Four

When she'd woken up without him by her side, she'd not been worried, because she's used to him getting up at different times than her… and his occasional need for some time alone. But she'd been a little thirsty… and been in the mood for a little cuddling. And since she knows that one of his favorite late night retreats is the cafeteria, with its big opening towards the sea and the very quiet atmosphere, she'd decided to go looking for him. And of course had to go in full force, calling out to him before even realizing who was sitting beside him. And now she's probably in big trouble. Should really go and find someone to sew that big trap of mine shut, she thinks.

For a moment, no one says anything, and she's still torn between fight and flight, but then Evan gets up and something in his face makes her want to bolt even more. But before she can run, he's reached her. She blinks. Oh, uh… a diversion! "Err, 'evening, Evan. Colonel. I was just… erm…"

"He knows, Laura. We just talked about it." Is that a resigned undertone in voice? Yeah, there surely is.

"Oh. Crap." Behind Evan, Colonel Sheppard comes sauntering up, a not really amused look on his face.

"Yep, that's one way to put it, Lieutenant." She so wants the floor beneath her to open up and swallow her. Apart from the fact that it's more or less over now, she can suddenly see herself slinking back to her family, somehow having to explain to them that their highly decorated poster-girl Marine daughter and sister just got herself a dishonorable discharge because she couldn't control her stupid heart, and that's not really a pretty sight in her head.

Sheppard lets pass by another moment, still that scary look on his face, and suddenly she's pretty sure he just found a way at getting back at her for yelling at him three months ago. She knew something had to come, and obviously this is the perfect opportunity for him. Good thing that this is still Sheppard, not one of her drill instructors. All of them would be appalled at how lax she has become.

"However, Evan and I" – Wait… "Evan and I"? What's going on here? – "just had a little talk and we decided that it's worth a try convincing Mr. Woolsey to butt heads with the IOA over changing the non-frat rules for Atlantis personnel. And Evan here…", he gives Evan a short punch in the shoulder, and for some reason the look he always has when he's up to something devilish has appeared in his eyes, "has just volunteered to help me put together all the necessary paperwork… you know, reports, surveys, accounts… that kind of thing. Quite a helpful fellow, our Major."

From the way Evan's jaw just dropped for a few seconds she can see that he most certainly did not volunteer but rather was just volunteered. Mh… she really needs to find out what the hell is going on here. "Yeah, certainly. And very dutiful. I'm positive he won't disappoint you, sir." She sneaks him a questioning look and he replies with a "Later."-look. Sheppard for his part just pretends he hasn't seen this silent exchange, obviously content that he just managed to kill two birds with one stone.

"He better not. Well then, see you at 0800 in my office?" He grins at Evan with certain anticipation on his face. The Colonel really looks like someone who just got back at someone else for some nasty prank.

Evan, though, has obviously resorted to his stoic self and just nods. "Of course." She can see the "sir" that should have come now practically hanging in the air and wonders for the third or fourth time what the boys are up to.

"I thought so. 'Night, Evan. Lieutenant." She blinks.

A little dumfounded, she replies with an automatic "'Night, sir."

Evan, on the other hand, actually says "'Night, s… John.", which sounds all kinds of wrong in her ears. But maybe it's just because she's so used to hear them call each other "Major" and "Colonel" that she can't wrap her mind around the fact that for some reason they decided to drop the "sir" off-duty, yet.

When the Colonel is just around the corner, she turns back to Evan, with her arms folded in front of her and her eyebrows raised. "Mind telling me what this just was all about?"

"We were just… clearing up some difference. Oh, come on, don't give me that look, Buttercup." He bends towards her and places a soft kiss on her lips. He knows exactly how to wipe that disapproval off her face, but she really wants to know what just happened. She can sense that it involved her and she hates people talking about her and being all secretive about it later. "Laura, come on, it's really late…" He's placed his hands on her hips and drawn her toward him, but she still has her arms folded and her head turned down. "I'll explain it to you tomorrow, I promise." His lips are still trying to land on her skin and he is detangling her arms and then taking her hands in his, kissing the fingertips. She risks a glance at him and nearly melts at the puppy dog eyes. Whoever said that Sheppard is best at that game, is surely…

"I think you might want to keep that to yourself in the future."

Startled, they both turn around. Sheppard is poking his head through the door, trying to look reprimanding but not quite able to hide the wicked grin. She just bets he's been lurking outside the cafeteria to catch them both at this, just to deliver his line.

Evan has let go of her hands immediately and straightened up. Old habits die hard, she thinks. "Of course, sir." Sheppard just raises his eyebrow.

"Told you it's John. Try the "sir" at 0800 again. Now, you two be good little soldiers and go and do… whatever you were up to in some not so public place." With that he finally disappears.

Evan turns towards her again and sighs. "You still want to know what happened?"

She narrows her eyes. "Well, what does it look like, mister?"

