Author's Note: First of all, let me apologize for not posting yesterday. I started this new job from home, and my schedule has been a bit weird. I'm hoping it won't happen again! As always, hope you enjoy! ~lg

oOo

The next few days on Atlantis passed in something of a blur. The command staff scrambled to figure out if Ford or remnants of Michael's regime were responsible for the Genii intelligence problem, and Sheppard's team spent more time in the field than in the city. Elizabeth remembered days like that, her mind going to the different crises she'd faced with the Expedition. This time, however, she was relegated to the sidelines. Her job with the linguistics department, specifically with translating the Ancient database, didn't give her the privilege of being included in the decisions now facing Woolsey and Sheppard. Daniel, however, kept her informed of their decisions. He seemed to take it on himself to ensure that she knew everything that happened. He instinctively understood that anything that could lead to the location of Aiden Ford, even as unlikely as it might be, would be of great interest to Elizabeth.

With all of this on her mind, she barely noticed the awkwardness in the archaeology and linguistics departments. In the back of her mind, she realized that people kept her at arm's length, never stood next to her, never let her close to them, and generally eyed her with suspicion. Or so it felt. She longed for the days when she was comfortable enough to crash on Daniel's couch or to sit next to him and just feel the warmth of his presence. Somehow, in the chaos, she realized that Daniel meant a lot more to her than a colleague or even a friend should mean. She found herself following his progress anytime he rushed through the labs, enjoying the way his long stride carried him about without making it seem like he was running. He often had his head in files or some such thing and, after several embarrassing and hilarious encounters with others, his staff learned to watch for him rather than the other way around.

The first reference in the Ancient database actually slipped past Elizabeth. She'd been skimming the section that described the various aliens that the Lanteans had encountered. She split her time between that and the technology section, hoping to find something that would help Rodney or Sheppard in their efforts to defend the city. The second reference, however, was rather obvious, and she sat up straighter. Blinking at the screen, she re-read the section, her heart rate rising as she did so. Then, she glanced around and realized that Daniel was in his office.

Marking her place, she stood and hurried to his door. Knocking on the glass, she smiled when he glanced up distractedly. "I found something."

Those words cleared the confusion from his face. He grabbed his glasses, slipped them on, and followed her to her work station. "What is it?"

"I think it's the Soura." Elizabeth smiled at him, the thrill of discovery eclipsing every concern over proper behavior while on duty. She slid into her chair and pulled up the section of text. "It makes a vague reference to an extremely advanced race from the Omega Centauri galaxy, but this is where I started paying attention."

Rather than just listening, Daniel walked around the table and, with his eyes completely focused on her computer screen, placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on her desk. Elizabeth sat still, trying to keep her mind on her work but unable to focus on anything save his nearness and the tantalizing fragrance of his aftershave. Daniel obviously didn't realize the effect of his actions as he read the passage Elizabeth had found. She pulled her eyes away from his jawline and stared at the screen, but she couldn't think about anything save that he truly wasn't afraid of her. The others in the department shied away from her, but he hadn't even given a thought to what she used to be. All that mattered was what she was now.

He spoke before she'd succeeded in bringing her mind back to the topic at hand. "This is good!"

Elizabeth blinked and floundered for a moment. When she caught up to him, he had moved slightly away, still bent close but not so close, and was smiling into her eyes. She raised an eyebrow. "If I'm reading this correctly, the Soura are a race of intergalactic travelers who seek out new and advanced technologies. According to this, they actually offer their technology to other races they deem deserving."

"Which would explain why they plucked you out of space." Daniel shrugged. "They'd see the nanite technology—not to mention what you might know—as helpful."

Elizabeth abruptly yanked her attention from his appearance and back to the topic at hand. "As far as I know, they didn't learn anything from us." She shuddered. "Can you imagine if they learned nanite technology and let it loose in their galaxy?"

Daniel nodded, his face sober. "How much do you remember of your time with the Soura?" He hitched one hip onto the top of her desk and met her eyes.

"Not much, admittedly." She shook her head. "I remember waking up and being warm for the first time in a long time. And something going through my head. But even that's a vague recollection. My main memory of them is a voice telling us that they learned nothing and had left us where we could live. And then. . . ."

"They left." Daniel motioned to the computer. "Get a report together on what the Ancient database has to say about the Soura. I'll take it to Mr. Woolsey."

