Jennifer woke the next morning knowing that her time with Evan had well and truly ended. Last night, after her quiet walk with him, she'd returned to the house to find that Aunt Sarah had called. Her aunt, cousins, their families, and the other adopted family would arrive around ten that morning. While Jennifer wanted to see them, she also regretted losing the extra time with Evan.

Pushing back the covers, she rose and stretched. Last night, she had simply wanted to be close to Evan without words. They had walked in silence for a long time, and he seemed to know exactly what she needed. Something told her that this wasn't just the talk he'd had with her father. This was who he truly was. Even back on Atlantis, he'd be the one to hold her through the difficult times.

Jennifer blinked and stopped halfway down the stairs. Had she truly come to think of Evan as her "one and only?" Not only had he won her attraction back on Atlantis. It appeared that he'd won her heart while on Earth. Only time would tell if it would last, but she couldn't handle the idea of no longer having him at her side.

He met her with a kiss and a cup of coffee. Richard still slept, having stayed up late the previous night. The house was ready for family, and Jennifer spied Evan's bag in a corner of the living room. He'd already moved out of the guest room in preparation for the family's arrival.

She smiled and stayed in his personal area after he ended the kiss. "I'm going to miss that."

He frowned. "Why? Because your family's here?"

"No." She shrugged and finally accepted the coffee. "Because our quarters are on opposite sides of At-base."

"They don't have to be."

"Thinking long term already?"

"What do you mean already?" He stepped back and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I told you in Denver."

"I know." Jennifer shrugged and walked to the table. "I can't explain the hesitation. It's just. . . I know what a doctor's life is like. I'm always leaving, caught up in work, long hours in the infirmary. Did you know I sleep on my office couch two or three times a month?"

A slow grin spread across his face. "Can't be any worse than a soldier's life. I get called up in the middle of the night to fly. . .planes. . .through anything, face any number of our bad guys, negotiate trade agreements, fight our own people who have been compromised. I understand your hesitation."

She stared at him. Did he really deal with all of those things? She'd never truly considered the stresses that his life might be on him. After all, Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne were simply the military commander and second-in-command of Atlantis. They went through the gate and did this all the time. Never any problems. Never a second thought. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm." He motioned her to the table and settled next to her. "Look, life where we're stationed is difficult, but it can be done. Rodney and Katie are proof of that. As are a couple others around the base. We're not going in opposite directions. At least, I don't think we are."

"I like to think we're heading in the same direction." She let her smile cover her face. "I know I've never felt like this about anyone else. Until last night, I never wanted to see someone after a really long day in the infirmary. Not really. Having Laura or Teyla around was fine. Dad, sure. But not like. . . ." She trailed off, remembering the end of their walk and the sizzling kiss he'd given her before returning her to the house. She shook away the memory and simply stared at him.

Evan grinned. "I wanted to tell you all this in Denver."

"I think you did, if memory serves." She looked at the ceiling as she remembered his words. "'I want this to last forever. No questions asked.'"

"I seem to recall saying that."

"Well, I want the same thing." She leaned toward him. "I want to know you'll come get me when I get wrapped up in work. That you'll be there when I lose a patient. After a long surgery. When Sheppard is fighting to get out of the infirmary before he should be released. When Ronon is intimidating all the Marines and making my life miserable with the patients he's sending my way. I want to come home in the evening knowing you're there to give me a hug, eat dinner, and simply be who you are. I want to watch you paint and be amazed at how easy it looks. Everything that we have experienced thus far?" She nodded. "I want all that. And more."

His grin widened. "Not like you to hold back, is it?"

"Not when I know what I want."

He leaned in to kiss her. Just before their lips met, he whispered, "Good to know."

For a moment, the kitchen fell silent as Jennifer melted into his kiss. She closed her eyes, snaked a hand around his neck, and let him support her. When he pulled back, she smiled. "Maybe we should take a walk."

"Or a run." He smiled at her. "It's pretty cold out there."

"My point exactly."

His eyes sparkled at her. "Good to know we're on the same page." He pushed back from the table and pulled her to her feet. "For the record, there's more that I want with you, but that'll have to wait until we're back home and ready to take those big steps we discussed in Denver."

