Title: With This Ring
Summary: John and Elizabeth must pose as a married couple in order to negotiate for much needed resources.
Pairing: John/Elizabeth. blink and you miss it Rodney/Teyla. Slight Sam/Jack
Rating: PG-13

Spoilers:: Set vaguely in season 3
Beta: Hermione_malfoy, who deserves a hell of a lot of thanks for both the amazing editing work and the speedy turnaround
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I'm just playing with them for awhile.
Author's Notes: Written for the Sheppard/Weir 2007 Ficathon on Livejournal for chiarahhue

Request prompt: "Off world mission in which John and Elizabeth have to pose as husband and wife for the duration of their stay on the planet. During their time together there, they realize their growing feelings for each other. Your choice as to how they resolve their "problem""

****

A breeze picked up over the water and ruffled the hair of the people standing on the balcony high above the ancient city of Atlantis. Elizabeth Weir breathed in the scent of the sea and sighed.

"It's a bit cooler today," John noted. He leaned against the railing of the balcony, cradling a mug of coffee between his hands.

Elizabeth nodded. "Dr. Coulter says we're heading into fall. Since we're further north than we have been the past two years, we might even get snow," she told him. The meteorologist who'd been added to the expedition in their second year was eager to witness his first winter. The seasons on Lantea were much longer than on Earth since the planet wobbled on its axis far less than Earth did.

"Couldn't we find a way to keep the city someplace warm?" John groused. He sipped his coffee.

Elizabeth sighed. "We could, but fighting the current uses power we might need for the shield," she told him.

"Then I'll just have to enjoy our balcony chats while I can," he said, coffee sloshing as he saluted her. She smirked back at him and contemplated stealing his mug, coffee and all.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, John pulled the mug closer to his chest and leaned back against the rail, twisting so his shoulder casually guarded his beverage. Elizabeth laughed and seriously considered heading out to the small break room where they'd stashed some supplies and a coffee maker so no one had to make the trek down to the commissary from the control room.

The 'gate activated, putting thoughts of coffee out of her mind. Elizabeth pushed away from the railing and headed inside, John close behind. Chuck was speaking over his radio and nodding to whomever was on the other side.

Teyla stepped from the shimmering blue of the event horizon. Her dark eyes sought Elizabeth in her usual place, then searched the room when she wasn't found in her customary spot. Elizabeth and John entered the building once more, and Teyla hurried forward as the wormhole collapsed.

"Teyla," Elizabeth greeted. "Is everything all right? " She consulted her watch; Teyla was a bit early returning from New Athos.

"Yes, they are doing very well and send their regards," Teyla said, smiling. "I must speak with you," she told the other woman, excitement and urgency in her voice.

"Certainly," Elizabeth said, indicating her currently empty office with a sweep of her arm. Teyla hurried up the stairs. Elizabeth offered John a small shrug before she followed.

John decided Elizabeth and Teyla would let him in on the excitement when he needed to know about it, whatever it was. It was probably something boring.

"A ZPM?" Rodney McKay exclaimed an hour later when he, John and Ronon had been called to hear about Teyla's findings.

"Yes." Teyla beamed. "Halling was quite certain that the Mizarans possessed one."

"They're not children who rely on it to protect them from the Wraith? Or a civilization that needs it to power their planet or to maintain some kind of time dilation field so people can practice their navel gazing? It's not being held by post-industrial madmen experimenting with dangerous nuclear weapons of mass destruction? Or protected by an order of Pegasus-style Knights Templar?" Rodney leaned back in his chair and rubbed his head.

Teyla smiled softly. "No, Rodney. I have been to their world before. Though only once, many years ago."

"Do you think they'd be willing to give us their ZPM?" John asked.

"That I do not know," Teyla admitted, "but they are a friendly if traditional people. They have a great reverence for the Ancestors. It is possible that, unlike the people from Dagan, they would be willing to allow us to use their ZPM here."

"We won't know until we ask them," Elizabeth added. "I'm authorizing you to check it out," she said, nodding to the group at large.

"So, what's the catch?" John asked later. There had to be one; there always was. Elizabeth and Teyla exchanged a look, and John's enthusiasm began to crumble.

"As I said," Teyla began, "they are a very traditional culture and have particular expectations of the people with whom they interact. One such expectation is that adults are entered into unions—marriages, you would say . I was not able to deal with them in any sort of official capacity until after I'd married Jyrus." John blinked.

"It makes sense," Elizabeth said, before John or Rodney could say anything.

John didn't know if Rodney knew about this husband, Jyrus, but from her smooth response, Elizabeth did. Ronon's expression was placid; either he had a better poker face than John knew about, or Teyla had told him that part of her past.

"If you live in a society that has to deal with a threat such as that posed by the Wraith on a constant basis," Elizabeth continued, "you tend to hold on to familial traditions to maintain your culture. We've seen it again and again here in Pegasus."

"Okay," John said,. "So what does that mean for us? Are we all, " he motioned to himself, Ronon and Rodney, "married to Teyla for this mission?"

"Not quite," Elizabeth said. "If anyone asks, Rodney will have a wife back in the city. Ronon's wife was killed by the Wraith. And you, Colonel? You're married to me. Teyla and I thought it would be the most logical arrangement for the team. I will give you any additional authority you might need to open negotiations for a ZPM."

Elizabeth sighed and sat back in her seat. "As much as I dislike the idea of not being completely truthful with these people, we really could use the ZPM, and I don't trust anyone else to do this mission." She folded her hands on the table in front of her. "We have a number of married people in the expedition, but only a couple of them are married to each other and none of them have the off world experience. This maximizes our chances."

"When do we go?" Ronon asked.

"Tomorrow or the day after. Halling has been kind enough to arrange a meeting for us. We'll know in a day or so when we should go meet the Mizarans," Elizabeth told him.

"Okay then," Ronon rumbled and stood. He left the room before the next—irrelevant—question could be asked.

"Dismissed," Elizabeth said wryly.

"So, who am I married to?" Rodney asked.

"I don't think it matters, Rodney," John told him.

Rodney gave him a smug grin. "Then I'll have to make her up. I think she's smart. Well, not as smart as I am of course, but smart enough. Legs that go on forever. Short hair. Blonde."

"A couple PHDs? How about a military woman?" John suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Rodney agreed before he realized he was being teased. "Hey!"

"She needs a name, Rodney," Sheppard continued, undaunted by his teammate's glare. "How about Sam?"

Rodney looked disgusted with him and left the room muttering. Teyla rose from her seat, shaking her head at the antics of her teammates and followed.

"So, Honey," John said, rolling his head in Elizabeth's direction, "how long have we been married?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, hoping to get the unflappable Dr. Elizabeth Weir to smile. He was rewarded with a laugh.

"Pumpkin?" John lifted his eyebrows innocently.

"You are not calling me disgustingly cute nicknames," Elizabeth insisted. Her tone was serious, but her eyes sparkled in amusement.

John grinned at her and tossed down the gauntlet. "Oh, but Pookie! We should have a solid cover story."

Elizabeth regarded him with a level gaze, and for a moment John wondered if he'd overstepped the carefully drawn boundaries they'd set up.

She assembled the papers in front of her and tapped them against the table. The papers were neatly squared up with her Tablet PC, and she retrieved the whole pile as she rose. John hastily scrambled to his feet just as the corner of her lips twitched into a small, wicked smile.

"Well, Schnookums," she fired back, "you'd better figure out a good cover story before you go." She stood and strode from the room headed her back towards her office.

John followed closely on her heels, down the short hall to the control room. "But Snuggy-bear, you mean you're not going to help me come up with any of this? We at least need a good story for when I proposed," John called.

Several heads in the control room snapped up. Oh, well, in for a penny, in for a pound, John thought. The details of the mission would be around the whole city in a matter of hours anyway.

"Snuggy-bear?" Elizabeth questioned, glancing over her shoulder at him. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"Turtle dove?" John offered. "What about Angel Face?" John snapped his fingers. "I know! How about Lizzy?"

Elizabeth stopped and turned to look at him for a full five seconds before she rolled her eyes and continued onward to her office.

"Keep it up, honey-bun, and you're sleeping on the couch," Elizabeth said dryly.

"Honey-bun?" John repeated back, arching a brow as he continued to follow her.

"Peaches? Smoochie face?"

"Smoochie face?" John questioned, "Now who's reaching?"

"I don't have to reach," Elizabeth told him as they paused by her door. Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Kusanagi were already waiting for her. "I'm you're better half, remember?" With that parting shot she entered her office and shut the door behind her.

***

Elizabeth sipped her coffee as John's team assembled at the stairs before the gate. Rodney and Teyla were still missing. Ronon and John were cooling their heels by the steps. She wandered over to the small balcony to the right of Chuck's console and leaned over the railing.

"Ready to go?" she asked to the men below.

John grinned up at her from his casual seat against one of the stairway pillars. "We went to the Greek Isles," he called up to her.

"For?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Our honeymoon, of course," John replied.

"Not the Bahamas or Tahiti?"

John grinned broadly for only a second. "More nude beaches in the Greek Isles," he explained with a look of perfect innocence. Of course.

There were some snickers behind her, and Elizabeth knew she couldn't let that volley go unanswered. She smiled sweetly down at him and his schooled look faltered for a moment.

"Okay," she agreed. "And while we were there, you burned your backside in the sun."

The snickers behind her were harder for the techs to contain. John looked truly shocked for a moment; then, something approaching respect flickered across his features before his usual casual expression fell back into place.

John's expression fluctuated; he was obviously tempted to make some kind of inappropriate comment, perhaps about her treating his wounds, but ultimately no more was said. He saluted her with two fingers and she acknowledged him with her mug and a wry expression.

Rodney hurried into the room with a huge smile on his face. "Good morning," he said as he began fiddling with his vest.

"You're in a good mood," Ronon observed.

"I have the perfect fake wife," Rodney explained, bouncing slightly on his heels.

"You're not going with Sam, the blonde with half a dozen PhDs?" John inquired, smirking.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "No. Go ahead and ask me anything! I have a completely flawless cover story," he said, hands gesturing with confidence as he spoke.

John and Ronon exchanged a look, and Ronon shrugged. Evidently deciding to humor Rodney until Teyla showed up, John feigned thinking of a question.

"Okay," John said. "Where did you meet?"

"Ah! Good one," Rodney said, holding a finger aloft. "We met at an astrophysics conference a few years after we got our PhDs. I'd read some of her work in a journal and we talked over coffee after the keystone lecture. Coffee led to dinner, and dinner led to-"

"I really don't want to know," John said, waving Rodney off. "So what did you dance to at your wedding?"

"One by U2," Rodney answered.

"Huh. Okay, where did you go on your honeymoon?"

"The big island in Hawaii. I scored us some time on the telescope," Rodney answered, grinning broadly.

"How romantic." John rolled his eyes. "What's her favorite color? Favorite food?"

"Green. But not like a dark hunter green—a nice deep spring green. She likes a good steak and some nice red wine," Rodney explained. "Go ahead, ask me something harder. I know everything!"

"What side of the bed does she sleep on?" Elizabeth called down to them.

Rodney looked startled for a moment. He turned and looked up at Elizabeth. "The left side," he told her. She nodded.

