"You saw them kissing?" Teyla asked in a hushed but surprised voice, leaning a little across the table, making sure no one else heard them.

Ronon nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich, grinning mischievously. "Elizabeth really looked like she was enjoying herself too much in my opinion."

Teyla raised an eyebrow at that. "Did she? Well this is a very interesting turn of events. Do you think them kissing has anything to do with their new found ability to communicate telepathically with one another?"

Ronon shrugged. "I don't know and I really don't care. I'm just glad it happened already. All that tension between them was starting to drive me nuts."

"All that tension between whom?" Rodney jumped in as he grabbed a chair, putting his tray on the table, joining them.

Teyla glanced at Ronon, knowing she must be careful with how she phrased this. "The tension between Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard."

"Oh? Well of course there's tension between the two of them. They are probably the most important people here on Atlantis. Well, after me of course. We all know that without my genius we would have probably died a terrible and mortifying death more than once…." He replied distracted as he started eating his pancakes, something he rarely got to do since they only served it a couple of times a month.

"That's funny because you just made THAT sound more pleasant than having to sit here and listen to you brag about yourself." Ronon replied, glaring a little at Rodney. He was sick of how things always seemed to revolve around the great doctor McKay whenever he was around.

Teyla kicked Ronon under the table rather harshly, causing him to glare at her. "What was that for?" Not bothering to reply to Ronon's question, Teyla turned her attention to Rodney who seemed to be too distracted with his food to notice the insult Ronon just threw at him. She knew Rodney could get a little cocky sometimes. Okay, most of the time, but that didn't mean he wasn't right. In fact, she was sure he saved Atlantis's ass and all the people living on it more times then she could count but of course, him being Rodney, never really got any credit, not the way he deserved.

"We were not talking about professional tension between them Rodney. We…were talking about tension on a more…personal level." She said, smiling as she looked at him, ignoring the glare she caught from Ronon, as she watched him from the corners of her eyes.

"Ah, I see…" he mumbled distracted, continuing to munch on his pancake then he suddenly stopped, looking up from his plate at Teyla, only now realizing what she had said. "P-Personal…wait, what do you mean by that? Did something happen that I don't know about?"

"Lots of things happen around you that you're just too clueless and oblivious to notice, Doctor." Ronon said, making sure to avoid any eye contact with Teyla, already knowing what she would think of his comment.

Teyla fought hard against the urge to kick Ronon under the table once more. She didn't know what had gotten into him. Lately, whenever McKay was around, Ronon simply turned in this edgy, grumpy, menopausal man and she just didn't know how to respond to that side of him since she was more used to the controlled and composed Ronon.

Rodney dismissively waved a hand in front of Ronon's face. "Shush, stop distracting me. I want to know what happened between Elizabeth and John." He turned his full attention on Teyla, looking at her expectantly.

Teyla looked over at Ronon, and could easily see that he was reaching a higher level of annoyance and disgust towards a single person than she'd ever seen from him. "Ronon…" she spoke softly and carefully, drawing his attention back to her. The moment his eyes locked on hers, she shook her head slowly, telling him with her eyes that he wasn't worth getting angry over, since she knew Ronon could snap any second and cut Rodney into little pieces then feed him to the whales.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Ronon unclenched his fists, not taking his eyes off of Teyla then he gave her a small nod, showing her and telling her that he had his temper under control.

Satisfied that Ronon was finally listening to her for once, even if it was on a topic such as this, she turned her attention back to Rodney, trying to remember what they had been talking about. She wouldn't have to be put in such position if Rodney could just keep his mouth shut once in a while, she thought to herself bitterly. That's all it took really. Sighing heavily, she shook her head, trying to refocus her thoughts on the current topic of conversation which apparently highly interested Rodney.

"Well it appears that Ronon found Elizabeth and John in a rather compromising situation last night…" she said finally, praying she wouldn't regret her choice of confiding in Rodney.

Rodney's face paled visibly, his features giving away the emotions the doctor went through as he was processing the information. At first, it appeared to be dread, then shock and then later came a feeling of satisfaction that Teyla just didn't know what was doing there.

Clearing his throat, Rodney leaned in closer towards Teyla. "You mean caveman here caught them doing…it?"

