It was a little, bitty thing, barely four octaves, but it at least had full-sized keys, not those mini things. It had obviously been someone's personal item, and Rodney could probably guess to whom it had belonged, but they tried not to do that out here. New personnel were due in next week on the Daedalus, and Sheppard and Lorne were both leading teams to clear out some of the previously occupied quarters. It wasn't unusual for members of the expedition who didn't have family to have their belongings distributed throughout the city.
Reluctantly, he turned it on a pressed down on the key that represented middle-C. It had a nice tone, without the full vibration of a good piano, and with the slight metallic edge of a synthesizer, but not bad. John had obviously left it in his room. No one else had access to his quarters, and no one knew that he played. He hadn't even told John; though, he wasn't too surprised that he had found out. Jeannie had a picture from one of his recitals – he was about 10, his long curly hair, falling into his eyes, wearing an ill-fitting suit and worn sneakers, a smug look on his face that didn't hide his terror at the size of the audience in front of him – sitting on her mantle, along with pictures of Madison, and family pictures of her and Caleb and Madison.
It's been years since he's played. He could feel himself withdrawing from the instrument even now, and hated that weakness in himself. He couldn't keep something like this, and not use it. It wouldn't be right, and he refused to be cowed because of one idiot's insignificant opinion, a lifetime ago. So what if he would never play professionally? That didn't even compare to what he did do every day.
He pulled the chair out from his desk, and sat behind the keyboard, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he placed his hands over the keys. It took a couple of minor adjustments, when he ran out of keys before he expected, but otherwise, he did not falter in his playing.
He heard the hiss of his door sliding open, just as he slid from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 into Bach's Ode to Joy, one of his favorite pieces. He opened his eyes to meet Sheppard's enthralled expression. He smiled, and Sheppard grinned in response, "You're Welcome."
He closed his eyes and didn't respond. He just kept playing, a wide smile on his face.