MGM owns all characters except OCs.

A/N: With the holiday this weekend in the US, I wanted to get another chapter out quickly. Thanks to Betherdy Babe for the beta and the reviews. Fluff ahead BTW.

Jennifer snuggled closer to Rodney, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his stomach. They were sitting on her couch; Rodney had his feet on the coffee table and she had hers tucked under her. The movie, The Sixth Sense, droned on in the background but her mind was elsewhere.

For the last five months since her only off world mission, the two seldom had time to just sit and watch a movie. Once Jennifer recovered enough to move at least one arm, the Replicators attacked the city resulting in the death of Doctor Weir. The loss of their leader was a huge blow to Carson and Rodney as they both thought they were responsible. Ultimately the nanite idea was hers, but Carson originally dealt with Weir's nanite infection and Rodney worked at reactivating them.

Next came the arrival of Colonel Samantha Carter, which forced Jennifer to tell Rodney they needed to keep their relationship private. The physicist didn't mind, as it wasn't as if they had made anything public anyways. Other than flirting and big dopey grins now and then, it didn't appear they were more than good friends. Jennifer feared that Sam would mention something to her Uncle Jack if it appeared they were a couple. Carter's arrival started the physician's major guilt trip at not telling Rodney sooner. Unfortunately the more time that passed, the harder it was for her to admit the secret she was keeping from him.

"Are you sleeping?" Rodney asked as he shifted his arm from the back of the couch to around her shoulders. His other hand brushed a loose strand of her blond hair behind her ear.

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"Good, then you won't hit me if I kiss you," Rodney said.

"I've never hit you for kissing me yet," she said raising her face but keeping her eyes closed.

The soft brushing of his lips was followed by more pressure and, after shifting so he faced her, the gentle sweeping of his tongue over her lips. Unable to suppress the need that pulsed through her body while in the arms of her boyfriend, Jennifer slid both hands up his chest, around his neck and deepened the kiss.

After the first few dates Rodney kissed her at the end of the evening, standing inside her door, and then left. Their last few dates, since the incident with the crystal entity, had them making out more often during the evening.

On this night Jennifer desperately wanted Rodney to do more than kiss her good night. Even though she knew she had to tell him about Uncle Jack, the fear of his reaction held her tongue. He could be so furious he'd never talk to me again. Once I know he's in love with me, I'll be able to tell him. But they never spoke about feelings since that day in the infirmary when she finally regained consciousness.

Shifting slightly, Jennifer pressed her body fully against his. A slight groan from Rodney spurred the young woman to pull firmly and gently on him so he was leaning her back. After several kisses punctuated by sharp intakes of air only to be followed by more kisses, the physician tugged Rodney down on top of her.

"Ah, Jennifer," Rodney said, pulling his mouth away and trying to move off her.

"Don't," she managed as she chased his mouth with her own. After she reclaimed it, earning a mind-numbing kiss, she tightened her hold around his neck with one arm and traced up and down his spine with her other hand.

"Jennifer," Rodney pulled away and shifted so he could hold himself off of her.

"Rodney," she huffed in annoyance. "Don't you want to spend the night with me?"

The audacity of the question surprised her as much as the astrophysicist, his eyebrows shot up his head and his eyes grew bigger than she'd ever seen them. Realizing she might have pushed him too far, the nervous woman still decided to stand her ground.

"Of course I do," Rodney admitted.

"Are you sure? I mean it's obvious," she paused and gave him an impish grin, "from where I am, but you tensed up when I pulled you down." Jennifer was enjoying the feel of his body pressing hers into the cushions and hoped it would continue

"I…" Rodney looked away from her eyes and closed his.

Jennifer felt her heart stop. He isn't in love with me. It's only physical. A pain far worse than that of mutant creatures clawing at her flesh took hold of her heart.

"I just don't want to rush it," Rodney said, opening his eyes and smiling weakly. "I know we've been dating for almost six months but we've had so much going on we've really only had about ten full dates without interruptions."

"But we eat together and work on projects together," Jennifer added unable to keep the desperation out of her voice.

Rodney chuckled and shifted his weight primarily to his left arm. "Isn't the guy usually the one begging for sex?"

"I'm not begging," she shot back. "I… I just… thought. Sorry. I didn't realize you weren't attracted to me like…"

"Not attracted to you? Are you nuts? I've never had a woman as beautiful as you interested in me." Rodney cut her off. His sapphire eyes surveyed her face, causing a grin to form and widen when the gaze reached her lips. "I just want to take it slow. I want this to be… I want to make sure it's right. I'm afraid I'll mess it up. Is that a terrible thing?"

"No," Jennifer said, feeling like a fool. He's being a sweet guy, not some boorish pig and you're upset about it.

"You and Teyla are leaving early tomorrow for the Tendol Festival, so you better get some rest." Rodney pushed himself up and Jennifer let him go. He held a hand to pull her into a sitting position. "It's quite a hike from the gate to the village. You'll have to get plenty of sleep before we get there on Saturday."

"I've heard about the hike from Ronon," she said, not meeting his eyes. "You're sure you'll finish your work by Saturday evening?"

"Yes," he said. "You know, it's going to be hard to hide our relationship with everyone around. Especially if I drink any of that wine."

Jennifer laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows but her heart wasn't in it. The obvious rejection to her offer for their relationship to move to the next level left her unsettled. "I'm sure we'll survive. It's a big forest, right?"

Rodney laughed as he stood up and grabbed his laptop from the table. He waited expectantly for her to walk him to the door as she always did. The blue eyes and cute expression on his face made her move even though she wanted to curl up on the couch and cry into a pillow.

When one hand cupped her cheek and his lips closed over hers, Jennifer felt the prick of tears. How can I live without him? I love him. But the young woman knew it was only a matter of time before her heart would break if he didn't return her love.

TBC

A/N: I know this tone is different from the last story, but a lot has happened since then. For the fan who hasn't watched Season 4 yet, hope you appreciate the recap. For the rest of you sorry to tell you what you already know.