Evan walked toward the village, fear already coiling in the pit of his stomach. He knew what he would find, but he couldn't stop the scenario from unfolding.
The village spread out in front of him, deathly quiet in the morning. The sun shone brightly, mocking the gruesome scene. Men, women, and children lay on the ground, their blood soaking the sand and turning it brownish-red. Eyes stared vacantly, and mouths opened soundlessly. Almost everyone held a blood-coated weapon.
"Major!" Reed's voice was panicked.
Evan turned and rushed to his side, slowing as he saw the Atlantis uniform. He stepped over, his heart tripping as he recognized the yellow bands on the bloody sleeve. With morbid fascination, he grasped the body's shoulder and rolled it toward him.
Jennifer Keller stared at him, her face contorted in rage while her life bled out on the ground below him.
Evan woke in a cold sweat. He swallowed the nausea that still threatened, even weeks after seeing that village. He never complained about the dreams that life on Atlantis caused, but he knew this one had deeper issues.
He'd almost lost her. That thought had rolled around in his head for weeks, and it returned in full force. He'd almost lost Jennifer to an unknown pathogen. Even now, she worked to find a treatment. He knew. She told him this last night, at dinner.
Rather than thinking, Evan pushed back the covers and rose. He pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt. As soon as he wore his tennis shoes, he headed toward the gym. In the week since the destruction of the Replicator's planet, he'd taken to using a punching bag to relieve his nighttime terrors. Lately, those terrors revolved around one woman.
Jennifer sat on a bench along the side of the gym. Evan blinked at her as he entered, wondering how he'd managed to summon her at this late hour. Then, she looked at him, the haunted expression back in her eyes. He moved to her side. "Hey, Doc."
"Evan." Her use of his given name seemed deliberate.
"What's on your mind?" As he spoke, he dropped onto the bench and braced his elbows on his knees.
"Oh, you know." She gave him a sheepish shrug. "Bola Kai."
"Again?" He straightened to look at her.
She nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. Evan moved, putting an arm around her. He knew she still struggled with the ordeal on New Athos. As she leaned against him, she spoke. "I know it's been a long time, and I should be over this. But, I'm not. I keep dreaming about running through the forest, fighting Bola Kai and not having it do any good. I wanted to learn to fight, but I just haven't taken the time.
"And that bridge." She shuddered. "There was a rope bridge. Teyla's people built it. A single thick rope to walk on, over this Grand Canyon-sized drop. I did okay until the middle of it. Then, my foot slipped. In real life, Teyla caught me. In my dream. . . ." She didn't have to finish the sentence.
So she'd been dreaming of her own death while he'd dreamed of losing her. Interesting. Rather than saying anything, he stayed silent. What could he say that wouldn't reveal more than he wanted to reveal?
Finally, Jenn lifted her head and tossed her hair from her face. "Can't sleep?"
"Ah. . .dreams." Evan shrugged. "You know how it is."
She nodded, not asking him about them. He appreciated that. Even though he knew talking about the nightmares would likely help, he refused to put that kind of pressure on her. After all, a few months ago, his worst nightmare had been finding out that his trusted CO was a Replicator. Now, his worst nightmare involved finding the mutilated corpse of the woman he loved. He did not want to explain how that shift happened.
Jenn stood and walked a few steps toward the center of the room. Her arms wrapped around her middle, and she looked uncertain. "So you came to the gym?"
"Ah. . .yeah. I was going to use the punching bag, but if you're wanting to spar. . . ." Even as he offered, he knew it was probably a bad idea.
"Oh, I. . .that's. . .I mean. . . ." Her characteristic stammer told him everything he needed to know.
He stood, walking toward her with a calculating expression. "Don't know how?"
"No." She shrugged. "I was going to ask about lessons, but my ankle was still healing. Then, everything happened, and. . . ."
"How about now?" Evan held out his hands. "I'm not Ronon, and he'd probably teach you a lot more. But I'm not too bad myself."
