"What is it now Rodney?" Elizabeth asked with an exasperated sigh. She looked up as John joined them in her office.

"We found another Ancient chair in a lab. All the text is in Ancient – I need you to translate it. And I'll need Sheppard to see if the thing even works anymore."

"Rodney, we're not the only two people in the city capable of doing that." Elizabeth frowned.

"Yes, yes, I know…but" Rodney gave Elizabeth an exasperated look. "I trust the two of you slightly more than anyone else."

"This is the last time! You've called us both away at least twelve times in the past three weeks to help you. No more!" Elizabeth stared Rodney down, daring him to argue.

John's head snapped up at Elizabeth's words. He'd been standing by the door, becoming increasingly annoyed with Rodney. He thought back over the past three weeks and groaned inwardly. Elizabeth was right; Rodney certainly had needed their help an awful lot since they'd come back from their last mission…

~John felt drunk…very, very drunk. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stand upright on his own. Leaning heavily on Rodney, he staggered toward the puddle jumper.

"Crap!" he muttered. "What did they put in those drinks?"

Rodney shrugged, grunting under John's unsteady weight, and led him into the jumper.

John collapsed onto the floor in the rear compartment, his eyes sliding closed. Rodney had nothing to do but watch John and wait for Teyla and Ronon. He became worried when John started to moan incoherently, his head rocking from side to side restlessly.

Rodney's jaw dropped when the incoherent moaning became a fairly clearly moaned "Liz'beth". Rodney shook his head, sure that he'd been hearing things, convinced that he had imagined it; until the mumblings became clearer and it was obvious, even to Rodney, that whatever John was seeing was not at all unpleasant. Rodney just stared at John for a minute, before, finally, all the staring-at-each-other and personal-space-invading John and Elizabeth always seemed to do suddenly made perfect sense.

"Ha!" Rodney exclaimed to no one in particular. "I should have known!"~

When the drug had worn off, Rodney had taken great pleasure in telling John, Teyla and Ronon everything he'd heard. At the time, John had shrugged it off, determined to keep his apparently-not-so-secret-feelings for Elizabeth a secret.

'I should have known better' he thought as he and Elizabeth walked down the hall to the lab. It was obvious to him now that this was Rodney's clumsy attempt to play matchmaker. That thought made John very nervous.

"John?" Elizabeth touched John's arm to get his attention, frowning when he jumped and pulled his arm away like he'd been burned. "Everything OK?"

"What?! Yeah…fine…let's just get this over with." John avoided Elizabeth's eyes and led the way into the lab.

Elizabeth sighed and raised an eyebrow at John's back "Are you sure everything's all right? You seem a little tense."

"I'm fine..." he answered through clenched teeth. "Annoyed with Rodney." he grunted. Judging by the look she gave him, John knew Elizabeth didn't totally believe him; he was relieved when she let it drop.

Elizabeth moved over to the control panel while John checked out the chair in question. It looked a little like the other control chairs; this chair was padded, however, and had arm and leg restraints, as well as something that looked like it could be a head restraint.

"It looks like you don't need the gene to control the chair…" Elizabeth started pushing random buttons. Her back was to John, so she didn't know he'd decided to sit down in the chair until she heard him mumble "Oh crap!"

She turned around, eyes wide. "Oh crap what?"

"Um, Elizabeth? What button did you push?"

Elizabeth grimaced and turned back to the controls. "Ah...I don't…know…" her voice trailed as she pushed all the buttons again. "Why?"

"I'm stuck…something you did activated the restraints." he grumbled, his mood definitely not improving.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" She kept frantically pushing buttons. "Nothing's working now. Maybe there's a release on the chair itself." Elizabeth hurried over to John, dropping to her knees by his feet and looking for anything that might be a way to open the metal restraint.

John took one look at Elizabeth's head by his knees, so close to his lap, and felt his body respond automatically. He groaned before he could stop himself.

Elizabeth's head snapped up and she pulled her hands away from John's ankle. "I'm sorry…did I hurt you?" She licked her lips nervously, eliciting another groan from John.

"No…" his voice cracked slightly. "No…just…get up…please." he practically pleaded with her.

Elizabeth nodded and placed her hands onto John's knees for leverage as she stood up. Her eyes widened slightly when her gaze fell onto John's lap as she stood.

"Oh!" she gasped, pulling her hands off of John's knees. "I…I'll just go see if there's anything in the text that can help us." She stuttered, willing her cheeks not to flush, and walked quickly back to the control panel.

She stood with her back to John and tried to collect her thoughts. She'd realized a long time ago that she was falling hard for him and had done everything she could to ignore it. She had also suspected that he felt something more than simple friendship for her, but was afraid to explore it any further – at least she had been until the debrief after the team's last mission anyway.

~Elizabeth noted that every time Rodney opened his mouth to say something at least one of his fellow teammates would cut him off. And, even though she got as annoyed with his endless rambling as much as the next guy, she'd never seen the others behave so passively-aggressive toward him before.

She had finally gotten so fed up with their strange behavior that she called the meeting to an end, telling them that she wanted their reports by the next morning.

