Date : 27.04.2008
Title : And Baby Makes…Four?
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 1 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Major Evan Lorne/Dr. Ellie Harrison
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Strong Language.
Spoilers : This story is the Sequel to Worlds Apart and it has nothing to do with either of my other two series' which I will be continuing with shortly.
Feedback : Yes please, always welcome whatever it may be.
Disclaimer : Dr. Ellie Harrison is mine. Stargate Atlantis and all of its characters, unfortunately, have nothing to do with me.
Summary : AU : Ellie wants marriage and babies…but can Lorne get over his fear that history might repeat itself before it's too late to convince Ellie that it's what he wants too?
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Major Evan Lorne sighed contentedly and rolled onto his back, his arm reaching for the woman who had enabled him to have his first fantastic full nights uninterrupted sleep in well over two years…but she wasn't there.
He opened one eye and looked around the room but there was no sign of Dr Ellie Harrison.
He sat up reluctantly and looked at the clock on the beside table and cursed when he saw that it was almost 11 AM.
"Crap", he muttered, flinging the duvet to one side and swinging his muscular legs from Ellie's bed.
He strained his ears to hear any sounds of movement around the cottage as he got dressed but the stone walls of the old building were so thick that he couldn't hear a thing.
He opened Ellie's bedroom door and headed straight for the room that Ellie's mom, Bronwyn, had given to his daughter Emma but he found it empty, the bed neatly made.
Frowning he headed for the room that he had been allocated and got his toiletry bag and then headed for the bathroom. He assumed that Ellie was with Emma and therefore he was not overly concerned about his baby…he was more worried about appearing un-polite by being the only one to have slept in so late on Christmas morning.
He splashed his face with water, brushed his teeth and then shaved, then he headed downstairs.
On his way down, he heard a soft Christmas carol playing on the stereo in the kitchen and his nostrils were filled with the wonderful scent of Christmas lunch cooking and he was hit by the thought that Christmas day this year was going to be so much different than the one on Atlantis last year.
Suddenly he heard his daughter's laughter and a smile instantly spread across his face as he heard the joyful sound.
He entered the lounge to find Ellie sat on the lounge floor by the Christmas tree, Emma sat on her lap and they were watching some kind of kids' movie on the TV.
He observed them silently for a moment before Ellie noticed him.
"Good morning sleepy head", she said, colouring staining her cheeks prettily and Lorne grinned at her.
"You should have woken me…I feel bad sleeping in so late. Where are your parents and your Gran?", he said, squatting down beside her and Emma reached out to him and he took her into his arms.
"They've gone to church for the Christmas service", Ellie replied, moving on to her knees just as Emma squirmed out of Lorne's arms and back onto the floor to continue watching the TV.
"And besides, I figured that you needed the rest after your journey…and everything", she said, avoiding his eyes as heat rushed to the pit of her stomach as she remembered every blissful second of what they had done last night…over and over again until finally, late into the night, Lorne's hunger had finally been sated.
"So how long will they be gone for?", Lorne asked, hooking an arm around her waist and dragging her closer to him.
"Evan…", Ellie breathed as he kissed her neck and he smiled against her soft skin.
"Merry Christmas", he murmured and Ellie gasped as she felt his erection press against her stomach.
"Merry Christmas", she whispered just before Lorne's mouth closed over hers in a hungry kiss.
Just then though the front door opened and they sprung apart like a pair of guilty teenagers as Ellie's mom, dad and granny returned from church.
"Ah, the randy Marine has surfaced I see!", Glenda yelled and Ellie wanted to curl up and die as her deaf Gran continued,
"I heard you in the early hours moaning and groaning…".
"Grandma….really…you must have been dreaming", Ellie spluttered as she and Lorne stood and Ellie's mother touched her arm before whispering,
"Take no notice…your father and I had this for years when we were first married and living with her to save for our own home".
