Stargate characters are the property of MGM.

Spoilers: Nothing specific. Some time in early Season 5

A/N: My first hand at a smutty story. Reviews appreciated. Thanks to my beta 2Harts for this.

"Why can't you fly the jumper to the camp?" Rodney McKay whined once more. "Come on, two miles over a mountainside to get to them. What the hell is so special in that valley?"

Colonel John Sheppard bit back his initial reply because Doctor Jennifer Keller was with them. "As I told you for the hundredth time, Rodney, your botanists wanted to be in that valley because of the plants there. Besides, it's not a mountain."

"Hey, I'm from western Canada. I know mountains when I see them and those are mountains," the scientist said with conviction, "besides, they are not my botanists."

Jennifer stifled a laugh. They had been bickering the entire trip from Atlantis like two little boys. Teyla said they were like siblings. I can definitely see that now. There was a team of five botanists and four Marines encamped on this planet collecting samples and studying unique plants. They were having problems with their communications console and Doctor Parrish thought he was sick. Colonel Sheppard was going to leave them as close to the camp as possible, barely two miles away. They would spend the day checking in and remove Doctor Parrish if need be. It was a simple walk in the woods.

Atlantis's CMO should know that simple and Pegasus never goes together. She found herself huddled in a portable shelter with Rodney. The shelter was little more than four walls, a ceiling, floor, a small alcove with a portable toilet and some crates of supplies. On their way back from checking on everyone, a torrential rain began which soaked them within minutes. Rodney called back to camp and was told the river near the base camp was rising rapidly and the team had to move into shelters like theirs. Apparently these rain storms come frequently, so the shelters were put in place all around the valley. They also found out that Atlantis called saying Sheppard would not be back until morning because the storm was settling in for the night. They were leaning against a wall shivering. There were survival supply crates lining the walls, but Jennifer was too cold and wet to move.

"T-t-there a-a-are b-b-blankets," the freezing woman managed after a few minutes through chattering teeth.

Hearing the woman he loved in distress, Rodney found strength to move to the containers and find a blanket. "I only f-f-f-found one," he also chattered back. "The others must have been taken."

Realizing his jacket was dripping water; he took it off to reveal a dry black t-shirt. Unfolding the blanket he sat close to Jennifer and pulled the blanket around them. The physician glanced up in surprise as she felt his arm slide around her shoulders tucking her against his side. It definitely increased her temperature.

"B-b-better?" he asked as his pulse and breathing also increased. Noticing that her jacket was soaked, too, he said, "Let's get this off."

"O-o-okay," Jennifer could not stop shivering and knew from med school 101 that she needed to get off her wet coat and pants. The thought of being in this particular man's arms under a blanket in only a t-shirt and panties sent a wave of heat through her. Shifting position, Rodney unzipped her jacket brushing against her breasts and bare arms in the process causing Jennifer to gasp.

"Is something wrong?" Rodney asked.

"N-n-no," the flustered doctor could not control her reaction to being wrapped in his arms again. The feel of her bare arms brushing his sent shocks like electrical currents throughout her body causing her to continue to shiver.

"Body heat helps, right?" the physicist questioned while having his own reactions. His pants were soaked and the cold was seeping through but even that could not keep him from getting aroused. Her trembling continued, so he pulled her closer and began to rub his hands up and down her back and arms.

"Uh… Ahh… s-s-sure," Jennifer responded tentatively sliding her arms around his waist and noting that his pants were wet causing the blanket to absorb the water. If the blanket got wet, they would have nothing dry to wrap up in. The physician remembered the briefing about the planet, which said it got very cold at night.

"R-r-rodney, your p-pants are wet," she managed to get out glancing up at him.

"So are yours." What is she getting at?

"They will get the b-blanket wet," her chattering was going away because of his warmth. The shivering was continuing but that had everything to do with his rubbing of his hands over her upper body.

"Right, so…" The resident super genius could not continue the sentence. Just thinking about sitting near this beautiful woman who haunted his dreams in only his boxers sporting the biggest hard-on he ever had was not appealing.