"Rodney!" Teyla called out outraged, but unable to keep a faint blush from spreading from her cheeks down to her neck.

"What? It's your fault for not telling me straight out what they did so I just assumed!" He scoffed, looking away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I saw them kiss, alright? Happy now? They were not doing "IT" they were simply, making out. And since when do you call me 'caveman'?" Ronon said with a rough sounding and chilling voice.

Rodney thought about it for a few moments then shrugged, looking more pleased then he should, not in the least threatened by Ronon. "Well, I'm not sad…" he couldn't keep the smirk from showing on his face, as he chose to ignore Ronon's other question.

Teyla eyed him suspiciously. "W-Why are you smiling like that? I do not trust that look you have on your face right now."

Rodney shrugged nonchalantly, taking his sweet time as he took a sip of his water, wanting to keep them both on the edge for a little longer.

Not in the mood to take any of Rodney's games at the moment, Ronon banged his hand on the table causing McKay to jump back in his chair and the whole cafeteria to go quiet, everyone's gaze now pinned on them, wondering what was going on. Teyla looked around at all the anxious faces then she flashed them a reassuring smile. "Everything is good. Do not worry, we are all friends here…" her voice trailed off, sighing a little, glaring up at Ronon exasperatedly.

"Just spill it McKay." Ronon said, staring intensely at Rodney, knowing that it would make him even more uncomfortable then he already was.

Rodney looked at Ronon confused. "What's wrong with you? You've never acted so…out of control before…I mean, I know I drive you guys crazy sometimes but you're mad at me. Why?"

An emotionless smile suddenly appeared on Ronon's face. "Do you really want everyone to know what happened between you and Carson? "He asked in a low voice, leaning in incredibly close to Rodney so only the two them could hear the conversation.

Rodney's face paled visibly; however, he stood his ground, shrugging. "I don't see how that's any of your business Ronon."

Ronon growled softly, causing Rodney to lean back and away from him a little then the scientist looked over at Teyla. Her presence was the only thing keeping McKay on that chair. He knew Ronon would do nothing to hurt him but he couldn't help but feel intimidated by him at times, especially right now.

"It is my business when Carson is so mad and depressed that he felt he could confide in no one else but me. And you are supposed to be his best friend, Rodney."

"Guys? What is going on?" Teyla asked, watching the two men suspiciously. She really did not understand the strange behaviour of Ronon this morning and she was certain she didn't want to either.

Rodney looked away from Ronon, making sure to mask his emotions, not wanting to give away the shame and guilt he felt concerning his actions towards Carson. He looked over at Teyla and smiled as best as he could, although it did not reach his eyes. "Nothing to worry about. Now, where were we? Oh yes, John and Elizabeth. Well, as you might know, I've been trying to convince Elizabeth to let me do some slightly dangerous experiments which could benefit us greatly but so far, I had no success. Now, Sheppard is so much easier to manipulate and if what Ronon said is true, then I just thought that I should start focusing my attention on John rather than on Elizabeth. Once I convince John that my experiments are beneficial to us all, my rate of success to get Elizabeth to agree with us is much, much higher. "Rodney smiled a little after he finished explaining his plan, although the excitement they saw earlier had disappeared from his features and was replaced by an emotion that Teyla could just not identify at the moment. She looked over at Ronon, but he appeared to be focusing once more on his food, paying no attention whatsoever to Rodney or his so called plan. Teyla sighed, hating the fact that she didn't really know what was going on. Ever since they had visited PFX-519 everything seemed to just go wrong.

"I understand your plan Rodney, even though I do not agree with it, but you have to take into account their current relationship. By what Ronon has told me, Elizabeth did not seem so pleased after the kiss, so their relationship might not be in the best of terms right now."

"Oh no, she was pleased. More than pleased. Her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and you know, all that stuff. Heck, if I had not walked in, I don't think they would have stopped at just kissing." Ronon replied, looking at Teyla, a small smirk playing on his lips.

Teyla rolled her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I still do not think it is a good idea."

"Regardless, I think it's still worth a try…"

All their headsets activated at once, causing all of them to jump in surprise at the sudden noise in their ear. "Dr McKay, Teyla and Ronon, this is Dr. Weir, I just wanted to let you know that we will debrief in one hour."

