Summary: McKay finds a strange contraption. What does it do? Read to find out...Sequel to "Of Chocolate and Edible Boxers"
Pairing: Weir/McKay (of course) with a little bit of implied Teyla/Sheppard
Spoilers: Eh...if you haven't seen any of Atlantis, then I suppose this fic could be considered a spoiler
Archives: (this applies to all of my stories) Go right ahead! Just send me a link, and make certain you give credit where credit is due
A/N: Well, I've done it again. Only this time instead of being sleep-deprived, I'm drugged up with pain pills for a badly sprained ankle. This can be considered a sequel to "Of Chocolate and Edible Boxers". What chocolate has to do with the rest of it, I really haven't figured out yet. Again, it's only a PG-13 fic, so nothing too mature going on.
Chapter One: Distractions Are Costly
Elizabeth forced herself to concentrate on Doctor Zelenka's report. She didn't know when it had happened, but she was suddenly and completely uninterested in paperwork of any kind. And it had nothing to do with the fact that Rodney had just walked in with Teyla, Sheppard and Ford and was laughing with them; nothing to do with the fact that he looked so damn cute when he grinned like that.
It was all her subconscious' fault really. Because of that damn dream she'd had a few nights ago, she hadn't been able to think about chocolate, boxers or Rodney without being reminded forcibly of it. At least McKay didn't know about it; that was something to be grateful for. She had quickly covered her little slip of the tongue by pretending that she was still half asleep, and he had bought it. Unfortunately, it had also landed her in hot water with Carson, who took his job of taking care of the people of Atlantis quite seriously.
Of course, none of that helped her out now, when he was standing not five feet away and expecting her to say something. Wait, he had asked her a question. No, Sheppard had. And they were all staring at her expectantly. She cast about in a panic for what the question was. Nothing.
"I uh..." she stammered, "I was distracted, sorry. Could you repeat the question?"
"I didn't realize paperwork could be so stimulating," John quipped, grinning evilly, "Especially when you were staring at something else entirely."
Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush, but she refused to let herself look over at Rodney, certain the major had absolutely no idea what she had just been thinking. "I was trying to determine the proper wording," she told him loftily, "and I often stare off at nothing in order to think."
Rodney snorted and muttered, "Yeah, right."
"I didn't quite catch that, Rodney," Elizabeth said, her sense of panic nearly going into overdrive. Did he know after all? Damn imp, she thought to herself, why did you have to get me into this mess? "Could you repeat yourself." Good, her voice was nice and calm.
The physicist had the grace to look ashamed--which made him look rather adorable-- Oh no, not again...go away little imp but he repeated his sentiments anyway. "I said 'yeah right', because everybody considers the proper wording when reading somebody else's report. It's very important, you know." Sarcasm dripped heavily from his tone. Then again, it almost always did. It was one of the things she loved the most about him.
No! I do not love Rodney McKay. I do not! Elizabeth had to fight back a groan. This conversation was not going very well at all.
"What Major Sheppard asked was," Ford broke in, taking pity on her. Elizabeth silently thanked him, and promised herself that she would give him something in return, "if you'd like to join us for a little luncheon. The major was telling Teyla about some Earth customs and she seemed to like the idea, so now we're inviting a few people."
"Actually, it was just going to be me and Teyla," John said, sounding a little put out, "But since a luncheon should really consist of more than two people...we decided to invite Ford. He in turn invited McKay-out of pity, I might add-and McKay remembered that you had a rough time a few nights ago and thought you'd like to join us as well."
"Out of pity?" Rodney asked before Elizabeth could respond, "What's that supposed to mean? Oh wait, I'm sorry. You only understand Neanderthal speak. Joke bad. Not funny. We go. Let you have girl alone."
John rolled his eyes, a faint hint of color rising in his cheeks. "So, Doctor Weir," he said, ignoring Rodney's implications that he would rather be alone with Teyla, "You in or not?"
