A/N: Many, many thanks to DaniWilder for all of her suggestions and the Beta.

Gracias mi amiga,

JJ

Dis-Harmony

Chapter Five

A Woman's Weapon

Jennifer hurried to Flora's side followed closely by, well just about everyone else in the room. Lorne ordered the soldiers back except for Brackman who was the keeper of the medkit.

"Flora, what's wrong?" Jennifer looked into her eyes as she took her pulse. Brackman opened the medkit and passed her the instruments she asked for. She strapped a wrist BP cuff on her arm and told her to hold it across her chest.

"I do not know. I am dizzy and cannot keep my mind focused."

"What else?" Flora's eyes closed and Jennifer lightly slapped her cheeks. "Come on! Stay with me! What else?"

"I feel as if I am going to…" She leaned forward and lost the contents of her stomach. Harmony took a goblet from one of the attendants and held it to her sister's lips while another came forward with a cloth for her face then began cleaning up the mess. "My arms and legs feel strange, as if they will not support me if I stand and, and…my head is beginning to hurt."

The BP cuff beeped and Jennifer removed it from Flora's wrist. "Her BP is elevated and going up! We have to get her to Atlantis. She needs more than I have here."

John pushed his way to the front of the group and knelt beside Jennifer. "Flora, its John."

Her eyes opened and she gave him a loopy smile. "Oh, John, it is good to see you again. I am so sorry but I have lost the challenge." She reached over and took Teyla's hand. "You now belong to the daughter of Tagaan and Torren."

"Yes, you do. We will…talk about that when we return to Atlantis." Teyla's dark gaze held a promise that he wasn't sure he liked.

John gulped. He knew that she would be ruthless in her quest for…revenge seemed such a strong word but it was the only one that fit with the expression on her beautiful face. Flora was speaking again and he turned his attention back to her.

"I am also sorry for…"

"We have to get you to the Infirmary on Atlantis, Flora. Don't worry about anything else." He stood. "Can you walk?"

"I…believe so." He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Her knees gave out and he caught her, lifting her in his arms. She was now unconscious.

"Let's go! The Jumper is just outside the settlement gates."

Jennifer practically had to run to keep up with him, the missing leg of her pants making her look comical though no one was laughing. "That was an amazing bit of foresight, John."

"No kidding." Rodney interjected derisively. "He only did it because he didn't want to walk all the way from the 'gate."

"Not now, Rodney!"

The physicist lapsed into an annoyed silence until he noticed that Harmony was beside him. "Harmony! Where do you think you're going?"

"My sister is ill. I will accompany you to Atlantis and stay with her until she is well enough to return." Her mouth was set in a stubborn line.

"But what about the royal council? Will they let you leave?"

She drew herself up to her full height, barely 160 centimeters, "I am their queen! They would not dare prevent me from doing what I must!"

He sighed in resignation. She really was a strong-willed young woman. "Okay. When we get there, I'll, uh, get you something else to wear."

She looked down at her torn shirt. "It would be greatly appreciated, Rodney."

The council did indeed try to keep Harmony from leaving. When that didn't work they tried to send an escort of guards but she put the kibosh on that, too. "I am in the company of the heroes of the crown! I require no other protection!"

They reached the Jumper and everyone piled in while John laid Flora on the floor of the rear compartment at Jennifer's direction. Harmony and Rodney knelt beside Jennifer ready to assist if they were needed. He pulled off his jacket and tucked it under Flora's head.

Lorne closed the hatch while John hurried forward and started the Jumper's engines. They lifted into the air and headed for the 'gate. The Jumper made the trip in seconds where usually it was an hour long walk through the forest.

Jennifer turned to look at Rodney and smiled. Involuntarily, her hand reached out to touch him. "Rodney, I…"

"Jennifer! Flora is not breathing!" Harmony called out.

"John! You need to hurry!" The doctor shouted over her shoulder. She pulled a pocket mask and portable oxygen tank from the lower storage compartment and began pushing air into the unconscious woman's lungs.

