoption papers, changes to his will, and documentation for his pinta. General O'Neill arranged for them to stay in a house with a large back deck and a small lawn that was reserved for visiting personnel from Stargate Command. He claimed it was his way of keeping them out of trouble, but Spencer knew it was the perfect spot to host a small wedding and reception.

When Spencer called Penelope, she answered with, "That General, O'Neill called to say they issued you this cell phone and that our team was being called into DC tomorrow. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, no trouble. Don't worry." Ronon looped an arm around Spencer's shoulders and their pinta stopped exploring the house to listen. "He didn't call them off a case, did he?"

"No, they were flying home anyway. Now tell me, brainiac with the brawniest boyfriend, what's happening in DC tomorrow?"

Spencer closed his eyes tight, caught between amused and embarrassed. "Actually, I'm getting married. Will you come to my wedding?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Penelope's excitement, and volume, grew with each repetition, until Spencer was holding the phone at half an arm's length and Ronon was glaring at it. "I take it the whole team is invited. Not sure we can get the families on such short notice. Will your pinta be there?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Spencer echoed back.

"How formal is it. What time? Where?"

"Um, Ronon and I are wearing suits. I don't really care what anyone else wears. We're having it at noon on the back deck of the house were staying at, unless it rains." He gave her the address.

"I'm sure Rossi would host it, if you wanted."

"It's not legal in Virginia." Spencer had tried to explain the everchanging mishmash of laws and jurisdictions to his pinta, but even Lokusay found the subject frustrating when placed beside everything else they'd learned about Earth.

"Oh phooey, stupid people." Penelope sounded disappointed with humanity for the length of a sentence and a sigh. "Do you have caterers? Bakers?"

"Nothing that elaborate. O'Neill said he'd bring steaks to bar-be-que and take care of any needed details."

"Can I make the cake? Please?" Penelope spoke faster and faster as she got wound up, "I'll make purple flowers. Wait, do you have colors for this wedding? I can't imagine O'Neill is planning for flowers."

"We just want to get married. The rest doesn't matter, although I'd never say no to your cake."

"Let me talk to botany boy. Is his name pronounced Does-toss-say?"

Spencer looked at his son who along with the rest of their family had stopped whatever else they'd been doing to watch Spencer try to keep up with Penelope's questions on the phone. "Yeah, well, he's not from around here. He won't know the same flowers."

"We'll work it out. Let me talk to your son. Please?" Spencer had never known how to say no to that tone.

"Doestossay, are you up for speaking to Penelope? Probably about flowers?"

Doestossay hesitantly reached for the phone, "Yes?"

Spencer could hear Penelope squeal and gush while Doestossay just smiled and wrinkled his forehead. Then he was walking toward the sliding glass doors that looked out on the deck and describing the yard to Penelope.

"Let it go," Ronon said. Then he kissed Spencer just seriously enough to distract him from wedding plans and whatever was being decided over the phone.

#

By noon the next day they had a house filled with purple statice and red roses, a two tier cake made by Penelope with frosting flowers to match the real ones, and Sawasay had developed an unexpected skill with streamers and ribbons.

O'Neill showed up with beer, a bag full of deli side dishes, and with Dr. Jackson carrying a cooler full of steaks. "Okay campers, stay away from my bar-be-que and we won't have any trouble."

"Congratulations," was all Jackson said.

Then Penelope was back, having gone home to change after setting up cake, flowers and other decorations that morning. She showed Spencer an opaque white Tupperware saying, "This will be in your refrigerator for your family to enjoy later. I made you an extra cake since I didn't have time to shop for a real present. But I reserve the right to send a real present later when I find just the right thing." She dashed off to the kitchen in a whirl of pink and lavender, clearly chosen to complement the wedding colors.

Morgan followed her in and greeted Spencer with a hug and a thump on the back, "It's really good to see you again, pretty boy." Then he glanced over Spencer's shoulder. "This must be your new family."

Doestossay perched on the back of a couch, his sand-colored tunic top bunched up around his hips, matching pajama style pants underneath. Lokusay and Sawasay stood to either side of him, wearing similar light colored tunic-style tops and pants. Lokusay had embroidered a larger and more complicated version of the pattern from their bracelets around every hem with twists and loops around the necks. Each tunic had two large pockets, and while Doestossay's were empty, Lokusay's and Sawasay's were stuffed full and weighed down their tunics.

Morgan stepped forward saying, "Did one of you make those tops? Spencer wrote about one of you doing embroidery."

By then Penelope was back and pulling a handful of rubber ducks from her purse. "These aren't wedding presents either, but everyone needs their own rubber duck, especially while traveling. This one is for Doestossay." She handed him a yellow duck holding a flower, and he smiled at her with the bemused semi-startled look that had become his default with Penelope. "This is for Sawasay." She gave nen a mostly black ninja duck. "And Lokusay." Nen received a rubbed duck in doctor attire with a stethoscope. "Yours has an open book, of course." She'd somehow found a purple reading duck. "And this is for Ronon, the love of your life." Ronon's duck had a big red heart on its chest.

Penelope hugged Ronon squealing, "I'm so happy you're together and you came to share this with us!" Ronon hugged back easily. Then Penelope hugged Spencer for the fifth or sixth time that day before joining Morgan who was listening to Lokusay explain embroidery the way he used to listen to Spencer describe linguistics. At least he was smiling.

Hotch, Rossi, JJ, and Emily all arrived together. Hotch spoke first, "I'm so sorry Jack couldn't make it. Scheduling has been crazy for the whole team lately, and I couldn't pull him out of school, even for this. But he included a picture with our card." Spencer accepted the envelope Hotch handed him with a smile.

"Ronon, you sure look nice in a suit," JJ complimented, clearly on better behavior than the last time they'd met. "And Spencer, I'm so happy for you." She set a nearly cubic box on a nearby end table and gave Spencer a careful hug.

Emily set down a smaller box saying, "I didn't have much time to shop, but I'm glad you invited us to your wedding." She sounded detached and insincere, but Spencer didn't want to deal with his gift or digging too deep into anyone's drama today. He just smiled and said thank you to them all.

As they wandered en masse out to the deck, Rossi placed a hand on Spencer's shoulder and said, "I wanted to offer you a honeymoon trip, but I know you're with your kids and probably have a ton of travel restrictions already. So I'm giving you a travel voucher for the company that handles my book tours. They're used to dealing with last minute changes in schedule, and I know they'll take good care of you, even if it takes a year or two for you to call them. The voucher doesn't expire. Meanwhile, if you want me to host your kids tonight so you and Ronon can have this place to yourselves, I promise not to ask them any trick questions or profile too much that they're not allowed to tell." He smiled deviously as he slipped his envelope to Spencer.

"Thanks, Rossi, I know you mean well, but this is their first time in the US."

"Don't say no until after the wedding. Wedding days never go quite the way you plan. I should know, I've had enough of them." Rossi winked but let it go.

They arrived to a near silent deck where everyone was watching Sawasay juggle three rubber ducks. "Toss me yours," nen called to Spencer. He did his best to toss high and soft, and Sawasay adjusted to include it in nen pattern.

Ronon said, "Ready for one more?" His toss fell perfectly into the pattern, as it always did. The ducks were a nice change from the time Sawasay demonstrated with knives and let Ronon toss in the fourth and fifth.

When nen caught all the ducks with a flourish, Morgan said, "That's definitely your Vegas kid."

"And Doestossay helped me with flowers," Penelope said, "but he's really more into vegetables. Tell us how you made the squash monster for Halloween. We all saw the picture."

Doestossay stood up tall and looked between the unfamiliar adults as if he were interviewing for a coveted position. "First, Spencer explained about Jack-o-lanterns. Then we each selected a squash or gourd to carve. As you saw, I chose the lumpiest, sallowest gourd available. The face I carved was silly and lopsided. But there was enough room at the bottom for soil, and I realized a fuzzy, viney plant I'd gathered seeds for could start there as easily as in any other pot. Then I did what I could with fertilizer, water, and the best spot in the sun to help it grow before Halloween. The vines grew fast and I guided them with a small structure of props to pour from the nose and eyes until they could reach the top."

"Wow, I'm learning from you almost as randomly as I learned from my original font of fantabulous knowledge. You are righteously carrying on his genius." Penelope bounced on her heels as she smiled at their son. Spencer warmed with pride but also felt uncomfortable, as if he were being given partial credit for something that was all Doestossay's doing.

Then O'Neill called out, "Steaks on! And I'm sending you a grill as a wedding gift. Sawasay tells me she can slaughter and dress herd beasts for you, and now she knows how to grill them."

"Nen pronouns," Jackson said.

"Crap, I owe him twenty bucks." O'Neill winked at Sawasay. "Danny-boy said I'd screw it up before the wedding, but I thought I'd be too busy with the steaks." Then twice as loud the General shouted, "Nen has learned my secrets for bar-be-que, now come and taste the best steaks around."

When Spencer held out a plate for his steak, O'Neill said, "Anything you need changed from the standard ceremony, other than using your own vows? I don't have to worry about pronouns with that, do I?"

"Are you officiating at our ceremony?" Spencer asked. He'd wondered when the General said he'd take care of everything and pretty much invited himself and Jackson.

"It's my legal right." Then soto voce he said, "Don't think you're the first in the program to marry an alien." In a more bored tone he said, "We've got the license and all the other papers to sign in the briefcase over there. Feel free to take care of that now or later. We've got all day."

Spencer couldn't resist checking every word, so he snuck off with his food and the paperwork for five minutes alone in the kitchen. He only need Ronon and witnesses for one page, so that took a matter of seconds. Then he rejoined the party to finish his steak and check out the side dishes.

#

They'd decided to walk out together as a family, with Penelope leading in her purple and pink frills, scattering the purple and red flower petals she'd provided. Spencer and Ronon wore sashes over their shoulders that Lokusay had embroidered for each of them that matched the embroidered trim on the tunic style tops the three pinta had been wearing all day. They lined up in front of O'Neill with Spencer and Ronon in the middle, Lokusay and Penelope by Spencer's side, and Doestossay and Sawasay beside Ronon.

O'Neill began with, "Friends and anyone else privileged to eat my steaks…" He kept his address light and short ending with, "We can seem like freaking aliens to each other, but in the end, people still fall in love and want to get married. You have your own vows?"

As he had when they first exchanged vows in front of their team on Atlantis, but only in English this time, Spencer said, " I declare my intent to keep Ronon Dex as my own, to value him in all ways, and to show him care every day of his life, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health."