"So, they should come off," the young doctor said amazed that her voice was so calm. Heat was pooling in her lower abdomen at the thought of Rodney's bare legs brushing hers as a blush covered her face. At least the lighting was low in here. "We can keep our t-shirts on because they are not too wet. I'm sure the clothing will dry fast. It's made for soldiers, so it needs to."

"We? Your pants need…" Just saying, "your pants need to come off" was too much for him to do. How was he going to survive this? The logical part of him knew they needed the clothing to dry and that they needed to be free of the wet clothing so they could warm up. They were going to be spending the night here after all. His more primal side just said, Oh yeah, an entire night with Jennifer in her t-shirt and panties.

Stop being a prude. You are a doctor. You see men, including Rodney, all the time in boxers. But they don't see me in pink panties and a t-shirt. Oh, God, why did I have to wear the pink ones? The nervous woman thought.

They both tried to calm themselves with Jennifer pulling her arms back from Rodney so she could shift under the blanket and remove her pants. Lucky for her it was large and covered both of them with a little extra room. Deep breathes. You can do this. It's dark and your t-shirt is long. You can pull it over your legs.

Rodney held the blanket tight. As much as he wanted to see Jennifer in her panties, he respected her privacy. Sure, he told himself, it has nothing to do with not wanting to make love to her this instant. "Uh," he groaned out loud.

"What!" Jennifer stopped removing her pants under the blanket.

"Huh."

"Rodney, what's wrong?"

"I don't. I mean… nothing…Uh… Never mind. Just hurry up, so you can hold the blanket for me." The astrophysicist lost all of his higher brain functions when she was around him fully clothed. What was he going to do now? Her bare arm kept brushing against his sending tingling sensations through his body increasing the pressure in his pants.

"Done," she said as she pushed her pants out the bottom of the blanket. "Your turn." Her hands clasped the blanket in front of them as Rodney shifted around pulling his pants off. He took a lot longer than Jennifer.

"You need to lay them out with the jackets so they'll dry," she said after he was finished.

"How am I supposed to do that from under here?"

"You're not, you need to get out. There is also food in the containers that we need to find," Jennifer said in her calm doctor voice as she started to open the blanket. The extremely aroused man grabbed it holding on for dear life.

"I don't want to run around in front of you with only my boxers." Rodney was terrified of how obvious his arousal would be. It already made removing his pants a painful process.

"Well, I've seen you in your boxers many times. Even the more colorful ones."

"This is very sexist of you, you know," the scientist tried to get angry to take his mind off his physical discomfort. "You only want me to do it because I'm the guy."

"Well, you could try to be chivalrous for me. Please," the tired woman smiled at him. It was the first smile in many hours. The trek through the forest from the camp was longer than either of them wanted it to be and took a lot out of her. Not to mention Doctor Parrish was annoying when she was checking on him. He had a minor head cold, but you would think he was dying of a brain tumor. It was funny to watch Rodney berate him for wasting Jennifer's time over the sniffles. This from the man who comes to me for splinters.

"I… Uh… My back is sore and I'm pretty stiff. I'd rather not get up right now." Breathe deep. Don't think about the fact that the woman you love is in panties next to you. No. Not working.

Normally when she said please and smiled at him, she got her way but not this time. His fear of her seeing his arousal kept him glued on the spot. The CMO started to get concerned that something really was wrong with him. The threat of a real medical issue got her to act. She shifted so she could kneel next to him. Her soft hands wrapped around his clenched ones holding the blanket shut.

"Rodney, I need to examine you to make sure you are okay. You seem flushed and sweaty. Your breathing is erratic. Did you hurt yourself in some way?"

"No, I did not hurt myself. Please Jennifer, just give me… a minute," he snapped at her. He was getting annoyed that she did not comprehend his physical problems. Surely she must know that any man faced with the possibility of spending the night alone with a gorgeous woman in her underwear causes certain areas of their anatomy to take on a life of their own. It's not like she was some innocent just arrived from a backward planet. She was a beautiful woman; she has to know what she's doing to me.

Knowing that he would never refuse medical attention unless it was because of some amazing discovery, the medical doctor decided being tough was called for. Since she was no longer cold due to his nearness, she pulled the blanket from his hands and then pushed his hands down to his side. It was then she noticed the impressive tent in his boxers.

