Elizabeth sat deeply crumpled in the chair behind her desk. She had been sitting in her office for hours and stared blankly at her laptop. She moved her hand on the mouse and instantly the screensaver vanished. Her mail program was active and she started scanning the huge list of unread e-mails, but not really reading the words scrolling on the screen. She paused and closed the program.

For minutes Elizabeth gazed at the background on the screen, it showed a beautiful sunset, the ocean colored in an orange gradient by the sun sinking behind the horizon. A couple of palm trees made the picture look exotic, while the stars in the sky made it look forged. There was still far too much sunlight to actually show stars, but she didn’t care.

Elizabeth dreamed her way into the picture, forgetting about all the work that she had to do and just imagined how nice it would be to lay there on the beach with a good book. Letting the last sunrays warm her skin, the soft ocean breeze cool her body again and her feet covered with warm sand. In her fantasy a man walked out of the ocean, although she could not clearly see his face, she knew who it was. Small glittering droplets of water slowly ran down along his chest onto his abdomen. When he was close enough, he shook some of the droplets teasingly on her belly and his smirk made her melt. He pressed his wet body against hers, after which they ended up in a breathtaking kiss.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and was brutally awakened by Rodney’s voice, “No, I need the extra time to monitor the experiment. I have spent the last two nights setting it up and it needs my attention. I’m sure we can delay the mission for a day.”

Her eyes opened slowly and Elizabeth looked drowsily up at Rodney and John. Her eyes scanned the room until they met the black screen on her laptop. It had gone into sleep mode. She sighed and straightened herself in her seat.

“You okay?” John asked her.

Both John and Rodney looked at Elizabeth when they realized she had dozed off. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but she did know she didn’t feel any better then before she fell asleep. The two pairs of eyes waited for an answer and watched her closely.

Finally Elizabeth spoke, “yes, I think I fell asleep.” Immediately she regretted speaking, her throat was sore and felt like sandpaper. She tried to swallow and ease the sharp pain, but her mouth was too dry. She knew her eyes showed she was in pain and covered it up with a faint smile on her lips.

“You’re sure?” John asked and looked quite concerned at Elizabeth. He hadn’t seen her like this since they had arrived on Atlantis. She had been tired sometimes, but she never fell asleep during her work. More than opposite, she usually slept a lot less than was good for her.

Elizabeth opened her mouth, but just in time, recognized speaking would cause her throat to hurt more. Instead, she nodded and scanned the cabinet behind her desk for a bottle of water. With a trembling arm, she reached for the bottle and placed it in front of her. She used both of her hands to turn the cap, but all strength had been drained from her body and she was unable to open it.

John reached out, took the bottle and opened it for her. “Sleeping with an open mouth is at least more elegant than drooling,” he joked to lighten the damped atmosphere.

Rodney had not paid much attention because in his mind, he was processing the data from the science experiment and blurted. “I do not drool.”

John turned his head to face Rodney while Elizabeth took a sip of the water. “Okay, first of all, I was not talking to you and secondly, you do drool,” John started and instantly saw Rodney’s face turn annoyingly towards him.

“What is it that you came here for?” Elizabeth interrupted the quarrel between John and Rodney before they would raise their voices even further and thereby increasing her headache. She took another small sip of the water and the short moment the water ran down the back of her throat, it passed on some coolness, relieving the worst pain.

“Well?” Elizabeth asked when she had not received an answer in her designated time.

John glanced at Elizabeth, she was grumpy today, but then again she had only been awake for a couple of minutes. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Rodney was here to ask to delay or reschedule tomorrow’s mission.”

“Elizabeth, hmm … Dr. Weir I mean,” Rodney started his plea to explain the necessity about his request. “The artifacts from the ancient ruins we found last week have a great potential. I have already performed several scans and these indicated a faint energy output. I believe the artifacts and crystals were once interlinked and formed some sort of small local force shield. Last night I set up a new configuration and I need to observe the experiment. Potentially we could use this technology to shield our naquadah power generators. I cannot go on the mission tomorrow.”

“Ow,” Elizabeth groaned. The back of her throat was raw, making it painful to talk. She took another sip of water before continuing. “Colonel, what’s your opinion?”

“No objections,” John stated. He wanted to avoid a long discussion, since he knew Elizabeth was trying very hard to hide that she was tired.

Of course, Rodney faced John and gave him a very surprised look. The whole way from the science lab to Dr. Weir’s office the two of them had been debating about the usefulness of the experiment and so far, John had been unwilling to accept any of his arguments. Now all of a sudden John backed his plea.

Elizabeth watched John for a moment and tried to read his thoughts. In response, he slightly tilted his head, put his hands in his pockets and lowered his view towards the edge of the desk.

“The mission will proceed as planned tomorrow,” Elizabeth said and watched Rodney with harsh eyes.

“What?” Rodney exclaimed and turned in fury towards John, who looked extremely surprised by the words Elizabeth just said.

“I have no objections to delay the mission,” John explained again clearly. He wanted Rodney to understand that he really agreed to postpone the mission. However, his reasons were different from Rodney’s. His eyes searched for support from Elizabeth, but her weak glances did not tell him more than that she was fatigued.

Rodney was standing on the edge of his feet, almost prancing. Before he could speak up John pulled his jacket and pushed him in the direction of the door. “We better go now and take care of the experiment. Maybe you should try to get some rest.” John stated before he turned around and left the office, tagging Rodney along.

Elizabeth’s throat was hurting so much she could not shout at John to stop and get back. She wanted to explain herself, but somehow she was not fast enough. She crumpled back deeper in her chair. An exhausted sigh came from her lungs. She moved her hand to turn on the laptop, logged in and opened her mail program again. The list of unread e-mails had already grown, increasing the barrier for Elizabeth to start processing them. She stared blankly at the screen while a tear ran down her face.

Elizabeth woke when a soft hand gently touched her cheek. Her head lay on the keyboard of the laptop, her hands curled around the screen. She tried opening her eyes, but the headache had gotten worse and the light burned in her eyes. A shadow moved over her head and the dimmed light made it easier for her to open her eyes. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the light intensity. After blinking her eyes, she noticed the laptop screen which was black again. Carefully Elizabeth lifted her head and ran her hand along her face. The dimples from the keyboard in her face felt unpleasant.

Finally, Elizabeth looked up, seeing John standing in front of the desk. He looked very concerned, one of the many new levels of emotions she had discovered in the past month.

John took a seat on the chair and said, “I don’t care what your excuse is, but you’re not fine.” Meanwhile he placed the half-empty bottle of water in front of Elizabeth and closely observed every move she made.

A soft moan sounded while Elizabeth crawled back in a sitting position. With one hand, she reached for the bottle, while the other went to her head. John watched her and she did not care that she looked weak to him. She did not only feel weak, but was weak. All strength had drained from her body, causing the bottle to drop to the floor and create a huge splash of water streaming around her boots. Instantly John firmly grabbed her arm and looked straight in her eyes. Elizabeth tried to swallow, but the pain prevented it. All her body was willing to do was create tears. First it was just a single small tear that left her eyes, followed by a pouring stream, wetting her cheeks.

John rose from his chair and went sitting on his heels next to Elizabeth. He held her face in the palm of his hand and attempted to wipe the tears away with his thumbs. “Let’s get you to the infirmary,” he softly whispered, placing his free arm on her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Elizabeth stammered and kept trying to swallow her sobs.

John turned Elizabeth’s head so she was forced to look at him. “I told you, you’re not fine. You’re burning up. We’ll go to the infirmary and let the doc take a look at you.”

Elizabeth wanted to protest, but couldn’t. She was confused and did not understand anything anymore. She felt desperate. There was so much work she still needed to do. She just did not have time to be sick. On top of that John suddenly behaved differently. For weeks he had been either avoiding or just ignored her, unless she spoke directly to him. His dark eyes no longer showed a playful affection but a harsh pain buried deep inside him. It all started since they had been back on Atlantis after the incident with the jumper. Instantly their relationship was shattered into many pieces, unable to glue it all back together.

Elizabeth had hoped they could talk about what happened between them and she had even made a few futile attempts to start the dialogue, but each one of them had failed. She could not understand how it could be like this. Inside the jumper John had been as warm as the bright burning star, but now he was as cold as the dark ocean surrounding Atlantis. It was not fair, he had no right to treat her this way and yet she was unable to do anything about it.

More tears ran down Elizabeth’s face as she remembered all the fun, beautiful, emotional and even passionate moments they had shared. Now everything was ruined, including their tight friendship. The last short moment they had shared as friends was the moment John had given her the grey linen booklet after he had cleaned the jumper. He had bought the diary for her birthday. She had found it very sweet for him to write his name in it. On the day they had been intimate together, he had written a simple ‘thank you’, followed by a ‘sorry’ on the day after. This ‘sorry’ meant literally the end of everything, the world crushing down on her.

John tilted Elizabeth’s head in his direction. “Can you walk?” he asked, soothing her.

Elizabeth just nodded and felt John lift her from the chair. Her legs were barely able to carry her weight, but his strong hands kept her on her feet. She wiped the tears from her face and stopped sobbing.

“Small steps, okay,” John reminded Elizabeth. He cleaned her face and tucked her hair behind her ear before he helped her towards the door. She indeed took small steps and even while she felt far from fine, John’s help made her feel somewhat better.

Elizabeth knew she had to be strong and pulled herself another step away from her desk. “I’ll be fine,” she determinately whispered, unable to raise her voice even if she had wanted to do so.

John smiled, “Sure you will.” He moved his arm under Elizabeth’s shoulders, so she could lean on him. She needed his support and it felt good and familiar to be close to him. She knew it wouldn’t last, causing new tears to surface in the corner of her eyes.

John used his free hand to activate his radio. “Doctor Beckett, this is Colonel Sheppard.” He waited for a response, meanwhile opening the door so he and Elizabeth could continue their way to the infirmary. Slowly with small steps they reached the hallway leading to the infirmary. “Doc?” John asked again over the radio.

A half awake Carson responded, “Colonel, aye, what is it?”

John realized what time it was and apologized, “Sorry for waking you. I’m bringing a sick lady to the infirmary. Could you meet us there doc?”

Carson yawned and took a breath before he spoke again. “Is it serious? I’m sure one of the other doctors could help you.”

Before Carson had completed his reply Elizabeth almost collapsed. Her face had turned even whiter then pale, while her skin was burning from heat. John grabbed her in time and activated his radio before he lifted Elizabeth from the ground, carrying her in his arms. “Elizabeth, try to stay awake. We’re almost there.”

“I’m on my way,” Carson’s voice sounded the moment he realized the lady John was referring to was Elizabeth.

A simple, “See you there,” sounded from John while he walked through the corridor.

John had opened the door to the infirmary and Elizabeth made it clear to him she wanted to walk. He gently put her down and let her lean on his arm. Step-by-step Elizabeth dragged herself further into the infirmary. If John would not support her, she would have crumpled down on the spot. She was guided to one of the medical beds when one of the nurses intercepted them.

John shook his head, gesturing that he didn’t wanted any interruptions yet. He wanted to make sure Elizabeth got on the bed first and then would answer any questions she might have. Meanwhile Carson entered the infirmary too. After a quick scan around, he walked past a small table, grabbing a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer and continuing his journey to Elizabeth.

“I’m sorry for calling you this late,” John excused again while gently forcing Elizabeth to sit on the edge of the bed. Her feet dangled limply down and her whole posture was slumped.

“That’s fine,” Carson responded and observed Elizabeth for some seconds before her took her wrist to take her pulse. She let it all happen. Carson opened her jacket and gently pulled her arms out. John had moved to the other side of the bed, behind Elizabeth and supported her back. After Carson had finished taking of the jacket he and John guided Elizabeth to lie down on the bed.

Without fighting or any protest Elizabeth found herself in a horizontal position, staring blankly at the ceiling. Things went too fast for her, the people around her bed started to spin around inside the room. She could not follow their movements. In a shimmer she noticed Carson quickly started taking the rest of her vitals, while John removed her boots and the nurse brought a blanket and a thermometer. She closed her eyes and started to doze off.

Carson’s face had already looked concerned, but his expression intensified the moment he had taken Elizabeth’s temperature. “Lass, no wonder you’re this tired.” He gently touched her cheek to comfort her.

John watched Carson and waited for him to explain Elizabeth’s situation. His hand moved to her shoulder, gently applying pressure to let her know he was there, but making sure he did not hurt her. His eyes lowered to watch her, as her lean body lay asleep on the medical bed.

“Her temperature is 104,” Carson stated. The nurse wrote the data down on a medical report and waited for new orders. “Start an IV and take a blood sample to find out what’s the cause for her fever.” A small nod came from the nurse and she immediately left the bedside to get the supplies Carson needed.

“104?” John asked for a reconfirmation and looked shocked.

“Aye. I will try to get the fever down first,” Carson explained. “It might be as simple as the flu. A blood test will get us some answers.”

John watched the bed again, seeing Elizabeth’s helpless body lay motionless except for her slow, shallow breathing. “Let’s hope it’s just the flu,” he said.

John felt sick to his stomach from worrying for Elizabeth’s well-being. He knew he had been a little distant from her lately, but that did not mean he didn’t care about her anymore. He had cursed himself every day for what he had done to Elizabeth inside the jumper. He had never wanted to hurt her just to please his own personal needs. After they had returned to Atlantis, he had kept a safe distance between the two of them, even while he knew it would cause them both pain. The anguish would be temporary and would ease when time passed. However if he had continued the relationship he would know for sure it would not last and cause even more devastation in the end.

A deep sigh came from John before he turned around and went to one of the cabinets in the infirmary. He opened it and took a small soft white cloth from it. He soaked the towel with cool water in the sink and walked back to the bed.

With the wet cloth, John gently wiped Elizabeth’s face, carefully trying to cool her skin. He ran the towel along her forehead and cheeks, making her lips move into a smile. She had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Several minutes had past before he abruptly stopped, dropped the towel on the table next to the bed and started to move towards the door. “I have to go,” were the words he mumbled before he left through the door, leaving Carson dumbfounded behind.

The door closed behind John, after which he turned around and stared at it. It was Teyla who pulled him out of his trance. “I heard you brought Dr. Weir to the infirmary. How is she?”

John had not thought a moment about anything else then Elizabeth, making him truly realize what had happened. He turned his face. “Don’t know.”

Teyla showed sincere concerns while John looked empty, his mind not following the things around him. “Can I …?” Teyla started her question, but she could not finish it before John had pushed her out of his way and walked away from the infirmary.

John rushed up the stairs to Elizabeth’s office. The moment the door started to open, he squeezed himself through the opening. “Are you out of your mind!” he yelled.

Elizabeth looked up from her laptop and gazed at two angry looking eyes. She still looked very pale. Under normal circumstances, her hair was always perfect, her curls softly folding around her face, now it looked disheveled. She removed her trembling hand from the mouse and looked dazed. She tried to crawl further into her too large woolen sweater and curled her legs close to her body.

