Disclaimer – I own nothing but an overactive and demanding muse… alas, "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment.
Rating – T
Summary - Jennifer's actions during an offworld medical crisis lead to Atlantis being gifted with a most valuable object. Rodney is grateful to her, but when disaster strikes, they both end up fighting to survive on a hostile ice world.
Acknowledgments – All the McKellerites on GateWorld and especially ykickamoocow for the whole 'ice world' idea. I've had the title of this fic in my head since September last year. It's nice to finally have a story to attach to it!
Setting – Season 5, before 'The Shrine'

Chapter One – The Gift

Rodney sat in the main science lab examining an extremely complex schematic. He rubbed his forehead tiredly and glanced around the room with unfocused eyes for a brief moment before he returned to the problem which had been annoying him.

He was trying to conserve power from the ZPM while also increasing efficiency of the power crystal recharging device they had been using since they arrived on Atlantis. The power crystals were an integral part of just about everything in the city, from the Puddle Jumpers to the water heaters they used in the mess hall for coffee. The Naquadah generators had filled in the power gaps nicely when they were without a ZPM, but Rodney had always returned to the same problem week in, week out since they had arrived on Atlantis. He hoped that coming from a fresh and less exhausted angle would one day bring the sudden flash of brilliance he needed.

He looked at the diagrams scrolling up the screen and rolled his eyes as he willed himself to continue looking for the solution in the almost incomprehensible text.

He sighed and resolved to give up again for now. The more he worked at it, the more irritated it made him.

He instead moved his attention onto the more pressing matter of the power consumption level in Lab Three. At the rate they were going, the ZPM would be drained in a week. Maybe he should start rationing the energy siphoned from the carefully controlled quantum singularity inside the device? The scientists assigned to Lab Three would use up their quota in a few hours and end up having to work with candles for the next month!

His radio suddenly blared in his ear and shook him out of his plotting. "Dr McKay to the control room."

Rodney huffed in annoyance at the interruption and tapped his headset, "I'm busy. Can't you call someone else?" His tone was clipped, courtesy of the exasperated fury still boiling close to his surface at not being able to figure out the solution to the vexing problem yet again. But the Ancients had been a pretty clever bunch and he probably should not have even thought for a second he could ever find the answer. But he had to at least try and his arrogance told him that he could eventually best them if he tried hard enough.

The Gate Tech said evenly, "Dr Keller and her medical team just reported back from Nadath."

"A medical mission?" He folded his arms over his chest even though the man on the other end of the line could not see him. "What's that got to do with me?"

There was a slight pause and Rodney frowned. "Dr Keller asked for you specifically. They will be returning through the gate in a few minutes. She wants to meet you in the gate room when they get back."

Oh! Rodney thought. He stood up quickly and slammed his laptop closed with a little more force than was necessary in his haste. "I'll be right up." He had to restrain himself not to run. What does Jennifer want to see me for? He asked himself. Must be important.

Rodney entered the gate room just as the stargate activated. A marine gestured for him to wait behind the row of guards stationed around the room. The marine pointed his P90 at the shield and the Gate Tech high above in the control room called out, "Receiving Dr Keller's IDC. Lowering the shield."

Rodney watched in anticipation as the film of energy in front of the large ring disappeared and the wormhole rippled without disruption. His fingers were cramping and he realised that he had his fists tightly clenched and he was digging his nails into the palms. He took a couple of deep breaths and urged himself to relax. They had probably only found what they thought was a strange reading. It would then lead him to discover another scientifically useless bath house or bird catching device. Just like the week before when another team had come back with an 'exciting reading.' It had happened countless times before and would happen again and again. There was no need for him to get so worked up about it but he could not help it.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he told himself it was going to be nothing at all. But at least he would be able to speak with Jennifer for a moment about something he hopefully knew something about without the awkwardness. He always got attacked by feelings of social ineptitude and unworthiness whenever he tried and failed spectacularly to make small talk with her and his speech stuttered in nervousness and came grinding to an embarrassing halt.

Despite his best efforts to steel his emotions, as he stood there and waited impatiently, his heart still leapt up into his throat when Jennifer came through the gate. The marines backed away and lowered their guns. The one who had blocked Rodney indicated that it was clear when he remained rooted to the spot.

