"You don't think this is at all weird?" Rodney asked. He and John were standing beside the buffet table in the massive banquet hall Jennifer and Simon had rented for their wedding reception.
"Why would it be weird?" John asked.
Rodney stared at him, incredulous. "Hello, I almost married Jennifer. And then I ended up with you, which sort of shattered my relationship with Jennifer, and we didn't talk to her for a couple of years."
"Pretty sure no one here knows that except Simon," John said. "So stop fretting about it. It's only weird if you think it's weird."
"How do you know no one knows?" Rodney asked.
John smiled. And then proceeded to make nice with every one of Jennifer's friends who came to see him. He told the first woman, a friend of Jennifer's from medical school, that he was a former Dollhouse Active and had participated in some of Jennifer's work with other actives. The woman patted his arm sympathetically and said it was sweet he was supporting Jennifer in such a public way, and then she went away. John told one of Simon's friends that he was Julian Lodge, one of the attorneys who'd fought hard for Wraith rights to ensure that the Wraith cure Simon and Jennifer and Topher were working hard on would be distributed in an equitable and efficient manner. John told one of Simon's other friends that he was a professional negotiator who'd been helping Simon and Jennifer with some of the questions of cure distribution in another galaxy with an alien culture. He told Jennifer's father he'd served with Jennifer on Atlantis, and she'd been a fine CMO.
At the end of the night, two dozen people had two dozen ideas about who John was, and none of them thought John had ever done anything to make Jennifer unhappy.
Which he hadn't.
Rodney had.
"That was both impressive and a little frightening," Rodney said.
John smiled and curled a hand through his. "You're not at fault here either. And look, this is Jennifer's wedding. She's happy. Be glad you get to be part of this celebration. And that she made sure a lot of the food was citrus-free."
Rodney nodded, squeezed John's hand. "You're right. Let's go home."
John nodded, then paused. "Wait. Someone's cornered Joe. Thinks he's me. There's yelling. Evan looks ready to throw a punch."
"Change of plans," Rodney said, and darted through the crowd.
"Why would it be weird?" John asked.
Rodney stared at him, incredulous. "Hello, I almost married Jennifer. And then I ended up with you, which sort of shattered my relationship with Jennifer, and we didn't talk to her for a couple of years."
"Pretty sure no one here knows that except Simon," John said. "So stop fretting about it. It's only weird if you think it's weird."
"How do you know no one knows?" Rodney asked.
John smiled. And then proceeded to make nice with every one of Jennifer's friends who came to see him. He told the first woman, a friend of Jennifer's from medical school, that he was a former Dollhouse Active and had participated in some of Jennifer's work with other actives. The woman patted his arm sympathetically and said it was sweet he was supporting Jennifer in such a public way, and then she went away. John told one of Simon's friends that he was Julian Lodge, one of the attorneys who'd fought hard for Wraith rights to ensure that the Wraith cure Simon and Jennifer and Topher were working hard on would be distributed in an equitable and efficient manner. John told one of Simon's other friends that he was a professional negotiator who'd been helping Simon and Jennifer with some of the questions of cure distribution in another galaxy with an alien culture. He told Jennifer's father he'd served with Jennifer on Atlantis, and she'd been a fine CMO.
At the end of the night, two dozen people had two dozen ideas about who John was, and none of them thought John had ever done anything to make Jennifer unhappy.
Which he hadn't.
Rodney had.
"That was both impressive and a little frightening," Rodney said.
John smiled and curled a hand through his. "You're not at fault here either. And look, this is Jennifer's wedding. She's happy. Be glad you get to be part of this celebration. And that she made sure a lot of the food was citrus-free."
Rodney nodded, squeezed John's hand. "You're right. Let's go home."
John nodded, then paused. "Wait. Someone's cornered Joe. Thinks he's me. There's yelling. Evan looks ready to throw a punch."
"Change of plans," Rodney said, and darted through the crowd.