"What does she look like?" John asked. Rodney turned back to him and bounced on his feet slightly.

"She's not quite as tall as I am. She has really amazing eyes,"

"What color?" Ronon interrupted.

"Blue, of course. She's got a great athletic body and legs that go on for miles. She wears her hair long, and she's blonde, and she's got a really sunny smile."

"What's her name?" Elizabeth asked while John coughed something that sounded like "Sam".

Rodney ignored him, or pretended to. "Sandra," he responded, sending John into barely suppressed snickers. "I told you I know everything. My story is airtight." His hands mimed sealing a bag.

"What sounds does she make in bed?" Ronon asked.

Rodney made several indignant noises as his jaw worked. Ronon just smirked back at him. Fortunately for Rodney, Teyla chose that moment to join them.

"What's that?" John asked her, sparing Rodney further questioning. (Not that he had been particularly bothered, Elizabeth considered.)

Teyla was carrying a small leather pouch. She tipped the contents into her hand and held her hand out for him to see. Five rings shone in her hand. Two were silver and two seemed to be carved from a jade-like stone. The last one was a thin gold band with a bright green jewel set into it.

"I know it is the custom of your people to exchange rings with their spouses," Teyla explained.

"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that," John said as he picked up one of the silver bands to examine closer. A slim hand picked up the matching one and examined it briefly before she put it back in Teyla's palm. John looked up and met Elizabeth's eyes momentarily. She'd come down to see what Teyla had brought with her.

"Dibs on the neat jade ones," Rodney said, plucking the thicker of the green pair up and examining the intricate carvings. John arched a brow at him, and he shrugged. "The fake wife likes green," he explained as he slid the ring on his finger. It was a bit large, but it'd do.

John toyed with the silver band and met Elizabeth's eyes again. He picked up the matching one and held it out to her.

"With this ring?" he quipped, adding extra smirk. If it was supposed to put her at ease, it didn't. Queasiness settled in, his joke echoing in her mind.

She stared at the band for a moment before slowly reaching out to accept it. Elizabeth toyed with it before she looked up at the group. She placed the ring on her left ring finger with an exaggerated motion and tried to smile.

"You gonna kiss the bride?" Rodney asked.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth admonished.

"Oh. Right." Rodney blinked at her as if he hadn't just sent shockwaves through her system. "Sorry." She frowned at him, but he was busy examining his ring.

John rolled his eyes and stomped down the steps. "Come on, let's go get a ZPM," he called over his shoulder and waved the group forward.

Elizabeth ascended the steps and watched from her usual place as the gate dialed. The metal of the band was cool against her skin. She told herself her stomach was only fluttering because they might finally, finally acquire another ZPM.

***

Mizara was a decent looking place, John had to admit. The air was a bit cool, and he could see small piles of snow in the shadowy nooks and crannies of the landscape. The air smelled fresh and clean. Mizara was just leaving winter as Atlantis was entering fall.

They traveled along the road from the stargate on foot through some woods. The road crested over hill and they saw farmland, currently empty and waiting for spring to arrive in full force.

"The village is in the woodlands on the other side of the fields," Teyla informed them. John nodded and let her take point, allowing Ronon to cover their six. A few teenagers were going through the fields, removing rocks and debris from the winter. They waved at the travelers, then bent to their tasks.

John idly spun the band on his ring-finger with his thumb. Elizabeth was feeling guiltier than she let on about not being entirely truthful with these people. He hoped it was worth it.

It was strange to be wearing a wedding band again, stranger still that it didn't quite match his memory of the one he'd worn before. This one was smooth and silver, with a flowing design that the Athosian craftsman had etched into the band. Elizabeth's had a reciprocal design. They were new and elegant; John was just happy it didn't bite into his skin.

His previous band had been broad and gold, lacking in all adornment. He'd worn it most often on the chain of his dog tags since it hadn't been very comfortable. Here, they'd been advised to wear them openly. Luckily this band was thinner and easy to wear even if he had to fire his weapon. Still, it was odd. John focused back on his task and tried to ignore the unfamiliar feeling.

The road wound around another hill, and they crossed a well-made bridge over a small river. The other side was more forest. Here and there, small green buds were growing on the trees. As they walked, the trees grew larger and larger until it took them more than a minute to walk past a single trunk.

The road began to twist as it wound around the trees. There were small electric lanterns hung on some of the huge trunks. They looked like they'd been cobbled together from lighting fixtures John was familiar with in Atlantis and other Ancient buildings.

During the height of summer, John imagined that the huge canopy blocked out a lot of the sunlight. Even with just the first splash of spring buds on the branches, the temperature in the woodlands had dropped.

Finally the village was in sight—a fact Rodney declared with relief. Multiple times. The outer wall was a combination of wood, primitive stone, and salvaged steel-concrete from some Ancient building. Most of the houses were multiple stories high and seemed to be built around the huge trees. Suspension bridges linked multiple platforms together on the upper levels.

"Well, this is cool," John remarked as they stopped by some curious looking guards.

"It's like something out Tolkien," Rodney said as he gazed around, "or, you know, Star Wars."

"These guys don't look like Ewoks, though," John said, nodding to the armed guards. "Or Wookies,"

The Mizaran style of dress was typical of Pegasus; highly functional with little adornment. There was no mistaking the deadly nature of the naked blades the guard carried at their hips. The small firearms they wore looked antiquated compared to his own P-90, but deadly all the same.

"True." McKay shrugged as he continued to gaze around the place with an expression bordering on delight.

Teyla ignored their nonsensical banter and pulled one guard aside to speak with him. John needed to convince her to watch the movies at some point; even Ronon had caved, demanding a visibly nervous McKay to show him the movies. Apparently, he'd called Ronon "Chewie" enough times that Ronon had become curious despite himself.

Ronon's only comment had been that it was too bad the 'Lightsabers' were imaginary weapons, which John had thought himself as well—especially after being introduced to the wackiness of the SGC.

A guard was summoned out of the small shelter to take his fellow's place, and the man Teyla had been speaking with motioned for the group to follow him. "Welcome to Mizara," he greeted. "I'll show you to the council's chambers if you'll follow me."

They made their way through the village, and ended up at one of the smaller buildings off to the side of a larger one, where they were introduced to the council of Mizara.

***

The council of Mizara consisted of three men and four women. All were over fifty and a couple looked like they might be pushing sixty. For Pegasus, this was a great achievement indeed.

John remembered a conversation he'd had with Elizabeth during that first year. They'd been at an Athosian equivalent of a birthday celebration, but she'd taken a moment to hang to one side. She'd looked more pale than usual, and he'd approached.

She'd learned that the birthday they had been celebrating was unusual; Halling was forty years old when most people died before they saw their thirty-fifth birthday. As John had just turned thirty-five, the moment had stuck with him.

After that, John had hunted down Elizabeth's birthday. A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he recalled the day with pleasure. He'd been pleased with his gift, unorthodox as it was. And, despite the strangeness of meeting a 10,000 year old Elizabeth, the day had ended well.

"John," Teyla's gentle voice called him back to the scene at hand. He'd only been half paying attention to Teyla's rather lengthy formal introduction. "This is Yozel. She is the leader of the Mizarans."

Yozel was one of the two pushing sixty. She was petite and waiflike, but her handclasp was anything but flimsy. Her hair was short and white, spiking up in all directions which only added to the elfin image. Her brown eyes were nearly black and studied him with great interest and intellect. John felt himself straighten to attention under her gaze.

Yozel indicated the rest of the council, and John nodded politely to each in turn before everyone took seats, hoping he wasn't supposed to remember their names.

"So, you'd like a sunstone of the Ancestors," Yozel said, getting right down to business.

John was a little surprised that she came right out to the heart of the argument, but it was refreshing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the council members roll his eyes and a pinched expression on another. Apparently her direct manner wasn't entirely unexpected, nor entirely appreciated here.

"We call them ZPMs" Rodney said, jumping into the conversation eagerly. "Zero Point Modules."

"A sunstone?" John asked, focusing on the implications of that word choice.

Yozel nodded. "There are three of them in this village. Each village has at least one. They are sacred objects, which have been gifted to us over the ages."

"How-" Rodney began before Teyla put a gentle hand on his wrist to get him to be quiet and let John speak. As leader of the Atlantean delegation, protocol dictated that he should conduct the meeting.

"That's, wow. We've never heard of anyone being," John paused, "gifted with them." He watched the council leader for a moment then asked, "You mind if I ask where you get these gifts from?"

Yozel smirked. "Only if you don't mind if we ask what you intend to do with them," she shot back mildly.

"Okay," John said, carefully, trying to think about to what Elizabeth had said was okay to tell these people and what wasn't.

She'd advised him to be as truthful as possible if they did have ZPMs; her discomfort with the relatively harmless lies they'd agreed upon was evident. John was willing to do more than tell a few white lies to get the expedition a ZPM, but he'd be as truthful as possibly for her sake.

"Well," John said, "we use them as power sources."

Rodney made a strangled sound, and John shot him a glare before turning back to Yozel. She was evaluating John very closely, dark eyes focused intently on him.

"You live in a city built by the Ancestors, am I correct?" Yozel leaned back in her seat and continued to appraise John.

"That's right," John agreed.

"You do not have any of these stones?" A white brow arched, and she made a small hand gesture, inviting further comment.

"Well, we have one that's partially full," John said. "The city really needs three to operate at full capacity, and with just the one, we have to be very careful about what we do." John hoped he wouldn't have to go into further detail. He wasn't about to inflict Rodney's level of detail on a potential ally with access to a ZPM. Rodney shuffled a little bit, but remained quiet.

"We'd love to see how you get them, if that's okay," John added, hoping he wasn't stepping too far out of line. Rodney shifted in his seat, leaning forward just a little bit. Again, Teyla put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Perhaps," Yozel said indifferently. "I need to consult with the rest of the council. Please make yourselves welcome while we discuss the matter." She waved at the building's door in a clear dismissal. She stood and John's team got to their feet and filed out.

Rodney was already muttering excitedly to Teyla under his breath, busily gesturing with his hands. Ronon took up the rear, but John could see he wasn't unaffected by the possibility of multiple full ZPMs. Likely Ronon realized that their ability to fight would be that much better if they had ZPMs at their disposal.

"Well," John said, turning to his team, "that went…okay." He looked over at Teyla for her assessment.

Teyla inclined her head in agreement. "I believe they are willing to hear us out, but if the stones are sacred, they may not be willing to part with them."

"Well, hopefully we have something they'd be willing to trade for. They have a bunch, but I'd be more than happy with one right now," John replied. "Hell, I'd take half of one," he muttered.

"One?" Rodney questioned. "One? Just one? You heard her, she said they had three here and there were more. Do you realize what that means?" John gave him a Look and Rodney amended, "of course you do, but that doesn't make it any less amazing! And if they really have something that can make a ZPM?" Rodney trailed off, his hand still waving in excitement he didn't have words for.

"I know," John agreed honestly. "Even if we could get you and your fellow science types just to look at the ZPM maker, that'd be something." John shook his head and slouched against the side of the building. "Kinda makes you wonder why we hadn't met these people before now."

