Archive of Our Own

"Uncle Johnny?"

"Hey, what'd you find there, buddy?"

"It was in that cupboard under the stairs."

"Why this here is an old cigar box and…I haven't seen this stuff in years. Thought it was gone."

"Me too. I must have set it there when I was cleaning out the…and will you look at that."

"Is that you in the picture, Uncle Johnny?"

"Yes, that's him. Man never took a bad picture in his life. The women used to swoon over him everywhere we went."

"You weren't so bad-looking yourself, blue eyes. Too bad you always hid from the cameras. I'd have liked one or two of you for myself."

"Nobody wants to see the mechanic, Sheppard."

"Hey, I did. Still do."

"What's this funny-looking piece?"

"That gear's all that's left of my first Jenny, the one in the picture. See, that's the first Pegasus."

"You crashed?"

"Sure did, but your Uncle Meredith built me a new one, even better."

"You did all these stunts, Uncle Johnny? Like Evel Knievel?"

"Better. I did them a lot higher and faster than he'll ever go on one of those motorbikes."

"And that was a long time ago. It's well past time for you to be in bed, young man. Go on."

"Awww…."

"Come on, you heard the grumpy old mechanic. Best get your teeth brushed and yourself under the covers before we both end up grounded tomorrow."

"No way, we're going to take the Puddlejumper out right after breakfast. Remember, you promised."

"Of course I do, buddy. My memory's not that bad yet. Now, scoot!"

"Yet."

"Hey, I remember lots of stuff, old man. Come on upstairs with me and I'll show you."

"You know better than to start something when young ears are still awake, Sheppard.

"Look, bedroom door's shut. Safe enough now?"

"Better, anyway. Just don't need another reason for trouble since your nephew's not going to thank you for taking that boy up in your old rattletrap and getting him all excited about flying."

"Patrick sent him here on purpose hoping he'd get it out of his system early on, my 'jumper's no rattletrap 'cause you make sure of that, and the boy's name is John. Shouldn't be that hard to keep in mind, seeing as he's named after me. You remembered young Meredith's name just fine when he was here last month, even when he kept on telling you to call him Rodney instead."

"That's because he was insulting a perfectly good tradition. There have been Meredith McKay's in the family for generations. He's fortunate he inherited the genius to go along with the name."

"Take it easy, Mer. Your voice is about gone tonight."

"Stupid cough. Been acting up again."

"Here's your syrup and a glass of water on the stand. Oh, I'll grant he's a smart one, all right. Sure did remind me of you, 'specially when he was headfirst inside that engine, banging around and talking a mile a minute. Too bad he had to go back before young John got here."

"Close the window before you climb in? Those boys together…that would be something. Another McKay and Sheppard. Build them and fly them."

"Sounds like a pretty damn perfect team to me."

"Exactly. Your nephew's a bonafide moron. If he really wanted to keep his boy on the ground, then he should've have named him Junior and kept him home with the four-legged hayburners."

"You're right there. That boy was born to fly."

"Of course I'm right. Genius, remember?"

"Major, think about where we are in the solar system."

"Did I do that?"