Title: In the Blood, ch 11
Author: Whytewytch
Word count: 1,560
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers/Warnings: None
Characters/Pairings: Evan Lorne, OFC
Summary: Justinia's first off-world expedition as a member of Lorne's team.
Justinia's alarm went off and she groaned. It must have malfunctioned, she thought as she looked out the dark window. I only just set it and closed my eyes a minute ago. She rolled over to read the time and stop the ringing, then groaned again as she realized it had been no malfunction. It was time to get up to go for her morning jog with Major Lorne.
Each day started the same, with a one hour run. At first, the major had allowed her to walk most of it, but each day he made her run for longer and longer periods. Her muscles shrieked in protest as she got up from the bed and shuffled to the little bathroom to relieve herself and grab a quick shower to try and wake up a bit. She was barely out of the shower and dressed when the door to her quarters chimed, announcing Lorne's presence. Justinia opened the sliding door and grabbed her scrunchie, quickly pulling her hair up and back as she stepped into the corridor.
Evan's breath caught in his throat as Morgan stepped into the hallway. She looked great, as she did every morning, freshly scrubbed with her blonde hair back in a ponytail. This morning, she was still putting in her ponytail and her arms were back as she twisted the little circle into her hair. Evan forced his gaze away from her chest to look at her face just as she looked up at him. She smiled a little shyly—she had been doing that a lot around him lately and he liked it. Her face, which normally seemed chiseled from stone, became warm and even inviting when she smiled.
"Good morning." Her voice was still a bit ragged from sleep and Evan had to force images of ice and Wraith queens into his head to keep certain unruly parts of his anatomy under control.
He cleared his throat. "Good morning, Doc. You ready for our run?"
She nodded solemnly, but he could see the dark circles under her eyes.
"I'll tell you what, why don't we wind up our run in the mess hall this morning. Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you could use a coffee."
That small smile flitted across her mouth once more. "I could. Thank you."
Evan led her to the deserted hall where they usually started their run. He forced his gaze to the wall as they twisted and stretched, warming up before their run. By the time they began jogging down the hall, Evan had himself under control once more. It was amazing how effective thinking of those Wraith queens was in calming a man's hormones.
Justinia swallowed the hot, black liquid gratefully. She opened her eyes to see Lorne sitting back in his chair, arms crossed and a small smile playing along his lips. "What?"
"You just looked utterly relaxed and content, that's all. It's nice to see it."
Justinia squirmed in her chair. Coffee was one of the few addictions she allowed herself—the others being her lacey underthings and over-dosing on chocolate once a month. She must really be dropping her guard for Lorne to have noticed how much she enjoyed her coffee. She cleared her throat but before she could respond, he spoke once more.
"You've been doing great with your training, you know."
Justinia coughed to cover her embarrassment. Rarely had anyone gone out of their way to tell her she was doing a good job. Of course, she had gotten A's on all of her papers, sometimes with the comment "good!" written in a circle and during her internship, doctors had made the same comment as she worked, but none had told her so outside of the actual work. Somehow, all those other goods she had gotten in school paled in comparison to Lorne's simple statement. She wanted his approval, despite her parents' plans for her.
"I…I am?"
"You are. Your stamina's improving, your punches and kicks are getting stronger, and you're getting closer to the target every day at the firing range."
"I…I don't know what to say, Major. You're a good teacher." Justinia felt awkward and uncomfortable. She stood up. "I should really be getting back to my quarters to get ready for my shift."
"You want me to walk you back?"
Justinia thought of refusing, and then realized she didn't have her PDA. She opened her mouth to turn him down anyway but heard herself say the complete opposite. "You wouldn't mind?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I minded, Doc. Shall we?"
The IOA had wanted doctors on the teams immediately, but Colonel Carter had insisted the docs get a minimum one month training first. After the usual hemming and hawing, the IOA had agreed to a minimum two weeks' training. Justinia had been on ops in the Milky Way, but the Ori were more difficult to fight hand to hand, and her team's tack had been avoidance. Not that the Atlantean teams sought out the Wraith—well, not always—but it seemed the Wraith showed up often enough to make her self-defense classes worthwhile.
Her first time through the gate to another Pegasus planet had been a medical emergency with no time to think of the dangers. This time, she'd had plenty of time to consider what might await them on the other side. She stood looking at the event horizon, scared of crossing it for the first time since coming to Atlantis.
Lorne stepped in front of her, leaning close to adjust her P-90 and ensure the safety was on, checking the straps on her medical kit as well. "You'll be fine, Doc. We'll keep an eye on you." His voice, barely a murmur, was for her ears only. Justinia was grateful for his discretion, even as a shiver rode up her spine at his closeness and the intimacy of his voice. She nodded and swallowed, not trusting her own voice at the moment. Lorne turned toward the gate. "Move out, team!" They stepped through, arriving in the middle of a primeval-looking forest.
Everywhere Justinia looked was green and dark brown. The smell of the damp earth filled her nostrils and the constant plop plop of water from the leaves let her know that they had just missed a good rain. Sunlight began to dapple the ground. She watched the condensation form in front of her as she breathed out. Something about the place made her feel safe, despite the Atlanteans having never been there before.
Lorne moved them all quickly off the platform, down the few stone steps to the forest floor. "Stay here, Doc." His voice was pitched low, his body tense as he and his men scanned the surrounding trees for any sign of danger. Teyla had assured them that the people of the planet were friendly, but the major and his men were taking no chances.
A nearby bush rustled and the team turned as one to train their weapons on it as a pair of young men stepped out. The men appeared to be in their late teens. They were dressed in browns and greens, their faces and hands coated with dirt. Leaves stuck out at odd angles from their hair. The shorter of the two poked the taller one in the ribs. "Told you it wasn't Wraith."
The taller man slapped the shorter one's hand away. "Leave off, Basia. I never said it was the Wraith. I said it wasn't Teyla."
Lorne spoke then but kept his weapon trained on them. "You know Teyla?"
Basia looked at Lorne suspiciously. "How do you know her?"
"We're friends of hers. We've come to trade."
"How do we know you speak the truth? Teyla Ryershin has many friends."
Justinia frowned. She was certain she had heard Teyla's name and Ryershin did not sound correct. Lorne grinned at the boys. "Well, I guess we're in the wrong place. Reed, dial the gate." Lorne turned back to face the Stargate, motioning for Justinia to do the same. Her gaze was puzzled, but she did as he said.
Basia stepped forward as she and Lorne were turning. "Wait! Why are you going?"
Lorne glanced at Basia and his friend over his shoulder. "Well, it appears we are speaking of two different Teylas. The one we know is called Emmagan."
Laughter rang out behind them, followed by an indignant, "Ow!"
"What are you laughing at, Richan?"
Justinia glanced back to see the shorter boy, Richan, rubbing his shoulder and grinning unrepentantly. "You thought you would fool them, but they really do know Teyla!"
Basia called out just before the last symbol was pressed by Reed. "Please! We had to be certain you were who you said you were. Do not go. Wallik would be most displeased."
Lorne turned back to the young men. "I understand. You did the right thing, Basia. It was very quick-witted of you to think of it."
Basia smiled at Lorne. "Where is Teyla?"
"She was unable to accompany us on this trip. She and her team are on another mission. I'm Major Lorne. This is Doctor Morgan, Lieutenant Reed, Lieutenant Coughlin, and Sergeant Sheffield."
Justinia noted uncomfortably that the boys' eyes remained on her as Lorne continued to speak. "Will you take us to speak to Wallik?"