Best Bachelor
Author: ShaViva
Rating: K
Content Warning: nothing really – maybe some mild swearing
Season: Set in January to March of 2000, just over three years before Enemy Mine.
Summary: What do you do when faced with the prospect of having to escort your sister down the aisle? In Evan Lorne's case pretty much anything she asks! Mostly fluff with just the barest hints of plot needed to bridge the gap between the end of Grand Tour and the beginning of the next story. Again, pure Lorne, AU background piece.
Classifications: Romance/General
Pairings: OC/OC
Spoilers for: None
Acknowledgements: Just my undying love of the internet, Wikipedia, Google, Google Maps, and the entire Stargate universe!
Disclaimer: The Stargate characters, storylines, etc aren't mine. I am unfortunately not associated in any way with the creators, owners, or producers of Stargate or any of its media franchises – if I was Lorne would have been in A LOT more episodes. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, equipment, etc are the property of whoever owns them. The original characters and plot and anything else I made up are the property of me, the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
Copyright (c) 2009 ShaViva
Authors Note:
So here it is ... my promised fluffy Lorne background piece (only two chapters which might be a bonus LOL). The story starts in January 2000 ... only 6 months after the end of Grand Tour. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: The lead up
Late January – two months to go ...
"I can't believe I'm getting married," Drew said.
Evan had heard the same words more than once over the last four weeks, enough to dull the edges of his own surprise. Not that he should have been surprised – he'd spent enough time with the couple in question since they'd gotten together to see which way the wind was blowing.
"I can't believe you're gonna make me dance," he shot back. They were in the changing area of a popular clothing hire company in down town San Francisco – Evan was sitting in the seats reserved for 'support cast' while Drew tried on another suit.
"Don't blame me for that one buddy," his friend returned with a laugh, his voice muffled by the enclosed space of his cubicle. "That was all your sister's doing."
"Yeah, but you went along with it," Lorne pointed out.
"You know weddings ... they're not for the groom," Drew pulled back the curtain and stepped out, wearing a dark blue suit. "What about this one?"
"Don't ask me!" Evan grimaced. "This is painful – you know that right?"
"Part of your job," Drew said unrepentantly.
"Hey, I looked it up – nowhere does it say the best man will give advice on anything fashion related," Lorne retorted. "Stag party, wedding day speech ... that's the sum total of my involvement.
"I'm putting all of this under the category of 'reassure the groom'," Drew replied. "And don't tell me that wasn't listed as one of your jobs. Besides, you're not just the best man ... you're Elaine's maid of honour too. I'm pretty sure fashion advice is number one on that list."
"I'm NOT her maid of honour!" Evan protested, his face reddening slightly. "I'm her ... bachelor of honour ... and only because Sally can't make it out here until the day before the wedding. What else could I do but agree to stand in?"
"Of course," Drew grinned, amused.
It had been a month since Drew and Elaine had announced their engagement and asked Evan to play an important part. A month of Drew teasing his friend about his role as attendant to Elaine. And while Evan kept insisting it was only because Elaine's best friend from school, Sally Conner, lived on the other side of the country and couldn't get away, Drew knew better. Evan was right up there in Elaine's most important people list ... she'd wanted her brother to stand with her regardless of the availability of any friends she had waiting in the wings to do the service. Drew couldn't imagine standing up to get married without Evan beside him either. Rather than compete over who 'got' Evan the couple had agreed the only thing to do was have him stand up for both of them. It wasn't traditional but it was what was in their hearts, and on one of the most important days of their lives that was the only thing that mattered.
"One thing's for sure - you're gonna be busy on the day," Drew added. "Got lots of little tasks for you to do," he promised, dark eyes full of mirth.
"You're enjoying this too much," Evan retorted. "You know that right?" He might be protesting but he didn't mind all that much. Being a part of his sister's joy, seeing his friend so happy, was worth any sacrifice to his manly image. He wouldn't admit that to Drew of course, sure the other man was already exploiting his readiness to assist as much as he could.
"So – what do you think?" Drew stood back, holding out his arms as he looked at himself in the full length mirror.
"You're a picture of male perfection," Lorne said straight faced. "If you weren't already engaged to my sister I'd want to jump you myself."
"You're full of shit," Drew gave a bark of laughter after a second of stunned silence.
"The suit's fine," Evan got back to business. "But so were the four other versions you tried on. Tell me again why you can't just wear your dress blues? Elaine said they didn't match her colour scheme which I know was bullshit."
"Elaine didn't want to upset your Mom," Drew admitted reluctantly, his eyes meeting Lorne's in the mirror before he looked away.
"Ah," Evan nodded, understanding immediately. "I wondered. I don't think she'd mind you know ... she still has wedding pictures up at home. I think you should talk to her about it."
"Elaine dug her heels in – said it didn't matter," Drew shrugged. "I don't mind wearing something else ... as long as I get to marry her it's all good."
"Okay, no need to get all touchy feely," Evan smirked when it was Drew's turn to redden in embarrassment. He looked at Drew dressed in the civilian suit and frowned, shaking his head. "This isn't gonna work – it's not you."
"It's fine," Drew insisted.
Lorne sighed, rolling his eyes, knowing what he had to do. "Okay – I'll talk to my Mom. You are so gonna owe me for all of this."
"I know - thanks man," Drew moved away from the mirror, slapping a hand to Evan's shoulder before disappearing back into the cubicle.
As he did, Evan sat back, eyes suddenly narrowed.
Unbelievable!
He'd just been played ... by his sister and his best friend! Damn! Elaine has lost the ability to manipulate him – unless he let her – a long time ago, Drew too. But together they were an unknown quantity Lorne was still learning to deal with. Lesson number one clearly being to beware them separate teaming him using their concern for each other!
Drew was still stationed at Cold Lake, almost 3000 miles away from San Francisco. Elaine hadn't moved there yet so their relationship had been conducted long distance and involved a lot of time spent on planes.
Evan was back on US soil ... he'd taken a position with Air Combat Command, headquartered at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia a month after returning from his trip around Europe. Langley was across the country even further away than Cold Lake but luckily for Evan, since the beginning of the year he'd been on loan to the Air Force Flight Test Centre at Edwards AFB. It was a three month project that couldn't have come at a better time because it placed him only an hours flight away from his sister right when she most needed him easily available.
After a weekend spent on wedding crap – Evan's words and only used when Elaine was out of the room – Drew returned to Canada. When it got closer to the date he'd be back more often but in the meantime it was up to Elaine, with Evan's help, to keep everything progressing.
Evan waited a couple of days before realising he wasn't going to get out of that difficult conversation he'd offered to have. He called his Mom, worked out pretty quickly that a phone conversation wasn't going to cut it, and switched tack, inviting himself to dinner the following weekend. Of course that had his Mom suspicious before he'd even set foot in the house he'd lived in until he's left for the academy.
"Not that I'm not thrilled to have my only son fly in for a visit two weekends in a row," Grace Lorne began as soon as he sat down on the couch, "but this is an interesting surprise."
"Ah ... I know," Evan shifted uncomfortably, shot his Mom a quick glance and then looked away. That's when his eyes lighted on the framed photo on the mantel. Jonathon Lorne, in full dress uniform standing with a proud smile beside a young Grace in a long, slim line wedding dress. "You looked good together," Evan commented softly.
Turning to look where her son was looking Grace smiled, pleased that he'd volunteered a rare comment about his father. "We did," she said simply.
Even after all these years her oldest child was too sensitive about the loss – protecting himself as well as her she knew. It had hit him hard at an age when he'd needed a fathers support and encouragement to pursue the life he'd chosen. Grace knew she'd let Evan down in that regard – failed to provide what Jonathon would have had he been around, to the point that Evan had long since given up on telling her about his career beyond where he was being posted next. Everything he'd achieved he'd done himself and that made her prouder than she'd ever told him.
Evan looked at the picture for a moment more before meeting his mother's eyes. "Elaine and Drew look good together too," he said casually.
Grace looked at the photo again and then back to Evan with a frown. "Is that why you're here ... to talk about what they're wearing?"
"In a way," Evan admitted, sitting forward and taking his mother's hands. "Elaine has Drew dressed up in a suit. Don't get me wrong, they'll still look great together but ...," he trailed off, waiting for her to make the connection.
"But it's not him," Grace concluded.
If there was one thing that had surprised her it had been seeing her daughter falling for an air force officer. Evan took after his father one hundred percent - always had. As she'd watched Elaine making that journey towards the man she'd end up spending her life with Grace had realised for the first time how like herself Elaine was. Perhaps that was why her children got on so well together ... because the aspects of their personalities that had made Grace and Jonathon such a well matched couple also made Evan and Elaine's sibling relationship strong. She saw it all the time but never more than at times like this, when Evan was forcing down his natural reticence in talking about his father to do something for his sister.
"No, it's not," Evan agreed. "He's not a civilian and no matter how much we might still wish that Elaine had chosen an easier match he's never going to be. Their wedding day should reflect who they both are."
"Elaine thought it would upset me?" Grace asked, genuinely surprised. Where Evan had been a stone wall of non communication, Elaine had been a fountain, wanting to know everything about her father and Grace's relationship with him. Elaine should have known Grace would be comfortable seeing her future son-in-law in his dress uniform.
"That's what Drew said," Evan narrowed his eyes again, not missing his mother's genuine surprise as he let go of her hands. "Damn it!" he muttered, quickly looking up at his mother apologetically. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head.
"What is it?" Grace asked curiously.
"She played me even better than I realised," Evan admitted. "Her and Drew both did – she knew I'd come talk to you for her long before I'd ever do it for myself. Sneaky little -."
"Evan Lorne," Grace warned before he could complete that sentence. He had the good sense to look a little contrite but the expression in his eyes made it clear Elaine had better beware his revenge. Grace sighed, knowing Elaine's reasons applied to her just as much as they did to her son. "Elaine wanted us to talk," she concluded.
"I guess," Evan nodded. "We could not and tell her we did," he suggested with a sudden grin. 'If we refuse to give her the details it'll drive her crazy."
"Evan," Grace's tone had him looking apologetic again. "Elaine got you here because there are things we don't talk about. Don't you think that's gone on long enough?"
"You're actually gonna make me do this?" Evan struggled to keep the whining edge out of his voice.
"You're 29," Grace returned pointedly. "It's been at least a decade since I could make you do anything." She waited for a moment and then admitted "but I would like to say something, if you're ready to listen."
"Okay," Evan met his mother's eyes, trying to read the expression in them.
"I'm proud of you," Grace began.
That wasn't what he'd been expecting her to open with and it threw him. Those four words were like a direct conduit to the heart of him for so many reasons. For all the times he'd missed out on hearing them from a father who wasn't there. For the times he'd spared his mother the requirement to be there for the milestone events in his life and then missed her presence desperately. For all the disappointments he'd dealt wth on his own – failing to get into NASA, John's death, another NASA failure straight after. It surprised the hell out of him when his vision misted suddenly and he had to look away, swallowing back emotions too strong for the circumstances.
"I can see that I should have told you that a long time," Grace said gently.
"It's okay," Evan said roughly. Clearing his throat he looked at the floor, frowning down at the familiar pattern in the carpet. How many times had he sat in exactly the same chair in his teens, listening to his mother urging him to pursue other things along with his flying lessons? She'd never told him not to fly, not to join up ... in fact his Mom had always encouraged him to go after what he wanted ... but always in general terms. It had been understood that she'd longed for him to pursue his art - to follow in her footsteps instead of his Dad's. Evan had always regretted disappointing her even though he couldn't have done anything else.
"It's not!" Grace said firmly. "You've turned into such a strong and capable man I hardly recognise you sometimes. I know now that I let my need to keep you safe cloud my vision – if I'd looked at you with the same eyes I used on Elaine I'd have realised something a long time ago. You're doing exactly what you were meant to do. I'm proud of you," she said again, firmly. "And your father would have been too. He wanted nothing more than for you to love flying as much as he did. I know it because he talked about his dreams for you while you were still in the womb."
"God Mom," Evan protested, finally looking up. The emotions he was struggling to contain made the blue of his eyes stand out intensely. "What are you trying to do to me? I'm okay with all of this – I don't need you to -,"
"You might not think you do," Grace protested, "and that's my failure as well. I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to keep part of yourself separate from me. I don't want you to do that anymore ... I want to get to know my son again, all of him."
Evan swallowed hard, closer to losing it than he'd been in a long time ... since the night Elaine had joined him in St Petersburg. He didn't say anything ... he couldn't ... he just looked his Mom, his eyes tortured.
But he didn't need to. Grace took his hands and he let himself be pulled towards her. On his knees, with his mother's arms around him, he rested his head on her shoulder and let himself shed tears in front of her for the first time since he was ten.
It wasn't for long, only a few moments before he remembered he was a grown man and too manly masculine to be weeping on anyone's shoulder, let alone his mother's. Sitting back on his heels he rubbed hands roughly over his face, taking the evidence away. "Enough," he said firmly, rocking back to his feet and retaking his seat.
"It'll be enough when you agree to stop protecting me," Grace insisted firmly. "It's been a long time Evan. I'll never forget your father ... never stop worrying about the dangerous job you've signed up for ... but you don't need to hide all things military from me anymore."
"Okay – I get it," Evan replied impatiently. "I'll stop filtering all the military references ... hell, I'll even wear my uniform home occasionally if it makes you happy. Okay?"
"There's no need to get smart with me young man," Grace's tone wiped away the mature man facade and had him feeling like he had as a child when he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have.
"Sorry," he muttered apologetically.
"That's better," Grace held her smile in with difficulty. "Now, when are you going to find yourself a nice girl and settle down?"
"Mom!"
"Did you talk to Mom?" Elaine asked when he met her for lunch the next day.
"Yeah," Evan put a hesitant look on. "Listen, about that ... I really tried Sis but Mom was pretty clear. It looks like Drew will have to stick with the suit."
"What?" Elaine's eyes bulged she was so surprised. "I thought ...," she trailed off awkwardly.
"I know exactly what you thought!" Evan abruptly shifted moods. "You used your future husband to manipulate me and Mom because you decided you knew better than we did what we needed!"
"You're angry," Elaine said in a small voice.
"You're damn right I'm angry ... or at least I was," Evan relented. "Until I realised you were right."
"What?" for once Elaine couldn't keep up with the twists and turns of her brother's mind. "Can you repeat that because I thought you said I was right?"
"I did – you were right," Evan repeated. "Don't let it go to your head though. If you ever try something like that again I'll put you over my knee and spank you like Mom should have done years ago."
"Drew wouldn't let you," Elaine was smiling now, pleased with herself.
"Hah," Evan scoffed. "He might be bigger but I'm meaner ... I just hide it better than he does."
"So – you and Mom talked?" Elaine ignored his implied threat.
"We did," Evan admitted. "She surprised the hell out of me Lainee ... said she was proud of me of all things."
"I've told you she felt that way plenty of times," Elaine reminded him.
"Yeah but it's a lot different coming straight from her," Evan sighed. "She thinks she failed me somehow ... how do I convince her I don't feel the same way?"
"You can't," Elaine said evenly. "These are her demons Evan, just like you have yours. Now you're each aware of them, in time they won't seem as important."
"Look at you, suddenly all wise and mature – must be Drew's influence," Evan smiled at her affronted expression.
"Hey!" she protested. "He's almost as big a kid as you are!"
"For that I'm not helping you pick out shoes," Evan said, folding his arms across his chest mutinously.
"Yes you are," Elaine opened her diary, pulling out a single sheet. Putting it in front of him she pointed to a highlighted line.
"The maid of honour will help the bride choose her attire for the big day, including dress, shoes and accessories," Evan read aloud. "I can't believe you had this prepared ... and for the last time, I'm not your maid of honour," he said irritably.
"Well I couldn't find a list of duties for a bachelor of honour so this is what I'm working to," Elaine smiled smugly. "You agreed which means you're stuck ... unless you're going to renege?"
"You know I'm not," Evan sighed, his expression long suffering.
"We're only doing shoes and accessories anyway," Elaine pointed out. "Mom and I are going dress shopping later in the week."
"Lucky me," Evan muttered. "Okay, fine ... but you get two shops max. If you don't find something you like I'm choosing everything for you. I think we can both agree that that would be a bad idea."
"Deal," Elaine got up, moving to hug her brother close, kissing his cheek repeatedly.
"All right, all right," he laughed, trying to fend her off. "I already said I'd do it didn't I? Don't make me regret that."
Elaine laughed too, giving him one more kiss and then deliberately mussing his hair. Inside she was just so happy ... that her two favourite people, after Drew of course, were finally talking about the important things, and just because Evan was her brother and she couldn't be more thankful for that fact.
Late February – one month to go ...
"Did you find a date yet?" Drew asked, his hand over Elaine's as they sat in the restaurant they'd be using for the wedding rehearsal dinner. Evan had arranged it for them and the three were trying it out, just to make sure the happy couple approved his choice.
"You make it sound like I'm going to stumble across one on the way to work," Evan joked.
"At the rate you're going you better hope you do," Drew shot back.
"At date isn't mandatory," Evan pointed out a little impatiently ... it wasn't the first conversation they'd had about the subject. "And I'm already locked into at least one dance," he added, referring to the traditional bridal party dance that would take place at the beginning of the reception festivities. He'd be dancing with Sally Connor before thankfully handing her over to her husband for the remainder of the event.
"A wedding isn't the place to go stag," Drew looked to Elaine to get her agreement.
"Drew's right," Elaine dutifully pipped up. "I don't want you feeling lonely or left out on my big day."
"I won't," Evan insisted. "According to the lists you've both been giving me I won't have time to feel anything other than rushed. I really should have thought harder before agreeing to 'be there' for both of you."
"I'm glad you didn't," Elaine said. "I couldn't imagine doing this any other way."
"We just want you to be as happy as we are," Drew smiled down at Elaine.
"Oh please, you're killing me here," Evan laughed when Drew shot him a warning look. "I'm not bringing anyone and that's final. Now shut up and enjoy your practice rehearsal dinner."
"Did you know Steph Riley was in town?" Drew dropped what he thought was a bombshell into the resulting silence.
"As a matter of fact I did," Evan said complacently. "I had lunch with her yesterday ... her and her fiancé. You're gonna have to do much better than that if you want to catch me off guard buddy."
"You kept in touch," Drew concluded, surprised that Evan knew more about the situation than he did.
"Yeah ... when I got back from Spain I called her," Evan admitted. "We talked ... agreed we'd done the right thing ... ended up being friends. She's happy Drew ... and not carrying a torch for me, despite what you were hoping."
"What about you?" Drew asked quietly.
"Am I carrying a torch for her?" Evan clarified. Drew nodded silently. "Maybe I was for a while there," Evan admitted, "which is ridiculous given I was the one who ended it. But seeing her yesterday I realised its all good. So you can stop worrying about me ... and stop trying to hook me up."
"Fine," Drew looked at Elaine and shrugged.
"We still think you should consider bringing someone to the wedding," Elaine admitted.
"Unless I stumble across Ms Right on the way to the church it's not gonna happen," Evan said sarcastically. "Can we drop it now, please? Because talking about my love life with my sister and former best friend soon to be brother-in-law is seriously disturbing!"
"What, I can't be a best friend and brother as well?" Drew frowned, surprised.
"Not if it turns you into a gossipy girl," Evan retorted, laughing and noting that Elaine looked close to laughing herself.
"What, you're ganging up on me now?" Drew mock glared at his future wife.
"Of course not dear," Elaine said loyally while Evan continued to laugh.
Late March – 24 hours to go ...
Evan hadn't been closely involved in the wedding process before ... after being submerged up to his eyeballs in his sister's big day the thing that most surprised him was the nature of time. When they'd announced their wedding date – March 25th – Lorne had wondered why they needed so long. Those almost three months had seemed endless at the beginning.
But then something curious had happened. Time had actually sped up, Evan was sure of it. It was some kind of space time continuity thing like he'd seen on Star Trek. He thought he had plenty of time for that list of duties they'd insisted he must do but the weeks passed rapidly and in the end he was rushing to organise a stag night, bachelorette party (which he'd flat out refused to attend on the grounds that it would scar him for life) and all the other minor but seemingly crucial details Elaine and Drew considered essential.
In the end he was looking forward to the wedding day just because it meant the day after he could put his feet up and get his own life back.
The night before the wedding, rehearsals and preparations all complete, Elaine insisted that Evan had to stay at their family home with her and their Mom. Drew was primarily getting his services as best man the following morning so Elaine had firmly claimed him for the night before.
Evan had a week's leave from Edwards AFB so there was no reason for him not to grant her wish. It was strange though, the three of them together again after so many years. As he stretched out on one of the couches in his Mom's living room late in the evening he admitted to himself, deep down, that it was nice.
"This is nice," Elaine echoed his thoughts. She was sitting on the adjacent couch with their Mom, her feet tucked up under her, hot chocolate in hand, her face lit by the fire burning brightly in the fireplace.
"It does bring back memories," Grace agreed with a smile. The two women looked over at Evan with matching looks.
"What?" he demanded, frowning.
"Nothing dear," Grace replied gently.
"You're the one who left," Elaine pointed out. "Apart from college the first time this is the only place I've lived."
"The air force isn't the job for someone who wants to stay at home," Evan reminded her. "But you already know that right?"
"Yes, and every day Drew's away from home I'll be there, making sure he has something to come back to," Elaine said complacently.
"Then he's a lucky guy," Evan returned simply.
"You could be too," Elaine said, her eyes meeting her mother's gaze before returning to him. "If you considered it a possibility you could have someone waiting for you."
"This is your night Lainee," Evan said evenly. "Let's not talk about me, okay?"
"No, it's not okay," Elaine would have stamped her foot if she'd been standing. "It's not okay for you to close yourself off from relationships Evan. You told Drew that you wanted more for me than a life spent waiting for him to come home. I want more for you than a life where you don't even have a home!"
"The air force is my home, first and foremost," Evan sat up, leaning forward, his eyes intent. It was the one thing he'd learned above all others on his trek across Europe. He'd forgotten their mother was there too, listening quietly, so intent was he on getting his point across to his sister. "I don't expect you to understand that Elaine ... you're a woman, it's different for you."
"What, because I'm not 'the provider'?" Elaine asked sarcastically. "That's just an excuse ... it's all an excuse Evan. I'm not saying you're not worried about leaving a family behind if something happens to you but it's more than that. You're scared of loving someone and losing them just as much as you are of them losing you. You've been that way for so long now you don't even know you're doing it anymore!"
"Now isn't the time for conversations like this," Evan said, getting up abruptly. "I'm going to bed," he offered lightly, leaning down to kiss his Mom and then Elaine. "Don't stay up too late," he cautioned before taking his leave.
Elaine watched him disappear, her expression troubled.
"He's not ready," Grace told her daughter, accepting what she knew to be true.
"No," Elaine agreed sadly. "At this rate he never will be and that worries me Mom. He gives a good act but Evan's not the type to be alone like this. He needs someone who'll understand him."
"And maybe one day he'll work that out for himself and be lucky enough to find it," Grace agreed. "And maybe he won't. It's his life Elaine ... and he's been running it his way for a very long time."
"I know," Elaine shifted, dropping her head to her Mother's shoulder. "Do you ever wonder what things would be like if Dad were still here?" she asked quietly.
"All the time," Grace replied, stroking a light hand over her daughter's hair, "but especially at times like this."
"Me too," Elaine sighed. "Me too." She sat for a few moments and then got up too. "I'm going to call Drew," she announced, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek before grabbing her phone and disappearing down the hallway.
Grace Lorne sat for a time, watching the fire burn down to embers, lost in her thoughts.
"How did we produce two such strong willed children?" she spoke softly into the quiet, her eyes on the photo of Jonathon Lorne that still held centre place above the fireplace.
Deciding she might as well go to bed too, Grace got up and moved to stand in front of that picture, reaching out a finger to trace the familiar outline, so similar to her son's. "I still miss you," she said, not sadly but rather accepting it as a fact of life that would never change. Standing for another moment, Grace Lorne smiled as she turned to leave the room, switching the lights off as she went.
Authors Note:
See? I told you it was fluffy ... I like a bit the fluffy stuff myself and hope that you all do too! I think we all know what the second and final chapter is about ... will post it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!