Ronon repeated the same words back, but much more slowly and with a look in his eyes that made Spencer want to skip to the end and kiss him right away.

Almost as an aside O'Neill said, "I'm guessing no one here wants to give me reason not to marry these two right now?"

The next thing Spencer knew, Sawasay had leaped from Ronon's side diagonally across the yard. A kick to Emily's gut had the profiler keeling forward. Sawasay's hand came up fast and sure to strike Emily in the head.

Just like that Emily was face down on the deck.

Sawasay had her pinned and was immobilizing her neck at two points.

Ronon had shoved Spencer halfway behind him and pulled a knife, but hesitated.

That's when Spencer noticed Doestossay moving in a way not at all like himself. He'd picked up a steak knife from the buffet and was lowering it to the base of Emily's neck when two voices sounded simultaneously.

"FBI, drop your weapon." Hotch had evidently come armed and fallen back on familiar training. Spencer hoped his former boss wouldn't shoot his son, even if someone else from the cluster was using Doestossay's body for something Spencer didn't understand.

O'Neill also had a gun pointed and sounded much closer to the edge and to shooting when he said, "Stop or you're dead."

It was Lokusay, still standing between Penelope and Spencer but now holding the Ancient medical scanner out in the open who said, "The symbiote will release a fatal toxin if they don't cut it out now."

Daniel Jackson from the back of the little crowd spoke with an empathic authority that Spencer strongly suspected was a gift, "Let them cut it out."

One shallow flick of the knife far too close to Emily's spine opened a slit that bled red. Spencer pushed back hard on the memories and associations in his head that would have had him screaming at anyone but his own pinta taking this action. The next jab skewered a fat worm with four tentacles or maybe teeth sticking out of one end. It bled blue around the knife.

Doestossay sank back on his knees staring at the thing as its blue blood dripped down. Lokusay moved to kneel beside him and looped an arm around his waist as nen said, "I need a medical kit, fast"—then in a much softer tone—"It's okay, Doestossay, you're with me now and we did exactly what needed to be done."

JJ said, "Call 911."

O'Neill snapped, "Belay that." He pulled out his phone in place of his gun and said almost immediately, "Med team to safe house, minimal cover."

Jackson came forward with a hastily emptied Tupperware and said to Doestossay, "Please, let me take that."

Doestossay dropped both knife and worm creature into the Tupperware from his suddenly limp hand. Lokusay pulled him into a tight hug as Sawasay hissed at nen, "Scan everyone."

"I did, they're clear." Hearing Lokusay say it aloud, even as Sawasay crouched over Emily meeting everyone's suspicious eyes with nen sternest, most military glare, snapped Spencer into action.

"Is Emily going to be okay?" Spencer looked to Sawasay for answers. He put an awkward arm around Penelope who he only then noticed was crying beside him. Ronon moved to a defensible position behind them, no doubt still holding at least one knife.

"We think so. The symbiote came out whole without releasing toxin." Sawasay said.

Lokusay added, "My scans say her nerves and spine are fine right now. But I need to clean and suture the wound and then probably immobilize her neck for a while."

"I'll take care of that." Dr. Lam walked out the backdoor of the safe house. Two medics behind her carried a stretcher, back board, and neck brace. O'Neill must have communicated more about the situation while Spencer was distracted, and someone had decided beaming Dr. Lam into their safe house was the optimal solution.

"I'm staying with her," Hotch said. "I believe I have the clearance."

O'Neill grunted, "Jackson, too, with his show and tell item." Then he turned and swept his eyes across the guests, now whispering in various states of shock and dismay. "You all know I can't tell you shit." He turned to Spencer, eyes flicking back to Ronon behind him. "And you know the odds of rescheduling this wedding once we clear all this up. So the question is, do you still want to get married here and now?"

Their pinta stood as one. It was Lokusay who said, "We're here for you and want what you want. Even Doestossay will be fine, if you want to go ahead."

Doestossay sniffed loudly and Rossi handed him a handkerchief. When Rossi saw the boy's blank look he said, "You can use it to clean up your face and blow your nose. Don't bother giving it back to me afterward."

As Emily was carried away on a stretcher with Hotch and Jackson trailing, Doestossay did as instructed and shoving the used handkerchief into a pocket on his tunic. Then he looked up at Spencer with a teary smile that seemed surprisingly real. Spencer open his empathic shield just enough to know everyone was calming down. His pinta were shaken but okay. Ronon and Penelope each broadcast their own versions of hope. Penelope had her own lacy handkerchief in one hand and a small mirror in the other. She'd cleaned up well from her tears and blinked brightly at Spencer.

Reaching out for Ronon, whose hands no longer held a knife, Spencer said, "Could I please marry this man?"

"Does someone still have the rings?" O'Neill asked.

Sawasay produced them on cue as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Their exchange was silent and a bit more solemn than they had planned. The rings and the Earth marriage were only one more layer built on top of what they already had. But Spencer felt his ring slide past each knuckle. Then he watched as Ronon's slid down each joint to where it was meant to be.

O'Neill said, "I pronounce you married."

Their kiss and the tug on their bond was as strong as Spencer could have imagined.

#

"I must insist again that we question the suspects one at a time," a gray haired military man wearing the two stars of a major general said.

Stopping in the conference room doorway, Spencer and Ronon stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking their family and the SGC escort behind them.
"Which part having no right without our permission to question a witness who is a minor do you not understand?" Spencer asked.
"He's a suspect in an assault on a federal agent, and I can ask a judge for permission if I need to," the unknown man said.

"We're leaving," Ronon said. "Diplomatic immunity."

"Wait," Daniel Jackson rose from his chair beside the general with both hands in the air. Turning to the man next to him he said, "General Margolin, you are present as an observer and liaison between SGC and FBI. We've already agreed to meet with their entire family at once, because our analysts are very familiar with the paperwork surrounding these diplomatic guests who agreed to share their invaluable knowledge with us."

"Don't think I'm intimidated by your reputation or O'Neill's," Margolin said.

"I'm not interested in anyone in this meeting being intimidated by anyone else," Jackson replied in a steady voice. "Now if Specialist Ronon Reid Dex and Dr. Spencer Dex Reid would kindly bring their family in, I'll introduce for the record Doestossay, Lokusay, and Sawasay Dex. Also here with me today is Dr. Nayyar, the exobiologist taking charge of the scientific part off this investigation on behalf of the SGC and NIH."

Once they were all seated with the teens between Spencer and Ronon, Jackson asked, "How much do any of you know about Goa'uld symbiotes?"

Spencer had been expecting that question and took the lead in answering. "I came across reports on them when I accepted the position of Consulting Detective on Atlantis. The only sketch I saw was of a snake over a foot long with a large fin on its back and a much more developed jaw than what I saw today."

Ronon volunteered. "Helped take down Caldwell. Never saw what was inside."

"Any of you?" Jackson prompted their pinta.

"Not by name or the description just given, sir," Sawasay answered. "I had heard stories of a symbiotic species called taff that embedded itself in the neck of a larger organism and could cause a person or animal's eyes to flash gold in moments of startle or strong emotion. I had told the stories I'd heard to both Doestossay and Lokusay, including the need to remove the symbiote immediately if spotted in any species normally capable of planning. It is believed that the memory, learning, and health effects of these symbiotes can be dangerous in any species with that level of intelligence."

"Doestossay, you knew where to cut, had you done that before?" Jackson asked, not unkindly, but Spencer knew the scientist was only an ally of convenience in this.

"Never." Doestossay paled and looked at his hands. "But Sawasay had shown us where by pointing on nen own neck when sharing the story. I've cut parasites out of plants before, so I did the best I could." He swallowed, and even if the lie was obvious to Spencer without his gift, he hoped no one else would look too closely at his usually guileless son.

Lokusay started speaking, possibly to distract from Doestossay. As nen sat forward their knees pressed together, and Doestossay was partially hidden behind nen. "I confirmed the parasite was there with an Ancient scanner before Doestossay operated. I would have made the incision myself, but I was the only one who knew how to use the scanner. I had to check everyone else, because in humans or other capable hosts, the symbiotes are said to form alliances and work together."

General Margolin coughed loud and sharp. "You were all so sure of this without ever seeing such a creature before? Your first choice of action was to attack an FBI agent?"

"The symbiote knew I was looking straight at Emily when her eyes flashed. It would have killed her, caused her to attack us, or fled if I hadn't acted immediately, sir," Sawasay said.

"Made the right call." Ronon crossed his arms and glared at the general.

"That's still to be determined," Margolin said. "What's considered reasonable behavior in the Pegasus Galaxy—"

"Let us survive the Wraith," Ronon finished.

"As an exobiologist, I think we should focus on learning as much as we can about the nature of this new threat." Dr. Nayyar was small, but she spoke clearly and slowly, as one who expected others to listen but possibly not understand. "Our very preliminary analysis suggests what you call taff might be primitive predecessors of the Goa'uld symbiotes. As with the primordial Goa'uld Jackson found on P3X-888, the taff do not contain naquadah, so detection methods based on that attribute will not work. We need to know more about their ecological niche in Pegasus, how widespread they are, and how one ended up in Agent Emily Prentiss on Earth."

"Someone should ask McKay if they're one of the risks the Atlantis Gate scans for," Spencer suggested.

Jackson nodded and wrote a note.

"I gave Dr. Lim all the scanner information, and she has the one we caught," Lokusay said.

"I'll have the information you collected sent to McKay right away." Jackson made another note.

Colonel Margolin sat forward in his seat. "And why did you have that Ancient medical scanner on Earth?"

Lokusay glanced apologetically at Spencer, but he'd told nen ahead of time to tell the truth if asked. "Our other visit on Earth was to see my new grandmother, who is very sick. I brought the Ancient scanner without telling my mentors or family in case I could help her, which I couldn't anyway."

"Why didn't you seek official permission?" Jackson asked.

"I didn't want Spencer to get his hopes up. And I didn't want anyone to have to trade favors to get permission." Lokusay's hands clenched tightly around each other as nen stared at nen knees.

Doestossay shifted so their shoulders pressed together.

"Trade favors?" Jackson asked. Then at the pinched look on Lokusay's face, he said, "Never mind. Let's get back to Dr. Nayyar's questions about this symbiote's role in Pegasus."

