MGM owns all characters except OCs.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and kind words about this story. We go AU from here. While I had the idea for what happened after the rescue for a long time, someone else put some of the ideas into a Tag last year, so my conscience requires me to point you to that. It's a Tunney POV called Questions by Avampyre. Check it out.

Thanks to dwparsnip for the beta. Sorry this took so long, but you should know I try to be a perfectionist with the story (not claiming perfection w/ the grammar BTW).

"What happened to her?" Tunney asked, looking panicked.

"She almost died," Rodney growled as he stood up with Jennifer in his arms.

"I can help you carry her, Doctor," one of the guards said. A second guard, who Rodney recognized as the receptionist, came up behind Tunney and moved toward them.

"I've got her," Rodney said coldly to the men. "Get some blankets and a change of clothes for her. She's soaked. And I need a phone. And somebody get the heat going."

"The furnace is broken, remember," Tunney said.

"Then smash some windows," Rodney barked. "We're in the desert. Hot air is pretty damned plentiful outside. Hey, give me your jacket. People are freezing to death and you're still wearing your coat."

"Why should I give it to you?"

"For Jennifer." Rodney really felt the urge to slug Tunney once again, but needed to get Jennifer warmed up first.

"Doctor Keller's bag is at the front desk," the snarky receptionist said. "Maybe she has…"

"Phone," Jennifer muttered.

"What?" Rodney stopped listening to the guards and Tunney discussing where to find blankets and a phone. He leaned his head closer to hers, resting on his shoulder.

"My phone and some clothes are in it," Jennifer said weakly.

It appeared that she was fading out of consciousness. Fear kicked in because he couldn't remember if you should let someone fall asleep when they were too cold or not. He didn't think so. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he then glared at the Kramer employees. "Get her bag, find me an office and smash out the windows. And, Malcolm, give me your damned jacket so I can wrap it around her legs."

Tunney seemed to respond to the anger in Rodney's voice and ripped off his jacket. Rodney lowered Jennifer to the floor once more.

"N-no," she whispered and grasped his shirt front weakly with her hands.

"I'm not leaving you," he reassured her as he took Tunney's coat and wrapped it around her. When he stood up, he addressed Tunney since the guards had left to carry out his orders. "Where's the closest office?"

Tunney seemed to be slow comprehending. "Um, there's a visitor office near the lab."

"Move," Rodney snapped. His old rival had a strange expression on his face as he looked at the physicist carrying the physician in his arms and for a moment McKay thought he saw jealousy passing over Tunney's face, but only for a moment. The pompous little jerk suddenly seemed to recall that he shut down the bridge and once again began to babble about how he filled in the holes in Rodney's program.

Jennifer heard voices, but only one registered after the guard mentioned her overnight bag. The pilots must have brought it in.

The feel of his strong arms around her and the thunderous beating of his heart under her hands warmed her far more than Tunney's jacket around her legs. Rodney was holding her in his arms and they were walking somewhere. She was quite content to remain snuggled against him, but knew she must be hurting his back. The number of times he complained of back pain was too numerous to count even when her brain wasn't fuzzy.

As soon as she had that thought, Rodney lowered her onto a couch, kissed her lips quickly and muttered that he'd be right back. The very cold woman leaned back against the arm of the sofa, wrapping her arms around her legs and drawing them up close. She opened her eyes to see Rodney holding up a chair near the window.

"You're not seriously going to…" Tunney's voice was drowned out by breaking glass.

"Bill me," Rodney replied angrily.

"Here's the bag, Doctor McKay," the receptionist said when he entered the room. "And we've found some blankets. I'm sorry but we don't have spare uniforms or stuff like that…"

"Fine," Rodney grabbed the bag, phone and blankets, heading back to Jennifer. "You need to get as many doors and windows open as you can. You also need to make sure no one leaves."

It was not surprising to Jennifer that Rodney took control and that the security guards actually listened to him. But the look of shock on Malcolm Tunney's face was priceless. A hint of a smile passed over Jennifer's face. That's right you little idiot, Rodney's a hero and commands attention from everyone.

"Of course, Doctor," the guard said. "I've had advanced first aid training. If I can help…"

"No, you can't," Rodney said as he wrapped a blanket around Jennifer, covering her wet hair and body. "I… Why don't you check on the other guy that got frozen earlier? And see if anyone else is trapped like Jennifer was."

"Of course," he said before he left.

"Walter. This is McKay," Rodney said once he heard Harriman's voice on the phone. "I need Landry immediately. We have a critical situation at this location. Please lock in on this cell signal."

Walter was talking to someone on the radio and mentioned getting Landry out of a meeting while Rodney shifted Jennifer to get a second blanket around her legs. He knelt down next to the sofa to get a better look at her face, which seemed a little less pale. Her brown eyes followed his hands as he reached for the bag to remove her clothing.

"It's a good thing you come prepared," he said smiling at the woman who loved him; he knew it was going to take some getting used to. Jennifer Keller loves me.

"I try," she said softly. "I'm still real cold and need to get out of these wet clothes."

