The usual legalities here: I don't own any part of Stargate Atlantis…MGM does.

No tags That I'm aware of, although it would happen sometime between 'The Shrine' and 'Whispers'.

A billion thanks to NoDoubtFan who looked this over for me and pointed out some ridiculously stupid mistakes. Really, sometimes my brain just does not cooperate.

McKeller, of course…my writer's soul has been commandeered by Rodney and Jennifer apparently.

I'd appreciate any feedback you're inclined to give and thanks for reading.

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The Mess was bustling with activity, which was the norm at 0745 Atlantis time on a Tuesday. People representing two dozen or more nations of the Earth milled about the room, chatting and moving along the assembly line-like counter trying snatch up their favorite breakfast staples and treats to get them through another day.

For Jennifer Keller, breakfast was no more important than any other meal, not that she would tell her patients that of course. To her they were all equally essential because once you managed to eat something, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, there was no guarantee about when the next opportunity to eat would be.

She took another bite of her lightly buttered toast and glanced around the Mess. She found Lorne talking with Zelenka, about what she couldn't know, and with Zelenka's animated hand gestures, "Why does that seem familiar?" she thought with an inward grin, and Lorne's wide toothy smile she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

She turned a little to the left to find Mr. Woolsey sitting by himself at one of the smaller tables tucked away in the corner far beyond the activity. She watched as he studied something on the table in front of him, most likely the note book he always seemed to have with him wherever he went. Every so often, he would glance upward for the barest of moments at the goings on. She couldn't be certain and because of that she wouldn't tell anyone, but she thought she saw envy in the expedition leader's eyes when he observed the various examples of camaraderie surrounding him. She made a mental note to talk to Woolsey more and try to better understand the man.

Keeping her spying as surreptitious as possible, she looked a little farther to the left and focused on a relatively nearby table where Teyla was entertaining several guests. Well, perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that her son was entertaining the three other women at the table. Alison Porter was holding the little guy and looking down at him with the most blatant look of adoration she had ever seen from her friend. To Alison's right sat Anne Teldy and on her left sat Alicia Vega, who leaned over and tickled the little boy's chin. Jennifer couldn't see Torren's reaction, but from the simultaneous 'ah' that came from the three of them and the smile that bloomed on Teyla's lips it must have been cute. And Teyla…from the radiance of her smile and the pride shining in her eyes it was easy to see that Torren was her son. Alicia leaned over to say something to Teyla who nodded graciously at whatever it was she said.

A bout of raucous laughter caused her to look away from Teyla to Colonel Sheppard's table behind Teyla's and slightly to the left. Sitting at the table was Colonel Sheppard, his usual morning meal in front of him and his legs outstretched underneath the table, laughing mightily at something someone just said. Ronon, seated across from the Colonel, was laughing as well so it must have been something one of the three red-faced Marines at the table said. Before Teyla had been kidnapped by Michael, it had been customary for Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla and Rodney to sit at that table and eat breakfast, invariably having fun one way or the other- even after three years The Great Pancake Battle was still spoke of by all with deep respect and awe of the team's accomplishments that day.

By all except for Carson of course, who had the unenviable task of trying to determine exactly how to extract maple syrup covered pancake from the noses of at least three Marines. She'd read in his medical log after she took over as the CMO that he'd even ordered that pancakes be stricken from the menu, but he felt compelled to relent when people starting begging him for the flat breakfast item.

But the morning ritual of sitting together had changed in the last little while for the team. Teyla would more often than not sit at a table near Sheppard's with Torren and Kanan or, as was the case this morning, Torren and a group of Torren's female admirers. Sheppard and Ronon would sit at their table, their guests alternating between young soldiers wanting to soak up any information they could from the two seasoned warriors, fellow veterans who just wanted to rehash old war stories and, of course, smitten female personnel of all occupational backgrounds who for one reason or another couldn't get enough of Sheppard's charm or Ronon's masculine magnetism.