“The doc told you to stay in your room,” John added, his chest heaving from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. “He meant in your other room. I know you spend a lot of time here, but the doc meant the room with your bed. You know, that thing with four legs, mattress, sheets and a pillow. That is where you should be, right at this moment.” His voice sounded rigid and fierce. He leaned his hands on the desk and leveled his head with Elizabeth’s.

A weak voice replied, “I wanted to get my book.” Elizabeth was almost frightened by the intensity in John’s voice yelling at her. His dark eyes looked furious about her being in her own office. Carson had released her from the infirmary and made her promise to keep bed rest for a couple of days. She knew she disobeyed him and broke her promise, but the work kept piling up.

A loud thud sounded when John violently closed the laptop. “You’ve been stuffed with medicine to keep you on your feet, but that doesn’t mean you can get back to work.” He moved behind the chair, while Elizabeth sat frozen in her seat. He turned the chair and lifted her from it. Without fighting, she let him push her out of her office and down the stairs.

“My book,” Elizabeth whispered. She was afraid to raise her voice and hoped John had heard her.

John sighed. He released his grip on Elizabeth’s shoulders and she remained weakly standing still on her feet. When she turned her head, she saw him enter her office and pick up all books he could find lying on her desk and cabinet. She was surely not going to mention that she really came to pick up her diary, which she had shoved deep in the bottom drawer, stacked under several files.

John came back out of the office with a pile of books stacked on his arm. He looked a bit annoyed, but not as angry as before. Elizabeth gave him a faint smile, “Thank you.”

“Let’s go,” John said and pushed Elizabeth’s shoulder, gesturing she had to start walking. He was going to make sure she got to her room without any distractions.

Elizabeth started to walk into the hallway and John followed her. Elizabeth walked rather slowly, because every muscle in her body was aching from pain. The seat in her office was quite comfortable, but she was not going to mention this to John either in his current protective mood. She shrugged her shoulders a bit and suddenly turned around, “It’s just the flu.”

John grabbed her shoulders and turned her back. “And pharyngitis, besides it does not matter. You still have a high fever and Doctor Beckett said you should go to your room and that is where I’m taking you.” John’s voice sounded distant and cold.

Elizabeth felt hurt, she had let him inside her mind and body and this was the result. She took a few breaths and knew a discussion would make her cry from pain, caused by John’s behavior and her sore throat. Deep inside her mind, she recognized the small sparks of concern in John’s behavior, yet his harsh actions washed them away. Maybe she was overreacting, her body was sick and fatigued and this would certainly have some effect on her mental health as well. She swallowed again, gave a short sniff and started walking again.

A desperate sigh came from John. He walked a single pace behind Elizabeth and closely observed every step she took. If needed, he would catch her before she collapsed to the ground. Elizabeth could not see the pain in his eyes, or know about the tormented feeling inside his mind.

Yesterday after John had left the infirmary he went to the south pier. He had been sitting there for hours, watching the stars. All he really thought about was Elizabeth. He had never seen her like this. She was so fragile that it had really scared him. He had been glad that it was dark and no one could have seen the pain in his eyes.

John looked up and noticed Elizabeth was watching him, somehow he had stopped walking. She showed a curious glimmer and John returned this with his dark and cold eyes. “Keep walking,” he added.

Elizabeth crossed her arms and doubted if she should say something and what. Her rather childish behavior was annoying John. It was so much easier to order Rodney to his room then Elizabeth. “Come on,” he pleaded her desperately.

“I can’t convince you to bring me my laptop,” Elizabeth asked carefully. Instantly John titled his head, his eyes narrowed and a huge frown appeared on his forehead. “You can’t blame me for asking,” she apologized.

John moved his free hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder and looked straight in her eyes. “Please Elizabeth. You’ll need to get well first.” She nodded and created a faint smile. He decided to walk next to her. She could lean on him if she needed it. They both sighed at the same time and two smiles met each other before John waved his hand, pointing her in the right direction.

*****

A male security lieutenant walked past Elizabeth and John when John suddenly turned around. “Lieutenant?”

The lieutenant turned around and saluted John. “Apologies Sir. I did not mean to disrespect you.”

“At ease Lieutenant,” John ordered and saw the young Lieutenant relax. “What’s your current assignment?” he asked and quickly assessed the Lieutenant’s skills. He was still young, meaning he would easily follow orders, but he would be also more susceptible to manipulation.

“I have been assigned to help restock the main supply room, Sir,” the Lieutenant clearly addressed John.

John nodded, gave a quick glance at Elizabeth, who had no idea what he was doing. He turned back to the Lieutenant and a short pleased smile crossed his face. “Follow me,” he ordered the man, moving his hand in Elizabeth’s direction.

The Lieutenant saluted as he was taught and confirmed his order, “Yes, Sir.”

Elizabeth’s eyes grew large. She knew instantly what John was doing. John saw her reaction. He did not want to debate it and waved his hand, leaning his head in the same direction.

“I do not need a babysitter,” Elizabeth protested. Her voice was crackled by the high volume she tried to use, but couldn’t because of her sore throat. She gave John one of her thunderous glances, but it had no effect and she was pushed until she started walking on her own.

*****

Elizabeth opened the door of her room and carefully stepped inside. She waited for the door to close behind her, but this did not happen. She felt like a small child sent to her room after being punished.

“Wait here,” John commanded to the Lieutenant. The lieutenant gave a salute and attempted to confirm his orders again, but John nodded that he did not need to.

John entered the room and walked past Elizabeth. He put the books on the table and turned towards her. “Room. Your room and this … is called a bed,” he clarified while he obviously pointed towards the bed.

Elizabeth could not help herself from smiling. This was the John she knew and it enlightened her downcast mood. “I know,” she said and watched John while he left the room, the door closing behind him. She walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. Her body dropped backwards, her head hitting the soft pillow.

Outside in the hallway John gave some instructions to the Lieutenant. “Stay here for two hours. By that time, she will have checked if you’re still here and fallen asleep afterwards. I will contact your supervisor and explain your new assignment.”

“Yes, Sir,” sounded while the Lieutenant gave yet another salute. After accepting the salute, John walked back to the Gate room.

A loud thud sounded on Elizabeth’s door. Instantly she jumped out of her bed and rushed to the door. Her headache had returned, meaning that the medicines Carson had given her were no longer effective. Behind the door, several voices shouted, but she could not understand the words. Her hand moved over the control panel and the door slid open. Many people were running through the hallway back and forth. Some of them were armed with guns and in uniform, while others were dressed just as she was, in a night outfit.

John was guiding some people in one direction and ordering a group of soldiers in the other. The moment he saw Elizabeth standing in the doorway, he came for her. “Get something on your feet,” he ordered her.

Without asking questions first, Elizabeth went back in her room and quickly put on her slippers. Outside she heard John continue to shout orders. However, her head was pounding, making it impossible to understand what was going on. She realized it had to be important and hurried back to the door.

Elizabeth felt John’s hand get a firm grip on her arm and pulling her through the hallway, in the same direction as the people in pajamas had gone. “What is it?” she asked.

John guided Elizabeth around a corner, into a hallway leading away from the Gate room. “There are Wraith on Atlantis,” John quickly explained while he continued to lead her away.

“What? How many? How did they get here?” Elizabeth was shocked and concerned. The scanners had not showed any Wraith activity in the past few weeks, she did not understand how it was possible that Wraith suddenly showed up on Atlantis. “Are you sure?” she added.

John halted and crossed his lips with his finger, indicating that he wanted silence. He carefully aimed his gun into the intersecting hallway. “Okay, safe. This way.” John took the lead and checked Elizabeth was following him.

John finally answered the questions, “We don’t know how many Wraith there are, but Teyla sensed a large group. We have seen at least a dozen or so in the Gate room. Rodney hypothesized that the only way for them to get here in Atlantis without us knowing about it, would be if they somehow got their hands on cloaking technology and that would be bad. We’re grouping the soldiers, some small groups as distraction, while some other groups will protect Rodney and Zelenka. They will try to adjust the system so we can release the retro-virus throughout Atlantis.”

Elizabeth was stunned by the idea that the Wraith possibly had access to cloaking technology. Atlantis would be more vulnerable to attacks if they did not keep the shield up permanently. At least there was a plan to get rid of them and it was a good one too. If they could succeed in releasing the retrovirus throughout Atlantis, the Wraith would change into their human form and would lose their memory of being Wraith. This could give them enough time to find all of them.

Already all kinds of ethical dilemmas popped up in Elizabeth’s mind. What should they do with the humans? From previous experiences, she knew it would be impossible to keep them human. Eventually they would turn back into Wraith. The most logical option would be to kill them. It would be a tough decision and she was the one who would have to give the order. Her head started pounding faster, forcing her to drop the matter for now. She would deal with the Wraith once they were captured.

John took his handgun and handed it to Elizabeth. She hesitated, refused, but John forced it into her hands. After another quiet protest, she accepted it and they continued walking through the hallways. “Where are we going?” Elizabeth asked. She knew where they should be going, but John was taking her somewhere else.

“A detour,” John explained. “I like to avoid any Wraith encounters along the way.”

Elizabeth nodded and obediently followed John up stairwells, through corridors and back down stairwells. The number of turns had made her lose her sense of direction. The lighting in the hallways became more dimmed as they kept walking and supplies were stacked against the walls. They were walking deeper into the city then Elizabeth had ever been.

All of a sudden, John pushed Elizabeth behind some crates. He joined her and placed his hand on her mouth, making it impossible for her to speak. After she nodded, he removed his hand and carefully aimed his gun around the crates, inspecting the hallway. He turned back to her and his eyes gave away that he was worried. She listened, but heard no Wraith footsteps, only John’s breathing in her ear.

“You stay here,” John whispered. He took Elizabeth’s face and looked deep in her eyes. She could see right through them and could read that they were in trouble. She held the gun John had given her firm in her hands and nodded.

John gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and whispered, “I’ll be back soon.” He crawled away from the crate and ducked behind another one. She saw him move cautiously through the hallway, away from her. Meanwhile she kept her ears open, but heard nothing, not even John.

Elizabeth crawled in the shadow of the crate and held her gun in front of her. Every muscle in her body was on high alert and she was ready to defend herself. After a few minutes, her breathing calmed down. The headache, sore throat and fever were taking its toll and she had trouble staying awake. She focused on the sounds, but again there was nothing except the silence and her own breathing.

Another couple of minutes had past and Elizabeth was starting to get restless. John had told her to stay, but what if he had run into trouble. Maybe she could help him. It was difficult for her to obey his order and stay behind the crate. There were still no sounds and she was sure it was safe to get out, yet she didn’t. John had brought her here in safety. He surely did not want her to be heroic on her own. He would not be able to find her if she left and John returned. She sighed confident and remained tucked away behind the crate.

*****

A sound raised the adrenaline levels in Elizabeth’s body. She pricked her hears, trying to determine where the sound came from and who it was. She hoped it was John and wished he would return to her safely. Another sound made her jump to her knees. It was a rather loud swoosh, followed by the intense clatter of bullets leaving a machine gun. The rapid firing abruptly stopped.

Elizabeth’s heart was now pounding in her throat. If John had fired the gun then he was in trouble. The other sound she had heard could have been an energy blast from a Wraith gun. There was not a split second of doubt and she rushed from behind the crate, her gun aiming in the direction of the sounds. She did not see anything yet and quickly rose to her feet, forgetting about how awful she felt or her body was responding.

With careful steps, not making any sound Elizabeth walked from crate to crate through the hallway. Her ears stayed focused on absorbing any sound, but there was none. She took the same path John had taken before until she reached an intersection. Here she had to choose if she would go left, right or would go back. Back would not be an option. She felt John was in danger. She could not explain it, but the feeling kept her going. After a deep breath, she intuitively turned left.

It was after a few steps that Elizabeth came to an open door and saw her worst nightmare evolving in front of her eyes. John was lying on the floor and a large Wraith Commander had pressed his hand on John’s chest. Without thinking, her finger pulled the trigger of the gun and bullet after bullet left the gun until it was empty. Each bullet had hit the Commander in his back, each one had taken away a little of his strength until he collapsed on the floor.

The gun fell down to the ground causing a loud ring to spread through the room, hallway and each of Elizabeth’s bones. A shockwave hit her with devastating force when she saw John lying helpless on the floor. His body had aged and did not move. Instantly she felt her body weaken. Her legs could no longer carry her and she fell to the ground.

Tears streamed along Elizabeth’s face while she crawled to John’s body. “John, say something!” she cried out, but there was no answer. His body lay motionless in the big empty room. Gently she moved her hands on his wrinkled face. The cold touch scared her. She had been too late to save him. She cried aloud, tears rolling over her cheeks and she couldn’t breathe. She wanted to die there with him. He was the one person in her life she really cared about, more than everyone else. She knew it was wrong to admit this, but it was the truth. Why was this happening to her? She pulled herself close to his body. Her hand softly brushed his cheek while she made her head rest on his chest. Her other hand firmly held his shirt, trying to pull him closer to her. More tears kept running uncontrollably from her eyes while she closed them and hugged herself close to his body.

It was cold when Elizabeth woke up. Her eyes hurt from crying and her hands lay uncomfortably stuck under her own body. She turned on her side and tried to locate John’s body. The room was dark and she touched around her, but John was not there. She felt confused. It was in this room that she had seen the Wraith Commander feed upon John.

A chink between the door and the wall let the only light inside the room. Elizabeth crawled to the door and moved her hand over the control panel. The door slid wide open and she turned around. Her eyes stared back in an empty room. There was no body from John or the Wraith Commander. She tried to control her breathing, but couldn’t. She had been sure it was this room.

Tears began to roll down Elizabeth’s face again while she started to notice she was not wearing slippers, nor did she have a gun. John had told her to put something on her feet. She was sure she went back to her bed and put on her slippers. John had given her his handgun, she had accepted it, but both items were not in the room.

Confusion started to take over. Panicked Elizabeth climbed on her feet, leaning against the wall and ran into the hallway. She turned several times around to orient herself to where she was, but she did not recognize this part of the city. She remembered that the room was near an intersection, but she could not see it. Maybe someone had taken her away from John and placed her in this room for her own protection. However, she was alone and everything seemed so out of place. She turned around again and needed to decide which way she would go.

Before taking a single step in a direction, the hallway began to spin around and not long after Elizabeth collapsed on the ground. With closed eyes, she crawled along the wall, reminding herself each second that she was still on the floor and moving in a straight line. She could feel the fever inside her burn and kept imprinting her thoughts with the idea that what happened to John was not real. She wanted so much to believe that it was not real. She would go to his room and he would be there. The hope inside her was so strong that it gave her enough strength to reach an intersection.

The intersecting hallway was brightly lit and Elizabeth focused on the objects and panels on the wall. It took her only a few seconds to realize where she was and this gave her enough courage to try to stand up again. She was very shaky and moved slowly to the panel with the map of Atlantis. She was only three minutes away from John’s room. She took a deep breath, pushed all her fear away and carefully walked along the wall.

