Rodney McKay was not known for being the easiest person to get along with on Atlantis. Many people found Major John Sheppard to be laid-back, happy-go-lucky, and genuinely pleasant to be around. And Elizabeth Weir, well, she was another story altogether. It wasn't hard to see why some of the Athosian men drooled when she walked into the room.
It also wasn't hard to see how much that annoyed the good Dr. McKay. Some people believed he was protective of her; in a brotherly sort of way, of course. Most people saw the annoyance for what it truly was. Even the cantankerous Rodney couldn't keep his soft side from showing through when Elizabeth showed up in the doorway.
Which is exactly why he tried to become slightly distant whenever she showed that she cared for him; it hurt too much. He knew she had left someone back on Earth and that she was his boss. Above all, he couldn't be sure that she felt the same way. Rodney McKay would never expose himself to be a fool.
Nevertheless, he had done small things: leaving her small, (not mushy, of course), notes on Valentines Day, and dropping slight hints to John knowing full well that if John knew, the whole of Atlantis would know within the hour.
As they walked into the mess hall together, his stomach grumbling and his heart doing gymnastics; they had their usual wall of banter up.
"I told you, the power relay is less than it normally is. While you might not find this disturbing, I do. It's unusual, and yes, this place is not at all usual, still…"
"Ah, Rodney, being your usual pain in the- "John began.
"Gentlemen, can we keep the morning bickering to a minimum for once. Thank you. Now, why is this power relay thing a problem?" Elizabeth stepped in diplomatically.
"Ah, yes, well, Zelenka has the actual stats, but, this mean that either the interfaces are not functioning properly, which is still a problem, but, yes?" he asked, annoyed at the distraction of Carson Beckett standing expectantly at their elbows.
"Remember, when ya git back from M3X-115, come an' see me. Sorry fir interruptin' Rodney, Dr. Weir." The Scot took his food and went to sit down with SGA-1.
Meanwhile, John, Lt. Ford and Teyla were taking bets.
"Yeah, Carson, what do you think? How long before McKay breaks and tells her? We've got, let's see, 3weeks, a couple of months, as soon as we get back from the mission… What can I put ya down for?"
"Well," the doctor said, sighing, "I say somewhere between, when ya git back and 2 weeks afterwards." He said, digging into his food.
"….And, like I was saying, this isn't good!" Rodney said, slightly breathless at his long and passionate explanation.
'God, he's got good eyes. And those lips… Wait, oh, my god, am I thinking about Rodney McKay?' was all Elizabeth could think, so she made a non-committal noise.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" he asked, mouth full of food, not noticing her hesitation.
Um, Rodney, in case you haven't noticed, you are the scientist, not me. See what you can come up with when you get back." She replied, hoping no one else noticed her
"Yeah, we're done. Let's go get our gear. Meet ya there, Rodney. Come on Carson, we have lots to talk about." John replied, trying and failing to suppress his cocky grin. Whispering to the doctor, he said, "I think you might win." throwing the Scot a wink.
"What was that all about?" Elizabeth questioned, giving Rodney the eyebrow.
"No idea. Well, I better get going. Er.." he hesitated.
"Yes?"
"Uh…Nothing. See ya when I get back."
"See ya Rodney. Come back in one piece. Carson will have a fit if you come back like you did from M77-185. Remember that, hmm?"
"Got it, no dying and/or being seriously maimed. Bye."
'Ahhh!' Rodney screamed inside, 'Why did you chicken out? You coulda done it then. It's not that hard, I love you, Liz, that's all you have to say!'
xoxo
She watched him leave, bemused at his flustered explanation and hasty withdrawal. They had become very close; ever since he had stood in front of Kolya's gun for her she had felt something for him. At first, she had classified it as gratitude. She would not dare to let her mind find what it really was.
Dr. Kavanagh sidled up to her,
"Dr. Weir," he began, haughtily, "I know something about the drop in power relays. I was studying the data and-" he was cut off with a look from Elizabeth and a raised hand.