Colonel Margolin looked ready to argue, but Sawasay started talking fast. "I believe the one we caught was full grown. It could have moved to another host through the mouth or back of the neck. Before taking a host, they live in water and mud. They get into people and animals who swim or bathe in their waters. When we're back in Pegasus, I could probably find out what planet the person who told me knew about them from. He seemed to think they were common on several planets, but we haven't heard many tales of surprisingly intelligent rodents and birds elsewhere, so maybe they aren't as common as he thought. If they're related to your Goa'uld, maybe they originated here or spread a long time ago. If they came here from Pegasus, they must have come in water, animals, or people. Maybe you should check everyone here or in your FBI? Part of why we were told to kill any found in humans or smarter animals was that they can make plans to try to get themselves into better situations but they can only use the base intelligence from the symbiotic relationship they're in, although they may carry simple memories or training with them. If there are more, they'll probably try to get into people who have a lot of wealth or power."

"Could you write up the story you heard, anything you know? I'm sure we can get it transcribed if need be," Dr. Nayyar said.

"I can manage in English," Sawasay said with pride. "But to find out more I'll need to go in person to a major market back in Pegasus. I'll need to press for more details and the Gate address where the taff can be found."

"All of you will be kept under guard until we've conducted a thorough security sweep," Colonel Margolin snapped at Sawasay.

"On what grounds?" Jackson asked calmly.

"They assaulted an FBI agent and possibly brought that symbiote to Earth for purposes unknown," the Colonel directed his fury on Jackson who only shook his head.

"They have diplomatic immunity and were the ones who took out a threat from within the FBI using non-lethal force. I believe Lieutenant General O'Neill already called the president about giving them medals." Jackson looked pointedly at the two stars Margolin wore as opposed to O'Neill's three. "You might want to think about whose side you're on, because I'm pretty sure whose side they're on."
#
When the SGC escort finally took their family to guest quarters, they all agreed to share one room, even if it only had two queen beds. Ronon kept repositioning himself to defend his family from any and all SGC personnel, and it was clear none of them wanted to let the others out of sight.

As soon as they were alone Spencer said, "I'm so proud of you all, for the way you saved Emily and handled all the questions afterward."

Doestossay practically tackled Spencer in a hug that would have done Penelope proud. Lokusay joined immediately with no sign of letting go. Then Sawasay pulled Ronon along to make it a whole family hug as nen said, "We're proud of you, too. And congratulations on your Earth marriage. It's an experience none of us will ever forget."

"Wouldn't have forgotten no matter what," Ronon assured, their bond burning hot for a moment.

Spencer laughed despite himself. "We're probably stuck here for at least one night. What can we do to make this better for everyone?"

"Open presents!" Doestossay shouted.

Having been thinking more along the lines of providing comfort or possibly locating a therapist, Spencer was surprised when the group hug turned into everyone pushing toward a low table where their wedding gifts had been left in a cardboard box. Spencer was sure they'd been scanned on their way into the mountain, and he still had the envelopes from Hotch and Rossi in his jacket pocket. He let himself be pushed onto a couch with Ronon as Doestossay handed them the small box from Emily. They opened it together to find two crystal candle sticks.

"Those are pretty," Lokusay said. "May I hold one?"

As nen turned the admittedly lovely crystal in nen hands and held its facets to catch the light, Spencer couldn't see any way it related to Emily or any memories they'd shared together. He remembered how distant she'd seemed and wondered if the taff had affected her thinking or if they'd simply drifted that far apart since her faked death.

"Now the big one," Sawasay handed over the cubic box JJ had brought. Inside they found a ceramic cookie jar shaped like a black top hat. The lid was a white rabbit that appeared to be peeking out.

"Oh, they bought one just like this for Henry after I started showing him magic tricks?" Spencer lifted the rabbit part up by the ears and found homemade chocolate chip cookies inside. "Whatever may have happened between JJ and me in the past, I wish you all could have met Henry."

They'd all heard about Henry, seen his picture, and had the term "godson" explained at length with several asides about Earth cultures and religions. But that wasn't the same as meeting him. Spencer's eyes went a bit damp wondering how much both Henry and Jack must have grown and changed in the more than a year since he'd last seen them. "Cookies anyone?"

They each took a cookie before Sawasay handed over the white rectangular Tupperware Spencer has forgotten about. Ronon held the base as Spencer opened the lid to reveal a simple rectangular cake, frosted in blue, and decorated to look like a police call box.

"Dr. Who!" Doestossay exclaimed around his cookie.

They'd each taken time to try a slice of the two tier wedding cake from Penelope before they were ushered off to the SGC. That was actually the last thing any of them had eaten before the cookies just now. "I guess we won't lack for desserts today."

"Earth has to be good for something," Sawasay said.

