Till Death or Ascension Occurs
Author: Athrun Yuy
Summary: McShep est PG-13 drama: Rodney's solution to insure one Lt. Col. John Sheppard comes back.
Disclaimer: I don't own these guys but still wish I could

"28 minutes Rodney." Radek calls over his shoulder as he's passing him by to go to another council.

"Alright, alright, alright." Rodney wills himself to go faster on the program he himself had made in their only line of defense against this attack.

"I'm going to go get suited up." John says by his side already to turn away but is stopped by an iron fist to his sleeve. John is stumped for words to say at the sight of Rodney's blue eyes on his.

"Not yet." He pleads with his hand clinching tighter to his sleeve.

"I'll be come back, Mer." John says in a tone low enough for only Rodney to hear. He wasn't sure if he meant now or after the fight.

John's eyes get stuck to Rodney's Adam's apple bobbing at the sheer force of his swallow. "There is no fucking guarantee this time." Rodney says looking at John's chest heave up and down. Right now this is the only confirmation that John is indeed still alive. John has never been the type to give out false promises and he knows Rodney wouldn't appreciate one now; but he knows he needs to say something to make this easier. The rest of the city has already been evacuated leaving just them with Radek and Woolsey behind, but if it weren't for that fact, John's pretty sure they wouldn't even register if they had been around. "Marry me." Rodney says desperately.

John looks around them to see who's heard him and sees that both Radek and Woolsey are both trying not to appear like they have. "What?" He gasps out.

"Marry me, now." Rodney repeats. "You can't leave behind someone you're married to."

John wants to burst from the magnitude of emotions flowing around them, he wants to, God he wants to marry Rodney, but his career and the timing…. "How do you propose we do that?"

"I can help with that!" Woolsey pipes in having heard enough. Both Rodney and John look to the man in shock. "No one has to know but the four of us."

"You can do that?" Rodney asks sliding his hand down John's arm to take his hand.

"Sure. I'm like the captain of this ship." He says standing a little taller.

"Radek, will you witness?" John asks as another alarm is going off around them.

"Or course! I waited years for this day to come." The little man says handing John a tablet for him to look at and help with a series of equations that he was told from Rodney that he can do.

"You knew?" Rodney asks typing away once again on his computer.

"Long before you two idiots did."

"Hey I resent that comment." John counters heading down towards the Gate' to attach the tablet.

"Get over it." Radek yells down to him. "Rodney…" he hands him something new.

"Attach that to the Gate' and we should get the readings I need, John." Rodney calls down to him swinging his chair around to go to another council.

"Got it!"

"Come get this!" Rodney calls back as John's racing to get to him.

"Alright, listen up." Woolsey calls over the blaring noises of alarms and voices around him. "Do you Doctor…"

"Meredith!" John calls over his shoulder as he's heading down the stairs one more time. Rodney spares a moment to grin down at John and shake his head.

"Meredith Rodney McKay take Lt. Col. John Sheppard to have and to hold through the good and the bad, and mutation whatever that shape may be till death or ascension occurs?"

"Yes, yes of course."

"I believe you are supposed to say 'I do'." Radek says with a chuckle.

"I do, then." Rodney smiles even though he knows he shouldn't encourage his crazy haired partner. "Radek I need your code."

"Alight." Woolsey continues raising his voice so John can hear him. "Do you Lt. Col. John Sheppard take Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay to have and to hold through the good and the bad and any forms of explosions he may cause till death or ascension occurs?"

"I do!" He hollers back.

"So by the witness and the power vested in the Leader of Atlantis, I Richard Woolsey pronounces you married."

"Yea!" Radek sarcastically waves his hands and laughs before turning back to what he was working on. "About damn time."

John runs back up the stairs to Rodney and pulls his face away from the screen to kiss him briefly on the lips. "I have to get suited up now, husband." He grins as he's pulled back into another deeper kiss.

"We're almost ready, husband-mine." Rodney clinches his fist in John's shirt holding him there for a moment longer.

"I'm stuck with you now. I'll come back." John reassures him with a stronger belief that he will.

"And you'd better remember that. Go, before I change my mind." Rodney shoves at him.

"Here." Radek says stopping John's retreat. He hands him a circular unimportant piece of an ancient devise for him to take. "This can be your reminder."

John takes the makeshift ring and puts it on his finger as Rodney is doing the same with another ring Radek found for him. "Thanks." He mumbles torn between doing his job and kissing Rodney again. He looks back at Woolsey and gives him a sharp solute before disappearing down the hall.

"He'll make it, Rodney. You two have always had that strange form of luck between you." Radek says patting him on the back before going back to their physics defying answer to saving Atlantis.

"I hope so."