"Ah, well," Rodney began, missing or ignoring that John had intended the comment to be a rhetorical question. "This planet was on our list of places to explore but it was fairly far down the list. We'd have gotten to it in about, oh, three more years."

John rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Rodney."

"Good afternoon," a new voice entered the conversation. John straightened and eyed the visitor.

He was a tall man in his mid-fifties or early sixties. His hair and eyes were both a steely grey and he wore a well worn leather vest over a linen shirt that had been rolled to the sleeves. He had the wiry build of an older man who still used his muscles on a daily basis. He was probably someone important, and even if he wasn't, John wasn't going to piss anyone off on this planet if he could help it.

"You're the people who'd like to trade for one of our sunstones?" he asked.

"If a sunstone is about yea big, and yea tall," John answered carefully, showing the size of a ZPM with his hands, "is mostly yellow and kinda glows? Then, yes."

The man nodded and extended a hand, which John clasped. "I'm Endach. My wife sent me to keep you entertained while she and the council discuss your request. Follow me?" He motioned for the group to follow him.

John fell into step with the older man. "Our oldest makes a decent Saffra wine. I've been looking for an excuse to try it out," Endach said with a friendly smile. John smiled politely, though he had no idea what Saffra wine was, or if he felt comfortable imbibing something while he was on a mission.

John's team followed him through the village. The people seemed mildly interested in the newcomers as they passed. A few waved to their guide or called out greetings. John smiled and nodded at anyone who looked at him directly. He hoped he was being friendly enough.

Endach turned off the main road of the village toward a large stone and salvaged concrete building next to the river. Smoke billowed from the top of the building and they could hear the sound of metal working. There was yard out front with large metal poles and pipes and what looked like farm implements.

Endach entered the building, nodding a greeting to a couple workers who were lounging around the broad open barn-like doors. They seemed to be on some kind of coffee break, or at least what passed for one on this planet.

The interior of the building was a good ten degrees warmer than outside. The lower half looked like it had mostly been constructed by the Ancients. The smooth concrete-like material had been smashed and rebuilt some time in the past, John observed.

"Huh," Rodney mused as they wound their way along the outskirts of the massive foundry.

"What?" John asked.

"Oh, nothing. It just looks like they didn't use any mortar between the blocks. Kinda like the Mayans." Rodney thought for a moment. "Or maybe it was the Aztecs? Anyway," he waved the discussion away, "one of those people."

"Ah," John said noncommittally, filing that information away for later. Elizabeth wasn't an archeologist, but he knew she'd want to hear about it..

John looked around, noting a variety of objects being constructed.. There were some metal hoops he assumed were for barrel bindings, probably for a cooper in town. The horseshoes, if that was what they were, were a good sign. Well established Pegasus civilizations that had a fair number of domestic animals tended to be the ones that were better off.

Of course, if they were well off, the people here might have less of a need for anything the expedition could offer. Still, they seemed to be thriving and that alone made John feel better about begging a ZPM from them.

They finally left the forge and climbed some well worn wooden stairs up the side of the building. There was a tall, covered porch, and John could see steps arching over the space between the forge and the treehouse beside it. Rodney was studying the design of the village from this new angle while Endach headed into the office, telling his guests to sit in the seats outside.

The seats were arranged around a stone and metal fire pit. Ronon crossed his arms and leaned against the railing. Teyla sat carefully on one of the chairs, expertly shifting her P-90 to one side.

John wandered over to the railing. There was a trill of birdsong in the distance and the muted roar of the forges below. They were probably two stories up, so John could see most of the village from the viewpoint. He couldn't help but think of Elizabeth—balconies reminded him of her. Besides, he mused, she'd probably like this place. Ancient ruins and decent people were a rare combination.

Endach returned from his office, and John stepped away from the balcony after one final look. He shifted his gun as he sat down across from Teyla. Time to be diplomatic and play "What would Elizabeth do?"

"So, tell me about your wife?" Endach asked after a few agonizing hours of small talk. The bottle of Saffrasa wine stood on the table. It was sweet, and John assumed it was only mildly alcoholic, but he didn't want to risk becoming even a little intoxicated. Not wanting to appear rude, he'd been nursing a single drink. He had been considering finding an unsuspecting plant to discard it, but so far that plan was a no-go.

Rodney was downstairs being given a tour of the foundry by one of Endach's sons. When the waiting had dragged on, Teyla had asked to see more of the village, Ronon following her like a silent shadow. John stayed behind to make nice with the locals and be on hand in case Rodney blew up anything downstairs.

"Elizabeth?" John asked, stalling for time. "She's…" John trailed off, unsure what to say. Elizabeth had quickly become one of his favorite people on the expedition. Over the years he'd found out that she was passionate and smart and surprisingly funny when she wasn't buried in work. She was a wicked tease when she deigned to join in on the sarcasm and joking that most of the expedition enjoyed.

Though he tried to ignore it, John also thought she was beautiful. She seemed to be ignorant of her own beauty, though, which, for him at least, made her even lovelier. She'd taken a chance on an unknown officer with a black-mark on his record, and he was eternally grateful. Not that Antarctica was terrible, but, well—nothing compared to Atlantis. Aside from all of that, she was a trusted friend and partner. They'd had to deal with a lot of crazy stuff, but wouldn't have traded it for the world.

He didn't realize he'd begun to smile softly while he thought of his friend, but the expression did not go unnoticed by the Mizaran man.

"You are newly wed?" Endach said with a grin.

John blushed a little and nodded, deciding to go with it. It was more or less the truth and, actually, this could work out in his favor. Who needed Rodney's wacky planning when the most plausible story was given to you?

"Yeah. We, uhm, she was, er, she is my boss and we, well. . ." John floundered, wishing Elizabeth was here to help make this less awkward. "This is the first time our professional jobs and our, uh, personal lives have...coincided. It's a bit...odd," John finally concluded.

He looked over at the small fire, watching the flames dance in the stone and metal container. John hoped that Endach wouldn't see he was lying and then kick him off world with no ZPM and no chance of getting one.

The other man nodded his head in understanding. "Ah, I've been there. My wife is also in a position of authority over me and was when we first met. We learned early on to keep professional and personal business in separate places. It was hard, but we managed to find the balance. You will find yours as well," Endach assured him.

"Thanks," John said. Presented with Endach's innocent sincerity, his guilt was rising fast.

"And children?" Endach asked.

John didn't feel so bad lying now. He sputtered and sipped his drink to cover his shock. Kids? He mentally winced. Of course they'd be expected to have kids. This was Pegasus, where humans were prey. They needed to have kids to survive as cultures. Or so Elizabeth kept telling them.

"Uhm, no kids. Uh, yet," John added, remembering that on this planet that was the whole point of being married. Or something. He still wasn't clear on the exact details. All he'd needed to know was that he needed to be married to have any sort of official say in anything. It was "adult".

"This is delicate to ask, and I only do so because our younger daughter is a herbalist, but is everything-"

"Fine! Everything's fine!" John assured him quickly. "It all works great. Really well, actually. We've just been really, really busy dealing with the Wraith and," John cast about looking for an excuse. The Wraith seemed pretty good for that. He didn't want to blame Elizabeth for the lack of imaginary children for their imaginary marriage. He'd already denied being the culprit. "It just hasn't seemed like it was a good time, you know?" John finally said.

"Do you not want children?" the other man asked, incredulous. John repressed a groan. What was it with touchy-feely alien cultures? Did SG-1 have to go through all this? He'd have to ask Lorne. Details like this weren't in the mission reports, but they lived full lives in base gossip.

A sudden flash of inspiration hit him. Something Elizabeth had joked once after she thought he and Rodney had been particularly childish.

"Well, it's more that we kind of have to be parents to the whole group. Well, Elizabeth more than me, I guess. Maybe we haven't really been trying hard because of that." John felt proud of his answer.

This guy was the head of a successful business, a leader in the community, surely he'd understand the pressures of command and the dedication to duty that entailed.

"But do you not lead your people by example?" Endach asked.

Or not

"I, look. I don't think we're ready yet. Anyway," he looked at his watch, "I think I need to check in with my people at home soon. Elizabeth tends to worry if we don't contact her regularly," John said, changing the subject. The next scheduled check-in wasn't for another couple hours, but he'd take any excuse to derail the present conversation.

A young boy cambered up the steps at a run. He held out a bit of parchment to Endach and bounced on his heels. The kid was probably twelve years old, and he wore a vest with a little patch on it. John gave him a smile and the kid grinned back, bold as brass.

"Well, if you don't mind sticking around a bit longer, it seems the council has finally reached a decision," Endach said as he read the letter. He pulled a pencil out of his vest and wrote something back on the letter before rolling it up again and handing it back to the messenger. The kid took the note and ran back down the stairs with youthful abandon. John was sure the kid was going to fall off, but he made it down to the ground without any trouble.

"Teyla?" John said into his radio.

"I am here, John," Teyla responded promptly.

"Seems like the council's finally stopped deliberating. Can you and Ronon meet us there?" John said as he and Endach began to descend.

"We will see you there," Teyla confirmed.

"Sheppard out," John said closing the connection. He followed Endach into the forge and looked around for Rodney. McKay was gesturing animatedly with one of the men. A small group had clustered around the two as they spoke, or, rather, as McKay spoke and the other struggled to contribute. John wasn't sure it if was a debate or a discussion. The men didn't look like they wanted to kill Rodney, not yet at least, so John figured that he'd been making nice with the locals. Or whatever passed for nice in Rodney's mind.

"Rodney," John called. When McKay didn't hear him over the din, he called again. "Rodney!"

"Yes, what?" Rodney finally responded, looking around, blinking rapidly. He finally focused on John. "Are we getting a ZPM?" he asked hopefully.

John shrugged. "Don't know yet. Council wants to see us."

"Oh. Okay," Rodney said. Looking at the other men, he pointed at the door. "I've uh, got to go. Bye."

The men watched him exit with bemused looks.

"Did you play nicely?" John asked teasingly.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. Do you think I'd jeopardize trade talks with these people? Because they're not totally helpless. They've actually got some really advanced metallurgy going on here despite having primitive resources by, well, our standards. They're probably as good as the Genii even if they aren't yet into mass scale production and-"

"Glad to see you got on so well," John said. He hoped Rodney's blunt "praise" hadn't offended people. Generally speaking, people didn't like it when they were told their technology was "primitive."

John followed Endach back to the council's chambers where Ronon and Teyla were already waiting. Endach gave them a friendly wave as they filed back into the stone and wood building.

***

The Council of Mizara were seated as they had been before. Yozel's expression was inscrutable, but her dark eyes danced. The man to her left wore a very sour, grumpy expression. The rest of the council were carefully neutral or unhappy.

"We're willing to negotiate with you for one of our sunstones," Yozel told them as she stood.

"Thank y-" John began but was interrupted by Yozel's stalling hand.

"We wish to see the city of the ancestors, and we will require something from you in trade. The sunstones are very valuable to us. They are gifts from the ancestors which help protect us from the Wraith," she explained calmly. "However since you also fight the Wraith, and since you inhabit the city of the Ancestors, we are willing to consider an exchange."