#
McKay ranting around a mouthful of food brought Spencer back from his reverie. "At least your wedding uncovered useful information. And SGC paid the bills, so completely the opposite of most people's overpriced waste-of-time weddings that accomplish nothing, especially since people have sex and live together beforehand nowadays.""Did you learn anything useful about the taff symbiotes?" Spencer asked."Do I look like a biologist? I programmed our Gate to recognize the threat and silently alert medical so they can take care of it without the creature releasing any toxin. My minions and Carson's added information to all relevant medical scanners and life sign detectors. Dissections and arguments about ethics I leave to Carson and the squishy science people, who don't have much actual data to compare to on this I'll note, just the Goa'uld and the second childhood parasite. Anyway, Carson's developed a vaccine."As if summoned by his name, the doctor appeared with his dinner tray. "May I join you?" he asked perfunctorily before sitting beside McKay. "For the record, Ancient tech made it trivial to design a vaccine based on the data Lokusay provided and the samples from the Gate address Sawasay got at that market. SGC is overseeing clinical trials on Earth, because they've found a couple more taff in key FBI people. Atlantis didn't find any here. So we'll wait for final testing on Earth before vaccinating anyone local.""Had any of those infected on Earth served on Atlantis?" Spencer asked."No," Beckett said once he'd swallowed his bite of taco salad, "The genetic strain found on Earth probably diverged from those collected here at least several hundred years ago.""I thought Earth only reconnected to Pegasus nine years ago?" Lokusay asked nen mentor.Beckett rested his fork and knife as he answered, "The divergence could have been much earlier and genetic drift was limited by other factors. Or there could be another population of taff in Pegasus that spread to Earth. Our teams will be watching for them from now on when we visit other planets, but I think this may be mostly an Earth health crisis, at least for now.""They won't just kill them all if they're not in people or higher animals, will they?" Sawasay asked, looking to nen own mentor.Sheppard shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Not my call. Last I heard it was genocide to try to wipe out all of something on a planet, even if it exists someplace else. We'll see what orders come down about the planet your informant gave us. It's interesting that no people live there. Makes you wonder if they left because of the taff or if someone gathers taff from there to use elsewhere.""Use?" Ronon asked."In theory," Spencer said, "such a symbiote could allow the training and domesticating of animals that would otherwise be incapable of learning desired behaviors." When Ronon looked at him blankly, and it didn't seem to be his playing stupid in public look, Spencer continued, "On Earth people put up scarecrows or owl statues to scare away unwanted birds. Such birds are presumed to be too unintelligent to train, so people try to fool them with simplistic replicas or real life dangers. But with the inherited memory and planning facilitated by the taff, a farmer who aggressively trained one generation of birds to believe fields of grain growing in rows were dangerous for those birds, they might barely ever have to repeat the defense of crops or the training. Later generations would retain the memory and planning skills provided by the symbiotes and at most need occasional reminder.""They might come up with smarter ways to evade the farmer," Beckett said. Spencer always found meals with Beckett more relaxing, because the doctor ate slower than anyone else at their table and often ignored his food in favor of conversation.Taking his own time, Spencer replied, "Presumably the local rules about which species shouldn't be left infected with the taff were based on years of experimentation, or at least trial and error. If nothing else, it might help us understand the evolution of the Goa'uld.""What if the animal in my greenhouse was infected?" Doestossay's eyes were wide as he glanced around the table."Admittedly, we only scanned the people here, and the Gate wasn't monitoring for taff before," Carson said."Or it could have come from the ocean," Doestossay pushed back from his plate. There were only stray bits of leafy greens left anyway. "Do we know if taff can live in salt water?"Everyone at the table looked to each other for answers. No one had any."That would be better than someone using local seabirds or whatever to spy on your greenhouse," Sawasay said."Not reassuring." Doestossay crossed his arms over his chest. After a moment of silence, or possibly internal conversation with his cluster, his expression softened as he said, "Nothing I can do about that now. How about we make a warm fire and act out Sawasay's holiday traditions while roasting marshmallows.""How did you learn about roasting marshmallows?" McKay asked."You told me once when I was piling them into hot chocolate.""I did?" The scientist eagerly stacked up empty dishes on nen tray. "Did I tell you about s'mores?"#"You realize this isn't anything like the winter fires on my planet?" Sawasay asked an hour later, fingers sticky with marshmallows and chocolate. "We were hidden inside a cave and didn't have any sweets or even much food.""So this is better?" Doestossay was roasting two marshmallows with a stick in each hand, carefully turning his sticks over coals at the edge of the fire. He'd known where there was dry wood that could be salvaged from an unsuccessful gardening frame. Ronon had suggested the semi-enclosed outdoor amphitheater as the most similar to a cave mouth without having to worry about Ancient fire suppression systems. Spencer had brought water for safety and to keep everyone hydrated. McKay, Sheppard and Beckett had brought the marshmallows, chocolate, and shortbread cookies in place of graham crackers."Does anyone in Pegasus make food as sweet as Earth desserts?" Lokusay asked. Nen leaned against Doestossay's shoulder, but had stopped eating after three s'mores."Mittar is known for sugar candy boiled down and dried from the sap of a local tree." Doestossay started assembling s'mores on both his knees.McKay looked envious of Doestossay's dexterity, or possibly covetous of his s'mores, even as nen made a sixth serving of nen own. "Sounds like maple sugar candy. I was fed so much of that as a kid that I had to argue for chocolate instead." McKay blew out his burning marshmallow and smothered it with chocolate and cookies on both sides."Probably the most normal thing you argued about in your entire childhood." Sheppard lay on his back on the ground with his feet casually tucked behind Beckett's.McKay opened his mouth to protest, but apparently couldn't come up with an example of a more normal childhood argument. He shoved his mouth full of s'more instead."Is there anything you'd like us to do while we're here?" Spencer asked Sawasay as he picked up another marshmallow to roast, even though he'd meant to be done."This is fine. If we run out of things to chat about, someone can tell a story. We can see how long it takes the Colonel to fall asleep." Sawasay had nen own chocolate bar and had dispensed with the rest of the dessert trappings."Falling asleep around campfires is a time honored Earth tradition," Sheppard answered, "as are ghost stories."Ronon huffed, "Like any Earth story is going to sound scary to people who grew up with the Wraith."Before Spencer found a way to suggest scary stories might not be best for their pinta, Sheppard said, "This is a Christmas ghost story. It starts with Ebenezer Scrooge's dead business partner showing up dragging chains forged of coins, cashboxes, and padlocks. This ghost, like Scrooge, had been greedy and selfish his whole life. He went around singing the blues, and pretty soon he had Scrooge singing back, "You ain't cool. It's cruel, to try to make a fool out of me."At first, Spencer had no idea if Sheppard was drawing from an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" that others more familiar with pop culture would know or if the song was something he made up. Then he shifted to a southern DJ voice to credit the song "Scrooge Blues" to the Albion Band, so Spencer figured it must have played on the radio someplace Sheppard had grown up or been stationed.About half of Sheppard's retelling involved songs, with credits given, that Sheppard somehow belted out from a prone position. He started out lying on his back, but by the time they reached the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Rodney had settled so Sheppard reclined into his lap, his head lovingly supported by one of Rodney's broad palms. Despite being in a semi-public area, Sheppard didn't resist sprawling across his bond mates. He hammed it up even more as he finished with a song from what Spencer guessed was a musical called "Twist Your Dickens" with the final line, "The best part is it's royalty free."While Beckett rubbed Sheppard's ankles saying, "That was hilarious and charming," Rodney stared down at Sheppard's face in his lap and smiled dopily.Lokusay asked Spencer, "I don't understand the mention of royalty. Also, is it common on Earth to write about ghosts haunting someone to change behaviors the writer finds undesirable?"Before Spencer could answer, Doestossay, having finally eaten his fill of s'mores, wandered over to where Sawasay and Lokusay had taken seats next to Spencer and Ronon. Doestossay eyed the four laps in a row and said, "I kind of want to lie down like Sheppard but across all of you."When they'd all shrugged or nodded, Doestossay gently positioned himself so his head was highest, resting on Ronon's thighs, his shoulders on Spencer's, his ass on Lokusay's, and his legs hanging off of Sawasay's. Then he looked up at Ronon with big, fake-innocent eyes and said, "I assume you're going to uphold the honor of Sateda by telling us a story even better than Sheppard's."McKay started to sputter, but Sheppard only said, "Consider me your warm up band.""On Sateda, we honor our dead with fire, when we can. In times of peace, it is safe to light a fire outdoors, and there is more time for us all to remember and learn from our past." Ronon petted Doestossay's hair and pulled Spencer closer with his other arm even as he sat up straight and took a deep breath."Darnon Ost Pire Dex raised me," Ronon announced somewhat formally and then continued in a more rhythmic patter. "When Darnon first came to Shicza to learn the art of building he was overwhelmed and hid in a small pavilion off the main road. A farmer named Ostar found him there, for it was a stop to water and tether the oxen who hauled farm goods into the city. Ostar became Darnon's guide, first to the city, and later as his bond mate, Guide, and true love. Darnon is remembered as the designer of the great pavilion for the Shicza School of Agriculture. His work later in life involved rural designs for dwellings, mills, and livestock stations. After Ostar's death he made a new life bond with Piret. Darnon died of infection."Spencer wanted to ask a million questions. He wanted dates, ages, details, and to know where Ronon came into the story. But there was a tightness in the bond, not quite an emotion, but more like Ronon was pulling on the bond to hold himself up. Not only was Ronon saying more in front of others—even if Sheppard pretended to be asleep and Beckett somehow kept McKay silent—than he usually did. Ronon was talking about Sateda. About his people and life before Atlantis, before he spent seven years as a Runner. Spencer would do whatever he could to support Ronon's effort. With his eidetic memory, he would memorize every word and decide later if he could ask for clarification. From the look on Lokusay's face, nen intended the same. Sawasay kept nen expression neutral but attentive. Doestossay smiled softly with his eyes closed but not as if he were asleep. He'd asked Ronon for this, whether he'd known what he was asking or not."Ostar raised me. As a very small child clothed in only a coarse wrap, Ostar made her way all alone through the Gate from a culled planet. She pulled a wagon of seedlings she'd saved and given the last of her water. She asked for no aid, only to learn the way to Tonak, her grandparent who ran a farm outside of Shicza. Once settled on the farm with good soil and adequate water, Ostar planted the seedlings she had brought, reclaimed farmland from a swamp, and developed new lines to carry irrigation elsewhere. Before she was even grown, she bred a new line of ponnet trees that provided the tartest, most fragrant ponnets, much coveted for beloved Satedan pastries and delicacies. She was honored with the official naming of the fruit as 'ponnet vi ostar.' By the time Tonak passed, Ostar oversaw a thriving and growing farm with many improvements in crop strains and productivity. She cared and provided for the remaining grandchildren. She became Darnon's bond mate relatively late in life, and while she pledged her life and love, she did not take any further names, as that had never been the way of her birth people, who she also revered. Ostar died in childbirth with their third child."If Spencer was parsing the stories correctly, Ronon must have been Ostar's first or second child, and he was probably still young when she died. The level of detail and the phrasing of the recitation was different from the first, and Spencer realized neither of them sounded like Ronon's voice. It was possible some official eulogy was passed down word for word, and Ronon was giving his new family this chance to learn the stories of his lineage. Spencer held tight with his arm around Ronon's back and gave all the support he could through their bond, but he didn't interrupt. Nor did anyone else."Tonak Lun Nordon raised Ostar who raised me. Warrior. Poet. Scholar. Le designed the fire