A/N: I'm sorry this took so long. I had plenty of time, but the story just wouldn't come. I'm still not totally comfortable with this chapter, but it's as close to what I wanted as I could get.
The guilt and frustration was too much. Elizabeth watched Kolya for a moment. Watched Kolya watching Rodney. And Rodney? Rodney was watching Elizabeth. She locked eyes with him over Kolya's shoulder. The helpless look in her eyes was more than Rodney could stand.
He knew he had to think of something to make Elizabeth react. Unfortunately, every scenario he could think of involved a lot of pain for him. He couldn't imagine Elizabeth pulling the trigger without a major stimulus. Even his death, it if was slow and methodical, probably wouldn't push her enough.
He knew it wasn't an insult to him, or even an indication of her feelings for him. But they'd been good friends for a while now, and he knew her stance on guns and violence of any sort. He was shocked she'd aimed it at all.
They say impending death brings everything into focus, and Elizabeth had to admit that "they" were almost right. Her own death may do that, but watching Rodney, and knowing he was going to die, made everything crystal clear. She knew he was a genius and he'd said he would find a way to get them out of this, but she also couldn't help but focus on the blood that still ran slowly down his chest, the blood-soaked pants leg covering his right thigh, and the swollen and purple bruises on his face.
Elizabeth knew that if they could work together, they'd solve this. But Kolya hadn't given them enough time. All she could do was keep her promise, keeping the gun held tight in her hand, and try to talk herself into actually pulling the trigger.
She locked her gaze with Rodney's, trying to give him any help she could, letting her faith in him show through her eyes. He smiled slightly in response, and then broke the look, turning instead to glare at Kolya, a gleam in his eyes that Elizabeth couldn't decipher.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" he spat out. "If you're going to do this, stop playing around and do it. It's obvious I can't stop you, and she won't." At his words, he threw a look of venomous disgust at Elizabeth; inside, praying she'd understand. "I have no desire to bleed to death drop by drop. Just do it. Stop the games. You know where my heart is! Use the damn knife already!"
Elizabeth gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock and pain at his words. She quickly surged a couple steps forward, stopping about 5 feet behind Kolya. "Rodney! No! What are you doing? Don't antagonize him! We need all the time we can get if I'm going to have to….you know I can't do it yet! Why are you doing this?"
Rodney winced, knowing she hadn't understood his plan, knowing that his words had hurt and confused her. But it was too late to back out now, and it probably was for the best that she didn't realize what he was doing. He only hoped it worked, which it probably won't his mind taunted him, and that she'd forgive him when it was all over. He turned back to Kolya.
"Well? What the hell are you waiting for? I told you! Just get it over with!" He tried with everything in him to project the right amount of frustration and fear, which wasn't hard considering the position he was in. The last thing he really wanted to do was make Kolya focus on him. But he had to get him closer and make him strike out. "So? Come on already! If you're going to rape her, I'd rather not see or hear it. So just….finish me off first, okay?" Here, he tried to inject a note of acceptance, together with a plea.
Kolya looked from Rodney to Elizabeth, then back again. "Why, Doctor McKay, I must say I'm surprised. You're not going to try to talk your way out of this? Convince me that I should let you go? You're not even going to plead further for Doctor Weir's life? You see her weakness now too, I assume."
He nodded decisively, then stepped a foot or so closer, until he was within striking distance of Rodney, and slowly drew his knife again. "Doctor McKay, because of your bravery, you have actually managed to change my mind. I will honor your wishes. I think you've suffered long enough. Watching Doctor Weir stand there, doing nothing to save you is a cruelty I won't subject you to any further. So yes, I will do as you ask."
Kolya raised the knife, holding it in front of Rodney, before turning to gesture towards Elizabeth. "Unless, of course, you'd rather do it yourself, Doctor Weir?" The corner of his mouth curled in a smirk. "By being too weak to stop me, even when I gave you the chance, you've as good as killed him yourself. I intended to let him suffer, watching me take you apart piece by piece, but I think your betrayal has caused him enough pain."
Elizabeth glared at Kolya, her eyes flaring at his arrogance. The pain she felt as her inability to do anything was quickly being replaced by a fury so intense it shocked her. She slowly brought the gun up, once again pointing it at Kolya.
He rolled his eyes at her stance, and in a show of nonchalance; he shook his head sadly, talking as he slowly turned to face Rodney. "Please, do not waste my time, Doctor Weir. You know as well as I do that you're not going to shoot me. It doesn't matter if you're upset, angry, or scared. Now…let me finish with the good Doctor, and then I will deal with you." He finished his slow turn, again staring at Rodney, though a look of pity in his eyes now. He looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth. "You are simply too weak to strike out at me and I have other things to do."
"That's where you're wrong, Kolya. She's just needs a push!" At his last word, Rodney used every bit of strength he had left, and adrenaline to make up for what he didn't. He wrapped his hands around the band holding his hands in the air. With a cry of pain, he pulled his legs up together as high as he could, and kicked Kolya squarely in the chest.
Kolya stumbled backwards with the force of the kick, spinning around to try to catch himself with a roar of anger. All that registered with Elizabeth was the fact that Kolya was flying towards her with a yell. She gasped at the suddenness, and did the one thing Rodney had been counting on. She didn't think. She simply reacted. A loud noise echoed through the room as the gun run recoiled in Elizabeth's hands.
At that close a distance, there was no way she could miss. Everything slowed down, every second taking minutes to pass in Elizabeth's mind. The bullet struck Kolya directly in the heart. The death was instantaneous. However, the force of Rodney's kick was enough to still propel him forward.
His now lifeless body smashed into Elizabeth and she went down as she was pinned beneath the weight. With a scream of terror, she shoved with all her might, pushing his body off her to flop listlessly to the side.
She scuttled backwards towards Rodney as fast as she could. One look at Kolya's staring, empty eyes was all it took. She gave up the fight and retched violently, her lunch finally making a reappearance at the gore before her.
As soon as the spasms stopped, she spat a couple times, then crawled remaining distance until she was at Rodney's feet. She clambered to her feet rapidly, clutching him tightly around the waist, shaking violently.
Rodney winced at the pain racing through his ribs, but there was no way he'd say anything to her. He'd pass out before he'd complain at this moment. He simply leaned his forehead over to rest against the top of her head as her face burrowed into his neck.
"Shhh... Its okay, Lizabeth. It's over. You did it. I knew you could do it." With his hands still bound above his head, he soothed as best he could, rubbing his cheek against her hair.
Faster than he thought possible, she pulled her head back, then stepped back. Rodney was shocked that she had recovered that quickly and opened his mouth to say so, when he saw what she was doing. She stepped back a couple steps, then bent to pick up Kolya's dropped knife.
She stretched up and quickly sliced through the rope holding his arms up and he dropped with a cry, his injured leg and ribs unable to hold him up. She let go of the knife and hurried to crouch next to him, helping him sit up gently.
He groaned, resting against the console behind him. As soon as she realized he wasn't going to pass out, the final wall crumbled. Her lower lip began to shake fiercely and with a sob, she launched herself at him.
He braced himself as best he could, and wrapped his still joined arms around her, holding her tightly against him, ignoring his pain and focusing on hers. He again whispered gentle nonsense into her hair, though now he ran his hands slowly up and down her back, cuddling her like a small child as she cried.