Rodney spent most of the trip sulking in the corner watching John teach Emma how to fly the jumper. He had tried to help, but he was no good at piloting. In addition his hovering seemed to make everyone nervous. Finally Teyla had suggested that he sit back and work on some calculations before they arrived at P3X-794.

John landed the jumper in a clearing halfway between the village and the temple. It would mean a hike for both teams, but it would also mean they could reach their destinations without being observed.

The plan of action was fairly simple. John and Teyla would scout out the village while Rodney and Emma went in search of the Ancient temple. It would be a straight forward fact gathering mission. They would go in and get out quickly.

"Okay, you two. Find out as much as you can and report back in two hours," John instructed Rodney and Emma. "I want you back here by nightfall."

He pulled Rodney aside. "Does that give you enough time alone with Dr. Grayson?"

"What are you talking about, Colonel?" Rodney asked, oblivious to his underlying question.

"Well I just thought the two of you, alone, off world, you know." John grinned mischievously at Rodney.

"There is nothing going on between the two of us if that's what you mean." Rodney replied indignantly.

"Okay, I just thought if you wanted to, this would be a good opportunity."

"I suppose you would if you had the chance, Captain Kirk." Rodney snapped back.

"Nah, she's not my type." John responded.

"What do you mean she's not your type? What's wrong with her?" Rodney asked glancing up at Emma. She seemed perfect to him, although he was not going to admit that to Colonel Sheppard any time soon.

"I'm just saying that the two of you make a cute couple. That's all. I'm not going to step on your toes before you get to make your big move." John was enjoying getting Rodney worked up over Dr. Grayson. And maybe if he was lucky something would actually come of it. If McKay had some recreational time alone with a woman he might not be so irritating all the time.

"Like I said, there is nothing going on between us. And if there were I would report directly to Dr. Heitmeyer. If you haven't noticed, she's not the easiest person to get along with."

"Well just let me know, and Teyla and I will make ourselves scarce," John replied giving Rodney a strong pat on the back.

Teyla and Emma approached the men. "Are we ready?" Teyla asked.

"Yes, yes. Let's go." Rodney asserted, not looking at Emma. She followed behind him as he quickly took off to the West.

"McKay!" John called out, "That way!" He pointed North.

Rodney looked at John. He turned his GPS system so that it matched the direction in which John was pointing. "Yes, of course." Rodney changed direction followed by Emma. She looked at John and Teyla one last time half wondering if she would ever see them again.

John chuckled as he watched them leave. Teyla looked up at him with concern, "Colonel Sheppard, are you sure they will be alright?"

He looked at her and wiped the grin off his face. "They'll be fine." John and Teyla turned and headed South towards the village.

---------------

"Can we stop for a minute?" Emma asked. They had been going for over an hour in rugged terrain. Rodney had set a particularly fast pace, and Emma was having trouble keeping up with him, especially with all the extra equipment she was carrying.

"If you want to go off-world, you need to be able to take the physical punishment." Rodney snapped back.

"I just need a moment to adjust my pack," Emma said. Rodney ignored her as he moved forward. Emma stopped anyway. She would catch up with Rodney in a moment. Right now she wanted to take a look around, to take advantage of her first off-world experience, Atlantis not-withstanding.

"Rodney." No response. "Dr. McKay!" Emma cried, trying to get his attention. Rodney had not made much progress ahead of her, coming up against a fairly large palm plant blocking the path.

"What?" Rodney snapped back, trying to hack a path through the growth.

"I think I saw something to the left."

"What?" Rodney asked, trying to hide any panic in his voice. He wasn't really prepared to play the hero in front of Emma defending her against any wild animals, or worse.

"I think I saw the ruins to the left. I think we're off course."

"Nonsense. I have the GPS and the readings say..." Rodney stopped to read the GPS. He had been hiking so determinedly that he hadn't taken a reading on their location in quite a while. "The ruins are to the left." He replied flatly.

