This is my 40th Stargate-Atlantis story. I feel like celebrating! I love writing in this fandom. And a big thank you to all of you very kind and conscientious people who have provided feedback and comments on my stories. I should be as good at doing the same! I am terribly bad at taking the time to review the stories that I read, I commend those of you who take the time to do it.

It's an utter joy for me writing these stories. Hearing from you all is delicious icing on my creativity cake.

Happy Thanksgiving! DeniseV

---

Heat

"I doubt that it qualifies as the worst thing either of us has ever experienced, Rodney," Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard lectured as he wiped the seemingly ever-present sweat from this brow. This extended period of time spent sitting around suffering the bruising heat of the desert was making the Air Force colonel irritable. Having to talk with anyone, especially the ever-frustrating astrophysicist was just making him more so.

Dr. Rodney McKay sat on the floor in the back of the jumper. He was stripped down to all that he was currently willing to discard so far as clothes was concerned: his boxers under his pants, both of those remained, and his t-shirt, which was pretty much soaked through with sweat. He had been working hard, trying to find some way to jerry-rig the Ancient shuttle and get his team off of the miserable desert-like planet where they had crash landed. He had only stopped fiddling with the crystals and switches because Sheppard had insisted that it was too hot to work. He had, in effect, been ordered to halt the only efforts that could get them off this hell-hole of a planet. And now he was being lectured to. What a great day this was turning out to be.

"I think that it might yet be too early to make that determination," the scientist answered. It wasn't strident, the way it might have been if the temperature wasn't tipping the forty degree Celsius mark. It was quiet and lacked any sign of energy or interest. And it was weird-sounding coming from McKay.

Teyla Emmagen and Ronon Dex were both suffering through the heat as well, though they seemed to recognize that talking would just drain them more. Evidently it would take McKay and Sheppard somewhat longer to learn that lesson. If ever.

"I can tell you this, McKay. This is a lot better than being fed on by a Wraith. Over and over and over again."

Teyla looked toward her team leader questioningly. Her expression said everything that she chose not to verbalize: McKay never said what John had implied, and why are you taunting him when you know that he will take the bait?

"Did I say that?" Rodney retorted predictably. "I simply stated that I wouldn't survive the hours that we would be here before Weir realized that we would need a rescue. I never said anything about you. If I was talking about you I might have said something like 'Sheppard, who is an incredible macho man in case you hadn't heard, would never be bothered by heat like this.' You see how that works, Colonel!" The chief science officer of the Atlantis expedition was shouting by the end of his explanation, and panting. The air was thick with stifling heat and suffocating humidity. No breath felt very satisfying, even in the shelter from the sun that the jumper provided.

Teyla looked to Ronon, who shook his head but said nothing.

"Okay, McKay. You made your point. Just rest for now. You'll need your energy when the sun goes down."

Rodney stayed quiet even though everyone else in the puddle jumper knew what his reply would have been: even if they stayed quiet and rested, they would still have less energy hours from now than they had at present.

The colonel had made the decision, and the entire team had agreed, that they should stay with the jumper until the desert sun went down. They would give McKay a couple of hours at that time to try to right what was currently wrong with the Ancient spacecraft. If it couldn't be fixed in that short timeframe, and with only the light of their flashlights, P-90s and hopefully two full moons to work with it was asking a lot of the usually reliable genius, then they would take advantage of the relative cool of the night and head in the direction of the only oasis they had registered on their scanners during their doomed flight. There was a lush jungle on the southern expanse; it was in the direction they were heading before the jumper died on them.

This was, of course, the second time a puddle jumper had experienced near-catastrophic failure on McKay's watch. It had in fact been fully catastrophic to Griffin the last time. Luck was on his side this time in that Sheppard was a great pilot, with or without power. McKay had yet to figure out how they had become powerless in the first place, but the colonel had done his job to keep them all alive so that Rodney would have the opportunity to find that answer.

The rest of the team knew that McKay was angry about the stand down order from Sheppard. The scientist would have stayed on it for hours, even if it meant passing out from the effort. But passing out and heat exhaustion were two things that the team could ill afford in conditions like this; they needed their genius fresh for whatever untold evil lay ahead for them on this damnable mission.

Night came dreadfully slowly, the beautiful colors of the setting sun sadly lost on the hot and weary travelers. Once the sun was down, McKay was up, pulling panels off and wires and crystals out and working feverishly to fix whatever was broke. It had been close to an hour and a half and Rodney had yet to give any of his fixes a trial run. A lot of what McKay had been doing the last while was very familiar: the quick and confident pulling and replacing of the panels – he knew exactly what was behind each of those panels as though he'd built the machine himself, from component parts all the way to assembly. It was amazing to watch…when he was working on one in the jumper bay back home. But not here. Here it was decidedly disconcerting given the apparent lack of progress.

The tinkering and the talking to himself and wiping the sweat from his face and drying his hands on his pants; the first two actions were quite familiar to anyone who'd spent any time around a motivated Rodney McKay; the third was a necessary by-product of their unfortunate location. But time was running out, much the same way any dry space was left on Mr. Fixit's BDUs.

"McKay, how're you doing down there?" Sheppard asked as he knelt next to the prone 'mechanic'. Rodney allowed his head to fall to the floor. He took a long, deep and less than satisfying breath in and out before he answered.

"I think you know the answer to that," Rodney replied discouragingly. "I've got no power and I don't know why. There's no juice, and I can't figure out any reason for it."

"There may not be a good reason for it," John noted. "We are in the Pegasus Galaxy." Rodney conceded the point with a silent nod. "Can you fix it in the next thirty minutes?"

"No, Colonel, I cannot fix it in the next thirty minutes," McKay responded harshly. Rodney took another breath and spoke more calmly but no less passionately. "I cannot fix it in the next thirty years without new crystals, about a dozen switches, and maybe Radek to help." Rodney yearned for his scientist friend in moments like this. He could spend less energy talking, using the precious resource instead to get work done. The two men were so in synch in so many ways, despite their differences. And did they ever have differences, but even thinking about that list was a tiring waste of energy. The Canadian was calming down from his near rant thinking about Radek's help when he added, "Or a clone of me. Something fried most everything of importance."

"Maybe it was the heat from this planet," Ronon Dex offered.

John gave Dex a dirty look, making it clear that comments like that weren't helpful, but Rodney snapped his fingers excitedly as he eased out from under the console. He started to stand but fell back ungainly on his butt, not having the energy he was expecting, or needed, to make it up off the floor on his own. Sheppard offered his hand to help him the rest of the way up.

"Thanks."

"You okay?" John asked, handing Rodney a canteen. "Have you been drinking regularly?" It was important that they all did their part to ward off dehydration for as long as they could. The heat index had to be through the roof. They had made a conscious decision to not venture outside, though it was tempting to at least try to see if it was cooler outside of the metal box they were using for cover. But each in their own turn had tried that already, and only come back hot and disgruntled and with the disturbing realization that there was no satisfactory relief from the desert heat, inside or out. At least inside they didn't have the sun beating directly down on them.

McKay took a greedy swallow and answered, "Been busy," he replied, panting through the large refreshing swig of tepid water. He pointed to Ronon. "We didn't detect any anomalies in the atmosphere or on the planet before we lost power, but that doesn't mean there weren't any."

"Anomalies? Like some EM stream, or that Wraith-buster thing on Chaya's planet?" Sheppard asked, hesitant to bring up any unpleasant memories from that time. He knew Rodney still harbored some resentment towards him on that one.

"Something like that," McKay answered sourly, thoughts of Chaya and the colonel's behavior still lingering for the scientist.

"Okay. So, not fixable, then?" John asked, just to make sure.

Rodney lowered his head dejectedly. He shook it slightly, which clearly projected his answer long before he verbalized it. He looked his friend in the eye and said, "No."

Sheppard nodded, knowing that McKay had done his best. There was no way Rodney McKay would suffer the heat of today, trudge through sand dunes tonight with the possibility of more heat and sand awaiting him before reaching the jungle refuge tomorrow if he had a choice.

"Okay, so that's one more jumper lost." Rodney cringed at the comment. John noticed. He would have dope-slapped himself if he thought it wouldn't be such a waste of precious energy. "Sorry, Rodney," he apologized. "I didn't mean…"

"No. I know. That wasn't my fault either. It's just that," he once again wiped the sweat from his face, and then brushed his hands against his pants, a pattern that was becoming all too familiar and more worrisome by the minute as McKay lost fluids at an alarming rate. And the repetitiveness of the action was reminiscent of a caged wild but weary animal. Not good. "It really seems like it's my fault."

Teyla walked over to him. She rested her hand on the physicist's shoulder, the surprising heat and wetness almost causing her to pull her hand back. But she didn't, because McKay needed the comfort.

"We know that you have done all that you could."

"That's right," Ronon added. "So we should get moving." McKay looked up, startled by what Ronon had said.

"No! I…we have thirty minutes. I might…"

Sheppard interrupted. "You said you can't fix it."

