Chapter 8: No Problem

Rodney looked up from where he sat, the rock cold under his bum and feet, and glanced at Bobby as his uncle emerged from his trail in the forest. He had his cowboy hat on, like always, the worn leather looked darker under the early morning sun. He paused to watch Rodney a moment, like he always did, before he headed over and waved his hand to tell Rodney to scoot over. Rodney quickly did so, but not without a huff of annoyance. Because seriously, there was only so much room on this rock and Rodney was here first, even if he didn't mind the company.

He watched carefully out of the corner of his eye as his uncle perched on the rock's edge, leaving one leg on the ground to support himself. He hunched over slightly, his shoulders rounding automatically and he gave off the warmth of a furnace. Rodney shifted a bit closer, before realising what he was doing and stopping the movement. Just because his uncle was okay with hugging him occasionally didn't mean Rodney could start treating him like a giant heater, snuggling up like some silly little kid just because it was cold.

Then his uncle shifted to get more comfortable, and suddenly his shoulder was pressed to Rodney's and, when he didn't move away, Rodney figured it was okay to stay where he was. There wasn't a lot of room on the rock, after all. And it was a cold morning.

"No surveillance this morning?" The man asked in his usual rough tone, not looking away from the lake. Rodney shrugged. It had been almost two weeks since the organization had come after him here. If they hadn't shown up by now he doubted they would any time soon. And if they did…well, Dave had given Rodney a very strict lecture that he was, under absolutely no circumstances, allowed to touch either of their rifles. Ever. Which meant they must be loaded. Which meant that as long as Rodney was with them, they were going to try and keep him safe.

Rodney snorted to himself bitterly, and ignored Bobby when he turned to look at him a moment before going back to staring at the lake.

They could try and keep him safe, and, at moments, he even believed that they'd be able to help. But like he'd said on several occasions: he wasn't some stupid ten year old. And even though he'd told Bobby his secret, told him all about his deformity, he didn't think Bobby understood. He didn't think Bobby realized exactly how powerful the organization was.

Rodney had seen their files.

They'd thought he was just a regular kid. An average grade student. An unobservant, inattentive, loud, rude, annoying test subject. Well, they were wrong.

There was one computer tech that talked too much about their systems. There were a few scientists that figured he didn't listen as they held him down and…did their little tests. The locks on the doors were all electronic, relying on cards and codes and Rodney had always been very good with any technology he could get his hands on.

They'd sometimes left him unattended, locked up in their labs playing games on their computer. Like it was some kind of treat. Like he wasn't a prisoner. Like it would keep him out of trouble and out of their hair. They assumed that because there were no phones in there he couldn't cause any problems.

Morons.

Rodney obliterated their work. He blew up their labs. He destroyed their fancy computer systems.

He got away.

And his dad had immediately handed him off to Bobby.

He shivered, and hugged his knees tighter to his chest. He felt Bobby shift beside him, and then he was draping his jacket over Rodney's shoulders and Rodney tried to hide his flinch at the unexpected action.

It was achingly warm though, and it smelled like sawdust, molasses, and horses. He didn't look at Bobby and Bobby didn't say anything, but he hugged it closer, pulling it tight around his neck.

Bobby didn't talk about Rodney being a fish. He didn't mention it even once after Rodney told him. And Rodney definitely wasn't going to bring it up again. It had been hard enough the first time. But he saw the man watching him sometimes, quietly. He didn't look angry, or disgusted, and he still met his eyes and treated him like he always had. He still made Rodney get up and clean the horse stalls with him. He'd even threatened to teach Rodney how to ride the other day. Which was just wrong.

Rodney was waiting for him to realize that he wasn't worth keeping around.

He was waiting for the conversation that would send him packing. He figured Bobby would eventually realize what a freak he was.

Rodney pulled the jacket tighter around his shoulders, inhaled deeply.

Yeah, Bobby wasn't an idiot; he would figure it out soon enough. So, for now, Rodney figured he'd take what he could get, and come up with his own plan. He had to protect himself after all.

"You okay there kid?" Bobby suddenly asked and Rodney looked over at him, still pressed close. The sun was higher now, he could see his blue eyes watching him carefully from under the brim of his hat. He wondered what he saw.

