CHAPTER 25 TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Twenty four hours later and Terry and Evan walked into the infirmary, stopping abruptly at the sight that met them. A tough US Air Force Colonel brought to marshmellow consistency by a tiny baby he held in his arms. Terry couldn't help it – she giggled, and Sheppard hearing them come in, did not even attempt to hide the delight in his eyes at the small bundle he held.

"Hey guys... come to visit with this little one?" Lorne was fascinated with the change in the Colonel. Fatherhood. Who would have guessed it would change a man in the wink of an eye. The lines had softened, the hard edges not so rough and brittle. Humanity and compassion and so much love. Lorne also knew that this is what would drive him now. Protect his family at all costs. And those softened edges? Would be all the more dangerous.

Terry moved to the Colonel's side and unable to resist, she reached out and took the tiny bundle. Wrapped in a pink blanket, cherub features, Carlie Sheppard opened crystalline blue eyes and looked at the lady that held her with open curiousity.

"Hey little one... you've made quite a hit around here. Oh Colonel, she has Gina's eyes – you're going to need that shotgun when she discovers just how powerful it is to be a woman!"

"Don't you even go there Captain Masters! I just want to enjoy her as she is... tiny and helpless and hope that she stays that way – forever."

"Fat chance of that John..." Gina was up and about and had just come back from a shower while John took care of their daughter. "She carries an ancient gene, and will have some as yet undisclosed mission to complete in this galaxy. Of that I have no doubt. You enjoy your naivete for now, my darling Colonel and we'll take those blinkers from your eyes in a few years!"

Terry laughed and moved forward to pass the baby back to her mother, feeling a sudden thrill of electricity as those blue eyes connected with her again. Evan had stepped up to Gina to wrap her in a big hug, baby and all and looking down into her stunning eyes had simply whispered. "I am so proud of you Gina..." She reached up and touched his face and at the rather loud throat clearing that came from the Colonel, Evan reluctantly stepped back and shot a look over his shoulder.

"Just congratulating the mother, Colonel..."

John huffed out a laugh and clapped Evan on the shoulder. "I hear you've tracked down Janus? Just to prove that my brain is not baby fried, I'll touch base with you in an hour or so and we'll nut out a strategy to go and get that bastard – before he comes knocking at our back door. I don't trust him – and I don't know how much he knows – given that when his powers were stripped, most of his ancient knowledge was taken as well. We do know he has no clue as to where the portal is, and likely that's not the only information that was taken from him. I'm hoping that he has no idea who Gina is... I'm guessing not – or he would have made that clear when she was taken along with the other Lantien personnel. Can you send out a recon team to his location Lorne? For starters? I want to go into this one with all the facts – no surprises."

"I can do that sir – I'll set it up immediately. Do you want your team involved, or one of the marine teams?"

"Get Ronon and Teyla to head up one of the marine teams and take them in. If you could get Ronon organised for me, tell him I'll meet him and the team in the gate room in an hour and brief them fully then."

"Copy that Colonel." Lorne turned to leave, expecting Terry to be behind him, but found she was still at Gina's side, gazing down at Carlie. He saw something shift in her eyes, and felt that maternal connection that he had joked about to her the previous day. And was lying to himself if he didn't feel something similar, especially when he looked at the woman before him. He caught Gina's eye then, and saw her small smile. She knew how he felt and saw the feelings openly displayed on his face when he looked at Terry and he blushed a little. Not ready to declare his feelings of love for her just yet... needed time to process them first himself.