"I might get lucky?" Rodney asked. McKay's desperation was painful to see, and his next reaction wouldn't be any easier for his teammates to witness.

"That seems unlikely. We should head out," Sheppard said softly.

McKay looked crestfallen, as though his inability to fix the jumper in these conditions was a personal failing rather than the completely bad luck that seemed to dog them in this galaxy. He nodded his assent anyway. "Let me pack my stuff."

"Nope. No packs. Strap down as much water as you can handle, we'll take a couple of survival packs, a med kit, weapons, an LSD, some flashlights." John looked into the sky through the jumper's cargo door that they had opened through sheer brute force not long after the craft had stilled from the rocky landing. "Scratch the flashlights."

"Food?" Rodney asked. He knew he wouldn't win the argument on the other equipment and it made no sense to waste the effort bothering to fight that fight.

"Whatever you can fit in your pockets. You can put your vest back on if you want." It was an empty offer, really. Nobody wanted to put anything back on that they had already discarded from their bodies. It was just that hot.

"No." The thought of putting any clothes back on was on the level of sheer insanity, McKay's face so clearly told that tale. "There's bound to be food in the jungle, other than citrus, right?" he asked, not the least bit enthusiastic about the next part of their misadventure.

"Sure," John answered, patting Rodney fondly on his chest as he walked by. Sheppard brought his hand away, noting the wetness. "Ew," he said lightly, and then wiped his wet fingers on the right back leg of McKay's BDUs; it was about the only section of clothing on the scientist that wasn't soaked. McKay gave him a dirty look. "But we're not going to be here long enough to worry about that."

"You don't think so?" Rodney asked hopefully.

"Nah," John began, trying to sound positive. "Elizabeth will figure something out. And Radek," he added, knowing that Rodney's trust in his Czech counterpart had soared after coming up with the miraculous rescue from the sunken puddle jumper. "I mean, they know where we went, and when we don't check in…." Sheppard stopped, because where he was heading with the conversation wasn't going to make anyone happy.

So much for remaining positive.

"Yes, but you see, that's the problem. If WE had trouble with the power, then Atlantis can't contact us, at least not through the jumper." Rodney always figured these things out so fast. Even in his current anxious state, the genius was always thinking, and this time he'd barreled roughshod over Sheppard to the logical conclusion.

"Our personal radios, they won't reach up to the gate in orbit here," he said, making his point by pointing up to the bright night sky. McKay's worry was palpable; it had both Teyla and Ronon standing, listening to the bad news.

"Hold up, Rodney. They'll figure it out. Radek'll boost the signal. They'll send the Daedalus." McKay was getting all riled up about this, and John hoped he was right about the Daedalus, or he'd be worrying himself pretty soon, too.

"The Daedalus?" McKay looked around the cabin – it was almost manic how he scanned with his eyes, finally setting his sight on his targets: his vest and pack. "If we're planning to be here for days not hours, then we need more of our stuff." He busied himself with checking his pack for necessary equipment and other gear.

Sheppard needed to nip this PDQ; Rodney was getting way too anxious about the situation. And an anxious Rodney McKay wasn't going to help Rodney or anyone else right now.

"Hey, McKay. Come on," John started, going to his friend and taking the pack from his hands. He turned him around and said, "Rodney?" McKay stopped his fretting and turned to the colonel. "Is the heat goin' to your head? The Daedalus is in orbit over Atlantis right now."

"Yes. But it's scheduled to leave in the morning." McKay sat, weary from the heat, the worry, the working, the thinking. More worry. "Oh."

Uh-oh. Nothing coming from McKay right now was making Sheppard feel good. He knew it was the heat: Rodney never did well in excessive heat, or excessive cold for that matter. But they hadn't ever faced anything quite like this extreme. The fact that Rodney had been working hard, both physically and mentally, to try to fix the jumper had to have made him feel the heat more than the rest, unfortunately in more ways than just the physical.

Was it heat stroke that was already affecting his friend? He was still sweating, which was good, but not nearly as much as before. None of them were, but none of the rest of them had been working the way McKay had. It was the strange behavior, the disquieting confusion – those symptoms alone were alarming and certainly could herald the onset of heat exhaustion, or worse. The fact that McKay hadn't remembered about the Daedalus was the most upsetting, as he had been working closely with Caldwell and his team to finalize the refurbishment of the weapons storage facilities on board just the day before.

"We're heading out," John said, pushing the canteen up that Rodney still held in his hand. "Drink some more. We can have a team from the Daedalus come back and get our stuff."

"Okay." He took another drink obediently. "Maybe the Daedalus could beam up the entire ship. It could be salvageable."

That was better. Sheppard looked to his other teammates. He cocked his head slightly as a sad grin adorned his face. He looked back to Rodney and said, "Sure. We can give it a try." Then he turned to the rest of his team and said, "We're good. Let's take five minutes to gather what we need." Rodney started to rise. "Not you. You've done your job trying to fix this bucket of bolts. Take another couple of minutes to catch your breath."

McKay didn't respond. Sheppard sat next to him and asked, "You feeling okay, buddy?"

"Who could feel okay with this heat? Seriously?"

Even the sarcasm had none of the normal McKay bite.

"I'm with ya," John answered lightly. "Drink a little more. Don't want anybody getting dehydrated."

"No. I'm feeling waterlogged and a little bit sick to my stomach."

Shit. This probably was the beginnings of heat exhaustion. But it was early, and now that the sun had gone down there was just a little relief out there. Maybe they had time to get to the lush jungle location so that they could stave off the debilitating effects of that condition.

"We've got to do some walking. You gonna be okay with that?" John asked casually.

"Sure. I mean, we have to, right?" Sheppard nodded his head reluctantly. They did have to do it, but he hated having to make Rodney do it. "Okay. Then let's go."

This was so like McKay. He noticeably wasn't felling well, there wasn't anything he could do to hide that fact. Rodney's face hid nothing: joy, contempt, worry, exhilaration, disappointment – every emotion he ever experienced was always wondrously written over his face. Sheppard had always taken advantage of that open book, and he had come to find that reading that book, no matter what the subject, did something special for him. He knew that his life had changed forever since coming on this great adventure, but finding a friend in McKay had been the most surprising part of it all. He would do anything to not have to see the pain that his friend would experience as he made this next part of their journey. But one thing was for sure: he would be right by Rodney's side should he stumble.

And wasn't that miraculous considering what an enormous pain in the ass McKay could be?

The trek was a good half a dozen kilometers by Sheppard's estimate. They would have to keep a steady pace to get through the dune-laden desert before the sun rose once more, because it was definitely the scorching sun that was the true danger on this planet. That steady pace was going to be rough on them all, but Sheppard worried, as did his teammates, about McKay. Rodney would not be able to continue once the sun started beating on him, which meant that the physicist would have to stick with the plan and keep moving forward, no matter how rough things seemed over this long night.

"We've got several miles ahead of us," Sheppard reminded his caravan companions. He looked up at the overhead lighting provided by the planetary body's two moons. "Let's move out."

---

Ronon and Teyla took point. Rodney followed along quietly. It was strange. Not the configuration, that was one of their standard set-ups when out on patrol or otherwise exploring. No. It was the quiet. No comments or complaints from the Canadian contingent. It was unnatural.

John covered their six, principally to keep an eye on his friend. The twin moons lit their path well, the troublesome dunes that might have tripped them up in the light of their flashlights and weapons were easily spotted, though not so easily traversed. It seemed like they lucked out on weather, at least insofar as the clear night sky; they likely would have this dusk rather than dark light for their entire hike, which would help them progress faster and easier to their oasis destination.

Easy was relative, however, in the soft, shifting sands. They'd all made missteps in the short time they had been on their night journey, and though the temperature had cooled, it was still not more than twenty-five degrees, Fahrenheit, cooler than earlier. The sand stuck to their skin and made the team even more uncomfortable than before their hike began.

McKay remained eerily quiet, and trudged forward, somehow managing to stay in a relatively straight course behind his teammates. When he did drift, he corrected himself readily. It was the simple fact that he drifted that was disquieting.

After nearly forty-five minutes of non-stop walking, Sheppard called for a break.

"Let's take five," he ordered as he continued to catch up to the leaders of their pack. Rodney continued on too, but when he and Sheppard reached Ronon and Teyla, he did not stop.

"McKay?" Ronon asked, grabbing his arm and stopping his forward progression.

Rodney turned and raised his eyebrows in question.

"We are resting for a few minutes," Teyla explained to the seemingly bewildered man.

McKay bobbed his head once, and then again in acknowledgement as Ronon sat in the sand. John joined the Satedan for the much needed respite. As Rodney continued to look forward, Teyla touched his arm.

"Dr. McKay? Should you not sit and rest?"

The physicist looked up at the moons directly above them, and then looked around at the massive expanse of sand. Everything appeared tinted blue, which seemed to have a cooling effect…as much as it could. They were atop a dune and able to see the small hills and valleys they had crossed as well as the ones that still lay in their path. It looked like the sand was beginning to flatten; a break from the torturous deep sand would benefit them all, both physically and, more importantly, psychologically.

