He'd been living like this long enough to know what being scared felt like, and yet this wasn't like any of that. Rodney hadn't wanted to know so that he could hurt John or laugh at him or pigeon hole him as the bratty rich boy. He'd wanted to know John, and John knew that if he could keep from running, he might finally be free.

The day after they ordered Lorne back to Earth, John got a visit from Cadman. She stood in his office at attention for thirty seconds before she managed, “Sir, permission to speak freely,” and he gave it to her.

An Ancient device gives John unexpected (and unwelcome) insight into the relationships of Johns and Rodneys across the multiverse.

In John’s head, the following sentence runs something like: 'My ex-wife said that among other flaws, I have the emotional maturity of cake, which is the only thing I will ever be able to hold a meaningful relationship with. But I guess if you’re also doomed to be alone, maybe we’ll be able to sort something out?'

In actuality, he says, “You see, I’m. I’m kinda like cake in – in some way, so, uh. Maybe I’ll keep you company?”

Mensa-verse crossover. It warmed Rod's heart to know that the whole leave no man behind thing extended all the way to include alternate realities.

That's when he figures out how to rig the impromptu security feed. If Rod's up to anything, they need to know.

The first time Rod told his Sheppard where he could stick his MENSA meetings, it was both frightening and exhilarating.

John doesn’t know when he started thinking people had to justify being happy.

Rodney's got a predicament. John figures that he should give his best friend a helping hand. (AKA the one where both of Rodney's wrists are broken.)

Written as a sort of 'what if?' tag to Quarantine. What if Rodney had finally proposed to Katie? What if Katie had said yes?

John's the best liar Rodney's ever met. It takes him a long time to realise this, years.

On Xia they kiss on the mouth. They do it for every possible occasion: to greet, to part, to seal an agreement. They do it at dinners, where normal cultures would have toasts. They do it spontaneously, like a pat on the shoulder, like shaking hands.

"Well, yes, if you want to take an incredibly complex and intriguing concept and reduce it to the level of a third-rate sci-fi show," and Rodney's face was clearly telling what he thought about that, "congratulations, it's a holodeck."