Hi everyone, back again. I hope you're enjoying the story :)
Don't Upset McKay
After another week M could finally go back to work and she was so excited. She got up and got ready then John came back to the room after his run with Ronon to shower and dress for the day and they went down to breakfast together.
She leant over and kissed him before the transporter opened to let them out. "You are far too gorgeous, John Sheppard, and you smell amazing," she said as the door opened.
"Do I now?" he asked and M nodded. "Well, you're the sexiest human alive," he whispered as they walked out of the transporter and headed over to the food area to get breakfast.
They grabbed their food and were heading over to the table where some of the others were already sitting when one of the marines came over to talk to John about something.
Not wanting to intrude on the conversation M continued on to the table, sitting down then looking up to greet everyone, only to stop when she realised Daniel and Cam were looking at her with shocked expressions on their faces. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing, it's just … yeah, I can see it now, in the eyes and the face, but it's … very subtle," Daniel replied and M looked back at him curiously.
"Nope, I can't see it, there's got to be a mistake," Cam disagreed, still studying M shrewdly. He leant closer and M leant back in her chair. "You can't seriously tell me that is McKay?" he asked.
"Yes, that is McKay," Jennifer confirmed.
"I just can't … I can't see it, she's far too … hot," Mitchell exclaimed, turning to look at M. "Seriously, how did someone who looked like Rodney turn into you?" he asked.
M shrank back into herself, Mitchell's words reminding her of all the things she'd heard so often as a man and all the reasons she'd hated her old body. The rest of the table was silent, none of them seemed to be sure what to say and M didn't dare look at them. Her appetite suddenly gone M got up from the table and left, heading for the lab without a backwards glance.
Being turned into a woman was hard and it had taken a lot to get used to, but at least the people on Atlantis hadn't given her a hard time about it. One of the best parts about it was the fact that she was a good looking woman, all the issues she'd had in her male body weren't in the female one, which made sense; why would the ancients turn someone into a woman if they were going to be ugly?
She reached her private lab and shut the door behind her, locking it with her mind. She didn't want to see anyone else right now.
XX
John finished talking to the marine and turned to head over to the table where SG1 were sitting with Jennifer and Carson. As he approached he realised that they were all looking very unimpressed in Cam's direction and M's tray was there but she wasn't.
"What? You can't seriously tell me you haven't thought the same thing?" Cam asked as John reached the table. Cam looked up and spotted him. "Seriously, Sheppard, don't you find McKay's transformation crazy? I mean let's face it, he was not a good looking guy and now he's a ridiculously hot woman? It just doesn't fit, there's got to be some mistake."
Dropping his tray on the table John leant over and glared at Mitchell. "What did you say to M?" he snarled, knowing that was the only reason she wouldn't be there eating with them.
Mitchell seemed taken aback by the venom in John's voice and he eyed him warily. "I just asked how someone who looked like Rodney turned into her? You can't honestly tell me the thought hadn't occurred to you?"
John was livid, he wanted to pummel Mitchell into the floor, instead he balled his hands into fists on the table and glowered at the man. "How dare you speak to M like that? I don't care what you thought of Rodney or what you think of M now, you can speak to her with some respect and keep your opinions to yourself, or I will kick your ass back through the gate and you won't be welcome here again. Is that clear?" He snarled.
"Whoa, Sheppard, I wasn't trying to offend you. I know McKay's your friend, I just meant-"
"Is. That. Clear?" John snarled over his protest.
"It's clear," Mitchell replied, straightening up in his chair and trying to maintain his dignity.
"You are a guest on this base, I am the chief military officer, which means while you are here, same rank or not, I am the one giving the orders and you will respect my people whether you like them or not. Is that understood?"
Cam glanced over at Carter but John didn't look over to see how she reacted; his eyes still trained on Mitchell. Carter didn't reply so Mitchell looked back at John and replied. "Understood, Sir."
"Good," John replied, he grabbed the food off M's tray and put it on his before leaving the room. She'd surely be in her lab, it's where she always went when she was upset or needed to be alone. When he got there the door was locked and he called through to M on the radio asking if he could come in.
The door slid open and John walked in to find her standing over by the window, looking outside. He put the tray down as the door slid shut behind him and he heard M seal it again. He reached her side and wrapped his arms around her, happy when she turned around and melted into his embrace.
"Mitchell's a jerk, don't listen to him," John said softly.
"He wasn't wrong though. One of the best things about getting this body is that I'm a lot better looking," M replied and John could hear the sadness in her voice. "I'm not blind, I know I wasn't much to look at before regardless of what I used to say, I just … didn't feel like being reminded of it this morning on my first day back at work. I'm still not feeling great and I just … didn't need that. Usually I would have eviscerated him."
"Yeah, you're generally pretty good at that," John agreed, kissing her hair. "Mere … Rodney, there was never anything wrong with you, Mitchell is just a jerk."
"There was plenty wrong me, and you can't really say there wasn't; you certainly didn't want me, did you?" she asked bitterly.
"You know that had nothing to do with how you looked, Mere," John reminded her and she sighed.
"I know, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that. I'm feeling attacked in my own city and I'm getting defensive, I shouldn't be attacking you," she said apologetically.
"I know you didn't mean it," John assured her. "I know you well remember."
"Yeah, I know you do. I love you, John, I really do, I wasn't meaning to be mean."
John tilted her face up and kissed her gently. "I love you too, Mere," he replied. "Come on, you need to eat something," he said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the desk where he'd put the tray down. He sat down in the chair beside hers as she took her usual chair and after taking his food off he pushed the tray over in front of her. She looked down at the food in consideration for a few moments, then picked up her fork and began to slowly eat.
John sat beside her half watching what he was doing and half watching her. He relaxed a little more when she began to eat properly, but he still watched her. When they were done, -he was glad to see she'd eaten a decent amount- they shared a long, lingering kiss before he headed off to meet his marines for training.
On his way down to the sparing room he called Lorne and told him to bring Cam and Teal'c down to join them.
He was suddenly looking forward to today's sparing session.
When he arrived the marines were all there as ordered as were Teyla and Ronon. A few minutes later Lorne walked through the door with Teal'c and Mitchell.
The look that Teyla and Ronon gave Mitchell told John that they had heard what he'd said, and John mustn't have hidden his feelings quickly enough because Lorne took one look at his face and gave him a wide berth.
It took Lorne and the rest of the marines less than five minutes to work out that Mitchell was the reason for John's bad mood and it was almost comical how mean they suddenly looked towards him.
