Date : 22.08.2007
Title : Loves' Past and Present
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 8 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Lt. Col. John Sheppard/Lyssa Hunter
Major Evan Lorne/Dr Ellie Harrison
Warnings : Angst/hurt.
Spoilers : This story is part of a series and follows on from Love's Dance With A Stranger.
Feedback : Yes
Disclaimer : Dr Ellie Harrison, Major James Reece, Lt Franks & Heather Russell are mine. Lyssa Hunter belongs to Kazavid. Stargate & Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, have nothing to do with me.
Summary : Find out how Sheppard and Lyssa's wedding plans cause chaos on Atlantis and what happens when tragedy strikes for Ellie and Lorne?
Lorne had been back on earth now for nearly eleven weeks and he had thought about Ellie every day of each of those weeks.
He wondered how she was, whether she missed him, if she thought about the baby they had lost or if she remembered that last night they'd spent together in as much detail as he did. She had hurt him pretty badly when she'd refused to speak to him in the weeks following her miscarriage.
He understood that people dealt with grief in different ways but he had lost something too but she had acted as though she had been the only one.
Colonel Edwards had recovered quickly and Lorne had taken the opportunity to take a few weeks leave. He was staying at his mom's house and kept avoiding Heather's calls as much as he could but she wouldn't leave him alone.
"Why don't you give her another chance?", his mom asked as she hung up the phone after telling Heather for the second time that day that her son wasn't at home.
"Mom, I know you liked Heather but you have no idea what went on between us", Lorne said as he turned back to the easel which held the painting he'd been working on over the last few days.
Lorne's mom sighed and said,
"Who is she?", and she indicated to the woman Lorne was painting.
"Her name is Ellie", Lorne replied and his mom frowned.
"I didn't ask her name, I asked who she was".
Lorne really didn't want to discuss Ellie with his mother right now and was grateful when the door bell chimed and she bustled off to answer it.
OOoOO
Lyssa watched as Ellie paced the bridge of the Daedalus as they waited to be beamed down to the SGC.
"Am I doing the right thing?", Ellie asked, glancing nervously at Lyssa who smiled.
"Isn't it a bit late to be thinking like that?".
"I don't know. What if he has married Heather? What if I'm going to make a total idiot of myself?", Ellie said, a worried expression etched across her features.
"Well, if he has married Heather he's an idiot and you deserve better", Lyssa said, trying to be supportive but Ellie just continued to pace.
"I treated him badly Lyssa. What if he hates me?" she asked and Lyssa frowned.
"Hate's a very strong word Ellie….I doubt that's the way Lorne feels about you".
Ellie sighed and hoped that her friend was right.
She knew she had been hard on Evan but she hadn't know what to say to him, she had been too consumed by her own grief and guilt to ask how he had been feeling.
And then there was all the things Heather had been saying. What if they were all true?
Eventually they were allowed to beam down and Lyssa looked around the SGC's gate room, her eyes taking in her surroundings with interest. She was looking forward to finding out more about Sheppard's home-world.
She followed Ellie down the gate ramp toward a grey-haired man who appeared to be in charge and watched as he kissed Ellie's cheek.
"Good to see you Dr Harrison", he said and Ellie smiled, albeit a little distractedly as she turned to Lyssa.
"General Landry, this is Lyssa Hunter, Lt. Colonel Sheppard's fiancée".
"Pleased to meet you", Landry said, taking Lyssa's hand and she nodded.
"Likewise".
"You know you'll both have to get checked out in the infirmary before you can leave?", Landry said and Ellie nodded.
"It's just a precaution", she said to Lyssa who nodded, then watched as three men and a blonde haired woman entered the gate room.
"Hey shorty", Mitchell said affectionately as he grasped Ellie in a bear hug, his eyes clashing with Lyssa's over her head.
"Hey Cam", Ellie replied, moving away from him and onto Daniel, Sam and Teal'c who all hugged her in turn.
"And you must be Lyssa", Mitchell said taking Lyssa's hand, his blue eyes sparkling at her and Lyssa actually found herself blushing as Ellie introduced her to SG-1.
As they left the gate room and headed for the infirmary, Ellie held back slightly and said to Landry.
"Is Major Lorne here in the base?".
Landry looked at her and shook his head.
"Ah, no, the Major is on leave at the moment".
He watched as Ellie's face fell and she said,
"Do you have any idea where he is?".
Landry sighed, "As far as I know he wasn't going anywhere specific".
Ellie frowned as she pushed, "I don't suppose you know where he's staying do you?".
Landry shook his head.
"You know I can't divulge that information Doctor……..but if you were to ask
Dr. Jackson to hack into our computer systems' personnel files I'm sure you'd find out fairly handily", and he winked at her as he turned into his office and she smiled as his door shut behind him.
Ellie was checked out by Dr Lamb first and as she moved onto Lyssa, Ellie said,
"Will you be ok here just whilst I go and find out where Evan is staying?".
"Sure….I guess", Lyssa replied as Dr Lamb smiled at her.
"Do not leave this room", Ellie instructed and Lyssa nodded as she left.
oo
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel handed Ellie a piece of paper with Lorne's mom's address on it and she smiled at him gratefully.
She was just about to thank him when a familiar voice sounded in the corridor outside and Daniel watched, his eyebrows raised, as Ellie dove under his desk just before Heather entered his office.