"McKay?" John asked. Rodney finally turned to find his three teammates seated on their small hill, watching him with apprehension.

He grinned, though it seemed a pained one. John doubted that the pain right now was purely physical. It was more likely the pain of admitting what he did in the first words he would speak in close to an hour, certainly a record for a conscious Rodney McKay.

"I'm pretty certain that if I sit you won't get me back up."

Ronon looked away, not wanting to be witness to McKay's admission. Teyla smiled warmly, which seemed to lighten Rodney's spirits just a bit, his own smile now not as burdened as it was mere seconds ago. Sheppard, who knew McKay best and always knew when Rodney was in a mood for exaggeration, could tell that this was not one of those times.

Sheppard rose and walked to his friend, his own movement stiff from the all-too-brief sit-down. He took the canteen hanging from McKay's neck, opened it, and handed it to his friend.

"Drink," he said. Then he walked around and faced Rodney's back. "I know your back is sore," he started. "I can tell by the way you're walking. Your hip's going to start hurting soon." They had all suffered cuts and bruises from the violent landing. Nobody had experienced any serious injury; luck was on their side in that respect. So far, it had been the only good luck they had enjoyed on this mission. But between getting knocked around the cabin and working in every hard to get to space in the puddle jumper, Rodney had to be feeling the burn.

"I'm going to use my magic fingers and try to get the kinks out," Sheppard explained casually as he placed both hands on either of Rodney's shoulders.

"No!" McKay insisted as he took a step away. His feet were planted firmly, deep in the sand, as though he needed that extra coverage to hold himself up and remain erect. He turned around to look at John. His eyes sparkled as they tried to hold the precious moisture in. He leaned in close to Sheppard and whispered, "I…I don't think…I can't have…" A tear fell from McKay's left eye. He blinked, releasing more drops down his cheek. "I won't make it," he whispered. "If you touch me, if anyone touches me, I'll fall. I don't know why. I don't want to let you down," he ended, quieter than John had ever remembered hearing him speak.

Sheppard thought that McKay had been holding up well, but it was pretty clear that it was sheer McKay stubbornness that provided that illusion.

John pulled his hands back and said, "Okay." Rodney's head was now facing the ground in front of him. Sheppard said quietly, "McKay." The scientist continued to keep his head down, embarrassed by this outburst in front of his team. One thing that Rodney had learned all too readily in his life was that if you showed a moment of weakness, you usually suffered the consequences, which in his case was a reputation for being weak. Not weak of mind, no one could ever claim that of Dr. Rodney McKay. But weak of body? Yes. And still worse, weak of spirit. It was a reputation that had followed him his entire life.

He knew it was an unfair label, that what was considered weak by some was simply a well-honed sense of preservation in others. His value to nearly any project was unquantifiable. He knew it and often acted accordingly. Plus, a healthy fear for things that should be feared was by no means illogical, and did not make him a coward. That wasn't how many others saw his choices, certainly not the ones who had failed to truly bother to know the man. Those who had gotten to know him would never accept that negative view.

John said more insistently to try to bring him back from wherever his mind had just taken him, "Rodney." McKay looked up. "You're doin' good. And you're not letting me or anyone else here down." The stress of the day, and not being able to pull out a miraculous save this time had put Rodney in a pretty bad place. "Rodney, you know that there is no one I'd rather be stuck in the desert with, right?"

McKay sniffed a little, grinned the familiar crooked grin and asked, "Except for maybe a lovely alien beauty?" It was the best rejoinder Sheppard could have asked for. It said so much about the man and his state of mind, most importantly that McKay was still there with him, in all his smart-ass glory, tempered somewhat by what by all measures had been a damned rotten day. But even better than having the smart aleck question, it gave John the chance to lighten his friend's load, just a little.

"There's only one thing that a lovely alien beauty can give me that you can't." He frowned as he heard it come out of his mouth, and then he cringed as he saw Rodney's reaction to the comment. He quickly added, "Okay. Two things." Ronon snorted as Teyla looked first to John and then over to the Satedan, biting her lip as she tried not to laugh as Sheppard floundered.

"Two things?" Rodney asked, his demeanor suddenly changed and without doubt the most chipper that it had been since before they'd landed on this rotten planet. "I'll be curious to hear…"

"Okay. Okay. Maybe more than two things. But they're all on the same topic, so it's really more like one." It was now painfully obvious that Sheppard didn't know when to quit, though one positive side benefit, well, positive for everyone but Sheppard, was the laughter it brought to an otherwise bad situation. Ronon and Teyla were laughing heartily. Rodney, well, his brain was obviously in overload at all of the things he was coming up with to use against John. You could see it in his face. Or rather, you could see something going on, but his usually expressive face was giving away no details this time. Shit. He turned to the two hyenas and pleadingly said, "You're not helping."

"No. It's all helping. It's doing wonderful things for my spirits." John looked to Rodney and could tell that he wasn't saying it in jest. Rodney reached out for John's arm, taking him a couple of steps away from Sheppard's hecklers, and continued, "That was your plan, right?" John shook his head, a little embarrassed by his inability to express himself. He had never been good at it. And expressing his feelings about Rodney, well that was something he, though he had seriously impassioned feelings about having McKay as his friend, wildly fluctuating feelings depending on how much he wanted to kill him at any given moment, he still couldn't figure out how to express that emotion, not without getting ridiculously, well, emotional. But that 'fault' had been drilled out of his playbook long ago, first by family who never felt like family, and then by a military who needed him not to succumb to that kind of emotion. Ever. Special forces missions couldn't afford it.

"Hey, it worked, and I appreciate it." They looked at each other, affectionate smiles of friendship gracing their faces. "Can we get moving?" McKay asked hopefully, his comment about not being able to get up if he sat now back in the forefront of both mens' thoughts.

"Sure." They all rose from the sand to join Rodney as he looked out again at the large desert before them. It could be called beautiful if it wasn't all so damned miserable.

"Head out?" Sheppard asked the contemplative man beside him.

"Yes," McKay answered as he followed the other two team members in the order that they had begun this sojourn for cooler environs.

"Are you gonna give us your list of what McKay can't do for you?" Ronon asked from his spot in the lead.

"Shut up, Ronon," John said in a playful tone. "That's an order," he added as he stepped up to walk side-by-side with McKay.

"You asked for that," Rodney noted. John noted the decided spring in the man's step.

"No kidding," Sheppard agreed dryly.

They walked a ways further, the terrain becoming easier and easier on their shins and thighs and every other part of their lower bodies as the deep sand of the dunes gave way to flat and compact desert terrain. It now reminded John of the Bonneville Salt Flats in its firmness. It was a needed breather, for however long it lasted.

Sheppard had spent some time in the Flats, testing secret Air Force craft and honing his piloting skills. He had been singled out early on as a prodigy in the air, and his time at Bonneville was some of the most thrilling work of his career. Nothing compared to the exhilaration of this expedition; nothing ever could. But he looked back fondly on that time, the dry desert sand flats they trod now bringing back a warm flood of memories of the ancient dry salt beds in Utah.

McKay slowed his pace just a little so that there would be space between the two pairs that made up Atlantis's top off world team. The scientist could see that his friend was deep in thought, and it was clear to see that it was something that either brought a smile to the colonel's face, or was keeping one there from their earlier antics.

"So," Rodney spoke softly, "You said one thing I couldn't do for you."

John's step faltered, but he caught himself and continued to make progress south. He slowed the pace a bit more, and then answered, "Well, it was meant collectively."

"Collectively?" Rodney asked. Oh no. Rodney was all geared up for this. John Sheppard would never live this incident down. This could be the incident that truly taught him to think before he spoke. Well, maybe.

McKay continued. "As in every conceivable sex act on the planet, rather, in the galaxy, sorry, make that, in two galaxies, I wouldn't be able to 'give' you," he suggested, quoting with his fingers on the 'give' part in spite of the fact that no one was looking his way to catch it. Sheppard definitely hadn't caught it, because his eyes were closed as he listened painfully to McKay speak.

John finally looked over at Rodney, catching the smirk in the moonlight. So totally screwed, he was. Nobody, especially not Rodney McKay, got a second wind like that without good reason. Rodney was screwing with him, at least with his head, and he was enjoying it. John was semi-grateful for that, because a more with it McKay was better for everyone tonight.

Make that everyone but John Sheppard.

"Okay. Fine. So I'm not Leo Tolstoy or Stephen King when it comes to words."

"Nor are you Leo the Lion, I would surmise."