John could almost imagine their thoughts.
'What the fuck have you done? He was finally in a good mood again.'
John went through his usual sparing rounds with this mornings group of marines, then he, Ronon and Teyla went through some ways to improve their skills. Afterwards he sent Teal'c in to the ring with Teyla, wanting to see what the big guy could do. The two of them had a very good round of sparing and when their time was up Teal'c praised Teyla's skill and the Athosian woman praised his right back. They sat down together to watch the rest of the sparing and if John wasn't mistaken there was more than a little bit of cuteness going on between them.
The only people left to spar with were Ronon, Mitchell and Lorne. John wanted so badly to get into the ring with Mitchell, but he knew as CMO he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of his job, so instead he called Lorne into the ring with him. There were several occasions he could have taken Lorne out, but he held off and instead continued to give the younger man pointers. After it was over he sent Mitchell into the ring with Ronon, enjoying the Satedan's sinister smile.
To say Mitchell got walloped was the understatement of the century. Ronon didn't go out of his way to deliberately hurt the man, but it was obvious the Satedan was much more skilled than Mitchell and John knew the other Colonel was going to feel it. He enjoyed that a lot more than he should have, but he didn't let it show on the outside.
When their round was over he dismissed them all and they headed for the showers, Teal'c walking with Teyla and ignoring Mitchell, who was limping more than a little, while Ronon walked behind him with an enormous grin on his face.
John was halfway through packing everything up when he realised Lorne was still there, helping him. "Something I can do for you, Major?" John asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, Sir, and perhaps find out why you, Ronon and Teyla look like you want to kill Mitchell; so I can tell the other marines rather than them coming up with their own ideas," Lorne asked.
John sighed, knowing it would seem like dobbing, but also knowing Lorne was right and the marines could come up with all kinds of scenarios. "He insulted McKay this morning, made a jab about her appearance," John explained and Lorne looked at him incredulously.
"About her appearance? She's practically perfect," he said and John could tell that he didn't mean it in an at all suggestive way, so the comment didn't bother him.
"It was more about the fact that she couldn't possibly be McKay because she was far too attractive and Rodney … I'm not going to repeat what he said but it was rather insulting," John finished, putting the rest of the sparing equipment away. "Normally M wouldn't have been so bothered by it and would have just given him an earful, but she's still not feeling the best so it wasn't a good day to catch her off guard."
"No, I imagine not," Lorne replied understandingly. "Sir, permission to speak freely?" Lorne asked, catching John off guard.
"Lorne, have I ever demanded that much formality from you?" John asked surprised.
"No, Sir, but this conversation is of a more personal nature," Lorne explained and John sat down to look at him curiously.
"All right, Major, you've got my attention, go ahead," he replied.
"Are you and McKay in a relationship, Sir?" Lorne asked. "I know it's none of my business, Sir, but there are rumours and I would rather be able to either silence them or know the correct information to ensure the personnel are not spreading incorrect information."
"Ah, I see. Are you asking because the other personnel are curious to know when our relationship started, Major?" John asked.
"That is one question on the minds of the staff, yes, Sir," Lorne replied.
"And I'm sure it is a major question considering DADT and all, but of course you can't ask me directly about that," John continued.
"Yes, Sir," Lorne replied. "I will be honest, Sir, I have no concerns either way and I feel none of the men who have served with you for the last several years will either, but with the Daedalus often being around and us getting new staff regularly, I think it's best to know the truth so it can either be kept as quiet as it needs to be, or to ensure it is properly explained. I like you, Sir, I've never had a CO I like or respect more and the other marines feel the same way. I don't want to see you or McKay put through something potentially embarrassing or career damaging, we want you to stay here and be in command of us, Sir."
John smiled warmly at his 2IC. "And I could never have asked for a better 2IC, Major. I appreciate your concern and I understand where you're coming from. Yes, McKay and I are in a relationship, but we have only been together since she returned from the pentagon; before the whole body change we were both very straight men, which I still am of course, and we were only friends. There's nothing for me to be court-marshalled over, you can assure the men of that, I am not going anywhere."
Lorne smiled, "I'm glad to hear it, Sir, like I said it wouldn't have been a problem for me either way, I think DADT is the most ridiculous rule ever invented, but I'm glad to know you'll be sticking around for a long time."
"Me too, Major," John replied clapping him gently on the shoulder.
They went to leave the room together and Lorne spoke.
"Oh, and by the way, Sir, congratulations, she may be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said as they reached the door and John laughed.
"Thank you, Major, I'm pretty pleased about it myself," he replied and they headed out into the corridor together.
"Do you think there's a chance you'll ever get Mitchell back into the sparing ring?" Lorne asked.
"If he's staying here he won't have a choice," John replied. "Next time, If I'm not so angry at him, I'll take him on. Otherwise, I'll leave him to Teyla," he said with an evil grin.
"I'd like to see that, Sir," Lorne replied.
"Oh, me too, Major," John agreed.
XX
Daniel was sitting his office, reading through what looked like some ancient information in the database, when Cam limped into the room and dropped down into the chair opposite him.
"Cam, something I can do for you?" Daniel asked.
"Apparently I've pissed off the entire base by insulting McKay this morning," Cam replied. "I need somewhere to hide."
"Well did you really expect anything different?" Daniel asked, not looking up from his work. "McKay has been here several years, saving the people in this city from death on multiple occasions, you don't think that would have earnt him … her their respect?"
"I suppose so, I guess I just didn't expect them all to … like her so much. I mean, he was such a pain in the ass," Cam replied.
"You can have respect for someone without liking them," Daniel reminded him. "And you did pick on the man's appearance, that's a pretty low blow. Honestly I didn't think he was that bad looking myself as far as men go; I've seen far less attractive people," Daniel said and Cam looked at him incredulously.
"Seriously? McKay?"
"What was honestly so bad about him?" Daniel asked.
"I don't know he was just …" Cam trailed off and sighed. "Okay, you're right, I think his personality made him seem … uglier than he actually was."
"Well personality is a big part of a person; it can make the most attractive person unappealing. You have to remember though we didn't really spend that much time with McKay either, a lot of people are abrupt and rude and boastful because their lives have been lonely or they haven't had a lot of people to care about them. McKay is a genius, he went through school really quickly and was always younger than the people around him; that makes it really hard to make friends, believe me, I know that all too well. Realistically we don't know what kind of life he's led or how people have treated him; he probably used to use his less friendly traits to keep people from getting too close … like you do," Daniel finished.
"Like I do?" Cam asked incredulously.