He turned to see Emma watching him. "Alright, alright, so I overshot our target. It happens." Emma tried not to smile.

"Let's go. We have a lot of work to do." Rodney pushed past her in the direction she had indicated. About 100 yards in front of them was a small clearing leading up to a massive Ancient temple. The architecture was a mix of Ancient Atlantean and early Greek architecture. Emma had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Her research at Stargate Command had been based on the theory that some of the Ancients had ventured away from Antarctica and merged with other civilizations on Earth. And here was her proof. Only problem was that they were standing in front of a temple on a planet in the Pegasus Galaxy, not on Earth, a million plus miles away.

Rodney motioned for her to stay back while he approached the temple. He checked his scanner to see if there were any life forms inside. "It looks clear, but stay alert." Emma followed Rodney up the broad steps and into the structure.

Once inside Emma was overwhelmed by the art surrounding her. Much of the temple was intact, although a little run down. She set her pack down and walked over to the mural on the far wall.

"This is Atlantis," she said half to herself.

Rodney approached and glanced at the artwork. "Huh, well, that's nice. But it won't supply us any power. We need to find a ZPM." He turned and walked away, scanning for energy readings.

Emma continued to study the picture. It was an aerial view of Atlantis. You could make out activity on the West Pier. Ships coming and going by both sea and air, people obviously from many different planets bustling on the docks. It was how she had imagined Atlantis had been back before the Wraith.

She was pulled out of her reverie by Dr. McKay. "Dr. Grayson, if you could tear yourself away from the museum tour, we have work to do." Emma turned to see Rodney setting up the equipment they had brought. "I need you to run a scan to see if there are any vaults under the temple that might contain a ZPM. I'm going to check out the other rooms to see what I can find."

"Shouldn't we stay together?" Emma asked.

"I'll be fine," Rodney replied. "Besides..." Rodney glanced at Emma.

"You don't want me accidentally activating anything." Emma finished his sentence. She was getting tired of the same old argument from him. She really did need to find a way to get him to trust her if she was going to be of any help. Emma put thoughts of the mural aside as she busied herself with the scans.

Rodney returned after a brief reconnaissance. "Nothing to see but more paintings." The rooms were empty except for the few odd artifacts. Nothing that would help them locate a new power source. Emma had been just as unsuccessful locating any hidden vaults in the main area.

"Nothing here either," Emma replied.

Rodney sat down and pulled out a power bar. "We may as well take a break. We can check the perimeter next."

"May I go see the other rooms?" Emma asked, fully expecting Rodney to turn her down.

"Yes, but be careful. And keep your com link open."

Emma beamed as she grabbed the video recorder and started out. She was hoping there would be more murals of Atlantis. Entering the first chamber, she got her wish. All four walls were covered with images of the city, snapshots of daily life. She continued through the rooms recording mural after mural. There were concerts, marketplaces, gardens, classrooms, people gathered in common areas she recognized on Atlantis. She found one mural of the large cafeteria where the main meals were served. There was a banquet scene laid out like an Ancient Greek feast complete with musicians and dancers. There was enough information here to last a lifetime of research.

In the room farthest to the back she found a mural showing the Gate Room on Atlantis. It had not changed much in 10,000 years. It was eerie seeing the room depicted so accurately. It could have been painted yesterday except for a few small details. Just insert Dr. Weir on the balcony and you'd be all set.

"Dr. Grayson, come in." Emma heard Rodney on her headset.

"Yes, Dr. McKay?"

"We need to get started. It looks like a storm is moving in and we don't have much time to check the exterior buildings and get back to the jumper."

"Understood." Emma took one last look around. She wished she had more time to study the murals in detail. Once they were back on Atlantis she would be able to study the tapes, but that was nothing compared to seeing them in person.

Emma returned to the main entrance to see dark clouds filling the sky. "This storm moved in quickly," she commented. There had been no sign of rain when they had landed.

