Secret Admirer

Title: Secret Admirer
Author: Angelsdee aka Dee Dee
Date: 9/25/06
Chapter: 7/?
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Ronon/Elizabeth
Archiving: My LJ, Atlantica, Elizabeth/Ronon LJ, RDFever LJ, WRFever, and RDFever
Warnings: Violence, Stalking, Explicit Sex, Torture
Spoilers: Sateda, The Storm, Common Ground, The Siege
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this fic but I sure like to play with them.
Summary: This is in response to Carol’s Challenge #9 on the WRFever Group. An obsessive admirer stalks Elizabeth and Ronon takes it upon himself to keep her safe.

“Ronon.”

A soft voice invaded his sleep and mingled with the dream Ronon was entranced in. He had been licking every inch of his beloved’s body and his name fell breathlessly from her lips with each tingly sensation he instilled within her.

“Ronon.”

He started at her toes and slowly worked his way up her body to her earlobes before he gazed into her loving eyes.

“Ronon.”

She breathed his name out in a moan as he sunk his length into her warmth and made passionate love to her. He watched the pleasure and desire she felt reflected in her eyes. Their gaze never left the other’s as they reached fulfillment together.

“Ronon.”

He rolled them so that she could lie across his chest. Their bodies were still intimately joined as she nuzzled into his embrace.

“Ronon!”

His eyes startled open and he instantly was aware that he was alone in the bed. Panic seized his heart until his peripheral vision cleared and he turned his head to see her. Elizabeth was dressed in her exercise gear standing beside their bed with her hands on her hips, a raised eyebrow, and a cocky grin.

“Elizabeth?” Ronon looked at her curiously as he ran his hand over the sheets beside him and found them cool from the loss of her body heat. “What are you doing out of bed, baby?”

“We’re supposed to train this morning, remember?” She sat beside him and slid her gaze down to the impressively tented sheet draped across his lower body. “You were making quite a bit of noise there, lover. It sounded like you were having a hell of a dream.” She traced one hand down his abdomen to skim over his sheet-covered erection and smiled when a moan escaped his lips. “Care to tell me what it was about?”

“You, of course.” He quickly pulled her into his arms and rolled on top of her. “I was tasting every inch of your beautiful flesh starting from your dainty toes and slowly worked my way to your delectable ears.” He ran his tongue over the shell of her ear before he sucked the lobe into his mouth. Elizabeth giggled when the hair on his chin tickled her neck and raised her shoulder to cut off his access. “Hmm. I see I found a sensitive area to investigate further later.”

“Okay. So you found my ticklish spot.” She glanced at him seriously before a grin broke out on her face and she quickly poked her fingers into random areas in his sides until he finally flinched when she hit a spot in his ribs. “Ah ha!” She dug her fingers into his side until a throaty laugh filled the room. “Who would’ve ever guessed that the fierce Ronon Dex was ticklish? If the Wraith only knew!”

“Enough!” He laughed out as he grabbed her arms and pinned them down beside her head. “If you tell anyone about this, I will make you regret it.”

“You don’t scare me.” She narrowed her eyes on his as his heaving chest brushed against her breasts through her sports bra. “I know your weakness.” She was very smug with her declaration but a hint of uncertainty twinkled in her eyes.

“You do?” He brought his face within an inch of hers and pierced her gaze. “What would that be?”

“Me.” It came out in a breathless whisper that made his heart flutter. She didn’t know how true that one word response was.

His face went blank as he thought about her being his Achilles heel.

Elizabeth had easily broken down all the barriers he erected around his heart and claimed it as her own.

She possessed his heart.

She occupied his mind, both conscious and subconscious.

She lived in his soul.

His body belonged to her completely.

He would not survive losing her after he had given her every part of him.

He hadn’t felt this vulnerable or out of control in a long time. Despite the cruelness of his past, he was ultimately responsible for his fate. He fought for his survival and freedom on a daily basis. It was through strength of will alone that he mastered his destiny and didn’t allow the Wraith to take the only thing he had left, his life.