Lorne looked to Ellie's father, feeling embarrassed and not wanting Owen to think badly of him for sleeping with his daughter under his roof but he was relieved when Owen patted his shoulder.
"Don't look so worried, I know how it is. You and Ellie have been apart for long enough…you're also not kids anymore".
"Thank you Sir", Lorne said and Owen grinned.
"How long will dinner be ladies? I am starving, how about you Evan?".
"Ravenous", Lorne replied and Ellie caught his eye before darting off to join her mother in the kitchen.
The rest of Christmas Day passed in a blur of fun and laughter and Lorne didn't think he had honestly ever felt as happy as he did as he watched Ellie and her mom trying to build a snowman with Emma in the garden of the cottage later in the afternoon.
In contrast, Owen who was also watching the women's antics said,
"A couple of days ago when Ellie arrived, I don't think I've ever seen my daughter looking as miserable. You have definitely perked her right up and that can only be a good thing. She was obviously missing you".
"I was missing her too", Lorne replied and Owen grinned.
"That much is obvious or you wouldn't have brought your daughter halfway across the world just to find mine", he said and Lorne nodded.
"I know you cant discuss your work but I take it you two met somewhere work related?", Owen asked and Lorne nodded.
"Ellie disappears for months, years at a time…she calls when she can and I know she's mixed up in something military related…it'll ease my mind now that I know she has someone looking out for her…I take it you two will be posted together somewhere?", Owen asked and Lorne frowned.
He hadn't thought about how things would be once they started back to work. Ellie would be at the SGC and he would be on Atlantis.
Just then Ellie looked over and she caught his pensive look and headed over to join him and her father.
"What's that sombre look for?", she asked, touching Lorne's face gently and he said,
"Your father just reminded me of something Ellie. What happens when the time comes for us to go back to work? You'll be in one place…I'll be you know where…", he trailed off as her father looked on with interest.
"Just before I finished for my leave time, I applied for a position as Rodney's assistant…General Landry said that he would call me in the new year to let me know if I've been successful", Ellie replied and Lorne grinned.
"You did?".
"Uh-huh", she replied and Lorne couldn't help but wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him.
"You were going to come back to me?", he whispered and she nodded, tears filling her eyes unexpectedly and her father moved onto the grass to join her mother and Emma to give them a moment.
"I wasn't sure how you would feel about me showing back up on Atlantis but I was ready to take the risk", Ellie told him and Lorne buried his face in her neck, squeezing her tightly against him.
The word 'love' popped into his mind and it startled him but thankfully Bronwyn and Owen called them over to the snowman before he had a chance to ponder too long on the thought.
The rest of the Christmas holidays passed in a haze of good times, getting-to- know-one-another chats, shopping and sending e-mails and pictures to Cadman but once new year was over, Ellie and Lorne realised that they had to be making tracks back toward America.
General Landry had informed Ellie on New Years' Day, by way of a phone call, that she had been chosen as McKay's assistant and that she could leave for Atlantis as soon as she wished and so she asked could she return at the same time as Lorne and permission had been granted.
Because they were only travelling back to America well in to January, they missed the usual after Christmas rush and so Ellie was able to get on the same flights back as Lorne and Emma and everything seemed to be working out perfectly.
As they loaded their bags into Lorne's hire car, Glenda grabbed Lorne's arm.
"I do hope that you're going to make an honest woman of my grand-daughter sometime soon sonny because the way you two have been going at it you will soon have her in the family way", she said and Lorne almost passed out and was grateful as Bronwyn grabbed the old woman and steered her in Ellie's direction, rolling her eyes at Lorne in silent support as she did so.
As Lorne watched Ellie hug her Gran and her parents good-bye he thought about what Glenda had just said to him, about making an honest woman of Ellie and her being 'in the family way' and the thought scared the hell out of him.