Elizabeth couldn't shake the feeling that they hadn't told her everything; the feeling intensified as she watched Ronon and John frog-march Rodney from the room. She noticed that Teyla hadn't left with her team.

"Teyla? Did you need something?" Elizabeth asked.

"There's something you need to know about this mission. I know John would rather we didn't tell you, but I'm not sure Rodney will keep it out of his report." Teyla shifted uncomfortably.

She told Elizabeth what had happened, omitting the specific name Rodney had heard.

Elizabeth felt a sudden rush of jealousy toward the unnamed woman and flushed when she realized that Teyla was smirking at her. She stopped to think- her mouth forming a comical little "oh" when she realized what Teyla wasn't telling her.

Teyla nodded slightly and finally Elizabeth understood everything that had happened and that Teyla didn't want to betray John's trust by telling her flat out.

Teyla was also the only person in whom Elizabeth had confided her feelings for John. It had been a moment of weakness on her part after the Genii had tried to take over Atlantis and she had been grateful for the Athosian woman's discretion, even after two years had passed.

Now, she realized, Teyla had put two and two together; she had also passed Elizabeth some vital Intel. ~

Elizabeth sneaked a look over her shoulder at John, who was sitting with his head tipped back, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Suddenly everything became crystal clear to Elizabeth – this was Rodney's clumsy attempts to get John to talk to her! Rodney and John didn't know that she knew about what had happened on their last mission (Rodney had, in the end, not been able to bring himself to put it in his report), nor did either of them know (suspect maybe, but not know about her feelings for John.

A wicked smile spread across her face. Obviously no one else, no one who mattered anyway, had a problem with the idea of the two of them together. The only people keeping her and John apart were, well…her and John.

She peeked back at him, her eyes on his profile a little longer than she normally allowed. Her fingers itched to feel the scruff on his cheeks, her lips tingled in anticipation of his, and her breath sped up. Her body responded involuntarily and she decided that it was time for them to stop circling around one another and finally do something about this. The flirting had been fun, but it was time to take things to the next level.

The fact that he was restrained in a padded ancient device was further motivation.

Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself and walked back over to John.

"Did you find anything?" John asked hopefully.

"No...Sorry…but I want to take a closer look at the chair. I might have missed something earlier." she answered.

Taking one last deep breath to calm her nerves, Elizabeth leaned forward over John under the pretense of checking around the head restraint on the chair. A few chestnut curls fell forward, brushing John's cheek. She smirked to herself when she heard his sharp intake of air.

John felt the silky strands brush his cheek and took a deep breath, trying to control his reaction. He immediately realized his mistake when all he could smell was lavender, vanilla, and something he could only identify as being distinctly Elizabeth. He was vaguely aware that she was saying something; he was more aware of her breath warm on his neck, hair tickling his face. He bit back a moan, his pulse and breathing both speeding up.

'Focus John!' he thought to himself, trying to slow his breathing. "I'm sorry," he said out loud. "What?"

"I think the power source has been depleted." Elizabeth repeated, turning her head slightly to meet John's eyes. Her breath caught when she saw the fire smoldering there. "We…uh…we'll need Rodney…or …or Radek…to find a…way to…power…it up…again." she finished breathlessly.

His face was so close, noses almost touching. She felt her resolve waiver and fought the urge to back away.

"Oh…crap..." John replied, equally breathless.

Elizabeth felt the last of her will power and self-control slip and leaned forward, claiming his mouth with hers.

John groaned against her mouth, eyes widening in surprise. He felt her tongue flick against his lips and opened them to her. Then there was nothing but lips, teeth, tongues dueling, taking everything they could, until the need for air overwhelmed them both.

Elizabeth pulled back and pushed way from John, her breathing quick and uneven. She met his eyes with hers and licked her lips, a wicked smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

John shifted uncomfortably in the chair, the tightness of his pants almost unbearable. He licked his lips nervously, completely at Elizabeth's mercy.

Elizabeth dropped to her knees in front of him, never breaking eye contact, and moved to unbuckle his belt. She worked quickly, unbuttoning John's pants and coaxing him to lift his hips, allowing her to pull his pants and boxers down past his knees.

She sat back on her heels, taking a minute to just look at him. She felt herself flush, an aching need settling between her thighs, and raised her eyes to John's again. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she moved to take him into her mouth, smiling as she heard him groan her name.

Elizabeth took her time, teasing John with her tongue and teeth, one hand wrapped around his length, stroking him as she teased.

John groaned at the feel of her hot, wet mouth around him; his breath caught at the sight of Elizabeth's lips stretched around him. He tried not to pump his hips against her and involuntarily tried to bring his hands to her hair, only to be stopped by the restraints on the chair. He groaned again, his hips bucking as she nipped gently along his length.

She met John's eyes one last time before bending her head to take as much of him into her mouth as she could. She worked her tongue over him, increasing and decreasing her speed and suction randomly until she heard John moan a warning. She released him gently, smirking at the small whimper that escaped from him at the loss of her mouth.

Elizabeth stood in one fluid motion and leaned down to kiss him again. She straightened, the ache between her thighs almost unbearable now, and moved her hand to her button.

