The Pursuit

R/K fluff, takes place just after "Outcast", minor spoilers

I own none of this and make no money from it… I just blame the plot bunnies!

Chapter One:

Inventory

Jennifer Keller tiredly stretched her neck and shoulders. It had been a long day and was going to be an even longer night. The science team returned from M4M-379 with a nasty case of the Pegasus Galaxy's form of poison ivy. It had been a frustrating day trying to discover what would relieve the itching and stop the orange pustules from forming. Luckily Teyla had stopped for a prenatal check and knew of a clay mixture that could be found on the mainland that would treat the symptoms. The nurses had gotten a chuckle at the sight of Radek Zelenka and the other scientists encased in neon pink clay. The clay had worked and all were sleeping peacefully now. The infirmary was very quiet and Jennifer needed to complete an inventory so she could order supplies from Earth to be delivered on the Daedalus when it returned. She stretched her neck again and felt gentle fingers begin to massage the stiffness away.

"Ummmmm that feels wonderful" she felt the tiredness begin to leave her neck and shoulders. She was surprised at how gentle Ronon's hands were as he sought out every tired and sore muscle, capably massaging away the tension.

"This would be more effective if you would lie down" Jennifer could hear the smile in Ronon's voice.

"I can't, I still need to finish this inventory so it can be sent to the Daedalus." She turned to look at the tall warrior who stood close behind her. Although he moved quietly, she had known that he was there; her skin tingled whenever he was nearby, she called it her "Ronon senses".

One arm snaked around her waist as he lifted an eyebrow at her, pulling her closer. "So did you miss me or work all the time I was on Earth with Sheppard?"

Jennifer smiled at Ronon, "what do you think? It has been quite slow here, no marines that you beat up for me to treat." She placed the clipboard on the table beside her and rested her hands on Ronon's chest. "You look a little bruised; I guess Earth wasn't a vacation after all. Did Sheppard do this?" She reached a hand up to the bruise still visible on his cheekbone. She gently stroked his cheek and he turned his face to playfully nip at her fingers.

"Hmmmph Sheppard hits like a girl, a replicator did this. Some fool decided he was going build two for himself." Ronon looked at Jennifer and began to lean closer. Jennifer realized that FINALLY she was going to get the kiss that got interrupted by Radek Zelenka last time. She lifted her face and waited breathlessly as Ronon came closer and closer. She slid her hands up his chest to rest lightly on his shoulders.

"Doctor? Doctor!!!" She jumped and Ronon let out an exasperated sigh. He turned to glare at the offending scientist.

"Yes Radek? Is there a problem?" She walked over to the scientist's bed.

"I can't really move and I've got to… um, you know… this clay is like a body cast…." Radek's voice trailed off as he caught sight of the look on Ronon's face. Ronon turned to Jennifer and growled, "I'll help him, go back to your inventory."

Jennifer glanced over her shoulder as Ronon hauled Zelenka to his feet, little pieces of hot pink clay flaking off the shorter man. Jennifer smiled to herself as she went back to work. It was nice having a big intimidating man as a…well was he her boyfriend? Certainly the rest of Atlantis seemed to think so. Since the day of the false alarm, it seemed to her that the entire base was treating her and Ronon as a couple. Sheppard smirked, Teyla gave knowing smiles, Lorne and the other marines had stopped mildly flirting with her, and even McKay made a few comments when he was in for the inevitable check of his imaginary symptoms. She had seen several raised eyebrows at the frequency of Ronon stopping by the Medical Center to walk her to meals. She didn't really see how everyone seemed to have known what went on during the lockdown. She hadn't told anyone and didn't think of Ronon as the type to discuss personal things freely, so how did people know? She looked over her shoulder to where Ronon was waiting for Radek and caught him staring intently at her. Oh, ok maybe that is what everyone else saw, the way he looked at her and the way she seemed to glow when he was around.

Jennifer picked up her clipboard and began her inventory, ignoring the sounds of Radek's whining and then the other scientists asking Ronon for assistance too. She smiled to herself that despite all of his gruffness, Ronon had a kind heart. After a few more minutes the grumbling died down and she knew Ronon was behind her again. She stretched to get a box from an upper shelf and his hands were there first.

"Let me get things down for you." Ronon handed her the box and moved to stand next to her. Jennifer liked the warmth that came off his body as he stood so close. She sighed and smiled at him. "I always wanted to be taller; I can never reach the upper shelves of anything." "You are perfect" Ronon gazed down at her as she put the box on the table. He took a step closer and smiled wolfishly, "I could be kissing you right now and no one would see." Ronon moved closer to her, took the clipboard out of her hands and backed her against a wall. She smiled up into his eyes, getting lost in the green orbs. She admitted to herself that she usually didn't like big men, she was afraid she would get stepped on, but Ronon had never made her feel insignificant. From the start she had been aware that he always knew where she was and wouldn't accidentally flatten her. She raised her hands to his shoulders again and watched as his warm lips came closer and closer…and lifted her face to his. Soft, gentle, and warm were her first impressions. His arms drew her closer to his warmth and she felt herself melting. Suddenly the kiss changed. He devoured her mouth and she wanted nothing more than to get closer to him.

