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~~~***~~~
Cougar and Jake spent the first three months on Atlantis learning about the city-ship, the Ancients and the Pegasus Galaxy, the natives and the other people on the city. The DVDs could only prepare you or tell you so much, the rest you had to discover on your own. The pink potatoes and the slightly purple-colored chicken-turkey bird thing, which was about as pretty as a normal turkey but three times the size, all took a little getting used to. But as Jake had told him once, points to the cooks for making delicious meals.
He had been through the kitchens on one of his many midnight hunts for Jake who got lost in his homework and forgot that sleep was needed. Cougar had seen the storage closest filled with spices and dry ingredients that the kitchen kept in case Atlantis should ever be cut off from Earth again. He was a firm believer in being prepared for anything and whoever maintained the kitchen believed the same thing if the labels and the rotation and stacking of the supplies was anything to go by.
Once he and Jake had settled into life on the alien city, something they both did far easier than Cougar had thought they would, Lorne started assigning them to gate missions. Simple ones at first. Those all going so smoothly that both he and Jake didn't know what to do or think. There had been no unexpected bad guys, no bombs, no explosions of any kind, and no chasing, of them or anyone else for that matter. It had been a relaxing change of pace that had them both freaking out slightly. Him a little more than Jake, as Jake was still freaking out about having to go back to school. Cougar still chuckled at that thought.
Mission number four had been more like it. Excitement. Explosions. An ambush by Wraith worshippers and a mad dash to the gate to avoid the incoming wraith cruiser. Cougar didn't like Wraith worshippers and when he thought about them he was positive he despised them more than the Wraith themselves. Selling out a planet to keep their youth and lives made them whatever the crap was that Medical had scraped off the bottom of his boot. They had kept his boots; and he had just gotten those broken in too. But it did go a long way to explaining why he'd been issued four pairs.
Mission number five had been made for Jake. An underground temple filled with Ancient, very dusty, technology. Most of it in working order. Most of it medical and science equipment. It had been geek nirvana. Then they'd found a ZPM. It wasn't quite a quarter full, but a ZPM was a ZPM. Cougar was positive he'd seen happy dances from about twelve different people, including Jake.
The new technology and power meant the scientists were even busier than normal. Cougar knew that Jake had hoped that meant Dr. Kusanagi would lighten his academic load and let him play with the new stuff. It hadn't. Jake was clipping along with his studying and thesis paper under the watchful eye of the quiet Japanese woman. Cougar would not admit this to anyone, but the geeks on Atlantis--especially Zelenka, McKay, and Kusanagi--scared him a little. The things the three of them could do... He had thought Jake dangerous with a laptop and an internet connection, now he was in and around labs with the other three. It was better left not thought about or there could be more weird nightmares.
Several missions later Cougar took out a Wraith dart with his rifle. It allowed AR-1 and about twenty children and teens to make a safe retreat through the gate. Saving the children had lifted some weight off of he and Jake that neither man had realized they were still carrying. And it had felt good to take out something that big with a single lucky shot from his rifle.
Ronon had asked him about his SR-25 a few days after that mission. Its range, weight, distance, everything. It was apparently the first time Ronon had ever taken a real interest in earth weapons. Cougar found the younger man to be a good student. He was quiet, a little wild, but Cougar could see the soldier the other man had been before the Wraith had attacked.
While Ronon had the patience to learn about and how to use the SR-25 and a few other Earth weapons it was obvious that Ronon didn't have the patience to be a sniper when it came to the Wraith. Cougar could understand that; understand the younger man's drive to be right in the middle of the action. He also knew that what he did, being a sniper, was not a skill many wanted, but if asked he would teach.
In exchange, Ronon let him test out his particle magnum gun. Cougar had wanted one almost immediately after firing the first shot. He'd even asked if there was a long-range version of the gun. There had been, but Ronon believed the accuracy and distance wouldn't match that of his Earth weapon but promised to keep an eye out for one should they ever come across a stash of Satedan weapons.
"You two going to shoot at the little bobbly targets all day?" Jake asked, stopping several feet behind Cougar and Ronon's crouched positions on the firing range and breaking the quiet of Cougar's thoughts. "Or do you plan on eating dinner?" Jake finished.
Both men glanced down at their wrists. Cougar was normally better at keeping track of time though he was still getting used to the twenty-seven hour day and how that worked with reporting back to Earth.
"Dinner," Cougar answered, already tearing down his gun before turning in Ronon's direction to ask, "Would you like to join us?"
"Nah," the other man answered, popping up to his feet in one very quick and smooth motion. "Time to bother McKay."
Cougar grinned while Jake laughed.
~~~***~~~
"We're on the schedule if we want to gate to Earth," Jake said, tossing his jacket towards his desk and walking over to the small couch where Cougar was stretched out reading from his tablet. "I guess O'Neill's at least anytime soon is here or someone forgot," Jake said, recalling something the general had said more than a year ago when Cougar was still recovering aboard the Apollo.
Jake hadn't even realized they'd been on Atlantis for more than a year until he'd seen the schedule at lunch. He really had nothing to go back for. He had no family and officially he was dead. Everything he wanted came in the shipments from Earth. He had a stockpile of coffee, candy, and salt and vinegar potato chips to last...well, that was besides the point. Plus Cougar had his own stockpile of candy and health food.
No, there was nothing he really needed to go to Earth for that he couldn't have shipped out here. But Cougar still had family, though they thought he was dead. He might want to go just to get a glimpse of them. Then again there was a chance Aisha was still alive and that would put his family at risk if he was spotted, and Cougar wouldn't risk that.
"You are overthinking?" Cougar said quietly putting down his tablet.
Jake shrugged. That had always been a common problem of his when he wasn't sure what he wanted. He dropped down into the chair next to the sofa and chewed at his lip for a second. "Want to go back to Earth?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful but not for a second believing he had pulled it off.
"No."
"No?"
Cougar sat up and gave his head a small shake that yet again indicated a negative response. Jake waited a few minutes but there was no explanation.
"Use your words, man," Jake responded to the silence. "I mean I'm normally pretty good at getting your non-verbal answers but we haven't talked about going back to Earth since we...well, since we left Earth."
"You don’t call it home," came Cougar's response.
"Huh?" Jake was lost. What did that have to do with whether or not Cougar wanted to visit Earth or see his family.
Cougar chuckled softly. "You don't call Earth home, Jake. You always call here," and Cougar pointed the floor, "Atlantis, home. Or this room if we are already on the city. You called our quarters home when I had to spend two days under the ever watchful eyes of Doctor Carson."
"That was totally unfair you had to stay in medbay because of some little purple flower."
Though Jake counted himself lucky that he hadn't touched the flower because the hives everyone had looked itchy and unpleasant and he was feeling the need to scratch even now.
"You call this place home," Cougar continued. "This is home."
"But..."
"I told you then that here with you is good. That has not changed." Cougar moved over and took his hand. "You are my family, understand?"
Jake nodded his head, letting Cougar's words sink in. "Here with you is home," he finally said and smiled.
They were where they were supposed to be. Home. Atlantis. Together.
~ end of series ~