A passing and greeting crewmember made it clear to Elizabeth that she had experienced a terrible nightmare, but nothing more. She moved herself through the hallways until she reached John’s room. The whole way a mixture of tears from sadness, pain and happiness had poured down her face. Her entire body was exhausted and with a shivering hand, she touched the panel next to the door. She could hear the soft chime inside the room and waited for any sound she would hear. Every fiber in her body was temporarily frozen, keeping her standing up straight.

Elizabeth looked down at her bare feet until the door in front of her opened. Two feet in white socks stood in front of her. She looked up seeing two legs in black sweatpants, a black t-shirt and finally John’s face. He was all right, but looked quite surprised at her. A nervous and trembling smile came to her lips while the tears kept streaming from her eyes.

John instinctively took a step forward and placed both his hands around Elizabeth. He knew something was wrong with her and soothingly whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Elizabeth grabbed John around his shoulders and pressed herself tight against his body. “Just hold me,” she sobbed. She was so glad that he was all right. It had been the worst nightmare she had ever had and seemed so real. Her body became weak again, but John’s strong arms kept her standing.

“It’s okay,” John softly spoke while he tried to calm Elizabeth. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” He had no idea what was going on in her mind, but he knew her well enough to know it had to be something very bad. A smile appeared on his face when he noticed her cold and bare feet had moved onto his. Very gently, he lifted her body and carried her inside his room. He placed her on the edge of his bed and immediately wrapped the blanket around her. She was only wearing a thin white nightgown and her skin was clammy and very cold. In addition, her face was pale and covered with tears.

John kneeled beside Elizabeth and lifted her head. “Elizabeth, what is it?” he softly asked again, hoping that this time she would tell him what was wrong with her.

“Just hold me please,” were the words Elizabeth could whisper. She clutched herself tightly to John’s chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

John rubbed his hand over Elizabeth’s back and felt her grim hold on him ease. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” He realized she was too panicked and he would not be able to calm her down. In addition to worrying about her mental health, he was also concerned about her physical health.

While John kept rubbing Elizabeth’s back with one hand, he reached with the other for his radio transmitter. He placed the piece in his ear and activated it. “Doc, can you make a house call to my room? Elizabeth is here and needs your attention.”

It took only a few seconds before John got a reply from Carson, “Aye, I will be there in five minutes.”

John activated his radio again. “Thanks,” he turned his face to Elizabeth and looked deep in her eyes. “You’re gonna be fine, promise me.”

Elizabeth nodded and was rewarded with John placing both his arms firmly around her and softly rubbing her back.

Carson had been there within the five minutes he said he needed after John had contacted him. He had taken her pulse, blood pressure and temperature. Both he and John had asked her what had happened, but she did not respond. After a couple of minutes they had told her she should lie down on the bed and to their surprise she had obeyed and released her frantic grip on John. John had guided her down while Carson placed a blanket over her.

John knew Carson was concerned about Elizabeth, just as he was. Her temperature was still very high and her body was drained of strength. The moment he had opened the door and saw her standing soaked with tears, a cold chill had overrun him, ripping the air right out of his lungs. He had known instantly she needed his protection and provided it. It hurt him to see her this way. If he could tell her he loved her, he would do it without hesitation, but not on Atlantis.

The moment Elizabeth had escaped her panicked state she had fallen straight into a more dangerous catatonic one. Carson had told John that it was best to keep her in a familiar environment and don’t take her to the infirmary unless her fever got any worse. John had softly touched her cheek, the only action that caused a small relaxing response in her body.

Carson put his stethoscope back in his medical bag and lifted a small box out. He opened the box and selected an ampoule. In one hand, he held the ampoule while he took a needle in the other. Skillfully he filled the needle with the liquid from the ampoule, placed the empty ampoule back in the box and walked to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth still lay covered with a blanket on John’s bed. John himself was sitting next to her and held her hand. She was no longer crying, but she still did not speak and gazed blankly to the ceiling.

Very gently, Carson removed the blanket from Elizabeth’s shoulder until he had access to her arm. Carefully her lifted her arm and injected a sleep-inducing drug in her vein. “It won’t take long before she falls asleep,” Carson explained to John, who nodded a confirmation. He put the needle away and closed his medical bag. “I’ll come and check her again in a few hours.”

John let out a relieved sigh and confirmed. “Okay, thanks for coming,” He still had a concerned frown on his face, but a small smile surfaced when he saw the look on Carson’s face. If Elizabeth’s health was in danger Carson would have taken her to the infirmary. He had not done this, meaning that she was going to be fine. Carson left the room while John stayed sitting on the floor next to Elizabeth.

John watched Elizabeth sleep. Her breathing had calmed down and the flow of tears had stopped. She was still very pale, it would take some time, but she would be fine. After a while, Elizabeth rolled comfortably onto her side facing John. He tucked the blanket carefully around her body and got on his feet. In the bathroom, he soaked a wash cloth with water and walked back to Elizabeth. He gently cleaned her face, carefully wiping the salt from her tears away and soothing her soft skin.

*****

Elizabeth moaned and tried to swallow. Her whole body hurt, especially her throat. She opened her eyes and noticed the view onto the city had changed. She turned around too quickly and a cry of pain left her lungs.

“Easy!” John called out from the bathroom. He leaned his head around the bathroom door to see how Elizabeth was doing and saw a very startled expression taking away her drowsiness. She put her head back on the pillow and memories of her dreadful nighttime adventure seeped back in her mind. She blinked her eyes. The silhouette of John’s face remained, causing a smile to brighten her face.

John disappeared back into the bathroom and Elizabeth closed her eyes again. Embarrassment filled her mind when she realized how she ended up in his room last night. She had looked weak and pathetic and all because of a stupid dream. Carefully she moved her body in a more comfortable position. A relieved sigh followed.

“Where did you sleep?” Elizabeth asked. Her voice had been soft, but John had heard her and came walking out of the bathroom.

John still wore the same black sweatpants, but no shirt to cover his chest. A teasing grin showed on his face while he nodded to a chair in his room. “Where did you think?” A blanket lay in a pile at the foot of the chair.

Elizabeth nodded, looked around and scanned the room. “Can I have some water?” she whispered.

“Sure, just a sec.” John moved to the bed, pulled Elizabeth up and placed a few extra pillows behind her. He let her head fall back on the soft pillow and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Elizabeth endured his actions and waited patiently for some water.

After John was satisfied that Elizabeth lay comfortable and well tucked in he grabbed a clean shirt from the closet, picked up a glass and filled it with water in the bathroom. When he came out again he placed the water next to her and pulled the shirt over his head. “Stay put,” he ordered. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

For a split second, Elizabeth was reminded about yesterday when John had told her to stay behind the crate, but it had not been real. She bit her lower lip until it hurt enough for her to be sure she was not dreaming again. John glanced concerned at Elizabeth until she nodded, after which he left the room.

*****

A familiar smell entered Elizabeth’s nose and she opened her eyes. Apparently she had dozed off and not noticed John had returned. On the table next to her stood a tray and John squeezed himself on the edge of the bed. “Chicken soup and Banana pancakes,” he explained while he brought the glass to her mouth and forced her to drink some water.

Elizabeth took a large sip of the water. “I’m not hungry,” she stated while the smell of the chicken soup started to fill the entire room.

“Ah, so you think, but I know it isn’t true,” the glimmer of a gloat emerged in John’s eyes. “You at least have to try the chicken soup,” he said while he brought a spoon to Elizabeth’s mouth. He added a smile before she opened her mouth and he could ease the spoon further in.

The salty taste of the soup, the delicate chicken flavor and smell enlightened Elizabeth’s mood. She sighed and before she realized it another spoon had entered her mouth. “Thank you,” she spoke between spoons.

“I’m glad you like it,” John said and filled the spoon again. “I hope the soup is good enough for you to dismiss the complaint from the kitchen staff.”

Elizabeth almost choked on the soup and looked curiously at John. “What complaint?” she asked him.

John smiled lazy, “the one where I illegally made chicken soup.”

Another spoon came to Elizabeth’s face, but this time she kept her mouth shut. She was surprised by what John just told her. “Why …,” Elizabeth started, but the moment she had opened her mouth the spoon was pushed inside. She placed her hand on the spoon and pulled it out. After swallowing the soup she finished the sentence she had started. “Why did you have to make the soup yourself? I’m sure the kitchen staff could have made you the soup if you requested it.”

“Pancake?” John asked, drawing the subject away from the chicken soup.

“Did you make those yourself too?” Elizabeth remarked, looking for a sign of emotion on his face.

John shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I can cook a couple of things, but banana pancakes are not on that list.”

A large smile showed on Elizabeth’s face, making John realize that she had to feel better then last night. He doubted if he should ask why she had been crying, but for the time being, he decided that if she wanted to tell him she would.

John took a fork and knife and cut a piece of a banana pancake. Elizabeth shuddered when he offered it, after which he placed the fork in his own mouth. After he had swallowed the bite, he placed the fork and knife back on the tray. He realized his face showed her he disliked the taste and explained. “Not the same as my mother made them.”

Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed. John made her feel special and she felt honored to fall victim to his cooking arts. “And the chicken soup is?” she asked and looked hopeful towards John.

John nodded, “Close enough.” He stroked Elizabeth’s hair behind her ear and pulled her blanket back up. “Now, be a good girl and finish your soup. Doctor Beckett wanted to see you when you were awake. Maybe you should give him a call too.” With a bright smile, he got on his feet, walked to the door and left.

Elizabeth stayed bewildered behind. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but he left without any warning or any indication of where he was going. Neither did he mention when he would be back. Obediently she put the spoon in the soup and started to eat it.

Elizabeth sat up straight in her own bed. She was getting bored of doing nothing. Her eyes were too tired to read, so was her mind. Carson had checked in on her only an hour ago and told her to get some sleep, but since she had spent most of the day already sleeping she felt wide awake. She still had a high fever, all the muscles in her body were sore and she had lost her voice completely. Whenever she tried to say anything, no more than a couple of crackling tones emerged and no one would be able to decipher what she was saying. Her headache however had been less disturbing then yesterday, but she didn’t know if this was because it was less intense or if other pains were more intense.

After sitting and staring at the mirror across the room, Elizabeth crawled out of bed and went into the bathroom. It was a shock when she saw her face up close in the mirror. She looked like a walking ghost. Her hair looked disheveled and her face had a pale grey shade. She did not want to study it any longer after spotting several small fissures on her thin lips that had the same paleness as the rest of her face. A bit shaken by the sight, she took her hairbrush and went back to her bed. Once in bed she started to brush her hair. This part of her sick body she could fix easily.

*****

Soaked in sweat Elizabeth woke up. She had left the light on and sighed relieved when she saw her things in her own room. This time she had not awakened because of a nightmare, but the fever burning her skin. She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. After taking and moistening a towel, she wiped the sweat from her face. She was forced to look in the mirror and even while she was still very pale, she was pleased with the way her hair was, neatly combed.

Elizabeth crawled back in bed and turned the pillow before she placed her head on it. She didn’t like a damp pillow and realized her sheets and blanket were wet too. A bit frustrated she left the bed. If she hadn’t paid attention to it, she could have fallen asleep, but now she couldn’t. She had to change the sheets first. As quick as she could, she pulled the sheets off her bed and threw them on a pile in the corner of her room.

Elizabeth quickly stripped herself out of her white nightgown and panties and threw it on the pile as well. Because she stood naked in the room, the night breeze had no trouble cooling her hot skin. A sudden flurry of wind along her breasts had an unexpected response, causing her nipples to harden. While the light breeze soothed her skin, the wind’s soft and cool touch on her skin ignited a lustful desire. One hand moved to her breast and touched it. A jolt of ecstasy caused her breasts to become even more sensitive. She licked her lips, while her hand gently stimulated the nerves in her breast. A soft moan sounded, this time not from pain, but from pleasure. She sank down on the edge of the bed while she crossed her arms and played with the most sensitive spots on her breasts, softly kneading them and stimulating her nipples.

Slowly Elizabeth started to realize that she was getting cold. Maybe pleasing herself was not the best thing to do when being struck down with the flu, but it had distracted her mind for a moment. She opened a drawer at the side of her bed, took a pitch-black nightgown with lace out and put it on. The soft and silky fabric slowly fell around her body. She rose from her bed and watched herself in the mirror. A bit more color in her face would be nice, but the nightgown folded perfectly around the curves of her body. She moved her hands through her hair to neaten it and showed a satisfied smile.

It took not long before Elizabeth concluded that she had no clean sheets or blankets in her room. Because of her fever and her disliking wet sheets, she had already changed them earlier that day, but she had forgotten to restock her supply. For a moment, she doubted if she should pick up the dirty pile from the ground and put the sheets back on her bed, but was disgusted by the idea.

A bit frustrated Elizabeth put on her bathrobe and slippers before she left her room. There were two options. She could go to the storage room where the laundry supply was kept, but this would be at least a ten-minute walk. The other option was to try to get clean sheets from another personnel member. This would cost much less time and she could get back sooner into a clean and fresh bed. In her mind she had already decided she would go for the last option, the only question left was who she would wake up this late in the night.

Elizabeth looked down the hallway in both directions, but no one was up this late. To the right were Rodney’s quarters, but he would not appreciate any disturbances during his sleep unless it was science related. Left would be the better choice and she started to walk through the hallway.

The first quarters Elizabeth came across was Ronon’s. The air between her hand and the control panel seemed to thicken, making it harder for her to touch the panel and wake Ronon. She should not wake someone because she needed new sheets. She was supposed to get them from the storage room. Before she knew it, she was walking in the direction of the storage room. When she walked past John’s room a brilliant idea struck her. She didn’t need to wake John. If she quietly snuck inside his room, she could get the clean sheets from his closet and leave without him knowing or waking him.

With a slightly tilted head, Elizabeth entered the override code on the panel and the door slid open. The room was dark and she couldn’t see if John was asleep in his bed or not. She stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. Without the illumination from the hallway, she did not see anything in the room and she moved carefully along the wall until she reached the closet. John’s calm breathing made her heart pound. The idea of sneaking around in his room was exciting and she even hoped John would catch her.

Before Elizabeth opened the door of the closet, she walked to John’s bed. Her eyes were adjusted to the dark environment and she could see the faint contours of him sleeping. There was plenty of room left in his bed. A naughty thought seeped from her mind into the rest of her body, making her limbs move. Cautiously she removed her bathrobe and slippers before she lifted the sheets and slipped comfortably into John’s bed. Just feeling his warmth for a couple of minutes, then she would go back to her own room.

Elizabeth didn’t move when she woke up and realized she was still in John’s bed. His arm was wrapped around her chest and his body snuggled against hers. She could feel his warm chest pressing against her back. His legs were tangled up in hers. If she moved, he would surely wake. A smile appeared on her face, since she did not mind being in this position at all. For the first night in days she had felt safe and been fast asleep.