Elizabeth shared a sad smile with him and watched him walk away. She enjoyed his closeness way too much, and now she hoped she'd be able to pretend to be just friends. Somehow, she wasn't sure that was possible anymore, at least not on her part. Daniel's feelings remained a mystery.

Putting aside her thoughts, Elizabeth turned her focus to the Ancient database and the report that Daniel wanted. It was her job, now, and she wanted to prove that she could be a valuable member of this Expedition. Besides, finding the alien race who gave her life back to her was a huge priority. It could mean several things, not the least of which was a powerful ally for Atlantis. She pulled every bit of information on the Soura from the database and set about organizing it. Late afternoon had arrived before she began to physically type her report, but she had finally found the focus she needed to get the job done.

Three hours later, a comprehensive report in her hand, Elizabeth stood and stretched her back muscles. Most of her colleagues had already headed off duty for the day, leaving the labs empty and quiet. One other tech remained, working on something that had fascinated the man since his arrival early that morning. And Daniel. With the report finished, Elizabeth's mind latched on to its previous thoughts about Daniel and wouldn't let her just walk into his office. Instead, she hesitated, studying him through the windows.

He looked so natural here, as if he'd always been meant to live in Atlantis. She knew this represented the culmination of a life's work, and she wondered how he reconciled achieving such a lofty goal as living and working in the City of the Ancients with the natural human need to find more far-reaching goals. Daniel's ability to fight against anything, to stand up to anyone and to openly defy those he considered evil or immoral had always impressed her. Now, she saw something more than just that. Now, she realized that Daniel would always find a mission, a reason for living beyond himself. It made him the man he'd become, and it would continue to shape him. He suddenly became even more attractive to her.

Once again yanking her mind away from those oh-so-tempting yet dangerous thoughts, Elizabeth forced herself to walk to his office and knock on the glass near the door. He glanced up and welcomed her with a smile. She handed the report to him. "That's everything I could find."

Rather than laying it aside, he turned it and opened the first page. "Thanks." His eyes skimmed the page, and he glanced at her. "This is great. I'll take it to Mr. Woolsey and see if he wants to start looking for the Soura."

Elizabeth nodded. "Let me know."

"I will."

Not quite ready to spend time with him after her sudden attack of nerves and the overwhelming attraction she'd felt earlier that day, Elizabeth said goodnight and headed for her quarters. She didn't even get dinner, choosing to drop into her couch and run her fingers through her hair.

She had no business falling for with her boss. Problem was, she didn't seem able to stop it.

oOo

Daniel heard Elizabeth leave and glanced up as she turned and gave him a half-hearted wave. Something had happened today, something he wasn't quite certain he understood. She'd frozen when he came around her desk to look over her shoulder, and Daniel wondered if he'd somehow violated a personal rule that she'd always had. The incident left him a bit distracted throughout the day, and he'd forced himself to keep his eyes on his own work and away from her.

But the truth crept into his mind, anyway. He cared about Elizabeth more than he cared about any other woman in Atlantis. He couldn't say he loved her, not yet, but he knew himself. The last time he'd felt this level of attraction for a woman, he'd spent two years after her kidnapping trying to find her. Turning to Sha're's picture, he allowed himself to stare at his wife and consider the ramifications if he let his heart lead the way.

He had not loved Sha're when they first got married. An ironic grin turned the corners of his lips upward. He hadn't even realized he was married at that time. But his year on Abydos had showed him that he was not the type to blithely fall for a woman and then leave her when the good feelings ran out. He was the marrying kind, as Jack had once put it shortly after his return from Abydos. Daniel agreed. The happiest year of his life—the year of his life that would always seem golden when he looked back on it—was the year he spent on Abydos with Sha're. Even after she'd been kidnapped by Apophis and taken by Amaunet, Daniel had stayed faithful to her. Her death had ripped a hole in his heart that had yet to be filled.

But something had changed in the last two weeks. Daniel had spent time on Behar's world, a place that brought Sha're and the year on Abydos to mind so often that it was no longer heartbreaking. Behar's planet felt more like home, like the place that Daniel had loved and lost. Finding Elizabeth, helping her return to Atlantis, showing her that she could become a productive member of the Atlantis Expedition and that her past didn't matter. . . .All of that had distracted him to what had really happened. The hole that Sha're's death had left in his life was shrinking, and he wasn't blind to who had filled it.

