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Chapter 9
Ronon followed Olivia as she walked through the slightly crowded corridors and then down the stairs instead of taking the transporter to the next level. He was tired of waiting and when she had smiled at him in the mess hall, he couldn't wait anymore. He quickly caught up with her and grasped her right arm, eliciting a soft gasp from her lips as he turned her around. Her unruly hair was up in its usual ponytail and her glasses were yet again on her face, but he could still see the surprise in her dark eyes.
"Ronon," she said quickly, a blush darkening her cheeks. "How are you doing?" she asked and Ronon frowned at the impersonal question. She wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, and he saw a struggle in her eyes as the surprise slowly left them. He had other hopes for when they met again.
"Fine, you?" he asked and Olivia gave him a slow smile.
"Good," she said and Ronon nodded his head, not letting go of her arm. In the two weeks since he had seen her he found it odd that he missed the constant buzz of her voice as she rattled off things he didn't really understand; and he enjoyed her odd sense of humor. He also missed that crooked smile she was giving him.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"My room," she said and Ronon moved a little closer to her, making her swallow hard. She needed to talk to him, to tell him what she had found out and slowly the words came to mind. "I need to talk to you," she said suddenly and Ronon nodded his head. "Do you want to talk in my room?" she suggested and Ronon nodded. Olivia slipped her arm from Ronon's hand and walked down the corridor, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Ronon couldn't help but grin as he followed her, because his hopes had been returned.
As the door to Olivia's quarters closed behind them, Olivia sat her computer down on her desk and turned around. Ronon stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest, and she took a deep breath before she explained everything she discovered about the ruins. She told him about how the ruins were a place of refuge for those that needed to overcome events of their past, and she told him how some would experience things much like they had.
"So, how exactly does it all work?" Ronon asked confused as to how a room could make an identical replica of a woman and man long gone from life.
"I wish I knew," Olivia said as she pulled her glasses from her face and sat them down on her desk. "The database only provides the purpose of the ruins, not the magic behind it." Olivia leaned against her desk before she pinched the bridge of her nose. "So," she said as she lowered her hand and looked at him once more. "What about us?" she dared to ask.
"What do you mean?" he asked as he uncrossed his arms and looked at her intently.
"Do you feel any different about me? I mean, since the last time we saw each other. Have your feelings changed?" she asked, her worry once again making its presence known. Ronon walked over to her and Olivia stood straight as she looked up at him.
The only disadvantage she had against Ronon aside from obvious strength and battle skills was height. He towered over her, just like he did Teyla and that was slightly intimidating before she got to know him that night in the ruins. Since then, he just sort of overwhelmed her a bit and when he was close he was all she could take in.
"Not really," he said and he raised a hand to her face and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. "I've been very patient with you Olivia," he said before he rested his hand on her neck, holding her gently, but his grip was firm. "Are you satisfied with what you found?" he asked.
"Yes," Olivia whispered and Ronon grinned.
"Good, because I'm not waiting anymore," he said before he pulled her forward and leaned down, capturing her lips with his. Olivia whimpered at the pressure, but she quickly grasped the sides of his shirt as she kissed him back. Ronon wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. He was a little rough, but Olivia didn't pay it any mind because she knew that he would never intentionally hurt her.
Olivia felt like she was floating, and when his lips moved from hers and down her jaw only to replace his hand, she let out a soft moan. Ronon smiled against her neck and continued his assault of her soft skin. Her hands moved up his back and he enjoyed the fact that he could feel her hands tremble, because he knew that he affected her much in the same way she affected him.
"Ronon," she whispered and he wanted to growl at her to silence her so he could continue, but she gently shoved on his shoulder. "Ronon," she said again and he sighed as he pulled his lips from her neck and looked down at her. Olivia's mind was floating somewhere out in space, but the chiming of her door brought her back to reality. However, when Ronon pulled his lips from her neck and looked down at her, she wanted to shout at the person on the other side to go away.
"What?" he asked. Obviously, Ronon hadn't heard it either, but before she could tell him the door chimed again. He sighed and slowly let her slip from his grip, but she chastely kissed his lips before she walked over to the door. He watched her as she straightened her shirt and wiped at her lips before she cleared her throat and opened the door. Dr. Weir stood on the other side and gave her a small smile, however, it faltered when she saw Ronon standing next to Olivia's desk looking less then pleased to see the Atlantian leader.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked and Olivia opened her mouth and closed it, letting out a sigh, before she smiled.
"No," Olivia said and she hoped that Dr. Weir didn't hear Ronon's grunt from behind her. "Do you need something?" Olivia asked.
"I was hoping I could get a copy of those translations from the ruins," Dr. Weir said. "Your report didn't include the complete translations and I would like to go over them."
"Oh," Olivia said as she turned and moved over to her desk. "I thought I had included them. I guess I had forgotten I only included a part of the translations in the report." She glanced at Ronon as she stood her notepad in hand and he didn't look very happy. Olivia grinned and turned around. She smiled as she handed the notepad to Dr. Weir. "All my translation notes from the ruins are in there." Dr. Weir took the notepad and smiled as she tapped the notepad to her palm.
