A/N: Thank you all for all the incredible reviews. My mailbox has been bursting! Well, it's time for the 'tense scene turns into mush' LOL. This is the penultimate chapter. I hope the fix-it is convincing, I really do, I want you all to be happy.

Chapter Ten - QUIESCENCE

Rodney hurried to his quarters, almost in shock. About halfway, he decided it had probably been a Very Bad Idea to run out on her like that, but he didn't turn around. It was too late now, and besides, he needed some space. He couldn't handle everything she was putting on him. Friend? Need? Love? Sorry? None of these words had ever settled easily in his mind anyhow. Connected to Elizabeth, he thought his brain might implode.

Slamming his hand into the door release, he leaned heavily waiting for it to open. Once inside his room, he pulled off his boots and lay on the bed, seething with... something. He lay there in the gathering twilight, mulling over the crazy possibilities in his head.

What am I supposed to do now, huh? Is she insane? She loves me? Funny way of showing it, dammit.

She loved him. And he had been conspicuously absent when she needed him. Well, OK. And she'd left Simon. But why? When they'd recorded the databurst, she seemed to imply he was still important to her - she must have been talking about Simon. He recalled what a painful experience that had been, hearing about how she'd wanted to send a message to 'someone'. Why would she leave him when they could make more trips to Earth? Sheppard said she'd had to... There was so much he wanted to ask. So much he still didn't understand.

She thought he'd slept with someone else... It had Hurt her... He released his deep breath slowly. Heavy stuff, really. Thinking of Elizabeth, hurt, seemed to stir something deep within him, and he felt almost physically sick. He would never hurt her. Never. Not if he could help it. The fact that he might have, even unintentionally, had to be dealt with. Now.

He got up, put his boots back on, and headed for the Gateroom. She would be in her office, or on the balcony. As he made his way quickly, he absently rubbed at his throat. He couldn't believe what he'd done to Sheppard over this. He'd never got that worked up over anything, not that he could remember.

The cold night air hit him hard as the balcony doors opened. He took a deep breath and went over to the rail, where Elizabeth stood, looking out at the ocean. She never looked around.

"Why didn't you say something, on the Daedalus, or when we got back?" he asked. He wanted to know. He had worked hard to keep the anger from his voice.

"You were there for five nights."

His only thought was that she'd counted.

"Oh. That is kind of suspicious, I guess, when you put it like that."

"What was I supposed to think?" she said quietly, with no anger of her own.

"Elizabeth. I'm so sorry." Rodney said, because really, he was. "You've... for a whole year, you... I am so sorry." He put out a hand, and touched hers.

She turned to him, and he just saw her utter dejection. He moved his hands to her shoulders instinctively. Seeing no objection in her sad, empty eyes, he stepped closer, and wrapped his arms around her. "I hated it when we were fighting," he whispered, "I hated it." He squeezed her limp form to himself.

He was about to release her when he felt her arms encircle him, and she was shaking ever so slightly. Her head was shivering against his shoulder, and he knew she was crying.

He usually felt hopeless at this kind of thing. Every so often in his life, some girl would use his shoulder to cry on, for some reason, and it made him feel useless and awkward. This time, though, it was Elizabeth, and he suddenly felt needed... and actually comfortable. The way she was clutching the fabric of his shirt, just above his waist, seemed important to him.

And he wasn't sure why, but he didn't think he was to blame for these tears. Not that he had anything to base that assumption on, other than the fact he wasn't nursing a sore jaw.

" 'Lizabeth?" He stroked the back of her head gently. What is it?

"He found someone else, Rodney," she said quietly.

Ah, Simon. She hadn't just dumped him then. Not that he'd think badly of her in any case. They were after all, commuting to another galaxy, no guarantee of a return ticket. Perhaps dumped was too strong a word. He was sure she would have let him down gently. But... he'd found someone else? Damn. That had to hurt.

"I'm really sorry, Elizabeth."

"He didn't tell me until the day before I was leaving."

Holy crap. She must have been home with Simon for almost a week. He didn't want to contemplate it. "I am so sorry." Didn't his vocabulary stretch any further? He didn't think so, not right now.

Elizabeth took her head off his shoulder and took a step back. "I thought he would come with us, and work with Carson. He didn't sign, Rodney. He didn't sign."

Rodney moved his hands to her shoulders, and squeezed gently. OK, he was a little confused now. Sign what? The contract probably. The one signing your life away to a shiny blue puddle with Wraith on the other side. Coward. He had found someone else, and hadn't told her. Double coward.

"You're safe with me, Elizabeth. I won't let anyone hurt you." Where did that come from? What kind of dumb...?

"I know, Rodney. I've known that for a long time. I know I'm safe with you."

Oh, good. That's fine then. He looked down at her wide, dark eyes, and he knew she trusted him, depended on him, loved him. For a whole year she'd tried to deny all of these things. But she couldn't keep away from it any longer. And he didn't want her to.

Right now, Rodney knew he didn't want to be anywhere else in the entire universe, except here, protecting this woman. All he could focus on was the fact he was holding her, listening to her, under this night sky. How he had reached this place was nothing to him, not really. But there was one thought in his mind as looked at her, contemplating what might happen next - we must both be insane.

A/N: Last chapter tomorrow. Poor Rodney's brain.