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Rodney didn't have a lot of memories from the first few weeks. Warmth, softness, and food ranked among the top favorites; also not being a moron like some of his siblings and wandering off to get lost.
There were six of them to start- him, Carson, Teyla, Ronon, John and Ford. Sumner had actually stuck around, unusually enough, and was helping Elizabeth keep them corralled, for the most part. Home was gigantic, with vaulted ceilings and lots of room for everyone to have their own space. Or it would have been, if it wasn't constantly filled with giant, moving warm things that lowed and kept Rodney up during the day. His family's nest in one corner was warm and safe, though, as long as you didn't wander outside. Outside of home, where it was cold and a different kind of dark at night.
Three weeks along, and they were starting to explore. The giant lowing things- cows- were one obstacle, the smaller but still intimidating barking things- dogs- were another. The cows were only dangerous as far as they were large, and getting stepped on was a really good way to get yourself killed. Rodney and his siblings, eyes still closed, were still aware enough to avoid that. The dogs, for the most part, left them alone. Except for Steve, who rarely entered home – barn- but that always led to a nasty fight with Sumner.
Once, Sumner wasn't around when Steve came by, and Elizabeth dealt with him instead. Steve stayed away for six days, after that, nursing his wounds.
John, Ford and Ronon left the nest to explore pretty regularly, almost always together. Teyla went with them sometimes, but only when they weren't being too rambunctious. Carson and Rodney preferred to stay closer to home, no matter how often John tried to drag them along. (“Come look, Rodney!,” “It'll be exciting, Rodney!,” “Oooh, look what I- ouch!”) It was warmer in the nest, they were safe there, and Elizabeth brought them food- sometimes still alive enough to play with.
Rodney and Carson didn't hear John sound the alarm for Steve that one night in the fifth week, but Sumner did. Elizabeth tried to round everyone back into the barn, but John and Ronon wouldn't leave Sumner to fight Steve this time. Not with Ford's still body lying in the snow.
Not long afterward, John and Ronon limped back to the nest, battered. Sumner had ordered them back as he died. Carson and Elizabeth spent a lot of time cleaning them up, while Teyla kept lookout and Rodney berated them for being ridiculously heroic, no, make that stupid, and almost dying for their trouble.
They never saw Steve again, and if Caldwell looked glum for a couple days, none of them could really manage to care.
Elizabeth was twice as careful as she had ever been, and barely allowed any of them out of her sight. She had little to worry about, though. Ford and Sumner's deaths had chastened them all. John and Ronon still went exploring, but only at night, when they had the advantage, and always together. They had started guarding their siblings' wanderings as well, which Carson appreciated and Teyla tolerated with a certain graceful and bemused air, but it annoyed Rodney to no end.
“I can look after myself, thank you.” Rodney's tail thwap-thwap-thwapped on the ground in irritation. “I don't need a babysitter, especially not one who's four minutes younger than me.” He was hungry, and he did not need John's help, and Elizabeth had been providing less and less for them lately, and was finally starting to loosen up a bit and insist they do some of the work.
“You don't get out much, Rodney. I just want to be sure you're okay.” John was slouching carefully against a wall, bright green eyes standing out brilliantly against the snow and faded red paint and his own black fur. Ronon, a very dark brown, was almost as stealthy as John at night, to those creatures without superior night vision. Teyla, a brown tiger with copper accents, usually remained unseen for her ability to stay perfectly still. Carson, gray and white striped with white socks and nose, was terrible at staying hidden at night or during the day and generally either went out with John and Ronon both or stayed with Elizabeth. Rodney, however, a light brown and gray tiger and the only one of the lot whose eyes were still the startling blue they'd been at birth, was burly enough to think himself capable and stubborn enough to insist on independence.
“It's been over two weeks and we haven't seen Steve at all, John, and the other dogs have no interest in-” Rodney let his voice trail off. He missed Ford's cheerfulness, still, and Sumner's aura of safety, and he was painfully aware that he hadn't been there when they died. “I'll be fine.”
“Yes, you will, because I'll be there to make sure of it.” There was a note of finality in his voice, and Rodney would have argued, but just then Caldwell, the man who cared for the cows and dogs, appeared, leading four other people- two men, a woman and a young girl. The woman and one of the men were carrying some kind of boxes, with holes in them.
**
“There are five left of the litter, and the mother's been pretty protective since the other kitten and the tom died. She's letting them out more now, though, and they're fully weaned. You'll have to teach them about litterboxes and cat food. Here's two of them now.” Caldwell picked up Rodney, who had gone still- Caldwell was never a threat, but he wasn't family. John jumped straight into Caldwell's arms after him, claws out and hanging on for dear life. “This is Rodney, and John. John's more active, Rodney never stops talking.”
The little girl moved to pet them, and Caldwell warned her off. “Careful, miss- Cassie, these are barn cats, Introduce yourself, first, let them smell you.” The man with glasses demonstrated with Rodney, who allowed him a brief petting before huffing into Caldwell's shoulder and squirming away. Cassie tried to follow his example, but John leaped quickly onto Caldwell's shoulders, far out of her reach.
“Sorry, miss, he's not much for children. The others are a lot friendlier.” They entered the barn, and Caldwell let John and Rodney down to go join their litter mates.
“You planning on keeping any?” the thinner man asked, scratching his close-shorn gray hair.
