A/N: This is a shorter one than recently I think but it twists from the previous. You don't have to read the previous chapter to know what happened. I think this chapter could pretty much fill in the blanks.

I'd like to thank all those who are reading and say thank you again for the reviews. They are a lovely thing to find in my inbox even if it takes me a while to have the nerve to open them.

He knew he was going the wrong way but he had to do this. His body was still relaxed, sated to an extreme level from the activities in his dream. As he laid there in his bed he hadn't realised how much his body had been stimulated along with his mind until he moved. Regardless to the fact he was completely alone he felt as embarrassed as he did as a teenager after a wet dream.

Taking the last stretch of corridor at a light jog he slowed down several feet from her door suddenly second guessing whether he should do this. Knowing it was the right thing to do the thing he had to do he stepped forward. With a deep breath he rang the door chime waiting not too patiently for a minute. Glancing up and down the hallway he was glad to see the majority of people were passing by paying him no heed. The last thing he needed was an audience if this blew up in his face.

Feeling a touch of anger mixed in with frustration he guessed she was in there no doubt rushing to get ready to go to the conference room. He rang it again. When she still didn't answer he made the chime ring out over and over and over finding some amusement in just how rattled she was becoming.

When the door did open he would have laughed at how flustered she was but the look she gave him was followed by a sly smile. He felt her eyes drag over him before coming back to his face. When she stepped back from the door walking into her quarters he took it as permission to enter. Sparing a quick almost nervous glance up and down the hallway again he stepped forward. It was only as he turned from watching the doors close behind him that he realised she wasn't wearing a great deal. Dressed only in a short robe, one which left her shapely legs almost completely exposed, she moved around her quarters. He knew how they felt, how smooth the skin was. The feel of her was still on his fingertips the nerves buzzing at the thrill. Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat he stared rooted to the spot as she dug through drawers.

Oblivious to him or the way she was dressed she moved from drawer to drawer having to bend more each time bringing the hem of the gown up. When he saw her stop hands resting on a low drawer front he froze. A thousand things flitted through his mind seeing her stood like that bent over at the waist. The deep breath that pushed her chest out was to calm the effect he was having on her he knew that but when she blew out he got a peak of flesh though the gaping neck line and his mind was lost.

"You're not going to make it out of here alive if you don't stop." Feeling smug at just how husky her voice sounded he couldn't help but bait her.

"You let me in. Dressed like that no less." The sight of her stood in that thin blue robe hands on hips was almost comical had it not been for the expanse of inner thigh he could see.

"I thought you might want to talk." Turning she grasped a few things from the top drawer slipping it closed. As she span to head to the bathroom the robe billowed out showing him everything to the small of her back. Biting his lip to stop the groan from escaping he looked to the window, to the history books on the shelves, anything to clear his lust crazed mind.

"What do you want to talk about?" He was trying for innocent but was sure that the cocky tone to his voice was spoiling it. Sitting on her neatly made bed he looked up at the doorway when he saw her head poke out.

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Her smile matched his as she disappeared from sight again.

"How much did you, you know?"

The silence from the other room had him thinking she hadn't heard him. Thinking he should ask again he opened his mouth at the precise moment she stepped back through the doorway fully clothed. His mouth stayed slack at the sight of her in another pair of tight jeans, a form fitting t shirt hugging every curve and swell.

"How much do you think? I thought when you were in the gym you were with someone but then last night. That was a trip. I think I prefer nights like last night." Watching her quickly comb through her damp hair tying it back he got a sneak peak of her lower back as her shirt rode up. Seeing the pale white scar running across he smiled knowing she had been there as much as he had. "Mind if I ask who she was?" Blinking at the question his mind fumbled.

"Sorry." He wasn't sure what she meant and he was sure he looked as baffled as he felt.

"The one you were with last night. The one who rocked your world. Do I know her?" The question shook his insides swallowing up very last drop of want. She didn't know. All she had done was enjoyed the ride on his wave of lust. The truth sat on the tip of his tongue desperately wanting to be spoken but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Erm, yes. I think you do know her. I'm sorry though for well…"

"Dragging me along? Don't worry about it. I had fun, lots and lots of fun." Laughing along with her knowing more than she would know he got up walking to her door just a step ahead of her. He started an easy pace down the hallway the occasional person passing.

"You know there will be even more rumours about us now with you coming out of my quarters looking like that."

He didn't hear what she was saying. He was caught in a moment staring at her neck. It was that spot, the one that had her make the most extraordinary sounds. The way her skin tasted, the way her skin had smelled were stuck spinning around his head. He couldn't shake them loose. It was only when he felt himself being pulled, a gentle touch on his arm guiding him away from the hallway that he broke through it. He was still hazy but quickly realised he was outside. The cold breeze quickly stole what little warmth he had. Two small warm hands gripped his face forcing him to look, to focus. Merry's lips were moving but he couldn't hear it, all he could do was watch mesmerised as they moved almost in slow motion.

Reacting just as his mind screamed at him to he reached for her. Gripping the back of her head fingers threading into her hair he pulled her forward his mouth covering hers. Her body fit against him her sharp intake of breath pushing her chest to his. She was warm and soft against him, around him. His heart rate doubled trying to match hers. In that one moment she was everything and nothing, an extension of him that had his blood set to boil.

A jolt of anxiety hit him like a bucket of ice cold water. Letting her go he snapped back almost losing his balance. Doubled over his mind racing as fast as his heart he tried to gather his thoughts. His eyes were focussed now but his vision wasn't clear. Her saw her as she was gripping the railings as she tried to gain control. Her chest rose and fell over and over, panting. Lips red and swollen her fingers grazed over them as she stared unfocused over his shoulder.