"I'm fine," he muttered, and looked back out at the lake pointedly. He felt Bobby's eyes on him a moment longer. Somewhere off in the trees Gus started barking like crazy. Stupid dog. Rodney wouldn't miss him at all when he left.

"Dave's gonna bring the last of his stuff over today," Bobby said after a few minutes. "You gonna help us unload it or are you too busy with that catapult you're building?"

"How much stuff does he own? Seriously, we could fill two houses with everything he's brought over already," Rodney grumbled and Bobby snorted.

"He says he's got some things in this last load that he doesn't want any more, just figures it would be good ammunition for your project."

"Really?" Rodney perked up at that. He wondered if there was anything good to launch. Maybe Bobby would let him take apart some of his rifles bullets and use the gun powder to make it a bit more dramatic… He looked at Bobby carefully, the man looked down at him and quirked his eyes brows, making his hat shift. "Okay, I'll help with the unloading," Rodney agreed and Bobby clapped him on the shoulder before moving to stand.

"Great. Breakfast is in half an hour." He disappeared into the trees, following the path back to the house. Rodney looked out at the lake, watched the steam rising from it in the mornings cool air. He remembered the silence as he had slipped under its surface. It had been hard, he'd held his breath as he tried to go deeper, until he couldn't hold it any more and had to breathe. It had been like he'd remembered from before, when he'd been thrown in: sweet, slightly muddy. It didn't taste sterile or metallic or stale.

He'd wedged himself underneath a tree trunk that must have been in there for years, because he really didn't know how to swim and he had been afraid he'd float to the top. He'd hidden underneath the emergency blanket, hoping it would successfully shield him from the sonar waves.

He'd been alone. It had been dark. Eventually he'd been so cold he could barely stand it.

He'd been terrified.

He'd been at peace.

It had been so different from all the other times he'd been underwater, breathing.

He still didn't know what to think of how he'd felt. He still had no great urge to go back into the water. He still woke up from nightmares where he thought he was going to drown, where he was certain they were going to hold him under forever. Where he woke up to find Bobby, and sometimes Dave, kneeling by his bed and talking to him softly, like he was crazy.

Maybe he was. He didn't know. If he wasn't, maybe he should be. Maybe things would be easier that way. He didn't know what to do.

He still didn't know how to swim.

"Rodney! Get in here while it's hot," his uncle's voice was loud as it carried through the trees. It startled him, and he blinked, not realising he'd been crying again. What a wimp. He scrubbed roughly at his face, and then tried to dry it on his shirt as he walked back to the house. Gus nearly knocked him over as he crashed by, just missing his knee. Rodney scowled after him.

He'd figure things out. He had to.

oooOOOooo

Bobby watched as Rodney poured over the text on nuclear fusion that Dave had brought back from town for him that afternoon. The kid had barely said a word after the rushed 'thanks!' he'd gushed out before parking it in the easy chair. In fact, beyond the 'oh my god, I know what to do!' and 'I'm going to need more books on this' he hadn't said much of anything. Until dinner, when he'd talked non-stop with his mouth full (Bobby had given up on trying to teach him manners, besides, it wasn't his place), explaining everything he'd learned in detail.

Bobby just nodded, knowing the kid was more interested in talking then listening at the moment. He was more animated than usual, his cheeks flushed as he waved his fork around in the air. Dave asked him completely inane questions just to irritate him. Rodney didn't pick up on the subtle teasing immediately, instead berating the man for being a moron. When he had realized what Dave was doing he'd insulted not only his own lineage, but Gus's as well.

Bobby had decided to start on the dishes at that point and stay out of it.

Now Rodney was turning the last page of the text, which Bobby was pretty sure was the reference section, and muttering to himself. Dave nudged him in his side, and he looked over to find the man staring pointedly at the text. Yeah, Bobby understood. Five hundred plus pages of complicated nuclear physics in one afternoon was very far from a joke, despite all the teasing earlier.

And Rodney understood it all, of that they were both certain.

He suddenly clapped the books cover closed and tossed it unceremoniously on the table, where it thudded heavily and knocked the televisions homemade remote control to the floor.

Rodney froze as he looked at it, and then turned sheepish eyes to Bobby.