"Yes, well, no telling what kind of weather this planet has," Rodney replied casually. All he wanted to do was finish their work and return to the jumper so they could get back to Atlantis as quickly as possible. "Gather up the equipment and let's get out of here."

"Dr. McKay," Rodney heard John over his com link.

"Yes, Colonel," Rodney replied.

"There's a storm moving in your direction. It looks pretty big. We may have to ride it out here in the village. Can you get back to the jumper?"

Rodney walked out onto the temple's massive porch. The wind picked up suddenly blowing debris across the clearing. "I don't think so. It's moving in quite rapidly. We should probably stay here until it blows over."

"Good idea. We'll check in with you in a few hours. Will you two be alright there together unchaperoned?" John added with a chuckle.

"We'll be fine, Colonel," Rodney snapped back. He looked at Emma who was turned away. He hoped she hadn't heard any of the conversation. Another gust of wind blew more debris across the temple steps. Then the sky opened up and the rain started. "Get back inside!" he shouted to Emma. The two retreated into the temple as the storm hit the area full force.

"It looks like we're stuck here. But don't worry, we have, uh, plenty of supplies and we can, uh, do some more research inside here while we wait for the storm to pass." Rodney tried to put on a good front but he was worried. He hadn't seen a storm like this since his first months on Atlantis. He hoped this one was not as destructive.

"Let's move back into one of the other rooms and set up camp. We'll be safer away from the entrance," he continued.

Emma gathered up the equipment. She could sense the change in Rodney. "There's a very interesting room way in the back. We'll be well protected there." Emma hoped that keeping Rodney's mind off the storm would settle his nerves. She led him to the chamber with the murals of the Gate Room.

"I didn't see this before. I must have taken a different turn back here." Rodney started scanning the room. "No energy signs." He threw down his equipment and rubbed his face in frustration.

Emma tried to assure Rodney that there was still a chance to find a ZPM. "Perhaps we'll find something in one of the exterior buildings. Once the storm is over we can see what's out there."

"You're right. Let's uh, just uh..." Rodney was having trouble concentrating. He hadn't liked storms as a kid, and his experience on Atlantis had only heightened his unease in them.

Emma watched Rodney closely. "It'll be alright, Dr. McKay. Colonel Sheppard knows where we are. He'll come get us just as soon as the storm blows over."

She gave Rodney a reassuring smile. "Would you like me to set up the equipment?"

"Yes, that would be good." Rodney turned away trying to regain his composure. He knew he had to remain calm. He was responsible for Emma's safety. The last words Zelenka had said to him kept playing over in his head, "Take good care of Emma." He had promised he would and he had no plans to break that promise to Zelenka or to himself.

Emma set up the equipment quickly. She glanced over to see Rodney staring at one of the murals. She pulled a chocolate bar out of her pack and brought it over to him.

"Isn't it amazing how little has changed in 10,000 years?" Emma handed him the bar, hoping some chocolate and mindless conversation would get him to relax.

Rodney took the chocolate and unwrapped it. "Yes, there's hardly any change. And the people. You could almost see Dr. Weir standing on the balcony."

"I had the very same thought," Emma laughed, putting Rodney at ease.

He turned to her. "Thank you."

"For what?" Emma asked.

Rodney started to fumble. "For the uh, chocolate bar." He took a bite chewing overly enthusiastically.

"Careful, we don't have too many of those. You're going to have to make it last." Emma reminded him.

"I think I may have a few sequestered away," Rodney replied, smiling at her.

The two looked at each other for a long moment. He really was quite cute with his crooked smile, Emma thought to herself. In the past few weeks she had mainly seen the blustering, egotistical, ranting genius that Carson had warned her about. But sometimes, like now, she saw a different side to him. She felt there was another Rodney McKay kept hidden deep inside that she would like to get to know better, someone she could find herself very attracted to.