Standing up he paced walking to the other side of the balcony. Resting his weight on the railings he looked out to the city waiting for a calm he wasn't sure would come. And there it was, the shock and disbelief as everything sank in for her. He didn't turn around, couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead his grip on the railing turned his knuckles white, his whole hand locking as he squeezed tighter.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He could feel the uncertainty as much as he could hear it. He couldn't answer. Not only did he have no clue what to say, what excuses to make that wouldn't sound hollow even to his own ears but the pain and the guilt that he could feel weren't his own. Keller had told them the link was diminishing, that they would feel less of each other but right now it was strong, stronger than it had been up to now.

"You could have said something. We were just… You let me…" Her silence after that would have been welcome had it not felt so lonely. As much as it wasn't real he had felt unburdened the whole time they had been together. He still felt it now. One night of craziness had undone years worth of damage to him. He knew it wouldn't last, that it would either creep back to him slowly until he couldn't remember being without it or it would smash back leaving him broken but it was welcome reprieve.

He stiffened when she joined him at the railing her shoulder brushing against him. Almost his entire right side was touching her and it took everything in him to fight his nature to pull away. The warmth was rather pleasant on such a chilly day. There were a multitude of things she could do right now. Feeling her body trembling against him her hands tightening on the railing he looked at her face. He could barely see anything but what he could see was scrunched up. He braced himself fully expecting tears only he heard the muffled sounds of laughter.

Leaning over the edge he caught sight of her face. Her lips were pressed together as she desperately tried to stifle her amusement. He could feel the bubble inside him swelling but he still had no clue just what was so funny.

"What are you laughing at?" He could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. Its just it would only happened to you wouldn't it. A great night like that and it wasn't even…" She just collapsed in a heap the peals of laughter finally escaping as she held onto the rails for balance the ending to her sentence lost.

Scratching his stubble he could see the absolute absurdity of the situation. As it sank in more and more he felt his own amusement mingle with the bubble until it popped leaving him laughing along with her. He could feel his chest urging him to breathe more but he couldn't. The laughter just kept coming and coming until his face was burning. He was doubled over head buried against his arm on the railing in no time.

He was trying to stop laughing but the more he tried to stop the more difficult it became. His every attempt made Merry erupt in even more laughter which sent him further until they were both knelt on the floor tears pouring down their faces.

It was Woolsey's voice coming through his ear that sobered them both a little. Forcing himself to take deep breaths he listened as the man's annoyed voice came over his earpiece again and again.

"Yes Mr Woolsey."

"You were due to be at a meeting forty five minutes ago."

"We're on our way Mr Woolsey." And with that he closed the connection his lip curling until he looked down at Merry. Every breath was released in a sigh the occasion chuckle escaping as she wiped her face.

Slowly getting up he offered her his hand making short work of lifting her frame from the cold balcony floor. He may have over compensated slightly sending her tumbling into him. There positions mirrored one another both heads hung down, their hands gripping the forearms of the other.

"So what do we do?"

"How about we chalk it up as a great ride in this mad little thing we have going here." He returned her smile the meaning in her words not lost on him. Letting her pull away the cold breeze chilled where her heat had just been. He watched her walk on slightly unsteady legs pausing when she reached the door. Meeting her gaze he knew that the twinkle he could see from this distance meant trouble.

"Are you coming, John?" Groaning at her choice of words he walked forward quickly joining her in the hallway, their pace fast.

They were the last to come into the conference room but that had been no real surprise. At an hour after they had been summoned walking in as casually as they did was not quite the best way. Woolsey had remained straight faced as ever but the lines around his eyes told a different story.

Taking his usual seat beside Woolsey, Lorne to his other side, he glanced around the room. His team were scattered out as usual both Teyla and Ronon taking up spots on the other side with Rodney, Zelenka and the Doc closing of the other end. There was no one out of the ordinary aside from the obvious person who was sat almost opposite him. He couldn't look at her. He was biting back a smile just thinking about her and he knew he would come undone, collapsing back into uncontrollable laughter if he did.

"Well now the two of you have joined us we'll get started. Dr McKay, Dr Keller."

"As you know I've been looking at the device and the schematics in the files. There is no way to reverse the machine. It just isn't built to work both ways. In order for us to do it we would have to essentially build another."

"By the time Dr McKay and Dr Zelenka would have done that the link should be gone. The daily scans we have taken of both Colonel Sheppard and Dr Briggs have shown that despite them both being ATA gene carriers they haven't been affected to the extent the Ancients were." That had him glance to Merry her face easy to read. She looked as surprised as he was given just how much the two of them had been connected.

"The scans clearly show that the link between them is slowly diminishing. Their own personal patterns are slowly returning taking over from the shared artificial ones. They should be back to their old selves in a few days." Keller's delicate smile was thrown his way a slight knowing look to her eye.

"That's not to say that the recent events haven't been troubling particularly when we uncovered one piece of information." McKay paused whether to add more suspense to what he was about to reveal or whether to gather the nerve to say what he was about to. All it appeared to do was irritate everyone more.

"As we searched through the files we found something. Two subjects, one was a lab tech, the other an administrator of sorts. During an experiment the lab tech was injured, badly. The administrator collapsed at his desk."

"The severity of her injuries put her into a coma with him closely following until she succumbed to the damage her body had sustained. When she died so did he. It was the reason they shut down the experiment." He sat waiting for the last bit of their little tag team speech although his mind had already pieced together what was going on. He felt eyes on him and turned to find Merry watching him her eyes full of apology.

"Now taking into consideration their connection is not as fully developed as it should be and that the scans have shown that what they have is depleting we're not completely sure what would happen to one if something severe happened to the other but." Keller hesitated looking back and forth between Merry and himself her fingers nervously toying with the edge of her data pad.

"But?"

"But if Colonel Self Sacrifice here gets himself into trouble she could end up dead."