Author's Note: So, here's where I get to include a standard disclaimer for myself! Some of the locations in this story are places I've never been to. Namely, Jennifer's home town. I've been as far as Ohio and Kentucky, never to Wisconsin. I'm stuck with what I can find on the internet. So, if I have some details a little skewed, let me know. I'll change them as soon as possible. As always, hope you enjoy! ~lg
oOo
Arrival on Earth went as smoothly as it ever did. Jenn and Evan walked through the gate to see Landry smiling at them. "Major Lorne. Dr. Keller. Welcome to Earth."
Jenn smiled. "Thank you, General."
She followed Evan out the door, already regretting the change she'd seen come over him. When they rematerialized on Earth, he transformed back into Major Lorne, leaving Evan behind. Part of her wanted to go back to Midway, back to giggling as he told her funny stories of his off world missions.
Long before she was ready, she stood next to a car in the parking lot, watching Evan load their bags into the trunk. Landry had arranged for a driver to take them to the airport. She appreciated the gesture and already felt anticipation building. Seeing her father again. . . She hadn't thought it possible after visiting for a few days following her experience on New Athos.
Jennifer shivered at the memory, drawing a concerned glance from Evan as he climbed into the car behind her. "I'm fine," she assured him.
"Uh-huh." He didn't believe her.
"Just thinking about. . . ." She glanced at the driver, who wasn't cleared to know about the Stargate. "A few months ago? When Colonel Sheppard had to come after us?"
He lifted his chin in understanding and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "No bad guys around."
She smiled. "I know."
"So, a plane to Chippewa Falls?"
Jennifer snorted. "I wish. I'll fly into St. Paul, Minnesota, and then catch a smaller plane to Chippewa Regional Airport. What about you?"
"Dallas/Fort Worth International, here I come." He let her go as she straightened.
She frowned. "I thought your family was in San Francisco?" He'd let that detail slip late last night.
"I did, too." The shadows returned to his eyes. "I called my sister when we got back. Her husband took a job in Dallas two months ago."
Jennifer reached out and took his hand, letting the touch speak for her. She'd always had a close family. Every email from her father included little details that made her smile. She couldn't imagine being in another galaxy without the knowledge that a family member had moved. Nor could she imagine discovering it like he had. At least he hadn't gone all the way to San Francisco before he found out.
Evan turned his hand and caught hers. As the driver headed for the airport and their respective planes, Jennifer let him hold her hand and allowed herself to imagine that it was more than simply accepting comfort. She wanted to believe he liked her, that something could happen between them. But her past experiences-or, rather, lack thereof-kept her from hoping.
At the airport, Evan pulled their bags from the trunk of the car. He walked her to her terminal. "Have a good Thanksgiving, Jennifer."
"I will." She stood awkwardly until he turned away. "Evan?"
"Yes?" He met her eyes.
"Remember what I said." She shrugged. "About Thanksgiving dinner, I mean."
He nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind." He walked away then.
Through the long flight home, Jennifer thought about Evan Lorne. On Atlantis, he was the self-assured second-in-command that rescued Sheppard and his team. Here, on Earth, however, he seemed slightly lost. Almost like he didn't quite know how to act outside of the uniform. It's a shame, she thought. A man like that should be comfortable, no matter where he is. He shouldn't be worried that he may not have family to spend the holidays with.
"He does have family," she muttered at the window of the airplane, thinking about the men and women on Atlantis.
The man next to Jennifer glanced her way. "Excuse me?"
"Nothing." She shook her head and returned to her thoughts.
The plane landed before she'd fully figured out her thoughts and the mixed impressions she'd received from Evan Lorne. Through her connecting flight, she buried her urge to cheer for the little plane. It seemed that the plane flew slower the closer she got to home. But, she finally arrived.
When she walked out of the terminal, her father enveloped her in a hug. "Jenny!"
"Dad!" Jennifer hugged Richard Keller tightly. "It's so good to see you."
He set her away from him. "Let me see you." His eyes missed nothing, including the exhaustion she kept hidden on Atlantis. "You look just like your mother. And it's wonderful you're here!"
"So, what are the plans?" She looped her arm through his and steered him toward baggage claims.
"Well, you've got just over a week before Sarah and her family get here."
"Aunt Sarah's coming?"
"Yep." Richard grinned. "She said she's bringing pumpkin pie, too."
Jennifer almost danced a jig right there in the airport. Her Aunt Sarah's pumkin pie won awards at fairs. "Only one?"
Her father chuckled. "When she heard her favorite niece was coming home, she changed all the family plans." He picked up her bag. "I'm glad you're home, Sweetheart."
"Me, too, Dad." Jenn followed him out of the airport. "Me, too.
oOo
In Dallas, Evan stared at the front door of the house. An inflatable turkey graced the front lawn, and two bikes crowded the sedan in the driveway. He saw movement at the window, and he knew he couldn't avoid approaching the house any longer. Would Abigail be glad to see him or angry that he'd dared to come? He wasn't sure, and he realized now he should have done more than call her from the SGC. She'd sounded surprised to hear from him, but her voice had a hard edge of bitterness.
