Captain Peter Pan

by taladyvet

Anne could always count on Evan

&&&&& - Captain Peter Pan

Anne would not say it out loud but she loved the view from her office, the one she picked when more buildings were opened for use and offices were reassigned. She never questioned how Sheppard and Woolsey managed to regain control of the ship…base…aw, CITY…and bring her back to the Pegasus Galaxy, and Anne really did not care about the never-ending posturing between the SGC and the IOA. She still loved this view. Still located in the Central Tower, it had a wall of windows that could give you vertigo if you stood too close to the glass. Being SiC had its perks even after all these years.

Sheppard had tracked her down a few months after they had returned to Earth, waiting for her at the finish line of the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon at her old stomping grounds in Camp Pendleton. With his typical lack of preamble, he had offered her the SiC spot since he was more than sure they were going to be able to get back in Atlantis. Evan Lorne had not returned to Atlantis after Beckett belly-flopped her within view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that she had been surprised. Evan had taken three members of her team, all qualified pilots, with him when they reached Earth to track after any errant Wraith, only to leave all three of them – plus several other aircrafts under his command – in pieces around Area 51.

While she had been able, albeit with a lot of soul-searching, to work past that, and still maintain open communications with Evan, she guessed that those who had rows of stars on their shoulders thought that Evan's talents were better suited as an aide to General O'Neill. While the General careened happily around the Pentagon for over five years creating all kinds of grief for the IOA and those within the SGC that tried to rein him in, Evan had quietly waited for a chance to get back to Atlantis.

Thing is, Anne still wondered, why Evan bothered to come back. While she had received a promotion, Evan had not, and while she could tell that it bothered him, he never pushed the issue. The first few months after Atlantis had returned to the Pegasus Galaxy had gone by in a blur. She had no idea how Evan had succeeded as SiC. Between juggling paperwork, preparing rosters, sitting in on any one of Woolsey's never-ending meetings, or sitting in on meetings with just her and Woolsey since Sheppard was an expert at not attending them, she would be exhausted by the end of a quiet shift. It was still better than cutting a shift short to gear up to race out of the Gate and save Sheppard's butt now that Atlantis was back to full-time duty trying not to piss off the rest of the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Thanks for helping me with the roster for this month, Evan."

"And last months…and next month's…" Evan quipped, "Tell me again how you manage to foist off the work rosters on me again?"

"I didn't foist anything on you. Besides, you are so much better at it than I am. You pay attention to the teams; Cadman and I have an ongoing bet that you memorize all the jackets as they come in, and therefore know who will play nice in the teams."

Evan flicked off the computer monitor before he nodded to the pile of files that he now dramatically pushed to the center of Anne's desk. He winked, and added a wicked smile on his face as he tapped the top file, "Guess that means that now you have free time to deal with these…" he cackled, and then lifted the top file, "And you can save even more time by just taking this one."

Anne shook her head as she grinned at him across the desk, "You just want me to take him because he's a zoomie."

"Aw, c'mon, Anne, it's not my fault that the latest batch from the SGC are all men," Evan had murmured, "You asked me for my advice…"

"Actually, I asked you to take half this pile and look through it, weeding out anyone who you feel will annoy me." Anne interrupted as she pointed at the two piles of files then smiled sweetly, a look that very few people in Atlantis, or even the SGC, had been privy to.

"Because I'm a nice guy, I get it." Evan sighed.

"I also thought that by now you would be very well aware of my specifications with regards to my team, Evan." She picked up her coffee cup, "I'm very picky."

"You can't be picky about certain specs now, Anne, not when you're the SiC." Evan was persistent, "I can tell that there's been a lull in all the excitement since Atlantis settled in this lovely little backwater planet at the edge of this galaxy, but it's just a matter of time, my friend…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she good-naturedly grumbled, "It's just a matter of time before Sheppard manages to head offworld and have it really go FUBAR. He's been lucky that we've been able to negotiate with people he's come across that aren't impressed by him, but Woolsey still has his concerns about me…"

"He's afraid of you." Evan had grinned at her, his pale eyes twinkling.

