Cooper was awake before she opened her eyes. She heard people talking softly, something beeping. At least she didn't feel dizzy anymore - it had started to make her nauseous. Her eyelids fluttered open and for a moment she was confused. Then she concluded that she must be in the infirmary. She reached up and felt a tube feeding into her nose and a needle stuck in her arm.

"Hello," said a pleasant Scottish voice near the foot of her bed.

She stared at him for a moment. "Hi."

"I'm Dr. Beckett. I understand you're new here," he said with a slight smile.

She could only manage a nod.

"Well, you seem to be fitting in with Colonel Sheppard's team pretty well. Near-death experiences and all that. Caused a bit of a stir with the rest of us."

At the mention of Sheppard's name, she immediately began looking around. "Where...?"

"He's asleep, love. He suffered from a concussion and a bit of electrocution, but he's seen worse. He'll be alright." His kind face grew serious. "Although, if you had been down there another hour or more, he might not have. I think he owes you a big thanks."

"And McKay," she said distractedly.

"Aye, him, too. But you need to rest up a bit, as well," he told her. "You had a lot of toxicity in your system, took a lot to get you stable again. You should be fine, if have a bit of a slight cough for a few weeks. That's regular check-ups for you, young lady."

She nodded, then watched as Teyla entered the room, looking clean and refreshed. The Athosian smiled upon seeing the woman awake. "Lieutenant, I am glad that you are still with us."

"Yeah, me, too." She shifted slightly on the bed, still feeling out of it. "What happened?"

"The entrance opened up once you crossed the wires, and Major Lorne's team came down to help us," she said. "You returned just as he was coming down the ladder. He carried you back up, and then a medical team was called down to retrieve Colonel Sheppard. Your condition was very worrying for a few days."

"Days?"

"Aye. I think you're going to get use to missing out on time, if you continue with this lot," Dr. Beckett said dryly.

"But, fortunately, the city is now open to us," Teyla continued. "Larger research teams have gone down and were able to bring power to most of the tunnels and seal off the leaking one. It seems we may have found another asset."

"Good," Cooper said, leaning back into her pillows. "I would hate for all that to have been for nothing."

"Get some rest, Lieutenant. You've certainly earned it," Beckett said.

Teyla stepped forward, placed her hands on Cooper's shoulders, then tilted her head forward. Their foreheads touched, and Cooper felt the gesture was unexpectedly intimate.

"Sleep, Lieutenant. You have done enough."

. . .

Sheppard found her again about a week after the mission. She was standing on the balcony, staring out over the city as she had been the day he introduced her to his team. "Looks a little lonely out here," he said, standing next to her.

"Hey, Colonel."

He gave her a sidelong look. "If you're going to use 'hey,' don't call me Colonel. If you're going to use 'Colonel,' don't say 'hey.'"

She grinned slightly. "Sorry. I'm a little distracted."

He frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just... well, when you put your life on the line, you need a little time to get your thoughts back in order."

He nodded, leaning against the railing. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm great. Thanks, by the way. For putting your life on the line." He looked at her seriously. "I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again, but..."

She shook her head. "That's not a possibility, sir. Not here. You came for research and found yourselves fighting a war. Pegasus is dangerous; I wouldn't have signed on if I thought I couldn't handle it."

"Well, for what it's worth, I thought you handled it beautifully."

"Sir, you were unconscious for most of it."

"Yeah, so? I was awake sometimes, and I liked what I saw." He shifted his weight to the other foot. "Which is why, if you so choose, I'd welcome you as a permanent member of the team. You showed some real determination down in that hole and I could use that."

She swallowed, looking down at her hands. "Is it alright if I think about it?"

He nodded. "Sure, take your time. I just want you to know the offer's out there." He pushed away from the railing, turning to go back inside. "You should sit with us at dinner."

"I'll do that."

He smiled to himself. All the right people seemed to come to him. The members of his team always came through, always rose to the occasion. They were flexible, bending to the disasters that frequently befell them, but not breaking. Cooper had bent, and she'd been accepted. He was ready to see what else she could bring to the table.

. . .

A/N I think I'm going to be posting a series involving this OC, so be on the lookout for that. I've already completed several installations, so I might as well.

Hope you enjoyed the story! I love reading the reviews from everybody!