Emma slid to a stop outside of Dr. McKay's lab. She had to remember to slow down. She counted to five and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do was let her new boss know how nervous she was. The door opened immediately for her – a little too quickly. She'd have to watch that. Emma entered to see the back of a man hunched over a computer station.

"Dr. McKay?"

"Shhh..."

Emma stood quietly for a few moments. This was a great way to make a good first impression – interrupt the man while he was deep in thought. She stood there for a while longer, not sure what to do. After what seemed like an eternity she cleared her throat.

"If you are fighting a cold go see Dr. Beckett in the infirmary." Rodney still did not turn around. He was going to make her wait as long as possible, make her feel as uncomfortable as possible. It was Part 1 in his plan to get rid of her.

"Dr. McKay. I'm not..."

"There! Dr. McKay stood up, his back still to Emma. "Dr. Grayson. If you are going to work in my lab there are a few rules you must obey from the start. First, do not interrupt me while..." McKay turned around to face Emma and stopped mid-sentence, his mouth open waiting for the next word to spill out. The woman standing in front of him was most definitely not mousy or geeky. Indeed, she was the most attractive female he had seen since his arrival on Atlantis. Her red hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail with soft wisps escaping around her face. Her blue eyes stared at him intensely. Her figure was definitely more feminine than most of the female scientists he spent time with.

"Um, um, um..." he stuttered. This was not the Dr. Grayson he had imagined. He tried to regain his composure. Perhaps this wasn't her after all. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Emma Grayson. You were expecting me."

Rodney's mind tried to digest what she was saying. He would have to tell Carson that he didn't appreciate his holding back vital information on this woman. Like how devastatingly pretty she was. The least he could have done was prepare Rodney for what he saw in front of him. How in the hell was he going to get any work done looking at her every day? Rodney hoped Carson was having a good laugh over this, because he certainly wasn't.

"Ummmm, no. I mean yes," Rodney babbled.

Emma looked at Rodney trying not to smile. She had on occasion elicited the same response from members of other scientific teams she had been assigned to. Why did everyone think that female scientists had to look like, well, female scientists.

Rodney looked at her intensely. He thought he saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly – quite a lovely mouth. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, or were they laughing at him? This was going to be a very long day.

"So, you're the one who makes technology blip."

At this point Emma couldn't keep from smiling. It was all she could do to keep from laughing.

"Yes, I guess you can say I have that effect on technology." After a pause she added, "Among other things."

Rodney looked at her with alarm. He hoped Dr. Grayson hadn't realized that he was staring at her. He would have to remember to be more professional in the future. If she were going to be working in his lab he couldn't be caught ogling her.

After an awkward silence Rodney finally spoke, trying desperately to sound in command. "Well, where should we start?" Rodney asked hoping he had succeeded.

"Perhaps you would like to go over the rules of your lab," Emma replied. "You were saying..."

"Yes, well, we can go over them another time." Rodney couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Let's see. We should get you a work station." he glanced around quickly. The only one available was directly in front of him. Not the best place for her to sit since she would be in his direct line of sight. On the other hand, she wouldn't be able to catch him looking at her. Perhaps he would even get used to her there. She would become another piece of lab equipment. Really amazing lab equipment.

"You can use this station here," Rodney said holding out the chair for her, trying to be gallant. "I've uh, I've pulled some research that I would like you to translate. You can start on that." Rodney pulled up the files, Part 2 of his plan to get rid of Dr. Grayson totally slipping his mind.

"If you have any questions, just ask. I'm... I'm in the middle of... well, I'm right here if you need me." Rodney smiled and went back to his desk. He had not anticipated the possibility that he might actually want Dr. Grayson in his lab.

Emma sat at her station trying to get comfortable in her new work space. Carson's list of do's and don'ts kept repeating in her head. She started working on the translations for Dr. McKay. It was going to be more difficult than she thought, the subject matter was extremely technical. Emma had hoped for something a little easier - pushing a few telepathic buttons on some machinery, visiting a few new worlds, maybe even learning how to fly the puddle jumper. To top it off she could feel Dr. McKay staring at the back of her head. She was sure he was waiting for her to make a mistake or blow something up. Emma tried to ignore him, concentrating on her work.

Rodney sat back at his station wondering what he was going to do with this female. The only other woman who had elicited this kind of response from him was Major Samantha Carter. And these two were nothing alike. Samantha Carter was definitely his type. Tall and athletic, with short blonde hair. He had fantasies about that hair. But this woman was completely different. Definitely more curvaceous than Major Carter. When Emma sat down at her work station he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of her backside. He didn't think he had seen anyone on Atlantis fill out their uniform in such an incredibly delightful way. And the hair, falling out of her hair clip so unruly. He couldn't abide women who didn't control their hair. And yet it was all he could do to keep from running his fingers through it as she sat in front of him. Rodney knew immediately his work would suffer with her in the room. Perhaps if he could just get out and get some fresh air. If he could gather his thoughts he could get back in control.

"Ummmm, I think I'll get something to eat." Rodney stated just as Zelenka entered the room.

'Damn. Why do I have to be sharing a lab with him right now,' Rodney thought. Rodney had requested his own lab a few month's back. He was tired of sharing space with so many idiotic scientists, but Zelenka was different. They spoke the same language and it was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of – not that he needed any help with any of his ideas.

"Sorry I'm late." Radek stopped when he saw Emma.

"Hello," Emma replied smiling up at him. She had seen Zelenka around from time to time but had never spoken with him. "I'm Emma Grayson. I'll be working here with Dr. McKay."

"Then you'll be working with me too," Zelenka smiled brightly. "Welcome aboard, Emma Grayson."

Rodney stared at the two. This was really great. An amazingly gorgeous woman just falls from the sky into his lab and he has to share her with of all people Radek Zelenka. He suddenly realized that pawning Emma off on Radek was out of the question. Time to scrap that part of his plan. The last thing he needed was to watch the two of them playing happily in his lab all day long while he suffered alone in the corner.

"All right, all right. Enough of this clever banter. Back to work." Rodney snapped.

"Weren't you going to get something to eat?" Radek asked, keeping his eyes on Dr. Grayson.

"I'm really not all that hungry" Rodney replied as casually as possible.

Radek turned to examine Rodney. It was definitely out of character for Dr. McKay to turn down food. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Of course I'm feeling alright. I umm... it's just..." Rodney paused trying desperately to come up with a good reason to stay. "I would hate to leave Dr. Grayson alone here on her first day in the lab."

"She won't be alone, I'll be with her," Zelenka responded, smiling at Emma. He was really hoping Rodney would leave and the sooner the better. He had seen Emma around but never had the courage to say anything. And now here she was in front of him where he could talk to her as much as he wanted. If only Rodney would go.

"Actually, I'll be fine if you both want to get something to eat," Emma stated. What she really wanted was to be left alone so she could make some progress on her new assignment.

"Nonsense," Rodney replied. "We wouldn't do that. Perhaps we can all get a bite to eat. Together. Later. After we do some work." Rodney turned towards his computer screen and started typing furiously, head bowed. He was hoping everyone would just settle down at their station and start working. Right now they were staring at him and it made him very uncomfortable.

"Well, if you insist. I'd love to have lunch with Dr. Grayson," Zelenka beamed. "Oh, and of course, you, too, Rodney."

Emma smiled tentatively. This most definitely was going to be a very long day.