Chapter 13

Rodney downed another shot, spluttering and making a face as Ronon clapped him firmly on the back. When Jennifer threw him a look that unequivocally stated she wasn't going to be sympathetic when he woke up with a hangover he rolled his eyes at the unspoken allegation. "It's a party!"

"I'll remind you of that tomorrow." She shook her head at the antics but gave in as he wrapped a clumsy arm around her waist, leaning back despite the stench of booze that made her eyes water. At some point during the night Ronon had challenged her boyfriend to a drinking contest and managed to out-drink him at every opportunity, making her wonder exactly how many brain cells Rodney had lost in the process. "You realize he's at least twice your size?"

"Three times." The Satedan interjected, throwing a smug smile their way.

Rodney snorted at the comment and nodded towards the couch where Sheppard had passed out. "At least I'm doing better than sleeping beauty over there."

"Aye, poor man seemed exhausted." Carson followed McKay's gaze to where the Colonel was sleeping, his brows furrowing together in concern. It wasn't like to the lad to miss out on a party and he wondered if there was any sense in trying to order the man to bed. Knowing the man's notorious stubbornness, probably not.

"Didn't sleep much while we were gone." Ronon brought his drink up, spilling its contents when Teyla elbowed him sharply in the ribs and he grunted in protest shrugging off the glare she shot him in.

"I'm sure Colonel Sheppard would prefer we did not discuss his sleeping habits." Even though they were in the company of friends she didn't know how many of them had pieced together what was going on between John and Elizabeth and out of respect she didn't think it was appropriate to openly speculate.

Ronon clearly didn't have the same sense of tact. "Where is Weir anyway?"

Teyla resisted the urge to roll her eyes not sure if he was being purposely annoying or if it was the alcohol causing his loose tongue. Either way it didn't matter, the slip seemed to go unnoticed and she shook her head breathing out a sigh, "Elizabeth is out getting some air, perhaps you should join her?"

"Nah think I'll pass." He downed the the last of his drink, waving the cup as he dared McKay to another round. "Think you can handle it?" A smirk tugged his lips as he watched the scientist puff his chest at the taunt.

Jennifer barely had time to steady herself as Rodney disappeared but the enthusiasm brought a smile to her face. It wasn't the smartest way to blow off steam but they'd all had been dealing with an up-haul of emotions since Elizabeth's return and she glanced at John knowing Rodney wasn't the only one struggling to deal with residual guilt. "Think we should wake him?"

"I believe so." Teyla inclined her head, excusing herself from the small group to take on the task. They were all accustomed to sleeping where and when time permitted and she knelt down aware it wouldn't take much to rouse him. "John?"

He snapped awake, breathing in sharply as his gaze fell to the women beside him. She was smiling warmly and it took him a moment to get his bearings, his face flushing with embarrassment when he realized he must have fallen asleep. "I was ah, just resting my eyes."

Her lips curved gently. "Of course."

The tact was appreciated and he sat up a little straighter, his gaze instinctively drawn to the other side of the room where McKay and Ronon were doing shots. It was something he definitely hadn't been expecting and he rubbed his eyes doing a double take. "I'm not seeing things right, that's actually happening?"

Teyla glanced over her shoulder and shook her head as Ronon loudly encouraged the scientist to take another drink. It was hardly a fair competition but they were both grown men capable of making their own decisions and she turned her attention back to John with a smirk. "Unfortunately yes, though I feel they may both come to regret it tomorrow morning."

He nodded in agreement scrubbing his face to shake the lingering tiredness. It had to be close to midnight and his eyes scanned the remaining occupants noting an obvious absence that pulled his lips into a confused frown. "Where's Elizabeth?"

His voice was groggy and she brushed his arm reassuringly as she rose to full height. Even though Elizabeth had told her not to worry she felt better knowing John would most likely want to check up on her. "Outside getting some air... however I'm sure she would appreciate some company."