"Dr Jackson", Heather greeted him and Daniel forced himself to look away from his desk where Ellie was frantically gesticulating to him and toward Heather.
"Yes…..", he replied and Heather frowned at him, thinking he looked a little distracted.
"I heard that some people have arrived from Atlantis", she said and Daniel removed his glasses nervously.
"Really? I'm not sure…..I've been a little busy here….", he said indicating to his computer and Heather nodded.
"I heard Lyssa Hunter was on board the Daedalus and I wondered if you'd heard if Dr Harrison was with her. I heard you two were friends?"
Daniel shook his head. "Ah…no, no I haven't heard a thing. I'm sure Ellie would have stopped by if she'd have been here".
"Alright then, thank you", Heather said and she left his office leaving Daniel looking at Ellie with a bemused expression on his face.
"She can't know I'm here. I mean, I need to get to Evan before she finds out at least", Ellie said as she clambered out from under his desk.
And so, after recruiting Teal'c and Mitchell's help they devised a military plan to get Ellie back to the infirmary without her running into Heather.
"Now all we have to do is get you out of the mountain", Mitchell said and Lyssa stared at him.
"Mountain?", she queried and he nodded.
"This base is built inside of a huge mountain".
Lyssa's eyes widened and Ellie touched her arm.
"I'll give you a guided tour I promise, but we need to go to Evan's mom's house first", she said, her voice sounding desperate and Lyssa nodded.
"I'll give you a ride over there if you like, I'm just done here", Mitchell said and Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a look that said,
'Uh-oh' as they realised Mitchell had taken a shine to their visitor.
As Ellie and Lyssa got their bags together, Daniel moved to stand by Mitchell.
"You do know that Lyssa is engaged to Sheppard right?", he said and Mitchell nodded as he admired Lyssa's behind as she bent to retrieve her back pack from the floor.
"Uh-huh", he said and Daniel rolled his eyes and said to Ellie,
"Good luck with Major Lorne. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you".
"Thanks", Ellie said as she followed Mitchell and Lyssa from the infirmary.
OOoOO
Rachel Lorne sighed as she watched her brother drive away from their mother's house and she turned to see their mom examining the painting of the woman called Ellie in great detail.
"He wouldn't tell me who she was", she said and Rachel folded her arms.
Evan had told her everything that had gone on between himself and Ellie but had made her promise not to tell their mother.
"Evan needs some privacy mom", she said, then added, "You don't need to know every detail of his life".
"I don't know anything about him since he and Heather split up. I don't know where he's based, what it is he does, where he lives when he's away…", their mother trailed off and Rachel sighed again.
"That's the military for you. You should be used to that with how dad's life was".
"Don't bring your father into this", her mother said haughtily and Rachel groaned and moved to the kitchen.
"Let me get us some coffee", she said.
ooo
Mitchell pulled up outside of a medium sized house that was immaculately kept and Ellie gulped nervously.
"Go get him", Mitchell said enthusiastically and Elle tried to smile but failed miserably as she looked at Lyssa.
"Good luck", Lyssa said and Ellie took a deep breath as she got out of Mitchell's truck.
"We'll wait here", Mitchell called after her and she nodded as she walked gingerly up the path.
Taking another deep, calming breath she rang the doorbell and waited.
The second the smart-looking older woman opened the door and stared at her, Ellie wished she had taken the time to change her clothes and freshen up before she'd left the base.
"Is Evan at home please?", she asked timidly, feeling like a high school kid again who was calling for her boyfriend.
It took an age for Evan's mom to reply. She had recognised Ellie immediately from Evan's painting and she was momentarily stunned to discover that his mystery woman was stood on her doorstep.
"No, he's not. I'm sorry", she replied and then closed the door in Ellie's face.
Mitchell and Lyssa exchanged a look and Mitchell shrugged as Ellie looked back toward the truck in disbelief.
Ellie was just about to turn and walk away when the door was flung open again and a younger woman stood before her, her face apologetic.
"I am so sorry about my mother……she has terrible manners. Please, come inside", Rachel said and Ellie glanced back toward the truck as she was lead into the house.
"Now we wait", Mitchell said and Lyssa sighed.
She glanced around at the houses along the street and marvelled at how nice everything seemed.
"This is all very pretty", she commented and Mitchell glanced at her.
"Wait until you see the city. I take it Shorty is going to take you into the city?", he asked and Lyssa shrugged.
"I don't know. Is that where the wedding dress stores are?".
"Amongst other things", he replied.
They sat in silence for a moment or two, Lyssa listening to the strange music coming from the console at the front of Mitchell's transportation.
Eventually she said,
"So, you know John then?".
"Sheppard?", Mitchell asked and Lyssa nodded.
"I know him through military circles. I've met him once or twice, but he's not a friend as such. He's a great pilot though", Mitchell said and Lyssa smiled as she thought of John.
"Yeah, he is".
"You two been engaged long?", Mitchell asked and Lyssa's smile widened.
"Quite a few months now", she replied and Mitchell nodded.
"Do you think Ellie will be long?", he said and Lyssa shrugged.
"Possibly".
"Great", Mitchell said, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.
"Get comfy. This could be a long evening".
End of Chapter 8