"What's that mean?" Sheppard wasn't keeping up with this conversation for some reason. He knew he was still reeling from Rodney's 'I wouldn't be able to give you' comment from moments ago. He hoped that it didn't mean what it sounded like it meant. His life on Atlantis had been easier – manageable – without going there. And besides, he was perfectly happy with his 'conquests' of the female persuasion, human or alien. He knew that he hadn't had any in a while, any meaning ANY and a while meaning a LONG while, but that was no reason to think that McKay…no. It must be the heat. Still, he'd dabbled in his youth: a hand job here and a blow job there. It was never very satisfying, though. And it had never amounted to anything meaningful. But it wasn't with McKay before, either. That would put a whole different spin on playing for the other side, if Sheppard allowed himself to think about it. Which he wouldn't.

"I'm just saying," Rodney answered, interrupting the weird musings, "that it's been a while since you've been able to 'strut your stuff'." This time, John saw the fingers flying as McKay emphasized the euphemism. Rodney was having way too much fun with this. "I think that's why you brought the subject up."

"Brought the subject up? I didn't bring the subject up," Sheppard denied vehemently.

This was exactly why time travel was such a good idea, because if he could Sheppard would go back in time so that he could re-live the last ten minutes. Scratch that. Better to go back in time about two days so that they could reverse the 'Go' decision on this whole damned mission.

"Yes, you did. You were the one who said, and I quote, 'There's only one thing that a lovely alien beauty…"

"See? But YOU said, and I quote, in answer to my question about who I'd rather spend time with…" but he didn't finish, because Rodney interrupted.

"Oh. That's right. Hm. I guess I sort of did get the ball rolling there."

"Ya think?"

"Okay. But you did take it farther than expected." They were still talking privately, still far enough away not to be overheard by their teammates. They walked some more and then Rodney asked, "Can I ask you something?"

Sheppard closed his eyes as he walked beside his friend. He sensed what the question might be, and he really didn't want to have that conversation. Not yet, anyway. Not until he knew what was happening with how he was feeling. How he was feeling about sex with alien beauties, and more importantly, what it would take to make him forget about sex with alien beauties.

Fuck.

"Probably not the best idea," John suggested.

Rodney didn't speak again for quite some time, and then he said out of the blue, "Answer me this…" Sheppard interrupted him.

"Rodney," John started in warning.

"No, no. Different topic. Sort of. If we were the last two people on Earth, or wherever, we would do it, wouldn't we? We wouldn't deny ourselves comfort, and love, and, well, comfort and love, would we?" He paused briefly and then asked, "You do love me, right?"

"Rodney, I don't see the point of this hypothetical. We're not the last two people, we aren't going to be any time soon, and I'm pretty sure that means the point is moot."

"Huh. I should have known, based on your stellar communications skills. You don't want to discuss this because you're afraid to express out loud what your answer is. I happen to already know the answer, my answer and your answer, so it's not like you'd be breaking any stupid rule to tell me. Plus, you didn't answer my last question."

"I'm not having this discussion with you, McKay."

"You don't make any sense. I know you care about me. It's been evident all day today and I am grateful for the interest. It's what has kept me going. Well, that and the entertainment factor. I'm not sure how it hurts to talk about it."

"Rodney," John said, frustration oozing from the sound of his voice, "there is no point. Nothing's gonna happen from it." He stopped and forced the scientist to stop by grasping his arm. "I like women, you like women. Let's keep it simple. Please?"

"Chicken. Chicken fucking shit. Now, I am a physicist. A brilliant, genius in fact, astrophysicist. Do you really think that I would ever agree with your ridiculous 'keep it simple' philosophy?" One more time, the fingers quoted around the words as Rodney spoke. John slapped the hands away.

"Honestly, Rodney, I don't give a fuck what you think about my philosophy. It is my current philosophy and I'm sticking to it." Sheppard let go of McKay's arm. "Now, enough talking and more walking. How's that for a philosophy?" John asked as he walked ahead of McKay for the first time that day.

Rodney watched John's back, and those of Ronon and Teyla who were far ahead of them. It seemed that his teammates had intentionally put space between them. As it turned out, that was probably wise, because this discussion had deteriorated rapidly. It was very likely that if his mind hadn't been scrambled by the heat that he never would have brought the subject up. What was done was done, though, so what did it hurt to have an open discussion? That was probably the heat talking as well, but it was way too late to close that can of worms.

Rodney sped up enough to catch John and said as he charged by, "That's not a philosophy." And that was all that the two said to one another for the next several hours.

---

Fortunately, the team leader and the team's science member having a spat seemed to increase their speed and they made it to the jungle well before sunrise. They walked several hundred feet into the lush tropical flora before they came across an ample water supply. Giant plants in myriad greens and golds ringed the pond, a substantial sheer rock face acted as the backdrop. Vines traveled the craggy rock face to the sky, finally reaching what appeared to be a grass covered ledge about sixty feet up. Large rocks and boulders edged the water source in some places; other spots offered small, sandy beach with just a short, easy decline to enjoy its depths.

John had allowed Rodney to bring one piece of equipment in addition to the life signs detector, and the scientist had selected wisely: the handheld that he could program to analyze the composition of almost anything they came across. The water's readings were more than satisfactory, and the group made a brief camp next to the large pond to refresh themselves. They would need to find something more sheltered and easily guarded before settling down for some much-needed rest.

"We should all eat something and then find a place to sleep," Teyla said as she sat next to the pond, cupping water in her hand and running it down her neck. The water trickled soothingly, tantalizingly down her bodice. It would have been enticing to any normal man, but these three men couldn't currently be classified that way; they were all too intent on their own refreshment, or ignoring each other, than to notice anything going on with their beautiful Athosian teammate.

Teyla and Ronon hadn't been blind to the sudden coolness between their other two team members; it was a shame that said frigid climate hadn't translated to a physical cooling off for the two men.

John sat near the water as well, taking in the pleasant smells and the even more pleasant coolness. He laid back and closed his eyes for a second, adding to Teyla's comment, "In a few minutes we'll head in further and look for some shelter."

Rodney sat down a fair distance away from John, opened a power bar and took a bite, but it seemed that he really didn't have the appetite for it. He knew he needed to eat, so he struggled through a couple more tastes of the chocolate raspberry. He looked at the back of his friend's head with sadness, rose when he was sure he could eat no more and walked over to John, putting one knee on the ground and knocking John's arm lightly to get him to open his eyes.

"Here. I ate what I could. I'm not hungry. I thought you should know that. Do you want to finish this?" John took the offered treat and opened the wrapper the rest of the way. "I'm sorry for earlier," Rodney added. "It was wrong for me to push." He stood up and found his own spot next to the water, behind John and out of his team leader's direct line of sight. He took a cool drink and then rested up against a large boulder.

Ronon had heard the conversation between the other two men. "Everything okay?" the newest member of the team asked Sheppard in a whisper as he watched McKay squirm around a little before he found a comfortable spot.

John tossed the remains of the snack into his mouth and then wiped his hands tiredly over his face, rubbing his eyes for a while before carding his fingers through his hair. He chewed the seemingly tasteless bar with little enthusiasm as he looked over to Ronon wearily, happy that he wouldn't have to tell the Satedan the full story. But Rodney hadn't been quiet when he'd offered his apology, so the rest of the team knew that something was up, that something had transpired that was bad enough for Rodney McKay, of all people, to offer a mea culpa.

"I don't know," the colonel hedged, though he knew exactly the circumstances of McKay's current state, even the lack of appetite. "Let me go check," he said, offering his hand to Ronon for an assist up. The large man complied and watched as Sheppard headed for his talk with the scientist.

Ronon sat beside Teyla and said, "Do you know what's up with them?"

Teyla looked over to the two men, now sitting side by side. "I do not," she replied. "Rodney has been very quiet for some time now. I believe they quarreled."

"I can tell that," Ronon returned. He seemed irritable, though Teyla could not pinpoint any specific reason for his ill-temper.

"You know that they remained behind us for some time," Teyla reminded him. "They had something private to discuss, that was obvious. I do not believe that we will know the answer to your question until they are prepared to divulge that answer."

"I'm going to go patrol the perimeter," Ronon said as he headed towards Sheppard and McKay.

"What perimeter would that be, Ronon?" she asked slyly. "The colonel has not set a perimeter here. We will be heading out shortly to find shelter so that we might all recover from this difficult day and night. At that time we will have a perimeter to be patrolled. Until then, you might wish to consider rest."

"I'm gonna go patrol the area around where we're sitting," he answered, not willing to be outdone or out talked by his female comrade.

"Ronon, please," she said as she jumped to her feet. "They are both quite disturbed by whatever happened earlier. If it was important for you or I to know about it, Colonel Sheppard would have enlightened us. You should let them be. They are friends and if something was said or done by one that has upset the other, maybe they are finding the time now to correct that. You should not disturb that."

Ronon Dex stared at Teyla Emmagen, knowing that she was right, but also knowing that he wanted to understand any problem that involved people who were important to him. These two were frustrating men to be friendly with. Ronon had a temper, and he found it hard to open up to people. These two were the opposite of that in so many ways. They seemed to not care that people knew their business. They quarreled incessantly, as though they were a married couple. It was a comparison that came to mind often when he was in the company of the pair. They enjoyed the fun and the laughter and the happy times as completely as they suffered and endured the difficult and painful and at times overwhelming disappointing times. Those disappointments somehow frequently ended up being disappointments in one another. But this relationship was better than many marriages, Ronon thought, because these two seemed to have the ability to, even after times where no one thought that their friendship could endure, or ever come back, they knew somehow innately the way back to one another. Dex himself had never shared a friendship so true. He doubted that any relationship he had ever experienced had been so true.