Rodney jumped in. "Oh you mean about PFX-519, right?"

"Yes, Rodney. What else could I be talking about?" Elizabeth snapped then after a moment of silence while she took in a calming breath, she spoke again, he voice more soft. "I want you all here within the hour, understood?"

"Yes Elizabeth." Rodney and Ronon replied.

"We will be there Dr. Weir. Has Colonel Sheppard been notified of this meeting?" Teyla asked, trying to read as much as possible from Elizabeth's tone of voice, but besides, stress and exhaustion, she couldn't tell if there was anything wrong or if something else was bothering her.

After another moment of silence Elizabeth's voice came through the headsets again. "No he has not. I would appreciate if you could let him know."

"As you wish Dr. Weir." Teyla replied as he glanced around the table. She did not have a good feeling about this.

"Thank you Teyla. Weir out." Elizabeth replied, then a moment later, she was gone.

"Well, so much for my plan…" Rodney replied, sounding defeated.

"I wonder what happened… I could have sworn they both enjoyed it." Ronon sighed, frowning.

"What do you think happened? The kiss obviously affected their relationship and not in a good way. Damn Sheppard, he screwed up again." Rodney grumbled, staring down at the table, annoyed. "Although I'm not surprised, really. It doesn't matter if they both enjoyed it or not. A Station Commander cannot have a relationship with anyone on the base, especially Sheppard, since her emotions could affect her judgement and all that crap."

"I am sure they will work around this somehow." Teyla replied, smiling, trying to stay and think positive.

Ronon and Rodney looked at each other then they turned to her. "Right…" they replied at the same time, not sounding convinced at all.

"Good mornin' everyone!" A voice called out to them, causing all of them to turn around, even though McKay recognized the voice pretty well.

Teyla and Ronon smiled as they saw Carson walking towards them, with a tray full of food. "Good morning Dr. Beckett, please, join us."

"That's what I intended, love." Carson replied, stopping in front of the table. He looked around the table and saw two empty chairs. One was next to Rodney and the other opposite of Ronon. Carson turned to Rodney, who was looking down at the table, suddenly finding it incredibly fascinating. He noticed his best friend's body was tense and he looked uncomfortable. Carson sighed a little, walking over to the right side of the table, sitting down opposite of Ronon.

Seeing as they were quieter today than normal, Carson frowned, looking around the table. "What happened? Why do ye all look so gloomy this morning?"

Teyla flashed the doctor an uneasy smile. "There might be some…conflict between Elizabeth and John…"

"Oh don't even remind me of those two. I told them to stay in the infirmary all night and what did they do? They took off!" he exclaimed, shaking his head, clearly frustrated at his friend's behaviour.

"Knowing Colonel Sheppard, I am sure he only wanted to take a walk. You know he cannot stay in one place for too long." Teyla replied, quickly coming to John's defense.

"Don't ye think I know that, love? However, they could have left a note that they were not returning or something. I was scared out of my mind in the morning when they weren't there. I didn't know what happened to them and no one saw them leave either. They alright aren't they?" the doctor asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Ronon, Teyla and McKay shared an uncomfortable look then Teyla taking the initiative once more, nodded, smiling reassuringly at the poor doc. "Yes, I am sure they are. We all spoke with Elizabeth this morning and we were going to look for John in a few minutes."

"Ye know, I'm not so sure they should be up and running all over Atlantis yet. We still don't know what the effects of that telepathy might have on them. They should be under continuous supervision until we find out more."

"We already saw some of the effects…" McKay snorted, mumbling softly under his breath.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut can you?" Ronon growled softly, glaring at McKay.

Carson's head snapped up from his food, looking around at them confused. "What are ye talking about?" He waited a few seconds but when McKay still made no eye contact or even acknowledged Carson's presence, the doctor sighed and focused on the other two at the table. "What is Rodney talking about Teyla? If there is something that I should know, please tell me!" he pushed away his food, already having lost his appetite and not just because of this thing with Elizabeth and John either but having Rodney clearly ignore him like that in public…well, it really got to him. But he didn't have time for that now. If Rodney wanted to behave like a child so be it.