"You were studying the data? The data that was restricted to Dr. McKay, Zelenka, and a select few other scientists?" she asked, deliberately
"Yes." He looked annoyed at being caught, "I asked one of the scientists and he said ok."
"Wait," she put in, "This person said it was ok without asking me first? Who was it?"
Kavanagh knew he was caught.
"Dr. Watson." He said sulkily, "He was looking at the data, I asked and he said yes. Happy?" he stalked off huffily.
Considering the fact that everybody knew Kavanagh hated Elizabeth and had seen them argue a lot, that was a pretty tame argument. With the two of them, it may not have been considered a real argument. People speculated that he had a "thing" for her, but didn't like her undermining his power.
Elizabeth went back to daydreaming.
'He seriously does have wonderful eyes. Yeah, bright blue, intelligent, and amazing. When he smirks, his lips twist and look, well, great. I wonder if he's quite muscular, mmm, six-pack and all. Oh, god, not again!'
"Dr. Weir, please report to the gateroom." came the announcement, startling her out of her reveries. She blushed, glanced around quickly and hurried out.
XOXOXO
When she arrived, the team was all geared up and ready to go.
'God, she's beautiful,' Rodney thought, 'She's got amazing eyes; sure, she's not as smart as us, but, she's incredibly intelligent. Usually never get that. Normally, it's gorgeous or smart. Although, April Bingham, hmmm, oh, crap, John's looking at me like I missed something.'
"Ok, gentlemen, and ladies, report back once you've done the scan. John, remember…"
"Yeah, yeah, no fighting the Wraith without consulting you first. Got it, let's go."
They stepped through the gate. The normal "whoosh" of being demolecularized, transported, and put back together had become second nature.
"Ford, take point. Teyla, on our backs. McKay, shut up and stay behind me. Ready?"
He'd never show it, of course, but Rodney was always frightened. Not just for himself, though that was a big thing. He was afraid of losing the people closest to him: John, Teyla, Ford, Carson, and, yes, Elizabeth.Ever since Brendan Gaul had committed suicide on Rodney's watch, he had been more afraid then ever. He blamed himself for Gaul's death; if he hadn't given Brendan the gun to defend himself, it wouldn't have happened. He didn't want that to happen to anyone he truly cared about.
Running into John's back brought him back to reality; he had stopped abruptly. After making some hand symbols, John crouched down behind a tree.
"Aw, crap, Wraith!"
"I do not understand why they would be here. It is not a very inhabited world." Teyla looked confused and wary.
Just then, the Wraith guard looked around at the sound of whispering.
"McKay, can you turn that thing off?" Ford whispered emphatically.
Rodney said back, "Right. If you want us to be blind as well as dead, then, sure, I'll turn off the life signs detector!"
"Just, shut up; both of you!" John said exasperatedly, not taking his eyes off the guard and Wraith dart.
The guard walked slowly, deliberately, towards where they stayed, crouched. The team raised their weapons.
"Take them." It was a command.
From all around the four came wraiths; from the bushes, jumping down from trees. The four stood, slowly, going back to back.
"Sir?" Ford questioned.
In reaction, John lowered his weapon slightly; the Wraith took them without a firefight. Not that there wasn't a fight. Rodney struggled, yelling, "No! You don't understand-"
His attempts were futile. The team was thrown into a cell, but, not before the Wraith gave Teyla a scare: They entered her mind.
"Y'ok? Please tell me you're ok."
"I will be fine, Major. Thank you for your concern. Is the rest of the team injured?" Teyla questioned, trying to get up and groaning.
"Yeah, yeah, I am. Aw, yeah, that's permanent back damage. Hey, where's Ford?" Rodney said, not able to keep some of the worry from creeping into his voice.
"Over here, McKay. Sir? Can you help me, I think I'm stuck." Came the muffled reply.
XOXOXOXO
Elizabeth sat at her desk, filing reports. Carson came, inquiring into whether or not she was ok, to which she put her brave face on, one that she kept on most hours of the day. When he left, however, she put the report down and leaned back in her chair.