He smiled down at his teammate. "I'll be over there." He nodded his head in the opposite direction of where Sheppard and McKay now spoke one-on-one. The conversation seemed animated; it made Teyla feel hopeful.

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head in the Athosian way. Ronon rolled his eyes and leaned down to touch her forehead with his own. As they finished the ritual, Teyla pushed him away. "If you do not wish to rest, then I will take advantage of the time myself."

"Go for it," he said as he headed in the direction from which they had entered.

"Maybe you should read more now that you have mastered the written language. This slang that you use, it makes you sound like…"

"Sheppard?" he asked as he turned back. "There are worse things," he finished as he left her alone to her rest.

"Indeed there are," she said, a smile forming readily as she closed her eyes for a short break.

The quiet conversation that she could only faintly hear but could not understand had become suddenly more agitated. It woke her from her light sleep. Teyla looked over to see John and Rodney arguing. She turned to see Ronon looking her way. She nodded her head toward the fighters; it was now time for Ronon and Teyla to see what was happening with their two friends.

"Honestly, I really don't give a shit what you think."

"Gee, who could tell, Rodney. But I'm telling you that you are going to stay put while Ronon and I go look for a better place to bunk down. Who knew you were such a potty mouth when you were sick."

"I'm not sick. I'm tired. Well, I'm sick and tired of you. And I'm telling you, John, that it's not going to happen." It was never a good sign when McKay used Sheppard's first name in that way. Rodney added, "Jackass," just for spite.

"That's nice. Is that how you would say my name if we were…" Sheppard was cut off by Rodney's arms flailing in front of his face, trying to quiet him as the Satedan would soon be in position to hear everything being said. John didn't get the hint and yelled irritably, "Would you cut that out! Jesus, you are such a pain in the ass." The colonel rose to stand beside Dex, and thus towered over a still seated McKay.

"Tell us something new," Ronon said as he stepped in between the one still seated man and the other standing one. "I don't know why you'd waste your breath on something that's known throughout two galaxies."

"You really have grown into quite the smart ass," Rodney offered acerbically as he pushed to his knees and attempted to stand.

"It seems to run in our happy little family," John replied, as he placed his hand on Rodney's shoulder and held him in place.

"Let go of me," McKay complained, shaking off the hand and standing as Sheppard struggled to stay on his feet. John stepped back and watched Rodney waiver a bit but finally settle pretty quickly into a steady stance.

"What is the problem?" Teyla asked. Her worry was mixed with irritation that the two men could not spend ten minutes together, after the day that they had all just shared, without bickering.

"The problem is that Colonel 'Doctor' Sheppard here is prescribing bed rest while he and Conan go out and look for a nice place to homestead for me and the little woman."

Teyla frowned, looking confused, and turned to Sheppard with her eyebrow raised, looking for a translation.

"The name's Ronon," Ronon said, and then more slowly, "Ro-non."

"Oh, shut up," Rodney snapped.

"As you know, or maybe you don't, Rodney wasn't feeling well before we started our overnight hike, and now he's not hungry. Not hungry is not normal." John failed to mention that their ugly conversation from earlier might have contributed to McKay's upset.

"So you wish that I stay here with Rodney while you and Ronon go find an appropriate place for us to camp while we await a communication from the Daedalus?"

"She always gets my name right," the former runner interjected with good humor.

"See," John said as he offered a fake smile to McKay. "Teyla gets it."

"This," Rodney started. He also started to pace. "This is so a conspiracy." He walked back and forth between Sheppard and Teyla, passing Ronon on each lap. "I feel fine. See? I'm walking, I'm talking." He stopped in front of Sheppard's face. "I'm talking!" he shouted for emphasis. "This is ridiculous," he continued as he started up the pacing again. "I don't need to be babysat, either. I'm an adult. I know when I'm sick. I'm not sick, I'm just not hungry."

"Dr. McKay, you do admit that it is not normal for you to not be hungry. You have not eaten anything substantial since our morning meal," Teyla noted calmly.

"It's hot! Hasn't anybody noticed that it's hot?" The pacing was slowing, and Rodney really wasn't looking very well, in spite of his protestations. He stopped and then looked at John sadly. He blinked a couple of times, and started breathing in the way that John knew was not good. Rodney reached his arm out and John took it. McKay fell to the ground and began vomiting. It was ugly sounding, and just as unpleasant to watch. What little that came out was out fast, and then the scientist suffered through some nasty dry heaves before he fell over to his left hip and then eased himself into a sitting position.

"Uuuuh," was all that McKay said as John took a towel, soaked it in the pond water, and cleaned the ill man's face off with the cool wetness.

"Yeah." Sheppard kneeled in front of McKay and said, "I'm sorry, Rodney. I know getting you all shook up like that probably didn't help."

"Did it on purpose," Rodney replied knowingly. He didn't mean it, John knew that he didn't. It wasn't Rodney's way, not in a situation like this. McKay lay down on the ground as the rest of the team huddled above him.

"I doubt that we'll take long to find something. We've seen nothing on the life signs detector, at least nothing to indicate anything that would be dangerous. We won't be long," Sheppard said to Teyla.

"You were baiting him before," she said accusingly but softly so that Rodney would not hear.

"He's sick. He's been sick for a few hours. The fact that he's had moments where he's felt better is great, but we shouldn't be deluded into thinking that he still might not come down with heat exhaustion, or worse. I want him resting. Period. Are we clear?"

"We are," Teyla answered. "However," she continued, her warning tone clear. "I do believe that you should work on your methods. This result could have been brought about without causing Dr. McKay to suffer in this way."

"Well, I'll work on that, Teyla. Just remember, he's hard-headed."

Sheppard heard a laugh from his other side. "What is that saying you told me, 'Pot calling the kettle black'?" Ronon asked.

"Shut up and move out," John answered as they went in search of some shelter. There was no light-heartedness to the command this time. They were all tired and could use the rest and Sheppard was noticeably in need of it as much as anyone else.

"Rodney, would you like to rest your head on my lap?" Teyla asked as she crouched next to her prone friend.

Rodney turned over from his uncomfortable position. "Would you mind?"

Teyla kneeled beside him. She felt his forehead and said, "Of course I would not. Let us move closer to the waterfall so that we might enjoy the cool mist." McKay felt hot to the touch, but the Athosian knew that they were well equipped to address that problem with their current position.

"You call that a waterfall? It's not much more than a step down," he said tiredly as he rose to his feet.

"I believe that you will be surprised by how refreshing it will be to lie beside the slight mist that this," she nodded her head to the 'waterfall', her eyebrow peaked in amusement, "'step down' provides."

"Yes, let's mock the sick man," McKay complained as he followed Teyla's instructions.

"So you admit that you are sick?" she asked. She sat, positioning her back up against an old dead tree trunk. Rodney sat down in front of her, but did not lay down nor make his head comfortable on her lap.

"Yes. Cat's out of the bag, so to speak." Teyla looked confused by the strange words. "It means that Sheppard found me out, and blurted it for all to hear," he added, spreading his arms wide to encompass the pond, the flora, all of the fauna that they had not yet seen but that most certainly existed - everything that might be within a short distance from their position. It would surely have drawn the attention of John and Ronon, who could not have been so far away that they didn't hear Rodney's voice grow progressively louder.

"Why did you try to hide it from Colonel Sheppard?"

"Because the colonel doesn't own me. And I'm not that sick that I couldn't have made it."

"He is worried that you could get worse if you do not rest and recuperate from the difficult day. Surely you understand his concern?"

"Hm. Maybe. I think he's mad because I was right and he was wrong, or, well, I was right and he's confused, and right now the only way to get back at me for that is to lord something over me." Again Teyla seemed confused by what Rodney was trying to say. He clarified, "If I'm sick and I have to listen to him, then he can be right for a while. Evens things out, in his tiny military mind."

She patted her lap, encouraging Rodney to rest. "This does not sound like the John Sheppard I know. He is usually quite sure of himself."

"Well," Rodney answered, making himself comfortable on his Teyla pillow. "I can assure you, he is more confused right now than ever before. A lot of that is my fault, but he made me throw up, so I say we're even."

Rodney's breathing became even fairly quickly. "You two do act much like children at times," she said as she felt his forehead for fever. It was hard to tell, since every part of Rodney felt hot. She would try that again later; she felt assured the enforced rest and the cool mist would help Rodney recuperate faster.

"Gotta keep th' spark in th' relati'ship," he slurred as he fell fast asleep.

---

Sheppard and Dex stood back and admired their handiwork.

"That oughta do," John said as they finished scouting the shallow cave.

