Thanks for waiting for this!

A few "canon" - wait, who cares! Anyhow, Woolsey has to show up in this chapter so that the end balcony scene is accurate … Takes place, maybe a month after the past chapter? I'll figure out a timeline one of these days!

As John approached Elizabeth's office, he heard a loud groan and the sound of yet another coffee cup falling to the hard floor. That was the fourth one this week alone.

He picked up his pace, running into her office. Just in case this was an actual emergency.

Her chair was pushed away from the desk.

She was nowhere in sight.

"'Lizbeth? You in here?"

"Hmm? Yeah, behind the desk," an agitated voice replied.

John walked around the corner of her work area and saw his wife, down on her knees while one hand held her belly, trying to collect all the pieces of the decimated coffee mug without cutting herself.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly, bending down next to her, dragging the trashcan over to throw the pieces away. "I got this, don't worry."

She sighed, her tone full of frustration as she spoke. "Richard Woolsey is coming to Atlantis."

"How come?" he asked, face scrunching into a frown.

"They say it's for a review. But I think it's more likely they're trying to remove me from command."

John's hand halted in midair.

"What do you mean?"

"They probably think that being pregnant renders me incapable of running Atlantis, and the IOA sees the perfect opportunity to get me out."

John shook his head, dropping more fragments into the trash as Elizabeth sat back. "That's ridiculous. Being pregnant has not only made you more devoted to keeping everything in line, but it's actually made you get enough sleep at night. That's a first. What more reason do they need to keep you?"

She shot him an exhausted glare. "Whatever the case may be, this is something I really do not want to deal with right now. Carson said he may confine me to bed rest if I don't reduce my work schedule, and-"

"'Lizbeth," John cut her off, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, look at me."

She sighed, and looked up.

John's puppy dog eyes were an almost constant feature on his face these past few months. But now, it was true concern that shone through, not just boyish whining.

"You've got everyone on Atlantis behind you. Heck, with Ronan, you don't even need everybody else." She chuckled. "And you've got me. I will support you, no matter what. And I will do whatever is best for you and the kid. So let me ask you again: exactly how much trouble would I get into if I knocked Woolsey on his butt?"

She laughed, then reached out to embrace her husband. She felt him lean his head over hers, kissing her hair as he reassured her, "Don't worry about it, it'll be okay."

Elizabeth was standing at the beginning to the stairs leading up from the 'Gate room, waiting for John's team to return. She had taken to staring rather despondently at the Stargate if they were even a fraction of a minute late.

So far, they were overdue ten minutes.

From the corridor leading to the lift, Dr. Carson Beckett sighed. "Love, is this really the best idea?" he slightly chided, walking up to her, hands stuffed in the pockets of his white medical coat.

She crossed her arms, almost defensively. "They're late."

"Ten minutes. We know."

"I don't like it when he's late."

Carson pursed his lips in thought, then chuckled. "I'm fairly sure John wasn't thrilled at first when you were late the last time."

"What do you me - oh," Elizabeth murmured in realization.

Carson smiled at her, knowingly. "Doctor patient confidentiality. Don't worry, lass. He'll be back soon. Rodney probably just tripped over something and is whining the entire way."

She nodded, then narrowed her eyes in concentration. "That would normally make John move quicker."

Carson sighed, getting a little frustrated. "All right, let's try a different approach. Elizabeth, move away from the 'Gate and come with me to the mess for some lunch, or I will confine you to bed rest for the duration of the trimester. Your choice."

She held her breath in as she contemplated the options. "All right," she agreed, unfolding her arms and following Carson to the lift.

As they entered, she tapped her ear piece. "Chuck?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Let me know the instant Colonel Sheppard's team gets back. They're overdue."

"Will do, ma'am."

Elizabeth was gonna kill him.

He might kill Rodney first.

The stubborn scientist had insisted that he saw something crawling on the path heading back to the Stargate, and while trying to find an alternate route, had fallen into a pit about twenty feet deep.

Even Teyla was starting to loose patience, trying to brace herself with the rope as they tried to pull him out.

And of course, he had to twist his ankle.

Stupid, arrogant, stubborn, Canadian hypochondriac.

John just shook his head, then glanced at Ronan. The intimidating Satedan was standing guard over the pit, almost looking as if he was trying to prevent Rodney from getting out.

