Still warming up to being a fic writer again and thought I'd try a character piece.

A/N : Anybody else think that Kate Heightmeyer had a pretty significant role in Duet?

Disclaimer: Don't have anything to do with the show. If I did, it probably wouldn't be so much of a success :p

Beta credit to fififolle for preventing this from being a total and complete disaster. Many thanks!

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/\/ Kate's Triple \/\

Exhausted and relieved, Kate Heightmeyer, having finished her remaining appointments for the day, was silently packing up the various items and files she deemed necessary for the night. On a very personal level, this week had been quite challenging. In the most cynical and pragmatic view she had been a partial contributor to a patient's near-death, an indirect instigator of the "hijacking" of a person, and at the very least she may have played a small role in the occurrences of some very socially awkward moments for a few of the expedition members.

Finding herself mildly grinning at that last thought, Kate continued to pack the remaining few things she would go over in her quarters later.

Kate knew very well that neither Laura nor Rodney would hold it against her for suggesting the share control idea, and she doubted very much that either of them would make her feel guilty for it. Well…at least Laura wouldn't…. All things considered however, she was very much thankful to Dr. Beckett for relaying word of Dr. McKay's success with the Wraith dematerializer. Thanks to that little bit news, she was able to look back at the incident without regret and maybe, just maybe, allow herself to laugh at it just a bit.

Taking a breath before she started to "shrink" herself too much, she glanced at the view of the illuminated city that her office windows encompassed. If ever there was a person that was thankful to the Ancients for their transporters, it was Kate. Their discovery by a certain young Athosian boy made it feasible for her office to be in one of the more reclusive parts of Atlantis. And for that, she would always be grateful.

The location was perfect for her, as well as her patients of course. The room itself was more inviting than many of the other cold labs and offices in the city. Some of that was probably due to her own decorative touch. The majority of her patients were not intimidated by the space and sometimes having a tranquil and hypnotic view came in handy to put them at ease. Being away from the heart of the city also certainly helped. With the majority of the labs and operational areas quite a distance away, foot traffic in her small corner of the city was quite light. This meant that even the most shy and easily embarrassed members of the expedition could often sneak away to see her when they needed.

Recalling a somewhat funny, yet awkward, encounter in her doorway, when the foot traffic was heavier than expected for two members of the expedition's flagship team, Kate smiled. She slightly wondered perhaps if she should have claimed a space with two entrances/exits much like Dr. Weir's office. Certainly some of her patients might appreciate it, but considering how tired she was feeling at the moment, she would come back to that thought another time.

Releasing a sigh, she turned off the lights and headed towards the one exit/entrance as she normally did at the day's end. With laptop and files in hand, she opened her door and was quite shocked to find Dr. Rodney McKay standing outside, still dressed in infirmary-issued garments. Judging by his demeanor, Rodney appeared to have been waiting and pacing outside her office for some time.

"Dr. McKay?" she greeted in shock. "I was just calling it an evening," she said as she quickly glanced back to her darkened office.

As great an office as she had, the resident therapist really wasn't looking forward to returning to it at this moment for a drop-in session. Still, in the back of her mind, she knew Rodney McKay had just gone through a whole lot, some of which involved her, and it was still her job to listen. Before she was able to invoke some self-sentenced overtime however, Rodney cut her off.

"That's OK…" began Rodney who appeared to be somewhat embarrassed. "I just wanted to drop by and…. apologize…for earlier?"

If the good Dr. Heightmeyer appeared shocked before, she was absolutely stunned at the moment. She couldn't exactly figure out what precisely Rodney McKay had done that warranted an apology to her, and this was disregarding the fact that Rodney McKay was offering an apology at all. After all, he is infamous at massaging the truth to avoid being wrong wasn't he?

Recovering rather quickly, she slowly annunciated "You want to apologize…"

"for snapping at you…back in the infirmary?" Rodney finished gesturing with his hands.

Recalling the extremely brief, but tense, exchange between Rodney and herself in the infirmary after his seizure, she realized why he was apologizing. Adjusting her complexion from curiously shocked to amusingly understanding, Kate began to make her way to the transporter with Rodney closely beside her. As he nervously continued a rather lengthy explanation for his shortness with her at the time, an explanation involving partial blame on Cadman as well as his well-known reaction to imminent death, Kate silently smiled to herself.

Quite frankly, she wasn't the most understanding and patient therapist at the time he snapped at her and she was sure her tone at the time reflected it. The truth is if Rodney hadn't been so quick to interrupt with his curiosity regarding the eventual fate of the person letting go, she probably would have snapped back at him even more.

Feeling a funny form of remorse for having let the childish bickering of Laura and Rodney get to her while their health was still endangered, Kate gently bit her lip. Yes, she was frustrated at the time she snapped back. Rodney and Laura were not behaving at the epitome of maturity and she really didn't appreciate being blamed by the physicist in such a heated manner at the time. Still, she was technically 'on the clock' then and had to somewhat admit that, as childish as they had been acting, she shouldn't have let the infamous McKay snark get the best of her.

