A/N:

Hey Hey! Sorry about the delay, I've been on vacation.

If you printed off and shook this chapter, I'm positive fluff would fall out of it! Hope to give you updates daily from now on! Keep those reviews coming in! Apologies for the CSI book title name for this chapter. I just read it and though it would suit this chapter.

Enjoy

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After travelling down many winding corridors John didn't even know existed in Atlantis, they reached a cell-like room neither had known about…until now. Graham unlocked the door in a way Elizabeth hadn't seen done before and shoved the two of them through the doorway, forcing them to break the contact between them and stand a few feet apart from each other. Turning to face them with a grin that could only be described as evil, he ushered them to the two metallic chairs placed in the middle of the room. After exchanging glances at his apparent pleasant behaviour, John and Elizabeth sat down facing opposite directions, their backs to one another. Graham pulled some old-fashioned duct tape from his non-regulation jacket pocket

"Original." John commented. Graham shot him a warning look and began to tie them both first at their feet, then binding their hands together too tight for comfort, but not so tight that their circulation was cut off.

Noticing this, Elizabeth decided she would risk speaking.

"You sick bastard… you don't want us to die before you get a chance to…" she didn't finish her sentence; the realization that the both of them might be dead soon struck her and had became too much to handle all in a matter of seconds.

"What makes you think I wanna kill you? Maybe I wanna do something else while I have you so…helpless." Hearing this, she felt John tense with anger. Graham leaned forward and tried to kiss her; but before he could get even an inch closer to her, she spat in his face, gritting her teeth. John smiled that's my girl he thought. Even when he was defenceless against her, he knew she could take care of herself. Graham's face changed from glee to anger as he raised his hand to strike her.

Before he'd begun to swing his hand, John stopped him.

"No! If you wanna take your anger out on someone, try me."

Graham hesitated, and then moved round to face John, not dropping his hand. The hit that was intended for Elizabeth was received by John, creating a bloody gash in his cheek due to the sliver ring he wore on his index finger. Elizabeth winced in pain for him, John however didn't show any signs of pain; instead he kept a straight, hateful expression, he still had his pride even if Graham didn't.

"Hope that taught you to keep you're trap shut pretty boy." He sniggered, and then made a quiet grunting sound as he headed for the door. He returned his regulation gun back to its holster on his side.

"Duty calls!" he said in a mock enthusiastic tone, and secured the door from the other side to go about his daily routine. Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief when he left them, knowing they were not in any immediate danger…for now anyway.

"Are you ok?" she delivered her question with urgency as she couldn't feel John moving.

"Yeah." He said in a gruff tone, and then decided to repeat her question, beginning to talk so as not to alarm her.

"What about you? You ok?" He felt her nod, though that wouldn't satisfy him.

"Let me hear your voice." He said, needing to know she was really ok.

"Yeah I just…" she stopped, beginning to sound defeated.

"What?" he asked with urgency, though in a caring voice.

"That was meant for me." She said regretfully, they both knew she was referring to the hit he took for her.

"Are you crazy? I would never let that son-of-a-bitch do as much as lay a finger on you, even if I'm tied up, you know I couldn't of let him do that to you…" He paused, "I love you too damn much to let him or anyone else hurt you."

His head lowered to face the floor, as if he was ashamed, and in some respects he was, in the sense of not being able to control the emotions he could feel rising.

Elizabeth twisted her hand to meet his and successfully linked their fingers, John squeezed her hand desperately. In the silence of the concrete room, she could hear quiet sobs which sounded like they were coming from… behind her. She turned her head as far round as she could, catching a glimpse of something that glistened under the overhead light as it descended slowly down Johns cheek.

She couldn't believe he was crying. She'd never seen him cry before, but this was not weak, it was a something she'd never experienced or seen in a man.

"John, sweetie why are you crying?" she asked in a soft, kind tone.

"I can't save you." He said so quietly she barely heard it.

"What d'you mean?" She asked, genuinely not knowing the reason behind this display of emotion.

He took a moment to find his words.

"When we first met…I promised myself I would never let anything bad happen to you. And now I…I got you into this…this-"

"Hey, stop that, please don't blame yourself for anything that bastard does, don't honour him by doing that." He nodded lifting his head to look at the roof of the chamber, the light showing the tears that welled in his eyes.

"Liz when…when he was gonna hit you I…I just…"

"Would you finish a sentence!" she interrupted jokingly, trying to lighten his mood. He laughed a little then sniffed.

"Sorry. It's just…I can't loose you." As he said this, he shook the horrifying thought from his mind. He swallowed hard. Now she knew the reason for John crying. He was crying because of his love for her.

John composed himself.

"I can honestly say that I have never cared about any woman, as much as I care about you. That's why I can't stand to be like this, not being able to touch you, or hold you…or kiss you." He took longer to say the end of his sentence, he was remembering the night before when he'd kissed her. He closed his eyes and smiled. When he opened them, he gently bit his bottom lip, he could still taste her. He closed his eyes again at the taste of her kiss. He let out a gentle laugh.

"You probably think I'm such a sissy right now." He laughed at himself, but Elizabeth wasn't laughing.

"I don't think you're a sissy. I admire a man who can cry." She said as a matter-of-factly.

"You do?" He asked.

"Yeah, well, in proportion of course, if you were a blubbering baby all the time you'd have to go." They both laughed, now beginning to relax in the so obviously abnormal situation. They had achieved this sense of comfort simply by being in each others company; that alone said a lot about their relationship.

"They'll find us, you know they will." John said confidently. Elizabeth rested her head back on John's right shoulder, her fingers playing with his, despite the restricting tape.

"I know." She said happily, denying the possibility of not being rescued, trying to stay positive. They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time.

"John,"

"What?" He said quietly, almost a whisper, looking down into her deep hazel eyes that were sparkling due to the light attached to the ceiling.

"I love you." Those the words managed to bring a smile to John's face every time he heard them.

Something warm gave him a little jolt in his stomach, like a spark. If his soul were a candle, John knew it had been ignited since the first time he saw Elizabeth. And that every time she said 'I love you', fuel was being added to the flame, a flame that would never be extinguished as long as he was alive.

"I love you more." He said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. He would have kissed her lips, but that was impossible because of the way he was tied to the chair. His hands, like Elizabeth's were bound behind him around the back of the chair, though they were still able to create some contact between them, it was all they could do to not think about how much they wanted to hold each other.

Despite their desperation, John continued to play with her hands, occasionally tickling her palms lightly in a loving notion.

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