"Hopefully we won't be here to need it for long," Ronon agreed.

"Yeah, but we could all use some sleep, and this is about textbook for what I'd want to have to set-up watch for." The shelter was up on a ridge, nestled behind a couple of full, green bushes. The opening was just high enough for John to walk in comfortably; Ronon needed to duck to enter. The space reached back into the hill about twenty-five feet, and there were no tunnels that would hide anything unexpected. Plus, it was unexpectedly cool, considering the wide-open doorway.

"Head back to get Rodney and the 'little woman'?" John asked with a sly grin.

"I'd be careful with that," Ronon offered the sage advice as he exited the cavern. "You let that slip in front of her, she's gonna hurt you."

"I believe she would," Sheppard replied in his sing-song, lazy drawl.

"She's got a soft spot for McKay, you know that, right? She may come off like he annoys her, which he does a lot of the time. Why should she be any different from the rest of us, right?" Sheppard didn't answer. "You've seen how she mothers him."

That made John laugh. "She's pretty subtle about it. How much you wanna bet she's coddling him when we get back? Probably let him put his head on her lap or something."

"What idiot would turn that down?" Ronon asked.

"Lucky guy," they both said together as their faces depicted everything about what they thought about such a lucky twist of fate.

"I'm not taking that bet. I'm sure of it," Ronon went on. They walked a little farther in peaceful quiet when Ronon asked, "What's goin' on with you and McKay? Did he argue with you for the whole walk in the desert? That would make me want to kill him."

What was with Mr. Curiosity? Ronon was awfully talkative, too, just when Sheppard wasn't in the mood for discussion.

"Yeah, we argued. But it wasn't about anything on this mission."

"You were trying to make him mad before, when you made him vomit."

"I wasn't trying to make him mad," John denied angrily as he picked up the pace of the return trip to the pond and their teammates. "And I didn't 'make' him vomit."

"Sure you did. Getting him all worked up like that. You knew it would happen. You did it on purpose."

"God damn it, I did not!" Sheppard stopped walking. Dex did the same. The Air Force man looked confused when he asked, "You think I did all that on purpose?"

Ronon looked at his team leader. Something was definitely going on with Sheppard and McKay. Something big. And Sheppard was in such denial about his actions; it wouldn't do either of the two men any good for Ronon to lie about it.

"You did."

"Fuck. Okay. I think I need to go have a talk with McKay." John started forward again, moving like a man on a mission, a mission far different from the ones they were used to.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course it is." Sheppard walked a little farther, re-thinking his last statement. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Just because you don't seem to be communicating very well right now. Might be better just to let it go."

They walked some more, moving faster and getting closer to their destination. They were making better time on the way back, now that Sheppard had realized what he'd done to Rodney earlier. John and Ronon didn't speak again until they finally reached their teammates, John's thoughts consuming every bit of his awareness; he walked on auto-pilot, with Ronon watching their six, as well as taking point the whole way.

The two men approached the pond. They saw McKay with Teyla, his head resting on her thighs, the Athosian awake and aware. She smiled at them as they came closer, putting her finger to her lips to keep them quiet.

"He has slept well since just after you departed. Did you find a location that would be suitable?"

"I'll bet," John said under his breath.

"See?" Ronon asked surprisingly quietly. "It would have been a bad bet."

"I see what you mean," Sheppard agreed, a wide smile on his face as he watched his sleeping friend. "Has he cooled down yet," John asked, now seeing Teyla watching he and Ronon with disgust. "Sorry. Um, yes, we found a place."

Teyla turned from John and tilted her head down towards Rodney, a faint smile coming to her lips. Ronon shook his head while Sheppard just offered a knowing chuckle.

"Yes. I believe he will be fine. Shall we leave now before the sun rises?"

"Yeah. We saw it peeking through the trees up on the crest of the next hill," though hill was really an exaggeration. The jungle was fairly flat, all terrains considered. "We should definitely head out now. All of the canteens are full?"

"I filled them before Rodney settled down," Teyla answered.

John kneeled next to McKay. "Do you want to wake him or should I?" Sheppard asked.

"Let her do it," Ronon suggested. "Remember what we talked about?"

John stood again. "Fine," Sheppard agreed bitterly. "Teyla, wake him. We're heading out in five. The new camp is just a fifteen minute walk." Teyla frowned at Ronon's comment, but let it go without question.

"Very well." She looked down at the sleeping face. He seemed very peaceful, but Teyla didn't feel too badly about waking the heavy physicist. Her legs were feeling a little numb at McKay's dead weight, plus, she knew that her friend would be asleep in their new accommodations soon enough.

"Rodney," she said, her hand on his chest. He stirred only slightly so she said his name a little louder. "Rodney, it is time to wake up." He groaned a little and immediately rolled over to his side, his head now comfortable ensconced in Teyla's crotch.

"Lucky guy," Ronon repeated his admiration from earlier.

"You would be wise to be careful how you speak of this," Teyla warned. To Rodney she said, "Dr. McKay, we must break camp and head to our new location." She tapped his cheek, harder than was probably needed.

"What? I'm up, I'm up," he mumbled, but his head didn't move from its cozy spot.

"Dr. McKay!" she shouted, pushing his shoulders down her legs and thus successfully extricating his face from its precarious place in her lap.

"I said I'm up," Rodney complained as he yawned.

"Technically," John answered from above, "you're not." And what he wouldn't have given for a camera. "Come on, we're heading out."

McKay rolled over to his knees and then pushed himself into a standing position, complaining the entire way.

"I don't get a chance to wake up, or get a drink of water? I could really make use of facilities. Are there facilities? And what about coffee? And breakfast? And besides, we aren't even being forced from this spot by anything who wants to suck our lives away, kill us, or take us hostage. Why the hurry?"

Sheppard didn't answer, not out loud. He pointed in the direction of the rising sun and finally asked, "Get it?"

Rodney's memories of the previous day came flooding back. A look of horror replaced the one of annoyance, and he looked to Teyla.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Teyla rolled her eyes.

"We're heading just slightly southwest from here," John started. "Ronon and I found a well-situated cave. It's shallow enough that it shouldn't hamper any communications efforts from the Daedalus. And it's too shallow for anything to have made a home there," he commented to Rodney, anticipating the question from the scientist.

"Good," McKay said softly. He looked at his watch. "Elizabeth will be trying to contact us soon."

"Yeah, in about ten minutes. We're only heading a little bit more south. I don't think the tree cover will hinder the signal."

"Only if the 'Wraith-busting' machine, as you so colorfully call it, does the same thing to any signals," Rodney reminded.

Sheppard walked up close to McKay and said sarcastically, "Let's just keep those positive thoughts flowing." John moved ahead, took point and said, "Let's get moving."

Ten minutes later they were stopped and waiting patiently for a communication through the Stargate. One more minute later they tried their radios. They could hear each other, so they knew the equipment worked. Sheppard continued to lead his team to their new temporary shelter. About twenty minutes after leaving their pond, about fifteen minutes late, and after everyone had been able to make use of the new 'facilities', they finally heard what they were hoping to hear.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis. Do you read?"

"Elizabeth, this is Sheppard."

"It's good to hear you, though we can barely hear you. We've been trying to work through the static for a while now."

"Fifteen minutes to be exact," John replied. "Is the Daedalus still there?"

"Of course it is. Is there a problem?"

"How did you work through the static?" Rodney asked.

"Actually, it was quite interesting," Radek's excited voice answered.

"I'm sure it was, Dr. Z, but we'll have to hear about it later. Elizabeth?"

"Yes, John."

"Our jumper is kaput, you might say, by some energy," he looked to Rodney, who was choosing to be particularly unhelpful at the moment, "something," Sheppard explained.

"What happened?" Elizabeth queried. "Can we be sure the same 'something' won't happen to the Daedalus?"

Rodney did decide to take that question. "We don't know for sure what happened, and we can't be sure it won't affect the Daedalus."

"What did I just say to you about positive thinking, McKay?" Sheppard asked Rodney into his radio and for all to hear.

Rodney stared at John for a moment, as though making sure that Sheppard knew that he was taking his time to decide what to do next. He knew that his own headset was still on, and he could have made the conscious choice to keep this next part private, but he didn't.

"Yes, Colonel. It would be much better if we allowed the Daedalus to fly in blind to what happened to us and what might happen to them rather than give them all of the knowledge we have, have Radek do a complete scan through the gate and give them and us all a fighting chance. I cannot imagine why I'm not radiating positive energy right now!"

Sheppard and McKay stared each other down. Elizabeth broke in. "Let's have Radek do the scans, as Rodney recommended. Will you all be okay there for a while?"

John replied tersely, "We'll be fine. Radek, keep us posted. Dial us back in fifteen minutes with an update."

"Fifteen minutes?" Rodney asked, the incredulity of asking the Czech to have much to report in that short time oozing from McKay.

"Radek?" John asked.

"Rodney is correct, Colonel. A half an hour is better, if we have the time."

