This is a story that I wrote about a year ago, but never posted. It takes place during The Return: Part I, particularly, when they were forming the plan to go to Atlantis.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis and any spelling errors that are to be found are mine and mine alone...well, and my spell-check's.

"Why don't you want me to go, Rodney

"Why don't you want me to go, Rodney?" Laura shouted.

"Because I just don't!" Rodney said poorly.

"That's not an answer!"

"Well, it's the only one I've got. You're not going! That's it. That's final!"

"It's not your decision," she said putting her hands on her hips. If it would have helped her to stick out her tongue, she would have.

"That's right," Sheppard said stepping foreword trying to ease the tensions between the two would-quite-possibly-be-lovers. "It's neither your choice nor Cadman's. It's mine and I am ordering her to go."

"We are about to commit and act of treason. You cannot force her to do so, Colonel," Rodney said angrily with a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'colonel.'

"Actually, Rodney, the fact that she knows about our plan has not done anything to stop it is can act of treason in itself. She is a Marine working for the United States' government. It is her duty to follow the orders set forth by her superiors and see to it that those orders are carried out, so she might as well come with us, because regardless of whether or not she goes with us, she is already committing an act of treason," Elizabeth said diplomatically.

Cadman stepped closer to Rodney. "Rodney, why don't you want me to go?" she asked gently.

"Because I love you!" Rodney shouted. "That's right Cadman. I. Love. You! There, are you happy? I love you!"

"You love me?" Cadman asked, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. It should have been easy, but this was Rodney. Nothing was ever easy with him.

"You mean you didn't know?" Rodney laughed bitterly. "How could you not know?"

"I didn't know, Rodney. I'm sorry," Cadman said softly, almost regrettably.

"You didn't know that I loved you or how about how much it killed me to see you with him?" Rodney's voice was getting louder by the minute as he gestured angrily at Carson, who was staring at them, wide-eyed with his mouth open.

"You guys want to keep it down?" Sheppard asked. "I don't know if you know this, but when you're committing and act of treason, it's usually a good idea if you SHUT UP!"

"I tried to hate you. I tried to push you away, but you just wouldn't listen and now you've wormed your way so far under my skin that I can't get you out," Rodney said in a quieter tone than before. "I've waited my whole life to fall in love. I have. I know that you'd never think that of me…that I'm not the type of guy to even want to fall in love, but I did. Everyone wants to fall in love and I have. I've fallen in love with you and I can't give you up to keep you safe and I can't keep you because I might lose you to Ancients who can't leave well enough alone or Replicators who insist upon making our lives a living Hell. So what am I supposed to do?"

Cadman stepping in front of Rodney and placed her hands on each side of his face. "You could just love me."

"For how long?"

"For as long as you want."

"I love you," he said softly leaning his forehead against hers."

"I love you."

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

There was a sniffle from one of the three spectators.

"Carson, are you crying?" John asked.

"No," the Scot sniffled. "I have something in my eye."

"You are crying!"

"Well, it's just so romantic. It's just like a movie or a soap opera! I've been waiting for him to do that for forever."

"It's okay, Carson," Elizabeth said rubbing his back. "Let's go get changed. Okay?"

"Aye," Carson nodded still sniffling.

"John?" Elizabeth said waiting for him to follow her.

He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest smirking. "In a minute."

"Now!" Elizabeth warned. She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the door.

"You're no fun!" he pouted.

"Move!"

"Are they gone?" Rodney asked against her lips.

Laura looked around and didn't see anybody, "I think so."

"Good," Rodney said wrapping his arms around her about to go in for a deeper kiss when he was so rudely interrupted by a spiky-haired Lieutenant Colonel.

"Guys, just so you know, we're about to commit an act of treason and well, now is not exactly the time to make a booty call."

"Booty call, Colonel?" Rodney smirked.

"You know what I mean."

"Oh, right, you mean now is not exactly the time for us to be…"

"Come back in twenty minutes," Cadman interrupted.

"But…"

"Colonel, do you really want to mess with an explosives expert?" Rodney asked.

"Not really."

"How 'bout someone who can make sure that you never have hot water again?"

"You can't do that. We're not on Atlantis," John said like a child

"You don't think that I can do that from here?"

"Well…" John was honestly no sure about that.

"And if this plan works, we will be back on Atlantis soon," Rodney finished.

"I hate you!"

"Okay. Bye!" he said dismissively.

"You've got twenty minutes," John said walking backward out the door. "I'm counting."

"Don't strain yourself."

Please Review