Teyla sighed, noticing Rodney behave in the strangest of ways. There was obviously something wrong here. Shaking her head she turned to Carson. "Nothing medical related happened Dr. Becket…"

"Oh thank god…" he sighed, relieved then raised an eyebrow at Teyla. "So what happened then?"

Teyla looked at Ronon, who gave her a small nod before continuing. "Ronon caught John and Elizabeth kissing last night on one of the decks."

"Oh! That's nothing, love. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Carson grabbed his plate, smiling a little as he started to eat.

"That what I said doc…" Ronon looked at Carson, smiling widely.

"Did ye, now? Well it is true, ye know. All that tension…And John might be going around and having flings with anyone but I can really only see one person who's really right for him and that's Elizabeth. She knows how to put him in his place." Carson shook his head, chuckling softly.

Ronon nodded, watching the doc closely. "We really should go and look for Colonel Sheppard. The meeting in is less than twenty minutes." Teyla said, checking her watch.

"Right, right…" Rodney mumbled as he sat up, grabbing his tray.

Ronon sat up and looked at the doc. "So doc, I will see you tonight right?" he nodded his head a little, telling the doc to play along.

Carson smiled and nodded. "Yeap, yer're coming to the infirmary first aren't ye?"

Ronon nodded, grinning. "Yeah."

Rodney froze and looked up at the two men, fixing his eyes on Carson for the first time since THAT day. "Y-You guys are going out? Where?"

"Oh doc just wanted me to go fishing him. You know, like he asked you a million times but you kept refusing so he asked me instead." Ronon shrugged then he grabbed his empty tray and walked away from the table, grinning widely. That should teach Rodney a lesson. He thought.

Teyla sighed, sitting up as well then she touched Rodney's arm to get his attention. Rodney looked down at her, not really seeing her. "What?" he asked, sounding annoyed?

"We are going to look for Colonel Sheppard. The meeting is in fifteen minutes. Do not be late." With that, she turned to look at Carson, smiling at him then she walked away from the tabled, joining a very happy Ronon.

"You are going fishing with Doctor Beckett?" Teyla asked, confused when she caught up to him.

"No, I just wanted Rodney to believe that I and the doctor will be going fishing." He replied, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

Teyla looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Can you please tell me what is going on here? I am extremely confused."

Ronon shrugged. "Later. Let's go look for John now. I think I have an idea of where he is."

Teyla nodded, smiling a little. "Lead the way."

Back at the table, Rodney stood there awkwardly, wondering how to leave without hurting Carson's feelings. Well, it might already be too late for that, but for the life of him he just couldn't think of an excuse to get the hell away from there. "So you're going finishing with Ronon." He stated lamely, unable to keep quiet about it.

Carson, not looking up from his tray, nodded. "Yes, I am. Why?"

Rodney shrugged. "No reason. I just thought that was an activity you only shared with your best friend, which is me not Ronon." He replied, sitting back down with his arms crossed across his chest. He didn't know what he was doing. Was Ronon taking his place? Was he no longer Carson's best friend? Well, that might be possible since the last couple of weeks have been really awkward between them. And Rodney knew it was mostly his fault but he just didn't know how else to deal with what happened.

Carson looked up, sighing. "Rodney, ye've been ignoring me for weeks now. I'm not going to just sit here and sulk because my best friend is a chicken who can't own up to his actions. Ronon is my friend and we're going finishing. Besides what do ye care? Ye hate finishing, remember?"

"I don't hate fish-"Rodney started but was soon interrupted by Carson who was holding his hand with the fork in it up.

"Don't lie to me Rodney. And it's okay, really. Ye're still my friend but now I will be fishing with Ronon. At least I don't have to beg with that lad. He's mature enough to know some manners." Carson sat up, taking the tray with the half eaten food and started to walk away.

Rodney sat up and followed closely behind. "So what? You like him better, is that it?"

After throwing away the food and putting the tray away, Carson turned and glared at Rodney. 'No I don't like him better than ye Rodney! I don't understand what ye want from me, love." He froze as he noticed the word slipping out of his mouth. Clearing his throat, he looked away sighing. "Last time we got too close to each other ye freaked out on me and ignored me for weeks! So I'm moving on now. Just let it be. It's better for everyone." He sighed, shaking his head, and then he turned around and walked out of the cafeteria quickly.