The hint was subtle prompting him to force a smile as he pushed himself up. She'd always been able to read his concern and his gaze quickly washed back over the commotion in the corner. "Will you be okay with those two?"

"I will see to it they get to bed safely." She gave him a knowing wink, having dealt with Ronon when he was in a far worse state. At least this time there was a limited supply of alcohol though she was fairly certain the game would end with Rodney either giving up or passing out. At the rate they were going it was more likely to be the latter.

John patted her shoulder in thanks, lifting the hand to mock salute his senior medical staff members. No doubt they'd have something to say about getting more sleep but it was a conversation to refute tomorrow and he quietly slipped from the room, his feet leading him up towards the the balcony in search of Elizabeth.

-X-

-X-

Elizabeth stared out at the horizon watching clouds form under the dark night sky. She'd noticed the days getting shorter, signalling the end of the warmer weather and she gave an involuntary shiver as the door whooshed open and John's voice sounded behind her.

"Looks like McKay might be right about that storm."

"Is he ever wrong?" She asked, her gaze still focused on the waves crashing and rolling in the distance. The sea had become more choppy, stirring hesitant memories and she breathed out slowly letting go of the need to recall them.

"Definitely... well, sometimes... at least four out of ten times." He stepped out onto the balcony and the breeze felt cool against his flushed skin, countering the effects of the local moonshine. He hadn't had that much to drink but the stuff was clearly potent and he brushed his cheek feeling a little light headed as he closed the distance between them.

She turned her head, smiling up at his mop of unruly hair. "Not tired huh?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," he cleared his throat trying to hide his embarrassment, "guess it all just caught up with me."

She didn't blame him for falling asleep. He had to be exhausted and she let go of the rail leaning back so she could study the lines betraying his tiredness. She knew it wasn't just the mission that had worn him out, he'd been going above and beyond defending her to the IOA and her lips curved graciously at the lengths he'd gone to. "You never mentioned the proposal?"

He buried his hands in his pockets, casting his eyes out over the ocean. He'd been expecting her to ask but still wasn't entirely sure what to say, he'd just been doing his job. The fact it had panned out had been down to people with a lot more jurisdiction than himself, including Homeland Security. "I didn't want to say anything until it went through, just in case... but I... I'm glad you said yes."

She ducked her head hoping he wouldn't notice the warmth spreading over her cheeks. In the end it hadn't been a hard decision, the only difficult part had been waiting for him to return so she could tell him. "You know, I was kind of expecting you to come back wearing a bow and arrow."

He scoffed at the image, the reality of the sport not exactly what he'd been expecting. It had become apparent fairly early on that patience was a key requirement; unfortunately he didn't deal so well enduring boredom. "You should come with us next time."

She cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion. Understanding the need to kill for food was a lot different to staring at a furry face about to become dinner and until it was necessary for survival she was more than happy living off the rations in Atlantis. "I'm a pacifist remember?"

"Well, you wouldn't have to hunt-" he suggested thinking up alternatives, "there's nice long hikes, camping by the fire, stargazing." She shot him an amused look and he cleared his throat realizing it had started to sound more like he was describing a couples retreat. "Anyway..." he stretched against the rail quickly changing the subject, "how were things here while we were gone?"

"Well nobody attacked us, the city didn't sink and as far as I know Rodney didn't blow up any more solar systems." She expected him to react to the joke but he tensed hesitantly and her brows drew together at sudden the shift. It felt like a complete one-eighty and she was surprised when his voice came out sounding a little strained.

"I wasn't asking about McKay..." he swallowed his awkwardness to hint at the obvious, "I meant, were you okay?"

Her mouth formed a slight o-shape and she breathed in finding it difficult to answer. Physically she'd been fine but emotionally she'd struggled with the fact his absence had left her feeling vulnerable. It was an issue she needed to address on her own and the truth felt too raw to admit even with the buzz of alcohol urging it closer to her lips. Instead she responded with a gentle shrug of her shoulders, "never better."