'I either need sleep or coffee.' She thought. She chose the latter. 'After all,' she told herself, 'It's what Rodney and the others live on.'
As she got her coffee, she heard laughter and turned to see who it was. It was Kavanagh, Zelenka, and Carson. They were looking straight at her, Kavanagh hooting with laughter. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Carson looking incredibly uncomfortable, trying to drag the scientists away.
"Gentlemen," she began, "Now, really. What could be so funny?"
"This is quite amusing, Dr. Weir, but not suitable conversation for such a public place." Dr. Zelenka said, glancing sideways at a very amused Kavanagh.
"Stop being so diplomatic, Mr. science-man. Let's tell her. Ok, are you ready for something very intriguing? Apparently, Major Sheppard has a bet on when our darling Rodney McKay will tell you he is smitten with you." Kavanagh said, fighting the urge to laugh in her face. Her very surprised face, of course. Wait, did the shock have a little pleasure to it? No, that can't be, can it?
"Thank you for telling me. Remind the Major to come and see me once the team gets back, please. Goodbye, gentlemen, Kavanagh." She could barely tell what was coming out of her mouth.
XOXOXOX
Elizabeth stood on her balcony, a questioning, happy look in her eyes. She looked down at the paper twirling in her hands.
'Rodney,
Over the last few months, you can't deny that we've grown very close. Close enough for you to feel compelled to put yourself in harm's way for me. You have no idea how much I appreciate that, and hated it. I hated being helpless; hated to even consider the possibility of losing you. Sadly, that is a very real possibility. To get to the point, I hope you know that I would stand in front of Kolya's gun for you in a heartbeat. And, not just because you're needed to fix things around here. I hope you realize all of this is true.
Always and forever,
Elizabeth (Liz)
P.S.- Please don't be too upset with John.'
'Yeah,' she thought, 'that'll work.' She was interrupted from her planning with the announcement of, "Off-world activation! Incoming wormhole!" Stuffing the note in her pocket, she set off at a run, arriving just as they received an IDC:SGA-1.
"Open it!" were Elizabeth's only words; they came out as a gasp.
'Maybe,' she thought,' Maybe I'll be able to tell him sooner than I'd anticipated.'
But she wasn't prepared for what came next.
"Hello." Said the chillingly calm voice, she immediately knew as a Wraith. "We have conquered you finally. Thanks to your Teyla Emmagan, we managed to get inside your Stargate."
"What the hell?" Elizabeth breathed, finally getting a hold of herself. "Shut it down! NOW!" she screamed.
It shut down but not before Rodney McKay's jacket came rolling through, tied up in a ball. She caught it gently, tenderly, and stood on shaky legs. She had never known before how hard it was to hold back tears. She turned to the soft footsteps at her side. A sympathetic hand squeezed her shoulder, then grasped her hand.
"I'm sorry, lass." Was all the doctor said. But it was too much. She had to try harder than ever to not cry.
"Thank you, Carson. I'll….. be right back." She said in a somewhat firm voice. Without looking at anyone, she clenched the jacket and walked to her room. There, finally, she finally let out all her sadness and frustration. She wept into Rodney's jacket until all that came out were dry sobs. Her heart ached with the pain of losing the one person she truly cared about.
XOXOXOXO
Rodney sat in the dark, shivering. Not necessarily from the temperature. Oh, no, the Wraith's presence was enough to make those Canadian winters feel nice and quite mild. John and Teyla were huddled together; not driven together by the cold, but by fear. Also, by the undeniable attraction they felt for one another.
'At least John has a jacket and a girl.' Rodney thought, huffily, 'I have neither.'
By that time, the Wraith guard had come and taken Rodney's jacket and John's GDO. He could only assume what the GDO was for, but his jacket? That was a question for when they got back.
'Thank God I have a spare.' Was all he thought on the matter.