Rodney simply stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say or do to make Carson understand his point of view in all this. He had forced himself on the poor Scot! Why couldn't he just see that? And why the hell wasn't he mad? He was just trying to make everything go back to the way it was, but he only now realized that might not be possible. He sighed, cursing softly under his breath. He never should have drunk that stupid blue liquid. If he hadn't he'd still have a best friend and he wouldn't feel like the biggest jackass and loser on Atlantis and possibly the whole Pegasus galaxy.

Rodney sighed, realizing he was still standing in the middle of the cafeteria where Carson had left him. Forcing his legs to work, he made his way out of there, heading towards his lab to take his notes that he'll be needing for the briefing. He looked down at his watch and sighed. Ten more minutes. He made his way to the transporter, for the first time not feeling up to sitting through a meeting, especially if Ronon was there.

Teyla and Ronon kept walking side by side. Teyla looked around, frowning. "Where are we going?"

"To find Sheppard." Ronon replied, looking down at her.

"Yes, but I have never been here before."

Ronon smiled. "I know… this is the way leading to the deck where it all happened."

Teyla frowned. "What makes you think he is going to be there?"

Ronon shrugged. "He's really not that complex Teyla. He'll want to be in a place that no one really knows about and that is it. I'd probably do the same if I were him."

Teyla looked up at Ronon as they stopped before the door, leading out to the deck, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that's good to know. "

Ronon chuckled softly, turning a little towards her. "Oh don't worry. I never get in these situations when it comes to girls or relationships."

"Oh really? Well what about me then?" she teased, biting on her lower lip.

Ronon watched how her teeth sank into her lower lip then he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "We should go or we're going to be late." He mumbled before waving his hand in front of the light blue crystals opening the door to the deck, revealing John, sitting on the same bench as last night, staring aimlessly at the sea surrounding them.

As soon as John heard the door slide open, he sat up; his heart pounding hard in his chest, thinking it was Elizabeth, coming to talk to him, although he knew his chances were slim. His whole face fell when he saw Ronon and Teyla stepping onto the deck. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked more exhausted than ever.

"Colonel, are you alright?" Teyla asked, taking a step forward.

"Of course I am." John replied, frowning a little as he looked at his two friends, unaware of how bad and tired he looked. "Just, you know, a tad tired…"

"We can tell. John maybe you should go lay down…" Ronon said, watching John closely. He had never seen him like this. Sure he was just tired but he looked like hell.

John shook his head, sitting back down on the bed, resting his head in his hands. "Can't sleep. She disconnected herself from me." He mumbled in a small voice.

Ronon and Teyla shared a worried look. "You mean Elizabeth?"

"Of course I mean Elizabeth. Who else is telepathically linked to me that I don't know about?" John snapped, glaring at Teyla.

Ronon took another step toward him. "There's no need for that tone of voice Sheppard."

Teyla put her arm of Ronon's, smiling at him reassuringly. "It's okay Ronon. He's not himself right now."

"You don't understand. I've been living with a sense of dread all night. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I know Elizabeth is alright because I saw her in the hallways, but whenever my mind tries to link itself to hers, it finds nothing because she blocked me out! And then I get this incredible feeling of grief and desperation coming over me. This place is the only thing that's keeping me sane right now."

Teyla looked up at Ronon who simply shrugged. He was at a loss of words. They have been linked telepathically for what? Less than twenty-four hours? But the condition John was in really scared him.

"We have a meeting in a few minutes. We came to get you." Ronon said, ignoring the shocked expression on Teyla's face.

John looked up frowning. "I wasn't notified of it. When did you guys find out?"

"About an hour ago. Elizabeth asked us to let you know." Ronon replied.

"Well I don't want to go. I'm staying here." John replied indignantly. "She probably doesn't even want me there."

Teyla sighed. "I am sure that is not the case Colonel. If this is affecting you like this, think of how it must be affecting her. I am not lying to you John. She did not sound like herself when we talked to her. Maybe if you are in the same room as her, it will lessen the pain and any other feelings you might be feeling right now."

