The ending of Coup d'Etat just needed to be followed with some Sparky smut...Rated M for sexual situations.

"I say we call it a night."

His words kept repeating themselves in her head and suddenly the report she was reading was absolutely of no interest anymore.

Elizabeth chewed the end of her pen thoughtfully and wondered if John had done just that – called it a night or whether he had found some other activity to keep him awake a little bit longer. A sparring match with Teyla, perhaps, or a movie in the common room. She knew he often employed either or both of these methods when he couldn't sleep. She had joined him for a movie night a couple of times, only to fall asleep on the couch when the film had barely even started. He always let her sleep for the duration of the movie, knowing how rare a full night of sleep was for her and she often found herself covered with his jacket when the end credits were rolling and John was gently nudging her awake to walk her to her quarters.

She sighed and closed the lid of her laptop – she was too fidgety now to do any work, after the events of the day: the coup, the kidnapping of John's team, the fact that she had again been face to face with the very real possibility of losing him. Losing them, she corrected her thoughts, losing him and Rodney and Major Lorne and everyone else who had been involved in the mission. She knew John was important to her, very important in fact, but she also knew she couldn't allow personal feelings interfere with her work, couldn't allow them to make her value one person's safety above another's when it came to off-world teams being in danger.

Elizabeth exited her office, turning the light off and nodding at the night shift in the control room as she headed down the stairs and towards the living quarters. She knew that she had come very close to revealing some of her feelings today, after Cowen's merciless threat to kill John as she refused to deliver the puddle jumpers. The feeling of panic that had shot through her body was something she didn't want to experience again, not anytime soon but knew that with her 2IC's record of getting into trouble, sooner or later it would be inevitable.

She peeked into the common room but it was empty, the screen quiet and dark, the DVD collection neatly organized. Apparently John hadn't felt the need for that kind of entertainment tonight.

She was saved from checking the gym as Ronon and Teyla rounded the corner, both with smiles on their faces and she almost felt she had intruded on something very private as the pair's conversation quieted down after they noticed her.

"Dr. Weir."

Elizabeth smiled. "Ronon, Teyla. I don't suppose either of you have seen Colonel Sheppard lately."

The Athosian woman nodded. "We saw him some time ago, going into his quarters. I believe he was going to get some sleep. Which I believe is what you should do as well, Dr. Weir."

"I will. Thank you, Teyla. Have a good night. You too, Ronon."

She wandered into the living quarters that John's room was in and frowned – what exactly was she doing here? Her room was in a different section of the city entirely and if John had indeed gone to bed she had absolutely no right to bother him. No matter how much she wanted, needed to talk to him right now. Her head didn't seem to listen to reason and she found herself in front of his door, hand rising to knock before she finally got hold of herself and placed her palm flat against the door, closing her eyes and fighting the urge to knock.

Suddenly, the door slid open with the familiar hissing sound.

Elizabeth's eyes flew open and her hand dropped back to her side as she stared at the man in front of her. John was still wearing his black t-shirt and regulation pants, hair as mussed up as ever, his face tired but his green eyes bright and perceptive as they searched her face.

"Elizabeth? Is something wrong?"

She swallowed. "No, I was just…I wanted to…"

What the Hell had she come here for?

John leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "You wanted what?"

She scratched her head, avoiding his eyes. "Just to see if you were still awake."

"I was just about to go to bed but I kind of…sensed you, I guess."

That got him a surprised look and a lifted eyebrow. "Sensed me?"

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?" He gave her the quick grin that turned her knees to jelly. "I can't describe it any better."

Elizabeth nodded. "All right. You…sensed me."

He rubbed his forehead with an embarrassed smile. "Must be the Ancient gene."

"Of course."

The silence between them stretched and she bit her lip, looking down at the floor, slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm going to let you sleep. You need it."

"So do you."

"Yeah." She dared a glance into his eyes before taking a few steps away. "Good night, John."

"Good night, Elizabeth." He watched her back away from his door.

She was almost halfway down the corridor when he called after her. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" She stopped, without turning around.

"Are you all right?"

The question froze her in her tracks and she bowed her head, sighing. Damn the man for being able to see so easily through her.

"Elizabeth?"

Reluctantly, she turned around and faced him again. "Not really."

He nodded, pushing himself from the doorframe and gesturing for her to enter. "Come in."