"He is a smart man, Evan." Anne had coolly responded, and then frowned as Evan started to speak, "…still, seriously, stop trying to push a zoomie on my team."

"You mean a 'boy' zoomie." Evan gestured with his fingers.

"I didn't say that."

"He has the gene. No one in your team has it except for you."

"Artificial."

"You need someone who can fly the Jumper."

"And your boy zoomie can?"

"He's a pilot with the US Air Force; that's what being a zoomie means, and it says in nice bright letters on top of page one that he's a natural gene carrier..." Evan thunked his head on the desk, "I need a nap."

"After you find me someone else."

"YOU need someone who can pilot the Jumper." Evan repeated his advice, "Doesn't have to be a zoomie, it can be one of your Marines, or a scientist, or a medic, hell, you can probably pull someone out of the botany labs, but this one small pile only lists gene holders who are qualified pilots and can take a Jumper out without crashing it."

Evan sighed then clicked on the computer before he started typing, "I guess we could check to see if there are civilians who have the gene who either have flight training or even any aptitude for flying. Maybe we can teach you to fly the damn thing."

"How many hours have you and Radek already spent trying to teach me how to fly the damn thing?" Anne refilled her coffee, her green eyes twinkling with mischief, "And how many hours did it take the two of you to realize that maybe, perhaps, I went infantry so I wouldn't have to learn how to fly the damn thing?"

"You can't keep taking other teams' gene carrying pilots." Evan's suggestion had been sincere. He and Anne were friends since their SGC days, and even though he had spent the past few years Earthside rather than running for his life, and she had already spent several years as SiC, he was trying to help her navigate the unique world that was Sheppard's almost constant need to be rescued in the most dramatic fashion possible. A new location in the galaxy had not managed to slow down the drama that seemed to be attracted to Sheppard's team like static.

He knew that the one flaw that Anne had was that she really did not like to head offworld. She didn't have the time, and sometimes she would let him know in confidence that she would send out other teams in her stead since she knew it would take all of her considerable self-control to not whack Sheppard across the head because he and his team still needed saving. She never had any qualms about calling anyone out, no matter the rank. And apparently, Sheppard's team had not learned a single thing in all the years they had been the flagship Gate Team.

"You need a pilot for the Jumper since you said that it doesn't look as if your Captain Piedras will be coming back here."

"Damn babies." Anne murmured, and then smiled mischievously. Her fellow Marine gene-carrying pilot-medic who had been her second from the moment Sheppard had asked her to take the helm of Team Two had the audacity to give birth to triplets. While there were now three separate childcare facilities set up in Atlantis, Carla and her husband, an engineer stationed on the Daedalus had opted to stay on the other side of the Gate in the SGC. Anne's teasing goodbye gift of a lifetime supply of toys was stuffed into a generic minivan. Carla loved it, and Thomas spent the first month playing with all the toys 'to be sure the kids will like them'. But now it meant that Anne had to start over with new personnel.

Anne blinked, finally realizing that Evan had his chin nestled onto his folded arms on the desk, a crooked smile on his face as he fluttered his eyelashes then glanced down at the folder. Idiot, she fondly thought, he's trying to charm me…

"I can't even consider this…this child!" She picked up a file with 'Randall' written on a sticky in Evan's neat handwriting attached to the front, opened it, and then flipped it around so Evan could see it, "He looks like he's twelve!"

"So he has a baby face, big deal." Evan took a closer look, a mischievous grin on his face, "A red-headed, baby face-covered-in-freckles pilot…wow, you're getting Peter Pan."

"No I am not. Find someone else. Get me a gene carrier that can fly the jumper."

"Peter Pan could fly…" Evan tried staring her down, then muttering, started to pick through the pile again, "I don't get it. You usually have no problem setting your team up all by yourself. You've managed doing that for the past few years with nary a complaint. At least in the emails you used to send me, nary a complaint, unless you got stuck with McKay on a mission."

"McKay IS a mission. And I haven't had to change my team for years, hence the nary a complaint part."

