A/N: Once again, thanks so much to ladygris for all her help with this story. It started out as a thank you to ShaViva, but it took on a life of its own and it has been a fun ride!

Thanks a bunch,

~Sandy

Turning the Page

Chapter 10

Today and Forever

All Evan could do was look at Sha. In the weeks since they'd seen each other she had changed. Her long hair was gone, cut to above her shoulders, the wavy strands bouncing as she turned her head to speak to someone. The dress she wore fit her curves as if it had been made just for her, the slit on the side showing the length of her leg from thigh down to where her feet were tucked into strappy heels.

And if that wasn't enough to drive him crazy, the color, Venetian red, matched the color on her lips which in turn made him think of the nights they'd spent together sleeping or making love. Trying to be casual about it, he checked that his jacket was closed in the front to hide what seeing her again did to him. When she faced him once more, he leaned close. "Can we speak privately for a few minutes?"

Her lips turned upward in a smirk. "Oh, it'll take longer than that just for the hello kiss."

He returned the smile, his cheeks dimpling. "Anything more will have to wait. Sheppard, Woolsey and Carson will be here soon with their dates. I'd like for them not to come looking for me again."

Shannon huffed in pretend annoyance. "Fine." Taking him by the hand, she led the way out a side door to a garden lit by twinkle lights. The temperatures had been unseasonably warm lately though it was a bit on the chilly side tonight so they had the place to themselves. He didn't care as long as they were together.

Not normally one to go to extremes when it came to public displays of affection, he went against his nature just this once. The door had barely closed when Evan swept Shannon into his arms for a kiss which she returned with zeal. His hand blazed a trail down her side to slip inside the slit, feathering over the skin of her thigh. But he didn't stop there.

Bringing his hand up under her dress and back, he slid his fingers beneath the elastic of her lacy bikini panties to give her firm backside a squeeze. And just like another time when he'd done something daring, he hadn't considered the consequences.

Shannon gasped, wrapped one leg around him as she pulled her mouth from his and began unbuttoning his jacket. While she did that he dragged his lips along her jawline to scrape his teeth on that spot behind her ear that made her…

His head snapped up at the sound of a door opening followed by a male voice filled with humor.

"Jeez, Shanny, why can't you use the broom closet like everyone else?"

Evan and Shannon sorted themselves out then Evan turned to see who had intruded on their privacy. The man was dark-haired, obviously Italian, mid-thirties, very handsome and smirking.

"What do you want, Tony?" Shannon put her hand out and Tony handed her the mirror he carried for her. She used it to check her face while Evan adjusted his clothes and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry, to interrupt, but some people are at the main entrance." He eyed Evan though his words were for Shannon. "Said they were invited, but aren't on the list."

"Who are they?" She handed the mirror to Evan, waited while he used it then returned it to Tony and took Evan's hand.

Tony shrugged rolling his eyes. "Not sure, but the one with the biggest mouth said his name was Sheppard. Doesn't much like takin' no for an answer. Not that the others are much better."

Evan spoke for the first time since the other man had joined them. "They're with me." When Tony just stared, he explained. "The invitation said I could bring guests so I thought, why not?"

Laughing, Shannon led the way back inside. "We'll take care of it."

As they passed him, Evan stuck his hand out and the Italian took it. "Evan Lorne. Pleased to meet…" But Shannon hadn't stopped walking and their hands were pulled apart.

Tony chuckled as he watched the couple being swallowed up by the crowd. "Likewise."

~~O~~

John, Woolsey, Carson and Evan stood together in front of the paintings from Evan's time at Blueberry Hill while Teyla, Amanda and Alison wandered the room. They were sipping champagne and munching on snacks from the buffet while Evan bore their teasing in the only way possible. He ignored it.

When the crowd thickened around them, Woolsey led the way to an unoccupied corner. But John wasn't done. "So, Lorne, tell us about the handcuffs."

Carson's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Aye. That has to be an interestin' story, lad."

Taking a long sip from his glass as a stalling technique, Evan looked for a way to distract his companions, his eyes falling on the painting behind them. "You might want to turn around, sir."

