Author's Note: Contains spoilers for "The Queen" and minor ones for "Coup D'Etat." Enjoy! ~lg

oOo

John Sheppard hated having his attention divided. He'd just returned from his meeting with Todd in a less-than-pleasant mood, primarily because of Teyla's outrageous agreement to impersonate a Wraith queen. Todd had followed them back to Atlantis and would arrive with his Hive in three to four hours. That gave Teyla enough time to prepare Kanaan for the mission, as well as the rest of the team to prepare to see their close friend transformed into what they all hated.

Now, however, John had an unscheduled off world activation to handle. And not just any activation. Ladon Radim's IDC had been sent through the gate. With Woolsey still trying to make his way to the gate room, John bounded down the stairs and met Ladon and his sister just outside the portal. The familiar sense of distrust, something he'd been feeling since agreeing to meet with Todd, returned as he saw the Genii leader. He liked Radim a lot better than Cowen, but the man was still Genii.

"Colonel Sheppard." Radim smiled at him and the requisite security guards. "I trust you remember my sister, Dahlia."

John did remember Dahlia, a pretty blond who had nearly sacrificed her life for Cowen. When Radim staged his coup, she'd returned to her people healthy and happy. John nodded to her and looked back to Radim. "What do you want?"

Radim smiled politely. "Down to business, as usual." He turned to his sister. "Dahlia was recently promoted, and I agreed to buy her some art as a congratulatory gift."

John spared Dahlia another glance. "That's very nice, but we're busy." He turned to leave.

"I think you'll like what she bought." Ladon's voice stopped John's retreat. John whipped back around as Dahlia revealed the two paintings.

The first was tall and narrow, infused with golden-orange light and done in a style John recognized with a jolt. In the painting, Teyla stood in all her Athosian glory, one Bantos rod over her head with the other held out in front of her. The second painting, wider than it was tall, showed John sitting in front of a black and white poster that vaguely looked like his Johnny Cash poster. The stance—arms crossed and head cocked to one side—was unmistakable. John glanced down at the lower right-hand corner of the painting and blinked.

Ladon smiled. "Good enough for you?"

Rather than responding to the Genii leader, John touched the radio in his ear. "Mr. Woolsey and Dr. Keller to the conference room immediately."

oOo

Gaining access to the Ministry was relatively easy. Andren and Evan walked in the front door and headed straight for the center hallway at the intersection. Andren confided that his office was that direction, and they would strategize when they reached that privacy. Evan didn't like the last minute feel of the entire thing, but he'd packed enough supplies under his coat to improvise if necessary. Red paint, mixed with just enough blue and black to make it look authentic. He'd spent a lot of time and had even pricked his finger to get the color just right. Now, he just needed to convince Maitland that the best way for him to escape was to trust him.

In Andren's office, which looked remarkably similar to his home office, Evan moved to the window and looked out. The window opened onto a large square with picnic tables, a few trees, and a large number of people walking back and forth. The Ministry building formed two sides of the square, with the hospital and psychiatric center forming the other two. All four buildings were red brick, and the hospital rose three stories into the air. The psychiatric center and Ministry were only two stories tall. People entered from all four corners of the square, and Evan ironically noted that it would be a great place for snipers. His eyes scanned the rooftops, seeing all the different places that security guards and sharpshooters could hide.

"This isn't ideal," he muttered.

"I know." Andren had moved to his side. "But it is what we have."

Evan nodded and moved away from the window, knowing the other man was right. "I will go down to see Maitland as a friend. Meanwhile, you'll distract the guards by complaining over his condition if he's injured."

"And if he's not?"

Evan shrugged. "I have no intel to work with, Andren," he said, his frustration coming out in his voice. "I have a plan, but I'm probably going to wing it once I get inside."

"Wing it?"

"Improvise." Evan shook his head. "Why do I feel like I've done this before?"

"Because you probably have." Andren eyed him. "The other night was a breakthrough, wasn't it?"

Evan glanced up. "You want to discuss this now?"

"If things go badly, I want to know that you'll be able to find your way back to your people," Andren said.

Evan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yeah, it was a breakthrough. I remember names. Sheppard. Coughlin. Jen."

"Jen?"

"She's. . ."

"Ah." Andren seemed to understand what he wasn't saying. "Then, odds are very good that you'll recover your memories very soon. You never know what could trigger them."