John moved closer to Elizabeth. She was unsure if he was awake or still asleep. His breathing was very calm, reassuring her that he was still asleep. However, a particular part of his body was already active and pressed hard through his shorts against her lower back. Even while it was a bit awkward, it felt wonderful.

A low groan sounded while John rolled on his back. Elizabeth still lay frozen in the bed, hoping she would not wake him.

Another groan, followed by a muffled thud announced that John had awakened. He had rolled himself quickly out of his bed when he had noticed Elizabeth lying next to him. “Whoa,” John called out, sitting on the ground next to his bed. He lifted his head a little above the mattress and saw Elizabeth lying on her side. She had heard John, but did not move before she could hide her wicked grin.

Very slowly, Elizabeth rolled on her back and turned her head towards John. He could see she had been awake for some time and his eyes narrowed. He had no idea exactly how she ended up in his bed, nor did he know what to do with the situation.

“Morning,” Elizabeth said. She watched John and his expression made it very hard to show a normal smile and keep the wicked one from her face.

John swallowed and the situation started to sink in. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

Elizabeth tried her puppy dog eyes in combination with an innocent look before she spoke. “I came to get clean sheets, but I got cold.”

A dark glance came from John overruling Elizabeth’s falsified innocence. “Cold eh, right.” He felt uncomfortable being placed in the situation and ran his hand through his hair. He could see a large part of her pitch-black nightgown. The delicate lace on her breast looked tempting, yet he had to resist. A scrupled sigh left his lungs before he got to his feet.

John leaned over the bed, making Elizabeth’s heart pound rapidly. She could see the bump in his black shorts and there were still some wrinkles from the sheets on the side of his abdomen. Desire ignited in her body, but was extinguished when he pulled the sheets to cover her body. He made the sexy nightgown invisible to his eyes, but a burned image on his retina remained.

“Don’t get cold again,” John stated while he evadingly turned away from Elizabeth. “I’m gonna take a shower,” he added and moved to the bathroom.

Elizabeth stayed behind, disappointed that John had not kissed her, but glad he had not been angry. He had taken the initiative inside the jumper, maybe she needed to take the initiative here, but then again he could also take it the wrong way and rip the tear between them even further apart.

The light in the bathroom turned on, just before the shower. The sound of the clattering water reached Elizabeth. She raised her body and sat up straight. For at least a minute nothing happened, she did not hear John step under the shower, nor did she see his shadow move. Hot steam started to escape the bathroom. Finally, she heard him move and within seconds, the water bounced of his body, intensifying the clattering sound.

Spirited Elizabeth stepped out of the bed and walked to the bathroom. She cautiously leaned her head around the door and could see John’s shade through the steam. His back towards the door and his head bowed under the jet of water. Before she realized it, she was standing inside the bathroom, his shade becoming clearer every inch she moved closer. He arched his back, pulling his face upward and letting the water run onto it. It wasn’t long before John turned around under the shower and stood face to face with her. She was only a few steps away and saw his body struggling with his feelings.

John was not surprised by the fact Elizabeth had entered the bathroom, yet he wished she hadn’t. He sighed before he turned off the shower. His body was aching to touch and feel her. The pain was growing with every breath he took. Her soft nightgown fell perfectly around her lean body. If he could, he would pull her instantly close to him, slowly kissing and undressing her. He would gently lay her on the bed and pleasure her with the same devotion as he had done inside the jumper. But no matter how much he wanted it, he couldn’t step across the line.

Elizabeth’s breasts heaved from her heart rapidly pounding. She stood motionless. She struggled to not enforce herself too much. She knew very well that John felt uncomfortable. Her eyes stayed fixed on his and meanwhile her mind was busy thinking of words she could or could not say to him.

“Aren’t you gonna offer me a towel?” John stated, breaking the silence.

A sudden blush appeared on Elizabeth’s face. Her eyes glanced down along John’s wet body and a huge smile curled on her lips. She turned her head to scan for the towels, found one and reached for it. “Here,” she said while she shoved it in his hands.

When John unfolded the towel, a quirked brow accompanied with a smirk started to emerge on his face while Elizabeth’s blush started to spread over her cheeks. “That’s not big enough,” he grinned.

Elizabeth had not handed one large towel, but two small ones. “Is this how you embarrass every lady entering your shower?” she keenly asked.

“Actually you’re the first lady in my shower,” John responded and stepped forward. He was only a few inches away from Elizabeth when he reached around her for another towel. After slowly unfolding it, he wrapped it around his waist, covering his manhood.

John nodded towards the shower, “did you want to try my shower or … did you come to inspect me?”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth started. She turned around and walked back in the bedroom. She grabbed her bathrobe from the floor and pulled her hand through the sleeves. John had followed her a few steps and watched her. When her eyes met his she continued, “I shouldn’t have come here. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Elizabeth went to the door when John stopped her, “wait.” He deeply sighed while his eyes turned dark and serious. “You owe me a better explanation about how you ended up here the last two nights.”

“I have to report to Dr. Beckett,” was the answer Elizabeth threw back at John while she swallowed her tears. She then turned around and left his room.

The whole morning John and Elizabeth had been avoiding each other. Elizabeth had tried sneaking in her office twice, but each time John had been in the Gate room. The one thing she wanted more then anything else was to avoid him for a while. She felt hurt by her own behavior and did not know how she could let herself get in his bed. Early in the afternoon, she gave up the attempts to get to her office and returned to her own room. Carson paid her two visits, both to check how she was doing and one was accompanied with a lunch. She was not hungry, but had eaten something to please him.

Meanwhile John had been walking restlessly around. He went from the Gate room to the south pier, to the training room and even visited Rodney in his science lab several times. This morning he had been so close to her and brutally pushed her away when he asked her about why she had come into his room. He wished he hadn’t asked her, but it was too late to change it. Things between them had become so complicated and forced. When he finally had the nerve to go and visit Elizabeth, Carson just left her room. Instead of entering her room, he had asked Carson how she was doing. He had explained she was still very weak from the flu, but her condition was improving.

John had spent the rest of the afternoon and the evening in Elizabeth’s office, working on the reports he still had to finish. She always complained that he was behind on delivering them on time and he knew it. However, this time he would amaze her, all his reports were finished and he had even created some reports that were on her list of tasks. Satisfied he placed the piles of paperwork neatly on the desk and sighed in relief. He leaned his hands on the desk and pushed himself out of the chair. While walking out of the office he decided to briefly check on Elizabeth to see if she was all right.

*****

Inside Elizabeth’s room a chime sounded, right after John had rang the bell by touching the control panel next to the door. For a few seconds, he waited and listened. When Elizabeth didn’t open the door, he touched the control panel again. This time the chime did not sound, but the door opened. He had used the override code.

A small nightlight was on, faintly illuminating the room. A quick scan of the room made it clear that Elizabeth was not in her bed. A bit concerned John entered the room and headed for the bathroom. She was not there either. While he activated his radio to try to contact her he noticed her earpiece lying on the table next to the bed and her slippers and bathrobe were missing. The tense expression on his face faded. Most likely Elizabeth went to get some food or try to get to her office again, in which case she would be surprised by the work he had done for her.

John closed the door behind him after he left Elizabeth’s room and walked to his own room. The moment he opened the door a wider smile appeared on his face. Elizabeth lay fast asleep in his bed. This was something he had not expected, but he was glad she was safe and asleep. He quietly entered his room, closed the door and took his boots off. In only his socks, he walked to the bed and briefly checked if she was truly asleep. She lay curled on her side with the blanket tightly tucked around her back and her hands clamed it close to her head. Her face was relaxed and showed a faint smile. Her soft curls lay beautifully spread over a large part of the pillow. Her image made his heart weak and reminded him that he cared for her. He never wanted to hurt her or use her. She needed to be treated with dignity and respect.

Carefully John moved his hand to the light and dimmed it. Next, he picked up Elizabeth’s bathrobe and slippers from the floor and placed them over a chair in the room. He unbuckled his belt and removed his pants as quietly as possible not to wake her, he removed his shirt and headed for the bathroom. He placed both hands on the basin and looked straight in the mirror. In his mind, there was doubt about whether he should wisely go to sleep in the chair or if he could join her in his bed. She had to have a good reason to come and sleep in his bed, but she had not elaborated her motives. They were both adults, meaning that sleeping in one bed did not have to mean that there was anything between them. Although he knew better, there was something between them, something impossible. He turned off the light above the mirror and walked to the bed.

John’s eyes grew large and a frown started to form on his forehead after he had lifted the blanket to get in his bed and saw Elizabeth. Yesterday she had worn a black nightgown. Tonight she only wore small pink panties with lots of lace. She moved a bit in her sleep because of the cold air touching her back.

John briefly glanced at the chair, his mind rushing and weighing every drawback and benefit. He sighed and took a deep breath before he stepped in his bed and wrapped the blanket around him. For a few seconds he lay frozen and rethinking the reasons for his decision. Elizabeth had found herself a comfortable position again and settled with her back against his chest. Insecurely John moved his arm gently around her waist, making sure he did not touch her bare breasts. She pressed herself even tighter to him and one of her arms moved to intercept his arm, lying over her waist. She pulled it closer to her body, trying to tuck herself in with it.

John’s heart pounded. His hand was now in direct contact with one of Elizabeth’s breasts and too tangled up to pull it back without waking her. Sleeping on the chair would be uncomfortable, but he would surely get more sleep then in his bed.

For over an hour, John lay motionless in his bed, only to observe Elizabeth sleeping, until he no longer could keep his eyes open and fell asleep.

*****

John opened his eyes. Elizabeth lay on her back and was already awake. Her dreamy eyes met his drowsy ones, creating a playful smile on her face.

It took a fraction of a second for John to remove his hand from one of Elizabeth’s breasts when he noticed his hand had fully cupped it while he was asleep. “Oh, sorry,” he groaned.

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth responded and moved her hand under the blanket. Her hand traveled a path under the sheet, until it reached John’s shorts. He felt her hand crawl up to the elastic band, causing his muscles along the path to react. As she rolled onto her side, she slid her hand passed the band of his shorts.

John jerked in response. “Elizabeth,” he squeaked.

“Shh,” Elizabeth hushed and removed her hand from John’s shorts. Instantly a relieved expression crossed his face, soon to be taken over by a tense one when she teasingly rolled further and shifted one of her legs over his hip. She pulled herself further onto him and straightened her body, arching her back.

John felt Elizabeth’s legs tightly pressed around his hip and her lean body showed itself in full glory elegantly elevated above his. He had trouble keeping his head clear and almost drowned by the beauty burning in his eyes. He had to resist and tried to shift away. However, this caused even more friction, making his erection throb against his will.

Elizabeth moved until the close contact between her and John was only prevented by two thin layers of fabric, that of her panties and his shorts. “Having a hard time,” she stated with a wicked grin when she felt his erection throbbing against her. Slowly she rocked while her hands moved along her body to her breasts. She softly moaned when she touched the hard nipples and closed her eyes from pleasure.

Meanwhile John swallowed and started to panic. Elizabeth’s rocking stimulated his senses and caused an unwelcome build up inside his body. He could not do this, could not go through with it. “Stop,” he called out and harshly grabbed her wrists. “Elizabeth, stop.” He pushed her off his body and rolled himself off the bed.

“John?” Elizabeth asked shaken. She had not expected John to push her aside this rudely. She was confused, he had joined her in the bed, they had slept together and now it seemed he did not want her. She needed an explanation and while tears started to form in her eyes she searched for an answer in his eyes, but did not find it.

John moved his hand through his hair, turned away and grabbed his pants of the chair. “I can’t. … We can’t,” he stated while he put on his pants, grabbed his shirt and left the room.

Tears streamed over Elizabeth’s cheeks. She felt crushed by the many times John had hurt her in the past few weeks. She wished she had never agreed to go on the picnic in the first place. At least then, she would still have a friend, now her world was empty.

John burst in the Gate room and rushed up the stairs to Elizabeth’s office. Her office was empty. He quickly turned around and scanned the Gate room from the balcony. His eyes searched while the unsettling concerns inside his body rose to peak level. No one had seen Elizabeth in hours and she had not checked in with Carson either. He was the last one who had seen her when she was in his bed this morning. He could damn himself for his rudeness and the cruelty towards her, but none of that solved his current problem.

With the same speed as John had rushed up the stairs he rushed back over the bridge and headed for the officer behind one of the computer consoles in the Gate room. “Show me internal sensors again,” he ordered.

The officer pressed some controls and on the screen, the Atlantis layout and many yellow dots appeared. Each dot represented a human and they were all spread over a huge part of the city. It was the third time John had seen the map and he had searched the dense populated areas in the city for Elizabeth, but there had been no sign of her anywhere. He observed the map and knew Elizabeth had to be one of those dots, but he had no idea which one.

“Isn’t it raining?” John asked the officer. Suddenly he knew he had been looking in the wrong places all along.

“It was an hour ago, Sir,” the officer responded while John ran out of the Gate room.

John ran as fast as he could through the hallways towards the west pier. On the other side of the windows, he could see the rain. The door and the end of the hallway, leading to the pier was closed. Once he reached the end, he smashed his hand on the control panel, causing the door to open. He stepped outside and immediately felt the large drops of cold rain wetting his clothes and skin.

Remembering the yellow dots on the internal sensors, John turned right and followed the path towards the pier. It took only a moment before he saw a crumpled body leaning against a pillar. From the wet curls and the bathrobe, he knew it was Elizabeth. With large strides, he walked towards her while removing his jacket.

“Here,” John softly spoke while he wrapped his jacket around Elizabeth’s shoulders. Because of the pouring rain, every piece of clothing on her body was soaked. His jacket would temporarily withstand the rain and keep the cold wind away from her body. He fell on his knees in front of her, but could not see the difference between her tears and the rain.

Elizabeth turned her head away from John. He sighed, placed his hand on her shoulder and got hold on her chin. Her skin was pale grey and extremely cold. A shock overwhelmed him. He wondered how long she had been sitting here and knew it was all his fault. He gently turned her face back to him, but she struggled against it.

“Leave,” Elizabeth whispered between her sobs.

John’s eyes showed great pain, yet it was in no comparison to the way he had hurt Elizabeth. “I’m not leaving without you,” he said and had to swallow against his own emotions. The last thing she needed was for him to break down. Outside he remained strong, but inside he felt broken and sick to his stomach.

“Leave me alone!” Elizabeth yelled and fought John’s hand off her face and shoulders. She crouched further down, making herself as small as possible.

John firmly grabbed her shoulders, applying enough pressure to hurt Elizabeth and reach her mind. “Don’t think that catching pneumonia will grant you a ticket to get in my bed again,” his voice was sharp and loud. “Please, tell me what happened,” John continued speaking calmly and released his firm grip on her.