weapon that defeated the attackers from Nanueta. Le wrote the ode chosen for the inauguration of Governor Lep. Le returned to oversee the farm of le ancestors when no one else of age survived. Le raised over a dozen grandchildren as le own. Tonak died peacefully of old age at home."At that point Ronon paused and Spencer handed him a glass of water without a word."Do you want to hear more?" Ronon asked."Every name you will give me I will take as my own." Doestossay didn't move from his place spread across all their laps, but he opened his eyes to meet Ronon's. The words sounded like ritual and Spencer wondered if Doestossay had read about this in one of the Satedan books they borrowed from the Library of Taho. Or perhaps Sawasay or another in their cluster knew this Satedan tradition or something like it from another planet. However he knew, it seemed to be the needed response."Lamok Sum Dex raised Darnon who raised me…" Ronon continued through twenty-four names. At the end he practically lifted Doestossay to his feet, and they all stood and stretched.Beckett patted Sheppard's calf before moving to stand beside Ronon. "Thank you for sharing that with us. We'll take care of the fire if you'd like to see your family home."Ronon nodded. "Thanks for the food, fire, and Sheppard's story.""Opening act any time you want," Sheppard said from where he was stretching and playfully bumping into McKay as he did."Not funny. Don't think treating me like a pillow means you can push me into any shape you want." McKay grumbled as Spencer's family left."I want to learn it all," Doestossay said as they walked down the pier."Are we allowed to write it down?" Sawasay asked. "Spencer could probably transcribe it from memory. Then we could all practice reading and memorizing.""Sure. There were official books on Sateda with life records." Ronon shrugged but fell silent as they reached their apartment door.There was a round of sleepy hugs and goodnights as their pinta all drifted off to their own rooms.Spencer was surprised as he and Ronon entered theirs to see his slippers set out at the foot of his side of the bed. He'd purchased the fur lined booties at the market their pinta had pretended they had to visit to get a Gate address to find taff. As the young people had taken off to spend the stipends from their internships, Ronon had helped Spencer haggle for any items he stopped to admire or ask questions about. The slippers had been one of their best buys, but Spencer hadn't been able to find them that morning. "Where were these?"Ronon only shrugged tiredly, and Spencer could see it had been hard for his bond mate to talk about those lost on Sateda, even if everyone he'd mentioned had died before the final devastation.Spencer took his bond mate's hand. "Come on, get ready for bed. I could rub your shoulders or touch up the base of your dreads."Pulling him against his still clothed chest Ronon said, "Sounds good." Then the warrior started to divest his hair of weapons without letting go of Spencer.Eventually, Ronon had his arsenal tucked away for the night and both of them stripped down to bare skin. With one arm Ronon flipped back their blankets and lay down with his back on their bottom sheet. Then he pulled Spencer astride his hips."What exactly do you want?" Spencer asked."Whatever you want to give. Start here." Ronon pulled Spencer down on top of him, lying chest to chest, and guided Spencer's hands to two dreads near his temples. Spencer pressed his fingers to circle clockwise at the base of each, taking a little more time than was strictly necessary for the hairs to cling together from all directions. Ronon's hair was very well kept, but Spencer liked doing this for his lover. His mind easily tracked which dreads he'd worked and which still needed attention. It could be almost meditative and generally had nothing to do with flirting. But this time Ronon was hard beneath him, almost from the start. Spencer's body responded in kind as his position and the motion of his hands kept him rocking ever so slightly on top of his lover.When Spencer had finished all but the dreads in back, Ronon sat up. Keeping Spencer on his lap, Ronon let his large hands slide down to rest on Spencer's ass, pulling him in tight. He pressed his face into Spencer's neck and breathed deeply. Then he pulled a bottle of lube from their nightstand and said, "Go ahead. We'll keep it easy and quiet."Spencer wanted to groan at the words alone. Instead, he worked Ronon's remaining dreads two at a time and Ronon worked one and then two fingers into Spencer's hole.As he finished the last dreads, Spencer couldn't help but rock back onto the fingers inside him and then forward to where his cock pressed against his lover's."I thought you were going to rub my shoulders, too." Ronon twisted in a third finger.Spencer tried to knead his fingers into Ronon's shoulders despite every bone in his body wanting to melt, but the angle was all wrong."Let me help you." Ronon's slick cock was suddenly rubbing against Spencer's twitchy hole. The stronger man practically lifted Spencer up, then eased him down, breaching him slowly but all the way down. It hurt just enough that Spencer had to bite his lips to keep quiet. Not that their pinta would probably care, but Spencer was a very private person that way.Then it was perfect. He was full and their bond sang with more than physical connection.Finding his hands now perfectly positioned to rub Ronon's shoulders, Spencer kneaded the trapezii and deltoids before lowering his fingers to stroke the pectorals and tease Ronon's nipples.Ronon kept rocking in deep but slow. When Spencer tried to clench, Ronon leaned in to breathe moistly on his ear, making Spencer shiver and lose all coordination. When Spencer grew desperate and tried to reach for his own cock, Ronon took both Spencer's hands in his own and circled them together across Spencer's nipples."Can't keep doing this quietly," Spencer panted."You can do anything you set your mind to. Feel free to recite something if you think it will help. I want more of you, in every way."Spencer curled forward, overwhelmed by the words as much as what they were doing. No one before Ronon ever wanted him that much.Ronon's hands moved Spencer's up and down, almost soothing, even as Ronon thrust up inside driving Spencer beyond speech. A scream bubbled up inside. If he arched back and opened his mouth it would come roaring out. But he didn't want that.He could recite something. It would help. It would give Ronon more. If Spencer could only find the right words. Then the words came to him, from one of the earliest books he'd discovered for himself. Science fiction had never appealed to his mom, but words like Bradbury's had stuck to Spencer like dog fur on his sweaters."And he listened to me." Spencer knew the source wasn't romantic, wasn't the kind of listening Ronon gave him. But they'd spoken before about the poetic gift to shape words that held true across time and experience. As Ronon rocked inside him and held both his hands. As their sweat and arousal mingled. As their bond rang with both trust and want, Spencer continued, "That was the thing he did, as if he was trying to fill himself up with all the sound he could hear. He listened to the wind and the falling ocean and my voice, always with rapt attention, a concentration that almost excluded physical bodies themselves and kept only the sounds.""More," Ronon gasped, tilting Spencer back. Hitting the spot that would make Spencer scream, would take him over the edge, if he didn't focus on reciting ordinary, quiet, double-edged words."He shut his eyes to listen. I would see him listening to the lawn mower as he cut the grass by hand instead of using the remote-control device, and I would see him smelling the cut grass as it sprayed up at him behind the mower in a green fount."That was it. Spencer was coming untouched.Ronon released his hands and wrapped one broad palm around Spencer's cock to draw out more. Ronon's other hand held Spencer in place as the ride became fast and lost rhythm as Ronon came with him.Spencer covered his mouth with both his newly freed hands as he came and came and his body shook apart.They were a mess afterward, but Ronon gave them a quick once over with wipes from the nightstand and then tucked them both under the blankets. Spencer fell asleep the moment Ronon wrapped around him.#The next morning, Sheppard showed up to what Spencer officially called office hours and unofficially called bizarre concerns hours. In his role as Consulting Detective on Atlantis, Spencer wanted residents from any culture to be able to talk with him or ask questions that might otherwise lead to misunderstandings. Very few of these consultations led to criminal investigations. A few led to mediated discussions. Many led to either Spencer or his guest trying to explain a perspective that was completely unknown to one of them (and Spencer enjoyed being the listener as much as the explainer).Today Sheppard handed him a page with half a dozen drawings. They showed how to wrap a long, narrow piece of cloth to cover a fairly limited amount of the human body. "Thought you might want ideas for holiday shopping."When Sheppard leaned against the office wall without further explanation, Spencer said, "Thanks, but I'm not sure I understand.""Rodney could tell you all about the cloth and its moisture wicking and form fitting qualities. The guy who sells it is married to an Athosian. He'll give you a copy of the drawings when you buy them. I mean, we have some military issue swimsuits, but I thought since this design works for men, women, or anyone else your family might—" Sheppard spoke more haltingly than usual, even as he shrugged and hid behind casual military disinterest. He seemed a different person than the singer-storyteller from the fire the night before. "It feels better and comes in more colors, too.""Did one of my pinta express an interest in swimming?" Spencer asked."Last night at dinner," Sheppard began then hesitated, as if he hadn't thought through this part of the explanation. "Doestossay mentioned going to hot springs with his mother. Maybe that doesn't mean he'd like it here. But you know we have jacuzzi style tubs in the physical therapy center on the southeast pier? They were cleared for everyone to use a couple years ago, but mostly they're underutilized. Atlantis still keeps them clean and all that."Sheppard's hand pressed against the wall, and Spencer wondered what it was like to invite people to soak in jacuzzis that your bond mate not only cleaned but that were actually part of your bond mate. Sheppard would probably avoid Spencer for a week if he dared to ask."Now that you mention it, I read something about those jacuzzis when I first arrived. I hadn't made the connection with what Doestossay told us, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I think I'll speak to my family rather than trying to make it a surprise sort of present, but however it works out, thank you for thinking of us.""Yeah, whatever. See you around." Sheppard fled from the compliment, but Spencer didn't need his empathic gift to know how hard the man tried and that he could use some validation for going outside his comfort zone.#As office hours were ending, Spencer received another surprising visitor. Lokusay appeared at his office door with a medical scanner in hand."Did I miss a checkup?" Spencer asked."No, I want you to help me with an investigation, or maybe I'll be helping you with yours." Lokusay circled nen hands as if agreeing with him, and it took only a moment for the pieces to come together in Spencer's mind."Doestossay is really worried the tracks in the greenhouse are from taff infecting birds or something that could climb up from the water. You brought a scanner to check around the piers and maybe the marine biology tanks?"With a bright smile Lokusay said, "I brought the scanner to along the piers. I'm bringing you to think of places like the marine biology tanks."Half an hour later, after finding no symbiotes among the marine biology specimens or swimming near the piers, Lokusay produced a muffin from nen pocket. It was a sweet sort with berries, commonly found in the mess hall between hot meal times. Nen flung crumbs out on the pier and then scanned the larger and larger numbers of birds that congregated.Ronon joined them on stealthy Tracker feet without scaring away a single bird. He glanced at the scanner in Lokusay's hand and said to Spencer, "Guess none of us were ready to let the latest greenhouse incident go.""Consulting Detective is the closest thing Atlantis has to an environmental health inspector." Spencer said.Lokusay tapped at the device in nen hands. "I'd be doing inventory in the infirmary otherwise. This seemed more useful, but I'm glad we haven't found anything. I was getting paranoid, wondering if whatever left tracks in Doestossay's greenhouse could have messed up the papers on my desk.""And found my slipper," Spencer added."What?" Lokusay asked."I couldn't find them yesterday morning, but they were right at the foot of our bed when we came home last night. Ronon said he hadn't put them there, and I can't imagine who else would have.""Why would a creature that messes up my stuff and Doestossay's put your slipper back where they belong?" Lokusay asked."It doesn't really make sense," Spencer conceded with a shrug. "But the slippers happened last. Whatever it is could be learning and developing a plan." A very unpleasant thought caused Spencer to shudder and ask, "I assume your scanner would have noticed if a taff had gotten into any of us since then?""The three of us are clear," Lokusay said. "Should we make up an excuse to check Doestossay and Sawasay?""I have one readymade." Spencer pulled the illustrations for wrapping swimwear from his messenger bag. "We should track down the local who sells these and each choose a swimsuit. Then we can recreate Doestossay's holiday tonight."