"Really?" She grinned at him when he nodded. "Right now?"
"Why not?" He returned the grin. "What's wrong, Doc? Afraid of something?"
Jennifer pulled herself up to her full height. Evan was not going to tease her. She suspected that might have been his intention, but she couldn't resist the sparkle in his eyes or the teasing in his voice. "Sure. Why not?"
For the next few minutes, she listened as he carefully outlined the basics of hand-to-hand combat. He showed her how to plant her feet and hold her hands. They ran through several slow exercises designed to teach her the motions. Then, he stood next to her and sped up the motion.
Jennifer followed as closely as she could. She had to admit that the exercise felt good. She ran every day, but she rarely had enough time for more than that. She needed to make it to the gym more often. There was something incredibly therapeutic about physical exercise.
Once she could do the motions with relative ease, Evan decided that she'd progressed enough to actually spar. Jennifer wondered if she shouldn't call it a night, but the serious expression he wore made her obey his instructions. On the first try, he knocked her hands aside easily. After explaining what she'd done wrong, he nodded for her to try the simple block again. Three attempts later, she succeeded.
Evan didn't stop there, however. He seemed to sense that she'd moved beyond thinking about the moves to just letting her body react. While she reacted instinctively, he tried another attack. She blocked this one too, but ended up about an inch from his face.
They stared at each other for a moment. Jennifer knew she should back away, but she couldn't make her body obey her commands. Evan overwhelmed her with his proximity. Maybe, if she just kissed him, they could avoid that talk she'd asked to have.
As if reading her mind, his eyes dropped to her lips and flew back to her eyes. The distant friendship faded, leaving something profound behind. Her breath hitched, and her heart rate rose. She idly wondered if he could see her pulse in her neck but pushed the thought from her mind.
A moment later, Evan kissed her, and all coherent thought flew from her mind. Jennifer had barely begun to return the kiss when he pulled away. This time, however, he simply dropped the hold he'd had on her arms, choosing to pull her closer to his body. One hand lay alongside her jaw, and he kissed her again.
Jennifer struggled to breathe even as she returned the kiss with everything in her. Every nerve in her body came alive, and she snaked one arm around his neck. A part of her brain told her that it was simply the late night, the result of too many nightmares and too little sleep. But she didn't care. She could stay in Evan's arms for the rest of her life and be completely happy.
All too soon, he pulled away. This time, however, he simply pressed his forehead to hers. They stood like that for a few minutes, their breath mingling as they both tried to find their equilibrium. Jennifer closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him pressed against her and the comfort it offered. She could definitely handle waking up to this every morning!
Finally, he straightened, putting distance between them and cooling the passions their kiss had ignited. "Ah. . . ."
"Yeah," she agreed. She wasn't entirely sure what to say, and she opted for the dry joke she knew he'd appreciate. "I'll dream well after that."
A grin touched his face, but the mask had descended over his eyes, again. "Yeah, me, too."
After another awkward moment, Jennifer motioned to the door. "I should go."
At first, he acted as if he'd let her leave. Then, he cleared his throat. "Hey, Jenn?" He stood in the center of the room, looking completely shaken. "Coffee? Soon?"
So this had affected him. She smiled. "Sounds good." She checked the watch she still wore and cringed. "Though, maybe not this morning. I'm going to try to get as much sleep as I can."
Evan smiled. "Tomorrow, then." He put his hands on his hips. "Sleep well."
After a kiss like that? she thought. Not likely. "Plan to."
She left with her heart still pounding. Why couldn't he just be honest with her about what he obviously felt? A man didn't kiss a woman like that without having some serious feelings. She knew. She remembered being held by another man back on Earth. She clearly recalled how used she felt when he was done with her. How his kisses were about himself and what he could get.