"We would be honored if you chose to join us," Teyla said with a slight bow and a small smile in Sheppard's direction.
Elizabeth sighed. Food of any kind sounded wonderful at the moment, but she had already nearly lost control of her mouth. No, wait. She was not going to let a little attraction-okay so it wasn't so little, but still-keep her from enjoying herself. She had a duty to perform and if she couldn't stop going into a trance every time she laid eyes on Rodney, then she needed to give up now, let somebody else take over.
"I'm in. What time?" Elizabeth forced a smile onto her face and looked right at Rodney. He seemed taken aback for a minute and almost confused.
"Uh...now. We're having it now, right?" he asked, turning to John.
"Yup."
"Great," Rodney beamed, "Pack up your stuff, Lizzy and we'll get going. There's this great new place that I found earlier-it looks out onto the ocean but it's completely enclosed. Kinda like a promenade deck for a ship. I can finish up my studies on this new device in there too."
"Sounds good," Elizabeth murmured. He was so cute when he got excited. Ack!, "But don't call me Lizzy. I always hated that nickname."
"Sure thing, Lizzy," John responded immediately, "We won't call you Lizzy ever again. Okay Lizzy?"
Ford snorted, then quickly hid the grin on his face when Elizabeth turned the full force of her glare on him. "Uh...so let's get going," the young lieutenant urged, "Before all this wonderful food gets cold."
"It's MRE's and turkey sandwiches, Lieutenant," Rodney said scathingly, "They're already cold. However, I am in agreement that we should hurry along. I can feel the lining of my stomach grinding away at itself."
"All right," Elizabeth conceded when it looked like it was about to escalate into a full blown argument, "I'm coming."
Elizabeth awoke with a start. For a moment, the disorientation that always accompanied waking in a new place, kept her still. Then she realized she was in the infirmary. Frowning, she tried to remember what had happened last. They had all gone to eat, then Rodney had got his hand stuck in some kind of machine and when she had gone to help out, everything had gone dark.
She sat up only to lay back down again when a wave of dizziness hit her. Okay, so that hadn't been such a bright idea. Waiting for the spinning to stop, she-slowly this time-sat up. Much better. Now, everything was just all wavey instead of circling about. A quick check of nearby beds told her that either Rodney hadn't been hit with what she had, or was in more critical condition. Oh, God, I hope not, she prayed fervently.
Again she tried to recall the exact sequence of events leading up to her blacking out, but her mind refused to provide the details in anything other than a fuzzy sort of way. She sighed and closed her eyes, gathering her strength before she pushed herself off the bed. The dizziness passed much quicker this time and she stumbled to the doors of the infirmary, unmindful of the short hospital gown she wore.
"And where do ye think ye're goin'," Carson's thick brogue broke in, "Ye shouldna be up, lass."
Elizabeth sighed and spun about to face the Scottish doctor, and then wished she hadn't when she swayed on her feet. "I'm sorry Carson, but I can't lay about in the infirmary all the time..."
"Ye can when you've been hit with the equivalent of two-thousand volts of electricity," Doctor Beckett argued, "Now, back into bed with you. Go on, no arguments."
"How's Rodney," Elizabeth asked, when she realized Carson wasn't going to be deterred, "And the others," she added belatedly. Oh, that was so not good. She was being distracted again.
"Oh, he's fine," Carson responded, a little hesitantly, "But then again, he wasn't hit as hard as you were."
"What aren't you telling me?" Elizabeth demanded. She couldn't afford to be ill, couldn't let anyone see her weak.
Carson hesitated again, but then sighed when he realized she wouldn't back down. "Well, from what I've been able to tell...that thing was a..well...it was a breeding facility."
Elizabeth stared at him uncomprehendingly. No, she just didn't want to comprehend. "What are you saying, Doctor?" This cannot be happening. It can't.
"Well...to be frank, Elizabeth, you're pregnant."
Hmm...this kind of turned out more serious than I expected. Well, let me know what you think and if I should continue