"Sorry," he muttered, and moved forward to pick it up. His t-shirt rose slightly as he bent forward and he froze, quickly pulling it down before finishing his movement. Bobby pretended he didn't see, and he wouldn't ask to see. He'd wait until the kid was ready, and he was well aware that Rodney might never be ready. That was okay too, so long as the boy knew that he could talk to him when he needed to.

There were times when he still believed Rodney doubted him. Didn't trust either of them. He hoped he was wrong about that, because he would never do anything to hurt this boy. Never.

"You know," Dave said as he casually examined his hand carved chess pieces. "School started last week."

"Yeah," Rodney shrugged and looked at the text he'd just finished. "I know."

"And you're in what grade now?"

"Six," Rodney snorted and leaned back in his seat, his right leg bouncing. Dave leaned forward and turned the heavy text on the coffee table so he could read the title. And then looked at Rodney.

"Only grade six?"

"I was keeping a low profile," Rodney muttered and crossed his arms. "Average kids don't get noticed, don't skip grades. I didn't want to get noticed."

Anger boiled within Bobby. Sadness trumped it.

"But you do realize that you're a little bit more intelligent than the average kid, right?" Dave asked. It was funny hearing him try to hold back the sarcasm and come across as gentle and ending up sounding like a mix of the two. Rodney rolled his eyes at him, at them both.

"Um yeah, I think I realized that back when I was, like, three and had to explain my babysitters math to her."

"Right," Dave fingered the book thoughtfully. "This is a fairly advanced university text."

"Yeah. Dad has a bunch of physics and science texts lying around that I've already looked at. This was a bit more complicated than those ones, but it wasn't too difficult to understand. Actually, I think their section on nuclear decay needs more work, and I'm not entirely convinced they know what they're talking about with the advanced decay, but I need to read more before I can be certain…" He trailed off as he realized that they were both watching him, and he blushed, looking away. "Sorry, I know I get a bit carried away," he muttered.

"Never be sorry," Bobby put his own book aside and waited for the kid to look at him. "Never, you hear? You're a smart kid, Rodney," he ignored the boys grimace at being called a 'kid,' "and there is nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with you at all. You understand?" Rodney nodded, but didn't look up. He didn't believe it, not yet. Hopefully, one day, he'd realize it was the truth.

"You know," Dave announced, breaking the suddenly tense silence. "There's a school, only a forty minute flight from here, give or take a few minutes, that has some classes for advanced students. Friend of mine knows the principal, and I'm pretty sure you'd only need to go three days a week, the rest of your schooling could be done at home." He ran a hand through his thinning hair, he never wore his cap in doors. "If you were interested, I'd be willing to fly you over there those days. It'd be nice to take someone in the plane that wasn't intent on hunting down some creature of the forest." Dave sat still beside Bobby, and Bobby remained just as motionless as they carefully watched Rodney.

It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time for a genius to process what they were saying. Bobby saw the instant he understood. The kid opened and closed his mouth, like he was trying to say something but couldn't get it out. He looked like he had been smacked upside the head with a baseball bat, like he had just been told gravity was a figment of his imagination. For a moment he looked like he thought they might be lying to him, pulling his chain, and then he just stared. Stunned.

"Well?" Bobby asked gruffly and shifted on the couch. "What do you think?"

"I…you want...here with you?" He looked back and forth, not sure who to keep his eyes on. "Really?" Bobby had always considered himself to have a thick exterior, but there was just something about this kid and his wide eyes, the disbelief that anyone could want him around, that made him ache every time.

"Really." He hadn't been this serious about anyone but Dave in his entire life.

"Even though I'm a-"

"Unique." Bobby cut the boy off, and Rodney snapped his mouth shut. Then he looked at Dave.

"Do you know why I'm unique?"

"I know you're a pain in my ass," he announced, and then softened his tone. "And I know that you've been through something that you aren't ready to tell me about, and that's fine. I know all I need to know to realize that having you stick around would be worth it. If you ever want to tell me more that's up to you."

"Really?" His voice cracked. He looked back and forth. "But you don't know-"

"It won't matter to him, Rodney. Just like it doesn't matter to me." Bobby declared, and then they waited silently. The distrust fell away. The suspicion was gone. There was nothing but awe and want on his face, naked for them to see.

