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When the door closed behind them, and they could still hear Layla crying, Mack thought Liz was going to go back in, and that just wouldn't do. Instead, he grabbed her hand, and started down the hall toward the nearest transporter. She looked back over her shoulder once, but didn't protest as he dragged her along. She looked anxious, and even opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she was going to say was cut off when the transporter responded to Mack's sharp jab against the city map.
When they materialized at the other end of the city, he quirked an eyebrow at her, and said, "You know, if they can handle the kids on M7G-677 for a week, I think they can handle our daughter for the night."
"You're right, it's just --"
"It's just nothing, Liz. You need to relax. We haven't had a night by ourselves since Layla was born." He pulled her in close, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Come on...have dinner with me, drink some wine, look at the stars. And quit worrying so much."
Liz pulled back slightly, and asked, "Is that an order?" She was grinning now, and Mack couldn't stop a grin of his own.
"Does it need to be?"
Liz pretended to think about it for a second before she shook her head and stepped back out of his arms. "So, are you ready to tell me the big secret?"
"Nothing to tell. We're here." Mack steered Liz through a wide door onto an out of the way balcony where he'd stashed a basket full of goodies -- cheese and crackers, fruit, pastries, a bit of chocolate and a bottle of Athosian wine.
As soon as Lorne had caved, and agreed that he and Zelenka would baby sit, Mack had gone to the kitchens, and started poking around in the stores. It had taken less than a minute for one of the mess specialists to ask 'what can I do for you, sir?' (which he figured loosely translated to 'do not make me resort to threats of tuttle root surprise to get your ass out of my kitchen') while she advanced on him step by step. By the time he'd gotten around to telling Sergeant Hegedûs what he was looking for, she'd edged him around the counter and out the door. When Stackhouse dropped off a basket filled to the brim with food, he considered the sortie a success -- he'd gotten more than he wanted *and* he'd avoided threats of unpalatable Pegasus galaxy food.
His next task was to find somewhere for their picnic. If the weather was favorable, he knew just the place.... The weather was rarely *bad* on Atlantis -- it was one of the things he loved most about living here -- but he'd checked anyway, and had been pleased to see a forecast for clear skies and calm seas. He'd chosen this balcony for its perfect view; it hung out over the water, facing away from the city onto inky blackness sprinkled with stars. As he led Liz over to the blanket he'd spread out earlier, he tracked a Jumper flying in low, barely skimming the water. He mentally ticked off who was out, and decided it had to be Sheppard, coming back from the mainland -- he and Lorne were the only two crazy enough to fly that close to the deck.
Liz tugged her hand free as she sat, drawing his attention back to what she was doing; Liz had pulled the basket between them, and was taking things out -- she set aside the sweets for later, and passed the bottle of wine and a pair of glasses to Mack. He sat before he opened the wine, leaning back against the outer wall of the tower, so he could watch Liz as she worked. When she placed a full plate between them, he opened and poured the wine, then passed one of the glasses back to Liz.
As they ate, they talked; by unspoken agreement, they didn't mention the ongoing debate between the scientists and the military over how to best utilize Sheppard and Lorne's talents (McKay wanted them as full-time light switches, Mack was only willing to give up his best pilots for a couple of days a week, and Elizabeth was caught in the middle.) They didn't even talk about the baby -- instead Liz gossiped about their coworkers and friends, and Mack told increasingly outrageous stories about the stupidity of the newest batch of SGC recruits.
"And when we finally got the damned door open, his legs had locked up, from sitting all folded up on the toilet, and he fell out on the floor. McKay was in fine form, ranting about safety issues and wanting to know just how stupid someone had to be to enlist in the Marines, and this poor kid was just laying there, with his pants down around his ankles, stammerin' out how he was so sorry, and provin' McKay's point. And you know, usually I'd disagree with him on principle, but I think this time, well -- it *does* take a special brand of idiot to get locked into the head on a powered-down Jumper. We're still not sure how he managed that...."
Liz was snickering, tumbled sideways on the blanket and gasping. "Stop -- I can't take any more." When he raised an eyebrow and grinned, she dissolved into giggles, looking and sounding younger than she had in ages.
It had been a rough couple of years out here on their own, and as glad as he was for the back-up, it hadn't exactly been easy since the SGC had come back into the picture. The paperwork and political wrangling combined with the last few months of pregnancy had taken a lot out of Liz, and she always looked tired now; he wished there were some way he take some of the burden from her, but she was just as stubborn as he was, and they'd decided a long time ago to never let their private relationship intrude into their work lives, and vice versa.
Mack watched her struggling to contain the last of her giggles before he slid down to lie beside her. He couldn't remember a time when she'd looked more beautiful; he reached out and traced a finger over her mouth, murmuring, "I've missed this smile."
"How is it you always know exactly what to say to make me fall in love with you all over again?" Liz kissed the tip of his finger, then darted her tongue out to taste. Mack sucked in a breath, and quick as that, his mood shifted from playful to intense. Liz rolled toward him, pushing against his shoulder until he was on his back, and she was balanced above him.
She leaned in close, rubbing her nose along his cheekbone and inhaling deeply before she skimmed her lips against his and whispered, "I'm going to kiss you now, Marshall Sumner. Think you can handle that?"
Mack quirked an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to answer just as Liz pressed her mouth to his, kissing him firmly. When she pulled away to catch her breath, he slid one hand behind her head and wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her down to lay against him, while he deepened the kiss. All the tension left her body in an instant, and if Mack hadn't been kissing her, he might have cheered -- booyah! mission accomplished! -- but instead, he just kissed her harder and cradled her closer and enjoyed the moment....