A/N: This is the first fanfic that I've published. Helpful criticism is welcome- if you see mistakes or anything that doesn't seem to make sense, let me know. Reviews are encouraged.

Samantha Carter looked at the pile of reports in front of her. Of all the things she'd ever considered doing when she left SG-1, being a nanny wasn't one of them. Sure, officially she was the head of the Atlantis base, the person who was supposed to be in charge. In reality, however, she wasn't truly in charge; Sam knew that the men and women who'd been here from the beginning weren't ready to accept someone other than Elizabeth Weir, not yet. The newer people were better, but still, they went with tried and true. The real leaders on Atlantis were Sheppard and Mckay. She snorted. If one didn't charm you into following him, the other would tear you apart with his words and browbeat you into compliance.

She'd read the mission reports- all of them, and still had no idea how this group of people could go into stressful situations together. Sheppard was a maverick in almost every sense of the word- charming and unpredictable. Teyla was a natural diplomat, but also a warrior. Ronon was in a class all by himself- a soldier who had survived being hunted by a horrible enemy. And Rodney McKay. Well, he'd certainly surprised her. She would never in a million years have guessed that the abrasive, self-centered egotist was capable of half of the things he'd done, not the least of which was to risk his own life for someone else.

She remembered how it was at the SGC. The odd feeling that even though these people drove her crazy, they were the people closest to her in the whole damn galaxy. God, she missed them all, even Vala. She thought of how busy she used to be, working late in her lab under the mountain. She was still busy, but now spent most of her time reading reports from off-world teams, supply requisitions from the department heads, and notes left by Dr. Weir. The last were actually enjoyable, giving her valuable insight into the people she managed.

Management. She stifled a groan. She was management. A Colonel in the US Air Force, a physicist and expert on alien technology with 10 years field experience, and she was a desk jockey. No more off world missions, very little use of her scientific knowledge. She remembered O'Neill saying once that he didn't' think he could be 'The Man', well she was now 'The Man'. Sam clasped her hands on the desk and closed her eyes.

The chevrons on the gate suddenly started lighting up. She hurried to the control room, knowing this wasn't good. No teams were scheduled to check in for hours. God, she missed Earth.

"Receiving IDC... It's Colonel Sheppard's team!" the tech yelled.

Her stomach knotted. That team had only left two hours ago to investigate a strange power reading. "Lower the shield."

Teyla ran through the gate, stumbling under Sheppard's weight. As she called for a medical team, the Athosian lowered him to the floor. Sam's eyebrows rose as he cursed and slapped the floor. Everyone watched the gate expectantly, waiting for the rest of the team. A blast shot through, followed by bits of rock and dirt, then the gate shut down. The knot in her stomach suddenly tightened. This was not good. "Teyla, where's the rest of your team?"

Sheppard started slapping away the reaching hands. He struggled to his feet. "Damn it to hell! Dial them back! Send in a jumper!"

"Colonel Carter! They were directly behind us!" Teyla's face betrayed her anxiety. "Ronon was helping Dr. Mckay as he was also injured."

Sam spun to the tech. "Dial the planet!" The first five chevrons lit up, then faded. "What's wrong?"

"We can't establish a wormhole."

"Could they be dialing out?" Carter hoped they weren't moving Ronon and Rodney to another planet.

"Colonel Carter, I believe it's possible the other gate was damaged." Teyla called.

The tech looked at her with a pale face. Sam took a deep breath. "Get Radek in here! Teyla, I need to know what's going on. As soon as Dr. Keller checks you out, find me." She turned back to the gate, wishing she wasn't the one in charge.

Teyla's briefing was short and to the point. The natives had known who they were, telling them they wanted to make an alliance. They had seemed very impressed with Dr. Mckay, trying several times to separate him from the others. When the team had decided to go back to the gate to discuss the situation with Carter, they'd attacked. In the firefight, Sheppard had been shot. Teyla had helped him make it to the gate. Ronon had been guarding Rodney while he dialed Atlantis and sent the IDC. As she had assisted Colonel Sheppard through the event horizon, Ronon had grabbed Mckay and pushed him towards them. That had been the last she'd seen of them.