And Rodney, if Rodney remembered or was otherwise compelled to take the time to come to the Mess and get something to eat, he would sit in the chair that was currently sitting empty across from her. There had been a few times that she ended up taking something to him in his lab on her way back to the Infirmary. And when he would look up to see her coming towards him she saw two things that very few people ever got to see from Rodney McKay. First she would see a natural smile from him, the type of smile that came unbidden and out of nowhere and was as genuine as genuine could be. Then she would see that smile disappear and she could see honest and sincere regret in his eyes. She could probably count on one hand the number of people who ever got to see those things from Rodney, and counted herself among those so blessed.

She roused herself from her musings and continued her perusal of the Mess. At one of the tables near the door sat some of the techs that normally manned the Control Room, among them Chuck and Amelia Banks. The other four or five techs sitting at the table, she couldn't reliably tell with Chuck and so many other obstacles in the way, seemed to be talking amongst themselves while Chuck and Amelia talked to each other. Jennifer leaned forward a little to get a better view, and she smiled and looked away when she saw that the two gate techs were holding hands. She laughed at her reaction, and she had no idea why she felt compelled to look away. With a slight shake of her head to clear the cobwebs she began to observe them again. Sure enough, they were holding hands and Chuck was leaning forward and saying something to Amelia. The way Amelia smiled and then looked away shyly meant that Chuck just said something sweet or romantic or both.

Chuck just had the ability to say the right thing to people. It was why he was everyone's favorite gate tech- it was always heartening to know that Chuck had your back when you stepped through the gate, and when you came back through the gate Chuck always gave you that 'Welcome Home' smile or nod that made you feel like you had indeed come home.

Jennifer smiled again and turned her head so that she was looking at the area of the mess directly in front of her. It wasn't as crowded as it had been and a quick glance to her watch explained why: start of shift was fast approaching. She reached down and picked up the cup that held her coffee and brought it up to her lips to take one last sip before heading to the Infirmary. The black, life reviving liquid was more cold than hot, but it didn't matter to a doctor who had on at least one occasion begged for coffee of any temperature to keep her going. She placed the cup back on her tray and stood up. The activity in the Mess had decreased dramatically because of the rapid evacuation of the staff to their duty stations so she had no trouble walking up to and moving along the buffet style counter.

She picked up a large tray and placed it on the counter. She then picked up a muffin, blueberry of course, and then looked about the counter to see what else might pique her favorite astrophysicist's interest. Fruit of all kinds were laid out in one section. In another there were breads of various kinds, and in the section next to it different types of cereals. She reached over and picked up a bowl of Honeycombs and a small carton of milk, then reached past the cereals and picked up a banana. That was more of a joke than anything else. Rodney always feigned insult when she offered him a banana, which happened to be one of her favorite fruits, claiming that bananas were meant for monkeys. She smiled as she remembered the look of sheer horror that instantly broke out on his face the first time he ever said that to her and realized that he'd indirectly called her a monkey. It was the palest she had ever seen his face. And now it was a bit of a running gag between them. As a serious effort, she picked up a small tray of seedless grapes and placed it on bigger tray.

Using her slender index finger she tucked the hair behind her right ear and sighed. She would be very lucky indeed if she'd get most of that into him. That, of course, depended on what he was working on. Only one last thing remained to get for him: coffee.

She slid the tray along the counter to the coffee pot and picked up a paper cup. She filled it as high as she dared and placed it on the tray, and then took a quick look in the direction she was going in to check for any possible obstacles. Seeing none, she began her trek towards the lab.

When she made it to the corridor outside the Mess, images of Chuck and Amelia began running through her mind. The way Amelia reacted to whatever it was that Chuck said stuck out in her mind. It was obvious that she was smitten with Rodney's compatriot, and she could understand why. Chuck was a nice guy, a friendly guy, a guy who apparently wasn't afraid to talk to people and to her knowledge got along with everyone he'd ever met.