"Hurrying!" He was concentrating fully on flying the ship completely ignoring what was going on behind him. "Sorry folks. We won't be stopping at the gift shop this trip."

Woolsey had taken the shotgun seat. "That's too bad because I really wanted a t-shirt." At John's order he dialed the DHD then transmitted his IDC and a request for a medical team to meet them in the Jumper Bay. Seconds later they entered the event horizon and the 'gate shut down.

* * * * *

Flora was sleeping peacefully in the Infirmary with Harmony beside her. The young woman was also asleep with her head on her sister's bed and holding one of her hands. Her torn clothing had been replaced with one of Rodney's t-shirts and was a mile too big for her. Jennifer stood there watching the two sisters. She'd always wanted a sibling but it just never happened. Mom passed away and dad had refused to even entertain the idea of marrying again. But once she and Rodney were together she planned on claiming Jeannie as a sister whether they married or not.

An odd smell reached her nose just before she heard soft footsteps stop beside her. "How is she, Doc?"

"She'll be fine in a few days. I'm still waiting for lab results but her symptoms are classic withdrawal. I spoke to Harmony but she swears Flora never uses anything that isn't prescribed by the alchemist."

"I believe her. The hardest thing I ever saw her use was a glass of wine. I-"

"John," she interrupted him, "what is that smell?"

"You mean the wet llama smell?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that's, uh, kinda what I wanted to see you about."

She motioned him to an exam table and had him sit while she took his vitals. "I'm going to need some blood."

"Okay, but only take what you need. I'm using the rest."

"When did this start?" She had her back to him while she prepared the equipment she would need.

"A, uh, few weeks ago."

"Yes, I remember now. It was right around…"

"…the time Rodney and I went to M84-414 the first time." She tightened the tourniquet around his bicep and cleansed the inside of his right elbow. He looked away when she inserted the needle and popped the vacuum tube in. It filled quickly and she replaced it with another. She removed the tourniquet, pressed a cotton ball to the site and instructed him to raise his arm above his head while she handed the tubes to a tech and ordered the tests.

"So…wanna tell me what happened while you were there?"

"Not…really." He picked invisible bits of lint from his pants.

She smiled knowingly. "Oh-ho, so Lady Flora got a bit frisky with our boy."

"The, uh, smell started the next morning. Rodney, um, mentioned it at breakfast." He blushed, unable to meet her eyes. "It goes away when I take a shower then comes back. Though, it is taking longer to return now than in the beginning." The medical doctor just watched him without blinking.

"Now let me make sure I have all the facts. You had sex with Flora, you didn't use protection and the next morning you had this unusual…scent."

"Yeah, that's about it." Jennifer just kept staring at him with that perceptive smirk. "Will you please stop looking at me like that? I'm sorry I…"

"…didn't keep it in your pants?"

"Jennifer!"

"Sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. A beep from the workstation behind her drew her attention away from John and he sagged in relief that those brown eyes were no longer peering into his soul, judging him and finding him lacking.

His relief was short-lived. She began to laugh, softly at first, then harder and harder. She doubled over and continued to laugh until her throat was sore and she started coughing. Tears streaming down her face, she kept shaking her head in astonishment.

"What? What's so funny?"

Finally, she managed to stop, her breath coming in great gulps. "S-s-sorry, J-John, but, hehehehe, you have been, oh, God, tagged."

"Tagged? What do you mean tagged?"

She motioned him over to the monitor where a chemical diagram was displayed. "See here, here and here," she pointed. "Something has altered your pheromones. It appears that it was designed to make you unattractive to every female except…"

"Except…?"

"Flora." Another diagram came up next to his. The flashing areas were identical. "Unfortunately, it created a very different reaction in her. She's…" Jennifer put a hand over her mouth to stem the flow of laughter that was threatening again.

"Will you please stop laughing and just say it?"

"Flora is going through…withdrawals."

"You mean she a-a-and I…when we…and then…now we're…"

"Uh-huh." She clamped her lips together.

"Oh, crap!" He turned back to the exam table and leaned both hands on it. "Is there any way to stop it?"