Then the doubt crept back in, and the sadness, and he started breathing a little heavier and wrapped his arms around himself as he stared hard at the textbook on the table. Bobby sank back in his seat, and felt Dave sag slightly beside him, and as he watched the boy he knew his answer. He couldn't say it didn't hurt, because that would be lying. It just hurt more than he'd expected.

"I…I can't." Rodney stuttered, and looked between them with wide eyes. "You don't know. You don't…I just can't." He uncurled from his seat and vanished into his room, the door closing loudly behind him. Gus jumped up and moved swiftly to the door, staring at it forlornly a moment before lying down.

"Well," Dave ran a hand through his hair and looked at Bobby. "Guess that answers that."

"Guess so." Bobby made to stand, but was halted with a hand on his arm.

"It doesn't mean he doesn't want to stay here Bobby, just that he believes he can't. At least not right now."

Wasn't that the truth of it. Bobby nodded and sat back down. They stared at the university text on the table before them.

"Kids damn smart," he muttered. "Scary smart." He sighed. "If he thinks he's not safe here, then he probably isn't."

"Your feelers aren't finding any information on those men playing cops?"

"None. As far as everyone's concerned they don't exist."

"We can't fight something we can't find." Dave growled and Bobby understood the sentiment. "Might not even be based in Canada," he said thoughtfully. "I'm gonna put out a couple of my own feelers over the border, see what that turns up." He didn't sound hopeful though.

"Sure." Bobby was tired. He thought about going in to check on Rodney, and decided against it. When the kid wanted to be alone he wanted to be alone. Invading his space was a sure fire way of making him more defensive. So it came as a surprise when, less than an hour later, the boy opened the door to his room and meekly sauntered over. He stood before them, wrapped in the sweatshirt Bobby had lent to him two weeks ago that he hadn't given back. He hugged his arms protectively over his stomach.

"Maybe I could come visit? When I've fixed things?" He asked/announced and sounded unsure, like maybe they were going to completely rescind their offer because he'd turned them down. Bobby felt a little of the hollowness in his chest dissipate.

"You can come visit any time you want. Don't need any invitation." Rodney looked up, his relief palpable, and he unclenched his arms a bit.

"Good," he looked around. "That's…good." He stood there a moment, waiting to see what they'd say next and then looked at the tv. "Want to watch a movie?"

Bobby felt Dave relax again beside him, and quirked his lips in a smile, trying to put the kid back at ease.

"What do you have in mind?"

"The Exorcist?"

"Not a chance in hell," Bobby responded and Rodney scowled his displeasure. After he'd shoved his selection in the VCR he looked uncertainly between the couch they sat on, and the easy chair Dave had brought over with him. It didn't take him longer than a moment before he assertively took his corner in the couch, forcing both men to sit closer together to create enough room for him.

Dave grinned, Bobby smirked, and Rodney ignored them both, like it was any other night.

oooOOOooo

Rodney called his dad two days after 'the conversation.' He told him in no uncertain terms that the man was going to come and pick him up from Bobby's so he could go back to school. He was to arrive at the end of the week. He was to be careful.

He didn't mention anything about the men that had come to find him, and he didn't mention Bobby and Dave's offer to stay. He did speak to Jeannie, told her about the horses and asked her how camp had been. He began to look bored thirty seconds into the conversation, but managed to sound interested for a full ten minutes before telling her he had to go and build a treadmill for a dog. At Bobby's look he'd just shrugged and told him she'd believe anything, she was gullible like that.

oooOOOooo

Two days after he'd told his dad he had to pick him up at the end of the week, he filled a horse's water bucket and then stopped and looked over where Bobby was cleaning tack with Dave.

"I need to learn how to swim," he gushed out, sounding breathy and scared and certain. Bobby looked at the kid, saw the determination on his face as he stood there, bangs falling messily over his eyes and he pushed them away in irritation. Bobby was flooded with the profound notion that what he was seeing right now, was who this boy was going to be when he was a man.

"Okay," he agreed easily. Dave looked up between them a moment, and then turned back to piercing a new hole in an old girth.

"Will you teach me?" The boy asked, not realizing that that was what Bobby had just agreed to. Kid was sharp as a tack most days, but sometimes things just flew right over his head.

"Water in the lake's still warm enough. We can go out this afternoon," he adjusted the hat on his head. Rodney nodded quickly, and then rushed back to his task as though the world depended on it.

