A/N: Thanks again to ladygris for havin' a look at this and catching my booboos. Except for that one…but it's fixed now.

Thanks,

~Sandy

The Healing Touch

Chapter 5

Loving Touch

Charlie tightened the drawstring of the pajama pants Rodney had given her to wear, hopping on one foot then the other to roll up the too long legs so they wouldn't trip her. He walked slowly but he stayed ahead of her waiting impatiently for her to catch up. The T-shirt reached nearly to her knees, the short sleeves touching her elbows. "Rodney, where're we goin' in such dad-gum hurry that ya had t' drag us from a relaxin' bubble bath?"

"To Janus' lab." His tone said he thought she'd have figured it out. "That device." Holding his hands about fourteen inches apart left to right then eight inches top to bottom indicating the size. "I just figured out what the symbols mean."

"Rodney, honey. I've never been to that lab." She caught up with him and took his hand. "You had me workin' either with you in the main lab, with Radek or in the auxiliary lab on twenty-three."

"Oh. Sorry."

By now they'd arrived at the Ancient scientist's secret lab. He tapped the wall sconces in a specific order and dragged Charlie into the room after him. When faced with what looked like a solid wall, she hadn't held back trusting him to know what he was doing and seconds later they were inside the lab.

Rodney went straight for the thing he was looking for. Picking it up, he twisted and pulled, the two halves of the device parting easily to show another smaller device inside. This one fit easily into Rodney's hand and had buttons along the back part that fit over his hand. Before Charlie could stop him, he activated it and held it over a small scar on his forearm. Within a few seconds, the blemish, hardly noticeable before, was gone.

"Rodney!" Charlie tried to take it from him but he turned away from her, holding it over the place on his forehead where Jennifer had drilled into his skull to remove the Second Childhood parasite. Before he could activate it again Charlie grabbed his arm. "No!"

"Why? You saw what it did to my arm."

"I did and how could you risk your life like that?" She wasn't able to keep a slight tremble out of her voice. His incredible intellect aside, this thing should have had more extensive testing before being used on living tissue. "We have no idea what the side effects will be."

"But…"

"No!" Again, Rodney and Charlie got into a tussle but this one wasn't nearly as pleasurable as the previous one. Both refused to give in until someone intruded.

"What's going on?" John's voice said from the doorway as he looked them up and down, his mouth twisted into a grin. "Wearing matching outfits already?" He was dressed for bed as well in pajama pants and a T-shirt with a cartoon character on it.

Rodney scowled. "Excuse me?"

John nodded at his friend's attire then looked meaningfully at Charlie. The couple looked down at their clothing then at each other's. Both were wearing gray T-shirts as well as pajamas with the Batman logo on them, but in different colors.

Rodney huffed at him. "If that's all you're going to contribute to this conversation…" John just lifted one eyebrow impudently. "Why are you here?" The physicist went back to tinkering with the device.

"Radek set it up so I'm notified whenever someone enters this lab. After what happened with Keller and the body switching, I'm not taking any chances."

"Perfect. Then you can help. Turn around and lift your shirt." Not waiting for John to comply, Rodney grabbed the hem of John's shirt and pulled it up. The Colonel still had several scars from when the Stargate blew up and he'd been hit with shards of the metal alloy the 'gate was made from. Activating the device, he passed it quickly over one of the smaller blemishes.

John jerked away at the same time Charlie pushed Rodney's arm up, the device shutting off automatically. "Rodney! The medical staff needs to evaluate it before it's used again." She took it from him and put it back in the casing.

"It's only a dermal regenerator." Rodney reclaimed it, leaving the room with her and John a couple steps behind him. They caught up to him, Charlie at Rodney's side and John close behind them. Hearing sniffing noises, he glanced over his shoulder. "Are you smelling us?"

"Actually, yeah. You both smell like vanilla, not to mention being a little pruny." John snickered when the couple looked down at their hands which were indeed looking a little waterlogged.

Sharing an eye roll, Charlie and Rodney continued on their way to the Infirmary.

~~O~~

Laura Cadman saw the newest member of Rodney's team sitting alone in the Mess Hall, eyes on her tablet and sipping from a glass of iced tea. She grabbed an apple, a glass of tea for herself, and went to introduce herself.

"Excuse me. I hope I'm not intruding."

Charlie smiled at the strawberry blonde. "You're not, hun. Have a seat." She extended her hand across the table. "Charlotte Atherton, physics. Call me Charlie."

"Laura Cadman, explosives."

