Author's notes: In this part, the POV starts switching between Elizabeth and Rodney. Since it's only the two of them talking, it will hopefully be clear whose POV it is, but all switches will be broken up with oOo.

I'd also like to thank the vague pronoun "we," to which this chapter owes so much. :)

Okay folks, I know it's been, well, forever…I still don't have this done, because I haven't fixed everything that my lovely beta Cali suggested, so (eventually) it might get updated, but it's just been sitting on my hard drive for so long I'd like to get it out there for you guys to read. I wish I had time to update my other WIPs, but you guys are just going to have to bear with my as I slog through the crap that is currently my life. 

oOo

Part 2: Miscommunication

"Elizabeth, you wanted to see me?" Rodney poked his head into my office, looking simultaneously delighted and terrified. I smiled inwardly. Only Rodney could manage that combination.

"Rodney, please come in." I motioned to the chair across from my desk. "Have a seat, and shut the door behind you please."

He did as instructed, looking like he had been sent to the principal's office and didn't know why. "Is everything all right, Elizabeth?"

This wasn't going to be easy, so I took a deep breath, folded my hands on my desk, and met his eyes. "No Rodney, I'm afraid it's not." Before he could jump in, I continued, "It's been brought to my attention that you've developed feelings for a certain member of our expedition."

If it was at all possible, I would have said that Rodney had seen a Wraith sneak up behind me. He paled considerably, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He was speechless for several moments, before he finally asked, "Who told you?"

oOo

My mind scrambled. There had only been one person I had told about my growing feelings for Elizabeth. But Kate? I suppose you could say I've seen more than my fair share of therapists. The combination of genius and boredom in a child can manifest itself in some rather creative ways, but my parents somehow labeled me as disturbed instead of recognizing my inherent brilliance. In any case, I'm fairly familiar with the process, so I was certain things like a cripplingly embarrassing crush on your boss were covered in the doctor-patient privilege. Kate couldn't have tipped her off. "Who told you?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say," Elizabeth answered.

"Well, I'm certainly glad someone's privacy is being protected," I spat. "It seems everyone else on Atlantis has a right to privacy except for me. I only told one person!" I held up my finger for emphasis. "And she can't have told you, it's against the rules!"

Elizabeth looked at me quizzically, probably upset by my outburst. Well, tough. "Rodney, I realize the Athosians take friendship and loyalty very seriously, but I hardly think you can accuse Teyla of—"

"Teyla knows?" I interrupted, my mind reeling. Again with the quizzical look from Elizabeth. What is she so confused about? I'm the one who needs to figure out who's elected themselves Grand High Gossipmonger.

"Of course she knows," Elizabeth answered carefully.

At this, I slumped into my chair, admitting defeat. How on Earth or Atlantis could I get myself out of this? "Is there anyone on Atlantis that doesn't know?"

Elizabeth came around her desk and sat next to me. "Oh, I'm sure there's someone," she said, placing a hand on my arm. "I think you've done a pretty good job of hiding it. I didn't know until just a short time ago."

"Really?" I asked, a little baffled. How could she not know how special she is to me? Okay, so I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly campaigning to be crowned Mr. Sensitive, but I've tried to show her how I feel. I've always tried to be there for her when the weight of responsibility was getting to be too much, or when she just needed someone to talk to. And not just the big, heroic things, although I've performed miracles on more than one occasion, if I do say so myself. No, it's also the little things. I bring her coffee when she's in her office late at night. I distract her with my latest brilliant discovery when she's waiting for a team that's overdue. I found a thousand ways to support her and show her I care. How could she have missed them all? "You never even suspected?"

"Well, maybe a little." Elizabeth smiled. God I love it when she does that.

oOo

How could I not have suspected? I had noticed them spending time together. She was an attractive blonde, he had his eccentric charm…I sighed inwardly, once again feeling sorry for myself. However, my lighthearted teasing and smile seemed to have placated Rodney somewhat, calming his nerves. I decided to get to the crux of the matter. I squeezed his arm in reassurance where my hand lay, and said, "To be honest, Rodney, I'm a little hurt you didn't feel you could come to me about this. I would hope that our friendship would make you feel like you could be open with me about your feelings."

He placed a hand tentatively over mine, and looked at me with a furrowed brow. "Even this?" His voice came out as a hopeful plea with astonishment thrown in for good measure.

That hopefulness is what killed me inside. Could he have talked to me about this? Could I have sat there and endured him telling me how much he loved her, and would I please just bend the rules, once, just for him? Probably not. I imagined how his face would have lit up as he spoke about her, all her admirable personality traits, and how happy she made him. No, most certainly not; I couldn't have endured that. As hard as it was for me to tear myself away from those baby blues, I knew I needed to reestablish that professional distance. This conversation had brought my feelings to the forefront, and I just couldn't deal with that right now. I stood and walked in front of my desk, pacing briefly before leaning back against it. I folded my arms in front of me and continued in a more formal tone. "No, I suppose not this. As the leader of this base and your direct superior, the situation would be awkward at best. Besides, it's not exactly something I can let slide, Rodney."

