A/N: Yay! I took my GRE (Gargantuan Retched Exam) today, and although my scores are not as high as I would have liked, at least I didn't bomb it spectacularly. There may be a (very) slim chance that in roughly 4 years time, I will be joining the ranks of the illustrious McKay as Dr. Porthos, PhD. Go me!

Getting back to light-heartedness ("Finally!" the rest of you groan) this little chappie is 98 angst-free and takes place during Inferno. I guess you could think of it as a missing scene, stuck right in between the miraculous rescue and the meeting at the end. It explains why Norena wasn't on Atlantis, despite her obvious enthusiasm to "work under" Rodney, and also works in the funny/cute little exchange between Rodney and John at the end, when they are talking about Rodney telling Norena he couldn't fix the engines. Why would Rodney lie about that, hmm::raises eyebrow knowingly, laughs maniacally:

oOo

I don't remember drifting off, but when I woke up the next morning I was tucked snugly in my bed, and McKay had obviously cleaned up (a miracle in my book) because my room no longer looked like someone had put a hand grenade inside a Kleenex box. Having breakfast alone for the first time was hell, but after that initial day without Carson's usual company I found myself regularly joined in the mess by a rotation of Rodney, Colonel Sheppard, and sometimes even Dr. Weir, and each day the ache was a little bit less. At one breakfast a few weeks later, Rodney had shown up with a large box tucked under one arm, fresh from a new shipment brought by the Daedalus. Inside was a set of earplugs labeled "In case of emergency," an entire set of SGC maternity uniforms, and a note from Colonel Carter that read, "Heard through the grapevine you could use these. Let me know if there's anything else I can do, anybody who would willingly have McKay's child is a very brave woman and deserves all the help she can get. Good luck." (Rodney was still wondering what she could have put in that note that would make me suddenly come around to thinking Samantha wasn't that bad of a name.)

Carson and I had progressed beyond the initial awkwardness and stilted conversations, but the casual familiarity I had come to expect from him was still a long way off. He wasn't exactly making it easy on me, though. When he started dating Katie a few weeks later, I figured it was just a rebound thing, or trying to prove that he was "okay" with me dating Rodney, but I had to rethink my theory after I went to reroute power following a minor surge. Fixing a panel in the east corridor, I had seen them together on a secluded balcony, Katie holding Carson's hand while he talked to her softly. If I had been a bit surly at lunch with Rodney that day, he thankfully never asked about it.

But Carson and I were working our way back to being friends, and so I was surprised when Carson wasn't available for my appointment a month later. Dr. Bernard explained that Carson was called for an emergency offworld. I felt the familiar tightening in my chest that I got whenever I heard the word "emergency" combined with "offworld" while Rodney was on a mission, but it wasn't until we lost contact with the planet that I got a cold feeling in my gut. I was about ready to threaten Zelenka with another hair-frying incident if he didn't hook up a superpowered hyperdrive to a Jumper and fly me to Taranis as fast as the laws of physics would allow, or faster, when I heard that the Daedalus was on its way back with refugees and a very smug McKay in tow.

And yet, it wasn't until Rodney and Sheppard walked into Zelenka's lab that I realized my troubles were far from over. Trailing behind Rodney and positively fawning all over him was a gorgeous, slim, buxom blond.

I wanted to puke, and it wasn't just because I'd had pickles and mayonnaise for lunch.

"And here we have the lab," Rodney said proudly. "This is where I do all my ground breaking research. I've saved Atlantis from catastrophic destruction quite a few times in this very room. Over here will be your station…" Rodney placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her (not that he really needed to, she was attached to him like a lamprey) and I saw red, my fists clenched, and I'm fairly certain my left eye twitched.

"Rodney," I called out, giving my best toothy grin and trying very hard for "friendly and charming," not "deranged and psychotic." The two of them turned as one, Rodney's hand still on her back, and my eye twitched again. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your guest?"

