Four Weeks Later:

Elizabeth paced furiously on the balcony beside her office. Susannah had grown accustomed to Elizabeth radiating waves of nervous energy whenever danger was near and John was in the depths of those unseen risks. Today, that sight only sent her blood pressure spiking wildly. Susannah raced up the stairs. She hadn't been able to find Wes and the alarms had been blaring for over ten minutes.

The control room. He had to be in the control room, she thought biting down harshly on her lip. Her son had taken an immediate liking to Chuck. Susannah's breath caught as John stormed onto the balcony. He was brandishing his P90 and furiously yelling orders to the Marines on the Gateroom floor below them. He grabbed Elizabeth by the elbow and pulled her into the control room and pointing towards the transport beyond.

"Mama!" Wes snatched hold of her leg looking terrified.

John's head snapped up when he heard Wes' voice and Susannah could practically hear him cursing under his breath.

"Lorne, get them out of here! We've got Wraith docking. They say they want an alliance meeting, but this wasn't planned and definitely was not approved. The Wraith do not need to know about him."

"John, I-"Susannah didn't even finish her thought before John swiftly dismissed her.

"Lorne!" John swiveled around and started peering over a monitor with Elizabeth.

Lorne managed a joke that brought a quick smile to Wes' face before scooping the boy up and beckoning for Susannah to follow. The alarms finally silenced and her eyes darted back to find John and Elizabeth staring somberly at each other. A moment later their shoulders brushed when they turned back to the monitor before them.

Lorne tugged her elbow gently nudging her ahead. "Don't take it personally, they've been through a lot together. They have a way of making us all feel like outsiders when they're focused on a problem."

"It's more of the talking without saying a word thing that's disturbing. Communication was always challenging for John and I." She shook her head. "More than you cared to know. Sorry. I'm probably getting too comfortable around you. I'm sure all this babysitting of us wasn't on your list of priorities before we arrived on Atlantis. Wes and I have spent more time with you than we have John."

They stepped inside the transport and Lorne eased Wes to the floor. "It's okay. Better me than McKay. That man can talk more than anyone I've ever met. Not the best at keeping secrets, or so I hear. Besides, I've been wanting to see the progression of your recent painting. You need to let me borrow your inks, its genius the way you use it in your works."

Ten minutes later Susannah was feeling a bit in the midst of an alternate reality. Evan was on the floor playing Lego's with Wes and a ten minute walk away Atlantis was being boarded by the most vicious villains Susannah could imagine. She'd never even seen a Wraith and, yet, their images had begun to haunt her dreams.

Evan nodded encouragingly at her from time to time; she knew he was receiving updates from his team. Because of Wes, they spoke nothing of the threat around them. She sank heavily into the couch thanking the gods for the millionth time for the grace and patience Evan exuded in their company. He was a soldier. He was meant to be elsewhere. Yet, he never complained and every day that passed Susannah was more grateful for his company. He had a mischievous, sarcastic side that she found delicious. It reminded her of John, well, of how John used to be.

John's experiences on Atlantis had transformed him more than she could have ever imagined. Being reunited with him had been much like encountering an old college roommate. A soft burn rose through her cheeks. Yes, John had been much more than that. But after the initial buzz of acting like the couple they'd been in the past, Susannah had grown tired of trying so hard to bring the John she'd remembered to life. She wasn't the same woman she'd been back then either. She was a mother now and her priorities had changed her in ways he didn't even begin to see. If he'd everbeen really able to see her before. John had told her he wasn't involved with anyone, but beyond helping her remove his shirt that first night, he'd never attempted to bring their relationship back to an intimate level.

"They're gone." Lorne mouthed and nodded towards Wes.

Wes had curled up into a tiny ball and was wondrously asleep. Evan gingerly lifted him and carried him to his bed. Something warm began to kindle deep within her while she watched the man gently tuck Wes into his bed. She cocked her head sideways, watching Evan quietly reenter the living area. That sort of heat didn't happen overnight and she was amazed to find she'd been so long oblivious to the man before her.

"Evan? Up for a movie tonight?"

His sly but endearing smile sent fiery sparks through her veins. It had been too long since a man looked at her like that. At least, that she'd noticed, anyway.

"Only if it includes dinner. You've cooked for me too many times. I owe you a night of rest."

Susannah bit down on her lip to hide her amusement. She'd ever really cooked for Evan. She'd cooked for Wes and invited Evan to join them on several occasions. Evan slid off his jacket and she had to turn around to shield the appreciation probably radiating from her eyes. His dark shirt clung to a nicely muscled body that she had never truly appreciated before.

"All right. But you should know, I'm really more of a desert kind of girl." She slowly peered back up through her lashes and was rewarded with a delighted look of shock gracing Evan's face. What do you know, she thought wickedly. She strode towards him with more mojo in her step than she'd felt in years.

TBC...