"Thirty minutes, then," Sheppard said, his eyes never leaving McKay during the entire exchange. The scientist, for his part, appeared to be more uncomfortable with the attention as the moments went by.

And more pale, which was quite a feat considering that it was getting warmer by the second. Teyla walked up to the scientist and took his arm. She felt him trembling beneath her touch and looked worriedly to John. Sheppard caught the look as her eyes bore into his and then her head tilted toward Rodney. John looked at Rodney anew and could see that his friend was ready to crash.

Way to treat a friend, Sheppard.

"Dr. McKay, please come and sit in the cover of the cave." Rodney walked obediently with her to the darkest, coolest part of their shelter.

"You did it again," Ronon said.

"I know," Sheppard responded as he watched Rodney prepare to rest up against the cave wall.

"What is your problem?" the Satedan asked.

"You mean other than apparently wanting to get the Daedalus and its crew stuck here with us and almost making McKay pass out?"

"Let's concentrate on McKay," Ronon suggested curtly.

"Suffice it to say that he's just getting extra deep onto every nerve ending this mission."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?" Ronon repeated. "I haven't seen him do anything particularly un-McKay like. You should be used to that by now."

"It's not what he did, it's what he said." Ronon looked at Sheppard intensely, but Sheppard was undeterred. "No, I'm not gonna tell you what he said."

"Are you going to tell the shrink? Because the way you're acting, you better tell somebody before you kill him."

"I won't let it get that bad." They were both standing outside, the heat warming them quickly, uncomfortably. Sheppard was definitely feeling the heat from his teammates due to his actions toward and reactions to McKay on this trip.

"You say that, but I'm not sure you can control it. Your actions today are way out of line. McKay," Ronon said, nodding his head toward the inside of their temporary dwelling, his dreads going with the flow, "he's acting no different than we're used to. He had to have said or done something pretty bad…"

"Bad enough," John responded idly,

"Did he ask off the team?" Ronon questioned.

"I wish," Sheppard whispered to himself, though Ronon clearly heard it by the way he cocked his head in reaction. "No, I didn't mean that and no, he doesn't want off the team." John ran his hand through his hair in frustration. As though it wasn't bad enough that he had to deal with all of the Rodney shit; he really didn't need the rest of his team ganging up on him, too.

"What the hell, then? Did he make a pass at you or something?"

John Sheppard knew that as soon as his head snapped over to face Ronon that his teammate already knew the answer.

"Shit," the Satedan replied quietly.

"No," John said as he stepped close to Dex. "It's not like that," he said in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah, it is like that. You think McKay wears his feelings for all to see. But when your guard is…" Ronon paused, searching for just the right word, "off, you got no chance of hiding what you're feeling either."

"And you never try," Sheppard countered angrily. The colonel was angry, angry at many things. And Ronon, well, sometimes you had to take your turn as the innocent bystander, though Dex's innocence was questionable considering how hard he had been pushing.

"I'm not the problem here," Ronon defended. "And neither is McKay. Not really. Maybe his timing sucked, and maybe he's not even sure that what's going on is real. But you acting the way that you are isn't right." He looked back toward McKay and Teyla. "I will tell you, from experience that I will not divulge more details about, that you do not want to lose the best friend that you ever had." Ronon commanded Sheppard's attention as he continued, "You have to figure this out." The former Runner turned his head toward the cave. "Can you take first watch?"

John nodded his agreement. Ronon Dex left his team commander to his thoughts, any possibility that the colonel may have harbored of getting any rest any time soon was now forgotten.

---

'Thanks ever so much', John Sheppard thought as Dex went to take his turn at some sleep. The Satedan knew that John wouldn't be able to sleep. Not now. Not with so much to think about.

Rodney McKay was his best friend, that was true. The best friend that he ever had? Reluctantly, Sheppard marked that answer in the yes column as well. Taking a relationship that seemed to be working for both men, and adding this new 'twist' – it was asking for trouble. Even at the best of times, without adding this potential new dynamic, their friendship, after the events of this night, bore little relation to the word 'friend'.

How many times had Sheppard had to yell at McKay for not following an order, or worse, for nearly getting killed? And who could forget about Doranda? Their friendship had seemed lost for good with day after day of Rodney trying his best to make amends, and Sheppard noting how terribly far short those attempts seemed to fall. It was only through McKay's determined bull-headedness and unfailing and annoying persistence that progress was finally made, baby steps though that progress seemed to be.

John and Rodney had just gotten to the point where spending time together was fun again when McKay had almost died. During the time that they knew Rodney's jumper was sinking almost beyond any possible rescue Sheppard showed some bull-headedness of his own, and impatience with people who were afraid to risk everything for a friend. But he did just that, with a far too reluctant Radek Zelenka, in order to save Rodney and Griffin. Though it ended up only half a save in the end, it was the right half, the only half that John could have lived with. Sheppard knew at that moment when Rodney told them of Griffin's fate that he would be forever grateful for Griffin's sacrifice.

But what did all of this mean? Was this soul searching, this 'understanding' his feelings for Rodney – did all of his analysis really mean that there was more, that Rodney meant more, and in a more profound way? Was their relationship 'meant' to move to a new dimension? Couldn't they just remain friends, good friends, without going 'there'?"

The fact that the question was even being considered readily foretold the answer.

Of course it did.

Practicalities would limit how far things would go, at least for a while. And before they did go any further John would need to have a serious conversation with Rodney about, well, about every aspect of what their coupling would entail, from who they told (not many), to how they proceeded (slowly) to what would happen to their friendship should everything fall apart for them with this other thing (promises, or hopes, that they would still be okay).

Sheppard walked over to the cave entrance and looked inside. This time it was Teyla's turn to make use of Rodney for her pillow, her head nestled up against his chest. Lucky girl. Ronon was resting sitting up. Typical. Dex would catch up on missed sleep after the mission, as was the norm.

So far on this mission they had experienced horrible luck and worse weather. But they had also been lucky that it was, generally speaking, a non-threatening planet, killer temperatures notwithstanding. Sheppard smiled as he watched his team, and then looked more intently at Rodney. He admitted that he was bad at expressing his feelings; years of self-imposed repression and military training would do that to a person. But Teyla opened her eyes at just the right moment; she would later admit to this exact instance as the time and place when she knew for sure that John Sheppard was in love.

As soon as John caught Teyla's eye he turned his head, but it was too late. Just as with Ronon earlier, he had let Teyla see something that he should not have. Was this the side effect of admitting his feelings for McKay? If it was then there was every possibility that John would not pursue this after all. He was still in the military, the leader of his team and of the entire military contingent on Atlantis. Letting his guard down like this could be devastating if the wrong people took away critical intel just because he couldn't keep his feelings hidden.

"You are worried?" Teyla asked softly, making Sheppard jump.

He wiped his left hand through his hair as he rested his other hand on his P-90.

"He will be fine," Teyla noted.

"I know. That's not why I'm worried."

"Your conversations with Dr. McKay on this trip have been, how shall I say, animated," she said with an affectionate smile.

Sheppard laughed lightly. "That's a euphemism if I ever heard one."

"It is not. They were indeed animated," Teyla defended. "Can I help?" she asked kindly.

"I wish you could. But this one's all on me," he pointed out. He paused briefly and added, "And him," nodding his head to the sleeping physicist.

Teyla smiled and shook her head. "I do not believe that it must be this way." She looked toward Ronon and said, "Ronon and I are your friends. Whatever difficulties you experience, we wish to help. You should use us if you require support or guidance."

John reached his arm out and grasped Teyla's affectionately. "I appreciate the offer, but right now, just let Rodney and me figure this out."

"Very well, so long as you promise that this is your intention, to work with Rodney to figure this out."

Sheppard gave Teyla a huge grin, a confident grin, the type of grin that said a decision had been made, and also that John would try to do the right and best thing.

"…is is E…z…beth We…. Do you rea…?"

John tapped his comm. "Elizabeth, can you read us?"

"…seem…having so…troub…balizing the signal," Weir managed to get through. "Radek…talk to McK…"

Crap. Rodney was still asleep. He needed the sleep, but if both Elizabeth and Radek were asking for McKay, then they must need him.

"What's the matter?" Sheppard asked. He pointed to Teyla and in fairly rustic sign language asked her to go wake McKay.

"I…probl…stabilizing…strength. I…discuss wi…McK…options to keep the signal strong," Radek's voice explained.

"That last part of your communication was pretty clear," Sheppard instructed.

"Very good," Radek said. John could still hear him muttering in the background when Elizabeth's voice came through.

"The Daedalus is leaving as we speak. We expect that they will be in the planet's atmosphere in about four hours."

"Wait," both Radek and Rodney added. John smiled as McKay stood next to him, bleary-eyed but seemingly clear headed.

"Rodney, we will work for the next few hours to analyze the atmosphere and see where we might best position the Daedalus to avoid any electro-magnetic troubles like you experienced with the jumper."

"You mean if, not where," Rodney replied. He looked at John and said, "It's as positive as I've got right now."

