A/N: Sorry this took so long! These kinds of scenes are always hard to write! And I'm sorry this is a rather short one!

Chapter 67

2008

It was almost dark when he got home and the heavy rainfall made the house look terribly bleak. He'd been at the SGC for the day to receive his orders. Really, there was no actual need for that: he knew he was going off-world to join his team, and it was high time. Would he rather have stayed with Alex and Nora? Of course, but life had to go on. And very soon Alex would take up work again as well.

The only lights that were on came from the upper window on the right. The small house wasn't ideal, but it was big enough for now. Nora didn't take up a whole lot of space yet, but who could tell if she wouldn't have a brother or sister at some point. Then they could start thinking about moving. But there was no way they'd talk about it now. Not before they both hadn't worked through this.

Evan opened the front door and entered the hallway. A year ago or so Monsieur would have been waiting for him right here. Waiting for him to come home and give him his food. But things had changed when he and Alex had moved in here with him and especially since Nora had joined them.

Even shrugged off his jacket and put it on the coat rack on his left. A quick look into the living room and adjoining kitchen confirmed his suspicion that Alex hadn't spent a second in there. Well, that wasn't all bad. He was in the mood for pizza anyway. Before going any further he slipped off his shoes and climbed up the narrow staircase as quietly as possible. As he'd expected, the door to their bedroom stood ajar and a thin strip of mellow light streamed into the corridor. Pushing it open, he paused for a moment. There were three baskets with freshly washed and folded laundry sitting by the bed and Evan grinned. Alex hated this kind of work, and apparently it'd been enough exhaust her. Not a big surprise considering what they'd all been through this past year. She was lying on the bed on top of the covers, her feet in thick woollen socks, Nora sleeping peacefully on her chest and Monsieur fast asleep on her right side, his back pressed against her body and her arm around him.

Evan wiped at the tears in his eyes and, startled by the movement, Monsieur's head shot up and his brown eyes stared intently at Evan. "You idiot dog," Evan muttered as he moved closer to the bed. "You're not at all good at protecting people, are you?"

"No," Alex said hoarsely, her eyes still closed. "He's excellent at keeping me company, though."

Smiling Evan lay down on Alex's other side, kissed her nose and then Nora's forehead. His daughter blinked lazily up at him and returned his smile with a toothless one. Gently, he reached up and stroked her back. "I always seem to forget how small she is," he said, his heart almost aching when Nora balled her hands into fists and yawned almost noiselessly. "Are you hungry?"

"She ought to be," Alex said. "I know I am."

He nodded and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I'll get us something. Feel like eating in bed?"

Seconds later the screeches of the first Darts overhead could be heard. Ba'al's guards must already be in position. Evan heard the whooshing sounds of energy weapons and for a split second he wondered why Ba'al's ship wasn't dealing with the Hive. And then he remembered. That ship wasn't fully operational. Ba'al had needed assistance just to get rid of the cruiser. Alex flinched, almost jumping as the ground next to the window exploded, dirt and grass splashing up into the sky like water.

"Is the ship still cloaked?" Johnson asked. No. Not Johnson.

"They should have gotten us out of here by now," Ba'al said as every muscle in Evan's body tensed up, aching for a gun. He touched Alex's back lightly, about to warn her that he was going to attack one of the guards. They might not get away from this place, but at least they'd need a fighting chance when the Wraith showed up.

Behind them Evan heard heavy footfalls on the stone floor and he immediately clasped Alex's arm. They were too late. Too late to act. Too late to defend themselves, because no soldier approaching their commander would sound like that. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he pulled Alex to the side and before he knew it, he saw Ronda opening the door for the Wraith.

"Makes you think, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"Are our bathrooms really ours, or have they been invented by the Ancients and rediscovered in the 19th century by some early Jackson?"

Alex laughed and looked at Evan as he was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, staring at the bathtub.

"Wouldn't you think the Ancients liked to be clean as well?"

Evan shrugged. "I suppose?" His grin pulled her closer, just like it had from day one. The Wraith had vanished, had abandoned the city, which they thought had been destroyed and only half an hour ago, he and Alex had been assigned this room. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him towards her.

"You desperately need a bath, Major," she mumbled, her lips against his jaw.

With a low grumble, he shoved his hands into the back pockets of her trousers. "So do you. But I have to be on duty in half an hour."

"So there's only time to wash up?"

