Author: MegTDJ
Category: Fluff
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: McKay/Weir
Spoilers: The Storm
Summary: In The Storm, Rodney mentioned that Elizabeth had complained about her knees. Why did he remember that so readily, and why didn't Elizabeth seem surprised that he had?
Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.
Author's notes: Misty and I were discussing in chat the other day how curious it was that Rodney remembered Elizabeth complaining about her knees a few days before the events of The Storm, and that Elizabeth didn't seem at all surprised that he had. This evil little plot bunny started nagging at me then, and when I mentioned it to her, she practically forced me to write it. So, here it is! I hope you enjoy!
(Whispers: It's all Misty's fault! :P)
Weak in the Knees
Rodney was humming to himself as he walked through the halls on his way to Elizabeth's office. Today had been a good day so far. They'd served some kind of delicious Athosian oatmeal for breakfast, he and Zelenka had finally figured out how to fix the problem they'd been having with one of their diagnostic machines, the sun was shining bright and cheerful... it was just an all-around great day.
To top it all off, once he had handed today's report in to Elizabeth, he had the rest of the afternoon and evening to just kick back, relax, and do nothing. Perfection.
As Rodney rounded the corner into Elizabeth's office, however, his day suddenly became ten times better than he could ever have imagined.
Legs. Miles and miles of legs. Rodney's mind could process nothing else for approximately five seconds.
"Oh, good, Rodney. Could you please help me?"
Rodney stared open mouthed, trying to force himself to form words but failing miserably. Help? She needed his help?
"H...help with what?" he finally managed to ask as he tore his gaze away from Elizabeth's legs to focus on her face. It wasn't easy, especially when she had them crossed like that and was stroking them almost seductively.
"I've been on my feet since late last night, haven't had a wink of sleep, and my knees are killing me," she said. "I have this ointment for them, but I can't seem to open the jar. I was about to call Major Sheppard in here..."
"No, no need," Rodney said, quickly stepping towards her and taking the jar from her hands. "I can do that for you."
Elizabeth smiled, the lines of exhaustion on her face becoming painfully obvious to him. "Thank you."
The adrenaline coursing through his body was sufficient for the task, and with one hard twist the jar opened with a slight popping sound. Rodney grinned in triumph and held it out to her.
A second later, he drew it back towards himself as an evil thought entered his mind.
"Would you like me to...?" he asked, gesturing to her knees with an air of innocence that he hoped was halfway convincing.
To his overwhelming joy, Elizabeth looked relieved rather than offended. "Would you?" she said. "I would really appreciate that."
Rodney was sure he had died and gone to heaven.
He knelt down in front of her chair and took one of her lovely legs in his hands, gently placing her foot in his lap. He somehow managed to resist the urge to stroke the beautiful appendage, but he couldn't help but notice how slender it was, and how soft and smooth her skin felt. He tried to keep his gaze from straying too far up her thigh, as she had rolled her pants up as far as they would go, but as soon as he saw that her knees were swelling up before his eyes, all sensual thoughts were chased from his mind by his concern.
Well, almost all.
He scooped some of the gelatinous medicine onto his fingers, and touched it to her knee. Elizabeth jumped slightly at the contact.
"Cold?" Rodney asked.
"A little," Elizabeth replied, forcing a smile and trying not to squirm.
"Sorry. Let me know if it's hurting you, okay?"
Elizabeth nodded, so Rodney got to work.
He had never enjoyed "work" so much in his entire life.
With gentle hands, he massaged the ointment into her knee, taking great care not to press too hard or jostle her leg too much. Elizabeth didn't make any complaints, so he guessed he must have been doing an okay job. For that reason, he didn't feel any guilt in allowing himself to feel just a little bit turned on by it.
Once that knee had been thoroughly cared for, he turned his attentions onto the other one. Elizabeth sucked in a breath as he lifted the second leg onto his lap, and he looked up at her in concern. When he saw that her face was lined with pain, his heart started to ache in empathy. "Sorry," he said. Then, without even thinking about it, he placed a gentle kiss on her kneecap.
When he realized what he'd done, every organ in his body sank down into his shoes.
He looked up at her again, hoping she wasn't too angry with him for being so forward. To his surprise, though, she didn't seem angry at all. In fact, she was smiling.
"It feels much better now," she said. Her tone was teasing, but her smile was warm and sincere.
Rodney beamed. He knew that any other woman probably would have slapped him for doing what he'd just done, but there was something different about Elizabeth. She actually seemed to trust him... and like him.
He felt like he was floating on a cloud as he finished his ministrations, especially when Elizabeth sighed and relaxed in her chair, obviously enjoying her little massage very much. "Is the pain getting any better?" he asked.
"Mmm," was all she said.
Rodney took that as a yes.
All too soon, the ointment had been absorbed away by her skin, so he really had no excuse to keep on fondling her knees. With a sigh of regret, he rose to his feet.
"Wait," Elizabeth said, reaching her hand out to touch his arm.
"What is it?"
She gave him a mischievous smile. "My feet hurt, too."
Rodney feigned indignation. "What do you think I am, a push over?"
Her smile grew into a grin. "Yes."
Okay, so she had him there. With another sigh, Rodney knelt down again and took one of her feet in his hands. Instead of massaging it, however, he just stared at it for a long moment, studying her cute little toes as he thought the situation over.
"What are you waiting for?" Elizabeth finally asked.
"If I do this..." he said, pressing his thumbs against the center of the ball of her foot and using them to give one firm stroke outwards just under her toes. He smirked at her moan of pleasure and continued, "I want you to do something for me."
"And what might that be?"
He gave her a wicked grin. "I want you to kiss me."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped at this, but she soon recovered herself and sent him a mock glare. "You would take advantage of a damsel in distress?" she asked.
Rodney laughed. "I'd hardly call you a damsel in distress - more a beautiful woman with sore feet. But I'm afraid my foot rubs are famous galaxy-wide, and I don't do them for free. So, if you really..."
His sentence was cut short by a lovely pair of rosy lips pressed against his.
Elizabeth was wearing a rather sly grin when she settled back in her seat again a few seconds later. "Consider that my down payment," she said. "You'll get the rest afterwards... if you do a good job."
Rodney let out a slow breath in an attempt to calm down his racing heart. "Okay," he said. "Prepare for the most amazing foot rub you have ever had in your entire life."
Elizabeth wiggled her toes and got comfortable. "Looking forward to it."
When Rodney saw the look on her face, he was very glad he was already down on the floor. That smile definitely had the ability to make his knees go weak.
Without even realizing it, suddenly it became Rodney's mission in life to make her feel the way she was making him feel right then. Without another moment's hesitation, he started to make good on his word, giving her a foot rub to end all foot rubs.
He couldn't wait until he received his reward.