A/N: Well, here it is. The long awaited sequel to the Shepp/McKay whump-fest, Threads. Ladygris and dwparsnip helped quite a bit by giving their opinions and suggestions when asked and sometimes even when not asked. LOL

Thanks a bunch,

~ Sandy

Threads II

Loose Ends

Part 1

Jennifer rested her elbows on the desk and dropped her head into her hands. Not having slept well in several days, she was so tired she could barely think. God forbid she should be called upon to do surgery.

She'd been trying to complete her report covering the days that Rodney and John had been ill but was having a problem when she got to the incident that precipitated Rodney's confinement in the Infirmary followed by the brig and stasis. Rubbing a hand over her left bicep, she pushed up her sleeve and looked down at the one bruise that hadn't yet faded. It was like it didn't want her to forget the night the man she loved had nearly lost control. She could still see the shape of his fingers in brownish-purple on her arm.

Intellectually, Jennifer knew he hadn't known what he was doing, had no control. But emotionally, every time she closed her eyes to sleep or try to ease the near-constant headache, there he was, looking down at her as if her struggles and pleas excited him.

She also knew he could tell something was wrong though he hadn't figured it out yet. Hiding the bruise had become a habit because she didn't want to hurt him more than she was by denying his tentative advances. It was all she could do not to turn away when he gave her even a kiss on the cheek though it was getting better…slowly. Each time he hinted at wanting more, her hand would go again to her arm and she'd make up some excuse. Sooner or later he would demand an explanation and she had no idea how to tell the man she still loved with all her heart that she was afraid of him.

Pushing away from the desk and Jennifer slipped her jacket on. After a stop at the drug cabinet for a sleep aide, she informed Amanda that she was going to her quarters.

~~O~~

Amanda didn't like seeing the sadness on Jennifer's face. She knew her friend wasn't sleeping and that it had to do with something that had happened between her and Rodney but she wouldn't say what. Clicking the minimize button on her project, she opened the file labeled "M7M-536" and searched the reports for a clue. She found what she was looking for about a third of the way in. It had to be the cause of her sleepless nights as she'd stopped in the middle of a sentence, picking up where Rodney had been stunned by the security detail and continuing to the end.

She briefly considered telling John what was going on. After all, he was one of Rodney's best friends. Very briefly. I'll keep an eye on things for a while, see what happens.

"Hey."

John's voice broke into her thoughts startling her. "Stop sneaking up on me!"

"Wasn't sneaking. Ready for dinner?"

"Of course." Amanda shut down her workstation, took off her lab coat and followed John from the Infirmary. They'd had dinner or lunch together every day since that incredible night that he'd come to her quarters and confessed he loved her too. Well, he hadn't exactly said the words but she felt it every time he touched her, on the hand, brushing his fingers over her cheek or holding her in his arms.

What bothered her was how he treated her in public. Yes, they spent time together in the Mess Hall, movie night and long runs in the morning before breakfast. If they were sitting alone, she'd take his hand, he'd give it a quick squeeze and let go. Almost as if he were uncomfortable about being seen with her. When they passed in the hall he'd smile and nod. In front of others, he still called her "doc" but when they were alone, it was always "Mandy."

And yes, they were together nearly every evening just spending time with each other, but there was something missing and she didn't mean sex-they were taking that part of their relationship slow. But she felt as if he was holding a part of himself in reserve, as if he wasn't completely certain of their feelings for each other, and what was in store for them in the future. Almost as if he were waiting for another shoe to drop and she began to wonder if what they had was real or a result of the dire circumstances they'd been under. Until John had been cured of his condition, she's been absolutely certain she loved him as more than just a friend but now she began to question her own feelings as well as his.

Not wanting to deal with it tonight, she gave him a quick kiss and sent him on his way. She needed to think and couldn't do that when he was near.

~~O~~

Working late in his lab, Rodney couldn't keep his mind on work. Jennifer had put him off every time he suggested they do something alone. It wasn't just the fact that they hadn't made love in several weeks though that was part of it. He really missed just spending time with her. Sitting side by side on the bed working, sharing a bag of popcorn at the movies, holding hands as they watched the sunset or even the few minutes they spent talking as he was leaving on a mission or when she was just coming off a long shift as he was going on.

The only thing he could think of was that this incident had changed the way she felt about him. He readily admitted that he'd been unlike himself and she understood it was the Wraith DNA that had caused the outbursts that he didn't remember but had been told about.

I'll give her a few more days.

The decision made, his mind cleared enough to let him work.

~~O~~

John walked away from Amanda's door stopping at the corner to look back in bewilderment. She'd been unusually quiet all through dinner and on their walk through the arboretum. The same uncertainties that had crept into his mind after the first time they'd kissed were back. Like mental slugs, they crawled through his synapses leaving sticky trails of doubt everywhere they went. This time he knew those doubts had nothing to do with his condition because she still told him she loved him now that he was well. Until tonight. After a quick kiss, she'd gone into her room without another word. No "good-night", no "see ya later" and definitely no "I love you." He had started looking forward to hearing those three words said in her soft voice, her blue eyes sparkling. After not having anyone say them since long before his divorce, he'd been reminded of just how much he'd missed hearing them from a woman, or anyone, who loved him unconditionally.

Instead of going to his room, John went to the bar. Ronon was sitting alone so he grabbed a beer and joined him. They sat in silence until one of Rodney's staff, Dr. Madelena Weissmuller, sashayed across the room to his side. And sashay was the only way to describe her trek across the dance floor. The sensuous turn of her lips, swing of her hips, the curve-hugging slacks and low-cut top flashed her intent.

Mentally kicking himself for all the times he'd flirted with her, he smiled when she stopped next to him, one long-fingered hand resting on his shoulder. "Colonel Sheppard, would you care to dance?"

"Dr. Weissmuller…"

"Please, call me Madelena. And I will call you John." Her accent was straight out of Munich.

Giving her his most charming smile, he tried to let her down easy. "We were about to play a quick game of pool. Mind if I take a rain check?"

"Of course. I am offworld for the next forty-eight hours. Perhaps when I get back."

"Perhaps." John said noncommittally, his smile gone as soon as Madelena had crossed back to her seat at the bar.

"Hey." Ronon's deep voice turned John's attention from the heel of the boot resting on his knee. "Thought you and Cole were…"

"We are, sort of."

"So, what're you doing with…" The big guy pointed his chin at the blonde astrophysicist.

"I'm not doin' anything with her. I was just being nice."

"She won't see it that way."

John drank the last of his beer and signaled for another as he and Ronon moved over to the unused table in the far corner. "I can't control what she thinks." His friend didn't say anything so he glanced his way seeing a question in his eyes while he set up the table. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Good. Now can we drink our beer and play pool?"

TBC