Evan sighed, and for a moment, a look of guilt flashed across his face. Any time they were in contact with each other, Anne always got an apology from Evan, his inability to protect her team still weighing on his conscience. She had been almost famous in Atlantis for only losing Alicia when under her watch, while Evan was infamous for the almost constant rotation of new teammembers under his. That he lost her entire team in one fell swoop yet she still stayed one of his few and closest friends meant a lot to him, and he would do anything for her.

She winked at him, seeing the dark look in his pale eyes, "Find someone for me, Ev'. I know for a fact that everyone wants to be on my team. We're popular and we get the best seats in the main messhall."

Evan didn't look convinced, "Then why am I here, other than providing you with eye candy?"

"You're getting vain in your old age, Evan; I'm partial to geeks with eyeglasses." Anne quipped before she dropped her eyes; she could tell that Evan was interested in her slip of the tongue, "I need a gene carrier, you said so yourself. And so far, these files can't give me what I want. So in the meantime, I have a plan."

"I'm listening."

"When I need a Jumper on a mission, I can use a gene carrier from one of the other gate teams. If SHE'S not already cleared to pilot the Jumper, you can test and certify her since I know that you offered to train all new pilots here rather than wait for the Daedalus and you are my friend and I can ask anything of you."

"Ah hah, so that's why I'm here."

"Yup. Not for your good looks."

"You wound me. But, no. I'm not going to help you poach someone from the other teams. I've done that in the past, not worth the hassle." Evan sat back on his chair, his looped fingers cradling his head, "It will only work for a little while before teamleaders start to dig in their heels and refused access to their teams. But maybe things have changed, Anne, so if you can find a jumper team with a spare gene carrier that has two X-chromosomes AND has been cleared to pilot the Jumper, and can have her on call for you, go for it."

Anne was quiet for a moment, and Evan noticed her pensive look as she glanced at the piles of files.

"I don't know why you are fighting me about considering men in your team." Evan softly spoke as he tilted his head towards the files, "These men have pretty impressive records."

Anne glanced to Evan, a somber look on her face, "I still deal with a ton of grief from almost anyone here who has issues with me as SiC, and don't feel like dealing with it when I get my team together and almost all are women."

"So the truth finally comes out." Evan lifted one eyebrow, "You STILL remember Sheppard's reaction to your team so many years ago…"

"It wasn't just his reaction; his wasn't the first, and it hasn't been the last." Anne shrugged, "I just prefer giving women a chance on a Gate team."

Evan stared at her for a moment before he shuffled more paperwork for her, ignoring the narrowing of her eyes. "You're the SiC, leader of SGA…dammit, AGT Two, AND you vet all the new incoming military here, Anne; you've placed more women into the Gate teams. Thanks in no small part to you, most of the Gate teams have at least one woman."

"Actually, only two teams don't…Pierpalov's and yours. Come to think of it, Evan…why are you trying to get me to add a man to my team when you always have had a literal boys club…" Anne lifted her hand to stop him from answering, "As a matter of fact, Major Hypocrite, you've never had a single woman on your team. And you've never had any zoomies. Or civilians."

"Yes, I have."

"Name one zoomie other than Kemp." Anne pointed the pencil at him, pausing for a second at the remembrance of Evan's still-missed XO, "And for the civilians, don't even start. Parrish doesn't count. He tagged along with your teams only when you knew you were heading out on milk runs or science missions though he was never a permanent part of your team. You would poach women military from other teams as well but only if the mission recon reports mentioned a more, well, matriarchal society or if you were temporarily short a teammember or two."

Or dead…Evan told himself…"Anne…" he sighed again, "I needed to have specially trained military in my team. It's not my fault that until recently our military only allowed men train for special ops."

"What, so because you mainly did security and SARs, you couldn't take on civilians or women or both?"

"Since when did this conversation change from YOU needing to add a gene carrying man to your team to me and my Marines when I sat where you sit oh, so long ago?"

"Wuss." Anne reached back to refill her coffee, barely noticing as Evan tapped the earpiece he always wore. "There are such creatures as female Marines. Your teams have never had even one. You never even asked me to join your team." Anne raised an eyebrow.