"Does that mean you'll share your chocolate with me?" Emma teased. Rodney just continued to smile. "You know, Dr. McKay," she said, "I think you like me."

Rodney stopped chewing mid-bite. "I uh... I uh..."

Emma panicked, her words had come out all wrong. That wasn't at all what she had meant to say. "I mean, uh, you don't hate me."

"Of course I don't hate you," Rodney snapped. The mood had been broken. He regained his composure and stepped back. "You just uh... You just need to... You just..."

"Need to follow orders, I know." Emma smiled weakly and turned away. The Rodney she was hoping to get to know better had retreated back deep inside. She went back to checking the equipment.

After what passed for dinner, Emma viewed the video tapes she had made of the various rooms. She couldn't wait to get back to Atlantis and see if she could match up sections of the city with the murals on the temple walls.

Rodney sat nearby, working on the equipment.

"Rodney, look. A music hall. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find it and open it up? Maybe even have concerts." Emma wanted desperately to discover the cultural centers of Atlantis. She believed a civilization so scientifically advanced must also have a strong artistic heritage. These murals helped prove her theories.

"That would be nice, I guess," Rodney replied, continuing to work on recalibrating the energy scanner.

"Do you play a musical instrument?" Emma asked.

"What?" Rodney asked, only half listening.

"Do you play any musical instruments. Piano, flute, clarinet?"

"No. I mean yes, I used to. I used to play the piano." Rodney responded. He didn't know why he was telling her this.

"You don't play any more?" Emma asked.

"No. I stopped a long time ago. I was told I had no sense of the art."

"I don't believe that," she replied. "You're such a passionate man about everything you do. I should think that would be true of your music as well."

Rodney looked thoughtfully at Emma. He had learned quickly in the past two weeks never to be surprised by anything that came out of her mouth. But this single statement, with so much thought behind it, caught him totally off guard.

"My instructor told me I didn't have what it takes to make it professionally."

"So you quit?"

"Yes."

"What about your parents? They just let you quit?"

"They weren't the most supportive parents in the world," Rodney continued to work on the scanner. Emma watched him, thinking about what he had said.

"So, uh, what about you?" Rodney asked trying to take the focus off of himself."

"I took some piano, but nothing serious. I love to dance."

"Did your parents support you?"

"My parents died when I was ten. My grandmother raised my sister and me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. They loved us very much. And my grandmother loved us too. That's what's important."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Rodney thought about what his parents were like when he was growing up. They certainly didn't love him. He wondered if things would have been different for him if they had. But then he might not be here on this planet with this woman. Something he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

---------------

Rodney glanced over at Emma sleeping quietly in the corner. Sheppard had radioed them a few hours earlier to tell them to stay put for the night. The storm wasn't letting up and they wouldn't be able to come and get them until morning. It was difficult to hear him clearly, the electrical storm was interfering with the com link.

Rodney thought about what Emma had said to him. He had never had anyone tell him he was passionate before without it being some sort of an insult. He was always too emotional, too angry, too aggressive, and too passionate. But this woman had told him he was passionate and meant it as a compliment. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that he was falling in love with Emma Grayson. Matter of fact, he was no longer falling in love with her, he had fallen in love with her, utterly and completely. In one single moment, one phrase out of her mouth, the act had become a fait a complet. He was in love.

And at the same time he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He had no reason to believe she would feel the same way about him. Women in general were not attracted to him. His love life up to this point had been pretty much disastrous, what little there had been of it. Why would things be any different with this woman? And he would never want to put her in a situation that would make her feel awkward. He would rather spend the rest of his life working with her, side by side as a colleague, than risk pushing her away by telling her how he felt. Besides, how could he ever measure up to be worthy of her love. She definitely deserved somebody better than him.

Rodney settled down next Emma, his back up straight against the wall. He would keep guard over her until Sheppard and Teyla picked them up in the morning. He would make sure no harm came to her. Ever.