John stopped with his glass halfway to his mouth, his eyes narrowing at the tone. "Excuse me?"

Evan pointed and the other three turned. The main subject of the work was John, but he wasn't alone. Shannon had painted him wearing all black, a T-shirt in place of his uniform shirt, facing to the left with his head turned to look out at anyone looking in. Standing back-to-back with him was the unmistakable silhouette of Johnny Cash at the same age holding his guitar behind his back. It appeared as if each was a reflection of the other. It had been painted in black and white with one spot of color to draw the attention to the words written there.

I Walk the Line

There was no price attached to this particular piece, just the title of the work on a card to the right.

Mouth open, John stared at his likeness, eventually finally finding his voice. "How did she know?"

"How did who know what?" Shannon had joined them, tucking her hand around Evan's elbow. All John could do was point. "That's how I see you."

"Um, how much…"

"It's yours."

Evan watched a spark of excitement appear in his CO's eyes though he tried to appear indifferent to the gift. "That's not…"

"I wouldn't argue with her if I were you, sir. The last man who did got an arrow in the ass."

~~O~~

From across the room, Shannon watched Evan interacting with his friends. He was at once different yet the same as the man who had spent weeks secluded in her home. By the last day, he'd been completely relaxed, as if layers had been peeled away and his true self had been allowed to emerge for the first time in many years. She liked to think that it was all her doing, and maybe much of it was. But she also knew that if he hadn't lost his memory, they might never have gotten to the point of falling in love.

Well, at least she had. She just hoped he had as well or she was wasting her time even being with him. And now that she'd come back to herself, the Shannon she'd been before Steven had died, she didn't want to waste another minute. Whether it was fate, chance, divine intervention or just plain dumb luck, she was glad it had happened. Not that Evan had been injured, but that they'd somehow managed to find each other. She was brought back into the conversation when Woolsey cleared his throat.

"Ms. Coyle, I'm sorry to have to talk business on such an occasion, but the agency we work for is anxious to have your signature on the document we left with you."

"No worries, Mr. Woolsey." Over her shoulder, she called out, "Tony!" The man who was like a brother came to her side immediately.

"Yeah?"

"Those documents I asked you to hold. Where are they?"

Tony produced a tube of papers tied with a bright red ribbon like a scroll. "Here you go."

Woolsey raised an eyebrow, but for once didn't say a thing.

"Sha?" Evan nodded letting her know he wanted to speak to her alone, leading her to the garden again.

Facing her, he gave her the Lorne smile, the one he knew she couldn't resist. "I'm glad you did that because now I can do this." With one hand, he took something from his pocket while the fingers of his free hand weaved together with hers.

"Do what?"

"I'm about to show you a world you never knew existed."

"Oh, Evan. You already have."

"Then get ready for a surprise." Evan activated the small device in his right hand and they disappeared in a flash of light.

~~O~~

Not long after Evan and Shannon stepped out into the garden a nervous and very harried looking gray-haired man in his fifties pushed his way through the crowd to the men from Atlantis talking with Tony. "Where is Shannon? She has interviews scheduled in less than ten minutes."

Sharing an unreadable expression with his companions, Woolsey spoke for the group. "Ms. Coyle has been called away."

The man huffed angrily. "That is just so typical! She becomes a recluse then finally agrees to appear in public again and on the most important night of her career she runs off on some fool's errand."

Taking a breath to get himself under control, Tony pierced the man with his version of a death glare. "There's been a family emergency."

"But…but…but she doesn't have family. She's…"

"Alone?" John came to stand on Woolsey's right, the welcoming smile on his face going away just as it did for Carson as he flanked John's other side with Tony next to Woolsey. All four men were in tuxes, Carson and Tony is white with black ties while John and Woolsey had gone the traditional route. "Listen, pal. We're her family. Think of us as her four very annoyed older brothers."

"Aye. An' we don't appreciate yer tone!" The sentiment was echoed by the rest of the group.

Knowing his colleagues, and Tony, were backing him up gave Woolsey a pleasant feeling. He eyed the man with disdain. "If you like, we can explain it to the press for you. I'm sure they'd be eager to hear how…understanding you were about the situation."

