Continuity: Set about seven weeks after Brain Storm (5x16), or about two weeks after Rodney and Jennifer's return to Atlantis (two weeks holiday, plus 18 days travel time back)

Author Note: I had always liked the idea that Rodney being with Jennifer would bring out his musical leanings, this is just one way I see it happening.

Spoilers: Minimal, but possibly anything up to Brain Storm

Obviously, I don't own Stargate Atlantis, or any of its characters.

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Rodney McKay and the Piano

In the two weeks that Doctor Rodney McKay was back in Atlantis, his mind had wandered far more times than he cared to admit. Much to the consternation of Zelenka who was getting tired of Rodney's absent mindedness, even if he did understand the reasoning why behind it.

Rodney was, of course, thinking of Jennifer, still not believing his luck even seven weeks after her confession. He was also surprised that he was thinking about the piano again.

When he suggested a music room be set up in the city, many people were understandably surprised, Rodney was not known for his appreciation of the Arts, even way back when he made the suggestion.
But others agreed that it was a good idea, and some of the more musically inclined on the city even offered some lessons in their free time to others who wanted to pick up an instrument.
Privately, Rodney wanted a piano available, on the slim chance that he wanted to tickle the ivories again.

He'd played for himself a handful of times, but he continued to hear the criticisms of his Piano teacher while he was playing, saying he was a fine clinical player, but had no sense of the art, so Rodney stopped playing to himself.
So of course, he was surprised to be considering it again.

Still, it was close to midnight, and he was stood outside the Music room.

Steeling himself, he swiped his hand over the door control sensor the door smoothly opened for him, he glanced around the room, checking if anyone was in there, and let out his breath when he saw the room was empty.
He quickly focused on the Grand Piano that dominated the room and made his way to it.
He made sure to prop up the lid of the Piano before taking a seat and began to play a few keys, almost immediately recoiling when he realised how loud it was in the dead of night.

Rodney in his single minded focus failed to realise that he hadn't closed the door of the room, and had started playing completely oblivious to that fact.

Teyla was walking with Torren, trying to lull him back to sleep, when she heard the sound of a Piano, played expertly, at least to her ears anyway.
She had not known anyone in the city who could play so well, so she was naturally curious as to who it was, and she noticed that Torren seemed to like the music he was hearing.

It took her a few minutes to locate the source of the music and was shocked to find Rodney sitting at the Piano.
She had not known he could play at all.
Within a minute of her arriving, Rodney had finished playing.

"I did not know you played the Piano, Rodney" Teyla said softly a few seconds after he'd finished.

Rodney looked up sharply at Teyla, a look of dread in his eyes, before he abruptly stood up without pushing the stool he was sitting on back first, causing him to stumble and land solidly on the floor.

He stood back up, nursing his wrist, but trying to save face as much as he was able to.

"Yes, well, err, I'm not that good, I know that, I just sometimes like to, err, play when nobody is around, keep the skill up, you know?" He covered, his cheeks burning a beet red.

"I thought you were rather good, actually, but perhaps we should get you to the infirmary, your wrist looks in need of attention" She replied, sincerely, glancing with come concern at the Doctors swelling wrist.

"Really?" Rodney answered, not even arguing against going to the infirmary, partly because he was surprised at the praise, but also because he knew Jennifer was on the Night Shift that night.

It was five minutes before they got to the infirmary, when Jennifer saw them, she simply rolled her eyes, but said, with a smile.
"What have you done to yourself now?" to Rodney.

"He was playing the Piano in the music room, and I must have startled him when he finished playing, he stumbled and fell" Teyla responded.

"You were playing the Piano?" Jennifer asked, her interest piqued, while running a scan over his hand and wrist.

"Rather expertly, I must add" Teyla chimed in.

"I was terrible, I was just thinking about playing, and I decided, with your Night Shift, that now was as good a time as any" Rodney tried to explain.

Torren started to cry, and Teyla bid them farewell, to see if walking with him would help him back to sleep.

"I'm sure you were not as bad as you think" Jennifer replied kindly, "I didn't even know you were still playing." She finished, checking the scan to find no broken or fractured bones, just a sprained wrist.

Rodney was about to argue back before he deflated, realising that with Teyla gone, he had no reason to keep his bravado up, "Honestly, I haven't played in three years, I was just thinking about, well, you, and the idea to play popped into my head. So I decided to play. What was strange, I didn't hear my instructors voice telling me that I wasn't good enough, that's never happened before" Rodney somehow mumbled in his staccato manner.

She understood, and put an ice pack around his wrist.
"I think you've just found your muse" she answered.

"My Muse? Oh, it's you, isn't it," Rodney smiled, "I think you're right".

Jennifer had finished wrapping his wrist in a pressure bandage, and Rodney lifted his hand as if to make a point.

"But, with this, you're not going to be able to hear your affect on my performance for sometime" Rodney grinned.

"I can wait, and with my care, I won't have to wait long" She smiled her reply back, taking his arm and kissing his bandaged wrist.

Rodney had quickly forgotten his instructors criticism, he had something far more important, an incentive to keep on playing.

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The ending could do with a great deal of improvement, but I wrote out most of this in about thirty minutes and then sat on it for the last week or so, so I decided to just finish it off as best as I could and upload it here.

Either way, please feel free to tear this to shreds.