Not so with Evan. Even as he kissed her, he held her carefully, as if she would break. And he stayed close even after he broke the kiss. She'd never felt anything like it. She just hoped that she saw him again before their next briefing. She didn't know if she would be able to sit in the same room, listening to McKay and others talk about physics and other mundane Atlantis business, without reliving that kiss again.
As she dropped into bed, she closed her eyes. Yes, she could definitely get used being treated like that by Evan. If only he would realize it, she'd be the happiest woman on the planet.
oOo
Evan,
For the record, you'd have to catch me to have a tickle war like that!
Seriously, though. Wow! I never thought you'd find a woman willing to put up with you! I think I'll write this date on my calendar so I can remember it! A once-in-a-lifetime event, not to mention something you thought impossible, has occurred!
I have so many questions. What's her name? Where is she from? What does she do? How did you meet? What does she look like? Those and so many more. I mean, it's not like your older brother asking for dating advice is normal! If the email wasn't surprise enough, its certainly contents were!
So, she's younger than you. By quite a bit. That shouldn't be a problem, especially if she's The One. And you're worried about making a move? Don't be. If she's into you, she'll appreciate it. That's one thing you haven't told me. Are you just friends with her, or are you pretending to be just friends? Because women are funny about their men. If they're just friends, they don't want you to make a move. But, if they're just pretending to be friends, they're crying out for you to make a move. Odds are good she's in one of these two categories. You're going to have to decide that.
As for making a move, it doesn't have to be huge. It could be a simple date. Something that lets her know how you feel. Or it could be a conversation. Or a kiss. Or. . . You get my drift. Anything that lets her know you care about her. The problems on base will complicate things a little, but not as much as you're thinking. Women like to be comforted. We like to know we're cherished and special. Unless she's a tough Marine, she's probably going to want that. (Heck, she'll probably want that even if she is a tough Marine!)
Oh, I can't wait 'til you come home next! Especially if you bring her! Jared and Chris will love to meet her, as well. I hope things work out for you. Really, I do. Your last email sounded so happy. So content. I hope you'll figure this out and that you'll be happy with this mystery lady.
Pictures should be included with this email.
Ellen
P.S. Seriously, can I have a name? Please?
Evan chuckled at the email, thinking about the previous night. The weekly status report deposited the email into his inbox an hour ago, and he'd gladly taken the time to read Ellen's reply. Not that he needed to worry about making a move. After that kiss last night, he'd taken a cold shower before returning to bed. Now, he clicked the "Reply" button and started typing.
Ellen,
So, I think the making a move part has been done. Now I just have to wait for the fallout from it. It wasn't planned. Wasn't intentional. But, well, wow!
Her name is Jennifer. She's a doctor, and she's not a Marine. We met because she's the CMO of the base, and she does everyone's medical examinations. Now, before your mind goes to the gutter, she's very professional about it. As for what she looks like, she's gorgeous. Blond hair, blue eyes, mischievous smile. I won't terrorize you with my other observations concerning her appearance.
"Major Lorne, this is Sheppard."
Evan sighed as the call interrupted his thoughts. He tapped his radio. "Yes, Sir."
"Gear up."
"Yes, Sir." Evan stared at the computer screen.
Sorry, Sis, but duty calls. I'll try to write more, later.
Evan.
P.S. Thanks for the pics. I'll get them printed soon.
He pressed the send button and headed for the armory. With Sheppard's team down one person due to Teyla's pregnancy, he expected to get a lot more missions during the next few months. As he walked into the armory, he buried his grin. His sister was happy for him.
"Sir, what's going on?" he asked.
"McKay thinks we've got a message from Wraith friend." Sheppard glanced up as he grabbed a TAC vest. "We're going to check it out."
Lorne nodded and set about preparing for the mission. Minutes later, he led his men from the armory, leaving Teyla and Sheppard to argue over whether she went on this mission or not. He gladly left the Colonel to that argument. Instead, he waved at Jennifer as he passed the infirmary, drawing a smile and slight blush from her. Evan grinned. For right now, life was good.
~TBC