Author's Note 9/7: I did a second pass on chapters 6-8. Mostly dialogue and finessing a few things that had been bothering me. Let me know what you think. Also, the next installment is in the works. Hopefully I'll have the chapters up in a week or so.

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Rodney strode quickly down the hall to Beckett's quarters. He was planning to give Carson a piece of his mind. It was all his fault he was in this mess with Emma.

He knocked sharply on the door and opened it without waiting for a response.

"Carson, we need to talk." Rodney stormed in to find Emma standing in the middle of the room.

After an awkward silence Emma put down her drink and started toward the door. "I was just leaving," she said, never taking her eyes off Rodney. When she reached him he looked away. She could see how angry he was.

"Goodnight, Carson." Emma said, and took one last look at Dr. McKay. She wanted to remember the man who was about to destroy her career.

After the door closed Rodney exploded. "What were you thinking bringing her here to Atlantis! She's a walking disaster!"

"Rodney, she's not that bad."

"She refuses to obey orders, she can't control that Ancient gene of hers. She's destroying my authority with the other scientists..."

Carson stood there letting Rodney rant. Maybe once he let off some steam they could discuss Emma more calmly.

Rodney paced back and forth. "She needs to learn to listen. I can't take her on away missions if I have to go chasing after her every five minutes."

"I've talked to her Rodney. She said she would listen to you. She knows she did wrong."

"And you believe her?"

"That she knows what she did was wrong? Yes. That she will obey your orders?" Carson shrugged, "She knows she has to. She wants to be here, Rodney, she wants to contribute."

"She doesn't belong here, Carson. She's too distracting. The way she approaches her work, the way she..." Rodney was at a loss for words.

"The way she disrupts your lab?" Carson added

"Yes," Rodney replied, still pacing.

Carson watched Rodney closely. "The way she lights up when she's solved a problem?

"Yes!" Rodney was lost in his own thoughts, only half hearing Carson.

"The way her nose crinkles when she laughs? The way she tosses her hair?"

"Yes, yes!" Rodney realized what Carson had been saying. "What! No! What are you talking about?"

Carson laughed. "Nothing, Rodney, just having a bit of fun. If it's really that bad, why don't you tell Elizabeth you tried but it's just not working out. I'm sure she could put Emma on Kavanagh's team."

Rodney mumbled under his breath, "Not Kavanagh."

"What was that?"

"I said I don't want her off the team." Rodney had calmed down somewhat but was still agitated.

"I think you need a drink." Carson poured him a glass.

Rodney collapsed on the couch. "She's already driven me to drink and it's only been a week."

"Rodney, just give her a little more time. This has been a big adjustment for her."

"What about me? I can't have a member of my team yelling at me. Everyone heard."

"She does have a bit of a temper. She'll calm down once she gets used to you."

"Used to me! How am I supposed to get used to her?" Rodney finished off his glass. "No wonder your engagement didn't work out."

Carson turned to look at Rodney. "What?"

Rodney stared at him, wondering if he should have brought it up. "She said you were engaged but it didn't work out. Now I know why."

Carson howled with laughter.

Rodney didn't know what was so funny. "Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it." He was getting uncomfortable. "I mean there must have been a reason you never told me about it."

Carson continued laughing uncontrollably. Rodney looked more confused than ever.

"She didn't tell you?" Carson asked.

Rodney shook his head. He had no idea what Carson found so funny.

"She never mentioned to you that she was 8 and I was 14?" Carson wiped the tears from his eyes. This was too good.

Rodney was stunned. "You think she'd mention something like that," he said mostly to himself.

Carson looked at Rodney and chuckled. "I would have loved to see your face when she told you."

Rodney smirked. "Ha, ha. Very funny." He thought about how he had been taken in by that innocent face of hers. "You knew all along she was trouble and you still allowed her to be assigned to my lab."

"I tried, Rodney, really I tried. But Dr. Weir was adamant."

"What am I going to do?" Rodney looked defeated.

"First of all, have another drink." Carson filled his glass. "Secondly, get used to it. She's a wonderful girl, Rodney. If you can just figure out a way to control her."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. I was never able to figure that out."

"Great, just great." Rodney downed the glass and held it out for more.

Carson laughed again as he filled Rodney's glass for the third time.

Rodney had calmed down enough to see the remains of what looked like a quiet evening between Carson and Emma. "So, uh, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"No," Carson replied.

"I mean, uh, the two of you..."

"Rodney, it's okay. You didn't interrupt anything."

He watched Rodney down his third glass of liquor. Rodney had it bad – Carson wondered if he was even aware of his feelings for Emma. His mind was usually too wrapped up in his experiments to notice women. And there were definitely women on Atlantis interested in Rodney. But as far as Carson knew he had never acted on any of it.

"If you're going to work with Emma you have to know she's a bit of a spitfire. Don't tell me you haven't already noticed?"

Rodney nodded. He had indeed noticed. Emma didn't think twice about standing up to him. She obviously was not intimidated by him at all, a trait he found very seductive. If anything, he was a bit intimidated by her.

"Don't be too hard on her," Carson said. She's always been a bit stubborn. She's always said things before thinking. But she does have a good heart – and a pretty face."

Rodney managed a half-hearted smile. He still wasn't sure of the exact nature of Carson and Emma's relationship, but he did know that he was glad he was too much of a coward to try for more with her himself. He wasn't sure he could handle the stress.