Turning to her chaperon who had just finished talking, she just had to admit, "Dr. McKay, I really appreciate this, but I was the one who suggested…"

"You were only trying to help" interrupted Rodney with her familiar words "and all things considered, thanks to you…and I trust this will be kept between us under doctor-patient confidentiality…it was not an entirely….terrible…. experience."

Kate took a moment to absorb his statement and just had to continue to grin, despite the fact of not knowing whether the grin was due to the fact that Rodney McKay had just indirectly thanked her or that he had just somewhat reminded her that she was never truly 'off the clock'. Personally she found herself focused more so on the former for it's surprise; he had thanked her. Taking another moment to absorb that fact, she then responded with a small bit of humor, "Unique, from what I was told" before the two stepped into the transporter.

Stepping off the transporter in the residential area of the city, Rodney and Kate partially made their way down the corridor before he acknowledged her last remark, "Yes well, Laura certainly is that, isn't she?"

Somewhat surprised at the use of her friend's first name Kate stopped and turned towards her current companion "Laura?"

Rodney then hesitantly offered "Yes, well after a person's been inside of your head, it's kind of hard and somewhat unnecessary to keep up with protocol don't you think?"

Not entirely sure the context of which he was referring to, Kate raised her eyebrows before allowing Rodney to proceed by her side as they continued down the corridor. First name use on Atlantis, especially with Rodney McKay, was a particularly noteworthy practice. The military and civilian hierarchy mix had caused some interesting norms to develop among the expedition members, Kate herself once wondered whether it would perhaps be worthy of a research paper. Snapping out of the science aspect however she returned her attention back to Rodney, who had characteristically begun to talk again.

"Listen, I also wanted to thank you for everything… else…as well…" he trailed off

Although the thank you was more direct this time, Kate wondered what "everything else" was referring to and couldn't help but ask, "Are you referring to the dematerializer incident or …"

"Well, I suppose I owe you a thank you for that as well don't I?" Rodney cut her off

Nodding in acknowledgement of what he was referring to, Kate was both grateful and slightly chagrined for the appreciation.

"Thanks Rodney, but it was sort of my job…" she deflected.

"Yes, well, you see, staying in the infirmary for the oblivion of a consciousness isn't…and well I, as well as my former tenant of course, really did…ah…appreciate it," stated Rodney somewhat nervously.

Humbled by Rodney, and maybe Laura's relayed, admission, Kate remained silent. She really didn't have too much a role after she and Carson had informed Rodney and Laura of their condition. Zelenka at least went off of to see what he could do to try and prevent it. Carson had stayed because it was his infirmary. She just stayed because…well…it seemed like it was kind of, sort of, her duty, wasn't it?

"Although, I really do owe you for that other thing…first… don't I?" Rodney suddenly piped, shaking her out of her somberness.

Recalling the session that took place almost a year ago, Kate looked away in understanding. Considering what Rodney had been through, on Atlantis as well as elsewhere, she had been quite happy to help. Among other truths, it was probably one of the best things she had ever done to help him then. Though there were probably a few aspects of that session she could have lived without, one in particular…

"You're very welcome Rodney," Kate replied returning to a warm state, "though I have to admit, I probably could have dealt without what you said to Teyla on your way out at the time," A reply that ensured a very stunned and meek looking Rodney McKay.

Holding back some laughter, Kate awaited Rodney's return to lucidness. This moment was more than worth the impressive composure she had maintained when she overheard Teyla and Rodney's brief exchange in her doorway. Truth be told, she also made a killing with her poker face at girl's poker night as well.

"Well, for what it's worth, I really don't think she bought it" said Rodney who had regained some of his state of mind.

"Great minds?" Kate hinted.

"OK, you see, that part I really did mean…" Rodney sincerely defended "I really do think…" seeing how small bits of his colleague's laughter were escaping, Rodney simply silenced himself from further explaining the then improvised compliment. While they continued walking, Rodney remained silent waiting for his companion to regain some self-control, which really never did completely happen for the rest of the journey through the corridor.

Nearing her door however, Kate did finally recover the majority of her calm, well, at least some of it.

Composing herself, she turned to her escort and wholeheartedly confessed, "I really do appreciate all this Rodney", while pointing at the space between him and her. "The apology, the thank you, as well as the compliment…" a small tone change in the last phrase was clearly evident, "… a therapist could end her day worse."

With only a small shadow of humiliation at the utterance of "compliment," Rodney straightened himself and simply stated, "Not a bad way for a friend to end her day either I imagine"

Taking a moment to acknowledge what he said, Kate placed an appreciative hand on Rodney's shoulder. They then shared a silent smile, before she and Rodney said their goodnights for the evening. Rodney having missed his quarters four hallways ago, doubled-back up the corridor. Kate merely traveled the few feet to her doors, somewhat beaming from the memory of the conversation that had started on the far side of the city.

An apology, a thank you, and a compliment, not a bad way for anyone to end their day really.

The End

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This was suppose to be a really short character piece but it kind of snowballed into something I can't even recognize.

Feedback (regardless of what kind) welcomed!

Nearest I could tell, there has never been an established, canon, reason why Rodney went to see Kate in "The Gift." I personally have a theory that it was because of something he said in "Letters from Pegasus," but I didn't really want to mess with anything like that.

Thanks to all who took the time to read this.