Flash-point

by Bethany

URL: http://www.stargateslash.com/asb/bethany6/flashpoi.php
Summary: Challenge 816: Something happens when Rodney and Jennifer attempt to join the mile high club; something that changes everybody's perspectives forever... And, creates at least one hopefully happy ending!

"I wonder how Rodney and Jennifer are getting on..?" John mused, as he looked into the firelight, then back up toward the stars for a few moments before the fire mesmerised him again...

"Why are you so bothered?" Ronon looked to John, trying to figure it out.

John took a swig of his beer, and ignored the question. He savoured the beer. It wasn't like they'd brought tonnes of the stuff with them; they had to maintain some sobriety, even on New Atlantea...

Ronon continued to try and work out his friend...

"Why don't you want to know about them?" John turned the tables.

Ronon kept quiet for an eternity, then answered, "Because..."

"Because what..?" John kept on. "Rodney?" He smiled, laughing almost.

Ronon threw him dagger looks.

"Jennifer?" John asked.

Ronon nodded quietly.

"Ah." John noted.

"What about you?" Ronon decided to continue asking. "You like her, too?"

John shook his head, and smiled ruefully. He looked up to the stars again afterward.

After some time, Ronon asked. "Does this have something to do with that rule... That Don't Ask thing...?"

John didn't answer...

... But Ronon knew he had his answer from the way John stared at the stars. He thought he was half imagining the beginning of a tear in the corner of John Sheppard's eye.

****

"John!" Rodney called. "Please, John..!!"

"What did you just say..?" Jennifer caught on to his words...

"Jen... Jennifer..!" Rodney replied.

Jennifer turned to look at Rodney over her shoulder. "No! No, Rodney. You didn't say my name at all!" She scrambled away from Rodney. "I thought this was too good to be true! Started too romantically, apart from the fact that your stupid Science thing nearly froze me to death!" She fumed.

"It was not mine!" Rodney defended, though really, he knew he had no right. "I'm sorry!" He blurted. "I thought it was good, too...!"

"Too good to be true is what I said..!" She tried to keep her voice down, so that the pilot and co-pilot wouldn't catch on.

"Yeah, that..." Rodney answered quietly. "I'm sorry..."

****

"How did things go while you were away?" Ronon asked, as Jennifer stitched a cut on his forehead that he'd received in training.

Jennifer made a concerted effort not to falter, or drop the needle. "That obvious is it?" She all but whispered.

"You've both been so quiet..." Ronon said.

"It went very well, even with the freezing incident, up to a point, that is..!" She explained.

"Okay..." Ronon pondered.

"Don't you want to know, Ronon?!" Jennifer asked.

"I didn't ask because of that!" Ronon assured her.

Jennifer looked into Ronon's eyes, and sighed. "He called me John! So, we went our separate ways... I went to visit my Dad; Rodney went home to Jeanie's, or wherever..!"

"He called you what..?" Ronon back-tracked.

"It wasn't by my own name, that was for sure!" Jennifer tried not to let angry tears slip from her eyes. "He called me John!" She said, in a low voice.

****

"Hold on a minute!!" John yelled at the door. "What's the emergency!?" He asked seriously, as he scrambled to the door.

When John opened the door to his quarters, Jennifer stood outside, and declared "No emergency!"

John looked at her, honestly confused.

"I just thought you should know!" She began, quiet in spite of her selfish desire to air all of this to everyone whose quarters were in this sector. "Rodney wants you! Hell, he'd probably even tell you he loves you! He'd probably even mean it when he speaks to you!"

John ushered Jennifer into his quarters, and the door shut. "What?!" He asked. His stomach roiled, and his mouth obediently went dry, as dry as the desert Rodney had just visited...

***

"You did what!??" Rodney asked.

"I went to John's quarters!" Jennifer announced triumphantly. "Jealous?" She couldn't help but ask. "I told him about your feelings for him, Rodney!"

"Oh, great!" Rodney announced. "He'll kill me!"

"You're lucky I didn't!" Jennifer suddenly said. "You really hurt me, Rodney! Really hurt me!" Her fists hit his chest in frustration. "Don't you dare comfort me!" She warned him, stepping back from his arms, and rubbing her eyes. "Deal with it! You did this to me, and now I've told John how you feel about him! Deal with it!!" She yelled, and turned on her heel, then out of Rodney's quarters.

"I can't!" Rodney said, to the closed door. "I can't! John's gonna hate me. He'll blame me!"

