Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis isn't mine. I can't take any credit for it.

A/N: I admit to being more of a Weir/McKay shipper but I got to reading some Zelenka/Weir parings and this fic resulted. Reviews welcome, flames not accepted. Cheers!

His nerves always seemed to get the best of him whenever he had the chance to talk to her alone. Rare as it was, he found himself always changing the topic to work whenever he was actually alone with her. The worst part of it was that he easily fell into normal conversation with all the other women on Atlantis. She was just different. He could not tell her how he really felt, and it was impossible for him to make any indication of it with his body language. He just was not brave enough to risk the awkwardness that might ensue if he ever admitted to something so, well, so intimate.

: P

Elizabeth Weir flashed a grin as she came into the conference room. "I hear you have some good news."

"We do, Ma'am," Lorne responded. "The inhabitants of Kharin IV have an extra ZPM they're willing to trade for food and medical supplies. They only wish that you come and speak with them and bring one of our scientists along to make sure the transaction goes smoothly."

She barely let Lorne's words sink in before responding. "Thank you, Major. Make preparations for an away team immediately. We leave in two hours."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Elizabeth smiled. She was quite looking forward to the going off world again as it was something she only got to do sparingly. She tapped her headset. "Dr. Zelenka, report to my office immediately."

: P

Her voice in his ear caught him by surprise and he very nearly spilled his coffee on himself. After several minutes of cleaning up the mess, he managed to get away from the lab and make his way to her office. She sounded happy, but some days he had a hard time distinguishing between real happy and faux happy. Her job was stressful and it was not uncommon to observe her forcing cheerfulness upon herself. While it worked to some degree, he knew that what she really needed was a break. As he got closer to her office, his mind wandered to what she needed him for so urgently. That line of thought made him worry and the worry in turn made him nervous again. An unfortunate side effect of that nervousness was what appeared to be over eagerness. It made him come off a bit strongly at times and he hated being that way in front of her. Finally, he just shoved it all aside in his mind as best he could and walked into her office as calmly as possible.

: P

"Radek, I have a request to make and before you say no, Rodney isn't available and there's no one else I would trust with this except you," Elizabeth said quickly making sure to not allow him time to cut in.

He had barely set two feet in the door when she spoke to him. The fact she used his first name meant she was asking him as a friend and not as his boss, which went a long way in convincing him that he really could not say no to whatever it is she wanted him to do.

"What would you like me to do, Dr. Weir?" He wanted to be respectful, which is why he used her official title. He moved completely into her office and sat down across from her.

"We've found a ZPM, but the people we're dealing with refuse to make the trade without a qualified scientist there to help with the process."

"And you want me?" He was a bit surprised that she would ask him, but then, if Rodney was detained elsewhere, there was no one else with as much knowledge of Ancient devices as he had.

"Yes." She paused for a moment, gave him an empathetic smile and said, "I know you don't like going off world, but besides McKay, you're the best we have. I don't want any part of this going wrong. We could use the ZPM, and it's unlikely we'll ever get another chance like this to obtain one."

"I understand, Dr. Weir." He kept his answers short in fear of embarrassing himself.

She looked hopefully at him. He frowned. "So you'll do it?"

"For you, I will do it, yes." Zelenka's response was somber. She knew she was asking a lot of him, but she also knew how to manipulate him into doing what she wanted.

"Good. We leave in an hour and a half." She was much too happy for his liking, but he would do it for her.

: P

Two hours later Doctors Elizabeth Weir and Radek Zelenka, along with Major Lorne and his away team were disembarking at Kharin IV's main spaceport. Several guards and a couple of ambassadors met them. They were led into the bargaining room. Radek was taken to the ZPM to check on its status before the negotiating began. After four hours of negotiating, they finally settled on an agreement that benefited both sides.

