MGM owns all characters.

Thanks to scr1tno for the push to publish this

A/N:I have no idea where this came from. It starts pretty dark, not like my other stuff, so be warned. Reviews are welcome because it is so different for me.

John let Rodney go, but made sure to keep him in sight. No one wanted to wander far, but everyone, Ronon, Teyla, Lorne and all the other soldiers needed to see for themselves that their friends were gone. To lose any one of the Marines was a devastating blow, but Richards, Stackhouse, Warrington and Mehra all at the same time was unimaginable. How do you replace a Master Gunnery Sergeant Richards? The man was legendary, from his actions on Heroes with SG1 to all he did during the early days of Atlantis; the older man was always there. Stackhouse and Warrington were SGC and SGA veterans as well. Dusty Mehra was a new addition, but was a proven soldier. Sheppard shook his head and looked at the sky.

Glancing back up the street, he saw Rodney enter a large building that looked like some type of meetinghouse. Rodney was going into each building and searching for something. A little something to give him a sense of… John could not say closure. He remembered the McKay he encountered in the other time line; the one who gave up his life to go back and save Jennifer and the others. John often wondered if that McKay would have done any of it if Jennifer had not died. He said he was happier than ever before when they had their brief time together. Just like our Rodney.

John smiled thinking about Atlantis' first couple as they were called. Rodney really did treat Jennifer like royalty. He was always there for her. They were never blatant about their relationship. You never saw them kiss in public, except after Jennifer was shot while Neeva occupied her body. John saw real panic in his best friend that day. When Jennifer was awake, he kneeled next to the makeshift operating table, holding her hand and then leaned over and kissed her. It was really nice to see them so happy together. And now… Rodney had nothing. Sure the Daedalus would be there by morning and they would do sensor sweeps to see if there was a Hive nearby, but there was no real way to ever know what happened to her or the Marines.

John suddenly realized Rodney did not come out of the building he entered. Getting angry with himself for not paying attention, John ran to it and entered. The sight before the hardened soldier made him pause and swallow a lump in his throat.

Rodney McKay was kneeling next to a bed. There was an Atlantis medical pack on the floor near the head of the bed. The astrophysicist was holding a blanket near his nose. It was obvious he was inhaling something, most likely a fragrance. John blinked his eyes and watched as Rodney folded the blanket up like it was an irreplaceable object. He unzipped the medical pack and set the blanket inside with great care.

Swallowing once again, John tried to find his voice. He did not recognize the strained sound coming from out of his throat, "Hey, buddy. What'd you find?"

"Jennifer slept here. Her shampoo smells like flowers. Could never figure out which ones. Roses maybe or lilacs? I… I never asked." Rodney stared at the medical pack in his hands. He was still kneeling on the floor with only moonlight coming through the doorway behind Sheppard for light. The face that always showed so many emotions was blank. No bluster. No fear. No bravado. Absolutely nothing and it terrified John Sheppard more than anything.

If Rodney screamed, he would know what to do. If his friend broke down crying in hysterics, he would be able to offer a shoulder, but for Meredith Rodney McKay to sit like a lost little boy holding a blanket was something the Air Force Colonel did not have the slightest idea how to handle.

Teyla and Ronon appeared blocking out some of the light before stepping inside. Teyla, the new mother, went to kneel beside Rodney and put an arm around him. Ronon, who had lost his love to the Wraith walked over and sat on a bench nearby. They had seen the medical pack and knew Jennifer had been here. Lorne came in next to report they found nothing. Every single person was culled. No one had run off into the trees to hide.

John nodded at his 2IC, who was also great friends with Jennifer. He saw Lorne's eyes move to the pack now clutched in Rodney's hands. The blue eyes of Jennifer's boyfriend and surrogate big brother connected for a short time. Something passed between the two men who were never close and did not really like each other. John knew in that instant that Lorne and McKay would be friends the rest of their days.

The mourners stayed where they were for some time. John leaned against the wall inside the door with Evan on the other side. They were sentries watching over the fallen. Rodney pulled the medical pack closer over time so his arms were wrapped around it. Teyla pulled her friend and teammate closer with both arms wrapped around him. Ronon sat and stared out the window up into the sky. The big Satedan liked the young American doctor and even challenged McKay for her once. It was a story everyone laughed about including Jennifer. Sheppard smiled remembering the horror on Rodney's face when Ronon told Jennifer that Rodney basically called him out for a duel. It was impossible to think of Jennifer Keller and not have a fond memory. She was full of life.

Major Teldy finally broke them up. She called Lorne to say they needed to dial back to Woolsey.

"We need to move out," John said in a quiet voice. He walked over to Teyla and Rodney on the floor. His best friend still had no expression on his face; the only change was that now his eyes were now clenched shut.

Ronon got up and leaned over to put a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, we need to bring Jennifer's stuff home."

Somehow those words penetrated the fog that surrounded Rodney. He looked up at Ronon and reached out to take the Satedan's hand. Ronon and Teyla got Rodney on his feet. The scientist kept one arm wrapped around the pack and put the other around Teyla.

John turned to lead the way back to Atlantis, back to the stark reality of the city without one of its favorite daughters.

TBC