Jennifer felt her face flame again, and she grinned at him. "Yeah, I think that run is a really good idea."

Evan laughed but let her head upstairs to change into jogging pants and tennis shoes. He met her at the front door and pulled her into another long kiss. Then, he left her barely able to think as he headed out the door.

Through the run, Jennifer focused on the difference this vacation had made in her. Back home, she ran daily. Always alone. Always just the pounding of her own feet to keep her thoughts company. Today, she heard her footsteps fall into rhythm with Evan's, and she smiled. So this was what it was like to have someone at her side. As much as coming to Earth had changed their relationship, the last twenty-four hours had changed it. She hadn't yet experienced when things got really bad for him. Not with this relationship changing the way it had. But she knew she wanted to be there when it did.

By the time they arrived back at the house, both of them felt the lethargy of the last several days fall away. They slowed to a walk about two blocks from the house, and Jennifer blinked when several vehicles pulled into her driveway. Then, she groaned. "They're early."

Evan glanced at her. "You didn't want your family to come?"

"Just wait until you meet Aunt Sarah."

"You keep saying that." He held out his hands. "How bad can she be? Really? With everything we handle?"

Jennifer deliberately paused as if considering the answer. "Well. . . ."

He laughed at her. "Come on. I want to meet your cousins."

Sarah had just climbed from her SUV, looking every bit like the successful older woman content with her status in life. Her short gray hair was styled to resemble Ellen de Generes, her glasses looked expensive, and she wore a stylish pink velour jogging suit. Jennifer's cousins, Matthew and Brady, grinned when she walked up. Their eyes went to Evan, and Jennifer already knew the razzing would begin. Their wives and kids tumbled out of the cars with smiles and squeals. And, from the Sarah's car, a third family appeared, this one younger and with a toddler in tow.

Matthew, the oldest of the cousins, stepped forward. "Jennifer! Your father told us you were coming, but I didn't believe him."

She grinned at him. "Here I am."

Ignoring her sweaty condition, he pulled her into a hug. Then, he stuck a hand toward Evan. "Matthew Erickson."

"Evan Lorne."

"Doctor?"

"Ah. . .no." He returned the handshake.

Jennifer turned from where she'd been absorbed by her second cousin, the two wives, and the children. Sarah edged her way toward the group as Jennifer grinned. "Matt, Evan's in the Air Force."

Matthew gave Evan an assessing look. "Military, huh? Officer or enlisted."

Jennifer returned to his side, slipping her hand in his. "Major. Second-in-command of the military base where I work. Why the interrogation?"

Beside her, Evan squeezed her hand. "Relax. They're meeting me for the first time, and it's their right to be overly protective of their cousin."

Brady walked over to her and tugged on her ponytail. "Especially when said cousin rarely brings a friend home, much less. . . ." Then, he frowned. "What, exactly, are you to Jennifer?"

In that moment, Evan and Jennifer exchanged glances, and she knew. She may not have said the words, but she'd found someone with whom she could spend her life. And he clearly felt the same thing because he turned back to Brady with a resolved look on his face.

Sarah chose that moment to interrupt. "Military officer. Hmmm."

Jennifer's eyes slid shut for a few seconds, but she saw the same longsuffering expression cross Matthew's and Brady's faces. She turned to tell her aunt to back off, but Sarah was faster.

Looping an arm through Evan's elbow, Sarah looked him up and down, clearly assessing everything about him. "Always did like a man in uniform."

Evan's jaw flapped open, and his face reddened slightly as he stared at Jennifer. "Excuse me?"

She shrugged. "You were warned."

"Not like this!"

She grinned. "Yeah, well, now you know. And, for the record, I don't think I've ever seen you react that way to anyone."

He would have responded, but Sarah dragged him toward her SUV. He gave Jennifer one final disbelieving look before his mask descended. Jennifer smirked as Major Lorne suddenly made an appearance, and she knew that Sarah wouldn't get through that persona. Not even Wraith could get through that one. As Evan helped Sarah pull luggage from the SUV, Jennifer let her own mask fall away.