#"Clang!"Spencer ran into the kitchen wearing only his new swimsuit. "What happened?"Their pinta rushed out of their rooms, too, fully clothed.Ronon was standing on the kitchen counter scowling, holding a mangled vent cover in one hand. His other arm reached deep inside the vent that had previously been covered. Rather than answer, he sniffed and listened, so Spencer moved closer to wrap a hand around his ankle in case the grounding helped the Tracker.Everyone stayed silent.Finally, Ronon pulled his arm out, holding a small metal object."What's that?" Lokusay asked. Doestossay was pressed close beside her, poised between fight and flight responses.Ronon looked at the object in his hand absently. "Container I was loading with chutney when I heard something in the vent. I threw it." He turned the container over in his hand. "Good metal. Stayed sealed." He looked at the damaged vent cover in his other hand and then to Spencer. "Have to fix or replace this. Sorry."As Ronon climbed down from the counter, Spencer asked, "Any idea what you heard in the vent?""Smells like the weeding bots but no soil or plant smells.""Taff? Rodents? Birds?" Lokusay asked."Doesn't smell like that. Sounded metal and hummed when it moved."Spencer stared up at the wide open, uncovered vent. "Maybe there's something like garden bots for cleaning the vents? We should ask McKay.""Later." Ronon placed the container of chutney into a basket full of other containers, water bottles, utensils and cloth napkins. "Food's ready. Looks like you are, too."Suddenly, Spencer realized he was the only one in just a swimsuit, or swim cloth as the Panonian who'd traded them the cloths had called them. Spencer had been trying out all six suggestions for wearing the very long purple cloth he had chosen. The dimensions reminded him of the Fourth Doctor's incredible scarves, but the fabric was smooth and evidently quick-drying, and none of the patterns available had involved horizontal stripes. Before the interruption, Spencer had mostly settled on the wrap variation he currently wore. It looked a bit like shorts with suspenders. Ronon had chosen a black cloth and tied his in the least restrictive option, sort of like a speedo with extra cloth dangling decoratively to one side.Now Ronon and the pinta all had sweats on over their swim cloths. Spencer had meant to pull his own on before rushing out at the loud noise. Now he was vibrating with adrenaline and feeling a bit foolish. "Let me grab my sweats and the bag of jacuzzi accessories.""If you must," Ronon teased from behind him.#When they reached the jacuzzi, Spencer was pleased to see his family had the room to themselves. For each of them he set out a water bottle and cloth napkin as well as one of the towels provided nearby. As they all took off their sweats, Spencer was surprised to see his pinta had all found ways to wrap their swim cloths that hadn't been among the six examples given.Lokusay's style was the most complicated and reminded Spencer of how some of those from the young people's camp on Shan Mal had wrapped themselves in multiple strips of fabric like scarves. The swim cloth nen had chosen was died in a rainbow of colors that blended from one to the other every couple feet. The way nen had tied it covered nen trunk in multiple horizontal stripes, and the change in color gave the illusion of different bands of cloth, also making it look like nen had used more cloth than the rest of them. It was a beautiful effect, at once completely different from nen regular clothing and exactly the sort of design nen loved.Doestossay had tied his red cloth in a single diagonal loop, from groin to right shoulder with a sort of bow or tassel at his shoulder.Sawasay had started with a wrap pattern similar to Spencer's shorts portion, but instead of vertical suspenders, nen remaining cloth formed a "V" in front and an "X" in back. The cloth nen had chosen was a mottled green and brown like watercolor camo, and Spencer could imagine the look catching on with others in the military. Not that he wanted anyone, military or otherwise, intruding on his family's jacuzzi time."It's so warm," Doestossay said as he practically melted down onto a seat in the tub."Why isn't anyone else using this?" Lokusay asked as nen settled next to him."Don't remind them. We could come here a lot more." Sawasay slid in, barely disturbing the water.Ronon and Spencer climbed in last, sitting so their thighs pressed together. The water stung Spencer's cold feet for a moment, but felt perfect everywhere else. It had been a long time since Spencer had done this, and he instantly agreed with his pinta that it was worth doing more often. The touch, warmth, natural motion of the water settling around them made Spencer feel warm and safe. It reminded him of the first time he passed through the Stargate—which incidentally looked like a big pool of water—into Atlantis.Once they were all settled in the tub, Ronon served the food he'd prepared in the large, wide bowls Spencer had chosen for their surface to volume ratio and thin conductive metal. He wanted them to float high in the water and keep the food warm."The first community cooking event on Atlantis started with an engineer who agreed to teach me how to make samosa, pakora, and chutney." Spencer pointed at each food as he named it. "In order to keep food out of the water tonight, you might want to hold your cloth napkin under your chin as you eat the samosas. The pakora are meant to be bite size, but you'll still need the napkins to wipe your fingers.""All bite size." Ronon demonstrated by shoving an entire samosa into his mouth at once."As you wish," Spencer said, and Ronon almost choked as he laughed around his samosa.Sawasay shook nen head. The other two grabbed for the food.After rambling through all they'd learned about the various foods when first cooking them, Spencer said to Doestossay, "I know this isn't quite what you meant when you described people steaming food and soaking in hot springs.""This is better." Doestossay grinned happily as he licked his fingers. "It would be nice to see the sky, but not if it meant freezing breezes and a long, cold walk home. I'm warm, well fed, and have great company. We should do this way more than once a year.""Agreed," Sawasay said, neatly eating a samosa covered in chutney over a cloth napkin."I'm still working through my once a year tradition," Lokusay said. "If Doestossay doesn't mind overlapping and Spencer doesn't mind other's hearing, I'm ready to share my realization with him."Doestossay nodded. His mouth was full again."I'll be glad to hear whatever you have to say," Spencer hadn't eaten anything yet, but that wasn't nearly as important to him.Lokusay wiped nen fingers and set nen napkin aside. "When I was feeling unworthy of the time Beckett and Juarez put into training me, you told me my gifts might be useful in ways I didn't expect, and that what mattered was bringing whatever skills and knowledge I had to wherever I could help."Spencer nodded, remembering that conversation on the spirit plane and how Lokusay had said nen cluster listened in because nen found his perspective so interesting.With a small smile, Lokusay continued, "Well, you know how our gift helped identify the taff in Emily, and I was able to use that shared knowledge with what I knew from the Ancient medical scanner to guide another's hands." Spencer had been sure someone else from their cluster, probably the one familiar with the taff, had taken over Doestossay's body to remove the taff in Emily, but this was the closest any of them had come to speaking of it. Now Lokusay seemed to say nen reading of the scanner image let whoever else see where to cut the taff out, probably saving Emily's life.Lokusay continued, spinning nen fingers above the water. "I appreciate how you encouraged me to use all I am, even more than you talking us all out of trouble on Earth, although that was a fine demonstration of your own abilities. In the end, Beckett didn't even complain about me taking the Ancient scanner. He said he might have done the same thing in my place, and he was very excited about all the data I collected. He's helping me use the Ancients' medical database to formulate a new vitamin regime for your mother, my grandmother. It probably won't help with the schizophrenia, but there were signs of Alzheimer's and other age related affects setting in, and we think we caught it soon enough to protect her from a lot of future issues."The tears on Spencer's face couldn't express how much he felt. His love for his mother and Lokusay was all tangled up with his fears for his mother and what else she might have suffered if he hadn't ended up on Atlantis and then Shan Mal and then back on Earth with a smuggled Ancient device. "I don't even have the words to tell you how much that means to me. All of it. You're amazing."Nen wrapped nen feet around his ankle from across the tub. "We're amazing together."Sawasay rolled nen eyes, but everyone was smiling."Now maybe you should eat," Ronon said, floating a greatly diminished bowl of pakora Spencer's way.Spencer plucked out a piece that looked like chicken but turned out to be cauliflower. It was still delicious. "Thanks for making all this," Spencer said.Ronon had spent all afternoon cooking, but now he just shrugged. "I wanted to eat it."When Spencer bumped him in the shoulder, Ronon chuckled. "You're welcome."The others chimed in with their thanks, too."You heard more from Earth?" Ronon asked Lokusay."Not officially, other than Emily being fine and making a full recovery."Spencer had been assured of that before they left Earth, but it was nice to hear Lokusay repeat it."Beckett inferred they're learning more from the other taff they found in people, because he saw mentions of comparison data that didn't match what we sent them from here." Lokusay hesitated as if considering how much to reveal. "He said it was better not to ask yet. We've programmed our detector to cover a broad range of possibilities, and we can afford to be generous with Earth right now. He says everyone there may forget about this when their next crisis comes along, and then they won't notice if he requests full data from Dr. Lam.""Another sort of specialized knowledge he can add to the mix," Spencer said between bites of pakora."I didn't find any new tracks in the garden either, but I can't stop worrying about the taff infecting something here.""Atlantis and McKay's new scanner programming will keep us safe," Lokusay said, wrapping an arm around Doestossay."Does Atlantis let you mentally control this jacuzzi?' Sawasay asked Spencer, blatantly changing the subject."Maybe. I thought I'd wait until we were finished eating to try for bubbles or anything.""We're all done," Doestossay said. "You could set the bowls out beside you."Ronon caught the bowls and set them where both he and Spencer could reach."Oh, and we can bring the ducks in to play now." Spencer pulled from his bag the five rubber ducks Penelope had given them at their wedding, and set them afloat. Then Spencer tried making a polite mental request for bubbles. A soft trickle of air seemed to start from all around them, through previously invisible holes."They tickle!" Doestossay exclaimed. Before Spencer could worry that tickling wasn't always a good thing, Doestossay continued, "Atlantis is awesome. I wish I had the gene to talk to her.""It's not really like talking, at least not for me." Spencer tried to think of the best way to explain what it was actually like, but Doestossay was talking again and clearly not concerned about that."I know, and I have my gift, so I shouldn't be greedy. Can you make the water a little warmer, too?""And more bubbles?" Lokusay added.Mostly amused by his new role as the jacuzzi remote control, Spencer suggested two percent warmer and queried Atlantis about bubble options.First the bubbled they had grew bigger and faster. Then they switched to pour out of only a few locations, like jets. Spencer wondered if that was an original setting or if Sheppard had primed the jacuzzis with what he remembered from Earth."Oh, I like that." Sawasay was sitting right in front of a jet with nen head leaning back on the edge of the tub. "Could you ask for another just above this one?"Spencer did as bid and then took instructions from the others for the best placement of their jets."Look at the ducks rushing around," Doestossay said. "I'll have to write Penelope about this.""And I'll write to grandmother," Lokusay volunteered.Spencer didn't mind at all, since he had more than enough to write to his mother about lately, in addition to all the writing he had to do for his work on Atlantis. And he was sure Penelope would be thrilled to hear from Doestossay."Much better than tomorrow's party," Ronon said as he sank down to his neck, sliding a hand mostly innocently along Spencer's thigh."That's right, it's like Christmas Eve," Spencer said."Generic Winter Holiday Party Eve," Doestossay corrected. "By the way, we invited our mentors over for brunch beforehand. I have new produce for everyone to sample."It wasn't unusual for any one of them to invite their mentors or others over for a meal, but the way Doestossay slid it into the conversation and included all their mentors made Spencer a little suspicious. But he didn't use his gift to detect intentions, and he tried very hard not to think like a profiler. However his pinta wanted to celebrate the holidays was fine with him.As he relaxed in hot water with a jet massaging his back and Ronon at his side, Spencer thought his pinta brought them all excellent ideas for making their lives better.