Grin widening, the red-head waited until Laura had taken a bite of her apple before saying what was on her mind. "So you're the one that was stuck inside Rodney's head." Laura nodded. "And you survived with your sanity intact?"

Nearly choking on her apple, Laura took a long drink from her tea, coughing a few more times until she got her breathing under control. "Um, to answer your question, just about. What about you? How is it having him as your boss?"

"'Bout the same. We've never shared a body but he still drives me 'round the bend. One minute he's the orneriest son of a biscuit eater I've ever met n' the next he just makes me wanna hug the stuffin's outta him."

Laura propped her chin in her hand, a smitten expression in her hazel eyes. "It's the same with my guy without the…orneriness."

"Which one's yours?"

Casting her eyes around the room, they came to rest on the man with whom she'd been spending much of her off time. She nodded and Charlie glanced in that direction, a smile coming to her face. "Well, now, the looks-good wagon didn't pass him by, did it?"

"Nope."

"'Course that same cart made a few stops at Rodney's house." At Laura's shocked expression, Charlie giggled. "I just love those blue eyes o' his and, well, I like my men the way I like my turkey at Thanksgivin, with a little extra stuffin'."

With a quick peek over her shoulder, Laura motioned Charlie close. "What about Colonel Sheppard?"

"Oh, well, when it comes to that fella, the wagon just pulled up to his front door and never left." The women laughed together over that. "But I'd still take Rodney over him any day o' the week."

Sitting back in her chair, Laura's smile faded but didn't go away completely. "To tell the truth, I'd take the smart guy over the hot guy too. It's a good thing my fella's got it going on in both areas."

"Amen t' that, sister!" The women clinked their glasses and drank.

~~O~~

The main science lab was empty of all but Rodney as he arrowed through the scans he and Jennifer had taken earlier that day on the dermal regenerator. Knowing how much he wanted to get rid of the scar from his brain surgery and not trusting him not to use it again, she'd locked it in her office. He'd gone back later, picked the lock first on the door then on the cabinet and found she'd moved it. Now all he had were the scans.

A beep from another workstation informed him of new emails from Earth. With a sigh, he set about prioritizing them. The only one he opened now was the one from Harriman, W. In it, Walter apologized for the mistake he'd made when he fulfilled Rodney's request for new personnel. He'd accidentally sent the offer to Charlotte Atherton instead of Charles Atterton and said he would rectify the mistake immediately.

Rodney stared at the screen, his eyes glazing over as he thought about how he might never have met the most important woman in his life if Walter hadn't fumbled. Hitting reply, Rodney sent the Senior Master Sergeant a short response forgiving him for his mistake and advising him not to bother. He then closed and deleted the original email as well as his response, vowing no one would ever know, especially Charlie.

A Few Months Later

The main lab was quiet, almost too quiet. All that could be heard was the soft susurrations of the Atlantis breathing, her environmental systems working at optimum efficiency. Mixed in with those gentle sounds was the breathing of another as he slept, his head pillowed on his crossed arms. Periodically, his shoulders would twitch as if he were having less than pleasant dreams.

The light from the hall cut out then returned as another entered. He went to the sleeping man shaking his head sardonically, knowing he would be sore and cranky when he woke up, but it couldn't be helped. Laying a hand on his shoulder, he gave him a shake. "Dr. McKay? Rodney?"

"Hmm?" Rodney lifted his head, sleep making his eyes feel gritty. He rubbed his face, the heels of his hands pressing over his eyes as he yawned. Blinking, his gaze came to rest on his visitor. "Oh, Major. Something I can do for you?"

"Yes and no. Perhaps you should go get some sleep and we can talk about his later," Evan voiced his concern.

"It's fine. Go ahead."

"Uh…" Holding out a cream-colored envelope engraved in fancy script, Evan waited for Rodney to take the offering, but the physicist just stared at it.

"What…"

"It's an invitation…to our wedding. We'd like for you to come." Rodney kept staring at it so Evan rested it on the edge of the desk. "Please." More silence. "You're welcome to bring a guest." Starting to feel uncomfortable with no response, Evan nodded and left.

When he was gone, Rodney lifted the flap and carefully pulled the embossed card from its confinement.

Together with their families,

Dr. Jennifer Elaine Keller

and

Major Evan Gabriel Lorne

request the honor of your presence

at their union

on Saturday, October second

at six o'clock in the evening at

Mount Zion Church

18955 Lena Avenue

San Francisco, California

Into the empty room, Rodney said, "At least he didn't ask me to be his best man."