John sighed, knowing Teyla was right. He stood up and looked at them, smiling. Teyla flinched. "Maybe you should go take a hot shower and shave Colonel. We can't really have people see you like this…"

John frowned, passing a hand over his tired face. "That bad?"

Ronon nodded. "Yeah, I think you've looked better after fighting five Wraith at the same time."

John sighed, not wanting to hear anymore. "Alright, alright. I get your point. Just go to the meeting. I'll be there in ten." With that, John walked past his two friends, quickly making his way to the showers, the possibility of seeing Elizabeth gave him some energy.

Ronon and Teyla turned to watching him go. "Wow…" Ronon said, shaking his head.

"Do you think we should tell Dr. Beckett?" Teyla asked, seriously concerned about John.

Ronon shrugged. "Don't know. Well, I don't think so. Let's see how they react today. If things don't improve we'll have to let the doc know."

Teyla nodded then she looked down at her watch. "We better go or we'll be late." She said, making her way back inside with Ronon following her closely behind.

Elizabeth was pacing restlessly around her office. She looked down at her watch and sighed. Five more minutes and she'll finally get to see John again. She wasn't used to being this restless all the time. She couldn't work, she couldn't sleep. Ever since she cut the connection with John last night, she's been snapping at everyone, she was on edge all the time, God forbid you say one thing wrong to her or try to be funny. She wasn't taking any of that today. Everything and anyone annoyed her. She unable to sit still and that kiss…she couldn't get it out of her head! John's perfect and soft lips, pressed against hers were all she could think about. And as if that wasn't bad enough a feeling of grief and dread took over her sometime during the night, making her think that John was dead even though she knew he was perfectly fine. At the beginning it seemed to happen only once an hour but the more she kept herself disconnected from John the more often it happened. But she couldn't, wouldn't give in to it. She was sure John was fine. This was all a game to him, wasn't it? She wondered how much the other guys would "respect" him if he'd be able to tell them that he screwed around with the boss. But John wasn't like that was he? Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her temples. She didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't want to think. Her brain was going into overdrive and she couldn't do anything to stop it. It seemed abnormal to have such a strong reaction to John's absence in her mind. They haven't even been connected for that long! She made a mental note to go and talk to Dr. Beckett after the briefing. This wasn't normal at all. Maybe she should have just gone back to the infirmary after all. She checked her watch once more, and then smiled. Two minutes after 0900. Perfect. Everyone should be there by now. Well she didn't really care about seeing anyone but John at the moment. She didn't care just how messed up that sounded. He was her second in command. Didn't that mean anything to her anymore? Of course it does. That's why you disconnected yourself from John, remember? She reasoned with herself as she grabbed her notes, coffee and whatever else she needed then she exited her office, making her way quickly to the conference room.

Before she entered the conference room, she took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Then she walked through the open doors and was met by three anxious faces. Her eyes scanned the room and John was nowhere to be found. She willed herself to not react to his absence but her body was tense and she could barely fake a smile as she sat down. "Good morning everyone." She cleared her throat, focusing her attention on her notes, pretending to look for something that wasn't there. Teyla, Ronon and McKay looked at each other.

Teyla turned to McKay who was watching Elizabeth closely. "It appears that Dr. Weir is experiencing the same symptoms as the Colonel…"

Rodney nodded, not taking his eyes off of Elizabeth. "Yes, I see that. And I might have a theory of why that is happening but that will have to wait until John gets here. I want to see something."

Elizabeth looked up at Teyla. "Where is Colonel Sheppard? I thought I asked you to notify him of his meeting.

"And we did Dr. Weir." Teyla replied, her voice soft as she took in Elizabeth's tired form. "However, he was in a pretty bad shape so he had to go and take a shower."

Elizabeth frowned. "Bad shape? What do you mean?" she asked, trying hard to hide her concern.

Teyla looked at Ronon. "Well, we found him…on the deck and it appeared that he had not slept all night either. To be honest, I was quite blown away by his state of being. Like Ronon said earlier, he probably would have looked better after a full on fight with a couple Wraith."

Elizabeth flinched at Teyla's words, looking down at her hands. "So he felt it as well…" she mumbled softly to herself.

