Author's Note: Nothing much to say. Just a short little McKay/Weir/Sheppard ficlet. Hope you like! Please review! If you guys think it's good enough, maybe I'll make it longer, I'm not sure... Spoilers for "The Storm" and "The Eye", and possibly all previous episodes.

Simple living is my desperate cry

Been trading live with indifference yeah it suits me just fine

I try to hold on but I'm calloused to the bone

Maybe that's why I feel alone

Oh, maybe that's why I feel alone

-Creed, "Weathered"

Spyglass

The entire population of Atlantis was taking bets.

Itamazed him still that it had been kept under their noses for so long. Elizabeth Weir, the woman in charge of the whole thing, and John Sheppard, the chief military officer—one would think that no secret could bypass them. Or maybe they had noticed, and instead decided to sweep it under the rug.

He wasn't a fool. He had noticed Zelenka's weird stare as he'd exited the lab when the Czech scientist had not-so-subtly mentioned the pool. Shaking his head, he continued walking. By now, all of Atlantis had probably heard about him abruptly leaving the lab. Probably half of Atlantis was wondering what was wrong with him (if they truly cared, that is). None of them would get it. None of them would even come close to guessing. How ironic was it; that they were betting on how long it would take John Sheppard to get the one thing that Rodney wanted? Oh, sure, he missed lots of things: hockey, his cat, his sister, his couch, his home... But it was different. He knew that he couldn't have those things—they were literally a galaxy away.

This, however, this was far from being a galaxy away.

'Nope,' he thought to himself dismally, 'It's right here.' And it was. It was twisting deeper into his heart every breath he took; tearing apart his mind with every motion.

He loved Elizabeth Weir.

'There, I admitted it,' he thought sourly, uncomfortable with the subject that tormented him for hours on end, 'but what good does it do? It does me nothing. She and John are obviously made for each other. If everyone on the base notices it—and is betting on how long it takes for them to get together—it's damn obvious.' He ran a hand over his hair, sighing heavily. 'How could I have been so stupid; to think I'd actually have a chance? It's evident that they're going to end up together.'

For a moment though, when Koyla had them both hostage—'That what?' he asked himself sourly, 'That'd you actually have a chance? Get over yourself.' He sighed deeply again, feeling the oppressing blanket of hollowness that had been wrapped around him for days tighten. Was that all his feelings had come from? A series of misconceptions?

Yeah, he had saved her life, but so had John—countless times. It was painfully plain who looked better in everyone's eyes. John was the brave guy, the leader who never left a man behind, the man to be admired, whilst Rodney was the sarcastic, whining and annoying scientist. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was the shining star in everyone's eyes. John was the one who had been running around Atlantis, saving the day. He had been the one stalling for time.

He had been chasing after something far beyond his reach. There, standing with Elizabeth as they faced their captors, he'd thought a bond of some sort had been created between them. Perhaps, then, it had been his imagination. Even now he could see the glimmer of hope that had formed in Elizabeth's eyes when John had appeared in the 'gate room. Only to him, he reasoned, could a glimmer of hope be so sharp, so like a knife to his heart.

And not to mention the fateful news that he had just heard…

"Hey, Rodney!" Aidan Ford's energetic voice echoed around him.

He turned his head at Lieutenant Ford's eager face and make an effect to smile that failed even before he made the attempt. "What?" he asked, the question coming out as more of a back.

Ford caught up to Rodney and looked over at the other man. "Have you placed a bet yet? I've got twenty bucks on two weeks."

Rodney looked over at him, blinking slowly and considering his response. "Put in a bet for me to whoever is running this thing," he told Ford shortly. "I say within one week."

It had been that statement-that piece of information-that had caused Rodney to flee from the lab in the first place. He and Zelenka had been working on an Ancient object, trying to figure out what it was, and Zelenka had told him of a conversation he had overheard between Elizabeth and John.

They had been arguing over when to tell the base about 'them'.

Zelenka had told Rodney about the bet after that and how maybe he or Rodney should put some money under the date that John and Elizabeth had agreed on. It was only fair…

Heartbroken or not, he was still Rodney McKay. He would do anything just to say that he won—even if it meant proving the one thing he wanted least truthful.

John was a hero. He got what he wanted—the girls, the admiration… Rodney was a scientist. He got his gadgets and gismos to fiddle with. Sure, maybe he'd done one or two heroic things, but he could only watch and mimic.

Maybe Elizabeth was making the right choice in being with John over him.