Elizabeth was a new factor in the equation of his life.

He had been willing to sacrifice his life to save Sheppard and Teyla. He held a knife to his throat and felt the steel dig into his flesh. He would’ve accepted death with a song in his heart as long as he knew his friends were safe.

Elizabeth changed all of that. He would still sacrifice himself to save his friends but it would terrify him to leave her alone. Whatever life existed beyond death would be a solitary one for him without his mate by his side. It wasn’t something he would so readily accept now that he had her.

“Ronon.”

He loved this woman with every ounce of his being. He had been falling in love with her for months as he quietly observed her from afar. If the decision of saving her life or those of the Atlanteans ever presented itself to him, the Atlanteans would lose. Ronon feared that choice every second since he had mated with her.

His loyalty was to his mate first and foremost. He knew if Elizabeth herself issued the order to sacrifice her for the sake of the others, he would disobey it without a thought. The consequences to their relationship would be tremendous. He knew his mate was a self-sacrificing woman that would do anything to protect her people.

“Ronon.”

She would never forgive him for choosing her life above the collective lives of their people.

His eyes snapped to hers when he felt her shift beneath him. “What is it, Ronon?” Her brow was furrowed in concern. Her questioning eyes drilled into his trying to discover the truth that was hidden there but she saw the mask quickly fall into place and a soft smile graced his face. He shut her out and the thought disturbed her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He released her hands, took her face between his palms, and kissed her gently on her parted lips. “I will get dressed so we can get some breakfast and then continue our training.” He rose from the bed and smiled as his eyes ran appreciatively over her form. “Maybe later I’ll tell you about the rest of my dream if you excel at your lessons today.”

“Are you saying that I have to be a good girl, Ronon?” She rolled on to her stomach, propped her chin up, and watched him dress with ravenous eyes. “I have to do well on my training and you’ll give me a treat.”

“No.” He pulled up his leathers and turned to face her as he fastened them. “I’d give you anything you asked for, my love.” His soulful eyes shined as he gazed into her wide eyes. “The problem is I’ve given you all that I am already. I can only hope that is enough for you and you do not lose interest in me.”

“Ronon.” She exclaimed as she shuffled off the bed and ran into his embrace. “I couldn’t ever lose interest in you.” She squeezed him tight before she glanced up into his eyes. “You have more to give than you know, Ronon, and I look forward to every single thing you share with me.”

“I also look forward to our future and hope that you will share with me as well.” His hazel eyes softened as he smiled down at her. “There is a lot I need to know about you. I’ve done alright so far by just watching you.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his socks and boots before he grabbed a fresh shirt. “Still first hand knowledge would be nice.”

“I could say the same about you.” She waited until he fastened his gun belt on before she took his hand and allowed him to lead them out of his quarters. “You’re too deep for me to keep guessing. It tends to give me a headache.” She flashed him a quick smile to let him know she was joking. “Seriously Ronon, if we are going to explore this relationship, we need to be open with each other.”

“Elizabeth…” He started to say something in his defense until she stopped their progress down the hall and turned to look up at him.

“I trust you to act as my protector and will concede to your decisions on that matter.” She glanced down at their joined hands and raised them for him to see. “However, we are in this relationship together and I don’t want any secrets between us. I know something was bothering you earlier and you aren’t comfortable talking about it but you can’t shut me out. I need to know if something concerns you about us being together. Okay?”

“Okay.” He nodded his head and smiled until she was reassured and escorted her to the mess hall.

~*~

Teyla glanced around at the early risers that littered that mess hall and was surprised to spy Ronon and Elizabeth. It wasn’t the fact that they were up this early or even sitting together that gained her interest but their close proximity. Ronon had clearly pulled her seat closer to his so much that their legs were pressed against each other’s.

They leaned their heads within scant millimeters of touching when they spoke. Something had clearly changed in their relationship and Teyla found herself smiling with understanding when Elizabeth wiped syrup off of Ronon’s chin with her finger and sucked it clean in her mouth. Teyla could see the fire light in Ronon’s eyes as he watched her and a wicked grin appeared on his face.