"If I may…" Rodney held up his hand, jumping into the conversation, catching Elizabeth's attention. "I might know why you two have reacted to the separation in such a drastic way. But I think that it would be best if we wait until Sheppard is here, just so I don't have to repeat myself." He said, flashing a small smile.

Elizabeth nodded a tired smile on her face. "Of course, Rodney." She looked over at Teyla. "How long did he say he'd be?" she asked, trying to hide her growing anticipation at the prospect of seeing him again.

The doors suddenly opened behind her and John entered, looking like his normal self once more. He was still tired and with all the previous symptoms but at least now he didn't look like a crazy, out of control man. As soon as he was inside the conference room, his eyes were glued at the back of Elizabeth's head. He waited until the doors closed behind him then spoke in a soft voice. "Sorry for being late. I had to…make myself presentable."

Elizabeth gave a small nod, not turning around to look at him. She thought she'd feel better once John was in the same room with her but his presence being so close yet out of reach seemed to make her symptoms even worse. Elizabeth sighed, trying to get herself under control, ignoring her minds insistence on connecting itself to John's. "T-Take a seat and we will start." She replied in a small and breathless voice then she cleared her throat, annoyed.

Seeing as Ronon, McKay and Teyla all sat on the right side of the oval table, he really had no choice but to go in the opposite direction and sit down on the closest chair to Elizabeth's left. Making his way to his seat, a small smirk appeared on his lips. It seemed that she was just as affected by the lack of connection as he was. Good, he thought, keeping his eyes locked onto Elizabeth's form, barely paying any attention to Ronon and Teyla and Rodney.

Elizabeth continued to look down, biting nervously on her lower lip as she played with her pen. Her mind was completely blank yet at the same time it was overflowed with thoughts and they all revolved around one man. That one infuriating man. John's proximity was starting to drive her crazy. All she could think about was those, hot, full lips pressed against hers once more, his hands wrapped around her keeping her safe. Elizabeth sighed, a shiver running down her spine, causing her to let out a small gasp as she felt John's consciousness rubbing insistently against her own, asking for entrance, making it that much harder for her to keep her shields up.

Teyla noticing that something weird was happening between them, decided to jump in. "Dr. Weir?" she asked, her tone cautious. "Is everything alright?"

Elizabeth cleared her throat, nodding her head, looking up from her notebook, flashing Teyla a small smile. "Yes, everything is fine. How about you start about telling me of the events that occurred while you were in charge…"

"Very well…" Teyla replied then stopped for a few seconds, wondering where and how to begin.

Elizabeth quickly turned her face and body towards John, glaring at him. "Stop that." She whispered softly.

John smirked, glad to see that Elizabeth finally decided to pay him some attention. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I doing something that makes you uncomfortable?" he whispered back, leaning closer towards her as he moved his chair closer as well.

Elizabeth swallowed hard, seeing how close John was getting. Damn him! She sighed heavily, turning away from John, trying to focus on what Teyla was saying. She turned her attention back at the Athosian woman, trying to ignore the man beside her completely. But John was having none of that. He was mad, mostly because she was willing to cause herself so much pain just because of a stupid little kiss. He brushed against her consciousness once more, a little harder this time, watching her face closely for her reaction.

Elizabeth gasped softly again as another jolt of pleasure made its way through her body, getting down right to her core. She cleared his throat then she turned towards John, giving him her killer glare.

Stop that! She yelled inside his mind, letting down every defense she had built up in the last six hours, giving him access to her mind once more.

Not having expected Elizabeth to open up her mind to his just yet, John's eyes widened as all the pressure that had been in his body for the past several hours drained away. Their minds linked immediately causing them both to flinch at the slight pain. Elizabeth sighed, taking a sip of her coffee, trying hard to keep her hands from shaking. The relief she felt was unimaginable. Her thoughts seemed to clear away, once more leaving her as the composed and in control Elizabeth that she used to be before all this madness happened. Now that all the tension and crazy, depressed thoughts were gone, Elizabeth noticed that the room had gone quiet. She looked up at Ronon, Teyla and McKay embarrassed, not knowing what to say. Thankfully Rodney came to her rescue.

"…So I take it you guys linked again?" Rodney asked, after a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence, having watched them closely this whole time.