Daniel finally put his work down and looked at Cam. "We're here, in Atlantis where we both want to be, but rather than trying to adapt to the place and get them to accept us, you took a gamble by teasing McKay, expecting the people around you to go along with the joke, and when they didn't, rather than apologising and trying to earn their acceptance, you're hiding in here. Think about it, did you really think being mean to her this morning was going to earn you any friends? And how did you expect her to react? I'm assuming you were expecting a rant that would make McKay look bad, but even if she had ranted at you, the rest of us at the table would still have known what you said and Carson and Jennifer are well respected members of the expedition, their word would have been taken on board far easier than yours. One of your less appealing personality traits is your inability to just have a conversation with new people without having to try and crack a joke at someone else's expense. And just another side note to think about, someone's personal appearance is never something to give them a hard time about. If you'd gone from being a man to being a woman, against your will, with no time to adjust, how do you think you'd feel? You really chose the wrong person to pick on, Cam."
Cam was gaping at Daniel like a fish when the door opened behind him and Daniel looked up, his smile widening as he dropped his work on the desk and stood up. "Sam, how's your day going?" he asked brightly and Cam closed his mouth as he studied the archaeologist shrewdly. He'd known Daniel for a while now and he'd never seen the man smile like that.
"Good, how's yours?" Sam asked happily, far too happily and Cam turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling far too brightly as well.
What was going on?
"Good, really good," Daniel replied walking around to meet her halfway.
"That's good. I was coming past to see if you were ready for lunch? Or are you busy?" she asked looking over at Cam.
"Lunch sounds good, I think we were done, weren't we?" Daniel asked, looking at Cam with a face that clearly said he'd better agree.
"Sure, definitely done," Cam agreed and Sam's smile widened.
"Great, let's go," she said, and the two of them headed towards the door together.
"Sam, you've known McKay longer than the rest of us, do you think I was too mean this morning?" Cam asked as they reached the door.
"Yeah, I do," Sam replied. "And as much as I've taken over from Elizabeth temporarily there was no way I was going to undermine Sheppard this morning. He's the CMO here and he has been for several years, I am not going to undermine his authority unless he's doing something dangerous. Even if what you said hadn't been out of line, McKay isn't the same person you've known and you should have taken the time to talk to her before judging her so harshly." Sam gave him a stern look, and the two of them left the room.
Cam sighed into the empty office; he had a lot to think about.
XX
M didn't go to the mess hall at lunch time, she wasn't in the mood for being around people and she had far too much work to do. Of course John wasn't having any of that and he turned up at the lab with lunch for them both and extra pudding to cheer her up.
She smiled as she saw the tray he was holding and came over to join him.
After that morning she had set the door to keep everyone out except him; she'd never lock him out.
He put the tray down on the table and pulled her into a heart stopping kiss which she eagerly returned, melting into his arms. He was so perfect, his body was divine and she loved feeling it pressed up against her. She slipped her hands up into his hair and down along his back, wanting to feel as much of him as she could and she sighed delightedly as she felt his hands gently running up her back to her neck.
"You're so beautiful, Mere," he whispered, kissing gently down to her neck in a way that made her breathless. Her hands gripped his hair as he found a spot she really liked and she gasped in pleasure as he ran his tongue gently over it. "I love you," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear and making her tremble.
"I love you too, John," she replied breathlessly as he brought his mouth back up to hers and kissed her long and slow.
He brought the kiss to a gentle conclusion then held her close as she snuggled into his chest. "I love the feeling of being in your arms," she whispered.
"Well, I like you being there so that works out well," John replied with a touch of humour and M chuckled, which she knew had been the point. They'd been getting carried away and he wanted to reassure her that he was fine with having to stop; he was always so lovely like that
"Yes, it does," she agreed, pulling back to look at him. "How did the training with the marines go this morning?" she asked.
"Good, Ronon beat Mitchell up and I think Teyla and Teal'c are sweet on each other," John explained.
"That sounds adorable, they'd make a good pair I think," M replied.
"I think so too," John agreed. "Lorne also knows about us. He said there were rumours and he wanted to either be able to squash them or confirm them and make sure he knew what he was confirming and whether there was anything to get me into trouble. So I told him the truth about when we got together, that way if the marines ask he can confirm but make sure they know the facts rather than wild rumours."
"I wonder if they'll even care or just go about their day as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened," M said thoughtfully.
"Hard to tell. What do you think the scientists will do when they find out?" John asked.
"Probably start paying and collecting bets," M replied with a wry grin. "They tend to have bets and odds on everything and I'm sure that includes us."
John chuckled, "Oh well, got to have something to amuse yourself on the less insane days," he replied, taking her hand and leading her over to the desk to sit down and eat. They talked about easy things while they ate, and when they were done John packed up everything onto the tray and took M's hand. "How are you feeling after this morning?"
"Fine," M replied, squeezing his hand. "I haven't been in the mood for people, but I wouldn't have been today anyway, I have too much to catch up on."
"You sure it's not bothering you at all?" John asked.
M shook her head, "No, what do I care how a meat headed soldier used to think of me?" she asked with a small smile. "It's not like I didn't hear things like that from people before, I just wasn't expecting it this morning."
John sighed, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "People can be really horrible sometimes."
"I can be really horrible sometimes, I know it, it's not like I don't deserve people being cruel back from time to time; I just don't like that cruelty being aimed at my appearance, I can handle anything else," M replied, leaning into him. "But it doesn't matter, only what you think of me matters and you love me, so, I don't really care what anyone else thinks."
"I do love you and I always will," John replied.
"I love you too," M replied, smiling at how lovely it always felt to hear those words, words she'd rarely heard in her life.
XX
M went to dinner with her team that night, refusing to avoid the mess hall even if Cam was in there. He hadn't arrived yet when they got there so they sat down at the table that had been claimed by Daniel and Sam.
"Hey, John, hey, M, how was your day?" Sam asked as they sat down.
"Fine thanks, I'm all caught up on everything and then some," M replied pleasantly.
"Mine was great, the sparing this morning was particularly enjoyable," John replied with a grin and M hid her own smile behind her coffee cup.
"How was yours?" M asked.
"Great thanks, no catastrophic emergencies, that's always a good day," Sam replied.
"How about you, Jackson?" John asked.
"Mine was good too, being here and getting to read more about the ancients is about the most exciting thing I've done professionally in a long time," Daniel replied with a smile.
"How have you been going navigating the database?" M asked. "It is going relatively smoothly for you?"