****

"Go to him!" Ronon told John. "You can't go on ignoring it! It has to be dealt with!"

"I don't know if it ever can be!!" John said quietly, as they walked through the Mess Hall...

"It has to be..." Ronon stated.

***

John walked into Rodney's Lab, very, very late that night. "You can't go on like this!!" John said.

Rodney's eyes shot up to John, terrified in that moment.

"You have to sleep, Rodney!" He paused. "I found you anyway, didn't I? Even a genius needs his sleep!"

Rodney stood, frozen to the spot, appropriately enough, even though he was sweating.

"I don't know what we're going to do about it..." John quietly began. "But I love you, too, Rodney..."

Rodney gulped, then turned away, back to his desk. "I don't deserve you! Not after how I treated Jennifer! I thought I loved her, too, until..."

"Until you both had a rude awakening..?" John asked, stepping closer to Rodney's side.

Rodney was crestfallen, but still nodded. "She'll never forgive me... I've ruined the whole team probably... If you and I... If we... It would all go to Hell!"

John slowly, gently, put his hand on Rodney's shoulder, and turned the man to look at him. "Did you really imagine that it was you and me joining the Mile High club..?"

"Suit your ego, does it?" Rodney asked flatly, looking up at John sadly.

John rubbed Rodney's shoulders carefully. "I didn't mean it like that, Rodney, I swear to God..."

"Believe in Him, do you??" Rodney asked.

John nodded. "Guess I do..."

"Someone else I have to worry about getting forgiveness from..." Rodney pondered miserably.

"Jennifer will forgive you, Rodney... Why else do you think she blew this whole thing open..?"

"Understandable spite!" Rodney answered.

"So that her pain wouldn't be for nothing, so that we could get this sorted, so that you might actually be happy, comfortable with yourself, one day... Maybe, those were her reasons!"

"You're just saying that!" Rodney said, trying not to let his voice crumple. "You want me..." Rodney couldn't believe he was saying those words to John Sheppard.

John smiled. "It's true, I want you... But my words about Jennifer are true, too..." He admitted. "And, like I said at the start of this conversation, given the situation, I don't know what we can do about you and me... So, no pressure..." He took his deliberately gentle hands from Rodney's shoulders.

Rodney looked to John, stepping forward in an instant, from where he got the strength, he had no clue. He placed his hand on the back of John's neck, playing with the soft downward 'v' of his dark, beautiful hair there... He brushed his lips to John's.

John caressed Rodney cautiously, kindly, as the kiss continued, against the odds...

"Good job the security camera in here is down for maintenance..." Rodney mumbled, as John kissed his neck, and he cradled John's neck still, sweeping it lovingly...

"Damn good job!" John agreed. "But Rodney, this is what we've got to be careful about... Do you understand? Look how quickly we forgot everything!!"

"Do you want to stop?" Rodney asked, running his hands through John's hair, and looking down the man's body, noting every sign of its sexual desire.

John caught Rodney's hand, and pressed it up against his erection. "No. I don't want to stop... Can't you feel it!?"

"Yes!" Rodney couldn't believe what was beneath his fingers. With his other hand, he laced his fingers into John's hair, caressing his neck, pulling his face forward, to kiss again... And, as the kiss continued, his other, suddenly brave hand, quested and massaged John Sheppard.

"Have you ever?" John asked.

"Dreamed of it...." Rodney confessed, in answer.

"Then, maybe the dream you imagined ought to come true, or the first time could be painful..." John said.

"I hate to admit this, John," Rodney began, "but I don't know what I'm doing..."

"We'll work everything out together... But we have to be careful, Rodney, in more ways than one..."

"I don't think Jennifer would appreciate it if I turned up in the Infirmary with damaged goods...." Rodney stated.

"I won't let that happen..." John promised, taking Rodney in his arms. "But don't think just 'cos I offered myself to you, that you're always the guy on top!" John warned Rodney playfully.

"For once," Rodney said, "I don't care who's in charge... I just want to do this together, and soon..!"

"My place or yours?" John asked.

"I'm betting the Galaxy's Sweetheart has got more protection than I have to offer..." Rodney replied, self-consciously.

"I do have some..." John answered, almost bashfully.

"Your place then..." Rodney said.

"Don't worry!" John turned to Rodney, and touched his face. "We're going to work out all the details when we get there, I promise you..."

The End

Author's Note: I make no money, and mean to step on no one's toes at all,by writing my stories... Feedback welcome as long as it is always polite.