“Good morning, Dr. Weir.” Teyla smiled as she approached the couple’s table carrying her breakfast tray. “Ronon.” She nodded her greetings to her teammate as he ate his meal with his usual vigor. “Do you mind if I join the two of you?”

“Not at all, Teyla.” Elizabeth spoke up with a shake of her head when Ronon grunted in between forkfuls of pancakes. “Please sit.”

“Thank you.” She placed her tray on the table across from Elizabeth and sat as she scrutinized the two of them from under her dark lashes. “How are you feeling? I haven’t seen much of you the past couple of days.”

“I’m fine, Teyla.” The question caught Elizabeth off-guard and she fumbled with an explanation. “I’ve, uh, well…”

“She’s been staying with me.” Ronon said simply as he licked his fingers. He felt the surprised gaze of both women on him and turned to regard them. “She was attacked by an unknown assailant a few days ago and she is living with me so that I may protect her on my territory.”

“I see.” Teyla turned her attention to Elizabeth who was still staring into Ronon’s eyes with a smile on her face. If she didn’t know for certain that the relationship between Ronon and Elizabeth had taken a different turn when she walked in, then she did now.

Elizabeth was fairly glowing despite the ordeal she was going through and on close inspection of her teammate; Teyla could see a peace in him that he had never displayed before. “So when did the two of you realize you had fallen in love with each other?” The young Athosian woman asked as she smiled sweetly at Elizabeth’s blushing face.

“Are we that obvious?” The Atlantean leader leaned forward to whisper to Teyla and joined her in giggling when she nodded her head.

“You look free of your burdens and have the glow of love around you.” Teyla slid her eyes to the right and met Ronon’s gaze. “You have needed this kind of a connection for a long time to make you feel alive again. I know your past was harrowing and of us all no one has lost as much as you but it is time for you to move on.” She patted Ronon’s hand and tilted her head towards Elizabeth. “I believe with every ounce of my being that you will be loved and cared for more than you thought possible. You deserve this, Ronon. You both do.”

“Hey, guys.” John walked up to the table in time to see Teyla remove her hand from on top of Ronon’s while his teammate stared into Elizabeth’s shining face. “So Elizabeth, I see the big guy here has let you come up for air.” John placed his tray on the table and sat next to Teyla as he grinned at Elizabeth’s beet red face. “I didn’t think he would ever let you out of his quarters now that the two of you are…involved.”

“Sheppard.” Ronon wiped his mouth on a napkin as he sensed her embarrassment and met his teammate’s grin with a smirk to match. “I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making my mate tense. This is new to her and I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh.” John had a surprised look on his face as Ronon kindly put him in his place. He hadn’t expected such tact from the Satedan and glanced over at Elizabeth, who was beaming at her new lover. “I apologize, Elizabeth. I didn’t mean it to sound so…crass.”

“It’s okay, John.” She slid her hand into Ronon’s on the table and smiled up at him. “He is just being over-protective. I was around Jack O’Neill for a while. I think I can handle crass.”

“You see, buddy, she can handle a little joking around. So stop drilling holes into my head and eat your breakfast. You know how cranky you get if your pancakes get cold.” John grinned as Ronon returned to eating his meal and the women leaned across the table whispering to each other. “You guys going to the gym after you leave the mess?”

“We’re going to continue her training.” Ronon answered John when Elizabeth and Teyla continued their hushed conversation. “She is quite adamant about learning everything she can.”

“It’s a good idea. It would be beneficial for her to be able to defend herself in case you aren’t around someday.” John stopped chewing and glanced up when he saw Ronon tense in his peripheral vision. “What? You will eventually leave her side. When we take care of the current problem, I expect you to rejoin my team on off-world missions.” John’s brow furrowed as he cocked his head. “You are going to rejoin my team, right?”

