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The first time Rodney McKay saw Sam Carter, he called her a dumb blonde. The second, third, fourth and fifth time he did this, he was punched. Hard. And not always by Sam. He just smiled, made a snide comment and announced that she must really love him.
She was not amused.
After Rodney left on the Atlantis mission, there was a small party held in the SGC; it wasn't mean-hearted. Daniel was still pissed that Jack hadn't let him join the expedition. It was ATLANTIS for crying out loud! The lost city of the Ancients! For the rest of the SGC, it was really their way of coping with the knowledge they had just sent a bunch of Earth's best and brightest to a different galaxy with no guarantee of a return trip. A mission led by a civilian with only a small contingent of marines for protection. While they could (and did) toast Elizabeth Weir, it was Rodney that they knew the best. And so, Daniel and Sam made an effigy of the man and they ceremoniously burnt it while making speeches after getting really, really drunk.
The SGC didn't hear from Atlantis for months. When they did, it's thanks to Rodney McKay (and they all knew he was going to remind them of that when next they see him!) It looked like Atlantis was facing imminent destruction so the Pentagon sent the Daedaelus out to help them, and authorized a ZPM (or ZedPM as Rodney insisted on calling it) to be connected to the Earth Stargate to get some more marines to the Pegasus Galaxy.
After Atlantis was saved, the senior staff from Atlantis came to visit Earth. SG-1 wasn't at the SGC while they were there, but later heard how Rodney kept asking about what "that blonde parading around like she had a brain thought she was doing with project x? (or y or z)" Sam just smiled when she heard it. It was good to know that despite all the hardships the Atlantis expedition faced, Pegasus had not changed Rodney McKay.
Of course as the Odyssey arrived at Atlantis over a year later and she knew she was going to have to ask him for help, she was less amused. It might have been because Daniel kept making references to dumb blonde jokes.
Unfortunately, SG-1 needed McKay's genius to make sure they could destroy the Ori's Supergate. And as they prepared to disembark Sam stressed over and over again to her team that they were not to tell Rodney she had said they needed him. His ego was already too big.
Vala let it slip during the mission briefing. And Rodney glowed.
Surprisingly, Rodney didn't annoy Sam as much as he used to. Oh, he still made snide comments (she saw Cam attempting to hide his laughs in his sleeve) but he wasn't that bad. Until he made that comment about Sam saving him while he was in a puddlejumper or something like that. Which just confused her until he elaborated and told her it was a hallucination and that she may or may not have been wearing a blue bathing suit. Then she just wanted to hurt him, but there was the whole needing his brain thing, so she just ignored him.
In the end, McKay helped destroy the Supergate, and more importantly the crew of the Odyssey didn't end up as Wraith fodder. It had sustained some damage so SG-1 found itself sitting on Atlantis for the time it took to make repairs. Daniel was in heaven of course, and Vala seemed to be behaving. Cam took to Colonel Sheppard like a duck to water and the two could be found comparing war stories more often than not. Rodney gave Sam a tour of the facilities as he called it, showing her what they had found since arriving. It was all pretty impressive. Of course he then abandoned her when Zelenka came to him muttering excitedly about a new device they found that just might tell them how to make their own ZPMs so she found herself wandering the halls of Atlantis, marveling that she was actually there.
The night before SG-1 was due to return to Earth and the war with the Ori, Sam cornered Rodney and told him they were having dinner. Together. It was in the mess hall because Sam didn't want to encourage Rodney more than necessary but she did want to thank him for what he had done. She was still marveling at the changes in his attitude since he had left Earth.
The Rodney McKay who had left Earth would never have been part of an off-world team and certainly not the expedition's number one team. He had always refused to get into any danger. McKay had some "friends" but that was only if you liberally expanded the definition. Really, they were colleagues he had yet to scare away.
