Two weeks after the wedding it was a busy morning in the Harrison household. Evans leave was up and Nancy was going to leave for her trip.
Over breakfast the two of them finally noticed that their travel schedules were similar, to say identical neither of them thought to mention because it seemed way too outlandish for the both of them.
When they arrived at the base Evan went to change in one of the locker rooms and Nancy checked in with Colonel Caldwell – the man in charge of the Daedalus.
A very familiar looking female officer led her to her quarters.
"Mam lift off will be in about a hour and Colonel Caldwell requested your presence on the bridge then; this means I'll be coming back to get you in forty minutes. Until then you can get situated."
After the woman had left her alone Nancy sorted her things into the drawers and then decided to relax a little. The moment her back hit the bed she could place the female officer, it was the woman she thought was Evans plus one to the wedding and suddenly her mind connected the dots
"Evan is in the Stargate program too!"
Laura Cadman was in the loading dock helping to move the last cases of supplies and the mail when it hit her, both literally and figuratively; totally consumed by her thoughts she walked into someone.
"Major, sorry sir I wasn't paying attention." She said out loud and snapped to attention. In that moment she realized something. Director Harrison was the woman who picked up her CO at the base.
"Sir Director Harrison is in room S452 if you want to talk to her before liftoff on the bridge!" Laura and Evan froze up. Had he just hallucinated or had Cadman just said Harrison? Nancy was here; on board of the ship? Nancy is IOA? Wow. He recomposed himself quickly and said
"Thanks. I will go and get her for liftoff myself."
Burning to know if it really was Nancy Major Lorne more or less jogged through the corridors of the Daedalus to get to the mentioned living quarters.
When Nancy heard the knock on her door she instinctively checked her watch.
"It hasn't been forty minutes yet, has something happened?" she asks while the door slides open to reveal her stunned brother in law.
She smiles when she recognizes him and motions for him to come in.
"So you are IOA?" is the first thing that comes from his lips when he has found his ability to speak again.
Nancy cringes at his tone of voice.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Here comes the guilt trip….
"Evan stop! I couldn't tell you because I didn't know you are part of the SGC! They didn't tell me. And now I want and or need to know if you are part of the Atlantis expedition or are you stationed on this oversized tin can?"
"Well do you remember me telling you that I was second in command?" Nancy nods her head yes and silently lets him continue:
"It wasn't a lie and I am not stationed on this ship but in Atlantis which means we'll probably be seeing more of each other."
Nancy's eyes grow wide and internally she wants to throttle General O'Neill. "He told me about John but leaves out my brother in law?"
On that note she just had to ask: „So you are working closely with Colonel Sheppard, right? Is he a friend of yours?"
"Is this a friendly conversation between relatives or an official IOA interview?"
"There is a difference? In that case: relatives."
"Yes I work closely with him, which is only natural and yes we get along good and in our off time I even consider him a friend; a really nosy friend. He always tries to set me up on dates!"
"And you don't want to date because …?" Nancy inquires chuckling.
Evan was silently contemplating what to answer when he was saved by the start of the liftoff countdown.
"I better get you to the bridge!" Nancy gave him an understanding nod and her hand indicated for him to lead the way but her answer was
"Don't think this is over!"
He rolled his eyes and then morphed back into the officer he was. She knew that transformation. She had seen it too often.
On their way up to the bridge Nancy observed all the personnel they passed. Everyone seemed to have a function; as they all were hurrying somewhere. The observant major noticed and said
"When you get a tour of the ship they'll explain what they do in every room and why. Normally during liftoff all non-essential personnel is confined to quarters."
Shortly after they had entered a bigger room she practically felt her brother in law snapping to full attention beside her.
"Director Harrison is on the bridge as ordered sir." Evan announced and Colonel Caldwell welcomed her aboard again, if he was surprised that the major and not Lieutenant Cadman was reporting he didn't show it.
He led Nancy to a big observation window, so she could see just how the earth grew smaller in the distance. She was nearly speechless.
"How come no one ever reports UFO's when you take off like that?"
"Like you certainly have been told we have implemented alien technology in our ships and one gimmick is that we can make ourselves invisible." Caldwell explained, "And when we are clear of earth's atmosphere we will jump into Hyperspace and you'll only see a blue shimmering blur outside; so I suggest you take advantage of the view now."
After that he left her to her own devices.
Soon after the ship had jumped to hyperspace Nancy went back to her room and started to prepare and schedule her interview with the ship's crew.
She soon learned that most people on board were wary of, not really her but the IOA in general and that meant they were really guarded around her and only answered direct questions. Practically no one, except some scientists elaborated.
Two weeks later Nancy caught herself slowly getting cabin fever. She already had finished her interviews and now had basically nothing to do. Yes she could read a book but she didn't want to. She wanted to talk to someone who didn't saw her as a threat or a means to get money but Evan, the only one she knew here, was busy all the time. She also knew that when she hid away in her room she would only grow more restless and so she decided to go to the commissary and find something to do or someone to talk to.
Her luck seemed to have stayed on earth. The room was empty. She sat down anyway and stared into the air. In her mind she prepared for her first days in the city of Atlantis.
She inwardly smiled when she imagined John's face when he was going to see her. Nancy was so deep in thought she didn't notice that Evan had taken a seat opposite her.
"A penny for your thoughts?" he offered and she snapped back to reality.
"Do you know any other opening?" she gave back smiling and remembering how the two of them had met for the first time.
Sorry I took so long. Life was crazy. Hope you enjoyed.