MGM owns all characters except OCs

Spoilers to Trio

A/N: This was inspired by my friend hifield's story Reading Between the Lines. Don't look for it in McKeller because it's not her ship. Yes-I read the other ship from time to time and because of it I got this inspiration. It is 100% pure fluff, it will rot your teeth and destroy your blood sugar so be warned!

Thanks BetherdyBabe for your beta.

My Hero,

I always knew you had the strength to save the day, physically, not just intellectually.

Looks like you pulled it off marvelously. Can't wait until your hands are better and can hold mine.

Hopeless For You

Rodney McKay saw Jennifer Keller seated alone on the balcony reading a book so he made his way over with his breakfast tray. Stopping in the doorway to the balcony, he noted how awkwardly she held the hardcover book with her bandaged hands. Her lunch had obviously been forgotten, as the plate was full of uneaten fries. The physicist knew enough about the physician to know that she loved French fries almost as much as him.

Since the young woman arrived on Atlantis Rodney noticed her whenever they were in a room together. He had started a relationship with Katie Brown and, therefore, felt terrible ogling the blond American every chance he got. Now that his relationship with Katie was over, he felt less guilty staring at her. Of course nothing was ever easy for Rodney so Jennifer looked up as his eyes drifted from her golden hair, over her bared shoulders to the deep V-in her neckline.

"Hey," Jennifer shouted. "Didn't Sam tell you to not even think about it?"

"Think about what?" he asked as he pulled himself out of his fantasy. He was so close to seeing her clad only in a bra back in that mining facility that it weighed on his mind a lot lately. If he was honest, he replayed every word she said to him nightly. That was until the note yesterday.

"Never mind," she laughed. "Take a seat. I'm enjoying my last day of freedom. How about you?"

"Are you telling me that you actually took the time off?" Rodney asked, truly surprised with the work-a-holic CMO. The physicist sat across from his constant meal companion of the last week since their incident in the Genii mine.

"Did a lot of reading and catching up on research notes. I can still type if I take lots of pain meds," Jennifer said with a smile. "Not sure it will make much sense though. What have you been doing, Schwarzenegger?"

Rodney chuckled. The ease with which he and Jennifer fell into a teasing, bantering relationship surprised him. Never before had he been around a woman that he immediately felt a connection with. "Same kind of stuff. At least Sheppard can't make me spar with Conan for a while."

"Hey, he's a good instructor," Jennifer said as she reached across the table to grab some of Rodney's fries.

"Hey, you've got your own," he said, reaching for her hand.

"But yours are hot," she laughed, shoving the fries in her mouth before Rodney's hand got to hers.

"Because you were buried in that book." He nodded toward the book and turned his tray so the fries were close to his body.

"The week off gave me time to reread my favorite books," she said with a slight blush.

"Which are?"

"Harry Potter."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Rodney groaned.

"Hey, I could've said Twilight," Jennifer countered, a pink stain on her cheeks. "Misfit kids having adventures. A genius girl who finds her true love among her best friends. Good versus evil. A heroic boy, who rises above his station to save the world. I love that stuff."

"Fine, I'll read them. After I save the world, but before I save the universe. Okay?" Rodney asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jennifer laughed and he had to join in. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and he couldn't look away.

"It's a deal and I'd shake on it, but I don't want to hurt your hands," she said.

"We'll have to seal it another way then," Rodney said as he took a bite of his lunch.

Jennifer's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked. "I said something, didn't I?"

"You have no idea what you said so forget it," Jennifer replied with an impish grin that made her whole face shine.

The note in Rodney's jacket came back to his mind when he realized how clueless he could be about women. Perhaps Jennifer might know what to do about the admirer. Or how to find out who she is? "Jennifer, could you help me with something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"I found this note and I'm not sure if it's a joke or not." He pulled it awkwardly out of his pocket and ended up dropping it on the floor. "Sorry."

"I'll get it," Jennifer swooped down to get it as he leaned over. The expected smacking together of foreheads occurred, leaving them both groaning and clutching bandaged hands to their heads. "Sorry."

"Great," Rodney whined. "Now I've gotta worry about a concussion."

"Stop your whining. Your head is ten times harder than mine," Jennifer lamented. "Where did this come from?" she asked as she opened it.

"It was in my pants," he said.

"Some woman stuck a note in your pants and you don't remember?" she asked, her smoky brown eyes widening as she looked at him. Laughter played at the edge of her voice and her lips curled slightly at the corners.

"I got my stuff from laundry last night," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I think I'd remember some woman's hands down…"

Jennifer began laughing in hysterics and he stopped speaking, as he turned bright red. "You're too funny. It's a good thing we don't work too closely together or I'd never get anything done."

"My department doesn't find me humorous. And my team laughs at me, not with me," he confessed.

Jennifer grew serious. "I'm sure if you stopped yelling at everyone, they'd see how funny you really are."

Her hand moved across the table to rest on his for a moment. Due to all the bandages, only her fingertips brushed his thumb before retreating. Rodney followed her hand with his eyes, wishing he could move it back with his mind. "Uh, sure."

"It's obvious word of your heroic rescue of me and Sam spread to many folks on the base," Jennifer said after looking at the note. "I'm a little annoyed she called you her hero. I mean you saved my life. I should have dibs on calling you my hero don't you think?"

Rodney was busy watching her again and not paying attention to her words. "Huh? Oh, hero. Yes, my heroic act seems to be well known. At least your Marines know about it. Almost got knocked off my feet by some of them slapping me on the back."

"Maybe it's a female Marine," Jennifer gasped as she leaned forward.

"I highly doubt a Marine would stick a note in my laundry," Rodney said, but his mind began racing. There were a lot of well-conditioned, hot-bodied women in the military around the base. "Only Cadman would do something like that as a joke and she's been gone for over a year. Thank God."

"Never met her but I heard plenty of stories from Marie and Amanda," Jennifer confided. "It was kind of rotten to take over your body like that."

"Yes it was. Was Heightmeyer's idea…" Rodney stopped speaking. Kate's death was still fresh in everyone's mind.

"I read the report," Jennifer said. Standing up and stretching, she said, "I need more tea. Do you want more coffee?"

"No, I'm good. Gonna catch up with Radek this morning," he said, getting up as well. The sight of Jennifer's shirt stretching across her breasts made his eyes wander down again.

"Rodney, if you keep checking me out like that, I'll make you buy me that keg," she said, smiling and blushing at the same time.

"Wha… Oh, sorry, I… No, I wasn't checking you out," he stammered. "I was…"

"Or I'll have my Marines tear out your eyes," she laughed as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll see you for dinner, later?"

"S-sure," he said, surprised that she touched him again. "And I'm kind of confused from your head butt."

"Sure you are," she laughed, squeezing his shoulder as she left.

Rodney let out a sigh. Who the hell did stick the note in his pants? Probably Sheppard. He's got nothing to do but tease me about being trapped with Sam and Jennifer. A smile played over Rodney's lips as he thought of the two beautiful women. That's it. Kirk's jealous.

A smiling, happy Rodney McKay exited the mess hall. He didn't make Jennifer run away from him and had revenge to plot against Sheppard.

TBC

A/N: Yes, had to have another fluffy on one. Seriously, blame the Deller crowd though.