Elizabeth had trouble breathing because of crying and the cold rain. She shivered all over and raised her head to let fresh oxygen flow more easily in her lungs. Pain shot from her eyes while she tried to control her rapid breathing. The heavy rain poured down on her face, mingled with her tears. Her clothes, including John’s jacket were soaked and her skin was numb from the cold.

John stood helpless next to Elizabeth. He tried pulling her to her feet, but she kept fighting against his touch. After a deep breath, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close before she was able to resist. Almost instinctively, her head moved forward until it leaned on his shoulder.

Softly John’s hands rubbed over Elizabeth’s back, trying to sooth and calm her. “Talk to me,” he whispered in her ear, “say something, anything,” for a brief moment, he waited, but she did not speak and fought against her tears. “Yell at me if you want, I know I deserve it,” he said with pain in his voice. He wanted so much to take away her pain, but did not know how to do this. While he continued to rub her back with one hand, he lifted her chin with the other. “Elizabeth, please let me get you inside. Please.”

Elizabeth’s shivering voice managed to finally say something. “Nightmare,” was the only word she whispered before she clutched herself tightly to John’s chest. He held her tight and removed the wet strands of hair from her face.

“There were Wraith,” Elizabeth said stumbling slightly on her words. “They had cloaks… and you and Rodney thought of a plan to release the retrovirus… but then… then you died.”

John immediately understood why Elizabeth had been upset when she came to his door. He wiped her cheek, knowing that there were more tears then rain on it. “It was just a dream. I’m still alive, unless you kill me for being a bastard.”

A strange smile forced itself through Elizabeth’s tears and John smiled back in return. “I can’t live without you John,” her eyes gazed at him for support or any suggestion that he felt the same way. She knew he cared for her, but she did more than just caring. The feelings for him had grown in the past few weeks and strangely even more in the past few days. She liked his company and the attention she got from him when she was sick.

“I’m very bad in relationships,” John explained uncomfortably. “Elizabeth, I just don’t want to hurt you ever,” his eyes showed a pain that was buried deep inside him for many years.

The searing pain in John’s eyes reached Elizabeth and she knew she should not ask why, but she deserved a chance. “You won’t hurt me,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to…,” John started when Elizabeth interrupted.

“Then try.” Elizabeth had stopped crying and her voice had become much stronger. “I’ll give up my job if that’s what it takes to be with you,” she stated and saw the expression in John’s eyes change. He was clearly surprised by her devotion.

John turned his head a little away and stopped rubbing Elizabeth’s back. Instantly he felt her body flinch. “You can’t give up your job,” he said while he turned his head back to her.

“But I will,” Elizabeth responded fiercely.

“You know how complicated things are?” John asked. “You can’t give up your job. I can’t give up mine and having a relationship is not easily accepted or even permitted.”

Elizabeth’s pale hand moved to John’s face. Her cold fingers pushed his lips into a smile while she created one on her lips too. “We can try. Maybe keep it a secret for a while.”

John took Elizabeth’s icy hand in his and tried to warm it as much as possible in the cold and pouring rain. “Put your arm around my neck. I’m taking you inside,” obediently she wrapped her arm around him and he lifted her from the ground. “Hold on. The doc can fix you,” he explained while he walked to the door.

“Can we fix us?” Elizabeth asked, still having the smile on her face.

A sigh left John’s lungs. “We will work something out, but first you need to get well.”

Elizabeth felt something touch her cheek and knew it had to be a kiss, but because of the cold she did not feel the subtlety of John’s lips. “Really?” she asked while she looked in his eyes. The pain was gone and something that could be the beginning of a sparkling glimmer started to move forward.

“Yeah, but no promises and no expectations,” John announced. “I’m not good in maintaining the whole charade or the implications surrounding a relationship,” if he was honest to himself, he had to admit to being relieved that Elizabeth had truly expressed her feelings for him. He felt the same way for her. There were still many obstacles to be taken and things might not be easy for them, but she was right, they could try.

John felt Elizabeth’s body become limper, her energy and strength was rapidly leaving her body. She had been outside in the cold for hours. “Activate my radio,” he ordered her.

After Elizabeth had activated it, John started to talk, “Doc, meet us in my room. I found Elizabeth.”

“Aye, I’m on my way,” Carson responded while Elizabeth and John finally walked past the door, entering the warm and dry environment of Atlantis.

Carson was waiting in front of John’s room when John came around the corner, still carrying Elizabeth in his arms. Carson quickly opened the door for them and John carried her straight inside and put her down on the edge of the bed.

“What happened?” Carson asked while he was shocked to see both Elizabeth and John shivering and soaked.

John started taking off Elizabeth’s clothes while he responded, “I found her outside in the rain.” Immediately Carson reached out and helped him. Carefully, but quickly they removed all her wet clothes and wrapped her in one of the blankets from the bed. Her body kept shivering while her eyes stayed focused on John.

“Shall I turn on the shower?” John asked.

“Make it a warm shower, not hot,” Carson warned. “We don’t want to get her temperature up too quickly.”

Elizabeth nodded and a small smile broke through the paleness of her skin, coloring her lips a faint shade of red instead of the bluish tint they were only seconds earlier. Her hands clasped the blanket tightly around her, which created some difficulty for Carson when he tried to take her vital signs.

Carson gently wiped some droplets of water from Elizabeth’s forehead that had dripped off her hair. “Lass, I need to check you.” He gently removed the blanket partially until he could access one of her arms. He started taking her pulse and the smile on her face started to grow.

“I’m a bit cold, but I’m fine now,” Elizabeth said softly. In response, John returned the smile, comforting her. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the light and shower.

After Carson was finished taking Elizabeth’s pulse he closed the blanket around her, opened his medical bag and took a thermometer out. He placed it inside her mouth, “when you’re done we will pass it to the next patient.”

The smile remained on Elizabeth’s face while John came back from the shower. He had heard Carson and refused to believe that he was going to be treated like a patient too. After a brief smile towards Elizabeth, he walked to his closet and took a pile of dry clothes out. He carefully evaded Carson, who was tending to Elizabeth and stayed close to her. He went to a corner in his room, near the bathroom. There he took off his wet shirt, pants, shoes, socks and shorts and replaced them with dry ones.

Elizabeth’s eyes had not strayed away from John. This caused her to startle when Carson removed the thermometer. He checked it and gave her a kind smile. “I think a shower will do you good,” he spoke while the pupils in her eyes started to shrink.

“Okay,” Elizabeth replied and lifted her body from the bed. Her legs were shaky, but they carried her weight when she moved to the bathroom.

John reached out for Elizabeth and guided her into the bathroom. This morning the both of them had stood together in the same bathroom, but this time it was different. For one she was currently the one without clothes, if she dropped the blanket, John would be the one to watch her. Secondly this morning there seemed to be no hope for anything between them, but now she was assured that they would at least find a way to try.

Elizabeth took a deep breath letting the warm and humid air flow in her lungs and the smile on her face became stronger every second. She lowered the blanket and felt John’s hand gently move along her spine. He gently pushed her towards the shower and when she turned her head around she caught the huge gloat on his face and in his eyes. She smiled shyly back and stepped under the warm spray of water.

When John returned to the room, Carson was already waiting for him. Without warning, Carson shoved the thermometer inside his mouth and took his wrist to take his pulse. He knew this would be happening and tolerated the actions performed to his body. His main concern was Elizabeth and for the moment, she was fine.

The removing of the thermometer was followed by an immediate, “And?” from John.

“You’re fine,” Carson replied. He placed his medical equipment back in the bag and closed it.

“I knew that,” John expressed a little annoyed. “How’s Elizabeth?” he asked and searched for a truthful answer in Carson’s eyes.

Carson’s kind and soothing eyes comforted John. “She might be cold for a while, even tired I suspect. I’ll come and check on her again in a few hours. My only worry is that she might have caught pneumonia from staying outside too long.” He tapped John’s shoulder, “she can stay here unless her fever rises too high.”

“Thanks, I’ll call you if needed,” John said and felt relieved by the things Carson had explained.

In the bathroom the shower turned off and it wasn’t long before Elizabeth came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a large white towel. With one hand she held the towel tight to her body while she used the other to dry her hair with a smaller cloth. Some color in her face had returned, just as a great part of her strength did as well. She sighed softly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Elizabeth raised her head until she looked up at Carson, “I feel a lot better.”

“Less cold I hope,” John added while he took a dry blanket from his closet.

“Yes,” Elizabeth nodded and lay herself willingly down on the bed.

John covered Elizabeth with the blanket and tucked her in. He was going to take good care of her and make sure she was getting well as quickly as possible. “I’ll get you some hot tea.”

A simple nod came from Elizabeth while John moved to the door and Carson followed him. “I’ll be right back,” John mentioned and his eyes urged her to stay in the bed. She smiled obediently and closed her eyes when John and Carson had left the room.

Outside in the hallway Carson walked towards the infirmary, while John headed to the mess hall, which were both in the same direction. In front of the door leading to the infirmary, Carson stopped and turned to face John, “Can you come inside for a second, please?”

The expression on John’s face was relaxed, however Carson’s voice sounded serious. He followed Carson inside and they walked to one of the desks in the back of the infirmary. Carson nodded to a nurse who understood the silent hint, took the medical files she was filing and moved away to another desk.

“Please take a seat,” Carson said while he sat down behind the desk. John took a seat on the chair. His heart pounded fast in his chest because he did not quite understand why he was here in the infirmary. Carson had said he was fine and Elizabeth… was there something wrong with her that he didn’t want to tell him in his room. An overwhelming scared and concerned feeling buried him, making it impossible to breathe or think.

“You don’t need to worry,” Carson stated to ease the fast rising tension.

“Okay, what am I doing here then?” John asked and tried to calm himself down.

Instead of answering the question, Carson opened one of the drawers of his desk. He took something out and placed it on the desk between him and John.

Instantly John’s eyes grew large and an uncomfortable expression washed over his face. He swallowed, “What is this?”

“It’s a condom,” Carson said without changing the serious expression on his face. He looked towards John, who apparently still felt extremely uncomfortable. “Colonel, we both know that a certain thing happened between you and Dr. Weir a couple of weeks ago when you were stuck in the jumper. Trust me, no one else knows,” he immediately added and saw John’s eyes look around to see if anyone was looking in their direction. “Colonel, it’s my task as doctor to find out what’s wrong with my patients,” Carson continued. “There’s no shame in the fact that two people like each other. However, the way the two of you stubbornly keep avoiding each other is devastating to your health. I took the Hippocratic Oath, meaning I’ve sworn to help, not to harm.”

John sighed, still uncomfortable and almost stunned by the lecture he had received. He cleared his throat before he said, “I won’t need it. You know as well as I do that it’s impossible….”

Before John could finish his sentence Carson interrupted him, “Take it and don’t worry about the consequences just yet.” He pushed the condom in John’s direction, “see it as a prescription.”

“I can’t,” John explained and got to his feet. He sighed uncomfortably, “I get the hint,” before he turned away and started to move towards the door.

Carson remained sitting and silently shook his head, but his smile made it clear that he knew his message had reached his patient.

*****

John stepped inside his bedroom and was instantly greeted by a smile on Elizabeth’s face. Without any effort, he started to smile too.

“Where’s my tea?” Elizabeth asked when she saw he came to her empty-handed.

The smile remained on John’s face while he moved his hand through his hair. “I forgot, sorry.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and moved his hand gently along Elizabeth’s cheek. He could easily drown in her beauty or be swept away by her sharp remarks. The words Carson had spoken to him slowly started to sink in. Finally he recognized the truth in them. He could no longer deny or conceal his need to be close to Elizabeth, yet there were so many difficulties to overcome. “I’m sorry. I got distracted by a lecture from Beckett.”

Elizabeth pulled herself in a more upright position and looked deep in John’s eyes. They could never hide his true feelings. However, they seemed to be filled with mixed emotions. There was a dark playful sparkle, but also deep pain and a difficult to place tension buried deep inside him. “What did he say?” she finally asked when John did not start to speak on his own.

“He offered a rubber,” John mentioned, hoping Elizabeth would not take it the wrong way.

A small laugh came from Elizabeth and while her face did not change color, John’s did. She had never seen an uncomfortable blush on his face before. “Did he?” she asked teasingly for a confirmation.

“Yes,” John sighed.

“And you accepted?” Elizabeth continued, while keeping her eyes pinned on John’s. He did not answer, but she knew he hadn’t. She knew John well enough to know that Carson had crushed his pride with the proposal. “Don’t be afraid of hurting me. I trust you,” she said softly and raised his chin with her hand.

John’s pain and tension had finally faded from his eyes, leaving only the familiar dark gloat behind. “Yeah, he’s right. I should stop fooling myself,” John explained, more to himself then to Elizabeth. He placed a kiss on her forehead while she shifted her head upwards until their lips met each other.

The kiss lasted seconds until John pulled his head back a bit and almost instantly moved forward again. His hands moved on Elizabeth’s hips while his mouth caught hers. The kiss started gentle but ended energetic and full of passion, causing their breathing to become heavier.

John moved his head back, pulling Elizabeth’s bottom lip along as far as he could. Her eyes sparkled while she wrapped her hands around his shoulders. Carefully he lifted her hips and shifted them until she was lying horizontal in the bed. While moving his hand along her side up, he leaned forward, meeting her warm and wet lips again. The two tongues found each other, danced along their lips intimately discovering the sensitive spots and playfully tested each other’s strength.

Elizabeth felt John’s hand release the pressure it had applied to her chest. Before she could catch her breath fully she felt his fingers moving along her bare skin under the blanket, softly trailing a path upwards from her hips to her chest, stopping just below her breasts. A teasing grin started to surface on John’s face in combination with the mysterious lustful smirk he had shown before. With his finger, he reached her hardened nipple and instantly she gasped for air. Even while she was expecting it, the feeling was much more intense. A moan escaped her mouth when he cupped her breast and softly stimulated the nipple with two of his fingers. She didn’t know what Carson had said to him and to be truthful she didn’t care either. The important fact was that for the first time in over a month he was willing touching her again.

Eagerly John pressed his mouth into the crook of Elizabeth’s neck, applying a variety of pressure and suction. Meanwhile his hand moved freely around underneath the blanket, exploring her naked body. Her scent and rapid breathing were good enough for him to feel highly aroused and forget the implications, just as the doctor had ordered. Her hands had found their way onto his back too, softly scratching from the sides to his neck, causing him to moan from the pleasure. She teasingly licked the tip of his nose, making him turn his head towards her. Her hands pulled his head closer until she was able to press her lips on his.

Suddenly Elizabeth stopped the kissing. “Where do you keep your rubber?” she asked seriously. For a moment, John tried to pretend he hadn’t heard the question, but his attempt to kiss her was harshly intercepted. “John.”

“Elizabeth,” John hushed. He felt Elizabeth crawl away and her hands removed his from her chest.

“I’m serious John,” Elizabeth stated.