Not wanting to think about his relationship with Elizabeth when he couldn't even say what he'd done to upset her, Daniel tucked her report under his arm, locked his office, and headed for the mess hall. He vaguely hoped that Elizabeth would be waiting for him and would share her findings about the Soura. But he only found Sheppard's team, exhausted from another day-long mission to do an intensive sweep of the areas around the compromised Genii safe houses. It was tedious work for Atlantis's premiere team, yet Woolsey trusted no other team to do it. Outside of the Coalition of Planets, the Genii were the only other empire in the Pegasus galaxy capable of putting up a decent fight against the Wraith. That demanded a level of respect in spite of the tensions that permeated their meetings.

Settling in a back corner, Daniel tucked into his evening meal and opened Elizabeth's report. She'd done an excellent job of concisely explaining what the database said about the Soura, what the Ancients had known about them, and what they might have to offer. Toward the end, she also outlined her own reasons for looking for the Soura, explaining what little she remembered of her time with them. Daniel read this portion several times, hearing Elizabeth's voice in his head as she lobbied for permission to search for the elusive alien race. He stared at the page long after he stopped reading, imagining how much it must chafe to have been in command once and now be the one taking orders. Perhaps that was what had unsettled her.

Realizing he wasn't getting much more done tonight, Daniel emptied his tray and slowly walked to his quarters. He'd been working late the last few nights, and he figured he could rest and present Elizabeth's request in the staff briefing the next morning. Until then, he decided to let Elizabeth work out whatever had upset her, determining to speak with her the next evening if the issue wasn't resolved. His mind made up, he took a long shower and then collapsed into bed, sleeping peacefully for the first time in a while.

oOo

Elizabeth tried to be patient, but Daniel's daily briefing with the command staff went long the next morning. She sat at her work station, her eyes on the small clock on the screen as she forced herself time and time again to read the words instead of staring at them. It still unsettled her how easily she could understand almost every known dialect of Ancient as well as a few other languages native to Pegasus, but she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Diem had remembered much more of the Replicator knowledge than any of them, but all of her former Replicator compatriots had retained a bit of their knowledge. Lia had likely torn into the power source for the Sanctuary by now, determined how it worked, and built a new one for when that power source ran out. Other members of their number recalled information on chemistry, physics, and a hodgepodge of subjects.

When Daniel did finally arrive, he barely glanced at anyone before heading to his office. The unfocused, slightly glazed expression on his face told Elizabeth that now would not be a good time to bug him. She was understandably anxious, but she pulled her years of experience with delicate negotiations to the fore and turned her attention to her work.

The day ended before Daniel came out of his office. Elizabeth regretfully saved her work and left, getting a meal from the mess hall and then taking it to her room. The open stares had finally stopped, and the Expedition seemed to have grown comfortable with her presence there. She missed Teyla but understood that the other woman's time with her son was more precious right now, especially with the daily trips through the gate to investigate the Genii problems.

Closing her eyes as she once again thought about her reaction to Daniel yesterday, Elizabeth wished she could speak with someone—anyone—about her feelings for him. It had been so long since she'd received kindness from any man that she worried about falling for the first one who showed any level of compassion. But Daniel's eyes always lit up when he saw her and how he always had a welcoming smile and soft word that helped calm her emotions. Was she reading too much into it, or did he truly care as more than just a friend?

A soft growl escaped as Elizabeth walked over to the window and looked out. The sun was still high in the sky, but a soft yellow glow had settled across Atlantis. It brightened her room, making her think of springtime back on Earth. Windows glittered, and the waves lapped at the sides of the city.

An entry request pulled her from her thoughts. Elizabeth walked to the door and opened it, blinking when she saw Daniel standing on the other side. He had his hands in his pockets and had been studying his boots, but he looked up suddenly. "Um. . .I hope you don't mind if I dropped by?"

"Of course not." She stepped away from the door. "Come in."

He moved into her room, glancing behind him as the door closed and then studying her quarters with interest. Elizabeth wished she had more to show for her time in Atlantis, but she hadn't invested anything into decorating beyond moving a few pieces of furniture around.

Daniel turned back to her, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. "I just got a call from Mr. Woolsey. He looked over your report on the Soura."

"And?"

His smile finally escaped. "He agrees with you about them, and he approved a search for them to begin immediately. The situation with the Genii will take priority, but we're allowed to put time and resources behind locating the Soura and learning more about them."