#As they reached the end of the third pier they walked the next morning, Spencer gave in and asked directly, "This isn't really your family's holiday tradition, is it, Carson?"The doctor smiled placidly and stopped. "We would often take a walk together, as a family, on Christmas Day. We would have done so more often if we'd had weather this fine."Spencer tilted his head up. While the morning was still cool, the sun was noticeably warm on his face and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "We're definitely better off than Colorado Springs on that. But this isn't exactly a family walk around the Scottish moors. Is it someone else's New Year's resolution for one of us to get more exercise or have you been asked to keep me out of the way for some amount of time?""The latter, would you prefer to sit and chat?" Carson motioned to the end of the pier."Either way. I don't mind walking, but you don't have to babysit me. Tell me when to meet you where, and I'll keep myself out to the way.""It's not a chore, Spencer. I know you've been busy with your new family, but I'd like to think we're still friends." Carson's voice was soft, and Spencer didn't need his gift to know the man meant it. In some ways, Carson had been Spencer's first friend on Atlantis, even before he became involved with Ronon."Sorry, I probably haven't been a very good friend. I'm afraid I'm still socially clueless at times.""Not at all," Carson moved to sit at the end of the pier and Spencer sat beside him. "Atlantis is a testament to how diverse people may interact and find their own ways to appreciate each other. And I'm with Rodney and John, you can hardly expect me to value rigid social norms."Spencer pointed out to where some seabirds were swooping down and feasting on something too small to see. "Thanks, Carson. Right from the start, you've helped me feel welcomed and understood here.""That sounds like one of Lokusay's winter realizations.""I didn't get you anything else."Carson chuckled. "Then let me say how pleased I am that you joined us on Atlantis, brought all your pinta here, and made Ronon so happy as well. The community dinners and discussions were partly your doing as well, and they've made this a better place for all of us."They watched the water and the birds for a while before Carson glanced at his watch and said, "We should probably head back now. Given that it's not quite a surprise and I'm not sure what your pinta told us about the brunch they're hosting, you might want to know that they've been calling it 'the party before the party.'"#"We made Christmas Brunch!" Lokusay announced as nen greeted Spencer with a slow and careful hug just inside the door. It helped that Spencer had been given warning and some quiet time with Carson beforehand, because their apartment had definitely been transformed into noisy party mode.Looking over nen shoulder, Spencer saw there were streamers and flower arrangements, much like Penelope had provided for their wedding. They had all the kids' mentors, Teyla's family, and of course Lorne was with Parrish and McKay flagged down Beckett as soon as he entered. Spencer realized this was basically the same group that had gathered to witness their family charter and for the spontaneous reading party after they found the Library of Taho, a sort of extended family of choice."That's very kind of you," Spencer said and Lokusay released him.Doestossay beckoned from the balcony, "Come see your presents!"Lokusay led Spencer through the crowded room to stand beside Ronon on the balcony. The larger man pulled Spencer to his side and kissed his hair, taking a deep breath. He whispered, "You okay with all this?""Definitely," Spencer whispered back but was well aware that at least Lokusay heard.Their balcony was much more crowded than when he'd left. Aside from the usual chairs, there was something large covered with a sheet and a bar-be-que where Sheppard and Sawasay were grilling sausages and steak. Sawasay gestured with the spatulas nen was holding and said, "This is officially your wedding gift from O'Neill."The smirk on Sheppard's face showed how hilarious he found that."And this," said Doesstossay gesturing toward the sheet covered item, "is a gift Sawasay, Lokusay, and I made for both of you."Spencer and Ronon stepped forward to where they could each lift one end of the sheet. They pulled if off together to reveal a large white box with a slanted, semi-transparent lid. Inside, Spencer could see a top shelf with what looked like circles of dried fruit. Not sure what to call it he said, "You made this?""Yes!" Doestossay practically bounced as he started explaining all the features of their gift. "With the weather here and the greenhouses, a lot of fruits and vegetables could probably grow year round, but that doesn't mean we'll always be growing everything. If we make thin slices and lay them out on trays, the translucent top lets in sun and the black metal shelves absorb heat. As hot, moist air rises, some cooler, drier air comes in through this vent on the bottom. The food drier makes snacks you can eat months later. We made a first batch on McKay's balcony, so people could try stuff today."Doestossay had opened the largest vertical side to point to different shelves and the bottom vent as he spoke. Now he pulled out the top tray of fruit for Spencer and Ronon to sample."Delicious," Ronon said, then while still chewing, "Thank you."Spencer waited to swallow his first nibble before saying, "That's amazing, thank you. Where did you learn to do this and how did you collect all the materials?"Lokusay answered as Doestossay was enjoying the fruits of his own labor. "Mostly, Doestossay knew the basic idea from where he grew up. Sawasay helped us find stuff at that market we visited right after Earth. Then Dr. McKay had a bunch of ideas of improved materials and offered his balcony to build it.""Did he add the salt slabs, or was that one of you?" Doestossay asked his bond mates.Lokusay and Sawasay both shook their heads. "What salt slabs?"When Doestossay pulled out the lowest shelf, instead of a tray it was covered in a slab of what looked like pink salt. There were tomatoes and something like zucchini laid out in thin slices, now dried and presumably salted."You talked about people using large slabs of salt that way," Lokusay said, shifting from foot to foot uncertainly, "but I didn't know this was here.""McKay!" Sheppard called from the grill, and the scientist popped nen head up from a friendly argument on the other side of the living room."What now?" McKay muttered loud enough for everyone to hear as the scientist made nen way across to them. "Surely you can manage a grill and the teens can explain the food drier without requiring my gigantic brain to fill in the gaps."Doestossay was still holding the salt slab with vegetable slices and asked, "Did you add this?""What? No. I wouldn't change your gift without telling you, even if I had something like that to make it better." As McKay came close enough to examine it, nen added, "That's a very uniform rectangular crystal structure. Did someone synthesize it for you?"Looking alarmed, Doestossay set the slab down on a nearby chair."Don't panic," Lokusay said. "No one's going to try to poison us or frame you by adding a fancy form of salt to a gift we had hidden on McKay's balcony.""And a taff controlled bird or rodent wouldn't have the know how or the dexterity," Sawasay added.Spencer opened his empathic shielding enough to be certain Doestossay was truly upset and bordering on a panic attack. Moving closer and holding out a hand he asked, "What can we do that will help?"Then a box just inside the balcony door seemed to jump and fall over. Doestossay lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Spencer and hiding his face against Spencer's sweater. "I've got you," Spencer said as he held his pinta and carefully rubbed his shoulder. The teen was shaking and breathing much too fast. It wasn't a panic attack, but the startle from the box moving had been one stimulus too many for his already worried pinta. There was a crowd between them and any quiet, safe space, and Spencer wasn't sure what to do about Doestossay, the box, or investigating the origin of the mysterious salt slab.The rest of the party had grown quiet. Lokusay pressed in close at Doestossay's back and encouraged him to breath more slowly with nen. Ronon stood between them and the rest of the room. Sawasay was poised above the no longer moving box holding a large two-pronged fork from the grill."Wait, stop," McKay waved nen arms in the direction of the threatened box. "That's my gift for your family. It's just overexcited.""Overexcited?" Sawasay stretched each word as nen spoke.McKay's eyes flicked to Sheppard. "You're teaching nen to sound like you? That's kind of creepy." With a glance to Doestossay, still sheltered by the rest of his family, McKay sighed. "I promise it's safe if one of you wants to unwrap your present. Or I can open it for you if you want."The disappointment and shame pouring off of McKay would have had Spencer rushing to help nen if Doestossay hadn't still been clinging to him. He kept rubbing his son's shoulder but was pleased to see Beckett step up to place a hand on McKay's back.Sawasay lowered the bar-be-que fork and looked McKay straight in the eye. "Fine, I'll open it."Sawasay unwrapped orange plastic that had probably once been packaging for Earth electronics from what appeared to be a large but ordinary shoe box. Lifting the lid revealed a lumpy domed shell that looked something like a radiated tortoise made out of Ancient crystals. Sawasay stared as if assessing what to do next, and the dome began to raise itself out of the box making a soft "ping ping" noise.Surprisingly, it was Lokusay who broke the tension. "It's like the puppets Kapotesh made.""Orders of magnitude more sophisticated," MacKay sputtered, "but yes, those were robots, too. And the basic shapes are similar. This one isn't hollow to fetch and carry, although nen can carry items in nen appendages or on top of nen back."Lokusay whispered soothingly to Doestossay, "Taff can't affect a robot. It's like your gardening bots. Don't worry.""Appendages?" Sawasay asked. Then the robot rose to the point where the entire shell area was above the box. Four thin metal legs unfolded from underneath to land outside the box while three or four others still supported the main weight from inside the box. Another metal appendage telescoped out from the center of the crystal dome and waved back and forth like a windshield wiper as the robot again sounded, "ping ping.""Are you asking to come out of the box?" Sawasay asked the bot.The appendage on top waved forward and down then back up, as if nodding. "Okay, move slowly."As the bot slowly walked forward, lowered down, and then rolled slowly toward Sawasay on hidden wheels, Lokusay asked McKay, "You used nen pronouns?""Well, I'm not sure where they're at on intelligence or sentience scales, but they definitely have the potential to be smarter than any pets on Earth. I would never call a cat 'it' so unless they end up telling us other preferred pronouns—""They?" Sawasay asked."The first one followed Sheppard home," McKay said, and half the room laughed."Not exactly," Sheppard said, still minding the grill."Close enough." McKay waved down Sheppard's correction. "Anyway, I worked with Atlantis to run basic safety tests and realized this one was already in production and planning to adopt your family. I programmed a crystal based on Gate translation so nen could understand verbal instructions. Sheppard's only understands mental commands from ATA carriers, the way the doors and lights here do unless there's a work around provided.""You're sure they're safe?" Spencer asked. Partly for his own sake, but mostly to reassure Doestossay."Basically." McKay must have caught Spencer's less than pleased expression, because nen hurried to explain. "You trust the doors here not to close on you and the shower not to scald you, right? But these are learning machines. Right now they're more like clever puppies than the turtles they resemble. They might bring you things you'd rather they didn't touch or knock things over and make a mess on accident, but if you give them clear instructions, they'll learn better.""Can you make yourself tall again?" Sawasay asked the bot that had stopped less than an inch from where nen knelt on the floor. The bot raised up again. "And come down?' The bot lowered to the floor. "That's called a push up. Can you do another push up?" The bot raised and lowered. "I think we can train nen. Good robot.""Ping ping," the bot replied."Robot," Lokusay asked without leaving Doestossay, "have you been in my room, on my desk before?"The bot used nen upper appendage to nod. Others in the room started whispering back and forth, but Lokusay continued questioning in a calm, clear voice."And were you in Doestossay's greenhouse?"Another nod.Spencer put in, "What looked like a tail dragged and then lifted over delicate leaves was a wheel track that ended when the bot rose up and stepped over, leaving tiny footprints instead. I bet nen found my slippers, too."Two very definite nod motions."Were you trying to help us?"The appendage moved side to side, like a head shake."Were you trying to learn about us?"Another nod."Do you want to be part of our family?"Another nod. And another. And another."Good robot," Lokusay finished with a smile. Even Doestossay had stopped shivering and was sneaking glances at the robot."Ping ping," the bot replied."Not supposed to give pintas pets without asking," Ronon said with a glare at McKay."Nen isn't a pet and isn't just for your pinta." McKay huffed. "Nen had basically chosen your family already. My gift to you was checking the safety and operations and allowing nen to understand someone other than Spencer in your household.""Thank you," Spencer said. "Thanks for that and for helping with the food drier."Doestossay pulled a few inches away from Spencer and Lokusay and spoke directly to the robot for the first time. "Did you add the salt slab on the bottom of the food drier?"The bot nodded nen top appendage."Did you make it to fit?"The bot nodded again.McKay muttered, "Bet no one else's puppy does that.""We need to find a way for you to ask first, but for now, thank you." Doestossay wasn't shaking anymore, although he had a tight grip on one of Lokusay's hands and one of Spencer's.The bot nodded and made the "ping ping" sound."Sorry I threw something at you in the vent, but you shouldn't spy on us," Ronon offered.Another nod and "ping ping.""Do you have a name?" Doestossay asked.The bot shook nen top appendage."Do you want us to name you?"The bot nodded."If you're part of the family, your name should end in Dex," Doestossay said."RoboDex," Sawasay said.The bot nodded.McKay said, "You will join Sheppard on my list of those who shouldn't be allowed to name anything.""I think it's an awesome name," Sheppard offered.Beckett poked McKay in the side when he opened his mouth to argue back."Okay, then," Doestossay continued. "Are you happy with nen pronouns?"RoboDex gave another appendage nod."Do you like to be touched?"Another nod."Good, RoboDex," Sawasay said and touched the crystal shell very gently.RoboDex made a trilling sound they hadn't heard before. Doestossay dragged Lokusay and Spencer by their hands and motioned to Ronon with his head. Soon they were all crouched around the newest addition to their family, petting and asking questions.