Teyla groaned as she started pulling the rope back up. "It is of no use," she told John, wrapping the rope as she reined it in. "Rodney is unable to stand to reach the rope. Unless one of us goes down there-"

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea, really!" Rodney exclaimed from the bottom.

"Why not, McGenius?" John snapped, almost at his wit's end.

"Well, for one reason, even if Ronan came down here, the rope is still a good five feet above head level. It's too short."

John made a note to use this rope to strangle Rodney when they finally got him out. That way, it would still be good for something.

"And the second?" Ronan asked, starting to glare more intensely.

"Odds are, if one of you comes down here, and, uh, based on what I just said, it'll probably be Ronan, I'd be crushed like a bug, and I'm not particularly looking to dying that way!"

"No, you'd prefer to be carried back to Atlantis, then have your windpipe crushed by my pregnant wife when she finds out you're the reason we're late?"

For the first time in what seemed like hours, there was silence from the pit.

John looked at his team and winced. "Maybe too intense?"

Ronan shrugged. Teyla closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

John stuck his head over the pit. "Rodney?"

A high pitched voice responded, "I'll stay here. I'm sure Radek can take care of things."

"Off world activation!"

Elizabeth was back to sitting in her office, playing Solitaire upon Carson's orders, when Chuck shouted from the control room.

She launched up from her chair and briskly walked over. "Who is it?"

Chuck read the IDC that appeared. "Colonel Sheppard."

"Drop the shield," Elizabeth ordered as she walked down to the 'Gate room to meet - or shout at - her husband.

As she walked down, John walked through the 'Gate and it shut down.

"John, where have you been!"

"Rodney fell in a hole on the way back. We can't get him out with what-"

Elizabeth silenced him with a rapid kiss as she fisted the front of his tac vest, pulling him closer to her as she welcomed him back.

A few of the people in the control room let out whoops, then silenced immediately as she turned around and shot them a look.

"Take it easy on them, they don't get out that much," John kidded with her.

She sighed in relief. "You scared me. You were overdue, we hadn't heard from you-"

"Elizabeth? I'm a hour late. I've been gone for even longer and you didn't even leave the light on," he continued joking, trying to lighten her mood.

It seemed to be working. A smile lit up her face, making her the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

"Sorry," she whispered in apology.

"Me too. I would've called earlier if I could have."

"So, what happened? Rodney fell down the well?" she joked right back, the smile still on her lips.

"We were taking a different route," he explained, motioning to the stairs. As they started walking slowly upwards, he continued. "Rodney fell into a pit and the rope is too short to get him out. And he twisted his ankle."

"His words?" she asked curiously.

"No. His were, 'oh my God, I think it's broken, I can't feel it anymore'. That lasted until Ronan threw a small rock at his foot and said, 'You feel that, McKay?'"

She snorted. "Oh, God."

"So anyhow, just need more supplies to get him out." He shrugged. "Probably couldn't hurt to bring Keller along."

She nodded. "When are you leaving?"

"As soon as I get what we need. And when Keller's ready." He tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard to Dr. Keller, come in."

"Keller."

"I need to prepped and ready to move out, ASAP. Rodney fell into a pit and twisted his ankle."

"You've gotta be kidding me," she said softly.

"Nope."

She let out a groan, then said, "Give me five minutes. Keller out."

John looked back to his wife. "Okay, that's done. Now for a longer rope."

Elizabeth nodded, then groaned rather loudly.

John turned sharply. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I probably just didn't eat enough for lunch," she acknowledged, glancing around at the worried staff in the control room. "I'm fine."

He tapped his earpiece. "Keller, give me twenty minutes, then we'll go."

"Understood."

Elizabeth was confused. "John?"

He took her by the hand. "C'mon, Mom, let's get you a snack. I figure Rodney might use some food too. Wouldn't want him to starve down there, now, would we?"

"I have a feeling you would. Just to get back at him."

"No, that's what the other rope is for."

As John brought him team back through the 'Gate, Rodney being supported by Jennifer and Ronan, he took in the view of the control room with a grateful glance. The lights in Elizabeth's office were off; once he'd assured her that they would be home before dark, she agreed to go to their quarters and try to catch up on her sleep.

John knew from the past week that Elizabeth - and the little one - weren't getting enough rest.

It was disturbing at first, when the baby had started kicking. John became accustomed to sleeping with Elizabeth spooned against his front, his hands fastened around her belly.

The first time the kid kicked against John's hand, it woke him up from a dream, nightmare - he wasn't sure which - where he was having a race in a Puddle Jumper against a Wraith in a Dart. Probably resulted from one too many beers.

