Chapter 2—

Jennifer squinted, lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the bright sunlight that flooded into the transporter when the doors opened. She lifted her face, taking in the warming rays as she stepped with Ronon out onto a narrow walkway that ran along the outer edge of the structure. Jennifer peered over the waist-high guard rail and down to the ocean several feet below them and then out across the expanse as it met the horizon. The blue sparkling blue expanse was literally breathtaking.

"Wow," she breathed.

"That's not the best part," Ronon's beard tickled her neck as he spoke, and she shivered. She turned to face him, not expecting him to remain so close behind her. She craned her head back to look into his face, and her breath caught in her throat once more. His eyes were so beautiful in the light—a unique mix of amber and green that reminded her of a mood ring.

Ronon had a strange look on his face. He lowered his head, and leaned his head towards her. Oh my gosh . . . Jennifer's heart raced as she was pretty sure he was about to kiss her. She hadn't really prepared herself for this possibility. But before she could stress more over how to respond, his nose passed millimeters away from her cheek, and then down the side of her neck, and she felt the cool sensation as he inhaled the air just above her now goosepimpled skin. He was. . .smelling her?

"Ronon?"

He finally leaned away from her, a quizzical expression on his face. "You smell . . . different," he mumbled.

"Different?" Jennifer repeated, suddenly self-conscious. She turned her head, lifted her shoulder to her nose to get a whiff of what could be so 'different' about her scent. She blushed immediately when she realized what it was. TAG. She must have gotten it on herself when she'd been startled earlier.

"So. . . what's the big surprise?," Jennifer asked, looking away and down the walkway. She did not feel as relieved as she expected when Ronon finally stepped away from her and followed her gaze.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand.

. . . . . . .

Ronon caught up with the woman in the infirmary one afternoon. When she saw him, she looked and smiled. She was the only other member of the medical staff who didn't cower in his presence. The other was Jennifer. This was the woman who had stood her ground and chosen to stay and assist Carson when he had attempted to remove and explosive tumor from Dr. Watson.

She must have figured he wasn't there for her, which was understandable, since she quickly looked back down to the sorting task she was doing. She didn't look up again until Ronon stood beside her at the table where she sat.

"Oh, hello, Ronon," she smiled again.

"Hey," greeted, trying his best to sound friendly, or at least non-threatening.

"I think Dr. Keller is at lunch," she said in a calm voice. "If you come back in a few minutes you might catch her then."

"I know," Ronon said. He had actually waited until a moment he knew Jennifer would be out of the infirmary (which was quite a rare occurrence nowadays) to come.

"Oh," Marie said, her smile faltering.

Ronon figured he'd better get to his point. "I. . . uh . . . wanted to ask you something," he started, "about the Doc."

Marie patiently regarded him, waiting for him to continue.

"Oh . . . wow," Jennifer gasped.

She spun around to face Ronon, the brightest smile he'd ever seen lighting her face. Just as quickly, she spun back around, taking more time, he suspected to absorb the sight before her. "I knew there had to be a pool around here somewhere," she said.

"How did you even find it?" she asked as they walked down a short flight of stairs to the level of the pool area.

"I was running out here a while ago and came by it."

"Really?" Jennifer said, cool. The floor sloped down gradually into the pool, and Jennifer stepped cautiously to the edge until the water lapped against the toes of her sandals. She jumped back suddenly and turned into him. "How do you know there's not some creepy-crawling Ancient experiment swimming around in here?"

He couldn't blame her trepidation as he had wondered the same thing. "I asked Zelenka to come check it out. He said it's safe. I swam in it to be sure," he shrugged.

"Uhm, ok," Jennifer mumbled, not sounding as relieved as he hoped.

Ronon decided to give her a little more encouragement.

. . . . .

Jennifer stifled a shriek as her legs came off the ground and a strong arm came around her back to balance her. She whipped her head round to see Ronon's face split in a devilish grin. "What are you doing?!," she asked as she squirmed against him. Instinctively, she threw her right arm around his neck to hang on. A second later she noticed that her skin was in direct contact with his bare upper body. He'd managed to strip down to his swim trunks without her even noticing.

Now he was carrying her towards the water, and she was still fully clothed. "Ronon!" she wrapped her other arm around his neck. Bu the time he stopped walking the water was up to his thighs. "Ok, I'll get in, just. . .not in all my clothes. Please take me back," she pleaded.

"Ok," he said. He turned and waded his way back to the shallow end of the pool.

Jennifer was pretty sure he was enjoying torturing her like this. Still, she secretly enjoyed the feeling of being this close to him, his muscular shoulders beneath her hands. When she felt Ronon lowering her legs to the dry tile of the poolside floor, she was reluctant to let go of him. She willed her arms to come from around his neck, and after a moment her mind won out. She forced herself not to stare at his chest as it was right at her eye level now. She had seen him shirtless dozens of times before, but this was . . . different. Usually she was the one doing all the touching, most often while sewing up such some impressive gash he'd sustained out on a mission or while sparring. And his hands had never before touched and lingered on her hips as there were right now.