Oh. My. She swallowed hard and tried to pry her eyes off the erection Rodney was sporting with no luck. As a female physician, she had faced patients with hard-ons often during her basic medical rotations. It was a hazard of the job. When some men are around women, them get aroused. Since she was taking her clothing off next to Rodney, it must have excited him. It was his embarrassment that kept him from getting up and made him seem ill. I need to address this like a professional. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to his face.

Poor Rodney had never been so humiliated and disgusted with being a man. He watched Jennifer's face turn from shock to a look of annoyance to the calm, detached physician she was during a crisis. His heart plunged to his toes. Now he knew, she had zero interest in him outside of basic friendship. Let me die right now, he begged whatever deity might be listening.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Rodney. It's natural for a man to get an erection around a woman who was pressed close to keep warm and we are in our underwear." Her voice was the soothing one she used in the infirmary. I wish I caused it because he wanted me, but what would the Great Rodney McKay ever want in me? "Once you relax you'll be fine."

The "Doctor Voice" tore at his heart. She's pissed. Of course she's pissed you horny, jerk. She is a beautiful woman who does not want to be viewed as a sex object. He pushed past her to stand.

"I'm sorry. You're right. It's just a physical reaction. I… I'll… Look for some food." Rodney started opening crates to look for the MRE's.

There he said it, it was just a physical reaction. Her heart was breaking. The pain in her chest radiated into her stomach causing it to roil as pressure began to build up in her eyes. Oh God, please don't let me cry, but it was too late. The tears formed before she could do anything. Not again! Why do I fall for men who don't want me for anything but sex? Painful memories of her only sexual encounter came rushing back. You don't mean anything to him. Just like med school all over again. The lies. The bet. The disastrous day after. The tears began to fall. She tried to muffle the sob in the blanket but it came out anyways.

Idiot. Why did you think that having meals and hanging out at movie night could mean anything more than friendship? You stupid fool, you thought she might actually like you. A sound broke into Rodney's self-loathing like someone crying, which was what he wanted to do. The smartest man in two galaxies turned from staring blankly at the crates to find the woman he loved clutching the blanket tightly around her as she sobbed uncontrollably. She seemed so small and fragile causing him to basically run across the room to her and pull her, blanket and all, onto his lap. He began "shushing" her and stroking her wet hair. Her arms flew around his neck as she buried her head into his shoulder. The sobbing continued.

"Oh Jennifer, I'm so, so sorry," Rodney said into her hair. "Please don't cry. I'm a jerk. Everyone knows that. I never meant for you to feel like… like some piece of meat. I am so sorry I can't control myself around you. Just holding you fully clothed got me so excited I could hardly breath. You in a t-shirt and panties was really too much for me to take. I'm better now. I swear. Please, Jennifer, don't cry. I can't take it if you cry, especially if it's my fault."

Rodney was aware that the sobbing had stopped, but some sniffling continued as Jennifer raised her red, tear-stained face to look at him. The pain in her eyes tore him apart. If he was thinking, the last thing he would have done was something physical, but he stopped thinking a while ago and kissed her.

Jennifer was stunned when Rodney kissed her. His lips pressed firmly against hers for a few seconds, but then softened as they expertly moved over hers. Rodney's hands slid up her back into her hair pulling it from its ponytail. He's kissing me. The lonely woman wanted everything from him, but did not think she could offer him much in return.

Rodney poured all the love he felt for Jennifer into his kiss. His passion was in control at first driving him to claim her mouth. Then his love took over and gentled the kiss almost as soon as he made contact with her lips. Tasting the salty tears, he flicked his tongue out to lick them from her lips causing her to moan tightening her arms around his neck, pulling herself out of the blanket and pressing against his body. At the opening of her mouth, his tongue glided over her lips. He was not going to intrude where he was not wanted, so he did not deepen the kiss. After several strokes of his tongue over her lips, he drew back preparing for a slap or worse.

The physician felt empty when his mouth pulled away. She wanted him to deepen the kiss, but was too uncertain to do anything about it. They stayed that way for a while; Jennifer sitting on Rodney's lap with the blanket pooled around her waist and her arms around his neck staring into each other's eyes. The talkative scientist did not know what to say. Dreams of kissing and holding her filled his nights. Even knowing she did not care about him, it was still heaven to hold her this close. Rodney found his voice first.