"I'd just like to do it after we get Maitland out." Evan returned to the window, and the two men spent the next few moments rehearsing the plan.

oOo

Jennifer stared at the paintings on the table of the conference room. When John paged her, she thought it had something to do with Todd's proposal to morph Teyla into a Wraith queen. Now, she knew better. Ladon Radim and his sister sat in chairs, looking self-satisfied as the group gathered around the paintings.

Jennifer touched the small "EL" in the bottom right corner of the painting of Teyla. "He's alive," she whispered.

Woolsey shifted in his chair. "At least, he was alive at the time those paintings were done." His skepticism doused Jennifer's joy. She glared at him and opened her mouth to let him know exactly how she felt, but Rodney's hand on her arm stopped her.

John leaned toward the bureaucrat. "And he's still alive." He glared. "I'm going to get him."

"Colonel Sheppard, I understand your desire to recover your missing officer, but think about this." Woolsey glanced at Ladon and Dahlia. "Is this the time to mount a rescue mission with your other mission looming so close?"

John glanced at Rodney. "When does he arrive?" he asked, keeping the particulars very vague.

Rodney didn't even look at his tablet. "Two-and-a-half to three hours."

"Plenty of time." John glanced over at Teyla. "You okay if we take off?"

Teyla nodded once. "Yes, John. And I will come with you."

"Teyla. . . ."

"Major Lorne is my friend, as well." She took a step forward. "I will not allow myself to be kept from his rescue for anything."

Jennifer watched the show of loyalty and looked at John. "And I'm coming, too."

"Doc." John's meaning came through with that one word. He didn't want her in the mix in case Evan was severely injured.

Jennifer lifted her chin. "If he's injured, you will need a doctor. I'm going."

Woolsey loudly cleared his throat, clearly calling for everyone's attention.

John got the message. "I'm not asking for permission, Woolsey. As military commander of this base, it's my prerogative when it involves the military operations. This mission is to rescue my missing second-in-command." He glanced at Jennifer and Rodney as he touched the radio in his ear. "Sheppard to Teldy. Get your team geared up. Full tactical. We'll meet in the Jumper bay in ten minutes."

Jennifer rushed out of the conference room and ran toward the infirmary. Her heart pounded in time to her footsteps. Evan was alive! The excitement that welled up inside made her want to squeal and jump up and down. She burst into the infirmary in time to see Susanna finish speaking with Dr. Cole. The southern woman, who had become a friend in the last couple of days, turned to her. "Dr. Keller, I was wonderin' if you'd like to join me for lunch."

Jennifer skidded to a stop. "I'd love to, but I've got a mission."

Cole moved to Susanna's side. "There's news on Major Lorne."

Jennifer nodded. "He's alive!"

"Oh, Jennifer, that's wonderful." Cole pulled her into a warm hug while Jennifer allowed herself a moment to celebrate. Then, Cole pushed her away. "Now, get packing! You don't want to miss this flight!"

oOo

Evan found Maitland's cell with little trouble. Of course, Andren's presence helped, as did Evan's own status as a hero. One of the guards was related to Josus, and Evan used that. He walked down the aisle, seeing the tiny cells that housed Talgrom's most violent criminals. Or so he'd been told. He came to the one on the end and stopped to stare.

Maitland lay in a patch of sunlight, limbs akimbo as if he'd just been tossed inside. His chest moved up and down in shallow breaths, and his face looked like he'd become well-acquainted with the butt end of a rifle. Evan knew what sort of headache that could bring on and absently touched the tiny scar left on his hairline. His eyes quickly assessed Maitland's condition, and he hoped that the man was merely resting after his interrogation.

Andren moved to Evan's side, doing his own assessment as the guard opened the gate. "This is. . . ." Andren shook his head.

Evan nodded once, not really surprised that Culver had stooped to having the man tortured. It was a common form of intelligence gathering, and he'd seen it in several different forms over the years. Or so he thought. A hand slammed into a man's chest, causing incredible pain and making the man—Sheppard—cry out in agony. He turned from the image, but the scream echoed in his ears. Pushing the memories aside, he knelt next to Maitland and touched the man's arm.

Maitland stirred with a groan and blinked up at Andren. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a whisper.

Evan exchanged a glance with Andren. "Helping you."