"Yeah actually, so far. You've got a good team, McKay, Radek set everything up for me really well," Daniel said with a friendly smile.
"Radek is good at that," M agreed, "And he would have been happy to be setting something up for a fellow civilian and not a military person. He gets a bit nervous around soldiers sometimes, not the ones who have been here for a long time, but the new ones; I think it's a Czech thing."
"He is very friendly, not the most talkative guy though," Daniel commented.
"No, unless he has something to talk about Radek is pretty quiet, that's actually why we work so well together," M said with a grin which Daniel returned. When Daniel looked back at his food M glanced over at Sam with a questioning look and motioned her head towards Daniel.
Sam grinned and nodded and M grinned back, reaching over to gently put her hand on Sam's, "I'm happy for you guys," she said so only they and John would hear her and Sam's smile widened while Daniel and John looked up surprised.
"Thanks, me too," Sam replied, reaching out with her free hand to gently touch Daniel's and Daniel turned to look at her with a warm smile. "We're just going to keep it under wraps for now, until I'm not in charge anymore."
"Of course, we're not exactly publicizing us for the same reason," M replied, pulling her hand back and gently brushing it across John's. John gave her an adoring smile which she returned before they both went back to eating and M saw Daniel's eyes widen for a moment and he turned a questioning look to Sam who nodded. He blinked a few times before giving a barely perceptible shrug and going back to his food.
"I'm sorry if we ambushed you this morning by the way," the archaeologist said, turning his attention back to M. "We'd only just found out and we were surprised. What Cam said to you was completely out of line though and we all told him so. Really, we should have said it straight away, I think we were all just so shocked that he'd been so rude. After you left the table, and John was done with him, Carson and Jennifer gave him an earful. I don't think I ever could have imagined either of those generally sweet people being harsh, but they definitely gave it to him and he deserved it. Both Sam and I have spoken to him as well; I don't think he'll be so rude to you in the future."
"Don't worry about it, Daniel, on a normal day it wouldn't have even bothered me; it's not like I didn't hear plenty of stuff like that when I was still in that body, I got pretty good at deflecting it." John's hand brushed hers and she gave him a soft smile in return. "This morning just wasn't a good day for it and I wasn't prepared for the onslaught. It won't bother me so much if he does it again, although from all reports Ronon gave him a thorough beating this morning, so perhaps he'll be too sore to think about me for a while."
"Oh, he definitely did, he limped into my office earlier looking more than a little worse for wear," Daniel replied with a grin and John looked far too pleased.
"I wanted to spar with him myself, but I knew that wouldn't be a good idea," John replied.
"No, I'd imagine not," Sam agreed. "I'm glad to know you put your professional duties before your personal feelings, Colonel."
"I can do that, most of the time," John admitted, and M gave him a knowing grin.
Over the next 20 minutes the rest of their team joined them, as well as Teal'c who came in with Teyla, prompting John and M to grin at each other, Jennifer and Carson and Vala, who M still hadn't seen since she'd saved her. The brunette sat down beside Daniel, studying him closely for a moment, before turning her attention to her food.
M reached across the table and touched her hand gently, prompting her to look up with a curious expression. "I haven't seen you since everything happened to say thank you, Vala," she said and the woman looked taken aback.
"Neither have I," John commented. "Have you maybe been avoiding us?"
"Oh, it's not that I've been avoiding anyone in particular I just …" she trailed off as if she wasn't sure what to say. "Okay, maybe a little," she confessed looking down.
"Why?" M asked confused.
"Well, I only knew how to save you because of what I used to be and remembering all of that meant remembering … things I'd rather not remember," Vala admitted, not looking up. "I'm grateful that the knowledge could save someone, it makes the years I spent as Qetesh mean something, but it wasn't easy digging it up and I needed to … not think about it for a while."
"Okay, well I understand that and I won't mention it again, but thank you, Vala, really, I owe you everything," M said, squeezing the other woman's hand gently.
"We, owe you everything," John added, giving Vala a significant look. "You will always be welcome in Atlantis and as part of our team, regardless of whether the rest of SG1 end up staying here or not."
Vala looked genuinely surprised. She glanced from John to M, to Teyla and then to Ronon, seemingly shocked by what she saw. "Oh … thank you," she said, looking down, but not before M saw the gratitude in her eyes. She had to wonder when the last time was that someone had spoken to this woman with kindness; she knew what that felt like.
She gave Vala's hand one last squeeze then pulled it away, turning the conversation away from her so she could get her feelings back under control. When she glanced back at her a few minutes later Vala gave her a small, grateful smile which she returned.
She was almost finished her food when the table fell suddenly silent and M looked around to see Mitchell approaching hesitantly.
"Don't shoot, I'm not here for a fight," he said as John tensed beside her.
M wanted to laugh at the way the man was limping, but she reigned it in waiting to hear what he was going to say.
He stopped at the end of the table and looked at her. "I was going to do this privately, but I figured the chances of you talking to me alone would be pretty much zero so this will have to do. I apologise for the way I spoke to you this morning, it was out of line and completely disrespectful. I know my opinion of you is based on knowing you for a very short time and having spoken to a number of your staff and members of your team, and mine, I realise that it's not fair to base any sort of opinion on that, and even if it were, I still crossed a line and I am sorry. I will never speak to you that way in the future. I would perhaps like a chance to start over with you, if that's all right?" he asked.
M looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. Realistically she wanted to tell him to go to hell, but she also knew she was partially to blame for his opinion of her; she knew she could be an arse at times.
"I'll be honest with you, Mitchell, if you had said something like that to me on any other day it would have prompted an instant response of how little I cared about your opinion of me, what I thought about you in return and advice on how quickly and thoroughly you could go to hell; today just wasn't a good day for an ambush. Now, while I would still to love to tell you to go to hell, I won't because I know your opinion of me is just as much my fault as yours. I know I can be unpleasant, being in this body has given me better personal reflective abilities, but one thing I have never done or will ever do is judge someone based on their appearance, because unlike other parts of a person, it's not something anyone has any control over."
She took a deep breath and considered him carefully. "I am willing to start over, as long as you're aware that if you ever talk to me like that again I will be equally vicious in return and there's nobody here who will stop me," she cautioned him.
Cam nodded, "I can accept that," he agreed. "And honestly I would expect nothing else."
"All right then." M motioned to the empty end of the table and Cam gave her a grateful smile before moving to sit down beside Teal'c.
