DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Atlantis character although I wouldn't mind renting a couple of them.

A/N: I know the romance is going slow, but really would romance with McKay go fast? I don't think so. He'd be like a scared rabbit ready to bolt and run if a woman showed too much interest and Kilaran isn't used to be desirable either.

Authors note: Thanks for the encouraging reviews! About the time I think no one is reading why finish – I get a review. I'm dividing my time between fanfic and adogsbreakfastmovie David Hewlett's site for his new movie for those (unbelievable) who haven't heard about it.

CHAPTER 10 DISASTER

"Everything okay?" Kilaran asked when they got back to the guest rooms.

"It's been real quiet." Chaz replied as he scanned her energy levels. "You need to get some sleep. You've worn yourself out."

"We have guard duty."

"We can handle guard duty. You need to sleep or you'll be useless tomorrow." Myr pushed her toward one of the rooms. "And I don't think tomorrow will be as calm as tonight is."

"Dr. McKay, you need to sleep, too." Teesa herded him toward the last room. "We'll wake you both if anything happens."

"Fine, I'll go to sleep, but tomorrow you owe me the rest of the explanation that you conveniently bypassed tonight." He snorted at her blank look and gave her an 'I know you're stalling' look. "Julis? Halls?"

"Right. I wasn't repairing internal organs and ribs or anything strenuous. No, I was just avoiding an embarrassing conversation! Goodnight!" She disappeared into the room and shut the door with an angry snap.

Rodney stood there a minute before closing his own door sharply.

oOo

Kilaran was up early the next morning talking, telepathically in order to avoid waking the others, with her kitar about the entire situation and what they could expect from her father and from the Atantis team and just how far they would be willing to go in defiance to Moric in order to guarantee the safety of the team.

Kilaran was aware of the exact instant when each individual awoke. She got several impressions: groggy, disoriented, awareness, shock/indignation/anger, and finally worry/determination. Moments later doors opened and they poured out into the hall looking ill and very riled. Everyone but Dr. Weir automatically taking stock of their surroundings and counting heads and coming up one short.

"Where is he?" snarled Sheppard advancing menacingly toward them. "If McKay's been harmed…" All three of his team mates' faces promised retribution.

"In there – sleeping." Kilaran indicated the one remaining closed door. "No harm came to any of you last night. My kitar insured that personally."

"Really?" Sheppard asked distrustfully as he quietly opened the door and verified for himself that McKay appeared to be all right.

"John." Dr. Weir called him down.

"No, Elizabeth. You don't go off world. You don't know how fast it can go wrong or even how wrong it can go. I calm down when I'm sure everyone is okay."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Dr. Weir nodded acceding to Sheppard's authority in the field. "Kilaran last night is real fuzzy. What happened exactly?"

"We were drugged." Teyla stated before Kilaran could say anything.

"It was overdue." Ronon commented with a shrug earning himself a startled look from Dr. Weir.

Kilaran looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Father and Neressa allowed themselves to be talked into unethical actions. They were found out and stopped before anything could happen that couldn't be corrected." She paused turning her attention to the closed door. "Rodney is waking up. Why don't I explain everything over breakfast at our residence?"

"Someone mentioned food?" came the sleepy question as the door swung open and a very rumpled looking McKay shuffled out into the hallway rubbing his eyes. "Possibly coffee?" He sounded wistful as he blearily looked around. "Oh, right," he finally woke up enough to take in their expressions and his surroundings. "No coffee." He sighed. "And no showers either."

His team mates just shook their heads while Ki grinned sympathetically at his disheartened expression. "Everyone okay with breakfast at our place? It's quiet, private, shielded, and we have showers."

"That would be much appreciated." Dr. Weir stated with a warning look at Sheppard.

Within moments they were standing in the spacious central room of Kilaran's residence. The jumpy team swiveled around checking out the new surroundings. When they finally returned their attention to their hosts Kilaran pointed out four hallways. "We each have our own small wing – bedroom, bath, and sitting room. If you'd like to shower while we fix some breakfast you're more than welcome."

"Stalling" McKay snapped, tired, caffeine deprived, and annoyed at the whole situation.

"Yes, okay, yes." She shouted angrily. "My father has put me in the unpleasant position of having to explain something that we don't mention…" She snapped her mouth shut and took a deep breath. "It isn't an easy topic for us to discuss. In fact, no one not Eluian knows. So please go take your blasted showers and give us a few minutes!" She ported to the kitchen leaving a stunned silence behind her.

oOo

"Ki."

She turned to see a damp McKay standing awkwardly in the kitchen doorway. "What, Dr. McKay?" She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms in front of her.

He winced at the hot formality. "Look, I'm um…well, I'm sorry. You've been helping us along and didn't deserve to be treated to my sparkling personality. It's just…getting betrayed is getting way too common for our team." Frustration laced his voice.

She glared for a moment more before giving in to the begging blue eyes. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It's alright. We were both short tempered last night and I get the feeling that you aren't a morning person either."

He shook his head as he stepped further into the kitchen. "Need any help?" He waved a hand to indicate the room.

"I'm about finished. I could use some help carrying it to the table."

He gave her a lop-sided smile and took the loaded plates she handed him. Soon they were all seated and eating something remarkably like French toast and bacon and eggs. The hot beverage wasn't coffee, but it wasn't half bad and it did wake them up. Halfway through the meal McKay looked over at her and cleared his throat and when she looked at him he mouthed 'stalling'.

She laughed. "Okay, okay." She put her fork down glanced around the table. "As I was telling Rodney last night, the DNA changes that increased our powers had side effects that we weren't aware of at first. Our…reproduction cycles changed. We only become fertile twice a year now. We could have survived that, but the changes to the men, those changes, became our downfall. Each generation fewer and fewer men are compatible, not sterile, but incompatible."