"Well, that's the good news. It's already beginning to break down in your system. In another couple of weeks it will be gone and you will be back to what passes for normal." He turned back to her with his arms crossed.

"What about Flora? Will she be okay?"

"Yes, she'll be over her 'addiction' in the same amount of time. I have meds she can take that will manage the symptoms until then."

"Great! I-I-I mean, for both of us. What about shaking hands, hugging, that sort of thing? And I carried her to the Jumper."

"Causal physical interaction is completely safe. It only works with intimate contact. Just make sure you don't, uh, with her ever again, with or without protection or it will regenerate the dependency on her part and probably bring back that smell."

"You do not have to worry about that, Doc. I've…"

"Learned your lesson? I doubt that but I'll accept the fiction as fact and let it go."

"Uh, you're not going to…"

"Tell anyone?" She looked indignant. "Of course not. That would be a breach of doctor" she winked at him, "Kirk confidentiality." He rolled his eyes and left the Infirmary.

* * * * *

Hours later Flora opened her eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar setting of the infirmary. Harmony now had a tray of food in front of her.

"Harmony? Where are we?"

"Flora! We are in Atlantis." She pushed the rolling table out of her way and stood. "Jennifer, come quickly!"

When Jennifer arrived at Flora's bedside the sisters were embracing. "How do you feel?"

The young woman thought a moment. "I have studied your idioms and I believe the proper response is 'did someone get the number of the truck that hit me?' Though I do not know what a truck is."

Jennifer laughed. "It's a large ground vehicle propelled by a combustion engine. Harmony, would you leave us alone, please? I need to speak privately with your sister."

Flora nodded and Harmony went out the Infirmary exit followed closely by two Marine guards.

"What is wrong with me, Jennifer? Do I have an illness for which there is no cure?"

"No, of course not. You'll be fine in a couple of weeks." Quickly and succinctly, Jennifer told her the cause of her collapse and how to prevent it from happening again.

"I must apologize to John for causing difficulty for him. I did not know that our assignation would bring about such events." She looked down at her hands where they were playing with the folds in the blanket light pink tingeing her cheeks.

"Oh. Well, uh, now you know. At least the worst part is over. You will only get better from here on out and I have medication that you can take to ease your symptoms. Also, you can call us at any time. I or one of my staff can be there in just a few minutes."

"What about when I marry? I would not wish for my husband to also be ill because of this."

"That's the other good news. According to my research, regular intimate contact will prevent the side effects that you and Colonel Sheppard experienced."

"What were John's side effects?"

"He only had one. He acquired an odor problem that is already getting better."

Flora looked bewildered. "I did not notice anything different about his scent. In fact, I thought he smelled…I think 'yummy' is the word your people would use." Jennifer laughed again and, as simply as possible, explained why that was so.

Jennifer ordered a light meal for her patient, made a few notes in her file and excused herself after advising the guards that Harmony could return.

That accomplished she left the Infirmary, her steps purposeful. It was time to claim her prize!

* * * * *

Jennifer made a few inquiries and was told that Rodney was in his quarters. Now here she was standing at his door dithering. Oh, come on, Keller! What are you waiting for? You won and he belongs to you now. It may not have been a fair fight but that doesn't really matter so stop being a coward and-

The door snapped open breaking into her mental acrobatics. "Jennifer?"

She didn't say anything, just stepped forward pushing him back into the room so the door would close. One last hard push and he fell onto the bed. She jumped on top of him, straddling his hips and trapping his head with her arms while she kissed him senseless. Her lips left his and moved over his cheeks and down his neck making him moan.

"Mmm." His eyes had drifted closed the second her lips touched him but when she stopped he opened them again. She sat up, her firm backside resting on the tops of his thighs as her hands pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor.

"Jennifer, wh-what are you, oh, doing?"

"Duh! I'm getting undressed of course."

"Um…"

She pushed to her feet and kicked off her shoes while unbuttoning her slacks. "It's easier to make love if we're naked but I'm sure we can figure out a way to make it work if you would rather keep yours on."