Rodney's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. Thankfully dropping his hand to point, he stammered, "Er, uh, yes. Of course. Everyone, this is Norena, she's going to be working under me…" His face suddenly turned tomato red, and Sheppard made a strangled choking sound. "Er…I mean for me, to learn more about Ancient technology. Norena, this is Dr. Zelenka, Dr. Kusenagi, and ah—"

"Lieutenant Laura Cadman," I interrupted, shoving my hand out rigidly. "Explosives specialist. I enjoy blowing things up. I'm also the mother of Rodney's children. So, how long were you planning on staying?" I tilted my head inquisitively, never letting the smile fall. Sheppard let out a high pitched noise that quickly morphed into a cough.

She ignored my hand, choosing instead to look at Rodney with a baffled expression. "Rodney, you never told me you were married."

"NO! We're not—" he shouted. "I mean, uh…" Rodney cleared his throat again, and tried for nonchalant. "We're not married. It's…complicated. We're not, er…" More throat clearing and vague gesturing. "That is to say, we're not…"

"He's trying to say we're not romantically involved," I added helpfully.

Still puzzled, the new chick asked, "But…she's having your child?"

"Children," I corrected with a happy nod. "Twins."

Rodney continued to fidget nervously under her gaze. "Yes, well, like I said, it's complicated."

"Let's just say they were very close for a while, and a little of him rubbed off on her," Sheppard added with a grin, and Zelenka let out an amused snort. Rodney just rolled his eyes and shot them both a quick glare.

"That reminds me, Cadman, what are you doing here?" he asked, a hint of snark in his voice.

Narrowing my eyes fractionally, but still smiling, I replied, "I'm helping Zelenka fix some of the wiring in the city after the surge from a few days ago."

"Okay, well, then don't you have panels to be checking somewhere?" he asked impatiently.

My smiled faltered a little, but thankfully Zelenka saved me before I could snap back. "Lieutenant Cadman has discovered a subroutine buried in the original programming in some of the affected corridors. It seems the city has the ability to set up internal defense shields in the case of an emergency."

"Really?" Rodney's glare immediately vanished and his eyes sparkled with sudden curiosity. "What triggers the shields? Why haven't we seen this before?"

I smiled genuinely at Rodney's infectious enthusiasm and answered. "We're not sure what triggers it yet, but from what we can tell from the program, it seems to draw a lot of power, more than we can really afford to expend testing it."

"Have you run simulations? Let me see what you've got." I called up the information on the large computer screen, and Rodney was already engrossed in throwing out theories and ordering tests when Norena cleared her throat.

"Rodney, I thought you were going to show me the schematics of the Aurora's engines?" she whined sweetly. It made me want to kick her in the teeth.

"Oh, uh…" Rodney looked at me, then at her, then back again. Gesturing over his shoulder, he hedged, "I really should, um…"

"Go," I said, trying to sound reassuring, when in reality I was picturing Norena's generously proportioned bosom deflating like a couple of popped balloons. "I think I'll just go get something to eat, anyway. Lately I feel like I'm always hungry." At Rodney's pained expression, I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, "Really, McKay, go ahead. The simulations will still be here when I get back." Rodney nodded, then turned and headed towards Norena, already atwitter about having him all to herself.

A few minutes after I sat down in the mess, Colonel Sheppard happily plunked down a tray full of food and asked, "So, you wanna tell me what all that was about?"

I stopped the forkful of apple pie and pickles halfway to my mouth. "Excuse me?"

"C'mon, Cadman. I've seen jello wrestling matches that were prettier than that display a few minutes ago. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

I ignored his question, instead asking one of my own. "Jello wrestling, sir?" I raised an eyebrow.

Sheppard just smiled. "General O'Neill took me while I was in Colorado. And don't change the subject." He pointed his fork at me accusingly.

I looked down at my plate sullenly. "I'd rather not talk about it, if it's all the same to you."

