Jenn walked through Atlantis, looking for Evan. The halls seemed quiet, and everyone acted a little subdued. Not like they didn't have reason to be subdued. Ten days ago, Evan walked back through the gate without Colonel Sheppard. He swore he'd sent Sheppard through before him, but the colonel never arrived on Atlantis. A frenzied search for Atlantis's military leader ensued, and Jenn knew that the crew had lost hope. First, Teyla went missing. Now Sheppard.

Evan took it the hardest. At first, he barely wanted to speak to anyone. Jenn knew he spent time in the gym, taking his frustrations out on the punching bag and anyone willing to spar. She'd cleaned the cuts on his fists and had seen the anger in his eyes. But it was never directed at her. And, when they were together, he always kept it under control. She appreciated that, but she wished he'd trust her enough to let her see the pain of losing someone. Again.

Jenn sighed as she walked. He had trusted her enough to let her see the man underneath the mask he wore. Right after that Genii mine, he'd revealed his heart to her and had taken her breath away. The expression of relief when she returned those words had taken her breath away. Now, she wanted to see that look of pure relief again.

Her mind traveled back in time, and she smiled sadly as she remembered. She and Carson had worked closely during his last few days. They had reminisced about her first day on Atlantis, her first meeting with him, some of the funnier physician's jokes they'd heard but no one else understood, and their lives in general. Then Carson turned the conversation to a more personal level.

"I see you've made an impression with Major Lorne." Carson's words brought a blush to her face. "And he's made an impression on you, I see."

"Yeah." She smiled. "He's amazing."

"Oh, the sound of true love!" he said dramatically. "Have you told him, yet?"

"Yes." She shrugged. "A couple days ago."

"Well, since this is all news to me, tell me!"

And so she'd told him about Evan's first dinner invitation, Davos's words about "The One," her reaction to New Athos, their first kiss, the day on the beach, and her attempt to comfort him after Teyla was taken. Carson listened quietly, absorbing everything and not trying to work as she spoke. Jenn appreciated that attention.

Then, he dropped the bomb. "Have you told him about Gary?"

She blinked. "Uh. . .yeah. . .I mean, yes. I did." It shouldn't have surprised her that this Carson knew that. The original had seen the scars across her back, the ones that couldn't be felt through clothing but still kept her from wearing anything that might reveal them. But, he'd been her physician, and he'd asked.

"And what did he say?"

"That he'd knows I need actions and not just words. But that he'd never do something like that." She glanced around. Her entire staff likely didn't want to hear this conversation.

"And has he?"

"Carson!"

"Sorry, love." He had the good grace to look sheepish. "But I want to make sure you're not comparing what you endured with what you have now."

Jenn stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Now don't get upset." Carson reached out and touched her hand. "But you have to understand us men. We don't want to be compared to another, even if that first one was abusive. And we especially don't want to be told we're better than he was."

"Even if you are?"

"Especially if we are." He smiled. "Major Lorne is a good man, and he knows he's better than Gary ever thought about being. You don't have to tell him that. He just wants to know that you love him. That's all. Let your focus be on the here and now, not on what happened back then."

Now, days after putting Carson in the stasis pod, Jenn mulled over that conversation. She'd caught herself comparing Gary and Evan in her thoughts and in little things she said. And she felt horrible. Now, with nothing to do but sit around the infirmary, she intended to make it right.

She found Evan in the gym, lifting weights and chatting with Coughlin. From her position in the door, she watched the two men. Evan sat with his profile to her while Coughlin had his back to the door. Jenn smiled. As a physician, she'd seen enough male bodies to last her a lifetime. As a woman, however, a certain major managed to take her breath away every time he appeared in the doorway. And times like now, with his hair messed up and his t-shirt clinging to his body, her mouth went dry, and her pulse climbed so high she worried that she'd have a coronary. She'd never looked at Gary that way.

Jenn caught the train of her thoughts and clamped down on them. She really needed to stop doing that. Gary was gone. In the past. Even though she'd told Evan that she loved him, she still allowed Gary to imprison her in her thoughts. Well, that stopped right now.

Rather than interrupting the men, Jenn left them to their workout and returned to her quarters. She needed to think. To plan. Evan had been there for her in the last months. Now that he struggled with the loss of his CO and Teyla, she wanted to be there for him. Standing in front of her closet, she glared at the woeful wardrobe she'd brought. Base uniforms and jeans, t-shirts, and casual shoes. She'd only brought one nice outfit, and it was a smart business suit. Nothing like what she wanted.

Deciding that clothing didn't matter, she dropped onto her couch and scowled. Her gaze landed on the coffee set, and her smile widened. He had served her enough times. It was time she served him. She bounced off of the couch and left the room in a rush.

That evening, she slipped into Evan's quarters before he left the office. Everything had to be perfect, in her opinion. She knew the location and set-up were for her benefit, but she wanted a special memory for this. With shaking hands, she slipped a CD into his small boom box and set the candles on the desk. His latest painting, still covered with a cloth, hovered in the corner as she lowered the lights and lit the candles she usually kept at the back of her desk. Then, she pushed the couch out of the way, spread around the pillows she'd brought, and barely finished setting up the meal she'd charmed out of the kitchen staff just as he walked through the door.

Evan stopped and blinked. Jenn stood slowly, her hands twisting in front of her. She'd deliberately worn the same outfit as the beach, but she'd pulled her hair away from her face. It made her look young and elegant in spite of the jeans. Now, she watched the grin slowly cross his face.

