A/N:/ Hey all I wrote this story a couple years ago and just never go around to posting it. It's set just about the Storm/Eye two part episode. It is Slash so If you don't like McShep please find something else to read. Reviews are appreciated! Thanks.

IzabellaRiddle

/

/

"Everyone has returned?" Elizabeth asked

"Yeah," I agreed looking down over the balcony railing.

Rodney stood quietly next to the Stargate console his left hand protectively covering his right elbow. He seems so calm outwardly but I can tell he is not under all his quiet brooding.

I said goodbye to Elizabeth before going over to Rodney. His arm has a bandage on it wrapped over his coat. Damn I forgot Doc Beckett got hit and has a concussion. Rodney must have wrapped his arm himself.

"Come on McKay let's get that arm taken care of," I said pulling on the sleeve of his arm on the other side to get his attention

"Colonel I have work to do," he said pulling away from me

I pulled him to me, "not until you get that arm taken care of," I told him forcefully

"Whatever," Rodney acquiesced turning to following along with me holding his tablet close to his chest like he would never get it back if he let it go.

I let go of his arm and he headed toward the hall. I caught up to him keeping close.

"Look Colonel who do you plan on having patch up my arm since Carson is not able to do anything and I don't trust anyone else to?" he asked turning to me

"Not even me Rodney," I replied

"You're going to do it," he said surprised tilting his head and looking at me incredulously

"Of course," I told him smiling.

We stopped by the infirmary and picked up antiseptic and bandages. Leaving the infirmary we headed to his private lab where I could wrap his arm without being interrupted

He sat down on a bench at the far side of the room and I sat with him. I unwrapped the bandage over his jacket so I could get his coat off. When I got the bandage off I gasped. His tan coat is soaked with dark red blood and the jagged tear in the fabric is horrible.

I pulled his jacket off his other arm and he helped me carefully pull the sleeve from his right arm. When he let go of the jacket both of us were speechless. Along the inside of his right elbow is a long jagged cut. Blood covers the entire area around the wound plus rivers of it have run down Rodney's arm.

I pulled out an antiseptic wipe and started wiping the blood from the lower half of his arm working slowly up to the deep gash. When I set the wipe on his wound Rodney hissed in pain but he stayed still. "I swear to you Rodney I'll get him for this," I promised quietly

"What are you mumbling about Colonel," he asked

"You know Rodney when we are by ourselves you can call me John," I answered smiling at him slightly for the snarkiness of his comment

"Okay John what are you mumbling about," he questioned

"I said I swear to god I'm going to get Kolya for doing this," I replied

"Yeah at least he didn't get the C4 or keep the city," Rodney commented

I let go of his arm, "that's not why I'm going to make him pay Rodney," I said fervently

"Then why," he said then smirked, "is it because he threatened to kill Elizabeth."

"No Rodney because he did this to you," I told him gesturing to his right arm and the nasty cut running over the top side of his elbow to the inside of the tender flesh.

"It's not as much as he would have done to you," he said looking down at his own arm wincing slightly at the blood still sluggishly pooling in the cut.

"Huh," I said not getting what he was saying

"You wouldn't have told him our plan like I did. Not after such a small cut," Rodney said looking straight ahead.

"Don't you dare blame all that happened on yourself Rodney, if he had gotten me there I probably would have told him too, it probably would have been deeper but I have a higher pain tolerance than you do." I assured him

"Why," he said turning sharply to me

"Cause cutting right on the inside of the elbow causes a lot of pain but it doesn't bleed as much as other places. There are a bunch of nerves there that make it really bad, The Radial nerve is a nasty one for causing pain, plus if you get it hard enough it temporarily numbs sensation in the hands…too much damage can even cause permanent disability and limit impulses to the nerves in the hand" I explained

"I just know that you wouldn't have told him and I can't believe that I did," he said sadly

"Rodney please you need to listen to me," I said forcefully moving his head to face me with my hand, "even I would have told him eventually."

"No John. You're strong nothing as small as this cut would get to you. You're the hero you saved all of us including Atlantis. You wouldn't have told him no matter what Kolya did," he returned just as forcefully

I silently finished bandaging his arm before I packed everything back in the bag Carson's head nurse had given us then looked up to him, "if it had been you I would have."

"If what had been me," Rodney asked quietly as I stood up

"If Kolya had threatened your life instead of Liz's I would have given him whatever he wanted," I confessed not looking at him

Rodney stood coming to stand in front of me, "Elizabeth is worth more than me. She is the leader of Atlantis. Without her you and I would have been reassigned to Earth after that first year. Her life is worth more than mine," he said looked up at me

"Not to me Rodney, never to me, Atlantis wouldn't have been home without you here anyway so after that first year Elizabeth hadn't been able to keep you here I would have ended up back on Earth anyways" I told him, "when Carson is up and moving get him to take a look at the arm. See you Rodney."

Rodney starred at me like he wanted to say something but didn't know what. I know that I revealed too much but at this point I really don't care. Koyla came way to close for my liking to costing me the most precious thing to me in this galaxy, the one thing that makes me continue to fight the Wraith with every breath in my body and soul.

"John I…" he started looking slightly startled and fearful of whatever he wanted to say next

I took a step forward him and he followed me as I continued to step toward him until he could continue no further. He ran into the wall and I placed my hands on both sides of his head.

"I don't want you to get in trouble because of me," Rodney whispered locking his troubled blue eyes onto mine.

"Rodney I've been in trouble since the day I met you and I want it to stay that way if you want to," I whispered back

"Absolutely," he returned

I leaned in and kissed him softly. Rodney was still for a second then he ran his hand over my chest before he linked my fingers behind my neck. I shivered slightly when he hooked his fingers in the hair on my neck. I pulled back slightly resting my forehead against his.

"I swear to you Rodney I won't rest until he's dead," I breathed

"Just be careful I can't lose you not now that I have you," Rodney commented and I kissed him again before pulling away.

"I have to go," I whispered, "I have to make sure we have everyone accounted for."

"Yeah see you at lunch," Rodney asked

"Absolutely Rodney," I answered smirking he kissed me again quickly before pushing me out the door with the bag to return back to the infirmary humming as I took off down the hall at a jog

Some months later

He hit the ground after one shot and I crouched beside him, "Go ahead Sheppard end it," he sneered up at me, his brown leather coat already starting to turn dark with blood from the bullet wound I'd brought him down with.

I moved over to stand by Ladon and slammed the door shut locking it. Turning Ladon and I headed back towards the gate. As we stepped back into Atlantis's gate room and the shield raised the Genii base blew taking Kolya, Cowen and most of the elite guard with it.

Rodney headed down the stairs walking up to me. He fell into step beside me as I headed to the infirmary.

"It's over," I said

"Good," he sighed relieved

That night as we lay in bed my arms wrapped tightly around Rodney I thanked Atlantis for helping my finally find my place in life as I ran my fingers over the remnants of the scar on his elbow knowing that the man would never hurt my beloved Rodney ever again.

/

/ The End

/

AN:/Thanks for reading...If anyone was wondering about the information on the nerves. It's actually pretty painful if damaged, I have a family member whose Radial nerve was damaged in a surgery and she now suffers from nerve damage and pain in her arm and pain in her hand and right arm that is so severe that sometimes is so bad she cant hold a pen or write unless she takes prescribed high level pain meds...and there is no way for them to fix it. Her hand also randomly goes numb to the point where she drops things because she cant feel her fingers. Thanks again for any reviews!