"I probably shouldn't have done that either," shaking his head but not breaking eye contact, "but I really can't control myself around you."

"Rodney," Jennifer began. She needed to sort out what his conflicting actions meant. She took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. "You can't control yourself? Why?"

The "why" came out in the quietest most fearful voice that Rodney ever heard from the woman he loved. It was the polar opposite of the confident doctor from earlier. That gave Rodney courage he never knew he had. "Because I have loved you since we first met." There, I said it. Might as well really go down in flames.

Jennifer stared at Rodney and continued to do so for a while. She must be dreaming. A shiver from the actual cold shook her body. The temperature in the room was dropping as night fell outside.

Rodney did not pull his eyes from her face, which was covered with disbelief and Rodney thought for a second, hope. When she shivered, it again forced him into action. "It's getting cold in here. Should we continue this under the blanket? Uhhh… I mean… continue talking under the blanket?" Rodney shifted the blanket back around her shoulders.

Jennifer nodded stupidly at him. Rodney McKay loves me? Rodney McKay loves me. Rodney McKay loves me! As she repeated this phrase her hope began to increase. She did not believe for a second that the honest man she knew and loved was capable of the kind of deceit that creep Tony from medical school was. The astrophysicist's emotions shown over his face and in his eyes all the time. He sucks at poker or keeping any type of surprise. But why would he love me?

He looked terrified. Maybe that's what he looks like when he is in love. She found her voice and asked, "Why do you love me?"

What a simple question, Rodney thought as he answered it right away. "Because you are amazing. You are beautiful, kind, compassionate and as smart as me. You put everyone before yourself to the point that you get sick from caring so much. You are funny, charming and sweet. I loved you the moment we met. When I saw the look of wonder on your face when you first saw Atlantis in the gate room, I felt an instant bond with you. I felt like what I had been waiting my whole life for had arrived. Of course everything went to hell after that with Carson's death and Elizabeth's." Even though they got Carson back, he never spoke of the other Carson with anyone. As for Elizabeth, they were together for that one.

"Oh, Rodney," Jennifer wanted to shout that she loved him too, but thought showing him seemed better. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, moving slowly over his lips like he had just done to her. Suddenly, her inexperience at kissing took away her confidence. Her timidity kept her from doing much more than pressing her mouth to his. Luckily, Rodney took over.

This time, he rubbed his tongue over her lips with every intention of taking what she offered. He captured her lower lip between his teeth, nipped at it causing her to groan and slipped his tongue in to mate with hers as soon as she opened her mouth. She's so sweet. I could do this forever. His hands slid down to tug her t-shirt up.

Jennifer groaned again as his slightly calloused hands touched the skin on her back. The twin assault of his tongue and hands caused sensations like nothing she experienced her first time. Her thoughts of that awful experience caused her to stiffen.

Because Rodney got tunnel vision when he was concentrating on something, he was aware of every move that Jennifer made. When she tensed as his hands reached her bra clasp, he pulled his hands back to her waist and dragged his mouth away from hers. Don't rush it. He tried to slow his breathing. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"N-nothing. Please don't stop," Jennifer whispered, the lack of oxygen in her lungs making it difficult to talk. She had never felt so aroused. Her breasts ached and the feeling deep inside her was so intense that she had a sense of what Rodney must feel like sporting his erection. She turned to kiss his neck but he pulled her head back to look into her eyes.

Because he loved her, he could not go ahead until he was totally confident that she really wanted to be with him. She had not seemed affected by my arousal, yet was brought to tears after I told her it was nothing. She was very responsive when I kissed her, but then when she started the second kiss, she seemed uncertain of what to do. Then she tensed as I reached for her bra clasp, but asked me to continue and tried to kiss my neck. He needed to have all the inconsistencies in her behavior explained before he would continue. "Jennifer… Um… Are you sure you want to do this? I mean we are rushing a bit."