All the lines on John's face disappeared, making him look much younger and more like his normal self before all this happened. He nodded a little, smiling, letting out a long breath. "Yes, we're back online."

Rodney nodded, looking slightly relieved. "Good, good. Now we can start doing some work around here. Like I mentioned before, I might know why you two reacted to the separation in such a dramatic way. "

"Please, tell us, so we know not to do it again." John said, not looking at Elizabeth but they both knew it was directed to her.

Elizabeth sent John a mental eye roll then she turned towards Rodney, trying to focus completely on him, which was getting harder by the minute. And John wasn't making it easy for her either. She could feel him lurking inside her mind and every now and then she had to pay attention to what memory or thought or feeling he was looking at to make sure it was nothing to could get her in trouble. She sighed, exasperated.

Do you mind? I'm trying to listen to Rodney here.

You have stuff that could get you in trouble? Like what? John asked, clearing having read her thoughts.

Oh I don't know. I might have a list of torturous activities that I could use on you to keep you quiet for days on end.

John smirked, turning to look at Elizabeth who looked very much like she was paying attention to what Rodney was saying. I never imagined you as the kinky type, Liz.

A blush crept up Elizabeth's neck to her cheeks. I didn't mean it like THAT, John.

But you wouldn't object to kinky stuff, is that it?

John! I hardly doubt that is the kind of thing we should be talking about right now. Elizabeth bit on her lower lip, staring down at the files in front of her, not really seeing them.

John rolled his eyes, a small smirk appearing on his lips. Later then?

Not in a million years, Colonel. Elizabeth replied at which John sent her a mental pout.

While Elizabeth and John were engrossed in talking into each other's minds, Rodney had been talking, foolishly thinking that they were listening to him. He suddenly stopped, looking up from his notes and saw that no one, not even Teyla or Ronon was paying him even the slightest attention. They were busy watching Elizabeth and John staring at each other, undoubtedly speaking telepathically.

"Guys! Is seriously no one listening to what I'm saying?" Rodney asked, annoyed out of his mind. Here he was, trying to help those two and what were they doing? Ignoring him!

Elizabeth's attention was quickly brought back to professional matters thanks to Rodney's loud voice. "I'm sorry Rodney…I was…"

"Yeah, yeah I know what you were doing. Just forget it. I'll write up a report and you can read it whenever you feel like it. Unlike some people here, I've actually got some work to do." He snapped, taking all his notes and what not then stormed out of the conference room, annoyed.

Teyla stood up, looking at Elizabeth who has never looked so ashamed. "Dr. Weir, I believe it is best that we leave you and Colonel Sheppard alone for a while. We can all just write a report of the events that occurred since visiting PFX-519…"

Elizabeth jumped up, her eyes wide. "That really will not be necessary Teyla, we can just continue the debriefing without doctor McKay…"

Ronon shook his head. "I agree with Teyla, Elizabeth. It's best that we simply send you the reports. And believe me I'm not just saying that. Writing is hardly my idea of fun."

Elizabeth sighed, then after a few moments of silence she finally nodded, leaning back in her seat. "You are right. Have a report ready for me by tomorrow at 0800."

"Yes, ma'am." Ronon replied, smiling widely as he pushed his chair away from the table, standing up. Giving a small nod to John, who simply grinned at him like an idiot, he made his way out of the conference room with Teyla closely behind him.

Once they were alone, Elizabeth sat there, playing with her pen, trying to keep her temper under control.

John cleared his throat, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that settled between them.

"So…" he started but was quickly interrupted by Elizabeth's cold voice.

"I want you in my office in five minutes. We will talk then." She stood up, grabbing her stuff then she quickly stormed out of the conference room, leaving John behind all alone.

John sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Great. Another lecture." He mumbled softly under his breath, sitting up from his seat. He didn't feel like listening to a lecture right now but he knew it was all his fault things were going so wrong lately so he really did owe this to Elizabeth. Sighing heavily, he reluctantly left the conference room and started making his way slowly towards Elizabeth's office.

Hey Guys! This is probably the longest chapter I wrote so far. It didn't turn out as I expected but yeah, I hope you like it. Constructive criticism is welcome! =)