"Dr. Weir," Dr. Kate Heightmayer said aloud, her eyebrows rising on her forehead as she watched the aforementioned woman walk cautiously into the room, a minute sense of relief touching her eyes when the door shut. Kate had caught herself wondering several times when Dr. Weir would show up for an appointment. 'God knows there's enough going on in her life now to need to talk,' Kate thought sympathetically. Besides the terrifying aspects of just being here on Atlantis and the enemies they had made and were bound to made, there was a ruthless rumor mill. Kate held in her scowl, lest Dr. Weir think it was for her. For an expedition of few with mostly military men and scientists, she had been surprised that the rumor mill had been formed, much less so popular. One of the more fashionable genres of rumors surrounded Elizabeth Weir and the leading team of Atlantis. Kate had found herself pitying Dr. Weir on several occasions as she sat in her chair, listening as her patient rambled on the supposed flirting between her and John Sheppard, or claiming vehemently that Rodney McKay was definitely more than just a friend. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she turned toward Dr. Weir and stood, motioning over to the large white chairs.

"Thanks," Elizabeth said graciously as she sat, her chest tightening with each breath. 'It's better to talk to someone about it,' she reminded herself, but the shame crept up on her. It was her fault that this was happening. If only she'd noticed the way Rodney felt before; if only she'd been certain in her feelings… Elizabeth pushed the thoughts out of her head temporarily, focusing on Kate's welcoming smile.

"I'm glad you came to see me," Kate said sincerely. Elizabeth nodded in reply. If she'd ever had any doubts about her choice as psychologist, they were now erased. Kate made her feel welcome. She had something in her eyes that was simply…indefinable. Elizabeth thought back to a time nearly five years ago when her boss had suggested that she visit a psychologist after a negotiation ended—it was solved, but the two countries had been in the middle of a long feud. There was an attack on one of the buildings in the city and six people had been killed. Her memory was distant of the psychologist she had visited—she had seen him solely once—but she remembered the air in his office clearly. Everyone that walked through his door was deemed as mentally unstable and weak. That wasn't the same with Kate, however. "So what's on your mind?" Kate questioned softly.

Elizabeth fidgeted in her chair. "I've been having…" her throat dried and she looked away. "Bad dreams," she finished. It was half-true, at least. Sleep would begin to take over, and then she would imagine John and Rodney screaming at each other, or one of them being hurt… "I wouldn't normally bother you with something like this, but it's been affecting my sleep, and I can't exactly take a day off," she said, chuckling slightly.

The concern in Kate's eyes was not faked, but she knew that Elizabeth's words were only the beginning. "There are two types of sleep: REM and NREM. REM stands for rapid eye movement. Most people have a REM period about every ninety minutes from the time they go to sleep to the time they wake up. During REM sleep, the body is paralyzed. REM periods last about five to forty minutes and increase in length as the night goes on. During REM you have vivid dreams and nightmares."

"So…is that why I'm having so many nightmares?" Elizabeth asked curiously. She bit back the confession that it hadn't been all that long since she'd had them.

"The amount of REM you have per night doesn't change," Kate explained, "REM sleep is essential. The other type of sleep, NREM, isn't essential and is when the body rests." She leaned her elbows on her thighs as she addressed Elizabeth. "Now, there are several drugs you can take to solve nightmares. There is one which causes minimal REM, which is dangerous if you use long-term—" Kate stopped suddenly and shook her head.

"What?" Elizabeth asked curiously. She pursed her lips, her hands held tight together as she watched the blonde woman lean back and shake her head.

"But before I prescribe anything… There are three theories about why we dream, and some medicine is more suited to help for each theory. So," Kate tilted her head, staring at Elizabeth. "why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

What was it about speaking to others that made pain so much more bearable? Major John Sheppard pondered the notion as he walked through the hallways of the city. Now, he was glad he'd confided in Teyla about his feelings for Elizabeth before their relationship had even started. It had made it so much easier to talk to her earlier this morning, even if he hadn't told her the full story about him and Elizabeth's conversation. John's smile contained a twist of pain as he remembered hours of talking with Teyla about a suitable Valentine's Day gift for Elizabeth. He had ended up taking her to the far side of the city-close enough to the center of Atlantis to be safe but far enough not to be disturbed-and told her of his feelings. They'd gone to one of the piers and talked for a while before they returned to Elizabeth's office and shared a kiss.

John nearly stopped abruptly with the sudden, chilling thought that he might never be able to hold her in his arms again. He'd been frightened at the prospect of losing her, but now that he dwelled deeper into the thought…he was petrified. Though they hadn't been together all that long, he couldn't imagine a day not coming back to his quarters and seeing her face there. Not a day went by that he didn't admire her across the briefing room table; held her at night and told her how much she meant to him; kissed her and known how lucky he was… Now he was on the verge of losing it all…because of Rodney.

Sheppard scowled as he continued his aimless walk. He didn't want to hate Rodney, but it was hard to stop. If Rodney wasn't there…then this wouldn't be happening. He wouldn't be having problems with Elizabeth. 'I wouldn't be here, actually,' John reminded himself angrily of all the times the scientist had saved his life. There was a close bond between the two. John didn't want to ruin that, but now whenever he thought of Rodney he thought of the rift between Elizabeth and himself. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Elizabeth, but the thought that it would hurt Rodney…it made his stomach roll.

Making up his mind, John changed the direction of his feet. He needed to talk to Rodney. He didn't know what he would say, what Rodney would say, whether they would bring Elizabeth up…but the fact remained that the two desperately needed to talk.

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! The next chapter will probably be mostly consisiting of Elizabeth and Kate, but I haven't written it yet...so you never know:) Anyway, for anyone interested, the information about REM and NREM sleep and the other things mentionedis true (Psychology and You - 3rd Edition, McMahon - Romano). Educational fanfiction! Who would've known:) Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!

Thanks to:
aaobuttons
Tarra O'Neal
PurpleYin
Beth-TauriChick
Margaret (It's funny how you mention Rodney talking to someone...At the time I was writing the third chapter to this story I went off on a tangent and wrote a conversation between Rodney and Radekabout it. :) I'll probably adapt it and use it later!)
szhismine
Fanwoman
Dark Angel31