"I'll need to speak with my leader. She's uhm, my wife," John said. He wondered if being hyperaware of the lie was making him lay it on thick, or if mentioning their relationship at every opportunity was expected.

Yozel and a few council members nodded. Sensing that the meeting was drawing to a close, John caved to the demanding stare Rodney had been giving him. "Could we maybe see where, or how, you got the, uh, sunstones?"

Yozel considered them for a moment, then nodded. John noticed that a few of the blank faces frowned momentarily. Rodney was tense with excitement again, but was managing to keep quiet—with Teyla's help.

"Come with me," Yozel said and swept from the room. The Grumpy Old Guy who'd been sitting next to her followed. The rest of the council either began talking to one another or stepped down from their seats to attend other tasks. John and his team followed Yozel and Grumpy out the door.

Yozel was speaking with a guard and soon a few others joined them until John's team was slightly outnumbered. Ronon tensed with the increased number of guards surrounding them. John caught Teyla's eye, and she offered Ronon a few soothing words. He relaxed marginally.

John couldn't blame these people for the added guard. If these were sacred things, and someone wanted them, well, he'd probably add a few well armed guards to make sure his priceless thing didn't get stolen too.

Yozel led them through the town, past another set of gates and then started down a well maintained path. It was old. More accurately, it was Ancient. Part of the cement had been cracked or broken with age, and there was some moss growing in the cracks and at the edges. The surface was well worn though, indicating that the path was used fairly often still.

"Are we there yet?" Rodney asked him. John rolled his eyes.

"We're still walking so, no."

"You don't think they're going to lead us into some kind of horrible trap, or sacrifice us on an altar to really disgusting elder gods with unpronounceable names or-"

"No Rodney. Keep it down, would you?"

The path led them toward a high stone wall that had been built using more of the mortar-less stonework. The wall was capped with ornate metal work that gleamed even with the overcast lighting. The shapes were evocative of the geometric shapes found in Ancient structures. They were sharp. Clearly this was a place the Mizaran's didn't let just anyone into. Yozel stopped at an ornate gate at the base of a tree.

"Oh thank God," Rodney muttered. Teyla nudged him and Rodney was quiet, John shared a smirk with Ronon before retuning his attention to the matter at hand.

The wall extended on either side of the tree and the tree itself had sharp metal affixed to the trunk to dissuade someone looking to climb up it too far. The base had been cut into, and a stone and metal gateway created a doorway. Multicolored streamers with writing hung across the gate and from lines which extended from the trunk to the ground. The effect reminded John of Tibetan prayer flags he'd seen at the monastery near where he'd lived as a teenager.

A single elderly woman, probably a priestess of some importance, sat at the entrance of the gateway. Grumpy, showing the first positive emotion John had seen, smiled and greeted her. John figured she was his spouse. Yozel waited with John and the guards a respectful distance back. He was gathering that it was a customer here for reuniting couples to be given some space to greet one another.

Grumpy and the priestess exchanged soft words out of hearing, and the women nodded. Grumpy sat down, mood much improved as the older woman beckoned the party forward. She raised her hand, and the gateway retracted. She walked into the tree, and small lights lit the well-worn wooden floor as she passed. John wondered if she had the ATA gene or if there was something else going on.

John's team and the Mizarans followed her.

The trunk took a full minute to walk through, but there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. The trunk opened into a small balcony, which overlooked a rounded crater. Teyla's breath caught as she took in the view,. John glanced over his shoulder and saw that even Ronon had a brow raised.

John had to admit it was pretty spectacular. It was also strangely peaceful. He was reminded of the enclave where he'd spent six months learning to ascend. John hated when Elizabeth went off world, but he had to admit, he'd endure the stress to show her this place. He'd bet she'd love it, balcony and all. Yeah, he'd have to show her this place if he got a chance.

There was a path that wound around the circumference of the crater. It sloped softly down and inward until it met the flat bottom of the crater across from the balcony they stood on. The other side of the hill was covered with a well-kept garden. Ancient ruins stuck up from the ground and bushes showing the first signs of spring grew between them.

As they walked down, John looked around with interest. Rodney, he noted, was focused on the structure which sat in the center of the shrine, as John was beginning to think of it.

It was partially Ancient and partially Mizaran and looked a little like an open pagoda, but the style was wrong. John looked down when the sound of his steps changed as the path ended and realized he was walking on metal.

Rodney took two steps forward before Ronon and Teyla both grabbed his arms and held him back. The priestess and Yozel led the way, offering prayers or respects. . . or something. Their voices were too faint to discern any words.

Finally, Yozel turned and motioned them forward. Ronon and Teyla looked at John. He shrugged, and they dropped their hands. Rondey hurried forward, eager to examine the structure. The rest of his team followed at a more sedate pace.

John looked around the central area. More of the prayer flags, some very old, hung from lines and poles attached to the central structure. The ground was clearly metal here. It was worn from footsteps and the elements. Rodney was darting from side to side under the pagoda.

Finally John joined them. The covering was made of some kind of glass that probably cast neat colors onto the ground when the sun was overhead. The trees around the glade had been cut back so that light could fall into the area.

John examined the metal structure. It was round and looked a little like the ZPM receptacles on Atlantis. Could it really make ZPMs?

"This is where you get them?" John asked in what he hoped was a respectful manner.

Yozel nodded. "The last was gifted to us when I was twelve. Some people will live their whole lives and never see one. I hope to see two in my lifetime," she explained, brushing her hand over the smooth circle with the irised top.

"You get them regularly?" Rodney asked, temporarily abandoning his examination of the structure..

Yozel nodded again. "One every fifty years," she said. Rodney gaped.

"What do you do with them all?" he asked.

"Other villages take them. A village cannot start without them. Sometimes they do not glow when they arrive. Other times the glow is very weak. If that is the case we dispose of them," she said. Rodney looked like he'd been slapped when she told him that particular tidbit.

"Your village has three?" John clarified.

"Yes. We are the caretakers of the Shrine, Guardian, and Stargate,"

"Guardian?" John asked.

"We place a sunstone there, and it keeps the Wraith away," she explained. "This is why they are sacred to us."

"I am sorry, but it was my understanding that the Wraith come here," Teyla said.

Yozel nodded sadly. "Sometimes the Guardian fails. We know it is a machine," she admitted, "But it and the sunstones are gifts from the Ancestors, given to keep us safe."

John pulled Rodney aside and asked, "So. Do you think this thing makes ZPMs?"

"I'm not sure. I can't see anything that would show us what's going on," he gestured to the area with one of his scanners. "I'm getting energy signatures and we're standing on something, but I can't tell. There aren't any consoles."

John bit his lip then decided it was worth a try. He started to think "open" or "information" or "console", hoping that the glade machine would respond like Atlantis.

There was a scraping sound and part of the floor began to rise. Ronon quickly stepped to one side so he wouldn't be hit. The Mizaran's looked both astonished and alarmed as a console rose from the ground, revealing a viewscreen. The console stopped, and a control pad slid from the main body.

The priestess and Yozel watched with wide eyes as Rodney made a happy sound and pounced on the console. "You're useful to have around, Sheppard," he quipped.

John shrugged. "Elizabeth only wanted me for my genes," he joked back. Rodney snickered, and John's face heated as he realized how that would sound since they were "married". He rolled his eyes and decided to focus instead on watching the slight wind rustle the branches in the trees.

The guards hadn't appeared threatening so far, and if he'd seen that these people weren't actually going to sacrifice him and his team to some nameless elder gods after luring them there with the promise of a ZPM, he'd take Elizabeth here.

"What did you do?" the priestess asked. "That panel only shows up when we are given a sunstone."

Oops. He hated the explaining part of this job. "Well," John said sheepishly, "we discovered this thing called the ATA gene. Some people have it, some people don't, but it allows you to use stuff like this,. He gestured to the console. "Ancient stuff likes me more than other people. If I think of it, it responds to me."

"He's not allowed to think 'on' a lot or he gets into trouble," Rodney added.

"Hey, are you finding out anything useful?" John shot back,.

"This is like all our Christmasses and birthdays come at once," Rodney said. "This is a ZPM machine, and if I am reading this correctly, it's going to spit out another one in a few months." Rodney looked up, eyes shining.

"We expect another one midsummer," the priestess added.

"Great! Can you build one of these?" John asked Rodney. Trading was great, but he'd rather they not have to rely on another group. Elizabeth was probably rubbing off on him, but he didn't really want to take someone else's sacred stuff.

"Uhm," Rodney hummed as he worked at the console. His eyes bugged and he shook his head. "That'd be a no."

"No?" John asked.

"No. It's, well, the machine? It's big," Rodney explained, waving his hands around in excitement.

"How big?" Ronon asked.

"Thirty kilometers wide and, well, about seventy kilometers long," Rodney explained, eyes wide. John whistled.

"That's big," Ronon said.

"It probably hits the planet's upper mantle," Rodney said as his fingers flew over the keys. "It's definitely geothermally based."

"Like the drilling station?" Teyla asked.

"Sort of, though they had to make it much larger since they have more crust to go through here than they would on an ocean. I wonder if that's why it makes duds sometimes," Rodney mused.

"Can you set it to make more ZPMs?" John asked.

Rodney plowed through the data, then shook his head. He began to pull out his laptop as he spoke. "No. this thing is already at maximum output." He paused. "Actually, that might be why they get duds." He frowned then said, "Well, that'd make no sense. Maybe they get duds because no one was here to monitor the progress. Anyway," he plugged his laptop into the console and began downloading data, "what if this has been at peak output since the war with the Wraith?"

"You mean to say, this thing has been making ZPMs every fifty years, for ten thousand years?" John asked. "Rodney, that's two hundred ZPMs.

"I said 'what if'," Rodney said, tense. Aside from his usually surliness, John could tell McKay was humbled by the enormity of the potential treasure they'd stumbled upon. Rodney began scanning the data. "Actually it's only been active the last thousand years." He looked disappointed.

John shook his head. "Rodney, that's still twenty ZPMs." He turned to Yozel and tried to look professional. "Ma'am, I really need to call back home. Believe me when I say I'm sure we're going to try to strike a deal here."

"With that many ZPMs, we could do almost anything," Rodney hissed at him, as if no one else could hear. "We could probably kill all the Wraith!" Rodney said.

"Don't get too excited," John said, cautious. Ronon had a hungry look ,and even Teyla's glance was a little bloodthirsty. "Power is great, but we only have so many things to power."

"Oh. True," Rodney said deflating. "Maybe we could fix their guardian." He looked over at Yozel. "That'd be worth a ZPM or two, right?"

Yozel looked at John with a gravely serious expression and nodded. "It might be. But there are assurances my people will need."

***

"Twenty?" Elizabeth sank heavily into her seat. "They have twenty ZPMs," she breathed. It was like a dream. She'd never imagined that there were so many out there. It made the lies they'd told hurt even more. She wondered if she dared to come clean.

"Actually, it's more like fifteen that they know of," Rodney said. "Some have been burnt out and some were made as duds. In four months they will get another, and my data says this one will be okay."

"Fifteen." Elizabeth shook her head. "I'll contact the SGC," she said wonderingly. This news was worth the energy expenditure to call directly from Pegasus. She shook her head again slightly, trying to clear the euphoric daze. "What do they want in return?"