"Right," Rodney said. "Let's…"

"Doctor McKay?" Landry's voice came over the cell phone.

Rodney reached to touch her shoulder then stood and looked around the room. When his blue eyes lasered in on Tunney looking lost, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Leave. Now."

"What? Why? I work here," he started.

"Here won't exist as soon as I'm done with this call," Rodney barked. "Now go and do something useful."

"Hey, I shut down the bridge," Malcolm whined as he back-pedaled out the door.

Rodney slammed the door shut. "Sorry, General, I need to make sure no one hears us. Give me a second."

The physicist looked up at the ceiling and Jennifer followed his eyes until she saw a familiar round camera. Even though the military was coming and going to confiscate everything and debrief everyone, Rodney was still being cautious.

The kidnapping of his sister had frightened him and Jennifer as well. Concern for her father had her sending messages to General O'Neill who assured her civilian family members were safe as long as certain protocols were followed. Jeannie was actually consulting for the SGC and it put her in a different situation.

A second smashing sound drew Jennifer back to the present. Rodney had climbed on the desk and knocked the camera out of the ceiling so it was dangling low enough for him to rip it off.

Once the scientist was satisfied they were not being overheard, he began to fill Landry in on the situation. Rodney returned and sat close enough to hug Jennifer to his chest while he spoke. Since he was capable of speaking faster than almost any human could think, he got through the download of who and what he needed in record time. "Tell Carter and Mitchell to ask for me when they get here," Rodney said as he reached for the bag he set on the floor.

Jennifer held her breath as he pulled the zipper back. The realization of what was in the bag beside the old MIT sweatshirt and jeans sent a wave of embarrassment through the modest girl from Chippewa Falls.

"Good. I'll be waiting for them and don't forget that Doctor Lam needs to get here first," Rodney said, staying his hand for a moment. "I want Jennifer removed to a medical facility as soon as possible. Have General O'Neill call me after you brief him."

Jennifer looked up and saw the stubborn set of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes. Her safety was more important to him than embarrassing Tunney and flaunting the fact that he was smarter than all of them. If I ever doubt his love in the future, I'll remember this day. A smile spread over her features and the fear that gripped her as she faded toward sleep subsided. Rodney won't let anything happen to me.

"Thank you," Rodney said. "McKay out."

Rodney looked down at the woman in his arms and saw her eyes drift shut. Afraid of letting her sleep, he moved to wake her only to have the phone ring.

"McKay," he said.

"This is O'Neill. I'd been listening in on Landry's call. What do you need?" Jack's voice said in his distinctive tone.

"I need Jennifer's father to be allowed to come to the SGC. I know you can make that happen," Rodney said. He realized please and other niceties might get him farther, but didn't have time to be something he wasn't, at least not at the moment. Once Jennifer was safe, he could imagine he'd be quite the happy, contented man with her for his wife someday.

"I'll bring him myself," Jack replied. "How bad is she?"

"She wasn't breathing and… she didn't have a pulse," Rodney could not keep the tremor out of his voice.

"Lam's on her way. Keep her warm," O'Neill said.

"Thank you, sir. For everything," Rodney replied.

Jack's snort could be heard over the phone. "She's rubbing off on you already I see. O'Neill out."

Rodney finally set down the phone and jostled the woman in his arms gently to awaken her. "Jennifer. Jennifer?" Her eyes fluttered open after hearing her name. The pale skin and unfocused eyes caused an ache in his chest and made him feel extremely protective of her. It was not something he was used to feeling.

He smiled and was thrilled to see her smile back. "The Apollo will be close enough to assist in twenty minutes. Never thought I'd be happy to see Ellis."

"How will they do that? Everyone will need to be cleared," Jennifer asked softly.

"We're close to Area 51. They'll go there and take choppers here. Should be on the ground with us within half an hour." Rodney was reaching past her and leaning slightly.

"You should get back out there," she said. He must be getting the bag. Once again she felt warmth flow through her at the realization of what he'd find.

"No, we need to you get into some warm… clothes." Rodney's voice trailed off as his hand emerged from the overnight bag with a piece of fabric that couldn't be considered warm unless one counted the affect it had on him. His eyes widened and heat that overshadowed that of the desert air flowing into the room coursed through his body. A black lace nightgown was crushed in his grip. "Um…"

"That was for tonight," Jennifer said, burying her face against his neck. "Or I hoped it would be."

"Tonight?" he squeaked. "What about tonight?"

"Considering I can barely keep my eyes open, I'll be sleeping in the SGC infirmary instead," she said from her position hiding against his body.

Jennifer wanted to wear this scrap of fabric this evening. With me? "Uh… I'm, I… Jennifer…"

"I'm sorry," Jennifer said, lifting her head to see his face. The wide-eyed, stunned expression was changing once their eyes met. She saw the light blue darken and a smug look set in.

Rodney's eyebrows rose and a smirk started to tug at the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure we can put it to use a little later."

"I hope so. Hate to think Mitchell made me buy it for nothing," she replied, holding back her laughter because it would hurt too much.