Jennifer knew what was coming and quickly averted her eyes to stare at her hands now resting on his shoulders. He was going to push her away. She had done something wrong already. Tears welled up as she closed her eyes. Stop it. He loves you. The warring voices in her head were causing her a lot of confusion.

"Jennifer, please look at me," the voice that came from the man next to her was gentler than she could imagine. One hand slipped under her chin to force her head up to look into his eyes. She opened hers to see concern and desire warring for dominance in his.

"I'm sorry. I haven't done this… that often. I didn't mean to do something wrong," her small voice absolutely ripped at Rodney's heart.

"What?" This was the last thing he expected to hear. She hadn't done this often. What did that mean? Being taken by surprise did not usually bring out Rodney's best qualities. In this situation however, he reacted with his heart and not his head.

"We don't have to do anything else." He moved as if to shift her from sitting on his lap to sitting next to him. Jennifer clamped down on his arms.

"Please, no! I want to do this. I just had a horrible first time and haven't done it since. With a little patience, I'm sure I'll be fine," Jennifer pleaded. How did it come to me begging for sex from Rodney?

Terror gripped Rodney as all color drained from his face. A horrible first time. What happened to her? Gathering strength and love from the depths of his heart, Rodney asked her as gently as he could manage, "What happened, sweetheart?"

Jennifer noticed the terror passing over Rodney's face. "No, it wasn't rape or anything like that. I wanted to do it. It was just…" How do I talk about this with Rodney? The concern and love on Rodney's face gave her strength.

"Oh, Rodney, I love you," Jennifer smiled. She was still recovering from the shock of his kisses and caresses as well as his use of the word sweetheart, so she had the courage to tell him how she felt.

After her statement, Rodney swooped down for a gentle kiss and hugged her against his chest. I must be dreaming. "I love you, too, Jennifer." He thought he could not stomach hearing about some creep hurting this perfect woman, but her declaration of love gave him strength and he felt it was important to their future for her to tell the story.

Jennifer had never told anyone about it before. Looking into the face of the man she loved with him smiling tenderly at her gave her strength. Averting her eyes to stare at the far end of the shelter, she began, "As you know, I was younger than my classmates by four or five years in medical school. I'd just turned twenty-one when one of my classmates suddenly was very interested in me. He was the first guy to show any real interest in me. Ever." Jennifer paused and looked up to see him still staring intently at her. His handsome face still held a smile, but it looked forced.

Rodney could not imagine guys not being interested in the beautiful woman in his arms. What kinds of idiots go to med school? The lovesick man tried to keep a calm expression on his face and a smile on his lips, but anger was building inside the scientist as he steeled himself to hear more of her story. He pulled her tighter to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you want to stop?" His precious doctor pulled back smiling weakly at him and shook her head.

"No. We had a couple of dates. We ended each with the briefest of kisses. He was a perfect gentleman. He said and did all the things a stupid girl expects from her first boyfriend. Well… I can't really call him a boyfriend. After our fourth date, it was over," her voice got softer as she spoke and finally broke. Rodney pulled her close again. He was battling a growing rage that was causing him to clench his jaw and clutch the fabric of her t-shirt. He kissed her head and buried a hand in her hair. He gently pulled her back so he could see her face, which had tears running down it.

"You don't have to finish…" Rodney started. Jennifer put her fingers over his mouth.

"I need to do this," she whispered. She replaced her fingers with her lips for a quick kiss then continued speaking softly. "I never went to parties at school. One of my roommates was involved in a date rape my third year. Someone put a drug in her drink. It was awful. I was really concerned, so I avoided parties because of that." She moved her eyes away from his face to look at the floor next to where they sat. Then she slid her arms around his waist, placed her head on his shoulder and continued, "Well, this nice guy asked me to go with him, so I thought nothing awful would happen."

A sense of dread filled Rodney and he tightened his hold on her as small tremors passed through her petite body. One of his hands stroked her hair gently and the other rubbed circles on her back. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head again. Rodney took a very deep breathe when she began again with a voice devoid of emotion.

"It was not date rape because I did want to sleep with him. I only had two beers so I was not drunk just more relaxed. He was handsome and seemed so nice. I felt like I finally fit in. What a stupid fool!"