"Well, they definitely want Rodney to fix something they call the Guardian," John said.

"I think we can accommodate that." Elizabeth smiled, arching a brow at Rodney. "What else?"

"Well, they don't know. They want to come here personally, see what we have. . ." John said.

"Do they?" Elizabeth asked. There would need to be security precautions; Atlantis couldn't afford to allow strangers free access so easily.

John nodded. "I said we had to check in with you. They're pretty well off," John mused. "Lots of domestic animals. Big permanent structures." He smiled at the memory. "Their village is actually really cool," he told her. "Some of the buildings are partially Ancient ruins and some of them live in tree houses."

"Ruins and tree houses?" Elizabeth asked, intrigued. She would have to ask Teyla later.

John nodded,. "The trees are like something right out of Lord of the Rings," he told her, beginning to smile.

"Yes. Right. Whatever. Can we get back to the ZPMs, please?" Rodney broke in. "Elizabeth, you have to let them come visit."

"Rodney, if it were up to me, I would. I have to check in with the IOA and the SGC. I think we can accommodate the Mizarans," Elizabeth told him. He visibly relaxed.

"Oh, good. If we can even get one that'd be something. Uhm." Rodney frantically tapped at his tablet. "I've been compiling a list of things they might be interested in."

"Good," Elizabeth said. "Put together your list and I'll see what the IOA says."

"Right!" Rodney grinned as he practically leapt to his feet.

"You okay?" John asked after Rodney had left. She could hear Rodney calling Zelenka over the radio. No doubt news of the ZPMs would be over the city in under an hour.

Elizabeth had closed her eyes and was pinching the bridge of her nose. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up. This could answer so many of our problems, John," she said, finally looking at him. He was slouched comfortably in the seat across from her.

He nodded. "We could fully power the city; we could put them in Antarctica; we could put 'em on our ships. This is big."

"We had to lie to do it," she reminded him, an unsettled feeling making her increasingly tense. John was watching her carefully, and for a moment she thought, maybe... but obviously the pressure was getting to her..

"Well," he said, thinking. "The Air Force has to have married bigwigs. People higher up the food chain than we are, you know? We could get them to deal with the Mizarans. Uhm, we got "married." Maybe we can get "separated"?"

"Didn't you just admit we were newlyweds?"

"Yes?"

"Wouldn't it be a bit odd if we suddenly got a divorce?"

Elizabeth suppressed a smile as John seemed to think that over unhappily.

She shook her head. "I don't think it work well anyway, John." They weren't really married, but she didn't like the idea of being separated. What if the Mizarans didn't have the concept of an amicable divorce? She didn't want to have to pretend to fight with John. Even when she was furious with him, she couldn't hate him. She knew that he acted out of a sense of honor and devotion to his duty as an officer.

Elizabeth didn't want to even imagine what it would be like if they had to actually be separated physically. John was more than her military advisor. He was her friend. She knew in her heart that she'd mourn the loss of that relationship more than the professional one.

John grumped and slouched further in his seat. Elizabeth hadn't known that particular style of chair could be slouched in until she'd met him. "For once," John said, "it'd be nice if the aliens were understanding of our customs."

Obviously he wasn't thinking of Teyla or Ronon, but this wasn't the best time to breach that particular conversation. She shrugged. "It would. But they have the ZPM. ZPMs," she corrected herself. "They're making the rules on this one."

John sighed. "I guess. Well, I suppose we have to pretend a bit longer."

"Sorry," Elizabeth apologized.

"Nah," John grinned. "You're already a lot more fun than my ex was."

"Oh?" Elizabeth arched a brow inviting further comment.

"Well," John's cheeks flushed slightly before he fell back into his cocky-flyboy persona. "You haven't nagged me to take out the trash once. I haven't been yelled at for leaving my socks on the floor, or for the toilet seat being up, or for hogging the covers or going out for a beer with the guys."

She found it difficult to smile. She could see that the situation should have been humorous, but it stung oddly. He sat up in his seat and leaned forward.

"Hey, we'll get a ZPM and then, I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair.

"We'd have to continue to lie every time we saw them. At least for awhile," Elizabeth said. Her eyes widened then narrowed. "What did you tell them about us?" she asked.

"We have ten kids, your mother loves me and knits me a sweater every winter, and for our anniversary I always buy you three dozen red roses and take you someplace warm with sandy beaches," John said nonchalantly. "You were once the unwilling love-slave of an evil dictator, but I slew him in mortal combat to win your hand and heart. You know, the usual." John blinked at her...

Elizabeth's eyes widened and her jaw worked soundlessly before John's grin finally crept out. She froze, then glared at him as she realized he was teasing her.

"Don't scare me like that!" she hissed. "John! What if you had told them something like that?" Elizabeth rubbed her temples and focused on her desk. The man was simply impossible sometimes. He was going to kill her, she was sure of it.

"Well," John began, which caused her head to snap up. She was a little afraid. "I did say we didn't have kids 'cause leading the city is like being parents to a bunch of hyperactive children. . . with ADD. . . who like to run around with knives," he said, drawling out each successively worse addition. She could only hope it wasn't what he'd said verbatim.

Elizabeth considered it before she had to concede the point. Running Atlantis did sometimes feel like she was the sole teacher at a school for a bunch of genius, troublemaking kindergartners. She pinched her lips in a straight line and dismissed the images that conjured.

"Well, I suppose since we have to keep this going we shouldn't get too out of hand with what we tell the Mizarans," she finally said. Elizabeth studied his face as she spoke. "That was actually a good answer. At least it makes sense to me," she said, blushing slightly. "I mean, I think it's kind of obvious that I don't have any children."

"Don't sell yourself short. Jinto and the kids really liked you when they were here," John said, with certainty.

"They did?" Elizabeth asked, truly surprised. The children had seemed terribly shy around her, giggling whenever she entered the room and making faces at each other. She could only imagine what they thought of her.

John nodded. "Yep. However," he arched a brow and his lips quirked into a hint of a smirk, "after Bates, pretty much anyone other than him was the coolest person in the world, so I dunno. . . ." He trailed off.

"But really," he said, "the kids thought you were pretty cool. You let them have some space to run around; you talked to them like they were people. I think that was a big win with Jinto's crew."

"Oh," she mused. "I didn't know that."

John shrugged. "Anyway, you should know that Endach guessed we were newlyweds, and I went with it. I kinda are?" He looked at her, as if she should have some intelligent response for him. The moment dragged awkwardly until he said, "I think Rodney was a little disappointed that he was never asked about his fake wife."

"Well, he'll have time for that later, if our relations with the Mizarans go as planned," Elizabeth said. She enjoyed talking with John, but she now had several important things to accomplish. It seemed John understood this intuitively. He stood and stuffed his hands back in his pockets.

"Well, I'll let you get on with your work. Oh, hey? You think you could tell me when you're going to call the IOA? I want to see them have kittens," he joked before quickly retreating from her office.

Elizabeth watched him go before she set her mind back to work.

***

Elizabeth watched as the Mizaran delegation walked through the gate. She was wearing the beautifully etched silver ring that Teyla had given them. The ring's mate was on John's left hand, and they stood together, providing a united front. And although they'd done that before, stood together before, she wondered why the simple addition of a silver ring made her feel so differently. It didn't signify anything at all, technically.

It was probably anxiety about the upcoming trade negotiations. Even one ZPM would mean a great deal.

"Welcome to Atlantis," she greeted smoothly as the head of the group came to a stop. Behind them the event horizon collapsed with a soft woosh.

The leader inclined her silvery head.

"Elizabeth, this is Yozel, the leader of the Mizaran council," John said. "Yozel, this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, leader of the expedition. We're married. To each other," John added, then winced. If this was how he'd acted with the Mizarans, it was a miracle they'd bought the coverstory, Elizabeth thought.

She shot John the barest look, but Yozel and her company seemed amused.

"Blessings on you," Yozel said. "My husband said that you were newly married."

"Yes." Elizabeth blushed, hoping that the other woman would read the heat on her cheeks as something other than shame for having to lie. "Thank you."

"Healer Alara." Yozel gestured to the attractive 30-something redhead to her left, "And Councilman Narec." She indicated the man John had mentally been calling Grumpy. "My Husband Endach." She indicated a third man. Endach nodded a greeting to John who returned the gesture. They must have met before.

They were accompanied by the handful of guards that Elizabeth and the IOA had agreed to.

"If you'll follow me?" Elizabeth said, gesturing up the steps. "We can begin with a tour or we can sit down to discuss things first."

"Let us talk first," Yozel said. Elizabeth nodded and steeled herself for the coming discussions.

The entire city was abuzz with news of the visitors and what was at stake. They'd all been briefed on the Mizaran culture and the view that unless one was married, one wasn't an adult. The result had been somewhat frustrating and yet also amusing for Elizabeth.

On one hand, this was serious. If the Mizarans found out that she and John had lied to them, they could refuse to trade with the expedition. Elizabeth's decision to lie weighed heavily, but there was simply too much at stake to go back now. Ultimately, the results would be worth it.

In the meantime, the arrival of the Mizarans had set off a wave of not-so-subtle spouse-grabbing.

It had begun, surprisingly, with Chuck. Laura Cadman, who had been assigned a dual role of guide and guard, had been smirking at the man's predicament when he was asked of his family. The smirk had fled when Chuck had grabbed her arm and introduced her as his wife.

When Elizabeth led Yozel and her companions down to the labs after negotiations, nearly everyone was paired off.

Some matches she expected, like Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Kusanagi. Others were very surprising, like Dr. Esposito and Dr. Parrish. Somehow, Ronon had been roped in as Dr. Keller's husband by the time they'd gotten around to showing the infirmary. She'd found out Major Lorne was oddly left alone when they'd taken the Mizarans through the mess hall. She wondered what had happened there, but she was confident John would be able to fill her in later.

Lorne was currently being chatted up by the redheaded the Mizaran healer. Elizabeth wasn't sure if he was flattered or terrified; the woman looked like a man-eater.

The meetings had gone well, and Elizabeth found herself relaxing a bit, despite knowing the deceptive foundations of the foundling alliance.. In exchange for their ZPMs, the Mizaran's wanted Rodney to fix their Guardian, whatever that was. In addition to that, they wanted access to not only Atlantis' medical supplies, but her doctors as well. Reasonably, they requested the knowledge behind that medicine as well. Alara was one of their chief healers and her eyes had grown huge when Jenn had shown them around.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder to gauge the mood of the party as they traveled back to the Stargate. John was hovering a respectful distance back, but he was still hovering. He smiled innocently at her as they reentered the gate room. Elizabeth nodded to Chuck, and the 'gate dialed.

"Well, I believe everything is in order on our end," Elizabeth told the other leader. The older woman inclined her head.

"I agree. I invite you and your husband to join us on our world in two days to sign the treaty," she said.

Elizabeth smiled. "Should I bring Dr. McKay?" she asked politely. As much as the Mizaran's seemed to be eager to learn their medicine, they anticipated Rodney's help with their defensive system.

Yozel smiled wryly. "Well, if he is so eager to get started, I won't stop him."