They didn't get far that afternoon. Rodney refused to go deeper than his waist, his hands stretching the hem of his shirt as he held it down. Bobby just floated patiently on the lakes surface. It had been ages since he'd last been in the water.

The next day Rodney learned the doggy paddle. He splashed around like a spastic seal, and panicked whenever he accidentally brushed up against Bobby. It was tricky teaching him when he refused to let Bobby near, but they worked around it. Dave watched from the shore, holding Gus back from joining them.

The day after that he managed to stay afloat an entire minute without touching down. He grinned like he'd won an Olympic medal. Dave made them steak for dinner and chocolate pudding for dessert.

The day after that Rodney's dad pulled up outside their home in the same car he'd rented the first time, kicking dust up everywhere as he came to a stop. Gus ran around the car barking, and Lyle didn't get out until Dave pulled the dog away. The three men stood there in silence, sizing each other up, and Lyle wiped his hand nervously on his pants.

"Thanks for watching him," he offered, looking around at the trees.

"Sure," Bobby made no offer to shake the man's hand. Instead he stuffed his own in his pockets to try and resist the urge to break his nose. Rodney came flying around the corner of the house on his bike, and nearly fell off he stopped so abruptly. His wide blue eyes stared at his dad, like he couldn't quite believe he was actually there.

"Meredith," his dad greeted, and he looked the boy over quickly from head to toe, making sure he was still in one piece. The relief in his voice was obvious, and his shoulders relaxed a bit as he watched his son. But he made no move to step forward and embrace him, and Rodney slowly slid off his bike.

"Dad," he swallowed thickly, and laid the bike on the ground. Gus went bounding over to him. "I guess I'd better go get my stuff."

"Need a hand?" Dave offered and Rodney shook his head, disappearing inside.

"He looks good," Lyle said softly, green eyes watching the door his boy had disappeared through.

"He better keep looking good," Bobby snarled and the man looked up sharply, startled.

"What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything. I'm telling you, very clearly, that he had better continue to look good. Healthy."

"Obviously you've come to your own conclusions," the man glared and Bobby could see some of Rodney in the look. "But I love my son and I will do what I see is best for him. You couldn't possibly understand, Meredith's not some average boy…"

"I don't care what he's not, and I understand more than you think. Now you understand this," he stepped closer to the man and pulled his fists from his pockets. "If you ever feel the need to hand him over to somebody again, you better bring him directly to me. And if he ever goes missing, you sure as hell pick up the phone and call me the moment you realize it." Lyle's eyes flared with temper, but he didn't say anything, and didn't move forward as the door to their home slammed open.

"Finished talking about me?" Rodney asked as he stormed past, opening the back seat of the car and tossing his bag inside. He stared at it a moment and then turned to look at them. Bobby watched him back. Dave took a step forward and dragged the kid into an embrace.

"You'd better call us. You understand?" Rodney nodded as he hugged him back. Behind them Lyle shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He watched their interaction carefully, a flash of emotion that Bobby might call sadness flitted across his clean shaven face before it was buried under disinterest. Then Rodney was launching himself at Bobby, his arms wrapping around him and his face pressed into his chest. Bobby clutched him back, one hand ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Yer like a damn octopus," he muttered and the kid snorted into his chest.

"No fish jokes," he huffed, and Bobby squeezed him tighter in apology. They stayed that way for a few minutes, and when the kid made no sign of letting go his dad cleared his throat.

"We've got a plane to catch," he announced. Rodney took a breath and pushed away.

"Right. Well, it's been fun," he gave a little shrug and turned to get in the car.

"Rodney," Bobby called and the kid turned back to him. "Offer's on the table, anytime. Understand?" The kid's eyes widened.

"Yeah," he nodded quickly. "I understand," and he smiled. Bobby stepped forward and dropped his worn, sun warmed hat on the kids head and Rodney immediately pulled it off.

"Ew, germs," he frowned at the hat and made to give it back.

"Keep it," Bobby ordered, and tried not to let his damn eyes tear up like a damn woman. Rodney looked at it and then at him.

"Bit sentimental, isn't it?"

"You sayin' you don't want it?" Bobby raised an eyebrow and Rodney took a step back, clutching the thing to his chest possessively.