"Dr. Keller?" Her radio crackled in her ear. "When can we expect the requisition for transmission?"

Jennifer pulled reluctantly away from Ronon and tried to catch her breath. Turning on her earpiece she responded "I, um, I'm working on it now, another hour or so and it should be done." Ronon still stood over her, his arms now braced on the wall as he stared intimately at her, the fires merely banked in his eyes. She reached for her clipboard and sighed softly, "back to work for me." Ronon grumbled a bit under his breath and stated "it will go faster with help". He began to rapidly pull things off the upper shelves. "umm you don't have to stay…" Jennifer began. Ronon smiled at her wolfishly again "got nowhere else I want to be". Jennifer quickly looked at her clipboard to hide her blush. She was amazed how rapidly the inventory was done by having someone tall enough to reach the highest shelves. She was surprised 20 minutes later to find it done and ready for transmission.

"Thank you, Ronon. I have never had an inventory done so fast". She smiled at the Satedan as she sent the requisition in. "I can help you next time too." Ronon offered with a smile. "Oh I don't want to trouble you." Jennifer began to worry he thought she was simply taking advantage of him. Ronon walked over to her desk and sat on the edge, quirking one eyebrow, "this was fun; how often do I get an excuse to touch you as much as I did tonight?" Jennifer giggled as she realized that Ronon's "help" did include a lot of touching- he never reached for anything unless he was facing her so their bodies would slide against one another, reaching around happened a lot too and she had found herself encircled by his arms more than once. "It was fun I admit" Jennifer blushed as she realized that someone else could have seen them.

"Do you always do it at night?" Ronon leaned towards her again, playing with her hand. "ummm usually" suddenly Jennifer's skin felt hot and she was flustered.

"Then no one will see us" Ronon smirked "and we can enjoy each other". He stood up and used her hand to draw her to her feet. "Are we done here?"

Jennifer looked at her desk but could not seem to focus on anything. "Yeah I guess, just let me shut down my computer" Ronon sighed heavily as she shut down her workstation. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye wondering what he was planning. "Let me tell the night nurse I am leaving" Jennifer rushed out of her office area. Ronon was leaning in her doorway watching her as she talked to the nurse. The nurse kept glancing at Ronon and giving Jennifer speculative looks. Jennifer finished her instructions to the nurse and turned back towards Ronon. He scrutinized her from head to toe. Jennifer's hand went to her hair wondering what he must be seeing. "don't, you look fine, just a little tired." Ronon seemed to read her mind. She stopped in front of him "how do you do that? How do you read my mind?" Ronon snorted, "I am just observant, you look like you need food though."

Jennifer realized with a start that lunch had been 8 or 9 hours ago and she was hungry. "Is the mess hall even open?"

"For me it always is." Ronon snared one of her hands and began leading Jennifer out of the medical bay. She stifled a giggle at the thought of going on a "munchie run" with a Satedan warrior at her side. Ronon glanced at her and she just smiled back "oh a silly thought". He merely grunted but looked pleased with himself. She noticed how he slowed down walking with her, normally with his long legs she probably would have to run to keep up. Jennifer began to realize that Ronon had always taken her size into consideration. When he helped rescue her and Teyla from New Athos, he had practically carried her to the ship. Rodney had made a snarky comment about Ronon leaving him to fight, and all Ronon had done was growl as he bandaged Jennifer's leg. She wondered if she had simply been blind. With her hand firmly captured in his she wondered if anyone would see them walking, then realized she didn't care. Everyone seemed to think they were a couple already.

"Here we are" Ronon ushered her in as the mess hall doors opened. They headed for the food storage area. "The stewards often leave dinners in the cold room for people working late" Ronon explained. "I never knew that" Jennifer realized she often just skipped dinner and ate from her secret stash of American junk food in her room on late nights. "I might not work late, but I am ALWAYS hungry" Ronon laughed. Jennifer could see where a man the size of Ronon with his enjoyment of physical activities would need more food than most.

Jennifer looked through the foods and found a locally caught fish she often enjoyed and some fruit from M4X-283 she had developed a taste for as well as some pasta salad. She turned to Ronon and began laughing. He had piled his tray high with a bit of everything. She grabbed some drinks and said "where to?"

Ronon looked a bit uncomfortable then blurted out…. "want to come to my quarters and watch a movie Sheppard lent me?" Jennifer looked at Ronon and realized this movie invitation had been the whole point of the evening. Her smile was radiant as she said "sure."

Ronon led the way towards his quarters. Jennifer realized she had only been there twice, both times when Ronon had checked himself out of the Medical Center early. She had never gotten past the entry way. As the door silently opened, she got her first good look at Ronon's living quarters. It was Spartan but neat. There was one loveseat in the room; it looked a bit beaten up and slightly out of place. Ronon put their food on a small table in front of the loveseat and turned to Jen. He suddenly seemed a bit nervous.

"I borrowed this sofa, I think McKay called it, so we wouldn't have to sit on the floor, I hope its ok."