"Bring whomever else you'd like. It will be a celebration." She turned to leave, then paused as Alara touched her arm and whispered in her ear. "Bring Major Lorne, if you don't mind," Yozel requested. "We have a number of unattached women-children who'd enjoy meeting him. It seems everyone here is paired but him."

Elizabeth smiled and bit back a laugh. The look on Lorne's face was half anticipation and half embarrassment. "If he can be spared I will bring him," she acquiesced. Yozel inclined her head graciously then swept from the room.

The Stargate collapsed with the exit of the last Mizaran, and there was a moment of silence before the room erupted into excited chatter and a few cheers. The nervous anticipation that had been growing since Elizabeth and Yozel had left the briefing room a second time finally found half a dozen voices.

***

Elizabeth rocked back on her heels and bumped into John's chest. She staggered, surprised, and he caught her shoulders. She looked over and met his eyes. He tilted his head to one side, silently asking if she was okay.

Elizabeth grinned broadly, and he relaxed. The day was finally hitting her. She wanted to laugh and cry and dance, but she settled for laughing and throwing her arms around him in jubilant hug. Successful negotiations were always a huge high for her and she'd scored big today.

Although John was not as stiff as during their previous rare hugs, she could tell he was uncomfortable, or surprised—probably both. Elizabeth released him. "Sorry," she apologized.

"Nah," he said shaking his head. "Today was a touchdown," he assured her, earning a bemused look. "Think the IOA will be okay with Keller and her crew teaching the Mizarans the finer points of Earth medicine?"

Elizabeth nodded as she headed toward her office, John in tow. "I don't see why they wouldn't be. In the end it will be cheaper, and it might even lead to more local production. If they don't have to ship everything from Earth, they'll be happier. Aside from that, Rodney's been itching to look at this Guardian thing they have almost as much as he wants a ZPM."

"He's going to die when he finds out they agreed to four." He shook his head and grinned at her as they crossed the walkway to her office. "I still can't believe it. Four!" John's expression sobered with mock severity. "You're good," he told her, pointing a finger.

Elizabeth affected a superior air. "That's why they pay me the big money," she told him archly.

"So can you stand being Mrs. Sheppard for a few more days?" John teased as he slouched in his customary seat.

"It'll be more than that, Colonel Weir," she shot back. Elizabeth sobered as she sat down across from him. "Remember, we'll be trade partners with these people."

John's giddy mood seemed to fade. "I forgot about that," he admitted.

Elizabeth sighed. The high was beginning to abate as reality set in. She'd spun the truth before. She'd even outright lied a few times, but for some reason it felt so much worse this time. It didn't help that the Mizarans appeared to be very decent people. Yozel reminded her a little bit of General O'Neill, actually. Well, maybe the leader was a bit less sarcastic.

They hadn't been quizzed on their lives. Actually, the Mizarans hadn't made any comments at all, but Elizabeth almost wished they had. It had been entirely too easy to lie to them–it should have been harder, somehow.

"Elizabeth?" John called her from her musing. She smiled softly

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"So." John cast about for a different topic of conversation. "Do you know how Ronon ended up with Keller? I thought we were going with him being a widower."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't know and I haven't had an opportunity to ask Jenn. What happened with Evan?" she asked. There were rumors about Major Lorne. She didn't believe even half of them, but she knew he was well liked. It seemed odd he should be left alone.

John chuckled. "You know the game musical chairs? Lorne ended up the odd-man out somehow," he told her with a small shrug. "Bad luck, I guess. But he seems to have found an admirer." John wagged his eyebrows. "The doctor of theirs is trying to set him up with one of her little sisters."

"Oh?" Elizabeth asked. Normally she didn't indulge in gossip, but she didn't think it would hurt this time. Besides, sometimes it was nice to simply sit and talk with . . .a friend, if indeed John could be considered that.

"Yeah, I overheard her talking," John explained. "She's got a bunch of little sisters who aren't married yet."

"Oh, my." Elizabeth hid her chuckle behind her hand. This wasn't going to do anything to change Lorne's reputation around the city. And if the younger girls were anything like the older sister? She almost felt sorry for him.

***

Elizabeth stepped through the Stargate and saw Mizara for the first time two days later. The scent of rain was in the air, and the ground was wet under her feet. John and his team came through on her heels. Lorne's team had gone through earlier and were eyeing the area in a relaxed way that put John more at ease. Weber's team followed through behind him. John was taking no chances with Elizabeth offworld. That they had an open invitation to invite whomever they wanted just made it easier.

John's eyes swept over the landscape then settled on Elizabeth. She seemed to be relaxed, which was very good. Elizabeth cared so much for everyone else, John felt he had to remind her to care for herself as well.

She was at ease, which meant the past two days of nagging her to eat and convincing her sleep was a better idea than revising the language on the second page, again, had worked.

A party of Mizarans wound their way down the road. They had carts drawn by what looked like some kind of cross between a caribou and a horse. Endach sat astride one of the creatures and held the reins for two others. He tossed the reins to the cart driver and greeted the party from Atlantis.

"Welcome! The spring rains have begun, and we thought you'd appreciate arriving without a layer of mud."

"We would, thank you," Elizabeth replied, stepping forward to clasp the Mizaran's hand.

"Do you know how to ride Arakkin?" Endach asked, gesturing to the animal he'd been riding. "They aren't on every world we have come across."

"Done it once or twice," Ronon said..

He untied one of the animals and climbed on its back easily. John had done some horse riding in his youth, and it looked about the same. Jenn was with them partially because she was Atlantis' CMO and partially because she'd somehow ended up as Ronon's "wife". John still hadn't managed to wrangle out how that had happened.

Jenn watched the animal approach with wide eyes. Ronon leaned down, and she accepted his hand. He helped her up onto the animal's back so that she sat in front of him. She seemed completely at ease on the animal, so John decided he and Elizabeth could probably handle riding the other one. Rodney was already edging his way over to the cart, and he wanted Lorne's team to continue to cover them, so that meant them in the cart with their hands free.

John ignored the little voice in his head that gleefully pointed out Elizabeth would be practically sitting in his lap for the ride. Nope, he told himself, that had nothing to do with it.

John walked over and untied the second animal, leading it toward Elizabeth and the others. Grasping the saddle he hauled himself up, then extended his hand to Elizabeth. She looked at it for a moment, then took his hand and managed to climb up without looking too ridiculous.

John's arms snaked around her hips as he held the reigns. Elizabeth sat very still and very straight in front of him

"You okay?" John asked, his lips nearly brushing her ear. Elizabeth shuddered against him slightly.

"Yes. You?" she inquired as if they weren't sitting on some creature plastered against each other. How she maintained her dignity in these situations was beyond him.

"I'm good," he said. "You're going to pull something if you keep sitting like that, though. Haven't you ever been horseback riding?"

"Not since I was seven," she admitted.

"Relax," John chided gently. "I don't think the arkin or whatever is going to toss us off. They seem pretty docile."

Elizabeth seemed to consider his words, then relaxed bit by bit. Elizabeth leaned back against his tac vest as they watched everyone else either mount up or climb into the cart.

John took his own advice and relaxed as he felt the tension leave her body. Truthfully they hadn't needed to keep up the act while they were together much. He'd been alone the first day, and she'd been in full-on diplomatic-mode the entire time the Mizarans had visited Atlantis. Mostly John had made himself an unobtrusive shadow as she and their visitors had gone through the city.

John figured they'd be okay. They'd stood together and faced Genii, Wraith and Woolsey—daunting foes, all of them. A few touchy-feely Pegasus natives with customs that made his life difficult weren't going to faze them at all.

Endach led the way, followed by John, Ronon and finally the cart. The group moved ahead through the mud, and Elizabeth was a warm solid presence at his front. The best thing to do was simply not think of this as anything other than a casual ride through the country with one of his best friends. Who was a woman.

Her hair smelled like honeysuckle. John had noticed that she'd started to use some kind of brand from home a few months after they'd started to get supply runs from the Daedalus. This was the first time he'd had the opportunity to smell it up close for an extended time, though. He liked it.

The pace was slow since the mud was thick and the cart, and even the animals, had to be careful about navigating. Despite the sound of the mud and the unfamiliar odors, there was something very peaceful about riding through the countryside with Elizabeth. John found it very soothing. It was a struggle to remember he had to stay alert for the safety of his people.

Despite his resolution not to feel too at ease, he gave in to the impulse to hold her closer. He told himself it was so she wouldn't slide off the animal. Besides, they were married on this planet, after all. She'd kick his ass if he took it too far, but he could indulge just a little. She shifted and he could tell he'd surprised her.

"I needed a better grip," he explained, tightening his arms around her further. She looked over her shoulder at him, and if he moved just a few inches he'd be kissing her. It wouldn't be wrong here. She smelled like flowers, but he wondered what her lips tasted like. The single kiss when they'd been possessed didn't count, and his memories from that whole incident were more than a little jumbled

But kissing her now would be crossing the line.

Besides, it was only pretend.

Elizabeth turned back around. For a moment she'd wondered if John was going to. . . to kiss her. She flushed, wondering if she was truly deluded. She was already enjoying playing house with John far too much, though she longed for something less teasing. Every mention of the situation between them was met with some kind of humor. She wondered if she were projecting feelings onto him or if he was struggling as much as she was.

Part of her felt weak for doing it, part of her didn't care. She leaned back and let her head rest against his shoulder. He held his breath for a moment then slowly let it out. His breath tickled her ear and she shuddered.

"Cold?" John asked.

"A little," Elizabeth lied. He pulled her even closer to his chest and ran a hand up and down her arm. She suddenly felt impossibly warm.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"No problem," he said. She could feel his chest rumble even through the tac-vest.

The road wound into the forest, and Elizabeth sat up to look around with interest.

"It's like walking into a fairytale," she breathed as she watched the massive trees arch overhead. Small green buds formed on the branches heralding the coming spring.

"It gets better," John promised. She leaned back, resting her head against his shoulder as she watched the branches high above.

He nudged her slightly and she drew her attention back toward the ground.

"Oh," she breathed as they came around a particularly thick tree and the village was finally before them. The ruins caught her eye and she studied them as the party continued forward. Large tree houses built into the massive trunks drew her attention next. John was right in saying it resembled something out of Tolkien or a fairy tale. The suspended bridges between the buildings especially awoke memories of her youth.

Elizabeth caught a smug look on John's face as she looked around in interest.

Elizabeth was glad to have their treaty formally signed. The tour of the Mizaran village had been fascinating, and she already was making plans to come back and study the ruins that the village was built on. She hadn't yet seen the glade where the ZPMs came from, but John had assured her, a little shyly, that she'd love that place, too.

***

The lunch had been sparse, just enough to stave off hunger since the village was planning a huge feast later in the evening.

"I don't know what it is about Pegasus feasts," John mused. They were standing on one of the balconies, taking advantage of the privacy the Mizarans easily gave couples who wanted a moment together.

"Hmm?" Elizabeth mused. Her eyes were busy watching her people mingling with the locals below.

John smirked.. "I said, I don't know what it is about Pegasus and feasts," he repeated. She was leaning against the railing and he settled down beside her, letting their shoulders touch.