Beside her, Matthew draped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. She's harmless."

Jennifer looked at him with a skeptical expression on her face. "Is that so?"

"Wow." Brady fell into step as they walked toward the front door. "This Air Force major must have really gotten under your skin for you to be so protective and jealous."

"I am not. . . ." She let her voice trail off as she realized he was right. "Okay, maybe I am a little jealous. I'm just not used to sharing."

The two men laughed and delivered her to the front porch, where Richard waited with a massive grin. Jennifer moved to where their wives tried to corral the children and smiled when the excited squeals told her she'd been accepted. Her time with Evan may have come to an end, but she intended to enjoy the time she had with her family. Her eyes went back to where Sarah and Evan stood on the porch, chatting with her father. Yes, this time with both old and new family would be a lot of fun. She'd see to that.

oOo

Around eleven that night, Evan grabbed Jennifer's hand and tugged her out onto the front porch. The day had been overwhelming in so many ways. Matthew and Brady quizzed him about his career, and he told them as much as he could. Part of him wanted Jennifer's overprotective older cousins to like him. The other part of him admired them for putting up with their mother.

Thinking of Sarah, he shook his head. When Richard had said "crazy," he'd understated the facts. After dinner, the adults put the children to bed in the guest room and Jennifer's bedroom. Then, they gathered in the kitchen for a rousing game of Pictionary. It was apparently a family favorite. When they settled on Richard and Sarah as team captains, Evan knew the war had ended. Sarah picked him right away, pitting him against the combined intellect of Richard, Jennifer, and Brady, who happened to be an electrical engineer. During the game, Sarah consistently spat out answers to that were unconventional, crude, and downright hilarious. Sometimes all three at once. At one point, while trying to tamp down his desire to sketch a detailed picture so his team could win, Sarah answered with something that left both teams and herself in tears of laughter.

Now, though, as the evening drew to a close, he simply wanted Jennifer's presence. The icy cold of the night didn't faze him as he pulled her close. "You're family is pretty amazing."

She smiled. "I know." Then, she sobered. "Listen, I'm sorry about Aunt Sarah."

"You warned me." He grinned. "Though, I have to say that your father has a knack for understatement."

"He always did." She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. "Still glad you came?"

"I will always be glad I came." He tightened his hold on her, amazed that she'd had to ask the question. "I know this started out as a friendly thing back on Midway, but it's changed. Jennifer, I want to be part of your family." When she raised her head suddenly, he chuckled. "No, I'm not proposing. Not even thinking about it right now. I'm saying that you've got a wonderful family, and it's pretty amazing to be around them."

"I'm sorry your family plans didn't work out."

He stood staring at her for a moment. He'd discovered that the most amazing, beautiful woman in the universe had been under his nose since she arrived on Atlantis, and she apologized. Part of him wanted to feel the same self-pity he'd wallowed in before she appeared in La Jolla, but he refused. "Abby made her choice. I can't change that. I can only look forward. And, right now, looking forward has a lot of appeal."

Jennifer smiled at him. "Good to know." Then, she went up on tiptoe to kiss him. He pulled her as close as possible and allowed himself to get lost in the sheer wonder of her

presence.

oOo

Inside the house, Sarah and Richard stood by the window. Sarah turned to her brother. "He's really the one for her, isn't he?"

Richard nodded sadly. "Yeah, I think so."

She smiled. "I'm really glad, Richard. She could have brought home some tattooed biker. Instead, she brought home a guy with a stable career and who worships the ground she walks on."

Richard nodded again. "I agree."

Sarah raised an eyebrow and watched the pair outside talk quietly, the mist from their breath mingling as they ignored the world. "Good. Should make my job that much easier."

"Sarah." Richard's voice had a warning tone to it.

"What?" She glared at him. "I didn't get the chance to make my sons jealous. I have to do that with my niece."

"Just remember that she's not as wise to your ways as your sons are."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sarah smiled mischievously. She considered all manner of ideas, but one image stayed firmly in her mind: the sight of Evan Lorne holding her niece as if Jennifer was the greatest treasure in the world. For all of her conniving ways, Sarah knew that she'd never tear those two apart.

~TBC