“Teyla- the reddish one. This is probably Elizabeth's last litter. And one of the boys- John or Ronon, I think, to keep an eye on the place. Carson, though,” he turned to the girl, “the white and gray one, he's very gentle and loves people. I think you'll like him.” Cassie immediately went over to the nest with her mother, leaving the three men to watch John and Rodney sneak carefully back towards the door.
“Not planning on keeping Rodney, then?” the man in glasses asked, head tilted to one side.
“Oh, he's strong enough, he'd be all right. But John and Ronon are more naturally aggressive.” Caldwell closed the barn door, blocking John and Rodney's exit. “He seemed to like you, Daniel- not often he'll let himself be petted by a stranger.”
“John seems pretty attached to him.” The two cats were now twining their way around Caldwell's legs, making for the opposite wall.
“I suppose. That's sort of new, actually. Rodney used to never go anywhere without Carson, but lately he's been venturing outside more often, and where he goes, John goes. They've all been a lot more protective of each other since Ford died. John reminds me a little of you, Jack- seems to think he's in charge.”
Jack and Daniel were kneeling on the floor with the kittens by this point, and Jack looked up briefly from introducing himself to John so he could shoot Caldwell a look. “We were only planning on getting one.”
**
“Who are these people and why are they here?”
Rodney had been getting to know Daniel's scent, ignoring John, who was scoping out Jack and looking for alternative exits. John was entirely too paranoid these days. “Does it matter? They seem nice.”
“They're people, Rodney, they wouldn't be here without a reason.” John was watching Cassie as well, who was cooing over Carson with her mother.
“Don't worry about Carson, you know he loves people cuddling him. Looks like he's having a great time.”
But suddenly the mother said, “Oh, all right, Cassie” and gently picked Carson up and put him in the box she was carrying and closed it up and where were they taking his brother?
Rodney didn't move fast very often- but when he wanted to, he could just about hit light speed. An instant later and he was plastered against the side of the box Carson was trapped in. “Are you okay? What are they doing? You moron , you let them do this to you?”
Carson poked a paw out of one of the holes in the box. “Rodney-”
Which was when they both heard John, who had also flown across the room, hiss, “Let. Him. Go.” Rodney turned to see him crouched, poised to attack, at the mother's feet, and Rodney shivered. John had death in his voice. Rodney hadn't heard him sound like that since Steve.
“John!” Elizabeth was halfway across the barn, conferring with Teyla and Ronon about a possible new location for the nest. “Calm down. He'll be fine.”
John kept his stance. “Oh?”
“Rodney,” Carson spoke up, “they said they're taking me to their home. I'm to be a house cat. I'll be fine with them, and we always knew I was never going to do well in the barn.”
Rodney cocked his ears. “And I should believe them why ?” His voice dripped disdain, but Carson knew him well enough to read the radiating tension in his shoulders as concern.
“Caldwell trusts them, Rodney,” Elizabeth explained as she crossed the floor towards them. “And this always happens. We can't keep the whole litter here- there just isn't room for all of us once you all grow up. It'll be all right.”
**
“You'd better take him while she has them distracted. They'll calm down once he's out of their sight. It's like ripping off a band aid.”
“All right, if you think it's best. Thank you, Steven.” Janet gestured for Cassie to leave the barn, then picked up the carrier and followed. “I'll call you next week to let you know how he's doing.”
When she was gone, John and Rodney sat in the middle of the floor together for a moment. Elizabeth was sitting nearby, but John and Rodney were almost cuddled up together.
Jack scratched his head. “We really were only going to take one.” He glanced at Daniel, who shrugged.
“Two don't cost much more than one, and they'll be company for each other. Besides, have you ever dealt with a grieving cat?” Daniel and Caldwell's mouths made matching moues of distaste, which Jack privately thought was hilarious, but was he was bright enough not to mention it.
“All right.” Jack opened the carrier, and Daniel carefully pried Rodney away from John to put him inside. John jumped right in after him, with no prompting. “Yeah, that figures.”
Daniel closed the carrier and stood up. “Thanks for letting us know. We've been looking for awhile.”
“No problem. Glad to find a good home for them.” Caldwell nodded.
“Speaking of which, Dannyboy, it's time for us to head out, if we want to make it back to the SGC before nightfall.”
“SGC?”
Daniel's mouth quirked into a grin. “Sage Green Cabin. There was an accident with a paint chip and a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Which was not my fault.”
“Sure it wasn't, Daniel. Way to pass the buck.” They continued bickering in a friendly fashion as Caldwell walked them to their truck. “Thanks again, Caldwell.” They shook hands as Daniel carefully placed the carrier in the truck, and they left.
**
“Rodney, I'm right here. I'm not leaving you.”
“It's so small. And we're moving. And what is this smell? And-” Rodney was vibrating with fear.
John firmly nudged Rodney's shoulder with his nose. “I'm right here, buddy. We'll be okay. Elizabeth said so.”
“I- you really think so?” Rodney paused for breath. Barely. “Carson-”
“Carson is fine. And we're on the way to some nice house, just like him. We'll be okay.”
“But how can you know?”
“I am not going to let anything happen to you, Rodney.” He looked right into Rodney's eyes, and apparently something Rodney saw settled him, because he started to relax.
“Right. Of course.” Rodney started to droop a little. “I, um, I used an awful lot of energy in the last few minutes, all that manly worrying, you know....”
John quirked his ears at him in response. “Go ahead and take a nap, Rodney. I'll keep watch.”
So, when Daniel leaned over to check on them halfway home, he saw John, staring back resolutely, and Rodney, curled loosely around him in restful abandon.