Beta: Many thanks to LittleKnux2008!

Spoilers: Season 2 general, Aurora

A/N: I felt the need to do more moments for this fic. So it will now become a kind of Season 2 series, with chapters added when I feel the urge! This is tagged onto the end of Aurora.

Chapter Three

Ronon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and set down his glass on the table. "Thank you Dr. Weir." With his customary abruptness, he strode out of the room.

Caldwell was staring after him. Sometimes he didn't know what to make of these alien species, he really didn't. With a sigh, he smoothed down his jacket. "If you will excuse me, ladies, gentlemen, I have a few things to see to on the Daedalus before I turn in." He gave Elizabeth a nod, and also left.

McKay eased himself back on the sofa and stretched one arm along the back of it, crossing his legs lazily. Elizabeth raised one eyebrow at his familiarity, and studied him over the rim of her glass as she drained the last drop carefully.

Colonel Sheppard stretched with exaggerated movements, depositing his glass by the others. He touched Teyla's arm. "Well, folks. Long day, whatever. Come on, Teyla, I'll see you to your quarters."

Teyla frowned slightly, and searched Sheppard's face. Whatever she saw caused her to bow gracefully and make her sincere farewell to Elizabeth.

Then they were alone.

Elizabeth turned to the man stubbornly refusing to leave her sofa. Leaning against her table, she eyed him thoughtfully, considering his smiling visage.

She cocked her head, and waved her empty glass at him.

"All right. I give up. What is it?" she sighed.

His smile grew broader and more crooked. "Go on, guess."

"I've done my guessing. I said I give up! Tell me now." She put her glass down with the others a little forcefully, and crossed her arms, a slight smile playing on her lips, despite herself.

He ignored her obvious frustration and crossed his own arms in satisfaction. "We didn't actually argue today." His mouth was curled up at one side in a smug twist.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, and pulled her head in a little as if to try and calculate the nuance of the statement. "Rodney, you were…on the other side of the galaxy today…"

He pointed in triumph. "Aha! Yes. But the fact remains that we have not had a cross word pass between us since I got out of my bed this morning." The smug grin remained.

Elizabeth swallowed. "Rodney…Are you feeling all right? I mean…"

He waved his glass airily. "Fine. Fine. I'm just saying…maybe we…you and I…maybe we are feeling more ourselves again." Just a hint of uncertainty mixed with hope tinged his voice.

She let out a long breath. "Rodney, I have only talked to you for about ten minutes today. I hardly think…"

She paused as she watched him break his gaze and begin to pick at the sofa. He looked…petulant. She considered the wider truth behind his observation.

"OK. OK. You're right. As usual. I admit, I didn't feel any measure of irritation with you today. At all. And I think you did a wonderful job. You were…it was a successful mission for us, all in all." She sighed. "You did well, Rodney. I am proud of you, I am really."

He was pouting. It really looked odd on a grown man. She crossed to the sofa and sat down, just outside the framing of his arm resting back on the sofa top. "Is that better?" she asked.

"Kind of." He paused. A thought seemed to strike him and he fixed her with a narrow gaze. He was clearly considering what she had told him of her recent heartache. It had caused her to act irritably around everyone, especially him. "How are you? I mean, are you feeling a bit better about…you know?"

"About Simon? Yes, I guess. I can't blame him, not too much. Well, just a bit. OK, let's just leave it there, shall we? Don't get me started again. I'll be fine, I swear. And you, things have been a little easier lately?"

He gave a gruffly snort, and looked away. "S'pose. Haven't killed anyone recently…or seen anyone killed for at least a couple of weeks…I guess things are looking up."

Elizabeth reached across and laid her hand briefly on his shoulder. He didn't look at her, or pull away, just seemed to accept the gesture.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "So, how are you and Katie Brown?"

McKay tossed his head dismissively. "Oh. Just peachy. I believe her exact words were, 'You're so absorbed in yourself, I'd have to run you through electrophoresis just to separate you from your own ego.' So, no actually, there is no 'me and Katie Brown'. Go figure."

Elizabeth hung her head. "I'm sorry, Rodney, truly I am." And she was.

"Yeah, well. When you wake up a Wraith like I did today, things like that seem pretty pathetic."

She looked into his nervous, blue eyes, and smiled. "As I said, Rodney, I am proud of you. And I wouldn't change anything about you."

A strange, wistful look crossed his face. "Anything? Ego? Blowing up five sixths of solar systems? Insulting Radek?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Hmmm. Let me see. You know I like Radek. I'm not sure if that can be forgiven…" she laughed and clapped her hands on her knees. "I'll try to forgive that, I promise. Give me some time!" Her smiling eyes caught his, and the gaze turned into something more meaningful, deeper, as the truth of the words hit them both.

McKay withdrew his arm and tapped his glass uneasily. "Right. I'll try to be a bit nicer to him. He'll like that." He swallowed hard, and stood up abruptly.

"I, er…I'd better go. Thanks…for the champagne, you know." He waved a hand.

"It was John's."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"See you at breakfast?"

"Sure."

He cast one last glance at her positive smile, and then left the room.

A/N: We'll have to see where the rest of Season 2 takes us...