She kicked off her sandals and then unbuttoned and shimmied out of the khaki capri pants that Ronon had given here. She'd have to ask him later how he managed to find and pick out all the things he had gotten her. She pulled the tank top over her head and then folded it and the pants and placed it on a bench against the wall.

Jennifer was immensely thankful she had maintained her resolve to start working out after she, Col. Carter and Rodney had escaped from that collapsed mine shaft. So, while she was far from having the stunning physique of Teyla, she still managed to look pretty good in a swimsuit, particularly this one, she thought, and wondered again at how Ronon would have known.

. . . . .

Ronon drew near to his destination near the end of the trade district in one of the larger townships on Mira. It was late evening, and most of the shops had and street vendors had closed down for the night. Light splashed onto the quickly darkening streets from the windows of inns and taverns, which would remain open far into the night. He turned right left onto a narrow side street, and was glad to see the that the window of a particular shop remained illuminated.

When he entered the building, a bell jingled on the door signaling the arrival to the shopkeeper. He saw her standing on a stepladder, putting away a ream of fabric on a shelf against the wall near the rear of the shop.

"We are closed," she said, but when she glanced back at the entrance of the store, she froze in place. Her blue eyes widened and quickly warmed to him.

"Ronon Dex," she beamed, stepping down from the ladder.

It was Ronon's turn to look surprised as he took in the slight yet noticeable swell of her abdomen. "Seraih Maerek," Ronon smiled in return. The young woman quickly covered the length of the shop and embraced him in a tight hug.

"It is good to see you. It has been too long," she said after pulling away, seeming to take in his appearance.

"Likewise," Ronon agreed. He studied her as well. The better part of a year had passed since he'd seen her last, but he was glad that she was well, still surviving in a galaxy had seen so much loss over the last few years. Her hair had grown out considerably, her dark curls now several inches past her shoulders. She had it gathered in a low ponytail to the side, fastened with a bright orange ribbon of cloth.

"I am sure you did not come all this way to stare at me all evening," Seraih teased him. "I know I've gained a bit of weight."

Ronon smirked, rolling his eyes at her cheeky tone. He had missed her sharp sense of humor and directness. "Congratulations," he said, meeting her eye.

"Thank you," she said, a rosy tint spreading across her freckled cheeks.

"So," Seraih said after a moment, taking a sit on a nearby stool, "What business do you have for me?"

"Something different," Ronon replied, leaning against the counter as he reached to retrieve the papers from his back pocket. The specs he knew she would need.

Seraih took the proffered pages, and he watched the intrigue play across her features as she first unfolded the pages, and then the curious interest as she took in the images before her.

"I know it's not your usual thing. . ." Ronon started. He was confident Seraih would appreciate him coming to her with such a challenge. Still he had to sure, "If you can't do it, it's fine."

Seraih finally looked up, shooting him a incredulous glare. "When do you need this done?"

"How soon can you do it?"

Seraih thought for a moment, unconsciously chewing on the end of one of her wayward curls. "I can have these ready for you by the end of the cycle. It will be a bit difficult without the form here but this design lends well to being adjusted to fit once it's made."

"Ronon?"

"Yeah?"

"What is her name?" she asked. He couldn't quite place her expression, but it was a strange mix of wonder and speculation. She was understandably curious about what sort of person would warrant him going to such lengths to prepare for a "date."

Ronon was silent for a long moment as he looked into Seraih's expectant face. He had never said her name out loud before. She was always "Dr. Keller" or "Doc," as Carson had been. At first it had helped him keep his growing interest in her at bay.

"Jennifer." He realized then that it no longer mattered if he said her first name out loud or not. He had already fallen long ago.

. . . . . . .

Ronon watched as Jen stood at the edge of the pool and smiled. Seraih had done a good job crafting the swimsuit. Though it fit her well, Jennifer shyly wrapped her arms around her mid-section as she hesitantly immersed her bare feet in the water.

"Oh, it's warm," she said, surprised.

"Yeah," Ronon confirmed. Jennifer looked up at him when he spoke, then quickly averted her eyes as she blushed. Maybe she hadn't expected him to be so close to her.

"Come," he said, taking her hands that and pulling them from around herself, leading her out into the water. As he did so he took the opportunity to savor the view of the smooth, exposed skin of her midriff. She was slim, but her body dipped and curved in all the right places in a way that was very pleasing to the eye.

"The water feels amazing," Jennifer sighed, drawing Ronon out of his thoughts. She drew away from him then, reaching her arm out in long strokes, as she swimming to the deeper end of the pool so that her body would be completely submerged in the soothing warmth of the water.

She stopped when she had reached the center of the pool, treading in place. Ronon started swam out to join her. When he had almost reached her, Jennifer's face broke in a devilish grin, and she leaned back and swam away from him in a backstroke motion. Ronon used his size to his advantage, though, shooting his arm out to grab her ankle and gently tugged her back.