"Get out of here." Maitland pushed Evan's hands away. "Just promise me you'll look after Kaela."

Evan wanted to roll his eyes at that. He'd never been one for melodrama, but he could understand. Maitland likely thought he would die. Instead of letting the man dictate how things were going to happen, Evan reached inside his pocket and pulled out the paint he'd mixed. "See this? It's paint. We're going to put it on you so that it looks like you're more seriously injured than you really are."

Andren nodded. "But for that to happen, you must put some of it in your mouth."

Evan glanced up. "Is that safe?"

Andren shrugged. "As safe as can be. It will taste awful, but we must simulate internal bleeding to get out of this cell." Turning back to Maitland, he asked, "Did you tell Culver anything?"

Maitland shook his head. "No."

"Good." Andren motioned toward the packet in Evan's hand. "It will be a short time in your mouth, and then you can drink water. But I must get you out of here."

"Okay." Maitland listened carefully as Andren gave him directions. He willingly took the packet of paint from Evan's hand and allowed Andren to help him fill his mouth with it. Grimacing at the taste, he gagged, and the paint went everywhere. Down his chin, across Andren's shoes, and splattered on Evan's coat. Evan dryly thought that the taste of the paint had helped their cause. While Maitland continued to wretch, Andren rushed to the bars and started hollering to the guards.

"Get me a gurney! This man needs medical attention immediately!"

The guards, clearly unprepared for the emergency, looked dazed as they peered in on Maitland writhing on the ground and the "blood" splattered everywhere. Andren reached through the bars and grabbed one of their sleeves. "This man is about to bleed to death! He's got internal bleeding of some sort, and I need to get him to the medical center immediately! Do you understand?"

The guard unlocked the door, and Evan slipped one of Maitland's arms over his shoulder. Lifting the other man to his feet, he took Maitland's full weight as Andren pushed the guards to the side. He continued to spout orders. "Get me a gurney immediately! We're going to meet it at the emergency entrance!"

Evan dragged Maitland out the door, grateful that the other man had figured out the necessity of playing "dead." Maitland's head bobbed forward, the paint still dripping from his mouth in a rather convincing fashion. Andren rushed around the guards and took some of his weight, leaving Evan grateful that the doctor knew his way around the Ministry. He warily thought that things might be going a little too smoothly as they approached the rear exit. Hopefully, a gurney would be awaiting them outside, in the square, as they rushed Maitland toward the medical center and his freedom.

Just as the door to the square came into sight, however, another door ahead of them opened up. Grian and Culver came through and glared at the three men. Evan froze, as did Andren, less than three feet from them. Culver glared. "Where do you think you're taking my prisoner?"

oOo

Leaving Evan to take all of Maitland's weight, Andren rushed Culver and Grian. He'd worked with these men for years, and he'd never seen the glint that shined in Culver's eyes. Grian was known for his harsh ways, and it had apparently worn off on Culver. It was a shame, really. Andren had actually liked Culver in the beginning.

The Prime Minister ducked behind Grian, and a shot sounded in the corridor. It deafened Andren, and he felt the agony rip through his abdomen. His forward momentum knocked Grian off his feet, and he desperately grappled for the gun. Another shot sounded, this one from behind him. More pain bloomed in his back, and he rolled off of Grian. Evan and Maitland were nowhere around, having used the distraction to escape out the door. Andren smiled at Culver. "You've lost."

Culver knelt over him. "You're wrong. I've won."

Andren coughed, real blood coming out of his mouth as his pain started to diminish slightly. "No." He chuckled. "You just revealed yourself. And you won't. . . ."

He didn't finish the statement. Grian's gun sounded one more time in the corridor, and everything was silent.

oOo

"Run! Run! Run!" Evan pushed Maitland out the rear door and across the square. The two made quite the pair with red paint covering them and Maitland's already battered condition. But the other man regained his feet and headed for the far corner. Nurses and women screamed as gunshots sounded from behind them. Maitland slowed again, and Evan shoved his shoulder in an attempt to keep the man moving forward.

Shouts sounded from all around, and Evan caught sight of the sharpshooters he'd worried about taking up positions on top of the hospital and psychiatric center. He bobbed and weaved his way through fleeing civilians and governmental officials, hoping the chaos would give him a slight bit of cover. If he stopped running, he died. Memories flowed through his head, of running to the Ring, being stunned, evading bullets, and any number of other scenarios similar to this one.