While M was still feeling kind and generous with her emotions she looked down the table at Ronon and Teyla and patted both of their hands gently. "I love you guys by the way. Thank you for defending me," she added to Ronon who gave her a soft smile in return.
"Any time, Meredith," he replied, and the way he said it gave her lovely warm tingles down her spine so she couldn't really be mad at him.
"And we love you too," Teyla added with a smile of her own.
M turned her attention back to her food, the emotional overwhelm getting to be a little much for her.
"I'm really proud of you, you know," John whispered and M knew he wasn't teasing. She gave him a soft smile, blushing more than a little, and went back to her food, the smile still in place.
XX
A couple of weeks passed and everyone was doing well. Daniel and Sam looked happier every day, Teal'c and Teyla seemed to be getting closer, Vala seemed to be getting closer to Maughan, Carlos and Sacha and M had completely recovered. There hadn't been any indication of whether Elizabeth would be back any time soon, but they were doing okay without her; Sam was a good boss.
M and John had managed to form an amiable working relationship with Mitchell, although John still didn't like the man and M had a feeling that may never change.
SG1 and SGA1 had combined teams and took each mission as it came, deciding who best to take along based on what the mission was about. Their mission today had been to a planet populated by a warrior race so John had taken Cam, Teal'c, Teyla and Ronon. It was mostly a trading mission with a bit of exploration, but John had kindly taken a scanner with him to look for any signs of technology on the planet, in case there was a reason to return with a science team.
M was in the lab with a few of the scientists when they got back and John walked in to the room, smiling warmly at her, with the others trailing behind him. They were out of their combat gear and John was in a pair of his grey pants with one of his short sleeved black t-shirts and of course his ever-present thigh holster that always managed to make him look even sexier.
God she wanted him.
They had spent every night for the last week or so kissing each other breathless, hands exploring as much as they dared. M was still nervous about the actual sex, but with each day that passed the desire was getting stronger and winning over the nerves and John was getting harder and harder to resist. Sam was right, the nerves were always going to be there, she couldn't let them run her life forever.
"Hey, you're back. How did it go?" she greeted him brightly as he leant on the desk close enough for them to be touching shoulders. She gave him a heated look which he returned and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was.
'If we were alone, I'd be all over you right now.'
"It was pretty routine. They were impressed by our show of strength and agreed to trade with us. Teyla negotiated a good deal as she always does and there were no energy signatures around at all," John replied.
"So, no reason for a return trip then?" she asked.
"None at all," John replied.
"Shame that."
"Isn't it just?"
It sounded like a routine conversation, but the sexual tension between them was palpable. M wasn't thinking about Cam being there to notice anything so she was surprised when he scoffed behind them.
"Why don't you two just jump on each other and get it over with? The UST is thick enough to see."
She and John looked at each other for a moment before turning as one to look at Cam; who seemed to think he'd made the funniest joke in the world, while Ronon, Teyla, and Teal'c surprisingly, just looked amused. Did Cam notice anything? They'd been sitting together out on the pier that night, had he just not looked at them? Or heard Maughan talking?
They turned back to face each other and shared an amused grin, a plan hatching immediately in their minds,
"You know what? He's right," John said.
"There is a lot of UST between us," M agreed, talking about it as if they were discussing any other problem in Atlantis.
"We really should do something about it, I mean, for the good of the city," John decided.
"Absolutely, we can't let it get in the way of our work. Best to deal with it before it becomes a problem," M agreed.
"Tonight after dinner then?" John asked.
"Sounds like a plan," M agreed.
"Great. Lunch now though, are you coming?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm starving" M replied, closing her computer and calling out to the other scientists to go and eat.
She and John turned towards the door together and headed out, fighting back laughter at the look of shock on Cam's face and the look of amusement on everyone else's.
Messing with Cam was fun.
XX
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, although they made sure to make as many suggestive comments about their evening as possible when only Cam was close enough to hear them. The idea hadn't left M's brain since John had suggested it however, even though she knew he'd said it in jest. It didn't matter what was happening in the lab, half of her mind was on John and imagining their night together and she was feeling far more excited than nervous.
Barring any major emergencies, it was happening tonight.
They went to dinner with everyone that night and when they were done, and everyone was separating to spend their evening doing something they enjoyed, Cam jokingly asked what John and M had planned for the evening. M was pleased to note that nobody had told Cam that they were already together, obviously enjoying the joke at the other man's expense as much as they were.
John and M made suggestive faces at each other before turning to look at Cam.
"You know exactly what we'll be doing," John replied seriously and Cam's mouth dropped open in shock. John got up from the table and M followed. "Have a good evening, everyone, we certainly will," John said, and the others bid them goodnight in return, managing somehow to keep straight faces.
They turned and left the table together, heading for the transporter to take them to their level. As soon as the door was shut they broke out into hysterical laughter.
VV
They were still chuckling when they walked into their room and John thought the door shut behind them. "There is nothing funnier than messing with Mitchell," M said.
"He is a bit slow on the uptake, isn't he?" John asked, laughing along with her.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her long and slow, taking all the kisses he'd missed that day as they'd actually seen very little of each other compared to a normal day. When he pulled back she was looking up at him with an expression that made his heart race and he wanted to just dive right back in; something had been worrying him all day though and he needed to bring it up with her.
"Hey, today when we were messing around with Mitchell and I was talking about tonight, it was just a joke, you know that right? I wasn't trying to proposition you or anything. I was pretty sure you were just going along with the joke like I was, but I wanted to make sure I didn't freak you out or anything."
She smiled at him softly, "Been worrying about that a bit, have you?" she asked.
"Yeah, a bit too much," he confirmed.
She chuckled quietly, "And here you were worrying about me overthinking things between us. I took it exactly as intended; I know you didn't mean anything by it. I might make assumptions about your behaviour, but I always assume the best of you, not the worst," she assured him and he smiled back at her warmly.
"Me too," he told her and she leant up to kiss him again, sliding her hand up his chest in a way that made him shiver delightedly.
"Can I tell you something though? I've been thinking about the subject of our little joke with Mitchell all day and … the idea has made me feel a lot more excited than nervous. I think maybe we should follow his advice," she whispered, kissing his jaw.
Lust immediately flooded his body and he bit back a moan. He was happy to wait as long as she needed, but he would be lying if he said he didn't ache for her, or that he hadn't been more excited for this than he had been for anything else in his life. He had to tread carefully though and make sure this was really what she wanted.
"Are you sure, Mere?" he asked softly.
"As sure as I'll ever be," she replied. "I'm nervous, of course I am, but I know I'm going to be until it actually happens and … I really want you. I don't want to wait anymore."