"That's because, Colonel, your talents would have been wasted as my XO on my team; you were always a teamleader." Evan murmured, "Most of my teams barely had half the balls you and your team always had, and that's a compliment, by the way. But don't go there, Anne." Evan's voice dropped for a moment, and she was quiet. They both knew that he held some sort of morbid record for the number of teammates that went through the Gate to the SGC in body bags in his years as SiC. "And we need to stop this conversation since it's going around in circles."

"I just want to know why you are so hot for me to take on one of your zoomies…wait, what about the three that you have on your brand new team? Don't they all have the gene, and are pilots?" Anne leaned forward, "Isn't one of your pilots also a Marine? I'll take him. At least I can handle him."

"If you're talking about my flying Marine who is now grounded in the Brig, Anne, then yes, one of my team members just happens to be a Marine who flew missions back on Earth and is qualified for the Jumpers. And you know the other two aren't zoomies either and it's not my fault since I had no say in picking any of them. However, Sheppard has repeatedly denied my requests to trade anyone out of my present team for even a medic, which I will admit I desperately need." Evan thoughtfully scratched at clear bandage that covered the still-raw scar that ran down the length of his throat. He held in a wince as he resettled on his chair, the broken ribs still tender. Evan had been back in Atlantis for less than a month, and already had spent most of his time in the Infirmary courtesy of his new, very uncontrollable team.

"Do you need me to call Carson?" She whispered as Evan calmly shook his head and dipped into his pocket to pull out a small pill packet. With a simple nod, she pushed her coffee cup to him as Evan took his meds. She tilted her head as she remembered the chaos in the main messhall. Evan's team had somehow traded words with another team that turned into trading punches, and Evan had tried to get in to the middle of the mass of men, crashing into an adjoining table full of Marines who eagerly threw themselves into the melee. Then Ronon loped into the messhall and not missing a beat, leapt on top of the mountain of fighting, swearing men as they toppled into one of the transparent partitions, shards of thick glass scattering over the floor. Anne had tried unsuccessfully to contain the fight, her orders drowned by the shouting that then turned into shouts for medical as the pile pulled away to show a now-frantic Ronon picking up a severely bleeding Evan and rushing out towards the Infirmary. The entire fight had taken all of maybe five minutes.

Evan sat back in his chair as Anne took back her coffee, "There is no way I would risk our friendship for me to fling one of them onto your team on the far chance that you can convince Sheppard to take one. I don't doubt that you nor anyone in your team could handle any of them, but even you have to agree that taking on any one of them full time would be a disaster."

A soft knock caused Evan to smile sweetly at Anne, who looked up to see a young airman standing by the entrance.

Anne frowned at Evan, who took Randall's file and pushed it back in front of her, "I called him a few minutes ago. Maybe you should talk to him, to see if he will be a good fit."

Randall stood quietly at the doorway, trying hard but failing to hide the concern on his face as Evan stood up. Anne then motioned to the young man as Evan walked to the exit as Randall stood straighter, his hands loped behind him in parade pose.

"I have a team to spring from the Brig. Have a nice afternoon, Captain Randall."

"Sir?" The freckles that damned Randall to a perpetual babyface stood out in stark contrast to his skin.

"You're here to meet with Lieutenant Colonel Teldy, Captain. Call me if you need anything." Evan jauntily saluted Anne. This time, neither Anne nor Evan missed Randall's sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank you lord…sir, ma'am…" Randall stammered as he blushed, the pink color all but erasing the constellation of freckles from his face.

Evan gave a short laugh, nodded, and then patted the younger man on the shoulder as he glanced back to Anne as he winked, "I'll bet you thought I was asking for you for my team, Randall?"

"Um, sir, yes sir."

"I don't have that kind of clout, Captain, but you will let me know if you need your flying credentials updated." Evan couldn't help but tease the man as Anne pointed to the door.

"Just go, Lorne." Anne grumbled as Randall sidestepped into her office

"Thank you so very much, ma'am…no offense, sir."

Evan dipped his head down, hiding a smile as he walked down the hall into one of the transporters. A phrase said in passing by Anne had peaked his interest as well as clarified several rumors he had come across since he returned. As the transporter opened to one of the newly-cleared buildings that had been converted into a massive food court, Evan clicked on his earpiece to find Radek.