As it was getting quite late by the time they finished negotiations, the leader suggested they remain for the night and return to Atlantis in the morning. Weir considered it and then took up the offer since she determined the ambassadors of Kharin IV would be offended if she refused their hospitality. However, they were in short supply for rooms so the group had to pair up. Weir was forced to take a room with one of the men, and, decidedly, the only one she was comfortable with was Zelenka (even though Lorne thought it best that he be the one to stay with her). The ambassadors for some reason unexplained to any of that misconstrued this and thought the doctors Weir and Zelenka were a couple and there was nothing either could do to put the ambassadors off the idea. Thus it was they found themselves in a room with a single bed and being treated like a married couple wherever they went.

: P

Radek eyed the bed oddly. It was not small by any means, but it was not exactly large. Their options for sleeping arrangements were quite limited to the bed and the floor and neither relished the idea of sleeping on a stone floor. Elizabeth noticed the conflicting emotions in his eyes. For the first time she could recall, he truly seemed defeated and it was all because of a bed, or so it seemed. After having dealt with people for such a large part of her life, Elizabeth knew there was more to it, but she also knew she could not push him. It was her fault they were in their current predicament. While she had tried to rectify the situation, none of what she had told the Kharin ambassadors would persuade them from their beliefs.

"Radek, I'm sorry about this," she quietly spoke to him. "I never intended to end up in a situation like this."

His back had been to her since they first arrived in the room. He turned and sat heavily on the bed sighing deeply. He stared at the wall tiredly. "It's okay, Dr. Weir. You couldn't have known."

She sat down next to him and they avoided looking at each other for several minutes. Finally, she told him, "You can call me Elizabeth, you know. There's no need to be so formal, especially not since we'll be spending the night together."

Radek groaned. Elizabeth grimaced in response. She obviously said something wrong. They remained seated on the bed, several inches apart, until someone arrived to escort them to dinner. She did her best to pretend nothing was wrong, but he was sluggish to respond forcing Elizabeth to make excuses for him.

When they arrived at dinner, things got worse. Apparently it was custom for married couples to share a kiss before dinner. Radek visibly blanched at the prospect. It was bad enough that they had to share the bed. Now he had to kiss her in public. Elizabeth took it in stride as best as she could, but he was not making it easy for her. She told him as much, finally managing to get him to look her in the eye in the process.

"Listen to me, Radek, either we do what they want us to do or we could lose that ZPM. Which is worse: kissing me or not having a ZPM?" she whispered to him.

He stared at her long and hard. The question was an easy one in his mind. They needed that ZPM for their long time survival. It was not about him or her; it was about the whole of Atlantis. Radek sighed in resignation. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'm just a little uncomfortable right now. This day just keeps getting more stressful. It's hard enough being off world as it is."

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "I know. It's hard on me too, but I know you, Radek. You always do the right thing and I respect you for that. We'll get you through this." She moved one hand to his chest, the other to his cheek and rested her forehead on his. She was aware that they were effectively in public, but she needed him to do this, so she did what she felt was right. Elizabeth didn't miss his heartbeat increasing. Hers was doing the same. She pulled back from him for a moment and then planted a chaste kiss on his lips. The ambassadors were appeased with that little display of affection, and they were left to finish their dinner in peace. Lorne shot Elizabeth a questioning look that she responded to with a glare that said to leave it alone. Once they finished eating they were all escorted back to their respective rooms and left alone for the night.

Elizabeth noticed that Radek became even more distant after that. He would not even look at her while they were preparing for bed, much less respond to one of her questions. Fed up with it, she grabbed his arm roughly as he passed her heading out of the bathroom. It was then that she noticed the unshed tears in his eyes behind his glasses. He tried to turn away but she forced him to meet her gaze. Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears when she realized what she was seeing from him for the first time.

"Radek, how long have you … why haven't you said anything?" she begged.

He looked down and swallowed hard trying to find the words. After a great deal of effort he managed to look back up at her. "How could I tell someone like you that I … that I …" he still could not finish saying it, even when she knew. "It's been so long, Elizabeth. At least since the storm. I had to protect myself somehow. It could never be me, not with Colonel Sheppard and Rodney vying for your attention."