"Yes, yes still…" McKay waved his fork to hurry her up while continuing to eat.

"…stalling. The halls," she paused looking down at the table then back up at her silent audience. "Twice a year our bodies emit pheromones to attract men and at the same time the…need…to…" She flushes hotly and pushes away from the table going over to stand in front of a large picture window.

No one says a word and her kitar looks as uncomfortable with the discussion as she does. Just get it over with! Myr snaps with embarrassment.

"mate." She chokes out. "The need to mate overwhelms us. For several days it's all we can think of and the compulsion becomes so strong that who the man is doesn't matter after a certain point. When that time gets near we retire to the Halls; only women in…need and compatible men are allowed in the halls."

Rodney sat stunned at what she was revealing to them. How horrible to become enslaved to your bodies demands like that. He now understood why she had been reluctant to discuss the issue. He watched her standing by the window alone and saw the fine shivers sliding through the body. Before he could analyze what he was doing he was on his feet striding over to her enveloping her in his arms.

When his arms first encircled her she tensed then she felt the compassion emanating from him and she sagged against his solid support. Swallowing hard, eyes closed, she told them the rest. "The julis is a drink allowed only in the Halls. It removes whatever inhibitions you might have left to insure that…that procreation takes place."

She could feel the roiling emotions of those gathered in the room as well as snippets of thoughts that were strong enough to slide past her shields. She could feel Rodney's anger at what had happened, but also that he was protecting her from the anger of the others.

"So, last night was an underhanded attempt to conceive children?" Dr. Weir asked in a very controlled voice.

"Yes. Although I believe they never would have tried such a reprehensible action if not for Tervas whispering in their ears." Teesa responded in a subdued voice.

With a roar Ronon shoved away from the table the chair falling backwards with a loud clatter. Rodney felt Ki flinch and tightened his grip. "I won't let anyone harm you." He whispered her words back to her and felt her relax against him.

"We'll be leaving now." Sheppard said in a voice hard as flint.

"Of course," Ki whispered and felt her heart breaking knowing that she would never see Rodney McKay again.

"Chaz and I will port you to the StarGate." Myr said quietly sensing Ki was in no condition to go out in public.

They all filed out of the dining room toward the center room. Sheppard paused at the doorway looking back at the couple by the window. "McKay." Sheppard's voice was angry and impatient. His anger softened a little when he noticed they way McKay's chin was resting on top of her head; how tightly they was holding on to each other. "Rodney…we need to go."

"Give me just a second, Colonel." McKay responded in a rough voice.

"Sure, but we can't wait long." He turned and walked out giving them privacy.

"Ki," Rodney murmured turning her around to face him.

"I wish this had turned out differently." She sobbed tears pooling in her eyes as he held her tightly, fiercely.

"Me too." He leaned back so he could see her face. He brushed the tears off her cheeks as he tilted her head back. Slowly he lowered his lips to hers. A frisson of energy engulfed them as their mouths fused together in a deep kiss. Ki had never felt anything like it before. It was like the heat of the sun burning through her searing away doubts and fear and loneliness until all that was left was her and Rodney and the heat.

"Rodney," Teyla's soft voice broke them apart. "I am sorry. We must leave now."

Rodney rested his forehead on Kilaran's. "I know." He straightened up looking as devastated as Ki felt then, she could see the effort, he put his 'everything's beneath me' face on before turning and striding past Teyla.

They joined the others just as Neressa ported in. "Moric would like to see you Dr. Weir to apologize for last night and hopefully continue our negotiations."

"Oh he does?" Dr. Weir snarled. "You are going to have to tell him that we have declined his invitation. We are leaving."

"I can't let you do that before you speak to Moric." Neressa responded blandly.

"First you drug them and now you intend to hold them against their will?" Ki had entered the room quietly. "Perhaps you would be the perfect match of Tervas." She let the scorn color her tone. "But you aren't a match for me and my kitar. I and will not condone these actions." She reached her sister and stood eye-to-eye with her. "If they wish to leave, they will leave."

"How dare you defy your ruler!" Neressa hissed fury pulsing from her in waves.

Ki narrowed her eyes and let her anger and scorn buffet her sister. "Even he must follow the rules. What he does is against the very tenets we are to live by."

"He is trying to salvage our race."

"He is destroying our best chance! These people can not be intimidated into compliance. They must be convinced; won over." Get them through the Stargate. She sent to her kitar and they didn't hesitate, didn't question. They just disappeared taking the Atlantis team with them.

She held her sister incommunicado until they had time to dial the gate and start through then she released her and ported to the Gate. She arrived just in time to see Ronon go through backwards and the wormhole disengage.

"We are in big trouble." Chaz murmured.

"We've done the right thing." Teesa countered.

"Still in trouble." Myr replied softly. All Ki could do was nod numbly.

Moments later her father appeared in tana form his rage evident in the violent red and black streaks flickering through his sphere. He hung above them until they shifted uneasily then he switched forms striding toward Kilaran. Her kitar so certain that he meant to harm her that they shifted in front of her defensively. He stopped a few steps away from them raking them over with a baleful glare. "Think you know better than I, daughter? Defy me every time I turn around lately, will you? Tell me what I have to do?"

"Someone must." Ki shouted defiantly. "You are our ruler not our Lord and Master. We aren't mindless slaves to turn blind eyes to your actions. You are as accountable as anyone!"

"Enough!" He roared. He waved a hand at the Dialer and the Gate began to spin. "You say they need to be won over, to be convinced. Then convince them," the event horizon whooshed into existence, "and don't come back until you do."

A bevy of residence guards ported in as he spoke and gave a mental push shoving a shocked Kilaran and her kitar through the gate.