Elizabeth let out the breath she'd been holding and moved to her window. She had never understood how edgy waiting for approval felt until now, and she allowed herself to feel the genuine relief and excitement the news brought. Daniel moved to her side, and she turned to find him close enough to touch without moving very far. "So, what now?"

He met her eyes. "I don't know. It's your discovery in the Ancient database, so it's your search."

Elizabeth stared at him. The soft expression on his face, the way he smiled, and his blue eyes all told her that he waited for her to understand what he'd offered. "You want me to head this up?"

"Who better to look for them than someone they've already helped?" He shrugged. "You'll have the backing of the entire department as well."

"Daniel, I don't. . . ." She drew in a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you."

His smile changed and became much more personal. "You're welcome, Elizabeth."

She held his gaze for a long moment, her previous questions about her feelings for him forgotten due to his nearness. He seemed to dare her to do something, though she couldn't understand what sparked behind those blue eyes. Still, in direct response to that expression, she moved quickly and kissed him.

She felt him stiffen the moment her lips touched his and realized she must have made a mistake. Pulling away a second later, she covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry." She dropped her hands onto his shoulders and then lifted them immediately as if burned. "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have. . . ."

He stopped her rambling with a gentle finger on her lips. Elizabeth waited for what he had to say and was startled when he simply cupped her cheek with the same hand and, almost as quickly as she'd done, kissed her. For a long moment, the world stopped moving as they stood in front of the window. The kiss wasn't long, nor was it especially intense. Elizabeth felt Daniel's left hand come to rest on her hip as he threaded the tips of the fingers on his right hand through her hair. But something very profound happened. By the time he pulled away a few moments later, he'd left her almost breathless and unable to think beyond the utter surprise of the moment.

Daniel gently rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. "Don't apologize."

She nodded and broke eye contact, realizing that she'd curled her fingers into the front of his shirt and hadn't even realized it. Another long moment passed during which she just enjoyed his nearness, and then he stepped back. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he cleared his throat. "So, dinner?"

Elizabeth smiled, resisting the urge to lick her lips. "Dinner sounds good."

Content for the moment and completely distracted from her new responsibilities to find the Soura, Elizabeth led him from her quarters and smiled again when she felt his hand rest momentarily on her lower back. So, Daniel did care a lot more than she thought he did. She quirked an eyebrow at nothing. Only time would tell if this was a temporary lapse in his judgment or if he truly intended to follow through with what had happened between the two of them. Either way, she would always cherish these few moments and the relationship—friendship or otherwise—between them.

oOo

Daniel followed Elizabeth from her quarters, letting his hand rest on her back as they stepped through the door. Her kiss had surprised him, and he'd reacted almost instinctively by stiffening. But, as she pulled back and started apologizing, something else stirred. He wanted to know if it was his history with other women that made him stiffen or if he wasn't ready to truly let Sha're go just yet. So, he'd stopped her rambling apology and kissed her.

Now, he struggled to keep his mind on the reason he'd come to see her in the first place: the Soura. Instead, he wanted to drag Elizabeth into an abandoned, quiet corner and kiss her again, with the intensity he felt. He had absolutely no intention of following through with that idea, wanting her to be certain of their relationship first. But he saw the uncertainty cross her face as they turned toward the mess hall and knew he should reassure her. Shoving his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't do something he regretted, he stepped close to her, lowering his voice so that those around him couldn't hear what he said. "We're not done discussing what happened back there."

She glanced up at him suddenly, stopping in the middle of the corridor. Daniel dropped every mask he wore around her, allowing her to see what he felt and to realize that he knew things had changed between them. She lowered her eyes. "Daniel, what happened back there. . . ." She shook her head. "What about the department?"

"What about it?" He waited until she looked at him again. "Elizabeth, both of us have spent so much time together anyway that half of the gossip on the grapevine is about us. Trust me, I've heard it. So, shouldn't we give them something to talk about instead of making up wilder and wilder stories about us?"

That eyebrow of hers climbed a few centimeters, and a mischievous expression she must have learned from Sheppard crossed her face. "Why, Dr. Jackson, I like the way you think."

Daniel chuckled at that. "Thank you, Dr. Weir. Now, let's go get some dinner." Before I really do something I'll regret, he added silently. The flirting had done nothing for his desire to kiss her properly, but he decided that would wait. Still, for the first time in years, he set aside the mantle of a widower and just enjoyed being with a woman who drew him more than any other had in recent years.

~TBC