It was wrong of her to think what she was thinking, and it certainly wasn't fair to Rodney, but a part of her couldn't help but feel that it wouldn't hurt if Rodney was a little more like Chuck.

She shook her head to banish those unworthy thoughts, sending her hair flying in all directions. She had to try to blow back a stray strand that, despite her best efforts, remained firmly entrenched in its position on her cheek and reached over to tickle her nose.

"Serves me right," she thought dourly, nearly admitting to herself that karma was interfering in her life.

She saw Rodney's lab at the end of the hall and minutely increased her speed so that she could get there before anything happened to her and or the tray. She stopped at the doorway and looked inside, and sure enough Rodney was sitting at a desk intently staring at some sort of device that probably only he knew was for.

She walked inside, returning the nods and words of greeting she received from Rodney's staff with smiles and nods in the speakers' directions. She maneuvered her way to Rodney's desk, situated as it was at the very back at the room so that Rodney could keep an eye on everyone and everything in his kingdom.

When she reached the desk she gently laid the tray on the table and reached up to wipe away the troublesome lock of hair on her cheek. When she looked at him she smiled at the way Rodney's fixation on the object before him caused his brow to crease and his lips to move in a silent monologue. She slowly began edging the food laden tray towards Rodney, who had yet to even look up from the device that looked to her like a softball with a six inch spike through its side.

Still focused on the device, he reached over the tray, his hand hesitating over each item, even the banana, as he tried to decide on what it was that he wanted.

Jennifer watched, the smile on her face growing as his hand moved over each item for the second time. She knew without a doubt what his decision would be, and sure enough a moment later his hand settled on what she knew it would: the cup of coffee.

She watched as he took a sip of the steaming black liquid and held the cup in his hands as he continued to study the device, hoping for some sort of acknowledgement- a look or a glance even.

But there was none.

A sigh so soft that she could barely hear it herself left her lips. She waited another second before hesitantly turning around and walking back out through the lab towards the door. She was almost there when Zelenka passed in front her after mumbling something in Czech.

"What's the matter, Radek?" she asked as she came to a stop at his work station. It was easy to tell that his muttering hadn't been good-natured or positive.

Radek looked up and appeared to be genuinely surprised to see her, which was odd considering he'd said hello to her when she walked in. Of course odd and some of the scientists went hand in hand, not that that was necessarily a bad thing.

"Good morning, Doctor," he said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to their proper position.

Jennifer nodded politely and said, "Good morning. Something the matter?"

Zelenka glanced to his desk and said dismissively, "Nothing more than usual. Too much work, not enough time."

"Sounds familiar," she said amusedly with a glance towards Rodney.

Radek followed her glance and nodded. "Yes, I would imagine so. Is there something you needed Doctor?"

Jennifer shook her head and gave the scientist a smile. "No. I was just," she gave Rodney another glance, "leaving."

Radek nodded as she resumed her trek to her own domain. She was just three steps outside the lab when someone called out to her.

She turned around and waited, and a moment later Rodney came racing around the doorframe. He came to an abrupt halt in front of her and said more breathlessly than he should have for such a short jaunt, "Good morning."

Jennifer ignored the curious looks they were receiving from the throng of people walking through the corridor and clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled at him. "Good morning, Rodney."

He jerked his thumb at the lab behind him. "Why didn't you let me know you were in there?"

"I did actually," she said with a short laugh.

Rodney looked confused and then he fixed her with an unbelieving look. "The only way I knew you were here was I saw you leave when I looked up to tell Radek to get me a scanner." Rodney crossed his arms across his chest and added, "You didn't even come near my desk!"

She nodded and he shook his head.

She nodded again and he shook his head again.

She nodded a third time and for a third time Rodney shook his head.

"Look," he said as he rolled his eyes, "I may have been concentrating very hard on figuring out what that thing in there is, but I know for a fact that you did not say hi to me or say anything to let me know you were there."

