Okay, so I want to post this before the site goes down and I miss Pi day all together. Please forgive the grammar errors as I didn't have time to have a beta.

Chapter Two: The Grand Scheme of Life

The first thing John Sheppard noticed when he entered the messhall was that the place was packed. The second thing he realized was that more than half of the inhabitants were not wearing Atlantis uniforms. Nearly everyone was in t-shirts and jeans, except for Rodney McKay, who had opted for khakis instead.

The scientist was not among those enjoying breakfast at the large round tables, but rather he was making his way to the back of the kitchen where he then proceeded to load boxes onto a red dolly. If everything else wasn't odd enough, McKay was surrounded by food and not eating. That definitely constituted strange.

"Excuse me, sir." Lt. Laura Cadman pushed her way past the military leader and into the fray of people. She had elected to wear a pink ensemble with the words Cutie Pi spread across the front.

"Lt. Cadman." He used his best commanding voice and she quickly did an about face followed by a strong "Sir?"

"Care to explain this?"

"It's pi day, sir."

"Yes, March 14, 3.14. I get that. However, what I don't get is why one of my soldiers appears to have forsaken the regulation attire."

"Ah. Yes. Well, I saw all the scientists had gotten into the fun of the day so I asked Rodney if he could add me to the list."

"The list?"

"Yeah. He convinced Weir to give some of his men the day off and snuck me in through the back door." If she was worried how her superior would react to such an admission, she didn't show it. The young woman was all smiles as she stood half at attention and half at ease. "I figured one personal day wouldn't hurt, sir."

"Just how many people are involved in this?"

His vision trod to where Elizabeth and Radek had just entered the commissary. Behind them a gangly scientist followed with the words Now you can have your Pi and e it too, scrawled in red marker across a white top.

"I think Rodney mentioned something like fifty folks taking the day off, sir. Apparently there are a lot more people coming to the celebration in the hanger at 1:59."

"1:59? Isn't that a little exact?"

"More like a rough approximation, sir."

Elizabeth caught Sheppard's eyes just as he was rolling them at Cadman's comment. "If you'll excuse me, Lieutenant." He made his way across the room, taking a seat next to Zelenka. Not a second later, he was joined by Teyla and Ronon.

"People are acting most strange today."

"Rodney has apparently been planning this for months, Teyla. It's a celebration of… well..."

Seeing that Elizabeth was having difficulty, Sheppard took up the explanation. "It's a science deal really. Pi is a mathematical number that occurs in nature that allows us to have circles and all kinds of interesting things. We're on a colony comprised primarily of geeks so no surprise they would insist on celebrating. Not that I haven't enjoyed the occasional slice of pie in commemoration myself."

"I see." Despite her words, John could tell that Teyla was far from understanding the concept and although Ronon hadn't said anything, he was clearly confused by the actions of those around him.

"So you gave how many people the day off, again?"

"Fifty or so."

"And you think that is a good idea."

"We're not in any danger, John. There aren't any teams off world. Now is as good a time as any. A chance for them to relax."

"And you forgot to mention this to me, you're second in command, because?"

"In all fairness," it was Radek that spoke this time, "Rodney and I have indeed been planning this for a while, but we neglected to tell Dr. Weir until this morning. We were a bit carried away with other plans."

"Rodney and you carried away? Imagine that. And when exactly were you planning to invite us to the party?"

"You would like to participate?"

"I'm not obsessed about Pi, but I admit to enjoying math every now and then."

"Then you should come. 1:59 in the hangar deck."

"That is an exact time." Sheppard looked to the runner, surprised he had been paying enough attention to make any comment.

"More of an approximation actually."

As if that joke wasn't old the first time he had heard it. He really had to get away from Atlantis some time, spend some moments in the company of people who didn't find playing with ancient equipment as the highlight of their day.

"Actually, that was why I waved you over here, Colonel." Weir dropped her spoon into her bowl, leaning in to the table. Her voice lowered to a whisper as everyone else took the cue to come closer. "After Rodney left my office this morning, there was something nagging at me. So I decided to look into his file. Guess whose birthday it is today?"

"Einstein's." Zelenka seemed to slink down in his chair from the looks that the others gave him. "Well it is. Although I suppose you were hoping for Rodney as the correct guess. Am I right, Dr. Weir?"

"You knew?"

"No, but it was the only obvious conclusion. Strange. Him and I planning this large party to celebrate Pi day and he doesn't even mention it."

"Yes, well now we know. The question is, what are we gonna do about it?" Sheppard leaned back against his chair, facing his fellow conspirators. They had six hours until 1:59, that wasn't much time. But with some of the best minds in Atlantis at his disposal, they'd be able to pull something off.

3.14159………….

Dr. Rodney McKay had almost forgotten what it was like to relax. But today there was no imminent Wraith threat. Today no one was stuck on a distant world. Today no one needed him to pull off a miracle to save all of those around him. Most importantly, he didn't have to worry about making any mistakes or losing anyone's trust, for he finally was taking a day off.

It felt good to wear civilian clothes. It was even better to have time to go on a nearby balcony and watch the ripples in the water act in their own unique mathematical pattern. It was one of those days where it just felt great to be alive.

It was 1:40 when he made his way back to the hangar deck. An assembly line had been created where people were filling piecrusts with whip cream, and others were laying out freshly baked pies of every assortment. Well, any assortments without citrus anyways.

Most of the scientists had already finished glasses of a non-alcoholic apple cider, though no one would know they were sober by looking at them. One group had moved into a large chorus of The Philosopher's Song while others were making up Pi-themed lyrics to famous carols. Allowing the joy to fill every part of his being, Rodney stepped over and joined in with the first group. "And Emmanuel Kent was a drunken fart, I drink therefore I am!"

"Charming song." Turning, he noted the smile on Elizabeth's face. John, on the other hand, had taken Rodney's place in the chorus.

"Five minutes, everyone!" Radek Zelenka rushed in, looking more of the mad-scientist part than usual. His wide eyes and manic smile made their way across the room as he passed out a sheet of paper with the lyrics to a song called Oh Pi we could not have round without thee.

"This is definitely different."

"Relax, Colonel. Have some fun."

"McKay is telling me to relax? Okay, that's it. This must all be some odd vision. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those mushrooms on P4X-3879."

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." Everyone joined in the chant and at 1:59 exactly everyone joined in the musical tribute to Pi. To McKay, it was one of the most grueling, out of tune pieces he had ever heard, but he loved every minute of it.

The second the music was finished, it was time to dig into the pies. Radek and McKay nodded quickly at one another before grabbing one of the whipped cream pie crusts and throwing it at one another. Of course everyone joined in the fun, although McKay had grossly underestimated how many of the special pies would be need for a food fight. In fact, how did so many people come to show up?

Taking a dive from the last pie, aimed by Sheppard at the scientist, McKay realized that he had never invited his friend to the celebration. Thankfully, someone had thought of that. Apparently, they had thought of a lot more people than Rodney could have ever imagined. All of Atlantis must have skived off to join in.

After the tossing was over, and people began to dig once again into the variety of desserts, McKay looked over to Weir who was clanging the top of her glass with a fork. Radek, Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon stood beside her. They all had mischievous grins.

"As we all know, today is not only Pi day, but Einstein's birthday. In that light, it is only fitting in the grand scheme of things that today would have another special significance. Rodney, if you could come over here please."

No one seemed to notice, but the scientist's heart had stopped. He stood, mouth gaping, as he heard her words. How could she have remembered? How could anyone have remembered? It wasn't like anyone ever tried before. Not since he was little.

A few clasps on his shoulders brought him back to reality and he made his way up to where Elizabeth was standing. She smiled at him and her eyes seemed to light up the room. This wasn't actually happening was it? Sheppard was patting him on the back now, and Teyla was giving him a quick hug.

"If everyone would please join me in wishing our chief scientist and good friend, Rodney McKay, a big happy birthday."

This was really happening. What joy. What amazing joy. His smile was so large it almost hurt.

When the song was through, he was still mesmerized by the people before him. Could it really be true? Were these people more than just colleagues? Did they care? Were they his friends? He had known for a while that this was true. He had even admitted it to his sister. But so many things had happened since then. He had almost forgotten he was not alone.

Sheppard was the next to speak. "You see, Rodney, Pi is a big deal. It's true that without knowledge of Pi we wouldn't have a lot of things. But the truth is, that without you, I wouldn't be alive. None of us would. Our lives are all better because you were born so on behalf of all of us, Happy Birthday, McKay. Yes, we will get you back later for trying to hide it."

Radek cleared his throat. "You are a cruel man. Were we not friends enough for you tell me? After all of our planning?"

McKay just kept smiling and shaking people's hands. These people had come to celebrate him. It just seemed too unreal. It was so truly unbelievable. So often he had dreamed of this, and now it was finally happening.

The pies were all eaten within the hour and some time later the festivities began to die down. McKay was still joyful as people kept wishing him happy birthday. He made his way back to his room with a dolly full of gifts. Sure, they were the kind of presents someone finds on the spur of the moment, but they were still given to him freely. He would treasure the offered MRE's and the power bars more than anything else he had ever received.

For Rodney McKay, today was a good day. Not only was he safe and happy, but he was also in the company of friends, in the company of family. Although he had told no one, he knew that today was by far the best day of his life.

Leave it to Pi to smooth out his troublesome path. Laughing a little at his own joke, bad though it was, he slipped into his prescription mattress and quickly fell into an untroubled sleep. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day, too.

THE END

Okay, I admit I'm a math geek. Hope you found it fun. Note: The Philosopher's Song is from Monty Python.