"That's not true. You have always had a chance." Her voice was firm, resolute.

"Have I?" He sounded harsh, like she was just telling him pleasantries to make him feel better. His voice grew steadier the angrier he became because it gave him an avenue for channeling his feelings. "I've seen the way you look at them, Elizabeth. Everyone wants your attention, your love, you! How could I ever have a chance? Rodney's always managing to do something stupidly brave and Sheppard's the charming one. Even Major Lorne has a better chance than I do." He appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Elizabeth felt herself becoming angry with him for thinking such things. At the same time she realized he was right. Occasionally she would flirt with John or Major Lorne. Even Rodney managed to get in on it inadvertently, especially during the storm. Now that she really thought about it, Zelenka was the only one who had not attempted to make a move on her in some way. Her assessment of him had been correct. He would always do the right thing. He would never force her into something she did now want, but then, she did not know that she wanted him or even thought of him in that way until he said it.

He was always there in the background coming to the rescue with things when Rodney was engaged elsewhere or not entirely coherent. Radek Zelenka was always the one to tell her what was going on with the city and explain all the techno speak. He was just always there in some capacity trying to comfort someone or provide a rational argument to everyone else's crazy ideas. Without him, Atlantis would be in more disarray than even she could imagine.

"Radek, I'm so sorry." She felt deflated as she sat on the bed. His back was to her, but in a way she felt it was appropriate. "I never thought about any of that until now. I can't tell you how," her voice caught for a moment, "how sorry I am."

They lapsed into silence for a while, Radek never facing her. Eventually he turned to her and sat by her side. Several tears were sliding down her cheeks, and he wiped them away gently. He felt guilty for what he said, but at the same time he knew there had been some truth in them. He also knew she was feeling very similarly at the moment.

"Elizabeth," Radek spoke quietly. She moved her head enough to see him out of the corner of her eye. "I accept your apology, and I'm sorry that it had to come to this." She actually began to cry this time. At first he did not know what to do but she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He just held her until she cried herself to sleep. He tucked her into bed and then laid down beside her, eventually falling asleep himself.

: P

As she woke the next morning, Elizabeth was surprised to find a warm body next to her. Even more surprising was the fact that her right arm was draped across the warm body's stomach. Once she was alert enough to realize why she was next to somebody, she remembered who that somebody was. As a result, she overcompensated in her roll away from him and landed on the floor in an ungainly heap.

Radek woke with a start. Several moments passed before he remembered where he was. Noticing that Elizabeth was not in bed, he got up and walked to the other side, nearly tripping over her. He realized at that point he had forgotten to put his glasses on and immediately remedied the situation.

"Elizabeth, are you all right?" he asked, worry thick in his voice.

For her part, she had not moved since she landed on the floor. She was a bit embarrassed by it, but glad that no one actually witnessed her trip to the floor. "I'm fine." Radek reached down to help her to her feet. "Thank you." By the time he finished hauling her up, he more or less had his arms wrapped around her. An awkward moment followed where they locked eyes and very nearly kissed but stopped themselves from going that far. "I should, um," Elizabeth said, breaking the silence. He released her and she walked to the bathroom.

They did their best to avoid each other after that. Elizabeth respectfully declined taking breakfast on Kharin IV citing a busy schedule that day. What she really feared was being forced to kiss him again. The first one had not been a big deal to her, but after last night, she could not risk it. The situation had changed too much. Besides, what she wanted most at that point was a nice hot relaxing bath back in Atlantis. She also did not want Radek to completely go crazy from being off world so long.

The team rendezvoused at the spaceport. Lorne just arrived from Atlantis with the goods being traded for the ZPM. Zelenka had the ZPM with him as he came back from the labs. Weir shook hands with the ambassadors finalizing their agreement. To everyone but Zelenka she seemed perfectly fine. He, however, could tell her eyes were still a little puffy from crying the night before and there was a slight sense of urgency in how she was conducting herself. As they boarded the jumper, she passed him and whispered, "We need to talk." Zelenka nodded his head ever so slightly to show that he heard.