#After everyone had left and they'd mostly cleaned up the kitchen and other areas, Spencer brought out the two gifts he'd wrapped and stored in his closet."I've never had this big of a family, and I'm not great at choosing gifts, but I have something that's for all of us and our home."Ronon glanced at the framed pictures on the wall, one from their family charter party with all their closest friends on Atlantis and one with the five of them reading together. Spencer had realized ahead of time that the shapes of the gifts would probably give them away. Nonetheless, their three pinta sat down on the couch together and happily opened both gifts simultaneously."The wedding with everyone on Earth!" Doestossay exclaimed, holding up one picture to show Ronon."Grandmother with all of us," Lokusay said softly, cradling the other new picture."I'll get the toolbox to hang them," said Sawasay. RoboDex rolled after nen waving three extra appendages, either in excitement or an offer to help."Thank you," Ronon said. "They're beautiful and the frames even match the others. Exactly what I wanted." He leaned in and gave Spencer a brief kiss."Lucky that Lorne gave me good advice for printing and finding frames the first time," Spencer said as Sawasay returned. "I haven't come up with anything like Lokusay's realizations to share with all of you. But I know you've all taught me more about family than I ever knew before. Anyway, on Earth they say, 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'"Lokusay said, "I like that. Thank you."Sawasay and RoboDex quickly measured and then hung the pictures.Ronon excused himself and came back with four standard issue pillowcases tied with different colored bows. "I commissioned something for each of you, but it's not the sort of art you hang on the wall." He handed each of them a specific gift, clearly marked by the different ribbons. Spencer was caught up in watching the pinta open theirs as he held his own in a loose hug. It was swishy, but much too lumpy to be an actual pillow.The kids soon pulled out quilts, each with a different pattern and color scheme.Lokusay said, "It's like the one in your room but with colors like my room and my clothes. Who made it?""A group of Athosian elders design and sew them, in trade for extra cloth and whatever else," Ronon said. "Teyla gave me mine many years ago, so I asked her to speak with the same artists when she was visiting. She told them about each of you, and they used some of the fabric I provided and some they already had to make you each your own unique quilt.""I love it," Lokusay said. "Thank you, and maybe we could visit those elders and thank them sometime." Then nen grew very still and spoke more softly, "I don't quite know how to word the realization I want to share with you, but since you shared the list of your ancestors, I realized I want to know more about your history and Sateda. Maybe we could visit there, too?""I'd like that," Ronon said."Me, too," Doestossay chimed in, before flinging his quilt across himself, Lokusay and part of the floor. His was mostly shades of green with specks of brighter colors. None of the pieces were actually leaf shaped, but the patterns and color shifts strongly suggested leaves and flowers. "Mine is like a jungle, or a very overgrown greenhouse. It's perfect." With a wide smile he turned to Sawasay."Mine's more like me, more orderly. A pattern made of shields, to protect me while I sleep, I guess." Sawasay's was the most like patchwork quilts on Earth. Spencer had seen a baby quilt once that looked like three dimensional children's blocks. The way the shields aligned on Sawasay's quilt was similar. The colors were subdued and shifted across the width of the quilt. It was almost like a maze, begging the eye to keep looking for patterns. "Thank you."Then Ronon prompted Spencer, "Open yours."Spencer had mostly forgotten what he was holding and wondered what he'd do with a quilt of his own when he already shared Ronon's bed and his quilt. What he pulled from the pillowcase was quilted in varied shades of purple, but it had arms and fastenings. It was like a robe with a cord through the bottom hem that could pull it closed like a sleeping bag. "Oh my goodness, it's a snuggie. And it's beautiful. Thank you so much.""Teyla and I didn't know there was an Earth word for it." Ronon smiled and kissed Spencer again. "The Athosians call them sleeping robes.""I never had one before, but on Earth I think they're called snuggies because people snuggle up in them, often with a book or hot beverage. It's perfect, and purple!" Spencer stood and pulled his snuggie on. It was warm and had a super soft lining, like flannel, inside.He sat back next to Ronon, tucked his feet in and tied the cord. "This would be perfect for meditating and visiting the spirit plane, which reminds me… I know the last time we went flying together ended with Sawasay being shot, so I hope there isn't a negative association. But if you wanted to go flying together again, I've been practicing as a dragon, and I could give anyone who wanted a ride, in either human or lotuk form.""Don't worry, we've gone flying since then." Doestossay reassured and then suggested, "You could be a launching platform.""Not from too high," Lokusay warned with mock seriousness."I can spot from underneath," Sawasay offered."I'd be willing to visit the spirit plane again if you think your dragon form can carry me," Ronon said.Spencer smiled and kissed his husband. "I've been practicing as a larger dragon in the hope you'd want to try."#In his new, larger dragon form, Spencer had no problem acting as a landing and launching platform for multiple lotuks, even with Ronon sitting astride his withers. His ferret spirit animal, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, had taken a look out position on Spencer's tail this time. Ronon's spirit animal, Dexter, had declined to ride. None of the other spirit animals expressed interest, but at least two of his pinta's bond mates from their cluster showed up to try a dive in their lotuk forms. The new ones didn't speak or introduce themselves, but to Spencer it felt like a positive first step in welcoming the others to their family.After an hour or so, the lotuks had all switched to surfing the air rising from thermals. Mostly, they seemed amused by cutting in and out and occasionally flying under each other to disrupt someone else's air currents. It was all in good fun, and Spencer enjoyed watching from above as he kept his much bulkier form out of the way of their games.Ronon took the opportunity to stretch out full length on Spencer's back. He lay facing downward, his head resting against Spencer's long dragon neck, so they could both watch the lotuks play below. His arms wrapped warmly around the sides of Spencer's neck and down across his chest. The rest of his body lay warm and solid along Spencer broad back."How are you so warm compared to me, even when I'm a dragon?" Spencer asked."Guess it's what you expect," Ronon sounded amused."Are you cold?" Spencer asked. "I could try to be warmer.""You feel warm beneath me." Ronon stroked Spencer's scaled chest and Spencer thrilled at the newness of the sensation. "The cool breeze from flying and you flapping your wings makes a nice contrast. Your spine is a little knobby beneath my ribs, but that's okay."Between one flap and the nest, Spencer felt his vertebrae relax into a shallower geometry, but he knew it was still as strong."Did you—" Ronon sounded alarmed. "I wasn't asking you to change for me, Spencer.""I know." Spencer didn't like the upset he felt across their bond. In this form, everything was a little more immediate, a little raw. "It was instinctive. Like shifting to wrap around you more closely when I'm asleep.""Do you think more like an animal in this form?" Ronon asked, still wary.Spencer's brain analyzed his senses. His touch and sight were different, but still distinctly his. The rest seemed about the same. He still understood why his lover would be concerned about Spencer casually changing his body based a single comment and why there might be other issues involving consent, power, or influence if Spencer's thinking was actually different in this form."No, my thought processes and concerns seem to be very much the same. The sensations are different. Flying is stimulating and distracting in a way not entirely different from sex or massage in my human form. So I guess my thinking might be a bit altered, as in those cases. But it was trivial to adjust my spine with a thought, easier than changing my sweater at home, so I don't think it really counts as changing myself. How are you handling the spirit plane and me being like this?""You still smell the same." Ronon took a long sniff against Spencer's neck. "It's less disconcerting than being on the ground here, where everything looks, sounds, and smells slightly wrong. Not like I've ever flown through open air before. Nothing to compare this to.""Do you like it?"Ronon sighed and petted Spencer's chest again. A pulse of love and reassurance passed along their bond. "I like seeing our pinta fly and spending time with their cluster and their spirit animals. I like stretching my body against yours, but our physical bodies are about the same back on the couch."Spencer couldn't honestly say if he enjoyed Ronon stroking his scales more than stroking his human skin. The details of texture and resistance were different, but the sensation like electricity racing across his nerve endings and the pleasure that filled an empty space inside him were the same. He was still very much himself. "We can go back to the couch if you want. I know this doesn't really get us anywhere or even count as exercise, and I never wanted to be bigger than I am in real life. There is something strangely satisfying about carrying you. About keeping us both airborne. But the parts where you're pressing against me and the way your touch makes me feel are surprisingly the same.""Can you breathe fire?"Spencer inhaled deeply and with a shift of his throat almost like forcing himself to burp in human form, he blew out a burst of flame."Impressive," Ronon said. "Your body warmed up and rumbled like you were humming or purring inside.""Did you like it?""Yes, my love." Ronon kissed Spencer's neck. "I like it because it's more that I can experience with you, more of you that I'm allowed to know. Go ahead and enjoy flying and carrying me around on your back. Whatever you want to try, I'm happy to be sharing the experience, even if I'm just along for the ride."Spencer wanted to wrap his wings around Ronon but didn't think his sense of aerodynamics or his beliefs about how his dragon body should work would allow that. Instead, he let out a long blaze of flame and then pumped his wings to see just how high they could fly.#When they went to the Generic Holiday Party that night, Sheppard brought his bot, Hail Mary, over to keep RoboDex company in the Dex apartment. They all hoped that would lead to less mess or trouble than any other option.Spencer was pleased when they reached the mess hall to see the large, noisy crowd spilling out onto surrounding balconies. He'd had enough group socialization that morning with the brunch their pinta had planned, and he preferred to watch this party from a quieter spot on the periphery. Luckily, the night was clear and warm enough to be inviting. Someone had strung small LEDs like fairy lights along all the balcony rails. Spencer found a comfortable place to sit where it was relatively quiet and he could mostly watch others eat, dance, and be social.He didn't mind when Doestossay approached almost at a run. "Have you seen these? Have you tasted these? They're called truffles, but not related to the fungus. I brought you one mint, one orange, one raspberry, and one plain dark chocolate. We need to find out who made them and ask them to host a community cooking event."Spencer chuckled. "That's a lot of truffles. You sure you don't want them?""I've already tried each kind, and there are more inside. These are for you."Spencer tried the first and said, "Raspberry and chocolate, very nice."Ronon made his way over to them with a plate full of fruit and cheese, and a glass of something fizzy. "Thought you might want something else to eat between truffles.""You are both amazing and thoughtful," Spencer said. After spending an afternoon with RoboDex, he almost expected to hear "ping ping" in response to praise. It was amusing how quickly they'd all taken to the bot."Did you know about chocolate truffles already?" Doestossay asked."Yes, but I'd never had a raspberry one before. These are wonderful. I fully support you asking around and inviting whoever made them to host an event. Maybe before Valentine's Day."A moment later Doestossay asked, "What's Valentine's Day?" The End