"No no, it's fine. Great even. Who knows, a bottle of bleach and it should be sanitary again," he announced and Dave snorted as the kid scrambled into the backseat of the car and closed the door. Lyle eyed them again, before nodding and taking his own seat. As they sped away Rodney twisted in the back seat and waved until they couldn't see him anymore.

Beside them Gus barked.

"He'll be back boy, don't you worry," Dave announced and then looked at Bobby, assessing. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

"You sure? It's okay to cry you know." Bobby glared at the man, and stepped right into his personal space.

"Shut up and get the damn keys. I've gotta go buy a new hat."

oooOOOooo

Epilogue

It was late Friday afternoon when the phone rang and Bobby picked the damn thing up, ready to rip into whatever telemarketer was calling them now. The irritated words died instantly on his lips, however, when he recognized the excited voice on the other end.

"The tab on pop cans? Really? All your degrees and aeronautical designs and you get rich developing an easier way for society to drink carbonated beverages?"

"Rodney?" Dave stopped chopping up the carrots and put down the knife, moving to stand beside him. Bobby put the phone on speaker.

"Of course. What, were you expecting some other insanely intelligent genius to call you?" He sounded smug, and it may have been a bit forced, but he also sounded happy, so Bobby let it go for now and shared a grin with Dave. They'd only heard from the kid twice since he'd gone back home three months before. Not a day went by that Bobby didn't worry about him.

"Well, he got the insane bit right anyway," Dave announced his presence.

"Oh, ha, funny. I'd forgotten what a barrel of wit you are," but he didn't sound upset. In fact he sounded giddier then Bobby had ever heard him before. It was a little disconcerting.

"Everything okay Rodney?" He asked carefully and the kid laughed. Actually laughed over the phone, which was something that had been absent the last time they'd spoken with him. He'd sounded miserable then.

"Oh yes. Fine, great even!" He declared, and then, true to form, rushed on. "I sent you a clip of the front page of today's paper. Thought you might be interested. The picture doesn't really do me justice, and the police kind of obscure a part of my body, but my face is clear so all in all I'm pretty happy with it," he announced.

"What!" Bobby began planning their trip to go to kid. If they left immediately Dave could fly up to the GTA. They had a friend who lived on a lake up there where they could land and then borrow her car.

"Oh relax, this is a good thing!" The kid announced and Dave raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Maybe you should tell us what's going on," he said slowly, cautiously.

"Oh, sure. I got arrested."

"What!" Bobby said again, and this time he was echoed by Dave. "Why?"

"Oh, it was nothing too serious. I mean sure, I built and then entered an atom bomb in the school fair on Wednesday, but everyone seriously overreacted. It was a non-working model."

Bobby didn't say anything to this, and neither did Dave.

An A-Bomb? Good Christ.

"Hello?" Rodney suddenly sounded a little uncertain on the other end and Bobby rubbed a hand over his mouth.

"An a-bomb?" He asked, just to be sure and Rodney happily agreed. He thought back on the text they had given the kid all those months ago. Did they start this? Christ.

"A non-working model of an a-bomb. Like I have access to plutonium," he defended, as if this were no big deal.

"Christ Rodney. What were you thinking?" He asked, and then frowned. "Or were you not thinking at all? You say the police were there? Were you arrested?"

"More like taken in for questioning," he announced proudly, and Bobby frowned. Dave was looking more thoughtful then worried at this point. "And of course I was thinking. When do I ever not think?" He sounded hurt now.

"Are you okay? And don't lie to me Rodney, we can be there in six, seven hours tops," he said slowly, making sure the kid couldn't mistake his seriousness.

"I'm okay Bobby," Rodney responded quickly, softer then before. Some of the excitement had disappeared from his voice, but he still sounded happy. "Really. Everything is working out just as I'd planned." Which, of course it was, because if someone had the intelligence to build an a-bomb (a ten year old someone at that) and enter it into a school fair then they would have to have been aware of the consequences.

"What happened?" Dave asked.

"They took me in for questioning. I was on the front page of all the major newspapers. I've had reporters banging on the door for the last two days and police guarding the house," he paused, as if preparing for a great reveal, "And CSIS and the FBI interrogated me all day yesterday."

