Max was watching Lorne paint again. It was a seascape with one of Atlantis' many balconies in the foreground. Except that unlike the balcony Lorne was standing on and Max was watching him work from this balcony had never held life. Somehow Lorne managed to convey the feeling that the view in the painting was a dead place. A place where life hadn't arrived, thrived, and died away like so many other planets in the galaxy but a place where life had never started at all.

"Did you intend to make it so empty?" She asked softly. He startled slightly having forgotten she was there more than two hours ago and glanced at her. Happily he had not been actively painting when the question broke his concentration. He looked at the sky roughly judging the time and back at her.

"Empty?"

"It's beautiful but …empty. There are no fish in that sea."

He looked at the canvas thoughtfully then at Max.

"That's how it looks to you?"

"No, how it feels."

"What did the painting I did on the Daedalus feel like?"

"The weirdest mom and pop diner a spaceship ever had." She grinned. He laughed.

"Okay give me a hand cleaning up." He chuckled. She helped him and carried his bag as they carefully trekked to his quarters where he could safely stow the still damp painting.

"You haven't talked to Colonel Sheppard." He said once the painting was safely out of danger.

"Shop talk?"

Lorne smiled and shrugged one shoulder.

"No, I haven't." She admitted avoiding his smile and knowing eyes.

"Afraid he'll talk you into it eh? If it helps General O'Neill had to convince him to join the first mission here."

"Why?"

"I don't know for sure. Apparently he was born with the Ancient gene, Dr. Wier… our first leader?" Max nodded showing she knew of Weir.

"Right, she uh wanted him for that, at first anyway so General O'Neill had a talk with Sheppard and now here we are."

"You're saying he took some convincing so maybe he'll understand why I do?"

"Worth a shot?" He suggested with a pained smile.

Max sighed and looked at her hands.

"Sir, I'm not reluctant to join his team out of concern for my own safety. I'm concerned for his and the city's." Lorne remained quiet just putting away his tools.

"What I did? I don't… I can't do again but I don't really understand why I did it in the first place. The report is…clear about the what and the how, even the who. It's the why I don't understand. Why I went from defense to overkill offense. Until I do I don't think I'm safe to be on a team. Worse what if potential allies find out about my past?"

"I think they'll be more interested in your skillset."

"Which is another liability. These Genii assholes you've tangled with would just love to get their hands on me, forget about a puddlejumper or the cure."

He laughed and shook his head.

"Sergeant you need to do some research. The Genii military wants Sheppard's head on a platter. Tey'la is a dignitary and head of state in her own right as well having some special gifts and skills of her own, any of which can make her a target. Ronon is a hugely accomplished warrior in his own right with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas and Rodney? He's a recognized genius and friend of Sheppard's. Just being known as part of Atlantis is enough to get most of us kidnapped or killed in the wrong circumstances. So okay you might be a liability but so is everyone around you." He explained patiently.

Max mulled his point over in silence.

"It's time to stop being afraid of maybe and accept some certainties. Without you we may fall to the wraith and if that happens Earth is next. With or without you the people of this city will die one day. Maybe in 80 years in bed surrounded by friends and family but probably not. This isn't about you it's about Earth and Pegasus."

"You should be a recruiter."

Sheppard came by her quarters that night. She didn't bother to ask if Lorne had sent him or Sheppard had come on his own tired of waiting.

"Sir." She said as he entered her quarters. She was sitting in a lotus position on her bed with the asp blade balanced on her knees.

"Uh hi. So you've had time to think –"

"I'll join your team sir."

"Why now?"

"I had a long talk with someone I trust sir. If I'm here to help then I may as well do more than sit around and get poked."

"You're sure about this?"

"No."

"Good."