A/N: The last chapter. It's been fun having a glimpse into established McKay/Weir whilst tackling the challenge. Thanks for reading :D
Chapter Six
She was letting her tears drip down onto his shoulder, "I heard your voice. You said you didn't want to lose me."
"No, no I don't, Elizabeth. I want to do everything I can to keep you with me, OK?"
She nodded against his shoulder. "Carson said you kept us alive until John could reach us." She took a shuddering breath before continuing, "They overpowered Gereth and the others when they got your radio transmission. It took them a while to get past our captors and get us out. You kept us alive, Rodney. You kept me alive."
Rodney felt the ache on the back of his head and neck, sensing the burns. He suspected they were minor, but they reminded him of how close they'd been to disaster. He held her tight and rocked her close.
"It's OK, Elizabeth, we're OK."
Elizabeth took deep breaths and held tight to him. After a few moments, she rubbed his arm firmly, and pulled back a little, wiping her eyes determinedly. "I'm fine, really, Rodney. Thank you, again."
He dipped in for a kiss on her pale lips. "You weren't fine at all. I want you to see Kate." He peered at her, "I'm glad I didn't lose you."
She looked into his sincere, blue eyes, seeing there all the love she knew he felt for her. "I will see her. I'm so sorry…"
"No, no, no, no, no. It wasn't your fault. It was like… a trigger… a repressed memory or something. You couldn't help it. It's going to be OK. Kate will help you, you'll never be afraid like that again."
She frowned. "You must have been afraid too, Rodney."
"Yeah, I was. But… " he blinked, "Yes, I was really scared. I had to get us through it though… right?"
She nodded. "You did, Rodney."
He drew her close, and kissed her gently. Elizabeth smiled, then her eyes widened as she remembered something.
"Oh! Rodney. Carson told me some more about how the mission turned out!"
"What? Was everyone OK?"
"Yes, yes. They're all fine. They got the rock, too!"
"Oh thank god. I hope Radek waits for me. He's liable to… sorry."
"I should think so. And, Gereth tried to befriend them again. Sheppard, well, Teyla thinks that what they did to us was all to do with the storm. Like a sacrifice, to hold it off. They took us because…" she hesitated.
"Elizabeth? Because what?"
"Well, Teyla can't really be sure, but…"
"Why? Why us?"
"Because we are together, Rodney. Teyla couldn't really understand their explanation of why two people who are together make a better sacrifice, but she said that among some peoples she has traded with, the spirit of a storm is often the spirit associated with relationships," she paused as Rodney snorted, "and she thinks they could have believed that a storm may be appeased by the sacrifice of a loving couple."
More snorts. "That is so primitive. Besides, they don't know you very well."
Rewarding him with a light swat, she continued, "Enough of that, Mr. It's-Only-A-Discussion."
"Huh. Anyway, how did they know we were together?"
"Some languages don't have any words, Rodney." She smiled.
He gave her his half-smile, and cast his eyes down. "No, I guess not."
"And I want you to know, I…"
"Yes, Elizabeth?"
"I love you, too."
"I know, hon. You heard that bit, huh? I don't tell you nearly enough."
"I know, Rodney, but it's OK. Oh, and they said it worked."
"What?"
"It worked. Even though they never managed to actually kill us, the storm passed the village over. So Gereth was very pleased, and extremely apologetic. Well, it seemed that way, apparently. The villagers had mined out a lot of rock in recompense."
"Oh, as if that… We so need a legal system in this galaxy. If any more…"
"Rodney. It's over. We're OK." She stroked his cheek to soothe his anger.
"How can you say that?"
"Because it's true. And all I care about right now is being here with you, safe, in your arms."
He squeezed her tight again, and sighed, "Yes. I know. It's a result, right?"
"Yes. I'm going to count this as a good day."
"I think we may need to have a discussion about that."
She just laughed, and held him tighter.
fin
