~THE NEXT MORNING~
Lorne awoke to a cascade of colors and light rippling through his mind. He groaned, "What is that?"
From outside the tent a voice answered, "It's Atlantis saying good morning." Bri sounded amused.
"Well I wish she wouldn't, it's giving me a headache."
"You know you could ask her to tone it down a little." Lilah answered from the other side of the tent.
Lorne crawled out into the sun and glared at the two insufferably cheerful women outside.
"Are you two always this awake this early?" he grumbled, yawning hugely.
"Yes they are, but they make damn good coffee." Lorne turned toward the mumble and saw Rodney sitting by the fire next to Ronon and John, all three of them holding steaming mugs.
Lorne groaned as the smell reached him on a slight breeze that drifted through the campsite. "Oh god, real coffee." He flopped down on the ground by the fire and took the cup of coffee offered to him.
He moaned as he took a sip of the steaming liquid. His eyes slipped shut and he felt himself go limp with delight. His eyes opened as he heard a throaty chuckle from beside him. He blushed when he opened his eyes and saw John gazing at him amusedly.
"What?" Lorne asked beet red.
"I think we need to give you real coffee in the middle of the mess hall if it does this to you. We'd finally find out how many people are actually attracted to you and how much of that is just rumors." John said, cocking his head to the side and grinning
"A…a…attractive?" Lorne stammered, shocked.
Atlantis chuckled in his head, her amusement at his bewilderment plain.
Brianna came over and rested her hands on Lorne's shoulders.
"Take it easy there. He really doesn't know." Bri seemed gleeful. John and Rodney grinned right along with the two girls.
The two men looked at each other over Ronon's head, ignoring Lorne's confusion. "She's right, he really has no idea how many women…"
"…And men." Interrupted Rodney.
"And men" agreed John "Find him devastatingly attractive."
"Really?" asked Lorne, still shocked.
"Really." Bri confirmed, her hands still on his shoulders.
"But…I'm…I'm not…" Lorne stammered again, still a brilliant shade of red.
"Not what?" Lilah asked.
"Not…" Lorne blushed brighter than ever, "not…"
"Beautiful, brilliant, sexy, hot?" Bri grinned upside down at Lorne as he skipped over the rest of the red spectrum and headed right into the scarlet.
"I'm not!" Lorne insisted.
Brianna sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around the embarrassed and distraught Air Force officer.
"Oh Evan, there are more people who like you than you know."
"Me for one." Ronon spoke up for the first time this morning.
"You…really?" Lorne suddenly looked thoughtful. "Wow, I never realized."
"Okay, self esteem issues tackled for now? Good. Shall we get on with our mission then?" Brianna clapped her hands together as she rose to her feet.
Four Air Force officers, one physicist, and one Satedaen packed all their gear back into the puddlejumper and headed off to find the settlement.