John pulled back and searched her eyes, which were looking up at him with nerves and hot desire. "Okay, well, I want to make sure you really are ready for this, so I'm going to go to the other end of the room and shower first, okay. When I come out; if you still want to …" he trailed off, knowing she'd understand.
"Okay," she agreed easily, "I want to have a shower first too, so that works."
He leant down to kiss her again before whispering that he'd be back, loving the soft smile she gave him before disappearing into her closet. He walked into his closet to find some clothes, then headed into the bathroom that he'd been using since he moved in, hoping he was doing the right thing. He knew how nervous M could get about things if left to stew over them and he hoped she wasn't in her bathroom getting herself worked up about it. At the same time though he wanted her to be sure; this was a big deal for her.
He headed in to the shower, making sure he scrubbed himself thoroughly and washed his hair. If he were being honest with himself he was nervous too, it had been a long time since he'd been with a woman for her first time, back in high school in fact, and as much as he knew he was good at this it was a lot of pressure. As he scrubbed his skin he thought about everything he'd ever learnt about foreplay and sex, and thought about M. She was naturally a nervous person and would probably tense up when the time came, which would make things harder. He had to focus on distracting her, and making sure she was as ready as she could be when it came time for the act. He could do that, he just had to pay close attention.
When he got out he shaved thoroughly and put on a little of his Aqua Velva; because he knew she loved it. He brushed his hair and tamed it as much as he could, not that it was going to stay that way, and brushed his teeth. Finally he pulled clothes on, something casual that was easy to get off but would also be comfortable to sleep in and looked good on him. At last he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and left the room.
He walked back into the main room to see it softly lit by a string of white fairy lights, that M put up around the top edge of the wall as soon as she'd been well enough to get up a ladder. She'd put music on quietly, not surprising considering they often thought alike, but he didn't recognise the song. He looked around the room for her, spotting her outside on the balcony, looking out at the ocean.
He walked out onto the balcony and smiled at the image she portrayed. Her hair was still damp and he could smell the beautiful scent that always surrounded her; he didn't know what it was but he loved it. She was wearing a long, body hugging, night gown in a beautiful royal blue, that highlighted her curves perfectly. She looked breathtaking and his heart raced with anticipation as he approached her.
She turned around to face him and smiled shyly. The nerves were still in her eyes, but so was the desire. "I thought … this would be nice," she said, motioning to the nightgown.
"You look incredible," he said. "But you would have looked incredible in anything, because you're still you."
Her smile widened and she moved closer to him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. "You look amazing too and you smell fantastic, you always do; I've thought that every time I've been close to you since we met."
"You too," he replied with a soft smile, slipping his arms around her waist. "So, you've had some time, what do you want to do?"
"Exactly what we planned," she replied, sliding her fingers up into his hair.
"Okay, if you're sure. I want to ask you something first though. I know when you're nervous about things you tend to tense up; that's not going to be good here, you need to be relaxed or it won't be what it should be for you. Would it be easier for you if I told you what I was going to do when the time comes, or would you rather I just distract you and not give you warning? I want this to be perfect for you," he asked.
She smiled lovingly up at him, her eyes a little too bright. "You are the most perfect man alive you know that right."
"I try," he replied softly.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Distract me," she decided, "You're right I'll probably tense up otherwise."
"Okay," he agreed easily, happy that she'd made that choice; he really thought it would be for the best. "I won't be checking in with you though, because I don't want to make you think too much, so I need you to tell me straight away if you want to stop or there's something you don't like, okay. I mean I'm sure I'll be able to tell, but in case I don't, say something. Promise me."
"I promise," she whispered and he could tell she was sincere.
"First though," he listened to the sound of a song finishing in the other room and the start of another one that would work perfectly. He slid one arm out from around her waist and took her hand. "Let's dance, Mere," he whispered, and she snuggled into him, allowing him to lead her through a slow dance.
It was designed to be soothing but also seductive. He stroked his hands gently up and down her back and held her body tightly against his; letting her feel every inch of him through the sheer fabric of her nightgown.
He could tell it was having the desired effect, her heart was racing and she melted against him, her fingers alternating between stroking the back of his hair and gripping it gently. The song reached a crescendo in the music and he pulled back enough to kiss her, slow and deep. She moaned delightfully as she kissed him back, pulling herself impossibly closer to him. He kept kissing her as the song ended, his hand coming up to card through her hair, while the other held her close and stroked her hip through the soft fabric.
It was lovely actually, he had to tell her to wear it more often.
Brushing her hair to the side he brought his lips down to her neck, loving the way she gripped his hair and gasped in delight, whimpering deliciously as he kissed a spot he'd noticed she particularly liked. Her other hand slid down his body, finding the bottom of his shirt and sliding up inside the fabric.
The both made an appreciative sound when her trembling hands found his skin, and John allowed himself a moment to get lost in the sensation before he turned most of his attention back to her.
He trailed kisses down to the strap of her nightgown then used his fingers to gently slide it off her shoulder, kissing the skin underneath while his other hand found the strap on the other side and slid it off as well. He kissed his way back up to her mouth, pausing for a minute when she pushed his shirt up to help her take it off him.
He claimed her mouth again, stroking his tongue seductively against hers as his hands slid slowly down her back, taking the nightgown with them. When the fabric touched the floor he pulled her up against him, echoing her moan of pleasure as her chest touched his without anything between them.
Her skin was so soft and warm, he couldn't stop himself from running his hands all over her back, touching everywhere he could reach with their bodies pressed so tightly against each other. She was touching him too, running her hands down his back then into the waistband of his pants, pushing them down his ass.
John helped her get them off, glad that she seemed to be happy with the pace he was setting. He let out a shaky breath as his completely naked body touched hers and she moaned against his lips, wrapping a leg around his and reaching down to grab his ass, pulling his hard cock closer.
God it felt amazing! His heart pounded in his chest and his brain was foggy with lust. He couldn't let himself get lost in the feelings, not this time, he had to keep his head in the game for M.
He lifted her into his arms, groaning at the incredible feeling of her legs wrapped around his waist and the wet heat of her pressing against his cock, as he carried her inside, thinking the balcony door shut behind him. He lay her gently down on the bed and covered her body with his, kissing her with abandon as she kept her legs around him and pulled him closer.
"John, I love you," she whispered as his lips moved back down to her neck.
"I love you, Mere," he whispered back, running his tongue along the shell of her ear before kissing down her neck to her chest.