~~O~~

Charlie had been offworld with Major Teldy's team for almost a week. More tired than she'd ever been, she dragged herself through the halls of Atlantis to her room. Tossing her TAC vest on a chair, she went into the bathroom leaving a trail of clothing that started with her black uniform shirt and ended with her bright pink panties with the little white hearts.

After her shower, she padded out to the bedroom to find Rodney sound asleep in her bed, his tablet resting against his chest. She eased it from under his hand and set it on the desk then lifted the covers and slipped in next to him. Without waking, he rolled over and pulled her to him, sighing as he settled again.

Just before she drifted off, she noticed the wedding invitation on the bedside table. Too tired to worry about it now, she fell asleep in the arms of the man she cared for above all others.

~~O~~

Rodney awoke with Charlie spooned against his back, her left arm and leg up over him, her soft breath hitting the back of his neck. He thought about waking her just to steal a kiss but thought better of it. Carefully easing away from her, he left her room intent on showering, changing and arriving on time for the senior staff meeting.

He was brought up short just one step outside Charlie's room when he saw first John then Chuck leaving rooms that did not belong to them. John from Amanda Cole's and Chuck from Laura Cadman's. The three men stared at each other for a moment doing a classic triple take.

Rodney said, "But I thought…"

John added, "…you said…"

Chuck continued, "…aren't you…"

Together they finished with, "…never mind" just before heading for their own rooms with an unexpressed agreement not to speak of this moment…ever.

October Second

Mount Zion Church

San Francisco

The church was filled to capacity with family and friends speaking in hushed tones waiting for the ceremony to start. Sitting several rows behind Evan's mother, sister and nephews, Rodney slipped a finger inside his starched white collar. Charlie took that hand in hers to keep him from loosening his tie as she knew he wanted to do.

The organ music stopped then began the opening strains of the Wedding March as the assembled stood and looked to the rear of the chapel. William Keller entered from the left with Jennifer on his arm. She wore a simple yet elegant white A-line halter gown. The side drape and sweeping train made it appear as if she were floating on a cloud. The single layer veil reached to the bottom of her hips, swaying as her father escorted her to the altar where Evan waited. His best man, Colonel Sheppard, was at his side along with his teammates Captain AJ Reed and Lieutenant Paul Coughlin.

Seated once again, Charlie wrapped her slender fingers around Rodney's bicep, leaning her cheek against his shoulder as they watched Evan and Jennifer preparing to say their vows. While the pastor said his piece, Rodney leaned close to Charlie and whispered, "I love you."

She squeezed his arm again, her heart swelling with happiness. "That's good, honey, 'cause I love you, too."

~~O~~

The reception was in the process of winding down, the bride and groom already gone, when Rodney withdrew a small box from his pocket, set it beside Charlie's coffee cup and waited. She was speaking to Laura Cadman, the two women giggling like school girls over who knew what. Chuck came by to claim his girlfriend for another dance leaving Charlie and Rodney alone again.

She reached for her cup, spying the black velvet box that hadn't been there before. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened it, her eyes going wide when she saw the princess-cut diamond with tiny diamonds set into a white-gold band. Tears welled up in her green eyes. "Rodney…it's beautiful."

He took her left hand, removed the ring from its resting place and slid it onto her third finger. "Marry me?"

"Of course I will, you silly man." Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him until they were both breathless. "When do you wanna do this?"

"As soon as possible."

"Fine by me, sugar, but Daddy's a bit old fashioned. You might think 'bout asking him for my hand."

With a smug expression, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. "Already done."

"Really? What'd he say?"

Clearing his throat and deepening his voice, he managed a passable imitation of her father, "Welcome to the family, son. You better treat my little girl right or I'll fill your backside with buckshot."

She giggled, her left hand running through the shorts hairs at the nap of his neck delighting in his loving touch. "That's Daddy alright. Um…what would you say to us elopin'?"

His hands behind her resting on her waist pulled her even closer as they swayed to the music. "I'd say that you are the smartest woman in two galaxies." She gazed up at him, love shining in her eyes, her hands bringing him down for another kiss.

When they parted, she rested her head on his shoulder, her right hand over his heart. "Not the smartest, sugar, but I am the luckiest to find a man as wonderful and lovin' as you."

"Ditto. Remind me to thank Harriman."

"Walter? Why?"

"Because, with a click of his mouse, he helped me find love." Rodney kissed her temple. "He helped me find you."

The End