Jennifer had her medical rucksack on her back and another large holdall clutched in her right hand. Several doctors came through behind her along with a squad of marines who had been assigned to escort and protect.

Rodney frowned. Jennifer's eyes tracked around the room. She looked up to the control room and nodded and then continued to glance around. When she spotted Rodney, she immediately came over to him. He widened his eyes as she approached and he swallowed in what he was sure had been an audible gulp.

He finally got back the motor controls and function of his legs and was able to walk again. He met her in the middle of the gate room and she put the holdall down on the ground.

He said, "You wanted to see me?"

Jennifer smiled, "Definitely."

It seemed that everyone in the gate room was still and it was totally silent. Rodney felt the tension in the air and frowned in confusion as he looked at the people surrounding him. The marines were relaxed and the medical team had made no move to take all their equipment back to the infirmary or clear the room.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on Jennifer as she crouched down and slowly unzipped the holdall with the same degree of reverence Rodney himself held for manipulating the most intricate and interesting devices he found.

Jennifer's smile turned into a grin and Rodney felt a bubble of happiness forming in his chest at her expression and how her face was lit with a warm and intensely beautiful glow. He wondered what would happen to him if she were to ever direct a look like that in his direction. He found himself smiling at the thought, but his reaction was missed by everyone due to the distraction of Jennifer, who now had the holdall unzipped.

She placed her hands inside and drew something out.

Rodney heart skipped a beat and began pounding fitfully in his ribcage the moment he saw what she had brought back from the planet. He nearly collapsed as she shifted her gaze from the object and onto his face as she straightened up. He was unsure whether he was more overwhelmed by her expression and the attention she was giving him, as she scrutinised his reaction, or the object she held out to him.

Rodney blinked and looked down at the yellow stained glass ZPM, which was small, but held so much promise. "Where did you...? How did you...?" He stuttered.

Jennifer's grin broadened at his speech. "Do you want me to keep hold of it for now?"

"No no!" She held it out and Rodney's hands brushed against hers as she passed it to him. His excitement level shot up even further and it felt like he was going to explode. "Someone get me a scanner!" he called out to the whole room in a quivering voice. His whole body was trembling with unsuppressed jitters and he felt butterflies flapping wildly in his stomach.

Mr Woolsey had come down the stairs and was now standing with the group. Rodney was too awed as his attention was torn between the beauty of the blonde doctor in front of him and the phenomenal Ancient power source clutched tightly in his hands.

A voice announced, "Scanner." Rodney could not look to see who it was as his eyes flitted between the ZPM and Jennifer, but it sounded like Radek.

He was about to hold out his hand when another figure entered the corner of his eye and pried the ZPM from his sweaty and weak-fingered grip. He looked up in shock and Sheppard was gurning back at him in a dim reflection of the way he was feeling inside.

As he took the device away from Rodney, John said, "Hey, butterfingers, I'd better take that before you drop it."

Rodney felt a flickering hint of indignation and jealousy in his chest, but it was quickly destroyed by his eagerness to find out how much, if any, power was left in the object. His eyes briefly looked around at the growing crowd and he spotted Teyla and Ronon in there along with a few more scientists and marines who had happened to be passing through and were watching the scene unfold.

As he reconfigured the scanner, a thought suddenly crossed Rodney's mind; maybe all the build up and excitement was about to be broken. What if there was nothing left in the ZPM? His heart would be crushed and broken, and then to further twist the knife of sadness jabbed into him, he would have to announce it to all the gathered people. He could already see their disappointed faces peering back at him and all those emotions would be sent his way for being the one to destroy their hopes and happiness.

The scanner slipped a little in his slick grip and he was grateful that Sheppard was holding the ZPM for him. He would have hated to have been the one to drop the thing, especially right in front of Jennifer like that. Even though it was virtually indestructible, he would probably chip it and he would never live it down.

Mr Woolsey shifted impatiently and Rodney gritted his teeth and willed himself to work faster. Radek was next to him, holding a tablet. The Czech was tapping away on the screen at a blinding rate and pulled a cable out and passed it to Rodney. McKay took the proffered lead without question and automatically plugged it into the scanner. His hands started to shake as he held the scanner out towards the ZPM.