He ran his hands gently over one breast while his tongue and lips teased the other nipple, loving the way she writhed beneath him and her hands gripped his hair. She made so many incredible noises, gasping and whimpering, it was driving him wild and it was so hard not to get carried away and just take her. He'd never had to exercise as much self-control as he was right now.
He knew he wasn't going to be able to hold himself back forever, as he moved over to kiss and lick at the other breast his cock was so hard it felt like iron and it ached for her. He ran his fingers down her body and gently stroked her inner thigh, groaning when he felt how wet she was. He'd wanted to take more time with her, but she was almost ready, he didn't want to take her to the point where she was hyper-stimulated.
He pulled back to kneel between her legs, sliding his fingers gently up her inner thighs and dancing them around her core, taking her in properly for the first time. She looked beautiful all spread out for him, her pale, smooth skin glowing in the soft lighting of the room. She wasn't willowy thin which he already knew, she had a gently curving hourglass figure, breasts just the perfect size, a smaller waist and a delightfully curving ass that he couldn't see perfectly right now but had felt plenty of times. She wasn't a gym junkie, just like Rodney hadn't been, her skin flowed softly over her mostly flat stomach, but she didn't have the muscles military women had from working out, they curved softly down her abdomen and he loved it.
He loved her, every inch of her; his Meredith, who he could finally share this intimacy with.
He slid his fingers gently up to stroke her, watching in wonder as she came undone before him.
"Oh … oh, John … John," she whimpered, her hands gripping the sheets underneath her since he was too far out of her reach.
He stroked and played with her until she was barely able to form coherent words and he knew he had her where he needed her to be. He moved back up her body, kissing her gently when she whimpered in protest. He kissed her deeply, passionately, the way he'd been wanting to kiss her all this time but had been holding back, enjoying the way she pressed her pelvis up into his, seeking the cock he wanted to desperately to give her. He could barely believe this was happening, his heart pounded with anticipation and nerves as he reached down to line himself up with her entrance and press gently inside her.
Her breathing changed and he knew this was where he had to be careful. He wasn't sure how it worked with M, being that she hadn't been born a woman, but most women had a hymen to get through and that was something he was very aware of. He pulled out slightly and pushed gently back inside, bringing his fingers back down to stroke her and keep her focus on the pleasure as much as he could. He didn't relax until he was mostly in and realised she mustn't have one which would make sense; what purpose did it really serve? The ancients didn't seem like the kind of people to give someone something they didn't need.
When he was all the way inside he lay still for a while, pulling back from her lips to whisper, "Mere, are you okay?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him, nodding gently.
"I love you," he whispered, looking down at her with nothing but open, honest emotion, wanting her to see his feelings.
"I love you too, John," she replied, pulling him down into another gentle kiss.
He didn't move for a while, letting her adjust to the feeling of having him all the way inside her. He kissed her softly and gently until her hands tightened in his hair and she kissed him harder, her legs wrapping around his waist. He knew she was ready then and he kissed her back with just as much passion, pulling out and thrusting back in.
He started off slowly, gently, rolling his hips in just the right way that his cock stroked that delightful spot inside her and his pelvis would rub against her clit.
Her moan of pleasure was muffled against his lips but he revelled in the sound, pulling out and thrusting in again, slowly building up to a steady pace. He kissed his way down to her neck, wanting to hear all those incredible noises she was making properly. She whimpered and cried out his name, her arms wrapped around his neck and one hand gripping his hair.
God she was so beautiful, so amazing. It was so hard not to cum when everything about her was so perfect. He waited though, keeping his focus on her pleasure, wanting this to be everything it could be for her.
As she got close he felt her start to tighten around him and he kept his pace up, sucking gently on that spot on her neck that he knew she loved.
"John, oh god, John!" she cried out, her body squeezing his cock as she trembled beneath him.
He held back his orgasm until he could feel her starting to relax then he finally let go.
"Mere!"
Pleasure exploded through his body and he cried out in ecstasy as he released himself inside her. It felt so good, so incredibly good. This was his Meredith, his Rodney, his love; she was finally his and it was absolutely beautiful.
He collapsed on top of her, using his arms to hold himself up as much as he could to keep from crushing her under his body weight. He looked down at her beautiful face, her eyes closed as she floated on a wave of bliss. Nothing in his life had ever been as beautiful as this moment.
"I love you, Meredith, more than anything," he purred, gently kissing her neck and shoulder.
"I love you too, John, so much," she replied softly and he pulled back to see her eyes open and looking up at him with so much love it was staggering. "You really are the perfect man, that was amazing."
"You're okay?" he asked.
"I'm perfect," she replied, "That was perfect; I can't believe I put it off for so long. I was expecting it to be different; I thought it was going to hurt, a lot, but it didn't hurt, just … stretched I suppose would be the right word."
"Well technique does help with that, but also you didn't have that unfortunate barrier most women are born with," John explained.
"Yeah, I hadn't even thought about that until you were going in, I was delighted when you didn't find it," she replied with a smile. "That was incredible, there's nothing you could have done better. Thank you, my love."
He leant down and kissed her languidly, stroking her face with his thumb. "I'm glad it was good for you, Mere, that's all I wanted."
"I was worried though, did you get to have any fun?" she asked. "I mean I know you did at the end, but otherwise, did you enjoy it at all? Or were you too focused on me?"
"Oh, I definitely enjoyed it," he replied. "Granted most of my attention was on you and I didn't let myself get swept away in all the feelings and lose my head, but it was still amazing and there will be plenty of time for me to do that later. This was what I wanted for us this time, it was important that it was right and I loved every second of it. Don't worry your beautiful mind about me."
"Okay," she agreed quietly. "But next time I want to see you let go more, okay, now that I've done it all the nerves are gone and you won't have to be so careful with me."
John's heart raced in anticipation at the thought of next time and he smiled down at her. "Next time, hey? I must have done a good job if you want me back already," he joked and she laughed.
"Oh, baby, you did a great job; you're like a sex god. Speaking of which, could you do me a favour?"
"Sure," he agreed easily, wondering what she wanted him to do.
"Hop up and go stand over beside the bed for a minute," she directed and he did as she asked, pulling his now mostly soft cock out of her and climbing off the bed to stand beside it. He looked at her curiously and she grinned, her eyes roving hungrily over his body. "Okay, now turn around," she directed and he laughed as he did what she asked turning to face away from her. "Okay, turn around again," she said and he heard the sheets rustle as he turned back to face her and found her standing beside the bed in front of him. "You are the hottest thing I've ever seen," she said, her eyes full of desire. "You've gained more muscles since I last saw you without a shirt on," she noted.
