Claire couldn't help a tiny smile, and a deeper blush, as Meredith made her observation about Caleb. Were they really that obvious? Sure, it had been public knowledge before they left for Atlantis that they were in a relationship, but they had managed to act professionally around one another while on duty. Perhaps the several weeks of leave had knocked that out of them a little.

"You might just be right," she grinned, affording him a quick glance. She had no idea whether they would be allowed to share quarters here, but she was ready to put up a fight if they weren't. After all, there was nothing in ANY rules about fraternisation between a civilian and a military member, so that horseshit couldn't be used as a barrier.

Almost unconsciously, Claire followed suit, grabbing her own sunglasses from the side pocket of her pack. Nowhere near as fancy as the military issue ones, they did, however, do the job. The dual suns were a little less bright now, and she chuckled as Mere filled her in on all the gossip she had missed. Not much, it appeared.

"Business as usual at the SGC, then," she remarked. Claire cocked a glance at Mere's rank insignia. "You must be about right for a promotion now, yeah?" Somehow, it seemed that the good people often got left behind, as Caleb had for many years, stuck as Leading Rate, until he had come to the SGC and finally earned himself two promotions in as many years. "Atlantis is great," she enthused. "The neighbours leave a lot to be desired, but - so far - they've not been anything we've not been able to deal with." She shot her friend a smile. "You ought to apply once this is over, the Daedalus is going back shortly after we finish here."

Mere would have to be stone cold and dead inside to not feel a little envious of how happy Claire was. If the slight blush and quick sideways peek at Caleb were not indications of a deep set affection, then Mere had evidently been lied to by a tonne of fiction and romance films.

“Can’t say anyone has come calling with a new rank for me yet, but I can’t say I have been actively pursuing one either” Mere knew that her career progression had slowed somewhat since joining the S.G.C, and it wasn’t that she was doing a bad job, if anything she’d been forced to adapt and change how she’d previously performed her duties. It was a whole different ball game being a combat medic through that Stargate than it had been overseas back home.

Still, she persevered, learnt new tricks, adapted old ones and she now felt as comfortable dialling an unknown destination as she had eventually felt being drop shipped into a hot zone in the Middle East. It was just a case of finding your feet and running with it, not that she was going to be content with Staff Sergeant forever, a girl had aspirations, but for now, the thrill of the adventure had its own reward.

Shooting a grin at the Doc, Mere listened as she gushed about Atlantis, it was clear that she had found a home there, and was itching to get back. The thought to apply had crossed her mind, but Mere had been a little hesitant when the original opportunity had presented itself. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been curious, and if someone had ordered her to go, she’d have packed up and shipped out in a heartbeat.

However, when it came down to it, Mere hadn’t wanted to leave Colorado. She’d been here, there and everywhere so many times, that having a stable base of operations, even with the frequent day trips to far off planets, had been nice for a change. Things had changed though, with the Daedalus able to go back and forth, albeit infrequently, it wasn’t the one way trip it had once been, so maybe it needed a little more thought.
“I’ve been thinking about it, maybe I need to think about it a little more and actually make a decision” Mere chuckled, “Your glowing review could sway my opinion”

“We’ve missed you here, and I know I have missed your cooking … Although my waistline does not”

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"You'll shoot him, I'll save him, they'll question him and everyone goes home happy"

Sometimes, Claire felt a little rush of something akin to guilt when someone remarked on her relationship with Caleb. Sometimes, she forgot that not everybody was as happy or as settled as she was, and that brought a rush of colour to her cheeks, and an embarrassed smile to her lips.

She was more than a little perturbed, though, that Mere seemed to have been passed over for promotion over the last year and a half. Having known how long Caleb had been held at the rank of Leading Rate, and how his career seemed to have taken off again since joining the SGC, she was surprised that the same thing hadn't happened for Mere. She was a capable soldier, from what Claire had seen, and a talented combat medic; Mere was one of the ones she would rather have patching up someone from the field.

"Well, this seems to be something of a prestigious posting," Claire remarked. "Maybe this is your big break." Technically, at least when she was on medical duty, Mere would come under Claire's supervision, so she could make sure that - if it was merited - any report she gave would be utterly glowing. It was the least she could do.

She grinned as Mere said she'd consider Atlantis. "You know that if I said one word to Carson, he'd request you," she replied, her voice firm. "Maybe use it as a chance to develop some more clinical skills?" It was something that Claire hoped Mere would do on the Beta site. She didn't her friend to be pigeonholed as solely a combat medic; if she could talk her into helping in the med bay on occasion, she thought that Mere had the makings of far more than her role would technically allow for.

The grin turned into a laugh. "Ah come on, I didn't cook that often, or food that was that unhealthy," she laughed. Okay, so she had brought cakes and cookies into the base on occasion, but that was about it... mostly. "And I've missed you guys, too. Leaving friends and family behind was the hardest part, especially believing we'd never come back."

“If you feel like dropping a word in Carson’s ear, then I am not going to stop you” Mere smiled, and despite the slight apprehension in her stomach, which to be fair, was also quite possibly this morning’s mediocre offering of breakfast (Her hangover not accepting more than a granola bar and banana before her run), she was glad for the possibility of a chance to do something new. She was lucky to have people that cared enough to pave the way for new opportunities.

“Yeah, yeah … I’m sure the lingering ongoing craving for that Cola cake you make was purely a coincidence!” Mere laughed, before reaching for the swinging flask on her back pack. Undoing the carabineer, she pulled it free, unscrewed it and took a swig, offering the flask to Claire.

“The maybe one way thing is probably what gave me pause for thought, but seeing as your back here, and perhaps it’s not such a final destination, I’d say it’s looking a little less worrisome”

The group was walking at a good pace, by no means a solid march, but still quick enough that Mere could just about make out the edge of camp in the distance. They probably still had a click, maybe click and a half to go, but she could practically sense a bunk, and some chow calling to her.

As if in response her stomach growled, and she suppressed a small belch. Yup, never drinking on a school night again

_________________
"You'll shoot him, I'll save him, they'll question him and everyone goes home happy"

Claire smiled. It would be good to have another friend on Atlantis, and, now that the Daedalus was making regular trips, it was no longer the scary proposition that it had been. Sure, it took eighteen days each way, so each deployment had to be worthwhile, but it was a fantastic experience, and she had the distinct feeling that Mere would be a great fit in the city.

She rolled her eyes at the cola cake thing. She had really managed to garner herself a reputation, it would appear, for bringing in baking, something that hadn't dissipated when she had left. Who would have thought that, sixteen months later, it would still be following her around? Claire shook her head at the offer of a drink. "No thanks," she said. "Anyway, no baking on Atlantis, or here. SOmehow, don't think I'll have the time or resources!"

Smiling at Mere's comment on Atlantis. "Yeah, the Daedalus is regular now," she explained. "You'd probably be on a three month deployment, minimum, but it's definitely not one way any more." Despite Atlantis being her home now, Claire was glad that she was able to return to New Zealand, and wouldn't have to give up that connection to her heritage.

Claire laughed as she heard Mere's stomach grumble, followed by a small belch. She arched an eyebrow upwards. "Heavy night," she asked, her voice deceptively innocent, although her eyes sparkled with mischief.