"Elizabeth?" John groaned, his voice rough.

"Shh." Elizabeth pressed a finger to his lips, shivering when his tongue darted out to lick it. "It's OK."

John nodded, not sure he would have been able to disagree if he'd even wanted to. He watched as Elizabeth took a step back and took off her boots. He was mesmerized, his eyes never leaving her hands as she unbuttoned her pants and pushed her clothes away. He licked his lips and groaned her name as he watched her hand slip between her legs. He watched as she touched herself, cursing the restraints that kept him from participating.

When she couldn't take it anymore, Elizabeth moved to straddle John's lap, using his shoulders for leverage and balance. She lowered herself onto him slowly, both of them hissing at the contact.

Elizabeth felt herself stretch to accommodate him as he moaned her name, reveling in the feel of her tight wet heat around him.

Keeping her eyes locked on his, Elizabeth snaked her hands under John's shirt, fingers tangling with the coarse hair there. She started to rock her hips slowly, her fingers working their way up to flick his nipples. She smirked when he shivered slightly and did it again, her own nipples tightening almost painfully against her bra.

Still rocking her hips slowly, Elizabeth leaned forward to kiss him. The kiss was wet and sloppy and they broke apart, gasping. Elizabeth pulled her shirt over her head, reaching around to take off her bra, her hips rocking faster against John.

John strained against the restraints again, growling Elizabeth's name as she cupped her breast, kneading it and teasing the nipple. He leaned forward, dropping white hot kisses along her neck and collar bone.

Elizabeth's head dropped back as she moaned his name and rolled her hips against him even faster. She could feel his mouth hot and wet on her skin everywhere he could reach, driving her wild. Her control slipped, her movements becoming erratic.

She leaned forward, putting her hands on his shoulders for balance and rocked her hips hard against him. She could feel the heat and tension building in her belly and bit her lip to keep from screaming out.

Elizabeth shuddered and dropped her forehead to John's as her release ripped through her. She was vaguely aware of John groaning out something that could have been her name as his release followed right behind hers.

She stilled, forehead against his, both breathing heavily, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Elizabeth?" John asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"Hmmm?" she hummed, moving to tease his ear with her tongue.

"Wha" – he drew a sharp breath as she continued to tease his ear – "What just happened here?"

Elizabeth drew her head back far enough to meet John's eyes, one eyebrow raised at him questioningly.

"Really?" she asked with a smirk, receiving a glare in return. She sighed. "Teyla told me what happened on your last mission." John's lips tightened, in anger or embarrassment, Elizabeth couldn't be sure. "Before you get upset, let me explain the rest. "She told me because, well…" she suddenly became very aware that she was still naked and straddling a half-naked John.

"Hold on…" She gingerly got up off of John's lap, sighing a little at the loss of his body heat. She giggled at John's pout as she dressed.

"I'm sorry…I…" she stuttered, her cheeks flushing as she helped John dress too. She straightened after buckling his belt and suddenly found it awkward to meet his eyes. She cleared her throat and began to pace, wringing her hands in front of her.

"Teyla told me because she knew that it was something I needed to know, but didn't want me to hear about it for the first time in Rodney's report." John winced. "He never included it in his report, by the way." she added, almost as an afterthought.

She stopped pacing and turned to look at John. "Oh! We should call Rodney to come power up the chair and get you out!" She radioed Rodney, explaining their situation. Rodney grumbled and told her he was on his way.

"You still haven't explained what motivated you to jump me, Elizabeth." John teased. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

"I didn't 'jump you'!" Elizabeth huffed. "Ok, maybe I did…but I don't recall you complaining about it!" she glared at him.

"No…no I didn't. And I'm not complaining now. I'm just…curious. Why now?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and started to pace again.

"Why now? I…I don't know, really. The flirting has been fun…but it's getting a bit tiresome. It's time to move on, I think. It's not like everyone has to know…and I'm tired of worrying about the IOA and the SGC. Rodney and Teyla don't seem to think this is a bad idea, so why should we?" Elizabeth cast a quick glance toward the door.

John looked at the door too, licking his lips nervously and nodding. "I…uh...I have to admit, that was an interesting way of telling me. Look, Rodney's gonna be here soon. How 'bout we finish this somewhere a little more private when I'm outta this chair?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "I think that could be arranged." she quipped, stopping in front of him and dropping a quick kiss on his lips. Rodney walked in just as she was straightening up.

"Can't you ever keep yourself out of trouble, Sheppard?" Rodney asked, rolling his eyes. He busied himself with the power for the chair, missing the look John and Elizabeth exchanged, the laughter they both bit back.

"Everything looks fine…plenty of power going to the chair." Rodney muttered. John shot Elizabeth a look; she shrugged innocently, her cheeks flushing.

"Did you try this button here?" Rodney asked, pressing the button he was indicating. The restraints opened with a hiss and John jumped out of the chair.

"Hmmm. Must've missed that button somehow." Elizabeth mused, leading John out of the lab. John called out a "thanks Rodney" over his shoulder as he willingly let Elizabeth drag him away.

"Huh!" Rodney huffed. "Finally!"