Title: Indisputable
Summary: Rodney McKay was officially a dead man. JohnxElizabeth.
Spoilers: Irresistible.
Rodney McKay looked at the greenish herb in his hand and sighed. It was tempting to taste it – just to taste – but nearly everyone in Atlantis had been inoculated against it's effects. Only one person wouldn't be immune now. John Sheppard. Pausing, Rodney looked back at the door to his lab, before his eyes sidled back toward the garbage bags, the herb poking out tantalizingly out of one them. No doubt Elizabeth would be angry if he tried it.
But a little taste couldn't hurt…right?
His mind not even stopping in hesitation, Rodney McKay reached out for the herb, breaking off a few leaves and sniffing it, the repulsive smell making his forehead scrunch in distaste. It smelled awful enough, which was why no doubt Rodney found Lucius mixed his in a honey-like substance. Oh well, for scientific knowledge, Rodney would suffer the unthinkable. Popping it into his mouth, he chewed intently for a few seconds, before swallowing it with a shudder.
Wondering from his lab, Rodney couldn't help but smile at the Athosian women on his way past, his eyes scanning for a reaction to his presence.
"Hi!" He said to a woman Teyla had introduced to him long ago. Was it Mia? Mai? May? Oh well, not important. She raised her eyebrows and for a brief second Rodney imaged Elizabeth standing there, eyebrow raised in a menacing manner and he shivered again, eyes breaking off contact with the woman to scan the surrounding corridors, afraid that Elizabeth would somehow know.
The lounge was harboring only one occupant, and Rodney smiled as he walked into the room, stopping behind the couch.
"Colonel Sheppard. How are you?"
John jumped, like a puppy, his wide eyes turned to see Rodney and he jumped from the couch, face plainly showing his excitement.
"Hey buddy!" John called, "Oh, it's great to see you! How are you?"
Rodney smiled, the expression turning oddly sinister.
"I'm good. Hey – you over that flu?"
John nodded, jumping around the couch to Rodney's side.
"Oh yeah," He said with a smile, "I feel great. With a capital G."
Rodney raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that's great. Hey, would you mind doing me a favor? I wouldn't usually ask…but…well…I'm asking."
John patted him on the shoulder and Rodney raised an eyebrow. Well, the serum obviously worked. But now to put it to the test…
"Sure thing buddy!" John answered, a grin lighting up his face.
Rodney grinned.
"Great…Hey, before I ask that, can you put your left hand on your head?"
Rodney blinked in surprise as promptly, John placed his left hand on his head, looking as though he was liking nothing better then being bossed around by Rodney McKay.
"That okay buddy?" He asked, eyes scanning Rodney's face for a response. Rodney felt himself grow light as a feather with happiness. Hey, why not take advantage of this unique opportunity? For research purposes of course.
"I need my room cleaned." Rodney said, thinking back to the mess that currently was scattered across his desks, bed and floor. He felt the need for sleep, but that pig sty caused him nightmares. "Now, there's an important order…the papers must be put perfectly on the desk – actually, later on you can just type them all up on my laptop. But my bed needs fresh sheets, the floor needs to be vacuumed – I spilt some cheesy puffs on it yesterday. Scrub the bathroom then we'll think of something else you can do that's useful around here."
John grinned.
"Sure thing buddy! I'll get started right away!"
Rodney McKay watched John Sheppard walk away, the grin eating at his features.
He could get used to this.
- - -
Elizabeth Weir looked in shock as John Sheppard patted Rodney on the shoulder.
"I'll go finish cleaning your room now alright?"
It was embarrassing enough John had just been hinting about Elizabeth's "Lingering desires", to which she remembered fawning over Lucius and thinking she was the luckiest woman in the world, but here he was acting so out of character that Elizabeth's mind snapped to the only reasonable solution.
"Rodney." She said quickly as Ronon and Teyla went to block his escape. He looked sheepish. Good. She didn't need John Sheppard under Rodney's control. If anyone with bad intention got a hold of that herb, it could mean major problems. In the form of controlling one Lieutenant Colonel. Maybe she should have insisted he got the inoculation…
She shook herself slightly, focusing on the matter at hand. Rodney McKay.
"Burn it." She said quickly, sharply, remembering her experience of loving Lucius blinding as she did. Somehow, only her connection to John Sheppard remained during her drug induced state, which was the reason she accepted his excuse of being sick so easily and refused against Lucius to get rid of him.
Carson, standing beside her, interjected, his own face dark with the memory of what could have happened had Lucius controlled them all still in his mind.
"All of it."
Elizabeth took a deep breath.
"Now."
Rodney shuffled away, mumbling under his breath to burn to herb, as Elizabeth decided to find John Sheppard and rescue him from his fate.
She nodded at Teyla and Ronon, both who went to stand with Carson when she made her way out, Carson's only comment for her to bring John to the infirmary for the inoculation.
Making her way to Rodney's quarters, as the doors opened she wrinkled her nose at the smell, stale corn chips and unwashed laundry hitting her senses.
"Joh-" was all she managed to get out before noticing him, and the state of the room.
The room was littered with rubbish. The Atlantis-version wooden floors were covered in laundry, chip packets, drink bottles and assortments of food bits. The walls were covered in papers Rodney had hurriedly blue-tacked there and the floor was equally as littered. John stood by the bed, the only clean and well made item in the room, a pile of fresh laundry sitting neatly in folded piles on it as John sat on the floor, carefully arranging papers, a mop sitting next to him, ready to be used.
"John?" She repeated, walking in and trying to ignore the sound of chips crunching beneath her feet.
