A while ago I wrote a story called Reclamation for the the LiveJournal community "sgarareathon". I've been thinking about doing a sequel for a while, but didn't know which direction to take it in – whether to write the same story but from Teyla's POV, a John/Teyla aftermath or a Lorne/Cadman aftermath, or something else. In the end, I decided to write some Lorne/Cadman, but as a separate story rather than a second chapter to Reclamation, in case I change my mind (again) and want to write a different sequel. I'm open to suggestions about where to take this series, so let me knowif there's something specific you'd like to see :)

Breaking Point

He found her in the gym, pummelling the punch bag with what little strength she could muster. He understood now why Dr. Beckett had responded to his enquiries with a look of despair; he doubted that she had followed any of the doctor's advice since their return. He paused in the doorway, surprised but undeterred by the grim determination in her stance.

Laura's eyes flickered in his direction as he entered the room. "Carson must be desperate if he's sent you to do his dirty work."

Lorne came to a halt in front of her, resting one hand on the punch bag as he took in her dishevelled appearance. "Beckett didn't send me, I was looking for you anyway. You look like crap, Cadman."

She scoffed before turning her attention to the punch bag once more. "Way to make a girl feel better, Major." The last word was delivered with a hefty punch that dislodged Lorne's hand from the bag, and he jumped to the side in alarm.

He watched in silence as she fought relentlessly, her strength fuelled by an unwavering anger. When he decided that he couldn't take any more, Lorne stepped in front of the punch bag and belatedly raised his fists as Laura continued her assault undeterred. On a good day, she was a match for any member of the expedition, speed and intelligence compensating for any disparity in strength. But her injuries were more severe than she dared to admit, and Lorne soon gained the upper hand, catching her wrists tightly and willing her to keep still. She glared at him defiantly as she lashed out with her elbows and feet.

He knew the exact moment that she broke. Her wrists relaxed in his hands and her body went limp as she exhaled deeply. Her voice broke as she finally looked at him. "I feel like I'm drowning. I'm scared that if I stop fighting, even for a second, that I'll go under."

Lorne let go of her hands and pulled her tightly against him. "Well, you're home now. You don't have to fight on your own any longer."

He felt her chuckle against his throat. "Sounds like someone was paying attention in the 'clichés of comfort' class at the Academy."

Lorne smiled and tightened his grip around her shoulders. "Actually, Colonel Edwards was a master of clichés. He liked to call them his 'pearls of wisdom'. We knew that there was something wrong with him if every other sentence that came out of his mouth wasn't some god awful motto. Guess it's a hard habit to break once you get into it."

She pulled back slowly, and he couldn't resist sweeping the back of his hand lightly across her moist cheek. "So, what now?"

"I guess we should start with Beckett, he was pretty worried about you not taking your meds. And Dr. Weir's insisting that both you and Teyla go to see Heightmeyer, even if it's just for one session."

Laura nodded, knowing that he was right. She opened her mouth to say thank you, before deciding against it and instead leant forward to brush her lips against his cheek. As she moved away, he couldn't resist turning his head towards her, catching her mouth with his with the softest of touches.

She smiled for the first time since their return, before turning towards the exit and calling to him over her shoulder, "Did Colonel Edwards teach you that too?"