A sigh pulled from his lips, pushing up against the invisible barrier that rested heavily between them. By most definitions a week wasn't a long time but the fact she was lying made him conscious of the transition that had taken place and his resolve not to let it interfere. She had, and would always be, his equal no matter what it said on a piece of paper somewhere. "You're still allowed to talk to me you know."

She inclined her head towards him testing a small smile,"you think it's that simple?"

"If we want it to be." He glanced across at her trying to uncomplicate the situation. There was no reason why anything had to change. They were friends and they shouldn't have to take a step back just for appearances sake. He didn't want that and a note of humor edged into his tone as he held her gaze, "I'm in charge so technically I get to make the rules."

A sound that could have almost been a laugh caught in her throat and she relaxed slightly, extending her arms to mimic his position. It had gotten colder but she ignored the wind, wrestling with the truth instead. "It's nothing really, I haven't been sleeping well that's all."

He nodded trying to gauge how far to push her. They were both tired but that wasn't a reason to run, if anything it was even more reason to address the silence between them. He'd barely slept at all the last few days and the reason had nothing to do with uncomfortable camping beds. "I had the same problem-" he bit the inside of his cheek as the admittance fell free, "couldn't shake the feeling something was missing."

She swallowed roughly, almost too scared to engage the comment. It didn't matter if he felt the same pull between them, given the circumstances it wasn't appropriate to read into it and she raised an eyebrow trying to steer him away from saying something they'd both regret. "Forget to pack a turkey sandwich, huh?"

He ducked his head as the first few droplets of rain fell, palming the rail thoughtfully. He didn't want to ignore what was happening between them but knew he was close to admitting more than he should and maybe she was right, maybe going there when they were both tired and a little drunk was a mistake. "Yeah..." he breathed out softly, "something like that."

An awkward silence fell between them and she held herself tightly wondering if they'd been kidding themselves thinking it could be simple. Easy perhaps, but that only made it more dangerous and she internally debated with herself before reaching down to skim her hand over his knuckles. It was meant to be a brief touch, to show she would always care, but the warmth ignited a spark and she locked their fingers together over the rail with a hesitant sigh; so much for being easy.

He froze at the contact, not sure how to read the signal, until the cold feel of her skin broke through the fog clouding his brain. Her fingers were frozen and he withdrew his hand changing their positions so his back was shielding her against the wind. "We should head inside, you're freezing."

"I'm fine." Stubbornness answered for her and she warmed under his gaze, the heat contrasting the needling pain stinging her arms. He was right as she was about to concede when he started shrugging out of his jacket. "John really, you don't need to-"

"Humor me." He pulled it off, wrapping it around her shoulders and drawing it to a tight close over her chest. She made no attempt to take hold of it, didn't so much as move a muscle except to breathe and their sudden proximity slammed him harder than the icy wind drumming into his back. Heat flushed the front of his body as he watched their breaths entangle, the white clouds mixing together in the cold and he swallowed roughly at the teasing distance between them. "Elizabeth, I-"

A loud roar of thunder boomed overhead and she let out a gasp as sheets of freezing cold rain opened up above them them. It felt like knives splintering her skin and he instinctively grabbed her hand, regret aching in his chest as dragged them out of the downpour and into the safety of the control room.

"Guess Rodney was right," he grumbled, wiping the water from his face as he shook himself off. Of course the scientist had been right. There wasn't anyone in the universe -Pegasus or otherwise- with worse timing than McKay and he bit back a frustrated sigh as he brushed the droplets of rain from his hair. "You should get changed... I'm going to stay, make sure this thing isn't going to go south."

She nodded shivering slightly as she peeled off his jacket. Something about the comment made her wary, stirring a hazy memory of Atlantis enduring brutal weather before but the images were vague and hard to place. She couldn't quite reach them and shrugged off the uneasy feeling as she handed back the item of clothing.

It would pass; just like the storm would.

-X-