Date : 03.02.2009
Title : Because You're Mine
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 11 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Major Evan Lorne/Dr. Ellie Harrison
Major Evan Lorne/Dr Hope Stewart
Lt. Col John Sheppard/Lyssa Hunter
There may be other pairings but am not certain just yet.
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Angst, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Feedback : Yes please, always welcome whatever it may be.
Disclaimer : Dr. Ellie Harrison, and any O/C's are mine. Lyssa Hunter belongs to Kazavid and is from her Atlantis stories Behind The Mask and Reunions. Dr Hope Stewart belongs to chrisxgirlx and is from her Bleeding Love series. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.
Summary : Lorne never thought that he would see Ellie again after she was taken by the Wraith. Now, fifteen months later she's back…but where does that leave Hope, Lorne's new love and can Lorne give up the chance to be with his one true love again?
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"You did WHAT?!" Lyssa exclaimed. "Drew I can understand, that needed sorting…but Major Reece, what were you thinking?"
Ellie cringed and looked around to make sure that Zelenka and Hope, who were in the lab opposite, hadn't heard.
"What's wrong with Major Reece? He's very attractive and it's not like it's a proper date or anything, he's only accompanying me to your engagement party, no big deal," she said but Lyssa folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Ellie.
"Will Lorne see it that way though and what do you mean my engagement party is no big deal?" she asked and Ellie bit her bottom lip and said,
"I didn't mean your party isn't a big deal, I meant him taking me isn't. Look, Lyssa, I've kind of come to a decision about Evan. I think it's best if I just let him go, I mean, he's with Hope now and I need to think about myself…and Kyle…" she trailed off as Sheppard bustled into the lab munching on an apple.
He dropped a kiss onto Lyssa's cheek before leaning on the table in front of Ellie, resting his weight on his elbows as he stared at her.
"What do you want?" Ellie asked eventually and he slurped at the juice from the next bit of his apple, making her grimace before he said,
"I have some news for you."
Ellie waited as Sheppard continued to stare at her and eventually Lyssa kicked him up the ass and he said,
"Lorne moved out of Hope's room last night. I assigned him new quarters this morning….and that hurt!" he said, turning to glare at Lyssa but she was too busy gauging Ellie's reaction to this latest development.
"It doesn't necessarily mean anything," Ellie said, eventually and Lyssa moved forward to glare at her alongside Sheppard.
"What do you mean, 'it doesn't necessarily mean anything?' Of course it means something, it means they broke up," she said, sounding exasperated but Ellie didn't look convinced.
"They may have just had an argument, I mean, when Evan and I were together he spent a couple of nights in his office…" she trailed off as Sheppard shook his head at her.
"He had all his stuff with him, easel and all."
"Really?" Ellie asked, glancing over to where Hope was just leaving the other lab.
The other woman did look pale and tired she noted and a frisson of hope began to pool in her belly alongside the compassion she felt for Lorne's new girlfriend or ex girlfriend now, as the case may be.
"Really," Sheppard confirmed, pushing away from the table to launch his apple core into a nearby waste bin.
"And how did Lorne look? Upset? Happy? What?" Lyssa queried and Sheppard shrugged.
"He just looked like Lorne to me," he replied and Lyssa thumped his arm.
"You're useless," she stated and he grabbed her around the waist.
"Is that so?" he asked, one eyebrow raised and Ellie watched as her tough-as-nails best friend all but melted into her fiancé's arms.
"Well maybe not useless at 'everything'", Lyssa said and Ellie groaned.
Shaking her head she decided to give them a minute…or ten…and go get some coffee.
She left the lab and made her way down the hallway. She stopped in her tracks though as she rounded a corner and saw Hope and Lorne.
She was torn between turning and going back the way she'd come or just carrying on right by them. The decision was made as Hope turned and saw her and so she forced one foot in front of the other and approached them, avoiding Lorne's eyes as she did so.