"The FBI? They let the FBI interrogate you?" He could understand CSIS, because that made sense…but the FBI…

"Mom's been working in the Sates for years, and they used that as an in. Just like I'd hoped for." The smugness was still there, but he was quieter now.

"You hoped for? You wanted the FBI to investigate you?"

"And CSIS." Rodney announced.

"And lets not forget that you're front page news," Dave followed up. "Are the Universities knocking at your door yet?"

"I received eight express packages yesterday alone. The school's finally agreed to fast track me and I'm writing pre-requisite exams next week. They're not going to let me go to school right away, they say I'm too young but I'm pretty sure I can get around that. And the FBI seemed pretty interested in my computer skills, so I'm thinking I might be able to swing something out of that in the future."

"Your computer skills?" Dave asked, quirking an eyebrow at Bobby.

"Yeah, I may have cobbled a personal computer together in my room, just a bit of icing on the cake, so to speak." Dave grinned and leaned against the fridge door, thunking his head against it. All at once, Bobby understood. He stared at the phone.

"You're famous," he announced.

"Yep. I really am." The smugness was back in the kid's voice, full force. "Even when the public forgets my face in a few weeks, all the schools are going to remember me, and, more importantly, CSIS and the FBI are going to remember me."

"And they're going to keep a close eye on you," Bobby deduced.

"Close enough that I won't go silently into that good night, and I'll have two governments desperate to find me."

Bobby closed his eyes. The kid really was a genius.

"What about your secret?" He asked. There was a pause on the other end. Bobby could feel Dave's gaze on him.

"I've got it covered," Rodney said. "Really." There was another long pause.

"Rodney?"

"Yeah, still here. I was thinking, and if you don't think it's a good idea you can tell me. Really. But I was thinking that, because those people can't get to me nearly so easily now, especially since an anonymous tip a few months ago has a couple organizations turning over every rock they can to find them, that maybe I could come up and visit you guys? Christmas holidays are coming up, and Jeannie says she wants to spend it with mom in New York, and Dad is being his usual, workaholic self" the kid broke off there a moment. Bobby glared at the phone. He'd hoped the boy's father would have smartened up by now. After everything. "Anyway, I'll have a whole month off after those special exams I mentioned and then I'll be bored out of my mind and I figured since neither of you do anything" Dave rolled his eyes, "that maybe you'd like some company. But like I said, I'd understand if you didn't want-"

"When are your exams over?" Bobby interrupted the kid, and grinned widely at Dave.

"Next Friday," he squeaked through the speakers.

"We'll pick you up Saturday morning. Have your bags packed."

There was a long pause.

"Okay then. That's, that's great!" The relief was obvious, and the nervousness that had been in all his words thus far disappeared. "Of course, I need to make sure Dad's okay with this."

"You leave your father to me. Just have your bags packed."

"Okay, I can do that!"

"And Rodney?" Bobby met Dave's amused gaze. "No more bombs, okay?"

"No problem," he gushed and then hung up.

"No problem, he says," Bobby laughed, and Dave laughed with him. In the morning he'd begin making flight arrangements. For now they had dinner to make.

Outside Gus ran through the thick snow and disappeared into the trees. Bobby watched him go and smiled.

oooOOOooo

End. For now.

GTA: Greater Toronto Area

General interest: Mikola Kondakow of Thunder Bay, Ontario invented the pull tab version for bottles in 1956 [Canadian patent 476789]. Stay tabs (also called colon tabs) were invented by Daniel F. Cudzik of Reynolds Metals in Richmond, Virginia, in 1975.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, now that that's over, be advised that I hope to have another instalment to the Treading Water universe up within a few weeks (month tops), and this one may (or may not) involve a few explosions, communication difficulties, a city load of injuries, some malfunctions, water (did we see that one coming?), a pissed off/concerned/possibly injured Sheppard, a panicking/injured/possibly lost Rodney, a Grumpy Ronon, Radek trying to keep Sheppard together, Lorne trying to keep everything else together and jelly fish? It will be called "Lost At Sea" (Cue music).

I want to give a big THANK YOU (you are all wonderful!) to everyone who took the time to review (with note to everyone who reviewed anonymously that I could not respond to personally), or honour me by placing either myself or this story on your favourites lists. Your feedback was well spoken and very flattering and I shall bask in it every chance I get.

Cheers.