John sighed uncomfortably. How could he explain, he had a certain wanted but unreachable reputation. It had all been a game to him. He had not lied to Elizabeth. He was bad in relationships and never even tried dating on Atlantis. Of course, Elizabeth herself was partly responsible for that too. Her eyes stayed focused on his and he knew he had to say something. “I don’t have any,” he finally confessed.

Elizabeth’s eyes looked surprised, this she had not expected and she had to fight against the chuckle building up inside her. She swallowed and knew John noticed seeing the grin build on her face. “I’m sorry,” she chuckled when she was unable to restrain the funny feeling inside her stomach.

“Yeah, yeah, make fun of me…,” John remarked and rolled off Elizabeth.

“I have one in my room,” Elizabeth whispered in John’s ear while she rolled onto her side. Her wicked grin had been replaced by a kind and sincere smile. “Maybe you should go and get it.”

“What?” John exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes, my mother always told me to be prepared and keep at least one condom within arm’s reach,” Elizabeth explained.

John’s uncomfortable feeling dissipated and was replaced by a warm and tender smile. "Okay, just give me a couple of minutes.” After a short kiss, which she allowed again, he got on his feet and walked to the door.

“It’s in the bottom drawer of the nightstand next to the bed,” Elizabeth said before John opened the door and left the room.

Elizabeth opened her eyes after hearing the whispers from John and Carson. She turned her head and saw the two men standing in the corner of the room.

“Morning,” Carson said when he saw Elizabeth stare at him.

“Morning?” Elizabeth groaned. “Did I fall asleep?” she asked and felt ashamed. The last thing she remembered was John leaving the room saying he would be gone only a couple of minutes. It couldn’t have happened that she had fallen asleep and worse of all it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t sent him to get the stupid condom. She didn’t even like using it. In addition, the frequency the doctor checked each Atlantis away-team member made sure he did not carry any contagious disease and therefore they would not even need a condom.

“A real sleeping beauty,” John stated with a huge smirk on his face.

A little embarrassed Elizabeth moved into a sitting position on the bed. “Sorry,” she apologized and made sure the blanket covered her bare body.

“Well rested?” Carson asked while he moved towards Elizabeth. He kneeled beside her, felt her forehead and lifted her wrist to take her pulse.

“Yes,” Elizabeth answered while allowing Carson to continue his checks. After taking her temperature and blood pressure, he took his stethoscope to check her lungs.

Carson rubbed the metal piece in his hands to warm it before he placed it on Elizabeth’s back. She had to concentrate to take slow and deep breaths, because John was kind of distracting her. It wasn’t because of what he did, more to what he didn’t do. Instead of watching her, he was picking up the blanket from the chair, where he had been sleeping. Again, a feeling of guilt and missed opportunity filled her mind. Yesterday he surely would have taken her, now he had the chance to think about it and changed his mind.

“Lass, slow deep breaths please,” Carson said. Elizabeth had unnoticeably let her fear for losing John again control her body and breathing. She nodded in confirmation to him and shook the distraction from her mind.

Finally, Carson removed the stethoscope, pulled the blanket up to cover Elizabeth’s back and got on his feet. “Your lungs sound wonderfully clean,” he said with a satisfied smile on his face. “You’re one lucky lady,” he added.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth smiled. “I was well taken care of.”

John heard the remark, leaned his head in Elizabeth’s direction and gave her a teasing grin. Instantly she knew her fear had been ungrounded and the situation between them had not changed.

“Take it easy today. I recommend lots of bed rest and I’ll check on you tonight before you go to sleep again,” Carson said before he picked up his bag and walked to the door.

“We’ll be here,” John said before he let Carson out of the room.

After the door was closed, John turned around and faced Elizabeth. His eyes narrowed. “You could have warned me about the contents of the drawer,” a devilish grin accompanied the lustful gleam in John’s eyes. The first second he had opened the drawer he was not surprised to see books. Besides the books by Shakespeare, which lay on top, he was relieved to find some more easy-reading books. What he found beneath the layer of books had stunned him for a moment.

Elizabeth blushed uncomfortably and felt naked, even while she was wrapped in a thick blanket. She had let John open her most private drawer, were she kept all her secret things, including some pleasure toys. She shyly tried to avoid direct eye contact, but his eyes kept her in plain sight the whole time.

John enjoyed the way he made her squirm. “Didn’t you know condoms have an expiration date,” he added, making Elizabeth’s cheeks get even more color on them. A nervous smile on her face made him stop his teasing actions.

“I guess I had no need for it in a while,” Elizabeth explained and added, “to be honest I don’t even like using them.”

“Neither do I,” John reassured her and they both relaxed.

Elizabeth was glad that things between them still seemed to be on the same level as yesterday, playful and with the desire to be with each other. John turned to the door and locked it, making her heart start to pound irresistibly fast. She quickly wet her lips, making the raw fissures less obvious.

Slowly John moved towards Elizabeth, kneeling in front of her. With both hands, he tilted her head and pressed his lips softly against hers. Her mouth opened, giving him access to explore inside. What started as a gentle kiss, ended in his hands rapidly roaming along her naked body, from her thighs to her shoulders. He applied just enough pressure to lay her down on the bed.

Meanwhile Elizabeth made a few frantic endeavors to pull John’s shirt over his head. “John,” she moaned for attention. A short moment between the kisses gave her enough time to accomplish her task and gain free access to a part of his body. His tongue penetrated her mouth fiercely and yet a strange sense of tenderness accompanied his actions. Her flesh rubbed over her ribs when he pressed his hand over her chest. She had waited so long to be with him again and was so ready for this moment. Her hands tickled a path on his chest, making his muscles respond under her touch.

A soft moan came from John while he moved one of his hands to Elizabeth’s hip and placed his lips over a hardened nipple. The next moan came from Elizabeth who was driven crazy by his nibbling on her breast. She shut her eyes and bit her lip when she felt his hand move to the inside of her thigh and drift upwards until his fingers reached her slit.

“Elizabeth,” John whispered.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and smiled back. “Yes.”

“Will you?” John asked while he pulled a long, thick, silver metal object from his pants. He looked serious and intrigued.

“Oh,” Elizabeth breathed when she saw he held her vibrator in his hand. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. The moment he kissed her breast again she overcame her shock.

“We all have our needs, right?” John stated while he searched for some courage in her eyes. “I will take off my pants if that makes it easier.”

A joyful sparkle brightened Elizabeth’s eyes while she pulled up and unbuckled John’s belt. “I can do that for you,” she said fumbling with the buttons, stripped the pants down to his ankles after which he stepped out of them. While kissing his abdomen she moved her hand past the band of his shorts and pulled them down, moving her lips down the same path.

Suddenly John felt a shiver run through his whole body when Elizabeth’s tongue touched the head of his manhood. A moan followed shortly after. He was glad when his shorts were around his ankles, meaning her kissing path had ended at the inside of his thighs, just above his knees. She laid herself back on the bed, grabbed her toy and turned it on. The soft humming sound made his erection throb with the need to be inside her, yet he knew he was the one who asked her to use it.

“I want to see you too,” Elizabeth expressed while she licked the vibrator.

John moaned at the sight and nodded. He kneeled on the bed beside Elizabeth, took his hard manhood in one hand and placed the other one on her breast. She breathed deeply and gently let the metal vibrator slip deep inside her body. His eyes widened and he could barely handle the intensity of her beautiful body, her soft moaning and her pleasing herself in front of him. To ease some of the tension in his body he started to move his hand slowly around his erection and the other kneaded her breast, giving full attention to her sensitive nipple.

Elizabeth started to make small rocking movements while she let the vibrator slip out and back in again. Her free hand soon moved from her unoccupied breast to her clit and back again. Meanwhile she paid attention to John’s hand moving along his shaft. He had started slow, but his speed was increasing.

A couple of day’s ago Elizabeth could not have believed that she and John would have glued their friendship back together, let alone ending up in this situation. She increased her pace of rocking and thrusting. Her other hand moved to rub her clit and she felt her body build to a climax. She could see in his eyes that he was close too and nodded. He nodded back and before she realized it she saw him come on her belly. It took only a few more seconds before she too reached her peak holding the vibrator in the right angle to reach the most sensitive spot deep inside her body. Her body trembled with the same intensity as it took for her to finish the climax.

After Elizabeth removed the vibrator from her body she needed to catch her breath. John lay down beside her and used a towel to brush his fluids of her stomach, while applying soft kisses to the parts he had cleaned.

“That was different,” Elizabeth said with a huge smirk on her face.

“Tell me about it,” John stated as he gave a pleased smile. “What do you say we get a shower, some breakfast and then go somewhere?”

“I don’t think I’m allowed to leave yet,” Elizabeth mentioned. She really wanted to stay in John’s room, spend the whole day with him in his bed. Exploring every inch of his body and enjoying the fact that they were going to try and build a relationship.

John got to his feet, walked to the bathroom and turned on the light and shower. “So… We don’t tell the Doc,” he leaned his head around the bathroom door and saw one of Elizabeth’s smiles answer the question without words. “Shower?” he asked inviting her to come and join him.

John leaned his head around the doorpost into the hallway and scanned to the left and right. After he was sure no one was around, he pushed Elizabeth forward. The last thing he wanted today was answering questions from others about why she came out of his room again. Yesterday he had been able to convince Rodney that Elizabeth had a nightmare because of the fever and came to his room, but he couldn’t keep that excuse going. Something serious had happened between him and Elizabeth, making all possible things others could think about them actually true.

Elizabeth turned around and looked amazed at John. It was understandable that he was concerned that anyone would see her come out of his room, but his abrupt actions made it even more suspicious. Besides, people could still ask questions about why she was wearing his clothes, his jacket, shirt and pants. Yet, a smile regained access to her lips. It hadn’t been since high school that she snuck around to hide her feelings for someone.

“What’s funny?” John asked while he pulled Elizabeth in the direction he planned to go.

“Oh, nothing,” Elizabeth mentioned. “Where are we going?”

Instantly John turned around and scanned the hallway. “Shh,” he hushed.

“John,” Elizabeth exclaimed loudly and pulling her arm free. She still held the smile on her lips and her eyes were filled with sparkles of joy.

“Elizabeth, what are you doing?” John whispered. Elizabeth was relaxed, making him sigh uncomfortable. She widened her smile making it irresistible to keep the troubled thoughts in his mind. After a deep breath, his tension eased. “Come,” he gestured at her to continue walking.

“Not before you tell me where we are going,” Elizabeth expressed clearly and kept both her feet on the ground. To sustain her silent protest she crossed her arms and looked straight in John’s eyes.

“You’ll see,” John said and ignored the subtle hints he had received. He continued to walk through the hallway and it wasn’t long before Elizabeth caught up with him.

“I still don’t like surprises,” Elizabeth mentioned, a little hopeful that John would explain where he was taking her.

John smiled lazily. “I know,” he expressed teasingly and kept on walking. Without any further protest, Elizabeth followed him obediently and after several hallways, they reached a transporter.

John pressed on the controls, stepped inside and Elizabeth followed him. She still looked thoughtful and curious, but kept the many remarks she could think of for herself. Within seconds, they transported to another part of the city. On the map, Elizabeth could see they were deep in the city. The room was only faintly illuminated and loaded with supplies. Most boxes were covered under a thick layer of dust. She was not surprised he knew the city much better then she did. Although she whished she knew where he was taking her.

The door in the room opened after John had pressed the control panel. He walked into the hallway and briefly checked behind him for Elizabeth. She had given up any attempts to ask him about their destination, but he knew her curiosity levels were peaking. He added a smile along with his glance and she nodded in confirmation.

At the end of the hallway was a large stairwell, leading up to the tower. John looked up and Elizabeth’s eyes followed him. The height they had to climb made her dizzy, this was probably one of the main towers of Atlantis and according to the assessments they did not contain any valuable research labs or other kind of information useful to them. She briefly doubted if she could ask why he was taking her to this place, but before a word had left her mouth John had already taken a few steps up the stairs.

Step by step they climbed the stairs, John leading the way and Elizabeth following him closely. At the top, there was a large and dark room. When John pressed some controls on a panel, the metal walls slid open, making the glass behind it visible and gave them an immense wide view over the whole city. They were indeed at the top of one of the largest towers of Atlantis. The sight was breathtaking beautiful, surrounding them both.

“The view is amazing, I didn’t know this place existed,” Elizabeth stated while she turned around her axis to absorb an imprint of the city below her.

“It’s not in the guide book,” John joked and showed a satisfied expression on his face. He was glad Elizabeth liked it. “Stay here and I’ll pick you up in 10 minutes,” he said before he started to walk back to the stairs.

Immediately Elizabeth’s heart rate increased and an unwelcome sense of fear ran through her body. Her eyes had become large and stared scared towards John. “I don’t want to be here alone,” she whispered while she couldn’t control her shivering body and collapsed to the ground.

“Elizabeth,” John comforted Elizabeth and kneeled beside her. “It’s ok, I’m sorry.”

Tears rolled over Elizabeth’s cheeks. She knew this was real and no nightmare, but the memories seeped back in her mind and she couldn’t push her fear aside.

John wrapped Elizabeth in his arms and hugged her tightly. “Shh,” he soothed. “I won’t die. You said you trust me and I promise it’s worth waiting for.”

Elizabeth nodded and rationally knew that John would be fine. She wiped her cheeks dry and looked John in his tender eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

With one hand, John rubbed Elizabeth’s back until her breathing calmed down, while with the other he activated her radio. He also activated his own and kissed her gently on her cheek. “I’ll make it seven minutes,” he said before he got to his feet.

In response, Elizabeth nodded and saw John rush down the stairs. She heard him skip treads to be faster. “Be careful,” she warned him and instantly heard him run in a slower pace.

“As you wish ma’am,” John answered.

Elizabeth calmed down and controlled her breathing. Seven minutes was a defined amount of time. She checked her watch, one minute had passed, only six more to wait.

“You’re still there?” John’s asked through the radio.

A smile forced itself on Elizabeth’s lips. “Yes, I am,” she answered him and was relaxed enough to enjoy the magnificent view again. From the room she could see all four piers, the subtle waves washing against them and if she strained her eyes, she could distinguish people walking along the west pier.

After a deep breath Elizabeth checked her watch again, concluded four minutes had already past, and John had only three minutes to get back. Right that moment his voice sounded on the radio again. “I need one minute radio silence,” he announced and turned off the radio. The soft static she heard made her restless. Her eyes were drawn to her watch, seeing every second tick by. Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, one minute, one minute and one second.

“Two seconds late,” John said through the radio, relieving Elizabeth’s tension.

“Really,” Elizabeth answered over the radio, trying to hide the fact that she had been tracking time. She knew John was grinning even through the radio and smiled in return. There were some faint background noises, but she could not determine where he was. Her curiosity levels were still high and her ears focused on each sound she heard on the radio.

“I’m on my way back to you,” John said.