He nodded. "Only time to wash up." He turned his head to look at the piles of new uniforms lying on the bed. Dark grey with black squares on the chest for him, dark grey with blue for her.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to miss the green on you. And the black. And the team badge."

"What else?"

"Monsieur."

Alex sighed and kissed his cheek. "Me too." But there'd been nothing for it. They'd had to go. And maybe a fresh start in this new place wasn't all bad. It might be just the thing they needed. "He's off great with your mom and dad."

He nodded again, absentmindedly this time, but he let Alex grab his hand and pull him into the bathroom. "Half an hour."

"I know, and then you're going to have to fight some more bad guys."

"Not today, Doctor Lorne."

"Say that again?"

"Not today."

"The other thing."

"Doctor?"

"One thing's missing." Because she doubted she'd ever get enough of hearing that name and knowing it applied to her. Who gave a damn about her professional career? There was no way she'd publish anything under her maiden name anymore. After everything she'd seen in these few short years, she doubted she could ever go back to regular archaeology again. And why would she?

"Doctor Lorne?"

"That's more like it."

Alex lost track of Johnson. She lost track of Ba'al. What she didn't lose track of was Evan who was right by her side. There were too many of them. Ronda's people had turned on Ba'al. Ronda had turned on him. Not for a second did Alex doubt the Wraith worshipper hadn't alerted the Wraith.

All she could see were faceless people carrying staff weapons and Wraith stunners and Zats. Her heart was racing as she unconsciously put her hand on her bump. She had nothing now. Nothing to bargain with. Nothing to protect that child with.

She flinched away as one of the drones, massive and faceless approached her and reached out for her. Evan stepped in front of her before she could react, pushing her back, until she felt a hard chest against her back. There were so many people here and she'd lost track. Men and women wearing leather and brown linen. Men and women wearing helmet-like masks with Ba'al's symbol engraved on it. A new version of Jaffa armour? They'd only been in the inner court yard of this place, their room and now this one. As of yet they hadn't seen this new armour, but the way they approached them now was enough to terrify her to death. Only this time these people weren't here to fight for Ba'al. They were her to end him. And Evan and her. At least fifty had barged in. Fifty and several drones.

Two big hands landed on her shoulders. "Don't move."

The voice sent shivers down her spine. She took a quick breath, but the hands tapped on her shoulders again, telling her to shut up, as the drone reached out to Evan.

All Alex could focus on was the drone stretching out its hand for him now. Hungrily. Greedily and she started moving forward, before she was pulled back again.

"Don't!" came a loud voice from behind the drone.

The drone stopped dead in its tracks and slowly dropped its hand, cocking its head and then taking a step back. The soldiers parted, making way for the tall thin Wraith strutting towards them, the long white hair flowing behind him like a veil. She doubted she'd ever get over how eerily beautiful and disgusting at the same time these beings were. How easily they drove terror into her heart.

Behind her she heard a massive thud and she automatically whirled around to see Ba'al lying motionless on the floor.

"Not until the Queen hasn't had time to interrogate them." The Wraith didn't have any markings on its face, which in itself made him stand out. He started towards her, and Evan shifted again, placing himself between Alex and the Wraith.

"What are you going to do, human?" the Wraith said, bearing his teeth at him in a mocking smile. "Fight me?"

Evan didn't respond, but balled his hands into fists. The hands on Alex's shoulder pulled her back a bit more and out of the corner of her eye she spotted two guards pushing Ba'al and Johnson forward. The man behind her hissed under his breath, but Alex felt herself relax slightly.

"Take them to the Hive," the Wraith said, his teeth still bared. "Don't feed on them. This one especially," he pointed at Alex and then at her stomach. "She's reserved for the Queen in any case."

The man pushed Alex forward and she spotted a tall figure right behind Evan motioning for him to start walking. Another man who looked a bit insecure, who kept fidgeting with his stunner.

Her mouth was dry, her head was spinning. "What-"

"Sh," the man hissed into her ear as he urged her to keep moving with determined pressure on her shoulder. "It's just the three of us. McKay spotted a Runner signal yesterday. The Daedalus should be here soon."

Soon… how soon was soon?!

"I-" she began, feeling how her voice was determined to slip into a whisper while her feet started carrying her as though of their own accord. Evan was right in front of her, someone who must be McKay right behind him.

"Sh," Sheppard hissed again. "No more talking."

A/N: Hope you liked the flashbacks and you're not annoyed with them yet! :-)