"Yeah, I spent a lot of time in the gym while you were away," he explained and she immediately looked guilty "Hey, no, don't feel bad," he said, pulling her into his arms. "None of what happened was your fault, Mere; I did it all to myself and I know it. Don't feel guilty, I don't want it to ruin tonight for you."
She reached out to stroke his face, tears glittering in her eyes. "Nothing could ruin tonight for me," she assured him. "It just makes me sad to know how hurt you were. I wish … things could have been different, that I'd been born this way rather than being turned this way by a machine, then maybe-"
"Mere … Rodney, you have no control over that and I loved you just as much in either body, remember. It might have been hard for a while there, but I was grateful to have the chance to know you, to be a part of your life, even if I couldn't have you the way I wanted. You are a gift to me, whatever body you're in, and I cherish you more than anything I've ever known. You getting this body is a gift too, it means we get the chance to be together, and who knows, if you hadn't been born a man you may never have ended up here and I might never have met you at all. I would have taken a lifetime of the pain if it meant I got to be a part of your life; whatever way I could."
He leant his forehead against hers "We're together now and I am … so happy I can't even tell you. All of the pain and wanting mean absolutely nothing compared to how incredible it feels to have you now. I don't want you to feel bad or guilty, I want you to be as happy as I am."
Tears slipped down her face, "I am happy, I love you so much," she replied, kissing him softly then pulling him into a tight hug.
He held her back, kissing her hair. "I love you too, Meredith."
They held each other for a few moments before she suddenly stiffened in his arms. "Okay, I've only ever had protected sex with women before this so there are certain … practicalities I'd never considered until now."
"Like what?" he asked perplexed. He'd only ever done it with full protection as well, even with Nancy because she hadn't wanted to take hormonal birth control and his injury hadn't happened until after their divorce.
"Like the fact that I am now leaking," she replied and he pulled back to look at her.
They looked down at her legs at the same time, seeing the fluid running down her inner thigh.
"Oh my god that is hideously embarrassing!"
"Ah no, that is hot as hell," he assured her, scoping her up into his arms and carrying her to her bathroom.
"Oh … well as long as you think so," she replied, sounding less horrified. "Really?" she asked incredulously.
"Mere, it's a part of me, that I put inside you, coming back out; do you really think I'm going to think anything else about it? There are entire porn videos about exactly this, a lot of men get off on it," John explained as he put her down in the shower.
"Oh, really? I guess I didn't go looking for that kind of thing when I was a guy," she replied as he turned the shower on for her and climbed in. "I wasn't much of one for porn, it just all seemed too … rough. Don't get me wrong I'm sure rough can be fun sometimes, but there was nothing really … nice about it, and I never thought sex should just be about sex, I always thought there should be more. Does that mean I was a weird guy? I don't imagine most guys really care about any of that."
"Well, if you're weird for being like that, then we're both weird," John replied, soaping up her shower puff and kneeling down to run it reverently down her legs, cleaning her off and enjoying the chance to touch her naked skin. "I've never liked porn all that much myself. I've watched it plenty, don't get me wrong, there wasn't a lot to do in Antarctica or Afghanistan, but it's never really done all that much for me for the same reason; there's no feeling involved and that matters to me. It's one of the big reasons my marriage didn't work; there was never enough feeling between us." He stood up and rinsed the puff off then hung it back up for her.
She rinsed herself off and then he did the same, letting the water run over his body to lightly cleanse it, but not going out of his way to clean off too much since he'd only just showered and the only thing on his skin was her; he was in no hurry to scrub that away. They got out and dried off then headed back out into the main room to find their clothes.
John went out on to the balcony to grab the clothes he had on previously while M went into the closet to find her usual sleeping attire. John brought the nightgown back in with him and she hung it back up in the closet, explaining that she loved it but it wasn't overly practical to sleep in, which he understood. He did love it though and he told her so.
"Well, I'll make sure to wear it more often then," she replied with a smile that he returned.
They went back into the bedroom and John climbed into the bed, holding his arms out to her. She crawled over to him, snuggling into his chest.
He closed his arms around her and kissed her hair. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. "Sorry for the whole ah … leaking thing. I'd never even thought about that either to be honest; I've always been fully covered during sex as well."
"Really? Even with Nancy?" M asked surprised.
"Yeah. She didn't want to use hormonal birth control, which I completely understood, and my time in Afghanistan was after we were divorced so …"
"Oh … that actually makes me feel … sort of special in a way; that I'm the only one who's ever had you like this," M admitted, snuggling in closer.
"I'm glad it does, because you are special," John replied. "I feel very special knowing I'm the only man you've ever been with and the only person you've had unprotected sex with too."
"Well, you are special; I love you more than I've ever loved anyone," M replied.
John loved the thrill he got hearing her say that. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone too, Mere," he replied, nuzzling her hair.
"And I don't honestly mind the whole leaking thing, it just took me by surprise and I was worried how you'd feel about it. I'll just get into the habit of keeping hand towels near the bed for future use," M said, leaning up to kiss his jaw in the way that always made him shiver. "Thank you for tonight, it was perfect."
"Thank you for trusting me with something so important," John replied, wanting her to know how much that trust meant to him. "I know what a big deal this was, I'm glad I could make it a good experience for you and I'll never take your trust in me for granted. It means a lot to me, Mere."
M pulled back enough to look up at him and he gave her a loving look in return. "I've always trusted you, John," she said, reaching up to gently touch his face. "No one has ever looked after me or kept me safe or cared enough about me to want to do either of those things. If there's one person in the universe I will always trust, it's you."
John smiled, warmed by her words. "I'll always trust you too, Mere," he replied, kissing her gently.
They shared a long, slow kiss before snuggling down together to sleep.
It was truly the best night John had ever had.
XX
So what did we think? I loved the idea of making John and M have a little laugh at Cam's expense, the joke will continue for a little while. I also liked the idea of the entire city turning on Cam for upsetting McKay, I like to think no matter what he may have done to upset people, that they like and appreciate him for everything he does to save them all the time.
What did we think of their first time. It was pretty vanilla but it was a first time for M so it wasn't going to be too adventurous, trust me when I tell you there will be a lot more ;)
Please comment and let me know what you think, I'd like to know if people are actually reading this or not or if you're enjoying it. I'd also like to hear what you think of John and M's relationship.
Any requests for future chapters do let me know, I always love working requests in any way possible.
See you soon.
Kayla