My words hung in the air a few moments. He had been looking more and more crestfallen since I had put that distance between us. Now, I began to wonder if I had made the right decision. If he was this upset over calling off a fledgling relationship, maybe he really had something special with Dr. Heightmeyer. Who was I to interfere? I looked down at the floor. "So, now that I know," I said gently, "what do we do about it?" It was as much of an out as I could offer him. If he really wanted the rules bent for him, he would have to ask.

Rodney looked up sharply. "I don't think there's much 'we' can do. It's up to you, isn't it? Although I can see you've already made your decision," Rodney snarkily replied, but there was no bite in his voice.

I nodded, straightening my posture. Fine, if he wanted to play the 'you're my boss' card now, I could do that. "You're right. The military has regulations prohibiting the fraternization of its personnel."

oOo

I stood and gaped at her, incredulous. "Frat regs? You're pulling out frat regs on me?" Of all the rejections I've gotten, which is more than I'd like to admit, this had to be the lamest excuse I'd ever heard. "That doesn't even make sense for us, we're both civilians!"

Elizabeth shook her head. "We're all civilians working for the military, on a militarily funded mission. We're under their jurisdiction so we have to follow their rules, even me," she added with a shrug.

I never expected Elizabeth to give me the brush off, especially one as blatantly callous and contrived as this; and people think that I'm the insensitive one! I had always counted on Elizabeth to be honest with me. It was one of the reasons I trusted her and came to care for her. Now, I didn't feel like I could trust anything anymore. "Why don't you just admit how you really feel?" I spat. Elizabeth's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, so I think I surprised her with that little comment. "I'm an embarrassment to you!" I continued. "I'm not good enough, is that it?"

Elizabeth recovered quickly. She even seemed a little relieved. "No, of course not! Rodney, you're the smartest man in this expedition—in the whole galaxy, actually. You should know better than to think that I would let something like this affect my opinion of your performance."

I sat back down and scrubbed my hands over my face in frustration. "That's not what I meant, and you know it." I growled into my hands and wondered, not for the first time, why she was acting this way. I met her brown eyes looking down at me and said, "I thought we were friends."

She came and sat beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the contact and wanted to withdraw from her touch, but found I didn't really have the energy. "We are friends, Rodney, but first and foremost I am the leader of this base, and I can't make exceptions to the rules based on my personal feelings."

My eyes moved to meet hers, and I began examining her face for any trace of hidden meaning behind those words. Was it possible that all that junk about frat regs wasn't just an excuse to blow me off? If not, why was she hiding…I realized my eyes had lingered a little too long in the vicinity of her lips, and I looked away, hopefully before she noticed. Silly, I know, considering the circumstances, but insecurity is a hard bug to squash.

"I don't see why not," I continued our conversation. "You broke the Geneva conventions, bending a few frat regs should be nothing." I knew my words were harsh, but I was frustrated and hurt and it seemed like a good enough excuse.

Elizabeth looked at me for a moment, but I pointedly avoided her gaze. She sighed, then gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I know it's hard, but there are other ways of spending time together that might not seem so bad, if you give it a chance."

I groaned and cast her an irritated glare. "Elizabeth, are you saying we can still be friends?" I said mockingly.

She smiled a little at that. "I don't see any harm in that," she said in a quiet voice that I can only assume she intended to be comforting.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in aggravation, but I already knew I'd eventually agree. I've known for a while that I'd be lost without Elizabeth Weir, so it came as no surprise that I would take her any way I could get her. "Are we done here?" I asked, allowing exasperation and irritation to lace my words. "Because I have a lot of lab work to do, and—"

"Of course, Rodney." She seemed to hesitate a moment, then rose to her feet. "If you see Dr. Heightmeyer before dinner, will you send her to my office?" I frowned at the comment. I knew it! Sneaky psychologists…

I nodded, then turned and headed for the door, but something stopped me before I reached it. I might never get this chance again. "Elizabeth…" I mustered every last shred of my courage to address her. "For what it's worth, I think you're making a mistake. I… We had something special. I…would have been good for you…" I wanted to say more, but the last of my treacherous courage abandoned me, and I ducked out the door and beat a hasty retreat towards the mess hall. I needed coffee and chocolate, and I needed them now!

oOo

I was frozen, my gaze locked on the empty doorway Rodney had just vacated. I'm relatively certain I was doing my best impression of a goldfish.

My gob smacked brain could do nothing for a moment but replay his last words over and over, like the record in my head had skipped its track. Slowly, I began replaying the entire conversation over again. I'm sure the casual observer outside my office could have been watching my face and clearly seen the moment all the jagged puzzle pieces clicked together to make one clear picture. I immediately felt relief, then guilt, followed closely by panic. I had to fix this, even if it meant eating every last one of the words I'd just spoken.

I dashed out of my office and down the corridor like I had a hungry Wraith on my tail, earning me more than a few strange looks. I found Rodney not too far away, just down the corridor from the mess. "Rodney!" I called after him, out of breath. "I think we've had a miscommunication."

oOo

Author's notes: Poor Rodney, he gets his emotions yanked around like a yo-yo in this chapter! Hopefully it's not too confusing.