"Thank you Dr. Gray," she said before she looked at Ronon briefly and then smiled at Olivia before she turned and walked down the corridor. Olivia felt her cheeks flame as a few of her fellow scientists passed by and smiled at her before she quickly closed the door. Hands were suddenly on her waist and she gasped as she turned around and looked up at Ronon. She smiled at him before she put his hands on his chest.
"I've got to put bells on you or something," she said and Ronon laughed before he leaned down and kissed her yet again. Olivia sighed against his lips and let him pull her close once again. His fingers tickled her sides and Olivia laughed. She pushed him away and looked up at him. "Not fair," she whispered.
"No, what's not fair is the fact that you've made me wait this long," he said before he kissed her again. That time, he purposely tickled her. Olivia let out a small scream as she pushed away from him and moved away and further into her room.
"Ronon!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "Don't do that," she said firmly pointing her finger at him. Ronon grinned and Olivia couldn't wash the smile from her face as Ronon lunged at her. He was quick, she'd give him that, but she was quick too. Olivia ducked around him and jumped up on her bed, knowing that she would regret it later when she had to wash her sheets because she had her shoes on. Ronon turned around and stood straight, and Olivia watched as his grin slowly melted away as he just stared at her.
He walked over to the bed, but Olivia didn't get down. She turned so he was looking at him, and she grinned when she noticed that the top of his head was at her chest, thanks to the height of the bed. His hands found her sides once more, but he didn't tickle her that time and Olivia was slightly worried as his green eyes looked up at her.
"Is something the matter?" she asked. She was concerned that she had done something wrong.
"No," he said and Olivia nodded her head as she ran her hand over the top of his dreadlocks and then rested her hand on his cheek.
"You know, if we had never got ourselves locked in the ruins I would have never gotten the nerve to actually talk to you," she told him honestly and he raised an eyebrow. "I really don't know what happened between us in there, Ronon, but I know that we got to know each other in there; and what I know I like very much." She lowered her hand from his face and rested it on his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the bed and settled her onto the floor once more. She gasped and was very surprised that Ronon could lift her.
"What I know about you, I like too," he said and Olivia let out a soft laugh. Ronon raised his hands from her waist and pulled her hair free from the ponytail holder and then ran his fingers through her curls. "I like your hair down," he told her and Olivia blushed slightly.
"It's easier to keep it under control when I pull it back," she said and Ronon kissed her forehead before he claimed her lips once more. Olivia quickly returned his kiss and Ronon needed no more encouragement.
She didn't know when or how it happened, but soon she found herself lying on her bed, free of her shoes, hair fanned around her head, and Ronon's hands freeing her from her blouse. When Ronon's lips moved from hers and once again found her neck. Olivia sighed when she felt his warm fingers brush against her stomach, but then her senses slowly came back to her. She realized that things were progressing far too quickly, and she was in way over her head.
"Ronon," she said as she wrapped her hand around his wrist, stilling his hand from moving any further and he raised his head and looked down at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked and Olivia licked her lips and kept her eyes locked with his.
"I . . . I'm not quite ready for this," she managed to get out. She squeezed his hand and he glanced at his hand on her stomach and her hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked at her face again. He slowly pulled away from her, but Olivia sat up and kept her hold on Ronon's wrist. "I don't mean for you to leave," she said quickly and he smiled.
"I'm not," he told her before he shifted his body and laid down on one side of the bed. He pulled Olivia back down onto the bed and she laid down next to him, closely settled to his chest and Ronon wrapped his arm around her waist. It was then that Olivia realized that Ronon no longer had his shirt on, but she didn't mind.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she raised a slightly trembling hand to his chest. He kissed her forehead and sighed; however, Olivia's attention rested on the scars she saw on his chest. The scars he carried as a result of the wraith feeding on him before he was made a runner.
"Don't be," he said, his voice deep and she looked up at him. He unwrapped his arm from her body and placed his hand over hers. "I don't think either of us are ready for anything more than this just yet."
"True, but this is nice," she said as she moved closer to him. She only had a twin bed and it was a tight fit for the both of them, but they fit.
"Yeah," he said softly. She knew it was late and her body was tired, so, she knew Ronon had to have been tired as well.
"Ronon?" she asked with her eyes closed.
"Hmm?"
"You'll still be here when I wake up, won't you?" she asked sleepily.
"Always," he said and Olivia let out a contended sigh as she rested her head just under his chin.
"Good," she whispered before she fell asleep. Ronon, however, could not fall asleep. His thoughts were everywhere. Earlier, Olivia had reminded him of Melena so strongly that as she stood on top of the very bed they were laying on, he could have sworn the two women were the same. Like Olivia had said, he didn't know exactly what it was they had experienced together in the ruins, but he did know one thing. He would do all he could to make sure that Olivia would never be taken from him. Ever.