It had taken him a lot of courage to just start up a new relationship but to even think about getting married and having more kids…he just couldn't go there yet…if ever. He swallowed hard as he realised that he and Ellie hadn't been taking precautions and he hadn't even thought to ask her if she was on the pill or anything.
As Ellie was hugging her father, her mother approached Lorne and he pushed his thoughts to one side for now.
"It was lovely to meet you Evan and that gorgeous little girl of yours and I do hope that you and Ellie will be very happy together", she said and Lorne smiled as Bronwyn hugged him to her.
"It was great to meet you too and I'm sure Ellie and I will be happy", he replied as Bronwyn released him and turned to wave at Emma through the car window.
After a few more hugs and some tears, Ellie and Lorne got into the car and he drove slowly down the snow-filled lane that led away from the cottage.
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The return transfer flights were a lot easier with Ellie there to hold Emma whilst Lorne dealt with their luggage and it didn't seem long before they landed in Washington.
In the cab from the airport Lorne said,
"Will you want your own room in the hotel?".
They had planned to spend a couple of days in D.C. before heading on to the SGC, more for Emma's sake than their own.
"Would you like me to have my own room?", Ellie frowned as she answered him with a question of her own.
Lorne looked up from his sleeping daughter who was lying across his lap to look at Ellie when he heard the uncertainty in her voice.
"No", he replied, reaching out and touching a hand to her cheek.
"Well then neither do I", she said and Lorne smiled but Ellie sensed that there was something troubling him.
She had no time to think further on the matter though as they arrived at the hotel. A reminder came soon enough though as they checked-in.
"How old is your daughter?", the Receptionist asked of Ellie as she was holding Emma as Lorne filled in the necessary paperwork.
His head snapped up and before Ellie could answer the woman he said,
"Emma isn't Miss Harrison's and mine…she's mine from a previous marriage".
As he lowered his head back to the paperwork, the Receptionist threw Ellie a look that said that she was sorry that she had asked and Ellie offered her a weak smile in return but Lorne's comment had stung.
She knew that she wasn't Emma's mom but he could have let the woman assume…especially since they were all staying together in the same hotel suite.
Heat coloured her cheeks but she remained silent and then once they had the keys to their suite they headed toward the elevator and their room.
As Ellie began to unpack the few things that they would need for their short stay, Lorne watched her. He knew that he had been a little harsh downstairs and was wondering himself why he had reacted the way he had to the Receptionist assuming that Ellie was Emma's mom.
It was bound to happen from now on with people that they didn't know. Strangers would naturally assume that Ellie was his wife and Emma's mom…it was what people did.
He approached her as she leant over her suitcase that was open on the double bed and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ellie stilled and she said,
"Are you okay?".
"I was thinking of taking Emma to see Brianna's parents whilst we're here", he replied, his answer surprising himself. It wasn't what he had intended to say, but maybe subconsciously his wanting to visit Brianna's mom and dad had made him snap at the Receptionist.
Ellie remained still in his arms.
"Do you…do you want me to come with you, or would you rather just the two of you went?", she asked and Lorne squeezed her waist before moving to sit on the edge of the bed.
He looked up at her as he replied,
"Would you mind if we went alone?".
"Of course not", Ellie said, hoping that Lorne's reaction to the Receptionist had been because he had been stressing about taking Emma to see her Grandparents.
"I can shop", she added and Lorne smiled.
"I wont stay all day…", he began, but Ellie shook her head and moved closer to him.
"Evan, I'm guessing that Brianna's mom and dad wont have seen Emma since she was newborn so take all the time that you need. I'll be here when you get back", she told him and Lorne pulled her down onto his lap.
"Thank you", he said and Ellie nuzzled her face against his neck.
She had no idea if Lorne would tell Brianna's parents that he was now involved with someone new…but would it really matter if he didn't?
Ellie tried to tell herself that it didn't but deep down she was still scared that he would suddenly change his mind about them and tell her that he still wasn't ready.
She prayed that she would never hear him say those words again.
End of Chapter 1