"It's fine and looks comfortable" Jennifer walked over and perched on it. "What's the movie?"

"Something called Armageddon, Sheppard said its fun." Ronon sat next to Jennifer and began to relax. As she looked around the room, she realized Ronon had accumulated some trinkets from Earth. A widescreen TV took up a part of one wall, a collection of DVDs, mostly science fiction were nearby, as well as a video game console and games. She smiled at Ronon "Sheppard has been taking you shopping?" She asked wryly. "Yeah" came the concise answer "after we stopped the replicator, he introduced me to credit cards and malls." Ronon seemed much more relaxed now and began to eat one of the sandwiches he had brought. "Want to eat first?"

Jennifer smiled back "sure". They ate in companionable silence for a while and Jennifer enjoyed the experience of not being nervous around a man. Ronon's brief bout of nervousness seemed to have allayed her own discomfort. Now that she was full, she leaned back on the loveseat and just enjoyed watching Ronon. Usually she was too nervous to look a man like Ronon over, but Ronon really didn't intimidate her. He glanced up at her and smiled as he stole a bite of her fruit. "Go ahead, I'm done" and she pushed her plate towards him. She opened a soda she had liberated from the mess hall and sat more comfortably on the seat. Given the size of both the loveseat and Ronon, that meant she was practically in his lap.

"Where did you find this sofa?" She asked as she felt herself pressed against Ronon from thigh to shoulder. Ronon put his arm around her and settled her more comfortably against him.

"Lorne" was the laconic reply. "Sheppard said it was Lorne's secret weapon, whatever that means."

Jennifer nearly sprayed the soda out of her mouth as she laughed. "Major Lorne is known as a bit of a womanizer, how did you talk him out of this sofa?' She placed her soda on the table.

Ronon smirked "I asked and he said yes."

"Were you holding a gun to his head?" Jennifer questioned.

"Just a knife to his throat" was the satisfied reply.

Jennifer broke into open laughter at that. "Oh Ronon you are the most amazing man!" Ronon chuckled too.

Suddenly Jennifer felt the atmosphere in the room change and realized that Ronon was intently staring at her mouth again. The next thing she knew his lips were on hers and she was wrapped in his arms holding on for dear life. She had no idea that lips could be so versatile. One minute they were soft and gentle, the next they were demanding and possessive. Jennifer found herself getting lost in a sea of sensation; Ronon was so warm, so encompassing, and his hands and lips were leaving trails of electricity where ever they went. She realized that while her hands were holding on to Ronon, his were exploring her shape. One minute at her waist, then grazing past her breast, and finally gently encircling her throat. There was so much tenderness in his touch that her breath caught in her throat. As his lips traveled across her cheek to nibble on an earlobe she heard him sigh softly. Jennifer felt emboldened and began her own exploration. She had treated his body many times for injuries but never had the opportunity to touch him at will. She loved the feel of his arms and ran her hands over the muscles at the top. She began to move her hands over his chest and had a desire to run her fingers through the hair she knew was there.

Ronon moved his lips from her earlobe down her throat and then stopped. "Movie… yeah, movie". He slowly pulled away from her and gazed into her slumberous eyes. "I want to take this slow Jen, otherwise …" Ronon got off the sofa leaving Jen bonelessly half lying on the cushions.

"Otherwise? What otherwise Ronon?" Jen questioned sharply as she watched him clean up their dinner and select a DVD.

With his back to her he answered "I don't want this, us, to be rushed and regretted. I am not an uncomplicated man and you are a careful woman. I want you to be sure you want me in your life. For a Satedan, this is a lifetime commitment." With his back still towards her, he stood up and gruffly continued "My people do not love easily or lightly. A physical relationship, I think Sheppard calls it, is a sign of a pledge which means we will be together as a family." He slowly turned to face her and saw that Jennifer was now sitting upright and staring at him as if to read his thoughts.

"The seven years as a runner still haunts me, makes me angry at times, scared at others. I want you to understand just what being with me entails. Sheppard said that Earth people 'date' to get to know each other better so I want us to." He waited for a response from the woman on the loveseat.

Jennifer smiled and slowly got off the sofa as she moved towards him. "Are you going to court me?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah I am" was the cool reply "will that make you happy?" Ronon stared down into Jennifer's brown eyes getting lost yet again. He knew that he had many things more to tell her, some good, some bad, and especially how he always made sure he got cut sparring just so he could see her.

"That will make me very happy." Jennifer stepped closer to Ronon "one question… how much of a physical relationship is considered courting by your people?"

Ronon suddenly smirked, all his insecurities fleeing, "we can kiss as we did on the sofa, hold hands, touch like we did in inventory, just not a full relationship" Ronon again quirked an eyebrow at her waiting for her response.

Someday Jen was going to have to tell him how sexy that look was. Instead she asked "how long does courting take on Sateda?" Ronon laughed loudly, "usually 4 or 5 months, until the couple has decided they know enough about each other."

Jennifer looked up into Ronon's eyes "ok let's start the movie". She walked back to the loveseat and decided she had a few more items to add to the requisition, personal items.