"Brothers? But you look nothing alike." Suddenly afraid of what the four men glaring at him with undisguised hostility might say that would live forever in print and on the Internet, the man beat a quick retreat muttering under his breath about insane artists and their families.

When he was gone, John lifted a hand, fingers curled under. Without a word, the four men made a group fist-bump, exceptionally self-satisfied grins on all their faces.

~~O~~

Lying in bed, Sha cuddled against his side still asleep, Evan sighed in contentment. He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he didn't know where he ended and she began. And that's just how he liked it. Loved it, actually. Never had he felt with anyone else the way he did when he was with her.

She moved, just a little, making a small sound in the back of her throat as if she were still dreaming at the same time she was waking up. The hand on his chest curled and flattened again before sliding across to rub up and down his ribs. Not certain if she'd awakened enough to know what she was doing, he gently took that hand in his to keep her from tickling him again. Thankfully she didn't do it often.

He looked down as her eyelids fluttered open and she glanced around wondering where she was. Smiling, he tilted her head back and planted a feathery kiss on her lips. "Hey."

"Mmm. Hey." Sha pushed up onto an elbow, taking a better look around. "Oh, crikey, it wasn't a dream. We really are in a flying city that used to be in another galaxy."

"Yes, we are." Her head dropped onto his shoulder again while her finger drew random patterns on his skin giving him the idea that she was anxious so he waited for her to speak.

"Evan…" she moved her hand to his stomach, using it to help her sit up, "…we have to talk."

"Yes, we do. Ladies first." Try as he might, he couldn't keep his eyes on her face. They kept dropping down to her bare chest, flat abdomen and beyond.

She snorted. "Maybe I should get dressed so you won't be distracted."

"Huh? Did you say something? I was distracted by your…" he greatly overplayed a leer.

~~O~~

That slow, sexy smile of his materialized as if by magic and Shannon knew that if they didn't move from the bed then what she had to say would get lost until later.

Lifting the covers, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and reached for the first thing she could find, which happened to be the T-shirt he'd worn under his uniform the night before. It was too big but that could only help her case at the moment.

Padding into the toilet, she did what needed to be done and returned to the bedroom to see that he'd taking her at her word. He was sitting on the small sofa in the corner in his boxers and a T-shirt, his serious expression firmly in place. Uncertain how to begin, she merely stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed until he held out his hand.

She took it and let him urge her to sit beside him, one leg curled under. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Everything. I know it's just the way you are, but it was so much more than that to me." Her eyes made contact with his. "Steven and I met at university. It was love at first sight for him. For me it took a little longer, but he was patient.

"We got engaged shortly after I graduated with the understanding that we'd marry when he received his doctorate. He'd already received his Master's in mechanical and electrical engineering." She paused to collect her thoughts and Evan chuckled.

"Sounds like McKay. He's got degrees out the…well, let's say he's a lot like Steven and leave it at that."

"Too right. Talks to himself a bit too." They shared an indulgent smile on Rodney's behalf. That alone told her more than Evan ever had about his friendship with the physicist. Behind the complaints, she could hear genuine affection for Rodney and it warmed her heart even more. "Um, when the time came to set a date, I kept putting him off because I was scared, afraid of fully committing to him. Eventually, we did get married.

"Just a few months before our second anniversary he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, a virulent type of leukemia. He'd been determined to complete the latest versions of Mega-Sphere and Duty Bound in time for Christmas so he put off going to the doctor until it was too late." Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"So how do I fit into all of this?"

"Don't you get it?" The tone of her voice changed, a note of anger coming through. Not at him but at herself. "You made me see that I wasn't just mourning Steven. I was grieving for the time wasted because of my silly notions." His spontaneous smile almost seemed as if he was laughing at her, but she knew he would never do that. He would never be cruel.

~~O~~

Evan couldn't help smiling though it wasn't because of Sha's "silly notions." It was in sad yet fond remembrance of someone from his past. "I understand. A friend from high school, Elyse, had been engaged to her fiancé for more than ten years before they finally married. She wanted to build up her reputation in the marketing industry before she took time off to start a family.