It seemed like everyone in the room was holding their breath. Rodney closed his mouth and sealed his throat behind his nose so that no air could reach him as he waited for the results of the scan to be processed.

After a few seconds he exhaled and said in breathily, "It can't be…"

Radek raised his eyebrows, "I think it might be."

"Really?"

Radek nodded, "Well, the readings prove it."

Sheppard frowned between them at the agreement the scientists had just shared with each other silently, but no one else. "What is it?"

Radek quickly grabbed the scanner from Rodney's hand as he started to wave his hands about in a dangerous way and Rodney enthused, "According to this, it's fully charged!" He looked down briefly and muttered, "Obviously we'll need to double check to make sure." His head snapped back up and he took in the whole room, where people were craning their necks to see over the tops of the gathered crowd and find out what the fuss was about.

Rodney's mouth lifted up and down a few times, like a fish gasping for air, as he lost his words.

Radek filled in for him. His voice wavered, but he was a lot calmer than Rodney. "We had a theory that the Ancients deposited ZPMs throughout the Pegasus and the Milky Way galaxies as an insurance against them running out of power. It would be unwise to store them all in the same place as that would draw the Wraith if they ever found out. Clues would be left in case the locations were forgotten."

John grinned, "Like a treasure hunt?"

Radek nodded, "In a way."

Rodney suddenly found his voice again as he squeaked, "Fully charged!" Jennifer caught his eye again, because she was not looking at the ZPM like everyone else. She was looking at him. It made his face fall in curiosity. Why was he so interesting when the precious ZPM should have been the centre of everyone's attention, especially a fully charged one?

She raised her eyebrows at his expression as if to say, "Well, you're looking at me too."

Rodney shook his head to clear it a little and then looked back at the device again as he continued for Radek, "That's the only explanation for finding it. If no power has been used at all, we've essentially got a power source that could last for years even with extensive usage."

Ronon grunted as he finished and said, "Hey, this is a big deal. Why don't we have some kind of celebration?"

Rodney shot him a disbelieving look and quickly said, "There isn't time! I have hundreds of experiments to prepare now that we have the extra power. Not to mention the reconfiguring of the entire power network required to compensate for the sudden addition of another…"

"McKay!" John all but shouted to cut him off.

Rodney's hands stopped mid swing and he looked at Sheppard. Several people laughed, but Rodney was too tightly wound to notice.

John was giving him a warning glare and then his eyes imperceptibly flicked to Dr Keller. Rodney thought he may have imagined it, but his intellect worked furiously fast, in his favour for once, and his mouth opened. He whispered "Oh!" as he realised. He looked at Jennifer and his heart clenched painfully when he saw that she was wearing a slightly hurt expression as she gazed down at the floor instead of at him. He quickly said, "A party! That sounds like a great idea," more to her than to Ronon.

Jennifer lifted her head and her eyes danced in happiness as she looked at him.

Teyla asked, "So, how did you obtain the ZPM, Dr Keller?"

Jennifer turned to look at her medical team and they smiled back at her. "We cured the strain of flu that's been ravaging the Nadathan population for centuries. They showed us a room full of trinkets and devices they had and I saw the ZPM. I told them I knew someone who could find a use for it."

Rodney nodded, "You got that right."

"They gave it to us. They said someone had tripped over it after ploughing a field a few years ago. They thought it looked nice, but had no idea what it actually was nor had any use for it."

Rodney's eyes widened, "They've got more?"

Jennifer laughed a little, "No more ZPMs, I'm afraid. They wanted to give us more things, but I said the ZPM would do fine."

Rodney looked at Mr Woolsey, "We have to send another team back to look at the rest of those devices!"

He nodded and said, "I'll schedule it in. But don't you have some of your own work to do?"

"Yes." Rodney beamed at Jennifer and then turned to John. "Okay, let's get this down to the labs."

The crowd disbursed and Rodney was too distracted by his animated and rapid conversation with Radek to notice what was going on around him as his feet took him on autopilot to the transporter and down to the lab.

TBC

Party! Party! Party! Yay…?