Elizabeth sat crossed legged in the floor, her face scrunched in concentration. Spying the fraying end of her black yoga pants, she frowned and stretched her arms high above her. Meditation was supposed to help one feel centered and more serene, but Elizabeth was only embracing a higher level of frustration from her efforts.

She rose to her feet with a new sense of determination. Her bare feet hardly made a sound against the smooth cool floor when she moved purposefully towards the door. She waved her hand across the doors' control panel, then twisted sideways grabbing a jacket to cover her tank top. She turned back to the doorway and collided with John, smashing a bag apparently holding food up against his chest.

She jumped backwards watching a look of stunned bewilderment crossing John's face. He took a timid step forward and the door shut behind him. A light dusting of something suspiciously looking like powdered sugar was settling upon his chin. John's eyes rolled wondrously, taking in the sugar cloud he was immersed in. The bag wavered precariously and Elizabeth eased it from his hands and placed it on the nearby table along with her jacket.

It was all she could do to contain the laughter rumbling through her chest. Stepping forward she swiped her hand across his face, but if anything the powder turned pasty and seemed more intent on sticking. Her eyes turned up and the teasing words that crossed her mind never escaped her lips. His eyes had molted into simmering whirlpools of everything delicious and sinful and she tore her eyes away focusing instead on the lush wild strands of his hair. Wet hair, she realized. It was no wonder the sugary powder had clung so easily to his skin.

The subtle aroma of his skin fresh from the shower swept across her nose and, in her haze, she became momentarily jealous of the sugary powder sticking sweetly to his skin. Suddenly she realized he was moving closer and she planted her hand upon his chest, wincing when her fingers gleaned the slight protrusion of his pocket.

Her fingers slowly traced the outline of the drawing and his body stilled. His chest didn't even rise and fall as her fingers moved and she became uncomfortably aware that neither had spoken a word since his arrival. John's jaw was clenched tightly and she watched the prominent rise and fall of his throat when he swallowed.

Mentally kicking herself, she pushed away and strode towards the windows. "John, I don't know what's wrong with me today."

His footsteps scuffed the floor when he followed behind her. "Beckett's worried, he sent me with food."

"Beckett's worried?" Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and John averted his eyes. "Tell him I'll be fine, I just needed some time to recover."

"Recover from what?" John's eyes peeked up sweetly from under the thick fringe of lashes.

Elizabeth reluctantly turned back towards him. "My behavior earlier. Not that you didn't deserve it. The way you manipulated me into staying on Atlantis. I never expected you to play that card."

"What card?" John was intently staring at her without reservation now. "I didn't manipulate you, I was being honest. You're my friend..."

His voice trailed off and she refused to make it easier on him by breaking the silence. This was getting interesting and she was wondering just how big of a hole he would dig for himself.

He sighed and took a step closer. "I care about you, Elizabeth. I won't put you in a position that would risk your safety."

Her eyes widened slightly. That was more than she'd expected. Of course, before today she would have never expected to find a drawing of them in his pocket either. "Then there was the drawing, John."

His hand extended back, scratching his head while he shifted uncomfortably. "That was…unexpected."

"This was unexpected." She said quietly.

He planted his hands on his hips and his head slumped towards the floor once again. The wet strands of his hair were still damp and spiking to previously unseen heights. There was something….

"Hold still." Elizabeth frowned and tentatively reached up. "There's something in your hair."

"It's not a bug is it? I hate bugs."

She smiled in spite herself and was glad that for once he obeyed and stood still. "Not a bug, though it may well be a ten thousand year old cobweb."

He grimaced. "I'm not sure that's any better..."

His words trailed away when her fingers threaded through his hair, gently freeing the congealing globs of sugary powder from his hair. The quiet in the room breached only by his soft sigh. His eyes fell shut while her fingers stroked through his hair and the look settling upon his face stilled her heart. It was a side of John that she'd never seen before. It was the face of her protector transforming into the man who could hold her heart without fear. It was a new trust. He'd finally shed his defenses and she saw him now, not vulnerable, but open and accepting the shift surging within their hearts. His hands brushed her sides gently, questioningly. Suddenly speechless, she answered him the only way that she could muster.

It had never felt like this before. She had never felt so exquisitely breathless at the thought of a man's lips intent upon her own. The nerves of her skin had never burned so expectantly within a man's embrace. His breath dusted hot against her mouth and her body trembled with anticipation. His lips brushed against hers and she savored every pleasure of his dry, almost rough lips grazing leisurely upon her own, the friction sparking an unbearable yearning within her.

She grudgingly pulled away, sensing that he was holding back. Words flitted through her mind with alarming speed and she readily dismissed them along with any threads of logic. Instead she pressed her body more snugly against his own in silent encouragement. A soft growl rumbled in his throat and his fingers clamped around her hips, his lips descending hot and hungry against her own. It was all she could do to only fist handfuls of his shirt, tugging him closer then she'd ever imagined he could be. To her chagrin, he broke away too quickly, nestling his head tenderly against her neck. His fingers trailed gently from her bare shoulders down to her fingertips.

"Elizabeth." He breathed and she reluctantly released his shirt.

His hands fell to his sides and she could feel his muscles tensing. He was waiting for her to run, she realized, or getting ready to run himself. Her fingers grazed up and down his sides. She wasn't ready for this moment to end. Pulling away from him now would be tantamount to heart wrenching pain and she finally admitted to herself they were beyond the point of this being an option. Somewhere along the way, the relationship they had constructed evolved beyond lust or even love, John had become the bond that eased the threadbare pieces of her heart back together. She needed him…and she'd never needed anyone before.

"John," she whispered.

"Elizabeth don't-"

"I want this." She interrupted before she could regain any sense of reason.

"You want this." He pulled her chin up. "You want-"

There heat pooling within his eyes sent her pulse spiking erratically. "You."

The sides of his lips rose ever so slightly. It was a look Elizabeth was overly familiar with, the beginning of his endearing smirk. "Just so I'm clear."

Elizabeth covered his lips with her own, she didn't want to talk right now. She wanted to-

A wail of pain breached the silence, coming from the hallway beyond. John's eyes were heavy with regret when she pulled away. The wailing started again. They reluctantly parted and raced to to open the door.

"Sheppard, help! I think I broke my arm." McKay was lying in the floor of the corridor holding his left arm tightly to his chest.

"Rodney! What happened?" Elizabeth gasped. Her eyes scanned the ladder and equipment strewn around him.

"McKay." John's voice was deep and obviously unhappy. "What the hell is going on?"

McKay took his uninjured hand and tapped his earbud. "Carson, help! I've fallen…and I think Sheppard's going to kill me!"

Elizabeth shot John a glance of warning and bent down to check Rodney's arm. He winced as soon as she touched him. "Anything else hurt?"

McKay threw a worried look towards John, but nodded his head. "Just the arm."

"Carson? Please meet us in the infirmary. John and I can escort Rodney."

"Rodney, what did you do?" Carson sounded morose. "I'll meet you there, Elizabeth."

TBC…