Rodney pushed her back and stared into her eyes saying, "Don't ever think this was your fault. Never again! You were and still are a beautiful woman who deserves moonlight and roses. You should be treated like a queen and should never stand for less." He tightened his hands slightly on her upper arms as Jennifer felt a tremor pass through him noticing for the first time the anger that was bubbling below the surface. A feeling of security passed over her. She smiled slightly and leaned back onto his shoulder knowing he would protect her.

"I thought it would be romantic. I thought… it only lasted about ten minutes. We didn't take our clothes off even. He only lowered his pants and pushed my dress up. He had me turn around, so I couldn't even see his face. I was staring at a bunch of porn movie boxes. He was finished quickly. He… he…" Saying it out loud, it sounded even worse than experiencing it. Jennifer was terrified to see Rodney's reaction.

Rodney had never wanted to kill anyone before he came to Atlantis. When Kolya attacked Atlantis, Rodney had his first taste of wanting to murder someone. Hearing his sweet Jennifer's story had him vowing to kill this bastard with his bare hands if they ever met. Jennifer had buried her head into his chest as she told the last part of her story. He imagined she would be too embarrassed to look at him and he wanted her to get it out, so he did not pressure her. He slowly pushed her back from his chest.

"Jennifer, thank you for telling me," Rodney took a deep breath to steady his voice, " I can promise you that if we ever take our relationship to that level that I will not hurt you. I also promise that we won't get there without you being one hundred percent certain it's what you want to do."

"T-t-thanks," she continued quietly, "He walked me back to my apartment near the frat house after. I knew something was wrong, but I just wanted to get to my room. The next morning…" Rodney's blue eyes zeroed in on her brown ones. Tears continued to leak out of her eyes and he brushed his thumb over her cheeks. A weak smile from him gave her some added courage to continue. "The next morning, I overheard him collecting on a bet with his friends. I was so embarrassed. I never spoke to him again."

There was more overheard by Jennifer, but she could not discuss it now. I can't believe I told Rodney. She had to admit his reaction shocked her and made her realize she had given into everyone's stereotype of Rodney and hated herself for it. "I love you." Jennifer then kissed him deepening the kiss almost instantly.

Rodney fought off the wave of desire as best he could. He was angry and heartbroken for Jennifer. He felt like he was going to explode from all the conflicting emotions. When she kissed him slipping her tongue tentatively into his mouth, it took all his strength he possessed not to give in and push her back making love to her. Not tonight, pal. Maybe not for a long time. As Rodney settled Jennifer into his arms so he could take control of the kiss, he heard a sound from outside the structure. He assumed it was the wind blowing stuff around and blocked it out.

John Sheppard was pissed to say the least. He was forced into this awful rainstorm on this stinking planet to find Rodney in the middle of the night. There was a power issue with the ZPM on Atlantis that only the missing genius could fix. The life signs detector showed two people up ahead on the trail. They must be in one of those portable shelters. A sly grin spread over Sheppard's face thinking of his best friend spending the night in a small hut with the woman he loves. Of course, Rodney would never admit it, but John saw all the signs.

When John pounded on the door and got no response, he pushed it open. The sight before the SGA1 leader's eyes caused the jaded soldier to raise his eyebrows and chuckle. He stood in the doorway for an extra moment taking it in. There was clothing strewn around the floor, two jackets, two sets of boots and two pair of pants. Jennifer was cradled on Rodney's lap with a large grey military-issue blanket wrapped around them. They were kissing passionately. They each had a hand buried in the others' hair holding their heads firmly together. He could not see Keller's other hand because it was under the blanket. Rodney's other arm was holding Jennifer's body close to his. He could see their stocking clad feet and some bare legs sticking out of the blanket. There were some interesting sounds coming from the two of them. The Colonel had few opportunities to truly humiliate his friend and decided not to use this one. Rodney really did deserve some happiness and the Team leader was sure Jennifer could provide it. He stepped back and closed the door without disturbing them.

A loud banging and shouting of 'McKay' and 'Keller' pulled them out of their passion-induced haze. "Oh, no. Sheppard!" Rodney blanched at the thought of John seeing them in this condition. "We gotta get dressed and fast!"

TBC