Her mouth opened to say she really shouldn't, that she needed to go, that they both needed sleep but the worried expression on his face effectively cut off her words. With a little nod, she walked past him into the room, hearing the door slid to a close behind him.

"What's bothering you? The coup?"

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold despite the pleasant temperature of the room. "That and everything else that happened today."

John sat down on the bed, facing her. "It was a success and we weren't hurt."

"You could have been." She looked away. "You could have been killed…because I didn't give the puddle jumpers to the Genii."

"Elizabeth, you know as well as I do that there was no way we could have allowed them to get the jumpers. And besides, Ladon wouldn't have harmed any of us."

She sighed. "That's not the point, John."

He got up and walked to her, close, too close and she shivered. "What is the point, Elizabeth?"

She bit her lip. "The point is that I could have lost you again. Every time you go out there, I face the possibility of losing you. I don't know how much of it I can take, John."

He frowned. "Losing the team, you mean?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and swallowed, raising her eyes to his face. "No, John. Losing you."

Surprise was evident on his face, the frown between his brows deepening as he processed her words.

"Elizabeth, I…"

"I'm sorry", she interrupted him. "I shouldn't have said that. It was…I'm tired and it was completely uncalled for."

She tried to walk around him to exit the room, to leave before she made an even bigger fool out of herself. She didn't get far before he grabbed her arm.

"Not so fast."

"John…"

"Listen, I can't promise you that there won't be dangers every time we go through the gate or that we'll never come home seriously injured again but that's just a risk we have to take, Elizabeth. You know that."

She nodded. "I know."

John watched her for a moment with eyes still full of worry, before gently pushing her to sit down on the bed. She went willingly and he followed suit. Twisting her hands, she faced him again.

"I really shouldn't have said…what I said."

"Why not?"

She swallowed at the change in his tone of voice, deeper, lower, softer.

"Because…because I have to be worried about the whole team and not just you. I can't single you out like that."

A smile graced his beautiful lips. "Is that the only reason?"

She swallowed again. "What other reason would there be?"

John's intense gaze seemed to be burning right through her, warming her up, turning her insides upside down. Her heart started beating faster, until she was sure he could hear it drumming in her chest.

"With you, Elizabeth, there are always other reasons."

Several objections to his statement formed in her mind but before she could put any of them into words, he effectively put a stop to her attempts by gently grasping her jaw and leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss was soft, slow and ended too soon; she opened her eyes as he pulled away, staring at him, swallowing. "What was that?"

He smiled. "Possibly one of the reasons."

Damn. How was it that he seemed to know her better than she knew herself?

John caressed her cheek. "Was I right?"

She licked her lips and he took a deep breath. "Possibly."

"In that case, I believe the idea calls for more exploration." He grinned before leaning in to find her lips again.

His lips were soft but firm, gentle but demanding and any resistance she might initially have had quickly died down as he gently coaxed her into opening her mouth, slipping his tongue inside and she moaned deep in her throat, her fingers finding their way into the silky soft hair that she had wanted to touch ever since first meeting him in Antarctica. A tremor of desire shot through her body and she met his tongue with hers, probing the soft contours of his mouth, exploring, her hands leaving his hair and moving down on his black t-shirt covered chest. John pushed her down gently, against the soft pillows, stretching out next to her, his hand still cupping her face.

After a long while they broke apart, breathless, staring at each other with a new kind of awareness and she shivered at the hunger in his eyes, pulling him back down to her for another deep, passionate kiss.

John's hands grazed her body, under her black jacket, sliding up and down her sides before slipping beneath the hem of the red t-shirt, his fingers dancing on her belly and she gasped, pulling her lips away from his.

He sensed her hesitation, the eternal battle between duty and desire still taking place in her mind, her common sense fighting her heart.

"I want you, Liz", he whispered and her heart flipped in her chest at both the name and his words and then the decision was easy.

She pushed herself up, just slightly, to shed the jacket from her shoulders and he watched with lust-filled eyes that erased any final hesitations from her mind and she settled back down.

"Then take me."

His eyes flashed in the dim lighting of the room and he claimed her lips again, pushing his hands deeper under her shirt until he could yank it over her head, moving his lips down her neck, to her chest while his hand settled on one lace-covered breast, thumb brushing over the hardened nipple. She responded instantly, arching her back and moaning into his mouth.