Elizabeth responded. “Okay, I’ll be waiting,” she didn’t hear John run this time, maybe he was in a transporter. After briefly checking her watch, she did the math and realized he could never be back in time. It had taken him four minutes to get were he was, meaning it would take him another four to get back to her. She adjusted her thinking pattern, shifting the extra minute in her mind and thus giving John more time to return to her. She felt quite safe hearing the noises and his breathing on the radio.

A squeaking sound made Elizabeth jump. In front of her, the windows started to open. The opening grew fast until almost a quarter of the tower’s windows had slide to the side.

“You’re okay?” John asked concerned.

“Not sure. The windows are opening,” Elizabeth answered stammering. Her eyes were wide while she was frozen to the ground. The fresh and cool air quickly filled the room, making the experience of standing high above Atlantis even more impressive. She carefully leaned her head a bit forward to look down onto the city structure below. She was not afraid of heights, but she was not found of them either.

John’s voice sounded again on the radio. “It never did that when I was in the room.”

Elizabeth heard a difference in John’s voice. He had something to do with the window trick, even while he tried to hide it. Before Elizabeth could say anything to him, a jumper uncloaked at the opening between the windows.

John was standing in the rear compartment of the jumper. “Six minutes and forty-eight seconds,” he claimed with a huge grin on his face. “That has to be a record.”

“Are you crazy,” Elizabeth exclaimed while she was truly surprised.

“I think I am,” John said while he held his arm out. “Are you coming?”

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. She had never done anything this bold in her whole life. John was certainly able to make her drop her boundaries and follow her feelings. Carefully she stepped to the edge, where John grabbed her firmly around her wrist and pulled her inside.

The moment Elizabeth was inside the jumper John closed the hatch and cloaked it again. He took a seat behind the console and she joined him sitting in the seat next to him. After pressing some controls, the jumper started to gain altitude. It wasn’t long before the image of Atlantis was not bigger then a football.

“So where’re we heading,” Elizabeth asked while she watched the city become smaller below her and the darkness of space approaching the jumper from above.

“Hanging around I guess,” John said with a satisfied smile on his face. His eyes were filled with sparkles of joy.

This surprise was surly something Elizabeth could not have foreseen. Even after the four years they had worked together, John could still stun her with his creative mind and sometimes his plain practical solutions. “You stole a jumper,” came from her mouth the moment she thought it.

“I borrowed a jumper,” John calmly defended himself, seeing the shameful blush on Elizabeth’s cheeks grow. He turned his wicked glance towards her and she saw he was just teasing her.

Elizabeth sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to say it bluntly or out loud.”

John simply smiled and turned back to the controls. The jumper started to climb steeply for a few seconds, until it left the atmosphere. “Let’s call it a test flight,” he explained while he changed the screen in front of him, showing the ships schematics.

“What are you doing?” Elizabeth wondered and almost sure she knew what was about to happen.

“What do you think?” John returned the question. Meanwhile he examined the schematics and the instructions he remembered receiving from Rodney right after he and Elizabeth had been stranded in the jumper the first time.

Elizabeth’s eye grew wide, not from surprise, but from shock. “John, you can’t be serious,” she exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” were the words John used to reassure Elizabeth. She was shifting uncomfortable in her seat. He turned towards her, took her face in his hands and applied a soft kiss to her lips, making her melt inside and temporarily forgetting about the foolish plan he was pursuing.

While Elizabeth was still under the influence of the kiss, John adjusted the climate inside the jumper, increasing the temperature to a nice tropical setting. “You were not thinking I was going for the sun were you?” John joked. He wanted to relive the jumper experience, but without the nasty experiences of the Wraith or flying uncontrollable towards a star.

Being on Atlantis together with Elizabeth was still difficult for John. Since the beginning, there had been a strange thick layer of air between him and Elizabeth. It had always kept them at a safe distance from each other. Now he and Elizabeth had become more intimate this layer had disappeared, everything seemed to be perfect and it was possible to get close to each other. However, now there was a new problem, a strangling rope being pulled around his neck. Someone was holding the end of the rope and he didn’t know who it was, but with one wrong move he would suffer the consequences. Most people on Atlantis would be happy for them, but there was also a small group, who would take the opportunity to break the team apart, getting rid of either him or Elizabeth.

John took a deep breath and knew the problem was mainly in his head. The last thing he needed to do was drown in worrying about what could happen if people found out. However, it was true that he needed more time to adjust to the whole idea of being with Elizabeth, enjoying every second he spent with her. Thinking of a thousand ways of unnoticeably stealing her attention, pleasing her, touching her, feeling her, making her feel precious and most of all loving her. His hearth pounded rapidly when he saw her stare at him. He had the most beautiful sight a man could ever dream about. In orbit high above a planet with the woman, he thought would be way out of his reach.

When John rose from his chair, Elizabeth called out to him. “John.”

“One thing Elizabeth,” John started. His voice sounded serious, overruling her right to speak. She simply nodded and softly sighed. With a brand new smile on his face, he lifted her chin upward. “This time you will help me clean the jumper.”

Elizabeth punched her fist against John’s arm and in return was struck with an overwhelming sensation of stupidity. She realized that so far he had done everything to make her comfortable and set her mind at ease, while she was only trying to get out of this unfamiliar situation. He was clearly the more adventurous type then she was. She trusted him and should not let her personal fear withhold her from the wonderful things he wanted to share with her.

John had not seriously taken notice of Elizabeth’s protest and continued to the back of the jumper. He opened one of the panels to access the control wires while two eyes closely observed him. He knew the silent protest going on in Elizabeth’s mind and cleverly made use of it. After studying the wires inside the panel, briefly turning his head towards her, she finally rose from her chair and joined him.

“Coming to inspect my work?” John asked.

“Will you at least tell me what your plan is?” was the answer Elizabeth returned almost desperately.

Before answering, John pulled a wire loose and instantly a shiver ran through Elizabeth’s body. However, nothing happened and John’s smile had changed in a wicked grin. “I have to reroute the connections,” he explained while he pulled another wire loose. After the third wire, the lights inside the jumper turned off and the both of them stood in the dark.

“John…” Elizabeth said with a superstitious tone in her voice.

Quickly the gravity inside the jumper started to dissipate and before John could explain, he and Elizabeth were floating in the dark.

“Ehm…,” John started a bit stammering. “I’m a hundred percent sure Rodney said first to disconnect the wires and then reroute them. Don’t worry. I will get the lights back on.” He could not see the expression on Elizabeth’s face, but he was sure she did not look to friendly right at that moment.

John took a flashlight from his jacket and turned it on. Quickly he connected the wires just like Rodney had told him, but the lights did not turn on. A soft sigh came from his lungs and he realized he might not be able to undo the mistake he had made. In a last attempt, he pulled the two wires loose, plugged the third one in and placed everything in the original state. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem either. The illumination in the jumper didn’t turn on, nor did the gravity come back.

Even in the dark, John could feel Elizabeth’s eyes burn right through him. Everything he had planned was perfect and this moment should be relaxed and fun, but instead it was about to turn out disastrous. After swallowing, he turned off the flashlight.

“Turn it back on,” Elizabeth immediately demanded.

“Can’t,” said John resolutely and without hesitation.

Elizabeth started to feel anxious and hated the game John was playing with her. She wished she had not let him convince her to leave the room. “And why can’t you turn the light back on?” she spoke with a serious thunder in her voice.

“I can’t see where the flashlight is floating,” John explained and moved his arms around him until he found Elizabeth. His hand found hers and he pulled her close to him. Her pulse was fast, just like her breathing. The symptoms were unfortunately from fear and anger, not from love or passion.

Carefully John wrapped one of his arms around Elizabeth who was so angry that she had decided not to talk to him at the moment. Out of frustration, she pulled his arm of her waist, but felt his other arm take its place to keep her in close proximity. A deep and desperate sigh came from her lungs right before she felt her lips being touched his and before she realized she let out a soft moan. Her emotional state had changed by the second and quickly her body filled itself with tranquility.

With his free hand, John gently scanned the surface of Elizabeth’s face. His fingers softly passed her wet lips, when she applied a soft kiss on them. “I’m sorry I screwed up,” he softly whispered to confess the mistake he had made.

“Shh,” Elizabeth soothed back at John. She too started to explorer his face in the dark and could feel the deep frown on his forehead from worrying. With both hands, she rubbed it until it disappeared and she knew a smile had taken its place. His hand led hers to his smile and she too was rewarded with kisses on the palm of her hands.

Even while this was not the situation, John wanted to create he felt happy to be alone with Elizabeth and somewhere where there would be no disturbances. It would be even better then the last time, this time his goal was not to please his own needs, but mainly hers instead. With a satisfied smile on his face, he let down his protective shield and welcomed his true feeling for her.

“Wrap your arms around my neck,” John said and felt Elizabeth move her hands. He moved his hands along her face down her neck to reach for her jacket. After he found the zipper, he pulled it down. He placed one hand back around her waist while he used the other, to gently push the jacket off her shoulder. Once finished the first sleeve he devoted his attention to the second, followed by Elizabeth repeating the actions with his jacket.

John moved his hands to the pants Elizabeth was wearing and opened the button and zipper, but instead of continuing to take them off, he moved his hand under the shirt she wore. While trailing a path upwards he applied enough pressure to make her feel where his hands were and where they were going, in a straight line from her hip, along her belly button to her bare breasts. Since she had not been to her own room, she was not wearing a bra. Past her breasts, he continued to pull her shirt up, over her head. She helped him remove it.

Slowly John moved his hands back along her arms to her shoulder and down to her breasts. A pleasurable moan escaped Elizabeth’s mouth and made her body tingle. She started to relax and enjoy the way they both were floating and could only use a few of their senses, from which touch seemed to gain the upper hand in adding stimulation to her body. His hands traveled further down while he added his lips and applied soft kisses along the way.

With both hands, John moved to the band of the pants and shorts underneath. “Now this is military issue,” he claimed and moved the pants and short over the swell of her hips and buttocks.

“Of course,” Elizabeth sighed. “There your shorts remember,” instantly she knew she had taken the bait and would be caught by her own remark sooner or later.

“That’s why I’m claiming it back,” John mentioned as he pulled the pants further down, still kissing her skin along the way. He could feel her muscles contract with every kiss he placed. Her body was anticipating, but since she didn’t knew where to expect the next kiss, it caused the same response at every touch of his lips. At the end of her legs, he concluded she still wore her boots and grinned.

“Shoes?” Elizabeth asked, knowing that the laces could become a problem if they became messed up while extracting the boots.

“Yeah,” John answered her while he loosening them.

Elizabeth felt one foot free of a boot and not long after her second foot was also freed. Her socks and pants were professionally removed as well, before John moved upwards again. One of his hands moved to the inside of her thigh and slowly worked its way up, softly massaging her leg.

Elizabeth moaned deeply when John’s hand reached her wetness and a gasp of air left her lungs when he pushed a finger inside her body. The overwhelming sensation caused her to clasp tightly at his shoulders. He rhythmical pulled his finger out and back in again and used his thumb to stimulate her clit. She was panting on his shoulder. Softly she rocked her hips on his finger and it wasn’t long before the buildup inside her body was too high to fight. With a cry of pleasure, she reached her climax. The inside of her tunnel clenched around his finger making his movements stimulate her even more.

After Elizabeth had stopped trembling, John pulled his finger out and placed a kiss on her lips. She was still catching her breath when he started a new assault on her body. His tongue slid along her neck and down to her breasts to catch a nipple on the way. One hand softly massaged her lower back, the other cupped a breasts and his tongue stayed focused on the nipple. She threw her head back, arching her back a little to relief some of the feeling, but this caused John to lean in closer. Her nipple was attacked by continues licking, swirling circles, kissing and softly sucking.

John felt Elizabeth’s nipple become harder by the second. In addition, she had shifted her hips to another angle, warning him that she was near a climax again. Fiercely he devoted his full attention to both her breasts. More and more soft moans sounded until her body became limp and shivers ran down her spine to her legs. He kept her body well supported while she recovered from her second orgasm. Her deep breathing slowly calmed down.

When Elizabeth was able to she leaned towards John and started a deep and longing kiss. This time it was her tongue roughly penetrating his lips, while her hands worked to open the pants and pull his shirt up.

“Shoes,” John exclaimed when his lips were free for a second.

As fast as John could he pulled the lace and got rid of his shoes. Meanwhile Elizabeth was still working on his shirt and pants. After they had both succeeded, she grabbed him around the neck again and shoved her tongue hastily between his lips. Her hands moved along his back down until she got a hold of his buttocks. With both hands, she pulled them up and moved her hips in position for him to penetrate her. Gently he let his fully erected manhood slip inside her and immediately felt her go over the edge again.

John waited patiently for Elizabeth to regain control before he started to thrust deeply inside her. She softly rocked her hips in the same steady pace as he thrust his erection between her slightly swollen lips until his full length was covered with her warmth wetness. They were both panting and moaning between the kissing from the intensive and lustful feelings inside both their bodies.

With her arms, Elizabeth pulled John as deep as possible inside her, stimulating the deepest regions of her body. His erection was throbbing along her walls, making it hard to delay the nearby peak. A low and deep moan escaped John’s lungs as he released with full force inside her, giving her enough thrust to leap over the peak with him. Their bodies clashed together, both trembling from the exhausting performance they had been through. It took a while before both John and Elizabeth could regain their senses and breathe.

John applied kisses on Elizabeth’s forehead and lips and disconnected the link between their bodies. He kept supporting her, which was still weak from their actions. “You’re okay?” he asked concerned.

Elizabeth nodded and realized John would not be able to see. “Yes,” she whispered softly in his ear. “I’m fine.”

“Do you want to get dressed and go back to Atlantis,” John asked. He reached around with his arm to find some clothing. The first piece he got his hands on was a shirt. He checked for the label to determine which side was the outside before he pulled her arms through the sleeves. “This might take a while,” he grinned as he pulled the shirt down along the curves of her lean body. He heard her sigh in comfort and knew she was very tired.

After John had fully dressed Elizabeth and rechecked if she was not missing any pieces of clothing he guided her to one of the seats in front. He had strapped the jacket to the chair so she would not drift away while he would get himself back into his clothing. When he had returned, he noticed her breathing was steady and calm, making him believe she was asleep. He softly whispered something, but when he got no response, he was sure she was sleeping. He took his seat behind the flight console and prepared the jumper to fly back to Atlantis.

*****

“John?” Elizabeth asked frightened by the dark environment she was in.

“It’s okay, I’m next to you,” John answered and placed his hand on her face.

A relieved sigh came from Elizabeth. “How long have I been asleep?” she asked while she straightened her body.

“About an hour, maybe a little longer,” John said and knew a few harsh questions would follow as soon as Elizabeth was fully awake. In his head, he had already rehearsed the answers he would give, but this did not made the situation easier.

“John?” Elizabeth asked more awake this time.

“Yeah,” John’s breathed.

“Tell me why we’re not back on Atlantis,” Elizabeth demanded. Her voice was skeptical, the situation started to sink into her mind and she could feel something was wrong.

