Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show.

Author's Note: This is my first-ever Stargate Atlantis fanfiction, and I have thus decided to start easy... this is going to be just a little insight on what the team does when they are not discovering other planets, pretty unspectacular in a Hollywood sense. Nothing will explode or be shot. Probably. But there will be some Shakespeare and Austen - oh, and it is quite obviously McWeir. I might add chapters on other couples, if you like this one. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Rating: Not quite sure, but PG-13 to be on the safe side...

Sense and Sensibility

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a happy scientist must in want of some of his psychical saneness. Especially since said scientist was Dr Rodney McKay, as Major John Sheppard and Lieutenant Aiden Ford silently agreed. Moreover, because he was carrying a bunch of red English roses and the most detached smile ever seen in this part of the universe.

"Where did he get the roses from?" asked Sheppard (his thoughts being with Teyla, who surely would approve of this terrestrial habit) at the same time when Lt. Ford exclaimed: "Where is he going? "

Rodney Mc Kay was aware of none of this. In fact, he hadn't been aware of a lot in the last weeks – sure, he knew practically everything that was found and put into use in Atlantis, and absolutely everything about the stuff that was found and not put into use, because nobody could make it work. That was his job, after all. "Talk about job being in a galaxy farer away than the next post office or ATM is from me every time I happened to need them on earth..."he thought cynically, before correcting himself. A few weeks ago, he would have said that this occupation was his life, but he wasn't quite sure about that anymore. Now, it definitely had become a job, as he stopped in front of the door of his life...

"Knock-knock."

Rodney not only knew where to ring the doorbell, but also about 15 ways of how to open the door without knocking. Still, in this kind of situation he preferred the old-fashioned way. From the inside, he heard a distinct mumbling and then someone stating: "Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key." He knocked again, and Dr. Elizabeth Weir opened the door, smiled slightly and asked him: "Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub?" giving the reply herself: "Here's a physician that came in expectation of plenty: come in time; have napkins enow about you; here you'll sweat for't." before bursting in laughter. Rodney smiled – she definitely had a taste for Shakespearean situations, and having Macbeth recited about twice a day by Dr. Carrson made him appreciate this personalised edition. Plus she was laughing – it was rather rare that she forgot about the burden on her shoulder. He stepped closer and greeted his chief in command by wrapping his arms around her, whispering in her ear: "But this place is too cold for hell." Elizabeth sighed and whispered back: "I'll devil-porter it no further –ok?" "Hey, it's cute you're doing this! I just like you better as my spirited, beautiful Lizzie..." Rodney protested, loosening the embrace and handing her the flowers he had been hiding all along. "Roses, real English, smelling, red roses – Rodney, where did you get them from?" Elizabeth questioned.

Leading her back into the room after shutting the door, he told her everything about the interesting device he just had made work. "Basically, this machine will reproduce everything that you order it to – like flowers, food, tools, books... like everything rather small. It uses a small power input and a substance Teyla identified as "Sharla", which is a special kind of sediment often found on planets in this region. Everyone thought it wasn't useful, but it appears that it was of some value to the Ancients. We only found out how it worked today, and I thought you would like these." "Thank you, they are amazingly beautiful... that is so sweet of you" leaning back into the embrace. Rodney, being at the moment too embarrassed to actually pronounce what he had planned to say, just hugged her again. "What kind of a host am I" he heard her whisper, „I haven't even asked you to sit down." "So far, there was not much of a possibility", Rodney stated, slowly awakening back to some of his normal humour. "Well, now there is – I'll be right back..."

Two minutes later, Elizabeth returned with a tablet loaded with two cups of steaming coffee, a plate with some biscuits and chocolate, and a beautiful little Murano vase holding the roses. The small vase, a family hand down, was one of the very few personal items she had brought to Atlantis for all the memories connected do it and which she never had used nor knew when and how. "This seemed to be the perfect occasion to finally get it out of my trunk"." It does definitely look better than an empty tin, which would have been the only thing I could have provided you with" Rodney replied.

Soon the two of them were sitting next to each other on the couch, which showed some early design influence Rolf Benz might have liked – as it did seem as if the Ancients might have liked some of the contemporary designers. "Shall we continue our reading, milady?" Rodney inquired. Some weeks ago, they both have found themselves looking for the same book in the new Atlantis library, which had been set up by those who brought books and were tired of rereading them. Exchanging them definitely increased the spectre. Once they found it, Elizabeth had suggested reading it together, so that none of them had to wait. Since then, this had become a fairly regular practice between them, and they were currently in the middle of their second book together.

"Sure, milord" she replied "although it still strikes me that you of all would be heading for the complete works of Jane Austen..." "And why – is a man not allowed to show some sensibility if everything around is just focused on sense?" "Aye, and I wasn't going to criticise it – but we planned to finish the second volume tonight." "You definitely would be Elinor and not Marianne..."

Rodney picked up the volume and Elizabeth snuggled close and rested her head on his shoulder, as to able to see the text (and enjoy being in such close proximity to the man she secretly adored, she secretly admitted).

Author's Note: What do you think? Worth continuing?