"She and Harrison eventually married and went to Hawaii for their honeymoon, planning to stay for two weeks. On the fifth day, they went scuba diving with a group. Her gauge malfunctioned and she died." He took both of Sha's hands in his waiting for her to speak.

"I sorry." She squeezed his hands. "And what I told you before about not being able to have children is true. I was badly injured in the same accident that killed my parents. All my parts are still there, but the damage was severe so no kids." A few tears, some for him and some for herself, created wet tracks on her cheeks as she made a soggy laugh. "We're quite a pair, aren't we?"

"We certainly are." He brushed away the tears with his thumbs.

"Tell me something. At any time while you were with me, you could have taken Botany and ridden into town where your friends would have found you. Why didn't you?"

"Ah…that's not difficult to explain. I knew I needed to be someplace else, but wasn't exactly sure where. But there was just something about you that made me want to stay. I think being with you helped me get my priorities not straight but got me to think about a future aside from being in the Air Force. Carson thinks I just needed a break, to take time off from being, well, me." Shrugging sheepishly, he smiled. "Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened or I would never have found you. Besides, there are worse places to spend time than in the company of a beautiful woman on what amounts to a deserted island.

"One last thing. My birthday is July 22nd. My sister's is in May."

"September 23rd." Her shy smile made an appearance. "Now that we know everything about each other, what d'ya say? Wanna get married?"

"To you?"

She pulled her hands free to swipe at the moisture on her face again. "Of course to me, silly."

"Too impatient to wait for me to do the asking?"

"Yeah." Scooting closer, Sha cradled his face between her palms. "In the end, Steven and I had less than two years as a married couple. I don't want that to happen to us."

"Neither do I. And the answer's yes. I will marry you."

Evan laughed when she eyed him suspiciously. "No doubts? No reservations?"

"None."

"Good 'cause I meant what I said before. You're mine whether we get married or not."

He leaned forward until their lips nearly touched his voice dropping down to a husky whisper. "You asked, I said yes and I'm holding you to it. As for kids, we can adopt. There are lots of children who are looking for a forever home. We can provide that. Not sure how yet, but we'll figure it out together." His lips touched hers to seal the deal. "There's one thing we haven't done, something we haven't said yet."

"Oh?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'll go first this time." Instead of kissing her again, he veered off course until his mouth was close to her ear. "I love you."

"And I love you." She gasped when he nibbled on her ear then laid a trail of kisses along her jaw. He kissed first one corner of her mouth then the other leaving her breathless. "We should…mmm! We should tell your friends and I need to…need to call…"

Before she could finish what she'd been about to say, he captured her lips with his. Then slipping one arm under her knees and the other around her back to pull her onto his lap, he carried her across the room. Laying her gently on the bed, he followed her down and spent the rest of the morning proving just how much he loved her and she gave it back in equal measure.

~~O~~

I love you.

Three of the simplest words in the English language, yet for some, they're the hardest to say.

But with those three words, Evan and Shannon closed the books on two lives lived separately and opened one book on a life together. Turning the pages, they began to write their own story, one that would always be filled with love and so much more…today and forever.

Finito

A/N: The original title of this story was "A Resting Place for a Weary Mind" indicating that the reason Evan had amnesia was only in part because of the concussion, that he needed a place to rest his mind where he was free from responsibility. Though it did convey the plot, it proved too cumbersome.

Then a local classic rock station played "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger giving me the new title. (Seger is getting a great deal of airplay these days due to his December 17th arrival in town for a concert. From what I've been told, he hasn't lost a step in the last forty years.)

"Turn the Page" is a song originally released by Bob Seger in 1973 on his Backin '72 album. Though never released as a single, Seger's live version of the song on his 1976 LiveBullet album became a mainstay of album-oriented rock radio stations, and still gets significant airplay to this day on classic rock stations. You are encouraged to check it out on YouTube. You won't be sorry.

And yes, I did get the name of Shannon's desert home from the song. Let's sing it together now.

"I found my thrill oooooon Blueberry Hill…"

"Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940 best remembered for its 1950s rock n' roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Al Lewis.

AdditionalNote: A Christmas sequel is in the works. Stay tuned…