Elizabeth leaned into him, sharing his warmth. They were a little too far from the fire. John made an partially aborted move next to her, and then his arm settled over her shoulders. She blinked in shock, then murmured thanks as she settled further into his side. It would be best to maintain the façade in case Mizarans approached by surprise, of course. And if she appreciated the touch more than she should, he didn't need to know.

"I think most people here take any opportunity to celebrate. The Athosians have always been that way."

"Been there. Had that hangover," John quipped. "Who knew Teyla could drink half the marines on the expedition under the table?"

Elizabeth chuckled. "The Satedans were like that too," she added.

"Really?" John asked."Ronon told you that?"

She nodded silently. "This is nice," she mused, almost to herself. She stiffened; she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"It is," John agreed, pulling her back to his side. Apparently John was letting her comment go without discussion. She relaxed.

"Well, you two look cozy," Rodney said.

Elizabeth froze for a moment, John equally still beside her. He frowned at Rodney. After all, Elizabeth thought, they were just enjoying the view from the balcony, and it was cold. Very cold, now.

"Rodney," Teyla's soft admonishment quickly followed.

"What?" he asked.

John turned around but made no move to separate himself from her side. She relaxed back onto the railing as John eyed her.

"What have you been up to?" John asked, turning the conversation around onto Rodney.

"Oh, nothing. I think they're getting ready for the food and I- er we, that is to say Teyla and I, wondered where you'd gotten off to. And then I remembered this place has a ton of balconies and you and Elizabeth had this thing for balconies so then we decided to try to find you on one.".

"Oh," John said before frowning again. "What 'thing with balconies'?" he asked.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you know." He gestured vaguely to the balcony they were currently standing on then at them. "The thing."

Rodney turned to Teyla, looking for support. "Help me out here!" he demanded. Teyla's only response was to smile and shake her head at him.

"Oh, come on!" Rodney exclaimed while tossing up his hands. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed it! I've noticed it!"

A polite throat clearing stopped Rodney in mid rant. Yozel and Endach had arrived.

"Is everything all right?" the Mizaran leader asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth assured her, hoping that the other woman wouldn't ask further questions of her.

She nodded her head, accepting Elizabeth's words, then focused her attention on Rodney.

"You're wife isn't with us, Dr. McKay?" she asked.

"I, uhm, well," Rodney began to stutter. All of his carefully crafted responses disappeared as he drew a complete blank. "I, well, she's actually, she's"

"Actually," Teyla said, stepping in smoothly, "Rodney and I have only recently found one another."

"Yes," Rodney said, desperately latching onto the explanation. Anything to save him from some horrible faux-pas that would prevent them from getting their promised ZPMs, Elizabeth thought, amused.

"We did not wish to make an issue of it, but we are only recently betrothed," Teyla explained. Rodney nodded rapidly. Teyla withdrew the jade ring Rodney hadn't picked up and showed it to the older couple. Rodney fumbled in his pockets and eventually produced the ring's match.

"These are Athosian rings though?" Endach asked Teyla as he studied the craftmanship.

"Yes," Teyla confirmed. "John's and Elizabeth's rings were my gifts to them." She held out her left hand and John easily followed her lead. The twin silver bands sparkled in the firelight.

"I've always appreciated Athosian designs," Endach said as he straightened. "The food is ready. Shall we all go down?" He offered his arm to Yozel, who took it.

John grinned at Rodney, then offered his own arm to Elizabeth. She gave him a look that clearly said "Be nice!" before accepting it. She looked expectantly at Rodney who stared blankly at her for a few seconds before sheepishly offering his arm to Teyla. They quickly followed the older couple down the steps.

***

John sighed and slouched down further on the pillows. Elizabeth shifted, probably to prevent falling into his lap. John was momentarily disappointed, but figured he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. They were sharing huge floor pillows like the other couples were doing. The remains of a huge meal lay before them on low tables.

Ronon and Keller were to his left. They seemed to be getting on pretty well. Rodney and Teyla were to his right. Rodney had been knocking back the drinks steadily. John was sure he'd have one hell of a hangover in the morning. John had had one, but it had an amazing kick. He'd forbidden Elizabeth from having one as well. One of them needed to be stone sober, and he'd already made the mistake of trying the single shot.

John craned his neck and tried to spot Lorne. His deputy officer had been presented with a different lovely young woman each course of the meal. There would be many jokes to be made at his expense when they got home. A sharp elbow in his side brought his attention back to Elizabeth. Her green eyes sparkled, but her expression was serious.

"Don't give Evan too much trouble," she told him softly.

John sighed in an exaggerated way. "Fine. I won't be too hard on him,"

She nodded in satisfaction, and John couldn't help but add, "But I can't make promises for everyone else."

She gave him a disgusted look and began settling back into the pillows. She shifted and squirmed beside him, making him awkwardly aware of her presence.. She ended up slouched next to him.

"Hi!" he mock greeted when she finally sank beside him. She was a solid line of pleasant heat on his left side.

"Hello," she answered, and her head fell to his shoulder. He supposed they looked like a couple, albeit a couple stuffed from dinner and tired from the stress of the day. It was comfortable, John decided.

"How did you meet?" their host asked. The older woman was sitting closely with her own husband.

"Uhm, well," John began, trying to think of how to explain events. The truth was strange.

"John's a pilot. He was bringing a good friend of mine, a commanding officer out to the place where I was stationed. There was a bit of a mix-up, and John was stuck there for a bit. We discovered that he could use the technology of the Ancestors, and I had to have him on my team," Elizabeth explained. Somehow it didn't sound so strange when she said it.

"What she said," John grinned. "Although she left out the part where the "mix-up," as she calls it, was me almost getting shot out of the sky," he added, using quoting fingers. He didn't know if the Mizarans used quotations, but he was pretty sure his meaning wasn't lost on them.

Elizabeth swatted at , and Endach chuckled.

"What? It's true!" John protested, catching her hand. She sighed, but didn't let go. Her fingers were cold, but smooth, under his.

"The rings are a custom different from ours. How do your ceremonies work?" Yozel asked.

"Well, it usually involves a very uncomfortable outfit called a tuxedo for the men. It's usually black and whatever color the wedding palette is," John explained. "And some brides get really uptight and insist that the groom wear a tux even if they have a far less annoying and far nicer looking dress uniform."

John casually pulled Elizabeth's arm across his shoulders as he continued to talk. It was a much more comfortable and natural way to sit on these pillow couch things. And if Elizabeth's arm just happened to draw them closer, that was fine by him, too. "So," he continued, "you invite everyone you know. And once you've invited everyone you know, your parents and her parents invite everyone they know, even if you don't know them."

"Really?" Yozel asked.

John nodded. "Yep. And then you have a painfully long ceremony, and if you're especially lucky, your new mother in law is suddenly religious and insists on the full service even though both the bride and the groom aren't particularly involved with any sort of faith and neither has been in a church for, oh, seven? Years?"

"John," Elizabeth prodded his side with her free hand. John idly wondered if maybe the alcohol was affecting him more than he thought but dismissed the idea.

"Oh, but see then it gets better. Because once you've gone through the ceremony, you then have to greet every single one of those guests," he said.

"Even the ones you don't know?"

"Especially the ones you don't know," John said, raising a finger. To either side Jennifer and Rodney were trying very hard not to laugh.

"Then, once everyone has been greeted, there is a ritual we call a reception. At the reception everyone has food except the people getting married, because the mother in law insists that the newlyweds are too incompetent to eat food correctly in their very expensive and very beautiful clothing. Clothing they will never wear again, I might add."

"This is a voluntary ritual?" Endach clarified.

"Not usually for the groom," Elizabeth added, surprising John. She shifted against him as he chuckled.

He continued. "Anyway, so at the reception, when the guests have been greeted once more, and the bride and groom are starving and have been on their feet since way too early in the day, there is dancing and more ceremony."

"Really?" Rodney prompted. Teyla elbowed him in the gut, but John continued.

"Yes! First there is the sharing of food. It's the first true test of marriage. Well, I mean it's the first test of character. If you've married someone nice, they don't shove the cake in your face."

"In your face?" Teyla asked. Rodney smirked, and Teyla sent an apologetic look at Elizabeth.

"Yep. If you're not covered in cake, you get to dance. The woman dances with her father and the man dances with his mother. Or they dance with the nearest relatives who fit the bill. And then everyone else is invited to dance, and before you know it, you're dancing with your third cousin twice removed and having an extremely awkward conversation because you're really strangers, but by some accident of birth you happen to be related somehow."

"And finally," John said. Elizabeth sighed next to him, but John was on a roll. "If you're a Sicilian father, and someone asks you for something, you cannot refuse to help them on your daughter's wedding day."

Beside him Elizabeth groaned and put a hand over her face. Mission complete.

"And this is the ceremony you participated in?" Yozel asked.

"Oh, no," John said, grinning broadly. "Elizabeth's too smart for that. We had Teyla marry us in an Athosian ceremony." The two Mizarans sat back in their seats.

John was contemplating adding in something more exciting to their wedding. Like the Wraith invading a Genii invasion. He could have heroically saved Elizabeth from a Genii sneak attack whole she'd been busy dispatching the Wraith queen. It would have made for a cool story, but Elizabeth wouldn't have been happy with him.

She wriggled at his side, slipping her arm from his shoulders and shifting to the edge of the pillow. With some dismay, he noticed she seemed to be annoyed. Probably with him, John reasoned. The indications were subtle, but he'd had three years to study her actions.

"This has been wonderful," Elizabeth assured their hosts. "I'm a bit tired, though, I hope you won't take this as a sign of offense?"

"Not at all," Yozel waved her off. "Your room is up the stairs and to the left. The third door."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said as she gracefully rose to her feet. John snagged her hand and followed her out of the room.

***

He was expecting her to turn on him angrily when they were finally alone, but she went immediately to the window and stared out. One hip was canted to the side, fist firmly placed there.

John sighed and sat on the bed. "I know. I'm an idiot."

The look she gave him over her shoulder was inscrutable.

"So, do I sleep on the couch?" he asked, trying again for levity.

"Why is everything a joke?" she asked.

"I didn't joke about everything," John retorted. "Is this our first fight as a married couple?" he asked, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"It could have been worse," she said. "You could have told them about how you proposed to me in the middle of a Wraith siege."

Elizabeth winced at her own tone, then took a few calming breaths.

"That would have been a fun story," John mused. "Ow!"

One of the pillows in the window seat had flown out of nowhere and hit him in the face. Elizabeth glared and sat down on the bench.

"Do you realize this isn't funny?" she hissed. "John, we've worked hard to come to this point. We need what they have to offer, and we can help them in return. We might be able to help many more people using what we learn here!"

"I know that!" he whispered back, sitting up on the bed. "I just," he shook his head. "Never mind."

"You just what?" Elizabeth pressed. "This isn't like you! You're usually better than this!"

"I know, Elizabeth I just. . ." He ran a hand though his hair, unable to really verbalize anything he thought or felt.

"What?" she retorted. When he didn't answer she continued, "Why is this such a joke? It was a joke in Atlantis. It's a joke here!"

"It's not!" John protested.