"I'd forgotten how much coffee you need working here," she offered and Hope forced a smile.
"That's where I was just headed."
"Oh, well, I can get you one too whilst you two…ahh…carry on here…" Ellie said, her face flushing and Lorne bit back a smile as he remembered how easily she blushed.
"Um, thanks," muttered Hope. "Milky, no sugar and Radek wants one too."
"No worries, I remember how he takes his," Ellie said, scurrying away as the heat in her cheeks threatened to engulf her entire head.
She'd had no idea that talking to Hope whilst Lorne was there too would be so stressful!
Once Ellie had disappeared into the level changer, Hope turned to Lorne.
"That was nice of her…does she know you moved out?"
Lorne frowned.
"Well I didn't tell her if that's what you're implying…the only person who knows is Colonel Sheppard, he assigned me my quarters this morning…" he trailed off as Hope folded her arms and shook her head.
"What?" he asked and she smiled but there was no mirth with it.
"Sheppard was just in Ellie's lab with her and Lyssa."
"So?"
"So, they were probably discussing our break-up," Hope said and Lorne folded his arms.
"You were the one who wanted me to move out. People are going to find out sooner or later and have we broken up or are we just on a break?," he said, not sure of the difference and Hope felt tears begin to threaten.
Lorne felt a pang in his heart as he saw that she was getting upset and he reached out and touched her face.
"I'm so sorry about all of this…" he began, but she backed away so that his hand fell away from her.
"We should never have gotten involved Evan…you weren't ready to be with someone else…" she told him and Lorne regarded her.
"Hope…" he began but she shook her head.
"I love you Evan…you know where I am when you decide who you want to be with," and with that she walked away, back to her lab.
Lorne blew out a long breath and headed for the level changer…he needed to bury his head in some paperwork.
oooo
Hope managed to make it back to the lab she was sharing with Zelenka before the flood gates broke and he immediately pulled her into his arms, whispering soothing words of comfort to her in Czech.
He knew all about Lorne moving out as Hope had told him earlier that morning.
The news had sparked a small glimmer of something akin to hope somewhere in his own heart, but he knew that she loved Lorne with every fibre of her being and so he didn't let the glimmer develop any further and had stamped down hard on it and ignored it as best he could.
But whenever he held her like this, which wasn't very often, he began to wish that things were different between them.
Radek had never really been in love before…not until he'd met Hope. She had been so bubbly and vibrant and in the aftermath of Ellie being taken by the Wraith it had seemed that she was just what they had all been waiting for…especially Major Lorne.
But now Ellie was back, where did that leave Hope?
Zelenka pondered the question and decided that Hope deserved an answer.
Determinedly he set her away from him and said,
"I will be right back, don't move," and then he left the lab.
"Radek?" Hope said, swiping at her eyes and wondering where he was going.
Sighing she sat back at the bench where her laptop was and stared at the screen, the normal enthusiasm she felt for her work just not there.
Just then Ellie entered, balancing three coffees.
She put all three down and then picked her own back up.
"There you go…" she said and Hope offered her a weak smile.
"Thanks."
Ellie nodded and frowned.
"Um…look, are you alright…I mean, I know you don't really know me and stuff…but um…" she said and Hope regarded her.
"I'm fine, thank you".
Ellie nodded again.
"Right. Okay…it's just, the thing with the jumpers…the schematics can be awkward to master so if you need a hand and Rodney and Zelenka aren't free then I'd be happy to help."
"Thanks, I'll bear that in mind," Hope replied a little stiffly and Ellie backed up toward the door.
"Okay, well, I'd better get back…see you," she said and Hope waved absently and sighed deeply once Ellie had gone.
'Why'd she have to be so nice?' she wondered. 'Why cant she be some nasty, scheming bitch?'
Hope covered her face with her hands and closed her eyes.
'And why did I have to be so standoffish with her? I need to get a grip.'
ooo
Lorne barely had a chance to glance up as Zelenka entered his office and immediately began to rant at him in Czech.