A sound overhead cut through the chaos, and Evan glanced up in time to see two cylindrical ships gliding through the air toward them. More screams sounded, but the sharpshooters Evan had noticed had taken up defensive positions, their weapons aimed at the ships rather than the two men. He turned to Maitland. "Go! Use the distraction!"

Maitland listened, and Evan took two more steps as he glanced at the two ships. One nosed downward, and Evan blinked.

Puddle Jumpers. Atlantis. San Francisco. Earth. Jennifer. He was a major in the U.S. Air Force, a man responsible for more than just a four-person team. He had an entire base that relied on him, and his CO—Sheppard—relied on him to keep things running smoothly. And Jennifer. . .She was Chief of Medicine. A doctor and the woman he truly loved even though he'd not allowed himself to express those emotions except for that one night.

The scene of their kiss snapped into focus. He'd just returned from a difficult mission, and she'd just watched a member of Sheppard's team detox from the Wraith enzyme. They'd both been tired, but there had been more to the moment. And he knew it.

In that instant, Evan Lorne knew who he was.

Sound rushed back in as Maitland called his name. Evan shook away the memories as he heard Culver's shout behind him. That man called for the soldiers to stop Evan's escape, but he was cut off by one of the Jumpers that landed between him and the two fleeing men.

The back hatch of a Jumper lowered. Sheppard appeared, his hair defying gravity as usual. "Lorne! In here!"

Evan snagged Maitland's sleeve, and the two men dove into the Jumper as the sharpshooters opened fire.

oOo

Late that night, Evan shifted in the infirmary bed as he listened to Jennifer telling Sheppard about Teyla's surgery. Earlier that day, after diving into the Jumper, he'd been relieved to find familiar faces smiling at him. Sheppard had wasted no time in taking off, much to Culver's consternation. And Maitland had earned himself a first-class stay in Atlantis's infirmary.

So many things had returned to Evan, and he planned to visit Orenth again as soon as things returned to normal. Which hopefully meant tomorrow. He had paintings at Andren's to recover, as well as Maitland's request for asylum for himself and Andren's family. Sheppard hadn't been happy when they returned to Atlantis, and Woolsey had seemed less than impressed. But Evan was home. And relatively happy. He had one more thing to do, but he couldn't complete that until after he'd gathered some things from Andren's family home on the beach.

Jennifer headed his way, her eyes sparkling as she smiled at him. He sat up in the bed, the white scrubs she'd made him change into seeming bright against the tan he'd acquired while swimming in the ocean near Andren's home. "Hey, doc."

"Major." She pulled the curtain around his bed, and her guarded expression fell away. Only a smile and tears remained in it's place.

"Hey." He pushed out of bed, not minding the cold tile against his bare feet. Jennifer wanted him kept overnight for observation. She'd mentioned being worried that he'd suffered from amnesia for so long. He was perfectly healthy, but he agreed to stay if only to be close to her. Ignoring her folded arms, he held her close. She moved, slipping her arms around his waist as he buried his face in her hair. She smelled of jasmine and roses. He loved this woman, and this moment proved it. They faced some hard days ahead, but they could make it. He truly believed that.

She finally pulled back, her smile still in place in spite of the tears she'd shed into his shoulder. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me, too." He settled his arms around her, not willing to let her go. "Jen. . . ."

She put a finger on his lips. "There's something I wanted to ask you about."

"Okay." He met her eyes. "What's on your mind?"

To his surprise, she flushed. "Um. . .remember what happened after Ronon. . .I mean, when we, uh. . . ."

"When I kissed you?"

She gave him a relieved smile. "Yeah." After blinking a few times, she stared at him with those amazing brown eyes. "I can't forget it."

"Neither can I." He shook his head. "The whole time I didn't have any memories, I remembered that kiss."

Jennifer's smile widened. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Wow." She flushed yet again, but her eyes never turned away from his. "Would you mind. . .?"

"Reminding you?" he asked, finishing her statement. When she smiled, he laughed. "Gladly."

Sliding his hand along her jaw, Evan Lorne fulfilled the one desire that had kept him sane the entire time he'd been on Orenth. He kissed his dream lady.

~TBC