Jennifer shrieked and kicked out her other leg, splashing water into his face. He hadn't expected that, and the shock made him loosen his grip in her leg. Jennifer took the opening to turn and start swimming away from him. He was secretly impressed with her agility and speed, as she'd gotten a good distance away before he started swimming after her.

. . . . . . . . . .

It takes time to get it right
Takes no time to get it wrong.
I can't believe I didn't see
The ground was caving in
Oh, can we just start again?

. . . . . . . .

As Jennifer approached the far edge of the pool, she felt something tickling against her leg. She figured it was a jet stream of water, similar to those that were on the pools of Earth, to keep the water circulating. She didn't pay much attention as she watched Ronon catch up to her. She swam back until her back was against the pool wall and Ronon was in front of her.

Rather than treading in place, he put his arms on either side of her, using the wall as leverage to keep himself afloat, trapping her between his body and the wall; there was no mistaking his intent. Jennifer hesitated a moment before placing her hands on his shoulders; she couldn't tread properly with him this close anyway.

Something brushed against Jennifer's thigh. At first she thought it was Ronon's leg, but then something very much like a tentacle wrapped around her calf and she gasped. She tried to pull herself up and away using Ronon's body, but the thing was pulling her in the opposite direction, into the water. Hard.

. . . . . . . .

Ronon's excitement at Jennifer suddenly wrapping herself around him was short-lived as she screamed his name, her arms tightening around his neck with a vice-like grip, and then he felt himself being pulled down into the water with her. He wrapped his right arm around Jennifer's waist, and the other he braced against the ledge of the pool wall in an effort to keep them both above the surface. He could have lifted himself out of the water easily, but something very strong was pulling against Jennifer. Ronon was strong enough to hold on to her, but Jennifer was loosening her grip around his neck and he knew that this tug-of-war would not last for long. Jennifer was hurting, and she was letting go of him to lessen the pain.

Ronon took a deep breath and let go of the wall. He held on to Jennifer's waist and was pulled under with her. Still holding onto her, he angled his head down towards her legs. He saw the shape of something large and translucent, yet it was barely discernible. However, he saw clearly the more opaque tentacle wrapped around Jennifer's left leg. At present the creature continued to drag them down into the depths of the water as Ronon retrieved a small blade from his hair. Something in the back of his mind warned that it might not be the best thing to injure the creature; no way of knowing how it would react. That thought was quickly quashed by a more urgent one that screamed, Jennifer is drowning! He could feel her body stopped trying to fight against the creature, and her arms went slack around his neck. It was hard to tell if the creature was slowing or time itself.

He righted himself, drew Jennifer to him, finding her mouth with his, he breathed his remaining reserves of air into her lungs.

Then he struck out at the creature.

. . . . . . . .

Jennifer saw black spots of unconsciousness bleed into the whiteness of shock. The burning in her lungs faded into a rush of release at her treacherous body giving up the fight. A final vision of Ronon's face floating before her bleary eyes. A first and last kiss . . . it was hard to tell. But the burning subsided, and a moment later her face broke the surface. She could breath.

Then she felt her body being lifted and laid against the cool floor. Her senses came rushing back. Her lungs still burned and she coughed up the water she had inhaled in panic before being dragged beneath the surface. Someone was calling her name and a a warm hand was brushing her hair away from her face. She rolled onto her side, towards the warmth she felt. It was radiating from his body. Always.

Ronon kept his arm around her waist as he stood and pulled her up with him. "We need to get out of here," he stated.

"Yes. Let's," Jennifer coughed. She made to walk beside him, but when she put her weight on her left leg, a sharp sensation of pins and needles made her wince. She looked down to see that there were pink circles in two staggered columns going down the length of her calf. They looked very similar to suction marks.

"That doesn't look good," she mumbled.

Without a word, Ronon lifted her up into his arms. Jennifer didn't protest. She'd just nearly drowned, after all.

He walked around to the other end of the pool, nearest to the exit. Ronon made quick work of collecting their clothes and the large bag he had brought, balancing Jennifer in his arms. He reached into it and brought out his gun.

"You brought a gun to go swimming?" Jennifer asked.

"Looks like I needed it," he replied, his eyes never leaving the water as until they emerged onto the narrow walkway. Even then, he kept his eye on the pool entrance.

Ronon seemed to relax a bit once they the transporter doors slid shut.

Jennifer was felt her muscles relax as well, but it wasn't from relief. As the adrenaline wore off, her limbs felt heavy, and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Ronon," she mumbled as the transporter doors opened again. He stepped out, and she felt him tilt his head down to look at her. So tired. . .

"Jennifer," Ronon shook her awake, a slight edge of worry in his voice.

"I think . . . ," she started. It was hard for her to concentrate. "Infirmary," she sighed sleepily, before the darkness claimed her.