Jennifer thought for a moment and then slowly nodded her head. "Actually, you're right," she conceded and then clarified, "about that."

Rodney's chin lifted upward an inch as it usually did when he thought he'd won an argument. "Then if you didn't say anything how was I supposed to know you were there? Hmn?"

Jennifer slowly bit her lower lip and then let the right side of her mouth move up a fraction of an inch. "Rodney," she began deliberately, "did you happen to see the tray on your desk? The one with the banana, muffin, cereal and," she looked upward as she pretended to try to remember what else she'd put on it, "a cup of coffee on it?"

Rodney's confidence melted away before her eyes. He half turned towards the door to the lab as if he were tempted to go and check to see if there was a tray on his desk, even though she knew that he knew there was. He turned back to face her and pointed his index finger at her, but he apparently thought better about what he was going to say.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Did you think the breakfast elf magically made it appear there?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed irritably. "I just assumed that one of my subordinates… never mind." He gave her a typical Rodney apologetic nod and said, "I'm sorry. I should have…"

"It's all right, Rodney." She smiled as she added, "I forgive you."

She glanced to her right as a group of scientists walked past them and then returned her focus to Rodney.

She was just about to ask him if he wanted to have lunch with her later when he stepped forward and put his hands on her cheeks. Her brain knew what was coming next, though for some reason it didn't have the time or wherewithal to prepare her for it.

Plus, public displays of affection weren't exactly Rodney's cup of tea.

So when his lips smothered hers a second later her knees nearly buckled from the surprisingly intense kiss. Luckily for her though, one of the first things she learned as a doctor in the field was to be quick on her feet, so she recovered swiftly and returned the kiss with equal fervor.

As caught up as she was in what they were doing, she couldn't help but hear through the bliss-induced acoustic quicksand the ohs and ahs of surprise and approval of those witnessing Rodney McKay passionately kissing her in the hallway…in broad daylight.

He slowly ended the kiss and leaned back enough to look into her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see at least three slack-jawed and wide-eyed people watching Atlantis' Head of Science and Research making out with the Chief Medical Officer.

"Thank you," he said somewhat hurriedly, "for, you know. I…well, thanks."

Jennifer smiled and raised her right hand up and placed it on his hand. She cuddled into his hand and said, "You're welcome."

"Lunch," he said abruptly. He moved his hand from her face but turned it as he lowered it so he could hold her hand. "Meet me for lunch. No, never mind. I'll bring you lunch, and some for me, and we'll eat lunch. Together. You and me. In your office."

"Sounds like a date," she joked with a smile. They were long past simply dating.

"Good," declared Rodney. He cleared his throat and released her hand abruptly, as though he just realized what he was doing and where he was doing it. "Yes, well, I'll see you then."

"Yes you will," she said as she turned away from him, giving their audience a nod as she turned. She walked down the hall and stopped as she was about to turn the corner. She looked back and was surprised to see Rodney still rooted to the same spot. She gave him a questioning look, and in response he raised his hand and gave her a little wave good-bye.

She returned the gesture and forced herself to walk around the corner, though it was really the last thing she wanted to do. There were so many more appealing options that she could think of.

But she kept moving towards the Infirmary, the smile on her face a glaring sign to those who passed by her that she was perhaps the happiest person in Atlantis.

And as she approached the Infirmary, she chided herself for her earlier inner musings about Rodney being more like Chuck, or anyone other than himself.

Rodney might not be prone to showing his affection as often as most, and there was a time when even something as small and relatively insignificant as giving her an adoring look was embarrassing for him. He'd gotten more at ease with that, and she couldn't help but feel a stab of pride at knowing that she'd been able to help him open up that much. And while he was still reluctant to show his feelings in public, on those rare occasions that he did there was no doubt about what those feelings were, no doubt that what he was showing her came straight from his heart.

And she'd take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays.