A/N: I just realized that I never thanked my beta! Jagnikjen from LJ, you rock! Jen was very methodical, catching such small things as a backwards closing quote or too many/too few spaces, as well as saving me from a jumping POV. Any lingering mistakes are purely on me.
Justinia folded her panties, bringing the two sides of the lilac silk to the center before rolling them from the bottom to the top—rolled clothes fit better and tended to wrinkle less. She placed the lacey bottoms next to the rolled bras in the drawer; soft, delicate underthings were one of the few luxuries she allowed herself. She closed the drawer and stowed her suitcases under the bed.
It didn't take long in the small room to find everything; Justinia used the little bathroom to freshen up, having decided to go and find the infirmary. It wouldn't do to make a bad first impression by being late because she had gotten lost. Armed with a map on which her route to the infirmary was highlighted, Justinia stepped out into the hall.
Evan jogged along the empty hallways, his breathing still even, his movements still strong. He jogged every day as part of his P.T., running a little further each time. The many deserted hallways and large, open rooms similar to the gate room allowed him to take his run in peace. He could stop wherever he wanted to and enjoy the views that came along with breathtaking suddenness along the way.
One of those views was before him now, as he jogged out of the hallway and entered one of the many high-ceilinged circular chambers that served as a hub to the numerous hallways. Beyond the tall glass windows that ran along two sides of the chamber, the Lantean sun was setting, seeming to dip into the ocean like a molten Oreo in milk. The effect was soul-wrenching in its beauty as the colors of the sunset were reflected in muted brilliance on the surface of the water—shades of blue were shot through with white and silver tracings, while red and gold rays wrapped the blue in the last of the day's warmth.
Evan noted with some surprise that he was not alone in the chamber. The new doctor stood with her back to him, her head turning from the four hallways in front of her to look down at something in her hands. When she looked up at the hallways, he could see her profile. He grinned as he saw that she was gnawing her bottom lip. There was no way he could just leave the doctor in her obvious distress. "Can I help you, Doc?"
She spun on the balls of her feet, nearly falling as she spotted him, and then she straightened. She looked a bit like a cat that had been caught in an awkward landing—she even raised her pert nose into the air like a cat would when it was caught looking foolish.
"No thank you. I'm fine." Morgan returned her gaze to the paper she held in her hands, scowling at it.
Evan frowned. His mom had drilled manners into him from an early age, but this woman was beginning to irritate him. When she had ignored his greeting and snubbed his offer of help in the gate room, he had put it down to the initial shock most people felt on arriving in Atlantis. Now she was once again refusing his help and it was a bit annoying. With his mother's voice in his head, admonishing him that maybe she was shy and scared, being the new kid, Evan spoke once more. "Okay, but I was just about to take a breather and walk until I get to the infirmary."
"You're going to the infirmary? Why? You look healthy enough." She tilted her head, eyes blatantly surveying him as though looking for signs of injury.
"Thanks for noticing." Evan watched her cheeks and ears redden at his innuendo. He couldn't help the teasing grin that accompanied his words, but he decided to let her off easy. "Nah, I'm not sick. I just wanted to visit a friend." Evan kept his tone light and casual. It seemed he had been right in guessing her destination.
"Oh." She ducked her head, peering at the halls behind her, her fingers rubbing along the paper in obvious discomposure.
"Is that where you're headed, too?"
"I thought I should find the place tonight so I can get there on time tomorrow. Doctor Keller reports to the SGC."
"She does." There was something in the way Morgan's eyes darted around and the way she suddenly looked somehow smaller that made Evan think of a dog trying to please its master. Her next words, spoken into the small silence that had formed, confirmed this idea.
"People will read those reports; my parents expect that I will excel at my duties."
God save us from overbearing parents, Evan thought. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Since we're both headed that way anyway, would you mind a little company to the infirmary?" Evan was close enough now to see the paper she held was a map; he had no idea how she could have gotten so far off course.
Morgan looked down at her map, then up at the halls; her eyes were round with uncertainty. She blinked and looked over at him. "No, of course not."
Evan pointed her toward the correct hallway, the third one on the right, and they began walking.
"So, why Atlantis?" Evan kept his gaze forward as they walked, watching her out of his peripheral vision.
"What?" Morgan tripped a bit but caught herself and continued to walk on as though nothing had happened. Evan suppressed the grin that wanted to escape to his lips with an effort. It was nice to see this woman, who had seemed so in control in the gate room, have human reactions.
"From what I've read of your file and heard about you from the others, you could have your pick of any post in the Stargate Program. Why choose Atlantis?"
Morgan seemed to consider for just a moment before responding. "Doctor Beckett was an incredible doctor who saved many lives with his innovative techniques. Doctor Keller is also an amazing doctor, but is still here. I thought that perhaps if I could learn from her, it would help me to be a better doctor." Evan chuckled at Morgan's stilted speech.
"What are you laughing at?" Her eyes shot daggers at him.
"Nothing." She looked really pretty with the high color rising in her cheeks and her lips pursed. "I just thought it was funny that you seem so nervous about meeting Doctor Keller, and she's just as nervous about meeting you."
Morgan stopped dead in her tracks. "You know, there's really no need to tease me. You barely know me; it's cruel."
Evan slowed and turned to face her, frowning in annoyance. "What do you mean, tease you? Doctor Keller is very eager to meet you. Come and see." Evan turned back and began walking again, noting with satisfaction a moment later when he heard Doctor Morgan's footsteps resume behind him. He slowed his pace until she caught up and they continued in silence to the infirmary—down another hallway, into a transporter and up two more flights.
At the door, Evan lightly touched her arm and leaned in to whisper to her. "Stay here unless I call you. Just peek in and listen. Trust me."
Morgan swallowed and nodded, staying where he told her to. "Doctor Keller! Good to see you." Evan raised his voice and pulled the doctor closer to the door where Doctor Morgan waited. "How go your preparations for our new doc?"
"Major, I'm sorry to be abrupt, but I still have so much to do. Is this important?"
"Nervous about meeting Doctor Morgan?"
"Of course I am. Her work on Ancient genetics helped us to realize that those who carry the ATA gene can be tracked down through their bloodlines. She's got some sort of sixth sense when it comes to alien physiology. She's a natural gene carrier herself. Now really, Major, if no one is sick or injured, I have to get back to making the infirmary ready."
"Of course, ma'am." Evan bowed his head and let himself out. Morgan face was red as he steered her away from the door and down the corridor away from the infirmary. He waited until they were back in the chamber where he had stumbled upon the doctor a few short moments ago before he spoke.
"Now do you believe me?" he asked as they continued walking, entering a transport device soon after.
"I…I don't know what to say. No one's ever been nervous about meeting me before. Usually they're nervous about meeting the daughter of Doctor Katherine Morgan or the daughter of Major General William Morgan, never about meeting me." Evan glanced at her—her eyes were scrunched up as she stared at the floor before her and a small frown turned her lips down. She was truly and honestly confused.
Evan pushed a location and the transporter flared, letting them out in a chamber similar to the other one, but with a few more people wandering about.
"The medical staff are all nervous about meeting you; the military…" Evan cocked his head to one side, thinking how best to phrase the fact that the military were worried about the daughter of a major general being hurt. "The military are just nervous."
"Why?"
"It's not every day we have to keep a person of your…importance to the Stargate program safe." He didn't know why he wanted to compliment her, instead of telling her that they were afraid of repercussions from her parents. It seemed clear that she had more confidence in her parents' reputations than her own. Maybe it was her uncertainty that made him want to protect her.
"I thought that was what you did every day?"
Evan grinned. "Well, I was just trying to make you feel more welcome on your first day."
"By lying to me?"
"By helping you find your way back to your quarters." Evan gestured to the door, the same as a dozen other doors up and down the corridor. Evan's temper was beginning to fray once more, and he was glad they had arrived at her room.
"How do you know this is mine?" Morgan asked, looking around at the other doors in confusion.
"Trust me." Evan knew his smile was tight; he could feel the exasperation building every time Morgan opened her mouth.
Morgan's stomach growled as the door opened to her touch. Evan smiled as the sound eased the tension a bit, reminding him that she was just another person. "When's the last time you ate?"
She gnawed her lip once more before she responded. "Breakfast. Oh-six-hundred."
Evan gave her a gimlet stare, scowling at the same time. "Give me fifteen minutes to shower and I'll show you where the mess hall is."
"Thank you, but I can find it on my own." Doctor Morgan entered the room and let the door slide closed behind her.
Evan closed his eyes and counted to ten, then opened his eyes once more and shook his head at the closed door. He was trying to be nice—after all, she was new, and the Atlantis crew was not so large that they wouldn't run into one another from time to time—but if she kept up her ice princess act, he wasn't sure how much longer he could carry on.
Inside her room, Justinia let out the breath she had been holding. From the very first, she had noted how handsome the major was, but she had tried very hard not to think about him. She tried to erase the feeling of his strong fingers gripping her arms when she had fallen into his embrace in front of Colonel Carter's office. She tried not to think of how pretty his eyes were when he smiled warmly at her. She tried not to hear the sound of his voice, pitched low and flowing over her body like muted velvet. She tried. And failed completely.
At the infirmary, she had watched him enter the room, smiling as he greeted the nurses, and asking if Doctor Keller could come and speak to him for a moment. He had seemed so genuine, his smile warm and friendly, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. Justinia knew that her own smile looked more like a rictus—her mother had told her so. She had decided right then and there to put Major Lorne completely out of her mind. It wouldn't do to think of the major that way, not when her parents were arranging a much more powerful liaison for her.