"Ah. . .what's this?"

"Dinner." She smiled and shrugged. "I mean, we haven't. . .that is, you've been. . .busy, and I've. . .been busy. . . And. . . ."

He silenced her by crossing the room and kissing her. "Thank you." He glanced at the CD player, his grin returning. "I never expected this."

She shrugged as she draped her arms around his neck. "I've found you in my quarters before. Why not turn the tables?"

"I don't see a reason." He began swaying with the music.

Jenn followed his lead. "I'm sorry," she said softly as he pulled her closer.

"For what?"

"For always bringing up the past." She felt him stiffen. "I'm going to focus on the here and now."

His playful grin had faded, leaving a serious expression on his face. "You're sure of that?"

She nodded. "You remember Davos?"

"Yes."

"You know what he told me?" When Evan shook his head, she smiled. "He told me, 'The one you seek is out there, waiting for you.' And, now I know that one is you. And I've almost ruined it by focusing too much on the past. So, I'm sorry, and, from now on, I will focus on you and our future."

He pulled back slightly, the playful grin returning. "Oh, so we have a future, now?"

"What?" she blinked. "Oh. . .I mean. . .Well, sort of."

He chuckled at that and kissed her again, this time tenderly with a hint of promise. Jenn leaned into the kiss, allowing him to take the lead for this dance through their lives. This man, right here in her arms, was the one she wanted for the remainder of her days.

oOo

49,000 years into the future. . . .

Sheppard stepped out of the stasis pod, pounding feeling back into his arms and legs. He supposed he preferred it to collapsing right away, and he knew McKay had eased him out slowly. Feeling the heat around him, he shook his head. Right. The McKay hologram, that is.

As soon as he regained enough feeling, he began to run. Another thousand years had changed the city. Corridors once open were blocked. But one had shifted enough sand that he managed to wiggle through. He felt his stomach rumble and knew that he needed to eat. Man, he was hungry! After all, a guy going a thousand years without a meal was quite a feat!

As he ran, he considered everything that the McKay hologram had told him. Teyla, Ronon, Carter, and Keller. . .all dead. The casualties of Michael's war on everything not like him. He struggled to breathe at the thought that he might not save her. That he might get home and find he'd been gone too long. He only had two months. In light of the thousand years he'd spent in stasis, two months was a drop in the bucket of life.

Tey-la. Tey-la. Tey-la. The chant went through his head with every pounding footstep. He had to save her. He had to prevent the awful things that McKay had described. He had to save Teyla, to stop Lorne from going on a suicide mission after Jennifer's death, to keep Ronon on Atlantis, to help McKay figure out his own life. In the gate room, he rushed to the DHD and began pounding out the gate address. It was a long-shot at best, but he didn't have a choice. Once the wormhole established, he rushed forward, pausing only long enough to glance back and see Rodney's hologram fade out of existence forever.

In the gate room he remembered, Sheppard skidded to a halt as he saw several P90s trained on him. "Whoa!"

Carter rushed toward him. "John!"

"Colonel!" He looked around, relieved at the sights and sounds he knew and the cool air rushing over his face. "It worked! It worked. Rodney, you're a genius."

For once in his life, McKay looked nonplussed. "Okay."

Carter glared. "John, what happened?"

Sheppard stared at her. "How much time has gone by?"

"You've been missing for twelve days."

"Twelve days, twelve days," he muttered. "Okay, she won't have had her baby yet. Look, I know this sounds kinda weird, but we're on the clock."

Carter frowned. "John, what are you talking about?"

Sheppard met her eyes. "I know where Teyla is."

oOo

Later that afternoon, Lorne followed Sheppard through the gate. He shook his head. The man traveled 48,000 years into the future and went on a mission just a few hours later after the biggest meal he'd ever seen Sheppard consume. It boggled his mind. It also released some of the tension he'd held inside since Sheppard's disappearance. His CO hadn't been kidnapped on his watch. Now, if they could just find Teyla. . . .

In Michael's lab, Evan followed McKay through the building, not wanting to let the scientist out of his sight. He knew the betting pool on Atlantis laid odds on Jenn every time she went through the gate, but Rodney's curiosity usually got them into just as much trouble. Now, as McKay stared at the large Wraith device with a TV attached to it, he chuckled to himself. Things were back to normal on Atlantis. All in a day's work, he supposed.

"Whoa! Jackpot!" McKay's exclamation brought Evan's head around.

Through the radio, Sheppard sounded urgent. "What've you got?"

McKay scanned the Wraith words flowing across the screen. "I've got everything! I've got Gate addresses, I've got sub-space communication codes. I've even got his research into the hybrids!" He turned around and grinned at Lorne. "He's history!"

While McKay's back was turned, the screen went blank, and a symbol appeared. He scowled. "No-no. No-no-no-no-no. What happened?"

The first symbol disappeared, replaced by another.

Evan pointed. "What's that?"

"Oh, no."

"Doc?"

McKay stared. "It's a countdown."

Just as explosions sounded beneath them, Evan keyed his radio. "Colonel it's a booby trap! We've gotta get out of here now!"

He turned and ran for the door, but the ceiling crashed down in front of him. More debris tumbled into the room, and he cowered to protect his head. Just as the entire building collapsed, he thought of Jenn. He'd never wanted to put her through this.

~TBC