Title: Rewind, Reboot, Restore.
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis.
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard.
Categories: Amnesia, Angst, Established Relationship.
Length: Long (~23,400 words)
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: rheanna27
Author Website: Palimpsest - Fanfiction and Podfic by Rheanna

Review:
In "Rewind, Reboot, Restore" a run-in with an ancient device makes Rodney lose seven years worth of memories. John, who had taken an unexpected liking to McKay shortly after they first met, comes to loathe the man who he once was. But it's interestingly by learning to dislike Rodney that he finally realizes how strong his feelings towards him are.

The Rodney McKay we first meet in SG-1's "48 Hours" is an arrogant jerk that the audience is supposed to dislike. The Rodney we are exposed to in Atlantis is, if not exactly a consistently 'kinder and gentler' version, someone whose redeeming features make his arrogance and vanity much easier to ignore and rationalize. Rheanna's twist here is focusing not so much on 'pre-Atlantis' Rodney's confusion in finding himself in another galaxy, acting in ways he cannot explain, but on John and the way he deals with a Rodney he does not know and cannot like.

The "temporary amnesia" plot is certainly not inventive, but Rheanna's shifted focus and character-driven approach make the fic transcend that. Her 'pre-Atlantis' McKay is brilliantly written, giving us a clear sense of how much Rodney has grown as a person by his exposure to Atlantis and his team. John's emotional epiphany feels natural and completely in character, as do his reactions to Rodney before and after. And while the secondary characters really don't get that much space comparatively, I absolutely adore the way Teyla in particular is portrayed: smart, competent and unfailingly supportive of her family.

All in all, a fantastically written, at times heart-wrenching fic with a lovely happy ending.

Rewind, Reboot, Restore.