Sheppard replied, "I'll take it." Rodney looked at him strangely but continued talking to Radek.

"Four hours means that we probably have, at most, twelve opportunities to open the gate for analysis."

Radek answered, "Depending on what is found, we may have to place the Daedalus in a more unstable portion of the atmosphere than we would like. We may have to test the beaming technology before attempting to retrieve you."

"Understood. I appreciate the tests," McKay added dryly. "Analyze the layers first. We'll gauge those closest to the planet first, hoping to be within normal range of the Daedalus ring transport system. The farther away the ship is, plus with whatever it is down here that might mix with the ring's mechanics, the more unstable the ring system could be."

"Yes, Rodney. I was not born yesterday."

"Tell ya what, Doc. Before you two drop your gloves, why don't you gather up some data. We're going to rest up some more. It was a long night," Sheppard conceded, fearlessly stepping in to nip the budding argument before it could get started.

"That's fine, John. We'll contact you with any questions or to clarify anything. Otherwise, you won't hear from us for almost two hours, or three openings of the gate," Elizabeth instructed.

"Understood. Sheppard out." John looked at Rodney. The scientist looked…a lot better. "Let's go sit for a bit." He stepped over to Teyla. "Can you take watch for a while?"

"Of course," she said knowingly. "Would you please send Ronon out?"

"Why?" Rodney asked. "He's resting."

"He asked that I wake him when it was my turn to stand watch," she lied. She would have winked at Sheppard if McKay hadn't been watching. "I believe that he wished to apologize for something that he said to me earlier."

"Well, why didn't he just do it earlier?" McKay asked, perplexed and not a little irritated. Even though he didn't say it, it was hard not to know that Rodney McKay thought it stupid that Ronon wouldn't have done that earlier, when he was with her and had the chance. Luckily, he was too tired to figure out the real jig.

"Rodney?" John asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you really care?"

"No. Not really," he said as he headed back into 'his' corner of the cave.

Sheppard got Dex up and out of the cave. Ronon seemed to have a smile on his face.

"He woke up on the right side of the bed," Rodney commented as the colonel sat next to him.

"I don't think he was asleep."

"Missing the point," McKay said snidely.

"Yeah, well, I seem to be missing things lately." John looked at Rodney and said, "I guess I overreacted a little. Earlier."

"No you didn't. I'm an ass for bringing it up. I should have known how you'd react. You're a man, you're in the military. You're American. You have a lot to overcome."

John smirked and asked, "Any suggestions on how to 'overcome' being a man?" He made sure to use his fingers to wrap around 'overcome' right in front of McKay's nose.

"Okay, I get it that that's annoying. And you know what I meant. You Americans, your prejudices are deep-rooted, no matter how ill-conceived and, well, prejudiced they are. It's one of the evil effects of taking religious doctrine so seriously. So literally."

John prepared to listen to another McKay attack on religion. It had taken Sheppard a long time to understand his friend's hatred of the institution, but understand it he finally did. Rodney was a man of science, and it was an awful lot to ask a man of science to accept much of the key tenets of Christian or other faiths. The fact that the great father of science, Galileo Galilei, was persecuted for being right, or certainly as right as he could be given what was known of the universe in the seventeenth century, was fuel to Rodney's fiery disgust with religion. The sadder fact that Galileo was made to recant his heliocentric ideas of the universe just soured McKay more on religion.

And that was just what pissed him off about religion dating back to the middle of the seventeenth century.

Rodney McKay would likely never change his views on this subject. After all, he was the man who could quote, word for word, the charges leveled against Galileo during the Inquisition, condemning the Italian's holding of 'a false doctrine taught by many, namely, that the sun is immovable in the center of the world, and that the earth moves'.

Right this minute, after his recent internal struggles about what to do about he and McKay, and the final choice that he had made, even though he knew he really didn't have a choice on this one, he could find no proof that Rodney was wrong in what he believed. The more time he spent with the scientist, off world or in Atlantis, just sitting quietly (did that EVER really happen?) or arguing furiously, watching him laugh at a joke or seeing his brown furrow with frustration at an associate whose brain simply wasn't made to keep up with the almighty power that McKay's amazing one had – it mattered not what was going on, John loved being around his friend. Every minute of his time with Rodney seemed more meaningful…special…important. He could come up with fifty words to describe it, but all words seemed to fall so far short in expressing how he felt. He knew that his attempt to explain it to McKay would earn him one of the frustrated furrowed brow looks. He would accept it because it was his, he had earned it, and it was special, as special as all of the other things that were his from McKay. He knew, even though his stomach seemed to flutter uncomfortably at the thought, that it was time to leap that barrier of prejudice and find out if what he really wanted was something that he could really have.

John looked again at Rodney and said, "I'm starting to like the way you think."

McKay retorted snappily, "You're 'starting' to?" He sat on his hands, virtually-speaking, so as not to quote with his fingers. "How long have we worked together? Been a team? Hm? And you're finally starting to like the way I think? All of those life-saving ideas, last minute 'Hail Marys', a term I've never been very fond of, mind you." He took a breath and continued, "It's kind of beyond time for you to like the way I think. A little slow on the uptake…"

Rodney paused, frowned and looked a little closer at Sheppard's face. The sly, crooked grin was there, as well as a look of – hope? Big, happy hazel eyes, tinged with maybe just a little, okay, maybe more than a little fear. He swallowed hard as he realized what John had meant.

"You," he said, pointing to the colonel. "I…um…"

Sheppard grabbed the finger, and then wrapped his whole hand over Rodney's, taking it and squeezing it hard in a brief physical explanation before starting in with a verbal one, though that could wait a little longer so that John could chide his friend.

"A little slow on the uptake, Rodney?"

McKay's eyes grew wide and then he cocked his head, his mouth quickly breaking into a huge, uncontrollable grin. The grin however would not stop him from speaking.

"Fine. I admit that I was a little bit slow this time, but only if you will admit that I am a very persuasive man."

Sheppard scooted up closer to McKay. He replied quietly, and bestowing a well-honed and most likely patented John Sheppard seduction technique on his current conquest, he answered, "A very handsome and very persuasive man."

Rodney looked at him askance and retorted, "You've already made me throw up once today."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," the colonel said earnestly.

Rodney laughed readily and said, "Thanks." He kept looking at John oddly and added, "This is an amazing one eighty in such a short period of time. Are you sure the heat hasn't gone to your head?"

"I don't know." McKay's expression changed fast enough to give a person whiplash, now looking slightly hurt. John saw it and quickly added, "No. I mean, yes, I'm sure the heat has nothing to do with this. I've just had some time to think. And I think I may have been hasty in my initial assessment."

"Agreed. Sometimes a second look is called for," Rodney provided happily.

"Thanks," John accepted grudgingly. "I thought…"

"Also a good idea."

"Can I finish?"

"Yes," McKay replied, but he raised his index finger on the hand not currently wrapped by Sheppard's. "You know that you're, um, holding my hand."

"Yeah," John answered, squinting in uncertainty. "Is that wrong?"

Rodney snorted. "I don't think it's wrong to do it, privately, but," he unlinked their hands. "Can you open your hand, palm up, fingers wide?"

"Like this?" John asked, showing him.

"Yes. You follow instructions well, young Skywalker." Rodney clasped his fingers around John's, placing their hands in a well-formed, traditional clinch.

"Oh yeah, that's much better," Sheppard offered with an embarrassed smile.

"Why am I not surprised that you didn't know that part?" McKay asked wryly.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

"Okay." John squeezed Rodney's hand, Rodney squeezed back, and then John admitted, "This is going to be weird."

Rodney shook his head, rolled his eyes and said, "You have had sex with an Ancient, an ascended Ancient, and other dalliances with other other-worldly beings. And this is going to be weird?" he asked, pointing between the two of them as he said it.

"Yes. Yes, I do think it's going to be weird having a relationship with my best friend."

"You lied when you said you were a member of MENSA, didn't you? You may be a mathematical savant, notice," McKay added, putting his finger in the air to make his point, "I refrained from saying 'idiot' savant, though I reserve the right to at a later time." Rodney turned to face John more directly and asked, "Did you even hear what you just said?"

"I think we had this discussion before. I suck at expressing myself, okay? I just, I am worried and I'm not afraid to tell you Rodney that I am very worried about messing this up. I don't even know how to hold hands!"

"I don't think you need to worry about holding hands well. Look, you've already nailed it," he smiled, holding their still clenched hands up in the air as evidence. "Can you do this?" McKay reached for the back of Sheppard's neck, pulled him close and kissed him. John went with the flow; the close-mouthed, unexpected beginning soon made way for more. There were tongues, and healthy jostling of tongues. John's mouth changed from very occupied and passion-laden to form a laugh, which was clearly contagious, as soon both men were laughing, their foreheads touching at the end.

"Oh my God," John Sheppard said, his voice breaking as he realized what he'd found.

"He's got nothing to do with it," Rodney assured as they both took deep breaths in order to continue this science project.

The End…