Disclaimers: I do not own these characters; this is written for fun, I make no money etc.

Spoilers: Duet, no others really, just season 2 characterisations LOL but you could wait until after The Long Goodbye for full effect ;)

A/N:

Written for the Opening Challenge of the Weir/McKay Fanfiction Archive, a bit late, but never mind! To include one of the pair opening a gift from the other, and their response to what they get.

Set after The Long Goodbye, but could be anywhere towards the end of Season 2. Anti-sickness tablets are available free of charge from the Information Desk on Deck Six. We hope you have a pleasant cruise.

Beta: Thanks to dahan for great beta, and bravery in the face of severe mush.

Summary: Elizabeth may be overdoing her 'act' a little. It takes Carson to point it out, and sort out the mess. Warning: McWeir mush!

Chapter One: All an Act

As Carson traversed the walkway to her office, he could see Elizabeth sitting behind her desk, her head down in her hands. Approaching her doorway, he could hear her faint groans.

"Elizabeth? Are you OK?" he entered without knocking, a concerned frown on his face.

Startled, Elizabeth looked up quickly. "Oh! Carson. Sorry. I didn't hear you come in." She blinked a few times, and smoothed her hair down.

He watched as she tried to compose herself.

"There." She announced. "Now then. What can I do for you, Carson?" She gestured to him to take a seat, which he did.

Carson linked his hands together and eyed her carefully. "I came by to check on you. You know, just generally. I'm taking a physician's interest in the leader of our fair city."

She smiled at his careful, sincere words, and noted his friendly grin. She detected a hint of… something, she wasn't quite certain what it was. She'd felt this before, during negotiations, and it wasn't always an indicator of honesty.

Taking a deep breath, she answered him. "I'm all right Carson. You mustn't worry about me."

Pushing on the arms of the chair, Carson made to rise. "Right, well, if you're sure. I'll be off. I need to go and see Rodney. He's in need of a listening ear, and I don't suppose you'll be first in line." He gave her a curt smile and nod as he turned to leave.

Elizabeth was utterly shocked. She managed to sputter, "Just wait a minute, Carson. What is that supposed to mean?" Shoving against the desk, she almost tipped her chair over as she tried to follow him.

Carson turned back to face her, his smile sad. "Sorry, Elizabeth. I guess I should have held my tongue. To be frank, I just cannot bear the way you are treating Rodney right now. But, I know, it's really none of my business. I apologise, I was out of line." His tone was less than apologetic.

Elizabeth had reached where the Scot was standing. Her hands wrung together nervously as she searched his cold eyes. "Carson… I don't know what to say… I'm not trying to hurt him."

The side of Carson's mouth twisted in contempt. "Aye. Tell that to the Marines." His sarcastic smile broadened briefly at his own ironic phrase, and then his look softened. "Rodney cares about you, Elizabeth. How can you just walk away from him? You hardly ever talk to him now, he's devastated. You just… ach, never mind, what I am I telling you this for?"

As he looked down, she saw the sadness in his face.

Elizabeth began to pace in her room, her arms folded around her. "What am I going to do Carson? It's all backfired." She glanced over at him, but she saw he didn't understand. "I should never have done it. What am I going to do? It's too late now."

He had expected her to shout at him, tell him to mind his own business, keep his nose out of it. Perhaps even deny it. Or tell him he was wrong. Her reaction was confusing him. He did feel a lot of anger towards her, and if he were honest with himself, he would have wanted nothing more than to leave her to stew. But, something didn't ring true. She was not acting the way he had expected at all.

"Elizabeth? What are you talking about? What's backfired?"

She broke off her pacing and was suddenly close up to him, her hands around his upper arms, as if to pin him in place so he would listen to what she had to say. Her face was inches from his, her eyes afire with emotion.

"Don't you see, Carson? He never took the hint! He was driving me mad, he was so blind!" She was hissing, her lips thin and strained.

Carson gulped hard, fighting the urge to break free of her. His frowned, his mouth opening a little with a lack of comprehension.

"Don't you see, Carson? I wanted to make him jealous!" she cried. Letting go of him, she stood quite still. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was coming hard.

Carson swallowed, the dawning of a realisation spreading through him. "Oh, bloody hell."

"Yes, bloody hell, Carson." She flung her arms out in defeat. "I didn't know what to do. I should have just told him straight. But no! I thought it would be a good idea to throw myself at John for a while, just to get his attention." Her voice dissolved into a whisper. "Not one of my better plans, was it?"

The doctor drew his hand across his face, trying to think hard. "Oh, Elizabeth. What a muddle. You silly lass. He's a bloody fool, right enough. Radek had to tell him that Katie Brown wanted to date him… oh, sorry."

She gave a dismissive wave. "It's all right, Carson. When it didn't work out between the two of them, that's when I realised that I wanted to be with him." She could see Carson begin to blush, and it made her smile. "It was always there, you know? I just… well, you know what he's like. It's not a relationship you could just fall into. I had to be sure."

Carson nodded sympathetically. "Aye, I guess you'd have to feel pretty strongly about Rodney to actually… oh, sorry."

She smiled, and sighed. "Don't be sorry, Carson. I know what you mean. I just wish I hadn't tried to be clever. I wanted him to actually… want me, you know? Not just take what I offered…" She turned and moved to the couch, where she sat down dejectedly. "Now I've hurt him. What am I going to do?"

Carson put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. "All I know is, he is hurting. And I don't think he's ever going to be the first one to make a move. Forget your plan, and just tell him. Heavens, you know he loves… likes you. How could you not believe it?"

She studied her hands, contemplating his words. Finally, she spoke softly. "Of course. Maybe I was the one who was blind. I don't need to make him jealous. He's already… jealous for me, isn't he?" She looked up into Carson's smiling face, to see him nodding.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Carson. "It's his birthday in a couple of days. Why don't you… give him something? You know, a peace offering…"

Her eyes widened as she considered what he'd said. "Yes. Yes, I should."

A/N: Chapter Two up soon, or why not pop across to the McKay/Weir Fanfiction Archive if you can't wait that long LOL