Disclaimers: Don't own them, wish I did.

Chapter One

Rodney McKay sat in the puddle jumper, his arms folded across his chest. He stared out the windshield bored out of his mind.

Why did Sheppard even bother to tell me to get ready if I wasn't even going to step out of the ship?

It hadn't been a week since he had destroyed a solar system and lost his team's trust. It hurt and he'd been working on getting it back.

How can I help if I'm stuck here? Rodney thought miserably.

He pushed himself out of the chair and paced to the back of the jumper. He hated being bored. It was worse than being hungry or scared.

What's taking so long? Rodney pushed the release for the ramp and watched as it slowly lowered to the ground. He glanced up at the cloudy gray sky. Lightening flashed in the distance and he grumbled in irritation.

"McKay, start the jumper. Now!"

Thunder followed John's voice and rain poured a moment later. Rodney hurried to the jumper's controls and started it up.

Gunfire sounded behind him and he turned to see Sheppard and the rest of the team racing toward the jumper.

What did they get into now?

Lightening flashed behind the team and Rodney caught a glimpse of what appeared to be Wraith.

Oh, just great, Rodney thought as Teyla and Ronon entered the jumper. They fired their weapons at the three Wraith charging out of the forest. Two of the creatures fell to the ground as the third returned fire.

"Hurry up, Sheppard!" Rodney shouted as John stood in the rain and fired at the remaining Wraith.

The last Wraith fell to the ground as thunder sounded. Sheppard turned and hurried into the jumper. He slapped the release and the door closed behind him. He sat in the pilot's seat and took the controls.

"Let's get out of here," John said as the jumper went into the air.

"Best idea I heard all day," Rodney said as he settled into the co-pilot's seat.

Rodney sat in the briefing room, his eyes on Elizabeth. He had tried the hardest to get back into her good graces. He hated that he had disappointed her and it hurt every time he remembered the look on her face when he told her what had happened. He knew she was still angry with him, but he wasn't about to stop trying to make it right between them.

Her friendship means too much to me, he thought.

Elizabeth stood then and Rodney blinked.

"Looks like we'll have to be even more careful where we go," Elizabeth said. "We can't risk the Wraith knowing we're still here."

"That's an understatement," Sheppard said as he stood.

The team filed out, leaving Rodney behind. He stood wanting to talk to Elizabeth. He wanted to tell her about the device they had finally been able to get to work. It was an exciting moment and he wanted to share it with her.

"Elizabeth," Rodney called as he raced out of the briefing room.

"Not now, Rodney," she said as she walked toward her office. "I have a ton of reports to read and no time to read them."

Rodney stopped and stared after her as she entered her office and sat at her desk. He could barge in and tell her all he wanted to tell her, but it wasn't the way back to her confiding in him. He sighed and decided to tell her later when she wasn't so busy.

He headed down the steps and left the gate room. Analyzing the device further sent a thrill of excitement through him. The thought of delivering a very detailed report to her caused him to jog toward the lab.

It amazed him how much her opinion meant to him. He always went to her with some idea or new device or artifact they'd found. He loved her smile and enthusiasm when he'd talked to her about his discoveries. It made his own zeal that much greater. He never could get enough of it.

Rodney entered the lab and went over to the device, no bigger than a flash drive. He picked it up and looked at it, turning it over in his hands. He walked over to his laptop and sat down, placing the device on the table beside him.

"Did you tell her?" Radek asked, coming over to him.

"She's busy with reports at the moment," he answered as he typed up his own report. "I'm going to wait and tell her and hand over my report."

"You could tell her over lunch," Zelenka suggested.

Rodney sighed. It was a good idea. They both needed to eat sometime. "Fine, I'll tell her."

The thought of having lunch with her sent his heart racing. They really hadn't talked in nearly a week and there was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to find a way back into her confidence and the only way he was going to able to do that was ask her.

"Good. I'm sure she will be pleased," Radek said before going back to his side of the lab.

Rodney shook his head and typed up the rest of his report. He couldn't wait to know what she thought.

It took him ninety minutes to finish his report; there was so much information in it. Rodney knew he had a tendency to go off on tangents, but he didn't want to leave anything out or possible questions hanging.

He saved his finished report on his own flash drive and pulled it out of its slot. He picked up the device and headed toward the mess hall, his heart pounding at the prospect of having lunch with Elizabeth. It had been so long since they had done anything together, even walk down the hall. He missed the closeness he had with her and would do anything to get it back.

Rodney entered the mess hall and sought out Elizabeth. He saw her sitting by herself, eating Jell-O. He smiled and grabbed a tray of food then headed over to her.

"Elizabeth," Rodney said as he stood over her table.

Elizabeth looked up as if surprised to see him. "Rodney. Hello."

Rodney smiled and tried to calm his growing excitement and something else he didn't have time to identify. He sat across from her and handed her his report.

"What's this?" Elizabeth asked, staring at the flash drive.

"My report," he answered as he handed her the device, "on this. It looks like a flash drive, but its not. It's information on what most of the labs we keep finding are for and how to make them work. There's also information on experiments they had been working on. It's amazing, all that on such a small device."

Elizabeth looked at the device again, a small smile crossing her face. Rodney felt his heart soar at the expression. He loved putting a smile on her face and it warmed him. He wanted to see it again and again.

"It is amazing," she said as she put the devices aside. "I'll read your report after I eat."

"Elizabeth," Rodney said, unsure of what to say. "I want to know if we're all right."

Elizabeth stared at him as if he spoke a foreign language. He stared back, his mouth going dry at how she would answer.

"We're fine, Rodney," she said, sitting back in her chair. "Why do you ask?"

Rodney looked at his food, his nervousness causing him to lose his voice. He cleared his throat several times before he was finally able to answer.

"I know I screwed up last week," he answered, his voice low. "I feel as if I lost your friendship in the process. I don't know how to get that back."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and Rodney feared what she might say.

"You haven't lost my friendship, Rodney," she said, sending a wave of relief through him. "I'm angry at you for what you did, but I know you'll do whatever you can to make up for it."

"I'm trying," he said, not caring that his voice went up in pitch. "I don't know if it's even working."

Elizabeth smiled. "Rodney, you have nothing to worry about. You're still the most valuable member of this expedition."

"Not compared to you," Rodney replied, staring at her with all the seriousness he felt. It must have overwhelmed her for she looked back at her food. She cleared her throat, pushing her food around.

"Thanks," she whispered, looking up at him with her green eyes. Green eyes he wanted to drown in. The emotion that washed over him caught him off guard. He looked away, clearing his throat.

"You're welcome," he said as he stood, uncertainty and awkwardness rushing over him. "I need to go before the so called scientists destroy my lab."

Elizabeth laughed, but he didn't hear it as he hurried out of the mess hall. The feelings that came over him surprised him. He cared about Elizabeth and desired her friendship, but what he felt now was something he hadn't prepared for. It scared him and he didn't know what to do about or if he even should.