John pulled his hand back in case Elizabeth was going to punch his arm. In the dark, she would not be able to see where he was. The only advantage he could think of the situation they were in. “We’ll be waiting for Rodney to come and fix the jumper,” he finally confessed and could almost hear her frustration pop in her head.

Instead of an outburst, Elizabeth remained calm. She should have expected this, but for now, she could only accept it. “And when will Rodney come?” she asked. Her hand had found John legs and squeezed it.

“Ouch,” John yelped. He took a deep breath before he explained. “Well, probably as soon as they miss us and find out I took a jumper.”

“What?” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Can’t we use the radio?”

John cleared his throat. “All systems except life-support are down,” he added a kind smile, which to his surprise was brightly lit when a huge spotlight illuminating the jumper. “Our rescue team I think,” he said and turned towards her. Her eyes shot thunderbolts in his direction, but after a few seconds her mood eased and a weak smile emerged on her lips.

Elizabeth held her food tray in front of her and scanned the mess hall, but there was no sign of John. A bit disappointed she walked to a table in the corner and took a seat. After thoroughly inspecting her food, she prodded a small bit on her fork and placed it in her mouth. Slowly she chewed on it and decided it indeed didn’t taste well. She placed the fork down on the tray and knew she shouldn’t behave this childish and pick at her food, but she could not stop worrying for John. She had not seen him since yesterday, after they had returned to Atlantis with the jumper.

The first thing Carson had done was giving Elizabeth a lecture that she was supposed to take it easy. Of course, John took the blame for it and he also got the full load for neglecting his responsibilities to take care of her. On top of Rodney wasn’t too pleased with John’s actions either, in sabotaging the jumper and complaint that he was always the one who had to clean up his mess. Before things got out of hand, she had wisely decided not to protest against anything that was said and to join Carson’s journey back to the infirmary, after which she had returned to her own room to get some sleep.

It wasn’t that Elizabeth had expected John to come to her room in the middle of the night, he probably wanted to give her some rest, but she had hoped to see him today. Until now, she had not seen or heard from him and an unsettling feeling crawled up her spine. She took a deep sigh and lifted herself from her seat. She would feel more at ease in the familiar environment of her own office.

*****

The door to Elizabeth’s office slid open. She stepped inside and took a seat behind her desk. For a brief moment, the same wonderful feeling as earlier that morning seeped into her mind. It was so good to be back at work, to sit in her own chair, behind her own desk, drinking coffee from her own mug. To see the pile of finished reports John had left behind for her had been a nice bonus. It had made her feel even more special than a few days before.

Yet Elizabeth still wondered why she had not seen John today. It would be inappropriate to go look for him. She sighed softly and took a report from the pile. Maybe she could ask him to come to her office to talk about the reports. That would be a valid reason for him to come and see her. She rose from her chair, walked to the door and briefly glanced down into the Gate room. There was no sign of John.

“Colonel Sheppard, please report to my office,” Elizabeth spoke into her headphone after she had activated it. She felt a bit awkward, but was sure she had sounded serious enough. She took a deep breath and waited for John to respond. A long period of silence made her restless. It was nothing like him not to respond to her call. She activated her earpiece again. “Colonel Sheppard, please respond.”

A soft but painful groan made her stomach twitch. “John?” she asked startled by the sound she had heard through her earpiece. “John where are you?” she demanded to know. It sounded as if something was wrong with him, which made all her senses go to high alert.

“Elizabeth,” John groaned weakly, making her even more upset and worrying.

“John where are you?” Elizabeth asked clearly. She felt restless and scanned the Gate room to decide which way she had to go. “John!” she yelled almost in despair.

Finally, an answer came back. “Room,” John breathed, letting out a painful groan simultaneously.

Without hesitating, Elizabeth ran out of her office, in the direction of John’s room. She heard his weak breathing and occasionally a soft groan coming from him. “Are you injured?” she asked, but got not answer. The moment she reached his room she pressed the overwrite code in on the control panel and the door opened. She looked inside, but John was not in his bed. Quickly she made her way to the bathroom, but he wasn’t there either.

Frightened by the faint breathing in her earpiece Elizabeth activated it again. “John, please tell me where you are,” she had sounded desperate and that was exactly how she felt at the moment.

“Room,” John spat out with all air he had left in his lungs, after which some loud and painful groans made his breathing irregular.

It struck Elizabeth with great pain to hear John like this. She looked around the room, but he was not here. Suddenly it made sense to her and she rushed out of his room. He had not meant he was in his room, but in hers, or at least she hoped. She ran as fast as she could until she stood at her door.

Before Elizabeth opened the door, she took a deep breath. Inside her bed, she saw John lying rolled on his side. “You scared me,” she said while she approached the bed. He had his eyes closed and his whole face was covered in sweat. Softly she placed her hand on his forehead and felt he had a high fever.

For a brief moment, John opened his eyes and instantly received a kind smile from Elizabeth. He moved a bit, causing some weak groans to leave his painful lungs.

“Lay still,” Elizabeth softly whispered while she activated her earpiece. “Doctor Beckett, could you come and check Colonel Sheppard out, he’s in my room?”

It wasn’t long before Carson responded, “I’m on my way.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth spoke into her headphone and gently tucked John in with the blanket. At least he didn’t seem to be injured; it was a small relief that took away her worst fears. She went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth before returning to the bed.

John’s breathing had calmed down again, making Elizabeth’s tension ease a bit more too. Carefully she placed the washcloth on his forehead to cool it. In response, he opened his eyes and stared at her. “You’ll be fine,” she soothingly whispered, receiving a small nod from him in return.

Elizabeth rose from her knees and started to pick up John’s clothing. Meanwhile Carson arrived and headed straight for the bed.

“I think he has a fever,” Elizabeth explained.

Carson nodded and opened his medical bag. “I’ll check him out,” he confirmed while he pulled a penlight from the bag. After he turned it on, he used it to check John’s pupil reaction.

John wiped one of his arms between his eyes and the light. “Headache,” he groaned.

“Okay, I’ll turn it off,” Carson said while he put the light back in his bag. With one hand, he took John’s wrist to take his pulse, while he used the other to pick up a thermometer and placed it in John’s mouth.

Elizabeth was still worried sick about John. It was not like him to lay this still and obediently undergoing the medical exam without any complaints or remarks. She sighed softly and hoped there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

After Carson removed the thermometer, he changed his focus to Elizabeth. “His temperature is 103,” he said.

Elizabeth nodded in response and looked a little comforted by the calm expression on Carson’s face.

“Feels like 105,” John breathed, making a smile rise on Elizabeth’s lips.

“It’s only 103,” Carson repeated and turned his view back to John. “105 would not be good at all.”

“It does feel like 105,” John claimed while he groaned.

“Well you know what they say, women have a much higher pain threshold then men,” Elizabeth stated.

“Are you sure it’s not 104?” John asked.

Carson sighed. “Yes I’m sure.” He lifted a stethoscope from the bag. “I will check your lungs and take a blood sample to see what’s wrong with you, but my guess is that you’ve inherited Elizabeth’s flu.

*****

After Carson was finished examining John he put his equipment back in his medical bag and closed it. “No pneumonia, that’s good. I will get the blood results as soon as possible,” Elizabeth nodded she had understood him, while John seemed to be asleep again.

With his bag in his hand, Carson moved to the door and Elizabeth followed him. “I can take him to the infirmary,” he said, even while he knew she would refuse.

“No thanks, I will take care of him for now,” was the response Elizabeth gave.

“Aye,” Carson sighed. “I will check on him in a few hours, call me if his fever increases or if there is anything else I can do for you.”

“I will,” Elizabeth said. She added, “Thank you for coming,” when Carson left her room.

Elizabeth turned around to see John holding the blanket up. She was a bit surprised and silently shook her head in disbelief. “I do have to work you know,” she said while she approached him.

“Just a few minutes…” John whispered, almost begging for attention.

Elizabeth gave him a wide smile as she took off her shoes and crawled under the blanket. John snuggled close to her and his hand gently tugged her shirt out of her pants, making her bare stomach accessible to his hand. He softly rubbed her stomach with his thumb for a while, until he fell asleep.

John opened his eyes and to his surprise, Elizabeth was still asleep in the bed. He had expected her to sneak out and go back to work, but somehow he was glad she hadn’t. His body still ached with every attempt he made to move and thus he decided not to move at all. Only his thumb started to rub her stomach. Her warm skin under his hand made him glow even more then he already did because of the fever. Yet it also made his thoughts drift away from the pain and replace itself with arousal. He soon noticed her breathing changed, she was slowly waking up.

“Hey,” John whispered when Elizabeth had turned her head to face him.

Elizabeth blinked her eyes a couple of times. She had not even noticed she had fallen asleep herself. Still somewhat drowsy she turned on her back, causing a painful glance to shoot over john’s face for a split second. “I’m sorry,” she softly said.

“It wasn’t you,” John reassured Elizabeth while his hand kept rubbing her stomach. Almost unnoticeably, he lowered his hand at each stroke a bit until he had reached the band of her pants. Skillfully he slipped his hand past the band straight between her skin and her panties.

“John?” Elizabeth moaned in surprise.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” John mentioned while he tried to fiddle his hands deeper in Elizabeth’s pants. She almost jerked at his touch every time he moved further down along her skin.

Elizabeth’s breathing became irregular. John started to arouse her, while she expected he was too ill to accomplish any kind of physical actions. “You shouldn’t strain yourself,” she whispered and tried to remove his hand from her pants.

“Will you help me take of your clothes to stop me straining myself,” John explained. He sighed a bit frustrated and knew he was in no position to make his words come true. All he could do was hope Elizabeth would fall for his act and remove her pants to give him better access to her body. He sniffed, moved his body and groaned, his eyes looked painful, but demanding.

A thoughtful glimmer showed in Elizabeth’s eyes while she assessed John’s health. He looked helpless back at her, making her swift. She rose from the bed, opened her pants and removed them from her legs. She added her shirt as bonus.

The familiar dark gloat in John’s eyes returned and sparkles of joy emerged when he saw Elizabeth’s beauty. “All of it,” he moaned.

Elizabeth did not know if it was a moan from pleasure of pain, but she slowly removed her bra and moved her panties over her hips. A blanket covered John, but by the look in his eyes, she knew his manhood was erected underneath. She lowered her panties slowly, forcing some soft moans from John. If his eyes could undress her, she would have been naked minutes ago, not to mention that she surely would have been naked many times. This thought made her feel even more precious and caused her inside to tingle from excitement.

The beautiful lean naked body in front of John made him anxious to touch and feel it. Elizabeth’s soft and tender skin was a real pleasure to lay his hands on. He was still in the process of learning how her body reacted to him. Even while he already had learned a lot in the few moments they had been intimate, there was still a lot left to discover.

A bit of a shy smile showed on Elizabeth’s lips. She was unsure what John expected from her. His eyes stared at her, absorbing her image in his mind. Playfully she turned around and when she faced him again his eyes had a lustful gloat that could not be missed. Teasingly she wetted her lips and moved her hand along her body to her breast.

“Stop it, you’re killing me,” John moaned.

Disobediently Elizabeth continued to stimulate her nipples and closely observed John. It was good to see him squirm for a change, until the squirming became physical and a painful groan sounded. “I’m sorry,” she said while she moved to the bed to check if he was okay.

“Help me with my shorts,” John begged. The sight of Elizabeth in his eyes hopelessly drowned him. His hand reached for her skin while she sat down on the bed. Softly he stroked her stomach, making her smile again. She still doubted if she should go through with this, but then again it would be torture to stop at this point.

After lifting the blanket, Elizabeth gently helped John to remove his shorts. His skin was burning from fever, yet it was also loaded with desire. Her hands moved carefully over his abdomen, softly touching him. She moved her hands along his skin while pulling his shorts along his legs. Her touch made him moan quietly.

“Lay still,” Elizabeth told John while she carefully wrapped her legs around his hips. She lifted her body straight and checked to see if she was not causing him any pain. He nodded slightly to let her know he was content with her action and loosely lay his hands on her thighs.

Elizabeth lifted her body enough to let John’s hardened shaft slip inside her body. Simultaneously the both of them gasped for air. While she started to rock her hips, he started to rub her inner thigh with his thumbs. She watched intensely and was cautious not to strain or hurt him. The slow rocking made her well aware of his throbbing erection inside her, moving along her walls and stimulation every spot it came in contact with.

John sighed deeply from pleasure, having Elizabeth sitting on top of him, riding him, made him feel wonderful. She fitted perfectly around him and was able to sense very well how he liked to be pleased. She stopped for a moment to delay their climax. He looked straight in her eyes and was almost unable to hold back. She saw his glance and nodded with a smile on her lips.

Gently Elizabeth started rocking again, moving her hands along her breasts, while John still rubbed her inner thigh. He moaned from the sensation she caused along his shaft when it slid party out and back in. He felt his erection throb and his release would follow soon. Her beauty, warmth, wetness and movements were irresistible. A long moan and his shivering body announced his climax less than a second before he filled her with his fluids. She needed only a few more movements before she too came. If it wasn’t for his hands to support her she would have fallen on top of him.

Elizabeth quickly gathered enough strength to support her own body again, lifting it from John’s hands. She too was now covered in sweat, not from the flu, but from her passion for him. Gently she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He welcomed and returned the kiss.

“Thank you,” John said with a very satisfied look on his face.

“No, thank you,” Elizabeth responded. She leaned her arms next to John’s body and moved in to kiss him again without putting any pressure on his body except for his lips of course.

In the middle of the kiss, the door opened. Both John and Elizabeth turned their faces to see a blush appear on Carson’s face. He respectfully turned his head away from the two naked bodies on the bed. “I’ll come back later,” he said, turned around and closed the door behind him.

“I guess Carson didn’t expected me to be here,” Elizabeth grinned.

“Well I’m glad you are here with me,” John whispered and added a smile.

Elizabeth leaned forward and placed a kiss on John’s cheek. “Me too.”

John groaned in response, which caused an unsettling feeling inside Elizabeth’s stomach. “Could you get off me?” he breathed painfully.

“Of course, I’m sorry,” Elizabeth apologized and rolled herself off John’s body.

After taking a deep breath, John moved his hand and grabbed hold of Elizabeth’s hands. He brought her hand to his forehead. “I’m sure it’s 105 by now,” he claimed.

A bright smile turned on Elizabeth’s lips. “I don’t think so.”

John stayed with his claim. “Well I do.”

Elizabeth could not resist laughing. She pulled her hand back and tucked the blanket around John. “I will get dressed and let the doctor know he can come and check on you. Maybe you just need more rest and less distraction to get well.”

After Elizabeth had her clothes on she made sure john was still lying comfortably and well tucked in before she headed for the door. “Make sure to tell the doctor its 105,” John blurted before she stepped through the door.

Elizabeth turned around and shook her head. She regained a beautiful smile on her lips before she left the room, the door closing behind her.