When he eventually saw the bewildered look upon Lorne's face, the Doctor cleared his throat, did an about turn and abruptly left again.
Lorne blinked and muttered,
"What the hell…?"
Just then, Sheppard entered the office, indicating over his shoulder as he said,
"What's up with Zelenka?"
"Damned if I know Sir, he just walked in here, rattled something off in Czech and then walked off again," Lorne replied.
"Hmm," Sheppard said then added, "Anyhow, I just wanted to discuss the main security arrangements for the night of the party."
"Right," Lorne replied, pulling a clip-board off the wall behind him and handing it to Sheppard who said,
"Obviously I cant cover anything as Lyssa would have my hide and Reece says he has a hot date for the party and so I was wondering how you were fixed?"
"Yeah I can do it Sir, no worries," Lorne replied, thinking that since he was now 'alone' he may as well work. He also was interested to learn who Reece's hot date was. The Major had always had an interest in Teyla, right up to finding out that she was pregnant with Kanan's baby and then he had given up on that idea.
Lorne had no idea who Reece's date could be.
"You sure you don't mind?" Sheppard's voice brought him back from his reverie and Lorne nodded.
"I'm sure Sir, it's fine."
"Okay then, that's that sorted…now I just need to choose an outfit," Sheppard joked and Lorne shook his head and laughed as the Colonel handed him back the clip-board and went on his way.
ooo
On his way back to the lab, Zelenka cursed his own inability to tackle Lorne head on about his treatment of Hope.
He muttered some more in Czech and shook his head.
'How can I even begin to think that Hope will be remotely interested in me?' he thought as he glumly made his way back to the lab.
'Just forget the notion,' he told himself sternly. 'Just be there for her and that will have to be enough.'
Suddenly though he had a brainwave.
"I can ask her to Colonel Sheppard and Lyssa's party!" he exclaimed, happiness lighting his face and he picked up his pace.
oOoOoOo
The night of the party came around pretty quickly and Lorne was on his first sweep of the evening when he ran into Hope along one of the walk-ways.
She was wearing a pale green knee length dress with shoe string straps and had her blonde hair down and it fell in soft waves around her shoulders.
"Hey," they said at the same time, then laughed and Lorne regarded her.
"You look nice," he said and saw the heat tinge her cheeks.
"Thanks," she replied, her heart fluttering as she added, "You not coming to the party then?"
"I might get a chance to stop in later, when the next shift takes over. Depends how long into the night it goes on for I guess," he replied and she nodded.
Just then, Zelenka, dressed in a suit and tie hurried toward them.
"There you are," he said, holding his arm out and Hope linked him, smiling at him.
"You look very smart Radek," she said and Lorne couldn't help but notice the grin of pride that spread across the Doctor's face.
"Yeah, you scrub up well Doc," he said but merely replied a scowl for his efforts.
"Shall we?" Radek said to Hope, indicating that they descend the stairs that would lead down toward the mess hall where the party was being held.
"Sure…maybe see you later Evan," Hope replied and he nodded as the two of them headed away.
Lorne tried to gauge how he felt about seeing Hope on Zelenka's arm…but he was her friend…so he didn't count…did he?
He was still pondering when up ahead, Ellie stepped out of the level changer and Lorne felt all the air leave his lungs as he took in the sight of her.
She was wearing the ice blue halter neck dress from 'their' engagement party.
The one he had loved.
Her hair was half up, half down and curls hung prettily around her face, just as they had been that night.
In fact she looked just as she had three years ago with one exception…
His ring was not on her finger.
He was about to walk toward her, but froze as Major Reece stepped out of the level changer too and put a hand on the small of Ellie's back and she turned her head and smiled up at him.
'This is not happening,' Lorne thought frantically.
'Ellie cant be Reece's hot date…she just cant be.'
But it looked like she was.
End of Chapter 11