"Wraith again." John whispered; everybody prepared themselves. The guard came, pointing at Ford.
"That one." Was all he said. Nobody did anything but fidget slightly to stop them. All they could do was pray that the young man would make it. Then, they were gone. Ford threw a last, pleading look to John, then marched forward like the true soldier that he was.
Rodney sat back against the wall, the dark knot of fear in his stomach growing larger with every passing moment. John and Teyla stood looking after the lost one. Teyla suddenly, shyly, put her arms around John's neck, silently asking him to comfort her.
He couldn't bear the sight of them; finding love even at the darkest times.
'That's not nice,' he chided himself, 'Just because they'll die together and you didn't tell her when you had the chance. Wait—' he stopped suddenly, 'Who said you're gonna die? We're not and when I get back, I'll tell her. Yeah, right, when I see her that's it.'
"Hey," John said suddenly, "Cat got your tongue, McKay?"
"I do not understand. What does that mean?" Teyla asked a question in her happy eyes.
"It means I'm not talking much and he wants to know why. Well, Major," Rodney said, bitterly, "It's because even in a Wraith cell, thinking we're all going to die, you two are all over each other in love! Me? Oh, no, I'm going to die alone because I'm too much of a chicken to tell the women I love the truth!" he stopped, breathless, that he had just admitted more than he cared to.
Teyla's confused expression became one of sympathy and kindness. John smirked, sadly, knowing that Carson had probably won the bet. Reflecting, he found that he now knew Rodney then he ever would if they weren't always thrown together. Rodney had changed from the arrogant, self-centered man he had once been. He now cared about other people. Not that he wasn't still arrogant and self-centered. That crust had just been broken a little to show the real man inside.
Hours passed, Rodney annoyed at the two who spent their time whispering sweet nothings and kissing.
'I'm always jealous. Why am I the one being punished? Because I'm a coward. I had the opportune moment-I lost it. God, why did I just let it slip by?-' his thoughts were cut off by the return of the guard and Ford, escorted by dozens of Atlantians. All had wraith stunners and captives.
"Wha- What happened?" came the garbled question from Rodney.
"Apparently, Dr. Weir just couldn't let us die." Ford replied, grinning.
"C'mon, let's go. Get us out of here, Lt." John said, impatient to get out.
XOXOXOXOXO
The gate went off.
"Incoming wormhole! Receiving Dr. McKay's IDC."
Elizabeth was there in an instant
"Shut the shield down!"
As the team walked through the gate, both Elizabeth and Rodney were shaking. She ached to see him and take his hand, showing him how she felt. As their eyes met, they both knew in that instant, what the other was going to say. She walked slowly toward them.
"Well guys, how ya feeling?" she purposely made her voice calm.
"I have permanent back damage, but, other than that, ok." Rodney struggled to measure her steady voice.
"We'll see you guys later, hmm?" John put in diplomatically, motioning for the others leave the two of them alone.
"Hey, let's take a walk, huh?" Elizabeth said, though it was less of a question and more of a command. He swallowed audibly and nodded. They made their way to a private balcony, neither saying a word, both enjoying just being together.
"So," Rodney prompted.
"So," Elizabeth returned. Both smiled; it felt great to be near each other again.
"Guess what," Elizabeth started, not bothering for him to answer, "Apparently, John has a bet going on when you'll tell me what we both know. So, let's prove them wrong. I want to talk first, 'k?" the words flowed on their own.
"Wha-uh, sure," he stammered, wondering if he should feel relieved or anxious. He decided both.
"I had a note for you, but it's in my quarters along with your jacket." She paused, knowing that sounded weird. She plunged ahead anyways.
"Basically it said that…." She paused again, trying to get up the courage to say what she so wanted to.
Rodney put a hand up to her lips.
"I love you." He said, shocked that the words sounded so, so…right.
She pulled his hand away from her lips, holding it in her own. Then, on an impulse, she reached and brought his face to hers. As their lips met, they melded and meshed together, each wanting it to last a lifetime.