Into the Woods
By Ellex
Chapter Seven: Why You Do What You Do
"What did you do to him?"
Sheppard looked up from his contemplation of his P-90 to meet Serena's wondering gaze. There was no accusation in her tone, but he interpreted it as one.
"Do to him? What do you mean, 'do to him'?" He felt a sudden flare of panic. Had McKay told her…
"He's not the man who stepped through the Stargate from Earth. I've known Rodney for a long time, and this is totally unlike him. He's always been the last person to volunteer to do anything dangerous. He's changed. And I've noticed the way he looks at you. So I'm asking – what did you do to him?"
Teyla answered while John was stuck on 'the way he looks at you'. "Doctor McKay has changed since I met him. I believe his experiences since leaving Earth have matured him, and that is not Major Sheppard's doing." She turned to face John. "But of late, there is some tension between the two of you, and that has made a further change. I do not wish to pry, but I fear it may affect us as a team. Major, did you and the Doctor have a disagreement?"
"No!" He knew his reply was too fast, too vehement, and looked away from the searching gazes of the women.
Damn them! he thought. Trust a woman to be nosy…
That wasn't fair and he knew it, as well as he knew that the growing antipathy between himself and the snarky scientist was affecting his judgment.
"What about you two?" he flung at Serena. The best defense was a good offense, he thought smugly, even though he realized it was only a delaying tactic. "What's with the – the singing, and the in-jokes, and the pet names, huh? I know you're more than 'just good friends'!"
For a moment Serena just sat there, mouth hanging open in surprise.
"We're just good friends now," she said slowly. "But we used to be more than that. We used to be married."
TBC