Spoilers: The Siege (1), Inferno and Allies (1).
A/N: Apologies if anyone doesn't like the name I've given Sergeant Canada! In my universe, I'm going to try Leo Dalhousie. Thanks to PartyLikeIts1984 at Gateworld ;)
Well, it's time to wrap this baby up. It's been fun, but Season 2 is at an end. Hope you enjoyed the ride. This chapter is ridiculously shippy, so look away now if you are easily offended ;) It's turned to mush. And OK, so it's been utterly unbelievable stuff, but well, hey, that's fiction.
I appreciate everyone's support and encouragement, especially to Fanwoman, Hananian, NenyaVilyaNenya, nebbyJen, gatermage, Purpleyin, Rocketlover, JazzyMcWeir and laurelisland. Special thanks to dahan!
Thanks to LittleKnux2008 for sticking with it as my wonderful beta.
Chapter Nine: set just hours before Allies
Chapter Nine
Rodney was sauntering down the stairs from the jumper bay. One eye was on his descent, the other on a small datapad in his hand. He was about to step down onto the last landing when he heard voices from the Control Room drifting up to meet him. He halted in his tracks, and strained to catch the conversation. As he listened, he nodded reflexively. He had been right; Elizabeth was talking to Sergeant Dalhousie. Then he heard them both laughing.
Cautiously, he leaned around, holding the rail, and caught a glimpse of the scene. There didn't appear to be anyone else in the area. Sergeant Dalhousie was swivelling casually from side to side on his chair, his hands gesturing as he recounted some tale or other. Elizabeth was standing near him, leaning against a console, her hands holding the desk edge. Dalhousie had her undivided attention. She smiled and nodded as he spoke, adding her own comment from time to time. She looked…happy.
Rodney felt one side of his mouth curling up in a half grin. So, she was finally letting herself interact with his fellow Canadian. The guy had done a reasonable job stepping into Peter's shoes, he'd decided. Despite being military, he'd qualified. And now Elizabeth seemed to be finally accepting that fact also. Well, he was pleased.
Taking another look, he saw Elizabeth chuckling, but then, her expression crumpled, and she put one hand over her mouth. She seemed to stifle a sob as she closed her eyes. Rodney gripped the rail hard to stop himself from rushing down the last flight of stairs. Dalhousie rolled his chair a little nearer to Elizabeth and looked up at her. Rodney watched as the Sergeant reached out tentatively and covered Elizabeth's hand with his own. It seemed like a long moment as they stayed like that, Elizabeth with her face still covered. Then she seemed to recover, and Dalhousie was standing now, talking quietly to her, his head low in concern. She was nodding, smiling weakly. She patted Dalhousie on the arm and he sat down again, fiddling with the console crystals distractedly.
Rodney decided it was time for him to make his entrance. As his feet bounced down the last two steps, Elizabeth looked up and saw him approaching.
"Rodney." She acknowledged him with a small but genuine smile.
"Elizabeth. Leo." Rodney gave them both a courteous nod.
The Canadian Sergeant nodded back. "Dr McKay."
Elizabeth leaned forward a little, and turned to Rodney, her smile a little broader. "Leo was just reminding me of that time Peter fell asleep in the corner!" She blinked, smiling.
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Oh, I remember. At least he wasn't on duty. You couldn't keep him away from here, could you?" he looked at Dalhousie.
"No sir. But I was always pleased to have him close at hand if I was on shift."
"Yes. Yes, I suppose you must have been." Rodney agreed. "Except when he was mocking us, right…?" Rodney raised an eyebrow.
Elizabeth laughed again, and Dalhousie answered dryly, "No, that part was less welcomed."
They shared a few moments silence with smiles on their faces, before Elizabeth placed her hand on Rodney's arm.
"Come on, Rodney, " she said, "I want you to show me your progress on the Orion."
"Right, right." Rodney clutched his datapad to his chest and followed her towards her office.
As she entered the room, she said, "Well, I'm glad I've been talking to Leo. He…understands."
Rodney nodded. "Yes. He's not so bad. Well, he tries."
She gave a small laugh. "I'll tell him you said that."
Rodney gave a grunt. "OK, well, I've got the Orion schematics and my latest summary here. You wanted to see?"
They sat at her desk, and Elizabeth took the datapad. She nodded as she concentrated.
With her eyes on the screen, she said quietly. "You've done amazing work in the past four weeks, Rodney. You really are invaluable. And what you did on Taranis… well done." She looked up.
"Thanks," he took a deep breath, recalling the brush with a supervolcano. "That was another close call."
She smiled. "Yes. I don't know how you do it. Got used to the adrenaline, perhaps?"