John's hands found the clasp of her bra and pulled the black lace off her, revealing her full breasts to his hungry eyes and taking a moment to appreciate her beauty, before burying his face into them, kissing, nibbling, sucking. Her breath caught in her throat.

"God, John…"

She managed to rid him of his t-shirt and started an exploration of her own, hands roaming over the strong muscles and the soft hair on his chest before snuggling under his belt. She felt him shudder, felt him hardening against her thigh and smiled, satisfied, in wonder that she was doing that to him, that he wanted her this way. She had never really allowed herself to believe he would share her feelings, would want her even remotely as much as she wanted him, had wanted him for a long time.

John pulled her hands away, pinning them above her head. "Not yet. I want to touch you first."

She moaned softly as his lips moved lower. "You are touching me."

He kissed her belly and pulled open the button and zipper of her pants. "I want to touch you more." Her back arched again and in a flash her pants and shoes were gone.

"God, you're so beautiful, Elizabeth", he mumbled against the skin of her inner thigh and she shivered, feeling his fingers brush against her before he pulled away the last piece of clothing she still had on, pushing her knees up and her legs apart.

When his lips found her, she couldn't help a small scream escaping her as she writhed under him, trembling as he used his free hand to explore her wetness, the other hand finally releasing her wrists. Her hands automatically fell on his hair, enjoying the feel of the cool silky strands between her fingers. John plunged his fingers into her, deep, while his mouth fastened on her, caressing, sucking, driving her mad. It didn't take long before Elizabeth could feel the waves inside her rising, pleasure beginning to ripple through her body and a strangled moan escaped her lips as she crashed over the edge, biting her lower lip, drawing blood to keep herself from screaming his name loud enough to wake the entire city.

He moved back up her body, gazing down at her in wonder as she fought to catch her breath, watching him through half-closed eyes. "Christ, John."

"That good?" A teasing smile spread on his face and he gently brushed away a tiny drop of blood from the lip she had bitten to keep quiet. Elizabeth closed her eyes, momentarily feeling embarrassed, before becoming aware of the aching need still throbbing inside her, the emptiness she needed him to fill. Reaching between their bodies to pull open his pants, he finally allowed her to push them down and she found him hard and ready, feeling immense satisfaction at his sharp intake of breath as she lazily caressed his length.

"Elizabeth…if you keep that up I'm not going to last very long", he warned her, eyes tightly screwed shut, fighting for self-control just a little bit longer. She hummed from her throat and released him, reluctantly, pulling his lips down to hers for a passionate kiss as he settled between her legs, pushing inside her with one fluid movement that had her gasp into his mouth. Her hips pushed up to meet him, trying to force him deeper and he started to move, long slow strokes at first, then faster, more possessive, his fingers grabbing her hips, tightly enough to leave bruises, claiming her as his. She raised her body to meet each thrust, adapting to his rhythm, wrapping her legs around his back, her hands slipping on the damp skin of his shoulders.

"God, Elizabeth", he moaned, his lips moving down to her neck, nibbling, biting at the skin and she came again, unexpectedly, eyes widening with pleasure. He wasn't far behind, slamming into her a few more times before following her into bliss, gasping her name, over and over again, before collapsing on top of her, both of them breathing heavily, completely spent.

She lay quietly, staring at the ceiling, her fingers tangling themselves into his hair that she couldn't seem to stop touching now. John had moved off her despite her protests, afraid of crushing her and had buried his face against her chest, listening to her heartbeat slowly returning to normal. She could feel sleep pressing heavily on her eyelids now and wondered if he had fallen asleep already.

As if he had heard her unspoken question, he lifted his head, two pairs of green eyes meeting and he crawled upwards until he was face to face with her.

"What are you thinking?"

Elizabeth yawned, smiling softly. "Should I be thinking of something?"

His eyebrows rose. "You usually are."

She narrowed her eyes. "I was thinking that we need to sleep."

He caressed her cheek gently. "Are you worried about us?"

Elizabeth watched him thoughtfully. "Do I have a reason to be?"
"No."

"Okay then." Her eyes were drifting close. "Sleep, John. I need you alert and at full strength in the morning."

He pressed a kiss on her forehead and smiled. "Yes Ma'am."

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