Her husband had done well for them. Evan let his eyes take in the large brick home that sat in a ritzier section of Dallas. The sedan in the drive wasn't even a year old, and the bikes looked new, as well. Whatever his brother-in-law did clearly met more than the basic needs of the family. He wished he knew more about his own family, but Abigail had married this man while he'd been back on Atlantis. He couldn't say he truly knew his nephews' step-father.
The front door with its cut glass window opened before he could ring the doorbell. Abigail stood inside the storm door, her arms folded across her chest. "Evan."
Not the warm welcome he'd hoped for. "Ah. . .hey. Mind if I come in?"
She stared at him for a moment and then let him into the house, watching as he dropped his duffel bag. "Don't get too comfortable."
He blinked. He'd expected some anger, but this hostility stunned him. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine." She glared. "But you got a lot of nerve."
"Sorry?"
"I tried to get in touch with you." Abigail took a few steps away. "What was so important you couldn't make it back for Dad's last days? Huh? He waited for you, held on until his body betrayed him because he wanted to see you again! But, you just stayed wherever you are, ignoring your family in favor of hunting Taliban or whatever it is that's so important you can't tell us about it!"
Evan's brows lowered. "Look, I didn't stay away on purpose."
"No, of course not." She waved a hand at the green duffel bag at his feet. "You had 'orders.'" She used her fingers to make air quotes around the word.
"Abby."
"No, Evan." She held up a hand. "This is the life you chose. Not me. Not Mom, not Dad, not the boys. You."
He propped one hand on his hip as he used the other to rub his eyes. He'd known that Abigail likely hated him, but he still struggled to catch up with her. "Listen." He nearly cringed when he realized he'd used his "military" voice to order his sister to shut up. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I wanted to surprise you. To come home for Thanksgiving." If that's the case, this is a great way to begin Thanksgiving, he thought dryly.
She chuckled angrily. "Oh, that's rich!" She shook her head. "Dad left you the house! He left Mom's artwork to you! What did I get? Stocks he bought years ago. Investments that mean nothing more to me than money."
Evan blinked again. She was angry about his inheritance? This wasn't about his absence? "He was trying to take care of you and your family." He didn't even begin to point out that she'd wanted nothing to do with their mother's artwork in years.
"We don't need it!"
"Obviously!" He looked pointedly at the lavish house.
"Out." She stomped to the door and held it open.
"Abby, please." He stood in the entryway of her home, fighting with the sinking feeling in his stomach. "I didn't come to argue. I came to see you and the boys."
"Too bad." Her voice had gone cold, and he realized he'd lost this argument. She pointed out the front door. "I'll buy you a cab to wherever you're going. This Thanksgiving is when we're taking the boys to Disney World. Florida. We're not going to be here."
Evan thought about arguing, asking if he could join the family, trying to change her mind. But anything he considered sounded too much like begging. Instead, he picked up his duffel bag and art supplies, tossing them over his shoulder as he did so. "I'll call you later."
"We'll see." Abigail reached for her cell phone. "Where are you going?"
"Don't bother." Evan shook his head and closed the storm door behind him. "I'll be in the States until the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'd like to see the boys before I go."
She didn't answer him, and he turned away. He'd always wrestled with the job's interference with his family, but he never encountered the rage he had right then. His own sister had turned her back on him. What must his father have thought when he couldn't make it home? Though, if he recalled, he'd been somewhere between Sheppard missing and Kolya trying to kill an entire village. Getting away from Atlantis was difficult at best, impossible when the family didn't communicate.
Evan turned back to the house to see that Abigail had closed the door behind him. He let out a deep breath. This wasn't his plan for his time on Earth. Suddenly, the next sixteen days spread out in front of him with nothing to fill them. He walked down the street, looking like a degenerate in this neighborhood. Money had never been an issue with his family, but his father's decisions concerning the estate must have embittered his sister more than his career. His absences, no matter if they were because he'd been defending Earth and humanity, had clearly changed the close friendship they'd shared before he entered the Air Force.
Jennifer's invitation floated through his head. He did have somewhere for Thanksgiving. However, he couldn't take her up. Not today. Not like this. He had some issues to work through. Did he want to even return to Atlantis? Or should he stay on Earth to resolve this rift in his family? He'd always considered his family his cornerstone, his foundation. If that was gone, what did he truly have left?
With only a credit card and a hundred dollars in cash in his pocket, Evan caught a cab to the business section of the city. Then, he rented a car and turned west. It was funny, really. He'd built a career in the Air Force, seen much of Earth, been to other planets, eaten more exotic food than he'd ever dreamed of eating. Yet, he hadn't seen some of the greatest sights in the United States. Decision made, he flipped on the radio and found a station with decent music.
The tires of the car ate up the road, and Evan sighed. His words to Jennifer much earlier that day came to mind. He shook his head and muttered, "White Sands National Monument, here I come."
~TBC
Author's Note II: Okay, another little note. I changed up the standard family history for Evan. I know it's not the normal happy family that I write, but I needed this to happen for the story to work. Don't worry. I have plans for the entire family thing. Stick with me for the fun! ~lg