“Of course. It is just hard to imagine not having her constantly by my side even if it has only been two days.” He tightened his hold on her hand as he stared at their interlaced fingers. “I have never felt this way about anyone, Sheppard. If anything ever happened to her while I was away, I would wish for death.”

“Easy, big guy.” He leaned towards his friend as he glanced at Ronon’s free hand running gently over their joined hands. “I’m happy for you. I’m glad you found someone to fill that empty spot inside.” Sheppard’s eyes darted to the left at Teyla before he returned his gaze to Ronon. “You of all people know what we are facing out here. You know we are at war and no one is safe.”

“I know.”

“We try the best we can to keep the people we love safe but we have to go on if the unthinkable ever happens. Keep that in mind, okay?” Ronon nodded his head solemnly but didn’t agree with his friend.

Elizabeth was his mate now and anything that happened to her happened to him. It was the way of his people when they found their true mate. Their fates were intertwined now and forever.

“Hey Ronon?” John waited until his friend looked up at him before he asked what was on his mind. “Why did you call Elizabeth your mate?”

“Because she is.” Ronon glanced quickly at Elizabeth, saw her and Teyla still engaged in hushed conversation, and leaned across the table towards John. “You have that typical confused look on your face, Sheppard, so I will elaborate for you. I have taken her as my mate. She is mine and I am hers. No one will come between us and I’ll kill anyone who tries. Are we clear?”

“That sounds a lot like marriage, big guy.” Ronon’s expression was unreadable as he leveled his gaze on John. “Does Elizabeth know what all this mate stuff entails? Have you explained it to her because women from my planet do marriage a different way?”

“I have told her she is my true mate. She didn’t question me about it then.”

“You didn’t happen to mention that to her in the…heat of passion, did you? Women tend to lose focus on words just as much as men when things are…in full swing.” Sheppard shook his head when Ronon averted his gaze and patted his friend’s forearm. “I think you need to clarify things a bit when you’re both clear headed. You don’t want any misunderstandings that will end up hurting the both of you in the long run.”

“Do you mind if I join you in the gym?” Teyla looked at Ronon after she finished her girl talk with Elizabeth. “I would like to work out as well and would prefer to get it in early before all the SOs arrive.”

“If it is okay with her, it is okay with me.” Ronon answered simply in response.

“I don’t mind, Teyla.” Elizabeth glanced at Ronon with a hint of concern in her eyes, as he felt closed off again. He barely met her gaze as his eyes darted from her face to their joined hands. She kissed his fingers lightly and turned to the smiling Teyla. “I’d like to try your style of fighting if you don’t mind showing me.”

“I’d be happy to.” Teyla also noticed the change in Ronon’s mood but tried to keep the conversation going to give him time to overcome whatever was disturbing him. “It will be a nice change to spar with a woman.”

“Excellent. I’m looking forward to it.” Elizabeth took a small sip of orange juice to mask her concern as she felt Ronon’s tension flowing into her. Her eyes darted to John as he ate his breakfast and her brow furrowed when she examined his haggard appearance closely. “John, are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah. I’m a little tired from pulling an all-nighter with Lorne going over personnel files but I’m good.” He subconsciously ran one hand over his unruly hair and tried to avoid her eyes but could feel her scrutinize his appearance. “Elizabeth, will you stop looking at me like that? You’re giving me a bit of a complex here.”

“I’m sorry. You just look so tired and run down.”

“Well…thanks for the compliment but like I said I’ve been a bit busy lately.” He stared at the table and interlaced his fingers suddenly at a loss of an appetite.

“I know you have, John.” She swallowed with some difficulty as her emotions ran rampant. She gently disengaged her hand from Ronon’s, rose from her seat, crossed to John’s side and crouched next to his chair. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve been doing for me.” She placed her hand on top of his and smiled appreciatively when his shining eyes met hers. “I can’t begin to tell you how much you mean to me and how much I rely on you. Even before all of this.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” John took her hand between his and pivoted in his chair to face her. “You know you mean a lot to me too, Elizabeth. We’ve had a couple of close calls over the past couple of years but we always managed to pull through together. I think we’ve even managed to surprise each other a few times. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again when you went to the Genii to negotiate for their nukes.”