Defeated he sighs again. "Alright… let's get back to my quarters, and I'll tell you on the way?" She knows she could let him dangle now, even tell him that now she doesn't want to hear it anymore, but to be honest: She is curious, and apart from that his little tries at distract her have reminded her of the original reason she'd gone to look for him.

"If that is just a feeble attempt to lure me back into your stables, farm boy…" He grins a little sheepishly.

"It's not, honestly. Well… not much." She rolls her eyes, but agrees to come with him. As they make their way through Atlantis' deserted corridors, he tells her that Sheppard has known all along and had waited for them to come to him on their own. As he talks about Sheppard being genuinely pissed at them for withholding this from him, he sounds really distraught, and she can imagine how he must have felt when Sheppard had delivered the blow on him. She wants to rub his shoulder to tell him that he's not alone to blame for this, but she's still very mindful of Sheppard's last admonition about PDAs, so she just says something about this.

He smiles a little ruefully, and she's sure he'll give her a lecture about how this is his responsibility and everything, but instead he just goes on, explaining to her what exactly this paperwork business is about, and she's so relieved at Sheppard choosing to at least try this that she secretly resolves to thank him in person the first chance she gets and volunteer some of her time to this as well. If Sheppard is risking this for the people under his command it's only fair that the people under his command help him get it right. And now she finally gets the part with the new first name basis as well. About time, she thinks, and can't hold back giving him a "Told you so."

He just smirks and opens his door. Inside… they can barely wait until it has closed again. They were walking back with some space between them, always conscious not to touch each other… and that now explodes into him having her up the closed door and kissing her wildly in the same second it has fully closed. Giggling at his sudden passion, she wraps her legs around him and he has her over in his bed on her back in no time. It's one of the things she enjoys so much about him – that he can go from controlled, stoic and all business to passionate, tender and warm in the blink of an eye.

"You know… when I went in search for you… that's not what I had in mind." He's slowly removing her top and kissing the newly revealed skin.

"What was it then?" In the moonlight from outside she sees the flash of a grin on his face and rolls him around, straddling him and removing his t-shirt.

"Oh… just a little cuddling…" He looks up at her as she bends down and places kisses on his collar bone, coming across that little scar she's kissed quite a few times now and comes – as she knows now – from an accident in his time at the Academy involving a girl, a jealous boyfriend and quite some alcohol.

"Cuddling, huh? Well, we could… always… revert to that…" The suppressed need in his voice tells her differently and she grins.

"Nope, too late for that now." Her hand grazes the still fresh scar on his chest from the cave mission three months prior and his breath audibly hitches in his throats.

"I was hoping… you would say that." She bends down to kiss another scar a little further down from the one on the chest, one that he owes to a rather vicious skirmish at some Wraith infested planet, only two months after he'd arrived in Atlantis. It still amazes her that he's practically got the story of his life edged into his body. There'd been a night where she had asked him about all the ones she'd come a-based,cross then and it had almost told her more than all the e-mails and letters she'd received from him and the late night talks and all that other stuff. She'd learned about his years at the Academy, his early years as an officer, his family… that very first mission with the SGC to the mining planet he'd always skirted around telling her about before…

He's decided not to let her do all the work and has her on her back again, lying beside her and half-leaning over her. His hand moves into her hair and he captures her mouth with his. Eagerly she responds and is almost disappointed when he stops. As he disengages himself from her again, something strange is shining in his eyes… something else than just desire and want… "God, Laura, I love…" He purses his lips and swallows and she isn't quite sure what'll come now. "I love… the way we fit." Well… alright… that wasn't exactly what she's expected. And in his eyes she can very well see that he'd wanted to say something quite different.

"I know. Me, too… farm boy." Did he get what she's trying to tell him? That she's okay with him not telling her yet? That she can wait as long as he needs to? That she knows anyway?

"'M glad 'bout that, Buttercup." His voice is thick with emotion and without another word he starts to love her very slow and very tender, bending down and kissing the small spot right above her breasts. She feels herself arch toward him and grip the hair at the back of his head. As his mouth wanders down south, she finally lets go of all the brooding and the worrying and the wondering and surrenders to his hands and lips.

Later, when he's almost asleep with his arm across her stomach and his head beside her shoulder and her hand is lazily playing through his hair, she turns her head to the side and kisses his forehead. When he kisses her shoulder almost in reflex, she decides to ask Sheppard if he might want to hand over all of that paperwork to her. After all, she's probably the woman that'll most profit from his efforts, and she's willing to pay every price for it.

A/N: There you go ;) Okay, people... I'm already almost four chapters into the next story (action-based, with a wider casting, such as Jennifer Keller, Teyla, Sheppard...). Is there any interest in that or do you want a break? I also promise to continue writing "Odd Man Out" (a few days ago I discovered that there's still one finished chapter I haven't published yet, but that I also need to overhaul a few other chapters before I can publish that... I haven't forgotten about that story, honestly), I just need a little time for that. So: Next story in a few days? A break?

And something for Asugar: You didn't offend me. In fact, you pointed out something I should have thought of, and I always appreciate people doing this. Please keep pointing out things for me :)