Then the baby kicked.

In his dream, the control grips on the Jumper disappeared.

In real life, Elizabeth groaned.

"John."

He grunted in his sleep. "Almost there," he mumbled under his breath, still in his half asleep state.

"John!"

He jolted upwards. "What is it? It's here already?"

"No," she replied, reaching for his hands. "Did you feel that?"

"'Lizbeth, last thing I remember, I was speed racing a Dart. Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

Pulling his hands over her swollen belly, she grinned at him in the dark. "Our little one's getting anxious to get out."

John scrunched his face, not understanding, then the light went off as the baby kicked his mother again.

He gasped in shock. "Oh my God. That's the baby?"

"No, it's an alien parasite."

He chuckled. "Man. That's definitely my kid!" he commented as the baby kicked again, getting squeamish.

Elizabeth's smile began to fade as she hung her head. "I'm not going to get any sleep tonight," she said knowingly.

John sighed, trying to think of something that would help soothe his wife. "Maybe some tea, warm milk, would anything help?"

"No, I've been dealing with slight insomnia for some time. Carson hasn't prescribed anything because we didn't know how it would affect the baby."

"Oh." John ran a lazy hand through his hair, then kissed his wife's cheek. "I'll stay up with you."

"What?" she asked, somewhat incredulous.

"I'll stay up with you," he repeated with a shrug. "I'm gonna hafta start getting up for diaper changes and feedings in the middle of the night. Might as well get a head start on it, you know, change my sleeping patterns," he kidded. "But I'll stay awake with you. It's not fair for you to deal with this on your own."

"John, you have to ship out at 0700. I don't think this is fair to you, either."

"Don't worry about me," he replied, gently touching her cheek. He smiled. "I'd do anything for you. This is … helping to encourage my paternal nature."

She smiled, heart truly touched by her husband. Who else would sacrifice sleep, just to stay awake with their sleepless wife?

He had a heart of gold.

She was glad it was hers.

She softly kissed his lips. "Thank you."

He smirked proudly. "Welcome."

After settling Rodney into the infirmary as he began his belligerent yet enjoyable stay in the infirmary, John and Ronan walked out, the colonel checking his watch as Ronan sighed.

"Man. I seriously thought you were gonna shoot McKay."

"Me? Nah. Elizabeth is the one we need to worry about being trigger happy right now," John smirked, entering a lift that took them to quarters.

Ronan crossed his massive arms. "How is she?"

John dipped his head to one side, shrugging ever so slightly. "She's okay. I know she's not sleeping good right now, and she's still so preoccupied with work, and Woolsey coming-"

"Woolsey's coming back? Why?" Ronan asked defensively.

"Official word is 'review'," John told him, making quotation marks with his fingers. As the lift opened and deposited them near their rooms, he continued. "But word on the street has it that the IOA wants to replace Elizabeth due to her pregnancy."

"They don't seem to like it when people get pregnant. They interrogated Teyla when we went to Earth for our reviews."

"Yeah, I remember that. But with the position that Elizabeth is in, she may not have a choice."

They arrived at a point where the corridor split, leading to different areas.

Ronan groaned. "We still on for running in the morning?"

John nodded. "Yeah, if anything comes up, I'll let you know."

Ronan nodded. "Night," he said, then stalked down the corridor leading to his quarters.

As he disappeared, John shook his head, then walked around the curve to their quarters.

He knew she would probably be taking a shower, or reading a report, or half asleep on their bed, claiming she wasn't, but John let himself in as quietly as he could.

His heart sunk.

The bed was still made, no rumpled covers.

All the lights were off.

The bathroom was vacant.

He sighed with a touch of disbelief. "You gotta be kidding. Elizabeth?" he called out, hoping that he had just missed her, and she was curled up on the couch or in a comfy chair, a book open over her belly. Or something.

He instantly understood how Elizabeth kept feeling when he went on missions and missed their check in time. She was in a panic.

And now, so was he.

"Elizabeth, come in. Where are you?" he asked after tapping his earpiece, waiting for her calm reply.

Instead, Teyla responded. "John, meet us in the infirmary."

"Tey - what? What happened?"

"Elizabeth collapsed. We are entering the infirmary now."

John almost went through the doors as he ran at full speed to the infirmary.

Evil fic bunnies. Cliffhanger. Til the next chapter.