"You want to…"

"Well, yeah. I won the challenge so you belong to me now." His stomach hit the floor at the same time as her slacks. She was now standing in front of him in a matching bra and panties and nothing else. "Come on, McKay. You're way behind. Take 'em off!"

"Yes, Ma'am." He hurried to do her bidding and before long they were both naked under the covers, his deeper laughter mixing with her giggles.

* * * * *

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Jennifer had found Harmony sitting alone on the balcony on the Infirmary level. She was gazing at the sky with a strange sadness in her eyes.

"For the first time since I became queen I must disappoint my people. They are expecting me to become betrothed and I no longer have a prospective husband."

"Oh, okay. This I can fix. I have a movie for you to watch while you're here. It's called 'The Princess Diaries 2'. I think you will find it very enlightening."

Harmony's forehead creased in thought. "Tell me of this movie."

"Princess Mia is being forced to marry someone she doesn't love to abide by an antiquated law that says she must have a husband in order to be queen. A marriage is arranged but just before the wedding she tells the royal council that she will not be getting married so they need a new law. They agree, she becomes queen and they all live happily ever after."

"But it is our way. The queen must have a husband to advise and council her."

"Why? Flora has been advising and counseling you for the last two and a half years. Why can't she continue to do so? Eventually, you'll find a man to love who loves you back. Then and only then should you think about marrying. Remember, a woman's greatest weapon is her voice. Speak up for what you want and don't settle for anything less than the best!"

She thought about Jennifer's words. "I understand, but how will I find someone that cares for me the way Rodney does for you?"

The doctor smiled and put an arm around the young girl pulling her close. "When you get home, have a good look at the people around you. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you found that love has been staring you in the face all this time."

* * * * *

John approached the Infirmary, and Flora, with trepidation. He wouldn't be here now except that she had summoned him. Demanded to see him, actually. He didn't know what to say to her or how to treat her after all they'd been through the past few weeks. Just wing it, John!

Harmony was on the bed with Flora's arm around her shoulders. Harmony's arm was across Flora's stomach and both women were asleep. He stood there watching them wishing, not for the first time, that he had that same sort of closeness with his brother, David. Maybe one day…

She opened her eyes when he touched her hand. Nudging Harmony awake, they spoke quietly a moment then the younger woman moved away in the company of her ever-present guards yawning and rubbing her eyes. To the guards she said, "I wish to go to the Mess Hall for something called a banana split. Take me there at once!"

"John, please, come and sit by me. There is something I must say to you." He rested his left hip on the bed beside her and waited for her to speak. She took his hand where is rested on his thigh and gave it a quick squeeze releasing him immediately. "I must apologize for everything that has happened. It was my idea for you and Rodney to come for Mardola's service. I wanted to see you again and knew that both of you would come if she asked you to." She looked down, her cheeks reddening. "You should also know that my sole purpose in getting you to the settlement was to convince you to make love with me." She gave a small laugh. "Which was not as difficult as I had anticipated. I did not know about the…side effects these actions would create. Perhaps it also explains why mother advised the three of us to wait until we had chosen husbands to become intimate with a man. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

John thought about what she'd said but couldn't bring himself to be angry with her or hold a grudge. "Yes, of course you're forgiven. There was no real harm done. Let's just forget about it and go back to being friends."

Her smile was bright. At least he did not detest her. "I would like that."

He picked up the tablet from the bedside table and handed it to her. "So, what're you reading?"

She hugged it to her chest a moment. "I am watching…Jennifer called it a movie. The events, though fictional, are extraordinarily…unsettling. She also said that I should advise you to watch it as well."

His curiosity was piqued. "Really? What movie?"

"It is called…" She pressed a button and looked at the screen. "Ah, 'Fatal Attraction.'"

* * * * *

"Thank you for your assistance, John." Harmony and John were sitting together in the Mess Hall. "This will be an event to remember for all time."