John looked up, his eyes shining brightly. Elizabeth frowned.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, looking at him intently. He shook his head and Elizabeth blinked in shock.
"Sorry Elizabeth," He said quickly, "Rodney told me I have to finish cleaning his room. I just finished typing all of his papers into his laptop, so I shouldn't be much longer."
Elizabeth looked at the masses of papers in shock.
"All of it?" She asked weakly. And there she was thinking he couldn't use a computer. He never seemed to get any of his reports in on time and there was always one or two spelling errors.
He looked around, his eyes showing a little surprise that he had managed to accomplish so much.
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"How long have you been here?" She demanded, moving toward him. John stared at his clock.
"Hmm. Since…Six O'clock." He answered thoughtfully.
"This morning?" Elizabeth asked, thinking how she was going to kill McKay. John frowned, looking at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"No," He said with a raised eyebrow. "Last night."
Elizabeth almost fainted.
"Come on," She said, recovering quickly, but still feeling murderous, "Rodney said I should come and get you."
John looked up, the sound of Rodney's name bringing a shine to his eyes.
"Okay." He said quickly, standing up and moving next to her. They left the quarters and as the approached the infirmary, she felt John stiffen beside her.
"What?" She asked, staring at him in confusion. He looked at her.
"Rodney isn't hurt is he?" He asked, his wounded puppy dog eyes melting her heart slightly.
"Oh no," She hurried to assure him, "Nothing like that. Rodney just wants you to see Carson for a minute. Important business."
John looked at her, cocking his head to the side.
"Okay."
As the doors to the infirmary closed, a jumble of soft voices could be heard. The marine guarding the hallway to the infirmary stopped to listen, unable to make any of them out, before one could be clearly heard against the jumble of the others.
"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, RODNEY MCKAY!"
And the soldier looked away, knowing somewhere, in the great city, there was an annoying little man running for his life.
- - -
John Sheppard stood alone on the balcony. The sun was setting and despite the feeling of weariness from almost two days awake without sleep, he felt a little better. He had chased Rodney down three corridors before he managed to catch him and drag him back into his quarters and now he was enjoying the fact Elizabeth had ordered Rodney to clean his entire quarters by himself as punishment.
Smiling to himself, he paused as the door behind him opened and he sensed Elizabeth, as he always did, walk beside him.
"Hey." She said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "How are you?"
John kissed her head and smiled into her hair.
"Better." He whispered, his hand sliding along the railing until it was resting on hers. She entwined their fingers, not moving from her position at his side.
The remained in silence for a few moments, before Elizabeth broke into the silence.
"I'm sorry you had to see me all over Lucius. It must have hurt you."
John didn't react, which meant Elizabeth knew he was remembering seeing them together with her hanging off his every word and action.
"It doesn't matter." He whispered, "It wasn't you."
Elizabeth shrugged and John knew she was blaming herself.
"I felt like I was in love with him." She whispered. John turned, pulling her into his arms.
"That wasn't love." He whispered, equally as quiet, "It was devotion. Manufactured. It wasn't your fault."
She nodded and smiled, looking up into his eyes.
"How's my hero?" She asked, smiling. John looked into her eyes with an equal smile on his face.
"I'm great." He answered, "With a capital G."
Elizabeth kissed him gently.
"That's good. I thought you would want to join me."
John raised an eyebrow as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter and a piece of the herb.
"The last piece." Elizabeth whispered. John smiled, taking her hand, the lighter in it and holding it below the herb. Elizabeth pressed the Lighter button and the flame erupted as both of them watched, the herb bursting into flames as Elizabeth threw it over the balcony edge, floating a meter away before it came apart into ashes and vanished in the wind.
"What do you want to do now?" She asked, as he pulled her back into a hug.
John smiled, kissing her.
"Well, I would love to go see how Rodney is doing, then I would love to sleep."
Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek.
"Excellent plan. I'm feeling tired myself."
He took her hand as they left the balcony, their hands falling apart as the door opened, but the lingering smiles remained, and until everyone could know about the shining rings on chains under their clothes, it would have to be enough.
- - -
Rodney McKay groaned, his back aching as he scrubbed the floor of his quarters, the gaggling group of hippies at his door laughing at his pain annoying him to no end. Throwing down his rag, Rodney stood up, clutching his mop.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" He yelled, brandishing the mop like a sledgehammer and watching the hooligans run from sight in all directions. A marine stepped into sight – more recognizably Major Lorne, who smiled with the slight tint of threatening as Rodney grumbled, backing down and returning to his mop.
"How's it going Rodney?" The voice was annoyingly familiar as Rodney turned to see John at the door. His voice was mocking and furiously annoyed, Rodney picked up the soaking sponge, covered in suds and threw it, missing John badly as it flew over his shoulder and Rodney saw his huge mistake.
Elizabeth had been standing Sheppard and now she was covered in soapy water. Rodney's soapy water.
"Oh! Hi Elizabeth!" He said weakly as John sniggered away in laughter. Elizabeth glared first at John, who fell quiet quickly, then at Rodney.
"Well Rodney, I think Bernie would love your help in cleaning after your done here."
John and Elizabeth left as Rodney sat thinking of the muscled, mean cafeteria cook who Rodney insulted on the first day he was here by complaining about the food. Ever since then they had been arch enemies. Rodney fell back, lying across his floor.
Lorne poked his head around the door.
"You're a dead man." He chuckled. Rodney glared.
"Yes thank you, I hadn't noticed that."
What could be worse? Oh yeah. He was lying on stale corn chips.
Rodney McKay was officially a dead man.