"Mitchell?" Rodney barked as the smirk disappeared. He moved off the couch to kneel next to her so he could remove his jacket from her. "What's he got to do with this?"

"He's the reason I bought it for you," she confessed. Turning to help him caused a flash of pain to cross her face.

"Jennifer, what is it? What hurts?" There were few expressions Rodney could think of on Jennifer's face that didn't look beautiful, but pain was one of them.

"My chest," she gasped, rubbing her hand over her sternum.

"Oh, Jennifer, I'm so sorry," Rodney said, gently wrapping his arms around her.

"Rodney, you saved me. There's nothing to be sorry about. I'll heal. It'll be painful for a few days," the physician said. The pain flashing over Rodney's face made her lean forward to kiss him briefly. "I love you."

Jennifer's intense tawny gaze weakened his anger with himself for hurting her during CPR. The words he'd never tire of hearing did the rest. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes while you explain what Mitchell has to do with the lingerie?"

Jennifer chuckled as Rodney finished removing the jacket and then wrapped the blanket back around her, his hands rubbing up and down her arms and back.

Okay, McKay, you can do this. Think about something else. Oh, yeah. "What's this about SG1's resident heart throb?"

"Resident heart throb?"

"That's what my female scientists and Teyla call him," Rodney said.

"Teyla?" Jennifer was surprised the Athosian would think like that.

"Teyla checks out all the guys who come to Atlantis, you know. She used to pick out a new Marine every time new ones rotated in and smiled sweetly at him while kicking his ass," Rodney chuckled. "Now no changing the subject."

Jennifer smiled weakly as Rodney dug out her other clothing, socks, jeans and a sweatshirt. She told him about her run in with Mitchell at the mall and the Colonel's shock at their date as well as her plan to put him in his place while the physicist arranged her clothing on the couch. "So I had to go through with entering Victoria's Secret. I never buy this kind of stuff, but felt empowered I guess. I wanted him to know I'm seriously attracted to you."

The physicist smiled smugly once again as he began peeling the blankets off from her. As the realization that he was going to be taking her clothing off hit him, he closed his eyes and started counting off Pi as far as he could.

"Rodney," she said softly. "I really need to get out of these wet clothes. I'm still really cold and… I can't feel my feet."

The physicist's eyes flew open as he looked toward her feet under the blanket. As a boy, he got lost in winter near White Horse where his great grandfather lived and almost had to have several toes removed from the frostbite.

"I lost feeling a long time ago. I didn't object to you carrying me because I didn't think I could walk."

"When I was little I had the same thing happen to me," he said as he moved the blanket to see her feet. They were very white and when he wrapped his hands around them, they felt like ice. "Can you feel that?" his voice wavered as he pushed the idea of Jennifer suffering more injury from this fiasco out of his mind.

Shaking her head slightly seemed to set Rodney into motion. He pushed the socks onto each foot and then wrapped his blanket around them. Moving behind her and pulling the blanket down, he unzipped her dress.

Stifling a groan when he discovered there was no bra under it, he grabbed the sweatshirt to push over her head. Then he helped her remove her arms from the dress eliciting a couple sharp intakes of breath the must have been from the injury she suffered from his chest compressions. Having no time to beat himself up, he pushed the dress down and then put her arms through the sleeves of the sweatshirt. Finally moving in front of her, he was forced to look at what he was doing.

Tugging the dress over her hips and trying not to touch her smooth skin too much was a difficult task. Seeing her black lace panties was almost his undoing. Constant reminders that she has to get warm and you need to help her went through his mind. It wasn't like he'd let another man assist her. No other man was ever going to see her without plenty of clothing on as long as he was around.

Jennifer was glad for the embarrassment of having to let Rodney undress her. It did bring a flush to her cheeks and increased her blood flow. His slightly calloused hands sliding her dress down her legs sent even more blood through her body.

When his hands moved to her hips while helping her get into the jeans, it made her entire body tingle and the feelings swirling through her lower abdomen pushed any fear of losing her toes to frostbite from her mind. Some day, very soon, we'll spend a great deal of time getting used to touching each other. A grin spread over her face as she pondered that notion a few minutes. "Thank you, Rodney."

"N-no problem." After undressing and dressing Jennifer, Rodney needed a cold shower. His reaction to her, given the fact that the room still felt like a meat locker, amazed him. Settling down on the couch, pulling Jennifer onto his lap and getting the blankets spread over her was a slow torture to his body, but he gladly bore it. I'm going to spend the rest of my life desiring Jennifer, so I better get used to it.

As the physician cuddled into his arms once again, pressing herself into him as much as physically possible, his mind pondered how he'd like to spend the rest of his life; with Jennifer by his side, facing all the trials life could throw their way. As Jennifer's breathing leveled out, he allowed himself a few minutes to imagine this was just a normal evening after a long day on Atlantis. His smile remained on his face as he rested it on her damp hair and his eyes drifted shut.

TBC

A/N: Thanks to my 'little sister' for her help. You know who you are ;-)