“I thought you were dead when you flew one of those nukes in the jumper into the Hive ship.”

“That was a close one, huh?” He smiled until another memory struck him. “I thought you were dead when Kolya said he shot you.”

“I don’t think Kolya appreciated how commando you went on his men when you thought he shot me.” She laughed softly despite the solemn tear that traced down her cheek. “I thought I sentenced you to death when I refused to hand over Ladon to Kolya. I thought that Wraith had drained you and it was all my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Elizabeth. I gave my orders and I expected you to carry them out whether you wanted to or not. Come to think of it, Kolya is a big pain in the ass.” He smiled until she laughed softly and nodded her head. “We really need to kill his sorry ass the next time we smell him.”

“I’m going to have to agree with you on that one. He’ll be damn lucky if one of you gets him before I do because I have had enough.”

“Why, Elizabeth, I think your new boyfriend is rubbing off on you.” He reached out with his right hand as he held her hand in his left and wiped the tear that settled on her jaw line. “It won’t be long before we see you kicking SO’s butts in the gym.”

“Funny, John.” She grinned and rose to her full height. She squeezed his hand gently in hers before she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I do appreciate everything you’re doing for me but please don’t run yourself down. I’m safe with Ronon despite the fact that my stalker gained access to his quarters last night. I know he needs to be found but don’t stretch yourself thin. You’re of no use to me if you’re too exhausted to stand.”

“Okay.” He blushed furiously when she kissed him gently on the cheek and cleared his throat loudly when he caught Ronon’s piercing gaze. “Uh, Elizabeth, I think your boyfriend is gonna tear me apart if you do that again and I’ve kind of gotten used to all my parts where they are.”

“He’ll have to deal with it.” She stood upright, moved behind Ronon, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she rested her chin on top of his head. “Besides, he knows he’s the only man for me.”

“You see, Ronon. You’re the only man for her.” John smiled at the stoic Satedan and swallowed heavily when his expression didn’t change. “She’s all yours, big guy, so you can wipe that murderous look of your face any second now.” John’s eyes widened and he took a deep breath when Ronon didn’t even blink. “A little help here, Elizabeth.”

“Ronon, stop making John squirm.” She lowered her voice and moved her mouth to whisper in his ear. “You know you are only allowed to make me squirm and I know you love it when I do.” An appreciative growl resounded around the table and Teyla exchanged a smirk with John. “That’s my man.” She kissed his cheek before she stood up, patted his shoulders, and glanced at Teyla. “Are you ready to head to the gym?”

“I’m finished.” Teyla stacked everything on her tray and rose to her feet.

“Everyone is up early this morning.” Rodney yawned as he placed his tray on the table and took a seat as Ronon rose.

“Good morning, Rodney.” Elizabeth smiled as Ronon placed her tray and Teyla’s on his before he picked them up in one hand and took her hand in the other. “See you later, Rodney.”

“McKay.” Ronon said as a greeting and a goodbye before he walked off with Elizabeth in tow and Teyla following close behind.

“Huh.” Rodney made a questioning sound as he watched the trio walk off before he turned to John. “Where are they off to?”

“The gym.” John answered in between bites.

“Why is Elizabeth dressed like that?”

“I assume because she is going to work out.”

“Why is she holding the caveman’s hand?”

“You know, McKay, if you want to keep up with all the latest gossip and soap operas going on here in Atlantis, you need to wake up earlier in the morning.”

“Huh.” Rodney looked thoughtful for a moment before he shook it off and took a bite of his meal. He glanced back at the door as he chewed and swallowed before he looked back at John curiously. “We have gossip and soap operas?”

John rolled his eyes, gathered up his tray, and stood up. “See ya later, Rodney.”

“What did I say?” Rodney asked John’s retreating back as he walked away from the table shaking his head.

~*~