The trip back to Atlantis was quiet. Most of Lorne's team was tired from not having slept well. Zelenka and Weir were too wrapped up in their own thoughts to really notice anything anyway. Only Major Lorne attempted to break the silence but soon stopped realizing that no one desired to converse with him. When they arrived in the jumper bay, as a joke he said, "Welcome to Atlantis. Please put your seats and tray tables in an upright position. Thank you." A few of his team smiled. Weir was too busy distracting herself with the thought of a relaxing bath to pay attention. Zelenka was too busy trying not to think about Elizabeth. The two of them collided on the way out. Fortunately, Lorne had taken the ZPM with him as he disembarked from the jumper.

"I, ah, um," followed by an embarrassed smile was more or less both of their responses. They went their separate ways immediately without bothering to make an excuse.

: P

Several weeks passed with Zelenka and Weir avoiding each other as much as possible. No one really said anything because they could not tell the difference as it was. To Sheppard, Elizabeth just seemed a little more stressed out than normal which he accounted to the fact she seemed to be buried under piles of paperwork that she had to finish. To Rodney, Radek was a little less alert, but just as rational as usual. They were working on several projects at once so it did not faze him when the Czech worked later into the night than normal.

Finally, one evening long after everyone else had gone to bed, Radek found himself roaming the halls of Atlantis. Walking past the mess hall he noticed one lone person sitting in the corner. He sighed heavily, debating briefly what to do and then decided to go for it. It was about time they tried to put aside some of the awkwardness by now anyway.

Elizabeth did not notice him enter at first. She kept zoning out, trying not to go back to that night on Kharin IV. Inevitably she would end up dwelling on it every night as she tried to sleep. The scraping of the chair on the floor drew her attention back to the present.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Radek said in a near whisper. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No. You?" she asked. Things were far from comfortable, but they were bearable. Perhaps it was the silence surrounding them or maybe it was just the time that had passed. He shook his head. Silence followed for several moments. "We need to talk about what happened."

Once again they lapsed into silence, not really sure what to say to the other. This silence, however, was uncomfortable. "I want you to know I do care about you," he whispered. "I, I love you, Elizabeth." He looked up, catching her eye. A small smile played across his lips as he waited for a response. Part of him was relieved that was out in the open. The other part was nervous as hell that she would reject him.

She reached across the table and took one of his hands in hers. Squeezing it, she replied, "Radek, I think I may be in love with you." He smiled a little more openly at her confession. She started to smile as well. "I've been thinking about this a lot lately, about us. I don't honestly know what I would do without you. You mean so much to me and to Atlantis. You hold us together, Radek. You're our glue." He started to blush a bit and looked away from her. She drew his attention back. "Listen to me. You're our voice of reason, and you care so much for everyone that this expedition would be much less successful than it is if you weren't here. I know you took a huge risk coming here, but I can't imagine what it would be like without you. And I'm coming to realize that as much as we need you, I need you."

"Elizabeth, I'm just one man. I cannot do everything on my own," he interjected. "And I don't deserve you. To me, you are what you said I am. We wouldn't be here without you. Perhaps I wouldn't be here. We need you, Elizabeth. We need your leadership." His voice softened considerably with his last statement. "I wouldn't know what to do if you suddenly weren't here." He looked down for a moment at their interlocked hands before looking up again.

Their eyes locked and they knew then that they had been avoiding each other for the last two weeks out of fear of rejection. They would not continue to make that mistake. Still hand in hand, they rose from the table as one, never taking their eyes off each other. They met in the middle with a kiss that held all the passion and promise of a future that neither had ever dreamed possible. Working together they knew Atlantis would flourish. Pulling apart several moments later, their potential realized, the two of them made their way hand in hand through the great city they would help restore to its greatness.

End