In an alternate universe in which John Sheppard is dishonorably discharged from the Air Force after an unauthorised rescue mission went wrong, he never gets stationed in Antarctica and never travels through the Stargate. Instead, he turns to a life of prostitution to make ends meet.
Five years after heading to the Pegasus Galaxy, Rodney McKay helps fly Atlantis home to defend the Earth from a wraith attack – but they don't have enough power left to make the return trip. As he settles back into life on Earth, his relationship with Jennifer Keller ends and he gives up hope of ever going back, so he starts turning to one night stands for company.
As the years go by, Rodney's nights get lonelier – until one night he impulsively picks up a hooker named John, and discovers a whole new side to himself. He hires John again and again, and the two begin to fall for each other. But then Rodney gets the message that they have the power they need to go back, and he's faced with an impossible choice – give up everything he's dreamed of for the last decade, or give up the man who's come to mean everything to him.