The side of his mouth twitched. "Yes, well, it would appear that way. Can't resist the lure of danger, that's me."
She put down the datapad. "I'm glad we reviewed the mission logs together. I feel I have a much better sense of where this expedition needs to be heading. I think it also helped me to understand what you do. I mean, we both agreed that without Sheppard none of us would be here."
Rodney nodded.
Elizabeth continued. "And without you… I certainly wouldn't be here. Thank you… for everything." She leaned forward just a little to add weight to her words.
He shrugged. "Just… doing what comes naturally. I'd do it all again." He looked straight at her.
Elizabeth looked down, and grinned. "It's been an incredible couple of years. And I had no idea you'd met so many 'hot' women." Her expression was one of pure tease.
He threw his hands up in despair. "Are you ever going to drop that? I'm gonna kill Sheppard, can't he write a professional report? Ever since we went over the mission logs…"
She interrupted him by briefly putting a hand on his arm. "It's OK, Rodney. I'm just kidding. It's funny, really. I can imagine you and John, comparing notes…" she chuckled.
"We do not!" he retorted. "Elizabeth. I can assure you… I am completely professional at all times on a mission." He continued, a little more sheepishly, "Yes, well, I suppose we might… Anyway, we can't help it if all these alien women throw themselves at us. Like these really … hot…" He stopped talking, suddenly looking at Elizabeth closely. His eyes narrowed a little, and he chewed on his lower lip.
She frowned, watching him think. "Rodney? Are you all right?"
He shook his head and blinked. "Yes. Yes. I… um… you're…" His own frown deepened, and he dropped his eyes to the desk.
"Rodney?" She touched his arm again.
He drew his hands off the table and put them on the arms of the chair. The side of his mouth twitched nervously. "Do you want me to leave you those schematics?"
He was hiding something, and looked as if he wanted to leave quickly; it was obvious. She raised an eyebrow, and looked at him long and hard. "Would you look at them with me?"
"Sure." He looked really nervous now.
She decided to do a little straight talking. "Rodney? We've had a tough year, you and I. But we've saved our friendship. I made a lot of mistakes, and I'm sorry. You knew I was hurting, but I'm dealing with that. You knew something was wrong. If there's something still troubling you, I want to know about it."
He had a shocked expression on his face. "No! Nothing troubling me. I just... for a moment there, I…" he gulped. "Sorry, I was just distracted for a moment. I'm kinda tired. Do you mind if we wrap it up?"
He stood up, and Elizabeth rose too. He waggled some fingers in the air. "I'm glad we're fine again, Elizabeth. Really."
She wasn't going to let him get out of it that easily. Elizabeth stepped around the desk and moved to join him as he stood next to the chair. She put her arms around him and waited for him to envelop her in the hug they hadn't shared for a long time. He sighed as he squeezed her tight, his head resting against hers.
"Damn it." Rodney whispered quietly, but she heard it.
"Rodney?"
He sighed again, this time it was tinged with apprehension. "I never want to lose you as a friend, Elizabeth."
She drew away enough to see his face, and her hand reached up to touch his cheek. "You won't. I promise. And I never want to lose you… period. When you go through that gate, you have no idea what it feels like, knowing one of you might not return. Knowing you might not return."
"Really?" he couldn't help his hopeful question.
"Of course." She slipped herself back into the hug. "I hate that feeling. Maybe it's why I was so… angry. We… I've lost enough. I just don't know if I can lose you…"
Before he could stop himself, Rodney leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. Just a small, tender kiss. "Don't say all those things, Elizabeth," he breathed, "You're stronger than that. There's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect." Before her eyes changed their mind, he came in for the next breath-taking instalment, and found no resistance.
Sergeant Dalhousie cleared his throat as he stood at the door of her office, and watched his superiors almost jump apart. "Sorry, Dr Weir, Dr McKay. I wouldn't interrupt, but I've got a Hive ship on the long-range sensors. It's going to be here within hours." He waited for their nods, and then returned to the Control Room.
Elizabeth took hold of Rodney's forearms and put them back around her waist. "Rodney. Once we deal with this, we'll talk, OK?" She leaned in and kissed him squarely on the lips. With her arms around his neck, they pressed together in a tight embrace.
He buried his face in her dark curls, and whispered, "I love you."
"I thought so," she murmured against his neck. "I love you, too."
Pulling apart, Rodney rubbed his hands together. "OK, Hive ship. Let's get to work." He gave her a broad grin, and bounced out the door. She couldn't stop her own smile. Things were almost like they used to be, only better.
A/N: Did I mention you can always get free anti-sickness tablets at the Information Desk on Deck Six? Hope you enjoyed the cruise…
Thanks, all, and byeeee.