In Atlantis, it was different. Sam noticed how all of McKay's team just happened to be hanging out near the dock when the Odyssey returned and how Rodney simply took it as his due, all the while muttering under his breath how he was certain Zelenka had managed to destroy the lab in his absence. He had barely stopped long enough to wave goodbye to SG-1 before he was off, complaining loudly, even as Colonel Sheppard slapped him on his back and handed him a cup of coffee. Ronon and Teyla just grinned as he started down the hall, already talking to Zelenka via radio.
It wasn't a sight any from Earth had ever seen, nor thought they would see. Sam wondered how else he had changed since arriving in Pegasus. It was for that reason she dragged him to dinner and found herself sitting across from him in the mess hall.
"You know McKay," she began as they both dug into the meal, "we make a pretty good team." Her trademark grin and sparkling blue eyes conveyed the genuine feeling of camaraderie she felt for the scientist.
"Really?" he asked, astonished at her comment. It had been made clear to him on more than one occasion that Samantha Carter barely tolerated him – and not just by her.
"Yes really," she confirmed. She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. "Look Rodney, we may have had our differences, but you're a good man."
He blinked at her, his normally glib tongue silent as he tried to understand what had brought the change. "Oh, I get it," he said, self-deprecating. "What's the punch line? Hmm?" He glanced around them, looking for one of her teammates, the incomparable SG1, trying to see what the joke was as he pulled his hand out from under hers. They may be on his turf as it went, but he wouldn't put it past them to try something like this.
"There is no joke Rodney," Sam tried to explain patiently. "I meant it. We make a good team."
"Oh," he replied, looking confused. He leaned back in his chair. "Well, it stands to reason," he continued in his normal tone after a moment, "I am a genius and you're almost as smart as me." He grinned back at her, smug, content in his position as resident genius. Truth was, Samantha Carter was almost as smart as he and it was that in combination with her looks that had caused his unrequited crush. Though he had long since given up on anything happening between the two of them, he would never let her know. It was so much more fun to watch her squirm at the inappropriate words that left his mouth. And yes, despite evidence to the contrary, Rodney was aware of most of what he said.
"Yes Rodney," she began tiredly, well used to his ways. "I am almost as smart as you." She paused. "I was very impressed with your work on the Odyssey. I know I told my team we needed you, but I don't think I realized how necessary you were to our success."
Rodney was a bit taken aback. He never thought he would hear those words from Samantha Carter. "Well. Um…" he stuttered before continuing with his usual fast-paced talk. "I'm glad to have been of help, though I don't understand why everyone must constantly threaten me when I'm trying to save everyone's asses!" he yelled indignantly. He was still annoyed with Colonel Mitchell's use of the lemon. Of course it had worked, but really. Was it too much to ask not to be threatened when lives were at stake?
Sam just grinned. "Come on Rodney. It wasn't that bad!" she told him.
"Hmpph. I suppose if I had died of anaphylactic shock you wouldn't be saying that!" he told her before smiling. It felt rather strange to be having an actual conversation with Carter, one that had not degenerated into insults. Maybe he was getting old.
"No one would have let you die Rodney! You would probably come back to haunt us anyway!" she replied. "Now, I wanted to ask you about the power strips you use in the labs. Do you think they can be modified for use on Earth?" And then they were both off and running, returning to their usual verbal sparring, throwing theories at one another and calling each other stupid idiots and asking how the other had come up with that theory, and honestly you call yourself a scientist?
By the time SG-1 left Atlantis, Sam had agreed to read and at least consider Rodney's latest theories. Daniel had to be pried from Atlantis by Vala and Cam returned the lemon back to Sheppard. As the Odyssey lifted off and headed for home, Sam joined Cam, Daniel and Vala on the bridge for one last look at Atlantis.
"Well that was fun," Vala announced. "Though I don't really understand why you were so hesitant about Dr. McKay. He seemed like a nice sort."
Daniel and Sam exchanged a rueful glance. "He's changed," Sam told her. "I guess all he needed was Atlantis."