Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. Original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. This is another one-shot I'd had flinging around elsewhere, and thought it was about time I uploaded it here. For the record, I was sunburnt when I wrote it; so dumb. Mmm, and - I don't know - Elizabeth sounds somewhat like Rodney in this piece. Maybe she's been in his company for too long. Or I have. Or something... (grins wryly)
Sunburnt
Elizabeth groaned loudly and her face crumpled unhappily. 'Oh, every inch of my back stings. I can't move, I can't think, and sitting here is torture...'
Rodney's expression wasn't overly sympathetic. 'No kidding. Well, I won't say I told you so, but -'
She shot him an irritated look and then squeezed a damp cloth above one of her shoulders so that the cool water trickled down her red raw back. 'Saying that you won't say it, is just another way of saying it, Rodney, and you know it.'
He shrugged, 'Fine. But I did tell you so. I mean, what do you expect if you go to sleep when you're sunbathing, eh? You're going to get burnt. And you look like a lobster.'
By now Elizabeth was positively glowering at him. She pulled her towel further up her chest and snapped, 'Thank you for the sympathy. I haven't been this burnt since I was a child, and besides, it's all your fault.'
'How's that then, eh?' he demanded, though at the same time he took the damp cloth from her hand, tossed it in the sink, and then started rummaging amongst his various lotions and sunscreens for some aloe vera. 'I did warn you, Elizabeth. I told you all about the sun here.'
He moved behind her, and she winced as he started dabbing the lotion onto her stinging shoulders. She shut her eyes for a second at the pain, then replied, 'Yes, Rodney. You did warn me. Which was why I specifically asked you if you would sit with me and make sure that I didn't fall asleep.'
His hands on her skin paused, 'You did?'
She nodded, annoyed. 'Yes, I did. And you said, of course you would do that, and you'd be with me in ten minutes. And then I wake up two hours later and you're nowhere in sight and I feel like I've been put in a microwave.'
He made a small guilty 'oh' noise and his hands moving against her skin grew noticeably gentler, before he began to excuse himself rapidly, 'Well, Radek sent me a report and I must have gotten distrac-'
She turned her head, 'Rodney McKay, you are not supposed to be working.'
He gave her a look and rolled his eyes, 'Oh, please. And how do you propose to stop me, hm? It's all very well for you to lay around on beaches but with my skin...? And besides, technically you're on leave for another week and so unless you want to get Caldwell to give me a direct order...?' Suddenly he was grinning that little boy grin that she had grown to love, even though it wasn't seen in public all that often.
She winced again at the sunburn, then said, vaguely amused, 'You're impossible. Still, punishment shall fit the crime. If you'd been pampering me instead of working I wouldn't be sunburnt. But since I am... don't think I'm going to bed with you till my skin stops stinging like I'm being eaten alive.'
His eyes widened, the grin evaporated.
But Doctor Elizabeth McKay just chuckled at his protestations, and made an imperious motion for him to get back to his aloe vera. Despite how long they'd been together, it was still fun to actually trump him for once...