"You were referencing The Godfather," she pointed out. "I hope you didn't joke about anything else while you were here. Are you sure we're not the parents of Happy, Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful and Doc?"

John smirked in spite of himself, and Elizabeth turned away from him, shaking her head.

"Elizabeth," he called, but she shook her head. "Elizabeth, please."

"John. You're the one who can't take this seriously," Elizabeth snapped in a low voice.

They glared at one another for a moment before John surged off the bed. Elizabeth looked surprised for half a second before he was crushing his lips to hers and pushing her back onto the window seat.

She was rigid against his furiosity, but eventually melted into his kiss. He slowed, deepening the kiss in response to her acceptance. Her lips were warm and he braced his hands on either side of her body, trapping her between the back of the seat and his chest.

He backed off, and she gasped for a breath, blinking. Before she could speak, he touched his lips to hers again, gentle this time, but still insistent. His lips were soft in contrast to the slight stubble that had grown on his cheeks during the long day. Her hands lightly glided across the short growth of his beard on their way into his unruly hair.

They broke for air again, and John's face went to the hollow of her neck and shoulder. She spread her hands against his chest. His hands and arms circled around her, enfolding her in an almost desperate hug. Under her fingers, his heart pounded. After a moment John loosened his grip and left a trail of soft kisses from her neck to her ear.

He rested his forehead head against hers and cupped her face. Silence reigned.

"It had to be a joke," he finally told her. "I had to laugh. It couldn't be serious," he tried to explain. He released her and ran a hand though his hair again. He caught her eyes briefly and looked away. Evidently she was going to wait for him to explain his actions. Or his feelings. Probably his feelings. Those. . .

"I want," he said. "What I want." John shook his head and tried again. "You, you're just so," he trailed off. "And I'm, and we're, but." He sighed. "I suck at this."

"John-" Elizabeth reached out. He grabbed her hand and folded the long fingers of both hands around hers. John drew her knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently before covering them again, rubbing warmth into them.

"I couldn't take it seriously," he said. "Not the ZPMs, I mean. But, you know." He held her hand up, and the silver band sparkled in the moonlight.

"Why?" she asked.

"I couldn't because I wanted it too much," he finally said.

"You-"

"You," he confirmed. "I really want you. All of it. All of you. Everything."

He dropped her hands and ran both sets of fingers through his hair. Elizabeth's hand hovered in the air for a moment before she withdrew it and folded both neatly in her lap.

"It's stupid. I know. I mean, we've never dated or anything. But I just, I can't. . ." he trailed off again.

"You can't change the way you feel?" she asked, studying the floor.

"No. And—now we're going to be all weird around one another." He sighed in defeat. "And I really don't want that. You're too much fun to be around."

"Fun?" she asked, finally looking at him.

John hadn't intended it to come out that way, but fun seemed safer. He supposed it was unusual for her to be described as fun, given her job history, negotiating, but it was true. She was wicked funny when she wanted to be. When he pushed, she pushed right back. Not all of their balcony conversations were about doom and gloom and the dire position the city was in; many were just at the edge of flirtation.

It had been tough working with her at first, but then he'd suddenly seemed to figure her out. They could have whole conversations in a glance now. He appreciated that she could simply get him. Beyond that, in many ways, she'd become the grounding element in his life. John just wished he could tell her these things in some way that didn't make him sounds like a complete idiot.

"Yeah," he said. "I like spending time with you."

She watched him for a moment, and he slouched back in the window seat. "I suck at this talking thing."

She smiled gently. "If it's any comfort, you could have been doing much worse. Much, much worse."

It was a comfort, even if it didn't make his ramblings easier. "See, this is why I need you. I'm awful at the talking bits. I try to think about what you'd do, but it doesn't always work," he groused. Elizabeth seemed frozen; her attention on him weighed heavily.

"I need you," he repeated, defeated. "And if I took the whole," he waved his left hand around, "thing seriously, then. . .." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Can we just forget that I'm an idiot and go back to being friends? Please?" Beyond everything else, he didn't want to lose her as his friend. He needed her in his life and he'd be content with just being friends if that was all he could get.

He gave her a miserable look and waited for a response. He sighed and closed his eyes. And waited.

John's eyes flew open when he felt her lips on his. The kiss was light, tentative, as if she didn't know how he'd react and was giving him time to decide. When he responded she leaned against his chest, and her soft lips grew more insistent, demanding. She crawled into his lap and her hands began to run up and down his sides.

She broke the kiss, smiling at what must have been a dazed expression on his face; he smiled back. She kissed his chin, his ear, then her lips moved to his cheek, and finally she left a small kiss on his lips before tucking her face into the side of his neck.

John's arms settled around her.

"I didn't know you felt that way," she told him. "There were hints, but I wasn't sure," John noted that she wasn't giving her side of the whole "feelings" talk much of an effort either, but he was too happy to get on her case about it.

"I don't think I realized it until now," he said quietly.

"I didn't want to be wrong and lose you," she explained. He wasn't used to seeing her as anything but totally sure of her actions. He tightened his arms around her.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

He shrugged and ran a hand lightly up and down her back. Her eyes drifted shut as he continued the soothing gesture. "Any ideas?" he asked.

She sighed and thought for a few moments before perking up as if an Idea had come to her.

"You know? I just might," she said, composing herself a little.

He looked at her for a full minute before cradling her face in his hands again and leaving a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Is it too early to say I love you?" he asked.

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him.

***

The next morning Elizabeth remained behind while John ran out to get permission to show her the ZPM machine glade. They'd spent the night cuddling and talking. Their first steps had been tentative, but had grown more confident as they continued to open up to one another. They were still dancing around some of their feelings for one another, but Elizabeth was confident with time they'd be able to work out the rough bits.

Under other circumstances she might have been concerned about consequences for their respective jobs. Given their success in arranging the acquisition of four ZPMs and related technologies, she was fairly confident that an arrangement could be reached for them. A compromise of sorts might be required; she didn't know what she'd do, but she'd fight if she had to.

She looked up and saw Yozel approaching. "John was just looking for you," Elizabeth said after they'd exchanged greetings.

"Then he'll find me here," the older woman replied as she settled down into the chair across from Elizabeth. "I know you're not really married to him."

Elizabeth's eyes widened and her blood ran cold. She opened her mouth to protest, but Yozel held up a hand. "Not yet at any rate," she told Elizabeth with a smirk. Elizabeth's jaw snapped shut. "I won't mention it to anyone else, and I'd suggest you don't as well."

Elizabeth nodded mutely, a thousand things running through her mind.

"I am touched that you thought enough of our customs to try and adhere to them," she said. "Unlike some others I can understand that not every culture is like ours. Am I correct in suspecting that hardly anyone in your group is married at all?"

Elizabeth nodded. "We do get married," she said. "It's just that," she sighed. "It's complicated in some cases," she frowned.

"I take it your case is complicated?" Yozel asked wryly.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and nodded. The other woman didn't know the half of it. "Very."

"May I guess? Because you're the leader?" she guessed.

Elizabeth nodded. "Our superiors aren't going to be pleased when we tell them that we want to be together."

"Would our ZPMs serve as a bargaining chip in your favor?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she nodded carefully. "You must understand that our primary need for the ZPMs is and will always be for the benefit of the expedition of the whole. However, such a large success occurring under our command. . .well, it certainly can't hurt." Elizabeth cleared her throat. "We only really started to address the nature of our relationship last night. We'd both been avoiding it. Yesterday we realized we can't anymore."

The Mizaran councilwoman nodded. "Well, I see no reason why our agreement shouldn't stand as is." She rose to her feet, waving Elizabeth back down when she tried to stand as well. "And I hope your superiors are wise enough to let you follow the good example of my people." She winked at Elizabeth and strode off.

***

Elizabeth stood between General O'Neill and John on the steps in the gateroom of Atlantis.

Asking O'Neill to be John's supervisor had been a good decision, she thought. Of course, his orders were still to report to her, but his evaluations and other matters were now technically the purview of General Jack O'Neill.

As part of that, he'd come to Atlantis to officially review John and set the paperwork in order. By coincidence O'Neill had been scheduled to arrive just around the anticipated reception of the new Mizaran ZPM. Elizabeth had seen an opportunity to kill a few birds with one stone. John had made an offhand comment about not realizing that the General was married, and she had remembered one of the suggestions he'd made the day he'd come back from the first trip. It wasn't exactly what John had initially suggested, but it gave her conscience a small measure of peace.

The Stargate came to life and a moment later a single figure strode through with a small travel case. General O'Neill had been rocking on the heels and balls of his feet for a past few minutes in anticipation. He rolled forward with a grin that matched the one on the blonde woman who'd just arrived.

Lt. Colonel Carter dropped her case as General O'Neill swept her up into a hug, then a kiss. Carter looked a little surprised at the public display of affection, but she didn't appear to be complaining.

Elizabeth glanced over at the Mizarans, who watched the couple approvingly. Although Yozel had conceded that other cultures didn't share their customs, Elizabeth felt that they would be much more reassured if they met someone from the Milky Way who was genuinely married.

Jack brought Sam back to the group, letting her case stay where it was for the moment.

"Daniel's mad he didn't get to come," Sam was telling Jack as they walked over.

"Yes," Jack said to the group at large. "Our son Daniel really wants to visit Atlantis, but he can't because he's too young."

Elizabeth swallowed a laugh and wondered what else Jack had been telling the Mizarans in her absence.

"Yes," Sam said, catching on. Bemused, she continued, "Vala and Cam say hello."

"The twins," Jack explained to the Mizarans. Sam nodded slowly. Elizabeth didn't want to think what he would come up with if anyone mentioned Teal'c.

."Cassie's doing well this semester." Sam paused, then added, "She wants to go to Jamaica for spring break."

"Will there be boys?" Jack asked.

"In Jamaica? Yes, Jack, they have boys in Jamaica," Sam replied dryly.

"Then she can't go," Jack said gravely. Sam rolled her eyes.

"We'll talk about it later," she assured him. They turned to greet the Mizarans, and Elizabeth sighed in relief. She finished the introductions and bid her goodbyes.

John silently followed her out of the room, down the twisting halls of Atlantis and to her quarters.

This was definitely a conversation to be held in private.

"So," John said with infinite casualness. "You're not really my boss anymore."

"No," she agreed. They wandered through her quarters toward the small balcony.

John dug into his pocket and began playing with something. "I was thinking," he began. "I mean we need to, you know, talk.,. But I was thinking it'd be kinda nice if, eventually, if you wanted to, we could, uhm," he paused and held out the silver band.

"It'd be nice if we could eventually stop lying to the Mizaras?" he concluded.

Elizabeth stared at the ring in his hands then back at him. John used his other hand to fish out his dog tags. The matching ring hung there with them.

"That'd be nice," Elizabeth agreed, taking the ring from his hand. She undid the chain that she was wearing and threaded it through the ring. John's hands brushed her neck, and he helped her put the necklace back on. His hands remained on her back, then slowly traced down her sides to rest on her hips. John's breath was hot on her neck as he pulled her back to his chest.

Elizabeth let her head back against his shoulder as his arms wound around her in a hug. They stood together on the small balcony and watched the play of the wind over the waves.

~fin