Sheppard stared at me silently for what felt like a long moment, then shrugged and picked up a handful of fries, apparently letting the whole thing drop. Sitting up eagerly, he began in a conversational tone, "Did I ever tell you I almost joined Mensa?" I must have looked incredulous, to say the least, because he continued defensively, "Hey, I may not be another McKay, but I'm pretty good with numbers. I can usually put two and two together to make four." He winked. "For example, if I were to take one recently single, pregnant woman and add two mildly infatuated scientists, I'd get three sides of a pretty damn weird love triangle."

I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my hands. "And where does the meddling commanding officer come into this equation?" I asked, my voice thick with sarcasm.

"Me?" he asked innocently, popping a few fries into his mouth and grinning. "Think of me as the common denominator." I could only groan. "So, how long have you had a thing for McKay?" he asked casually around a mouthful of fries.

"I do not have a thing for McKay!" I objected loudly, drawing a few amused glances from the people around me. Sheppard just looked at me skeptically. "I don't!" I said, this time a bit quieter. "I don't see why nobody believes me!" Sheppard just gave me the same dubious smirk I'd seen him give Rodney when he complained about his hypoglycemia. Sighing inwardly, I asked, "Not buying it, huh?"

"Not a word," he answered merrily.

Gazing skyward with the "Why am I surrounded by idiots?" expression I'd learned from McKay, I tried again. "Listen, Colonel, I appreciate you trying to talk to me about this. Really I do. But unfortunately, there's nothing to talk about, so if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go take a nap." I gathered up my tray and headed out, leaving the Colonel with a knowing grin that he refused to wipe off his face.

Who would have thought I'd have such a yenta of a commanding officer? Okay, so technically I could kind of see how he could get the impression that I was jealous, because really, what woman wouldn't take one look at the Claudia Schiffer wannabe of the Pegasus Galaxy and not be a little envious, especially a woman with half a basketball for a waistline? But really I was just looking at this entire situation from a military, tactical standpoint. When McKay was distracted or unfocused, he made mistakes. And when he made mistakes, things usually went kaboom to a spectacular degree. Norena and her Chest of Abundance were just one big, walking distraction. (Well, okay, make that two distractions.) Sheppard, as a military officer, should have realized that she was just an accident waiting to happen and should never have brought her to the city. Wasn't it his job to prevent the destruction of Atlantis on an apocalyptic scale?

I stopped short just outside my quarters, struck dumb by the sight of McKay ringing the jingly little chime that was supposed to be a doorbell, but always had me looking around for Tinkerbell when I heard it. Although, ever since Rodney had "rewired" my door, it sounded more like a sickly, possibly drunk Tinkerbell.

Before I could turn and head the other way, he spotted me and called, "Cadman, I was looking for you."

"Let me guess, you were baking brownies, and you want to borrow a cup of sugar?"

Rodney rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Look, can I just come in?"

I debated saying no for a second, because I really was looking forward to a nap, but then I just sighed and opened my door. He followed me inside and immediately started talking as if we were already in the middle of a lengthy conversation. "Look, Norena is just a colleague. She wanted to work in my lab so that I could be a kind of…mentor, I guess. Anyway, this shouldn't be a problem." He said it as if it was a preposterous idea.

"Fine," I shrugged, actually sounding pretty convincing.

"Fine?" Rodney parroted.

"Yes, McKay, it's fine," I lied. "Honestly, why would you think I'd have a problem with this?"

Rodney looked a like he'd been geared up for a knock down, drag out fight, and the wind had been taken out of his sails. "Oh," he deflated. "Well, I mean we've been spending a lot of time together lately, so I guess I just…You're really okay with this?"

"Look, Rodney, I'm not going to lie and say I think she's up to the intellectual challenge of, say, operating delicate machinery and chewing gum at the same time, but it's your lab. Staff it how you want, you don't need my approval."

"Oh," Rodney pondered a moment, then broke out in a triumphant grin. "Ha! And Sheppard thought you'd say it was a bad idea!"

My quirked eyebrow went unnoticed. I really needed to have a little discussion with my CO about his backseat driving tendencies…

Rodney continued to smile as he said, "Look, I'm glad you're okay with this Cadman, it makes things a lot easier. Oh, and Norena needs some of your clothes."

Coherent thought halted in its tracks for the second, or possibly third time that day. "My clothes?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, just some of your old uniforms, until we can get some new ones for her. You still keep them in the top drawer, right?" he asked as he headed towards my dresser. "I figured you wouldn't be needing yours for a while, obviously, so I told her she could have your old uniform."

I'm surprised McKay didn't hear the gears in my brain grind to a halt. Or maybe that was the sound of my teeth gnashing together. "You…you told her she could have my clothes?"

"Isn't that what I just said? Try to keep up, Cadman," he snapped, pulling a set of my old BDUs from the top drawer. "She said she felt out of place in her clothes, and since you and her are the same size…Well, at least, you used to be, before you got—"

"Complete that sentence and die, McKay," I snarled.

"What? I was going to say pregnant, not…the other thing…I assure you, my suicidal tendencies are not nearly as well developed as Sheppard's."

"At the moment, that's debatable," I growled.

Rodney just continued on as if he hadn't heard me. "Listen, are you going to help us run diagnostics on the internal shielding mechanism or not, because I need to get these to Norena, and if—"

"I'm coming," I answered abruptly, grabbing my equipment and storming past him towards the lab, leaving him running to catch up.

oOo

Roughly two hours and three eye twitches later, Rodney, Zelenka, Norena, and I were standing around one of the fried panels as Rodney attempted to initialize the shield subroutine with Norena hovering close by, wearing my old uniform. I tried not to think about how it looked better on her than it ever did on me. I'd gotten bored with Rodney's frustrated jabbing at the datapad, and was busy glaring at Norena, constructing various circumstances involving a shaved head, a permanent marker, and that weird plant extract from PX3-242 that had made the entire botany staff break out in a purple rash for three weeks. Just as I was internally debating the merits of the classic hair-dye in the shampoo scenario, Rodney let out a furious huff.

"This isn't working," he spat in annoyance. "Radek, your simulations were worthless!"

"My simulations?" the Czech snapped back. "You were the one who wrote the programming!"

"Yes, and my programming was flawless. You obviously entered the parameters wrong!"

Zelenka's face reddened and he began sputtering in Czech. Before he could get himself under enough control to regain his tenuous grasp of the English language, Rodney held up his hand for silence and tapped his radio. "Yes, I'm here. What now?" He answered the call with his usual charm. After a few seconds of silence, he rolled his eyes and said, "Well, just reboot the system, and—" His eyes widened. "You did what! No, no, no, don't touch ANYTHING! Just…stay there. We'll be down as fast as we can." He tapped off his radio with a muttered, "Monkeys. I'd be better off with trained monkeys!" Grabbing Zelenka's arm, he began to haul him back towards the labs, Norena following close behind as always. McKay grabbed her shoulders abruptly and stopped her. "No, Norena, you stay here. The chemistry department has apparently decided it would be fun to play with the Naquada generators and blow us all to kingdom come. You'll just be a distraction down there. Stay here with Cadman, don't touch anything, and I'll be back soon."

Then, not allowing time for an objection, he released her and grabbed Zelenka's arm again. As Rodney dragged him off, Zelenka cast an uneasy glance over his shoulder at the two of us and asked quietly, "Are you entirely sure that was wise?"

Rodney waved off his protests and said, "They'll be fine. We have bigger problems."

And really, I should have known McKay would jinx us like that. The Pegasus Galaxy had a cruel sense of irony.

Turning back to the fried panel, I began randomly pressing a few of the buttons on the datapad, silently brooding that I had been stuck with bimbo-sitting duty. Norena gave me that mildly perplexed look that I'm sure men found cute but just made me wonder what she'd look like with shaved eyebrows. "Are you sure you should be doing that? Rodney said not to touch anything until he got back."

I squelched the childish urge to shout, "You're not the boss of me!" and instead chose to roll my eyes and retort, "Oh, please. If McKay couldn't get this thing to work after two hours, what are the chances that I'll be able to make it work after only—" There was a sudden buzzing sound and the air was filled with a static charge I could feel on my skin. I looked up just in time to see a blue flash on either side as the internal shields immediately sprung to life, effectively trapping us.

"Uhm…I'd say the chances are pretty good, actually," Norena supplied helpfully.

"Huh," I gazed at the fields surrounding us, nonplussed. "Would you look at that?"

Snapping my attention back to the datapad in my hands, I began taking readings and…okay, that wasn't good. I immediately began pressing more buttons, trying to shut down the shields, and found Norena gazing over my shoulder at the screen. Knowing I was in way over my head, I tapped my radio to call for Rodney, but only got static. Damn, too much interference. "What's wrong?" Norena asked.

"Nothing," I replied petulantly, still madly pressing buttons to no avail.

"Can you shut down the shields?"

I paused momentarily in my efforts to sigh irritably. "No," I admitted reluctantly, popping the panel covering from the wall.

"What are you doing now?" I felt Norena close behind me again, buzzing questions in my ear like a particularly annoying fly. I wondered what McKay would say if I gave in to the compulsion to swat her.

"I'm attempting to manually disconnect the power source from the shield generators."

"Is that really necessary? I'm sure Rodney will just shut it down when he gets back," she said, her supreme confidence in Rodney's genius showing through.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," I answered, wildly fiddling with a few of the wires in the exposed panel. "Shields draw an enormous amount of power, something that's a bit of a rare commodity here on Atlantis, and these shields are using about five times more energy than they should. It's siphoning power from something, but I don't know what. The longer we wait, the more power it drains. I need to—"

"I understand," she interrupted. "Rodney told me how shields aren't designed for continuous use. You need to shut them down to conserve energy. Please, continue."

After a half-second, I snapped my gaping jaw shut and turned back to the panel. "Er, right. Thanks." Norena was still hovering over me in a manner eerily similar to the way Rodney does when he's convinced I've got chocolate hidden on my person and am refusing to share. I continued fiddling with the wires, but Norena gaping over my shoulder had me distracted, and I accidentally touched two wires together that I really shouldn't have. I jerked my hand back when I felt the shock go through me, and the action caused my elbow to collide sharply with the bridge of Norena's nose.

With a yelp, she stumbled back, her hands immediately flying to her face. I recoiled from the sharp zap, feeling a brief jolt in my chest. "Gah! Are you insane?" she shrieked.

"I'm sorry!" I apologized, shaking the tingles out of my arm. "It was an accident! That thing electrocuted me!" I silently blamed Rodney and his Karmic genes for getting me in this mess, because I didn't see what I could have done to the universe to make it this pissed at me.

Norena groaned as she drew her hands away, revealing a small trickle of blood. I stifled the brief flash of satisfaction I got from knowing she wouldn't be able to charm McKay quite as easily with two black eyes. Wiping gingerly at the dribble of blood, she said snippily, "Whatever you're doing, it obviously isn't working. Let me try."

I felt my temper snap. "Listen, Pegasus Barbie, this is pretty advanced stuff. I don't think you can just bat your eyelashes at it and expect it to behave."

Norena shot me a condescending look that I swear she learned from McKay. "I didn't become chief scientist of Taranis' most advanced Ancient facility by batting my eyelashes, Lieutenant. Now, step aside and let me work." I didn't say anything as she shoved past me with a mumbled, "Are all Earth scientists this difficult?" As much as it pained me to admit it, she had a point.

After a few frustrating minutes in which all I really did was hold a light for Norena while she worked, the shields flickered off and Norena cast me a pleased smile, which I returned with a pained grimace. Before she could commence the gloating, Rodney rounded the corner. Taking in Norena's bloody nose, my slightly frizzy hair, and the way we were huddled around the control panel, he immediately burst out, "What the hell happened here?"

"It was an accident!" Norena and I both shouted simultaneously.

oOo

Half an hour later, I was sitting in the infirmary, watching McKay provide Norena with a steady supply of ice packs and tissues, all the while casting wary glances my way from across the infirmary. Carson had suggested we be seated as far apart as possible, and neither of us had objected.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "The way Rodney keeps looking at me, you'd think I'd started a catfight the likes of which has never been seen since the last time Gucci had a shoe sale."

Sheppard snorted from his position next to my bed, where he had lazily draped himself over a chair. "Jealousy really doesn't work for you, Cadman. You should try playing hard to get."

I refrained from saying I wasn't out to "get" anybody, because he wouldn't have believed me anyway. Instead, I stared at Rodney as he stole a pillow from the slumbering occupant of the next bed and added it to the already massive stack behind Norena's head, ignoring the protests of the now awake patient. "Are we sure she hasn't put the whammy on him?" I asked abruptly.

Sheppard just laughed. "The whammy?" he asked.

"Yes, Colonel, the whammy," I replied in all seriousness. "There's no way Rodney would really be attracted to someone like that!"

He shrugged, ineffectively hiding his smirk. "I dunno, from what Rodney says, he actually prefers dumb blonds, so she seems perfect for him."

"Oh," I blinked, then looked at the band-aid on my index finger. I suddenly wished I had a giant scorch mark up my arm, instead of a measly little blister.

"Although," Sheppard continued conversationally, "given his history, I'm not so sure I buy him on the 'dumb' part. But the blond thing I definitely believe."

I glanced up in time to see McKay walking Norena out of the infirmary, and Carson was headed towards my bed. Picking up my chart, he made a few quick notes then said, "Laura, I think I'd like you to stay in the infirmary overnight, just for observation."

My stomach dropped. "What? I thought you said the shock wasn't that serious?"

"Aye," he said placatingly. "It was a low voltage dose, that's true. I'm sure you'll be fine, but given the way things tend to go around here, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Is there anything you'd like to have someone retrieve from your quarters?"

I debated whether or not to ask him to bring me Marty. We were allowed one personal item, and I had to choose the stuffed bear I'd had since I was three. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even consider admitting I had a stuffed animal, let alone ask someone to bring him out in public, but I felt like I could really use some comfort and security after the day I'd had. "Just a set of pajamas, actually. And maybe another set of BDUs for tomorrow," I finally answered.

"I'll send someone to get them, Beckett. You have enough to worry about," Sheppard suggested helpfully.

"Thank ye, Colonel," he nodded. "Why don't you try to get some rest Laura? I'll be back to check on you in a bit." Almost as an afterthought, he squeezed my hand tentatively and added, "I'm glad you're alright."

Feeling like we'd jumped over a giant hurdle, I smiled tiredly. "Thanks," I said before he nodded and headed off to check on his other patients. Sheppard stuck around for a little while longer, making small talk until I succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

The sound of gentle rustling woke me up several hours later. I opened my eyes drowsily to see a figure bent over the chair by my bed, placing what I assumed were a change of clothes there for me. My voice thick with sleep, I whispered, "Thanks, Colonel."

The figure turned at the sound of my voice, and I was taken aback to find myself looking into the face of Rodney McKay. Sitting up, I asked, "Rodney? What are you doing here?"

"I, um," he gestured to the chair, where he had laid several objects I could barely make out in the dark of the infirmary. "Sheppard asked me to pick up a few things from your quarters, so I—"

"You brought Marty?" I asked, my sleep addled mind apparently forgetting to filter the words before they left my mouth.

I could make out Rodney's grin even in the dark. Picking up the matted bundle of patches and fur, he held the stuffed bear out to me gingerly as he sat on the edge of my bed. "I found this guy hiding under your pillow. I thought you might want him," he explained.

Taking the bear and running my fingers over the balding fur and missing eye socket with practiced ease, I held the bear close, not caring if McKay made fun of me or not. "Thanks," I mumbled.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rodney finally said, "I, um…I owe you an apology."

I raised my eyebrow skeptically. McKay didn't do apologies…or at least, he didn't do them well. "For which part?" I questioned warily.

I could actually see Rodney stamp down the sarcastic retort with a sigh. "I shouldn't have told Carson you attacked Norena. I was out of line." At my expectant look, he continued, "And for making him scan you for a goa'uld or the enzyme…And for saying you're a walking disaster. Although you can't really argue that you always tend to be around when bad things happen."

"Me?" I asked, incredulous. "What have I ever done?"

And cue the sarcasm. "Oh, where should I start? The Wraith transporter incident, the goa'uld bomb, the freak pregnancy, and now this mysterious power overload," he ticked each off on his fingers. "You have to admit it's rather alarming."

"I seem to recall you being present for all those things and then some! If anyone's incurred the wrath of the cosmos, McKay, it's you! And don't even pretend you think this pregnancy is a bad thing, I know you better than that."

Rodney sighed, and the fact that his apology wasn't triggering another dispute was a sign that he really was sorry. "Yeah, you're right. And the power surge wasn't that bad, either, actually. We figured out that the shields were draining off power from the overloading generators. It probably bought us the extra few seconds we needed to avoid a catastrophic overload."

"So, I saved all your lives, then?"

McKay rolled his eyes dramatically. "Well, I wouldn't go that far! It was just dumb luck that we even—" He stopped at my amused expression and cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?" he asked after a moment.

I shrugged noncommittally before changing the subject. "Where's your shadow?"

It was McKay's turn to shrug. "I sent her home. Well, to the planet they're temporarily calling home. She wanted to help me work on fixing the engines on the Orion, but I told her that given the time constraints and lack of adequate manpower, it would take me months to get them up and running. I just don't think I could spend that much time one on one with her."

I snickered into my hand. "Sick of your fan club already, McKay?"

Rodney rolled his eyes and let out a sarcastic snort. "Yes, she's gorgeous, and smarter than she looks, but she has a tendency to…hover. It's disconcerting."

I smiled shrewdly. "She really has no concept of personal space, does she? I was tempted to lock her in a room with Dr. Grebbans and give her a taste of her own medicine."

"Grebbans?" Rodney asked quizzically. "Miko and Simpson are terrified of him, too. Aside from a completely laughable view of string theory, I don't see what's so repulsive about him."

I gave him a meaningful look. "His nickname is Dr. Grab-ass."

McKay raised his eyebrows a fraction. "Oh…"

After another long moment, Rodney became serious again. He reached out and took my hand gently in his. "I really am sorry, Cadman. I said I'd be there for you, and I meant it. I should never have put you through that. Do you forgive me?"

I felt my breath inexplicably catch in my throat at the look he gave me. It was the same look that he'd given me before, that was both open but unreadable, like I was missing something that was right in front of my face. I was still trying to read his eyes in that dark room when I felt a little tap inside me, and I jumped. "What?" he asked, seeing my reaction.

"I don't know," I answered, perplexed. "I think I—" And there it was again. I looked up and felt my face break into a magnificent grin. Without words, I took both his hands and placed them on my stomach, covering them with my own. He looked confused, but didn't try to pull away. We stayed like that for several seconds as the tension grew, and then suddenly, he felt it. He jerked his hands back in surprise, then comprehension dawned, and he placed his hands back on my belly with a brilliant smile. "They're kicking," I explained unnecessarily.

I once again covered his hands with mine, and our eyes locked. I saw such joy and awe in his gaze that I swear I stopped breathing, but another kick from the babies jolted me back into reality. I think those babies were trying to knock some sense into their mom, because I was suddenly blindsided with the realization that had come so naturally to everyone else and I had been denying for months.

I was absolutely, devastatingly, head over heels in love with Rodney McKay.

Oh, crap.

oOo

A/N: Argh! This monster of a chapter is finally done! And can you tell I absolutely loved this episode:) Jealous!Cadman is so much fun to write. And by the way, the first person to review this fic will be my first ever 100th review! XD (Don't everybody jump up at once…)