John could hardly keep from laughing himself silly but was smart enough not to do it in front of Harmony. Her idea was a doozy and he was in on the ground floor! He rubbed his hands together gleefully. Oh, this is going to be fun! Rodney and Jennifer are so clueless! "You have no idea!"

"You know what your part is. All that is left is for me to inform Teyla of what she must do then all is arranged. This will be the happiest of occasions! I must confess that I am quite excited!"

You and me both! I can't wait to see McKay's face!

* * * * *

Harmony handed Rodney the t-shirt he'd leant her. "Thank you for the use of your garment, Rodney. Teyla and I are of a size and she has given me something to wear in its place so that I may return it to you."

"Well, why don't you just, uh, keep it? Consider it an early birthday present."

She held the shirt up. On the front was the image of a very famous Earth mouse. "Thank you. I will cherish it always." Rodney allowed her to hug him. "Please do not forget that the betrothal ceremony will be held immediately after the celebration so you, Jennifer, Teyla and John must dress appropriately." Rodney shot an icy glare at John when he heard a snort from the front of the Jumper.

"I won't. Good-bye!" He waved as the Jumper hatch closed, Jennifer at his side waving, too.

Just as the ship lowered into the Gate Room, Teyla hurried into the Jumper Bay. "John! John! Wait!" She had Torren in her arms and her brown eyes were shooting sparks.

"He'll be back in a couple of hours. He's just taking Flora and Harmony home."

The Athosian made a sound, a growl of anger and frustration. "Kanaan and I have not had time alone together in many weeks. As partial payment for my winning of the challenge John was supposed to care for Torren this evening so he and I could have a quiet dinner alone without distractions."

"Oh. Uh, what about…" Jennifer started and Teyla smiled with delight.

"Oh, thank you, Jennifer!" She pushed the boy into Jennifer's arms and hung the diaper bag on Rodney's shoulder. "I do not know how I can ever repay the both of you! He must be fed, bathed and changed." Her voice echoed as she disappeared back down the hall. "We will not be late!"

"But-but-but…" Jennifer looked stricken.

Torren began to howl reaching out his chubby little arms in the direction that Teyla had just gone saying, "Mama! Mama!"

"Rodney! Help me! What do I do?"

His eyes still wide in shock, he said, "Don't all women know how to take care of babies?"

Her growl was reminiscent of the one Teyla had just uttered. "Rodney McKay, that has to be the most idiotic thing you have ever said! I am an only child. I was three years younger than all my classmates in high school and earned money not by babysitting but by tutoring jocks who didn't know a heptagon from a hexagon or a square root from a square knot. I have never even owned a pet! So, just because I'm a woman does not mean that I am automatically endowed with the ability to know what a child needs. You at least had a younger sister so here," she took the diaper bag from his shoulder and handed him Torren, "you take care of him and I'll…watch."

The second Torren was settled in Rodney's arms he stopped crying. He sniffled then stuck the fingers of his right hand in his mouth while his other hand tried to grab Rodney's nose. Jennifer watched in awe as the boy looked adoringly up at Rodney and smiled. "Wh-what did you do?"

"I…don't know. I guess he likes me."

"Well, kids always seem to love a grouch."

"Very funny." He motioned for the diaper bag and Jennifer held it open for him. After a quick search of the interior he came up with a container of baby wipes. He removed one and used it to wipe Torren's face and hands. "There you go, little guy. All better." Jennifer took the used wipe and stuck it in her jacket pocket. Still talking to the boy Rodney headed for the Jumper Bay exit. "How about if Uncle Rod and Auntie Jen take you to the Mess Hall and we get some blue Jell-O? Would you like that?" Rodney noticed Jennifer watching him with shining eyes and a big smile. "What?"

She kissed his cheek. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Not in at least thirty or forty minutes."

"Well, I do. Lots and lots and lots." As they made their way to the transport Jennifer asked, "Betrothal ceremony?"

He shrugged. "I, uh, guess she's already chosen a new husband." He reached up to tap the transport screen. "I never thought I'd be watching my ex-fiancée getting engaged to another man. Teenagers can be so fickle."

TBC