Author's Note:
I jinxed myself saying last time that there shouldn't be any more big delays for this story. After all that work to get a few chapters ahead on the writing I was foiled by problems with my internet AND needing to completely replace my computer! So, now that's mostly fixed, should I risk it again and say hopefully posting will be regular until I've finished posting the whole story? Probably not! Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter - glad you enjoyed Lorne and Jenn's reunion. And now, on with the story - we still have seven days to get through (most of them already written and everything!)!
December 18th
"Any ideas on how we're going to handle Torrell and his gang Sir?" Evan asked. He and Sheppard had run some distance from the village in the early morning and were paused for a rest before making the journey back. Evan eagerly took up the offer to start the day with a jog – even with his daily 'supervised' exercise session, he felt like he'd been idle for weeks and lost some of his physical edge as a result.
"Round them up and take them back to the planet we left them on," John suggested. "Only this time we use Eldon's device to make sure they stay put."
"They'd have to fend for themselves, be totally self sufficient," Lorne mused. A rare grin crossed his face. "I like it Sir … very much."
"Me too," John smirked. "Much as I'd like to blast their asses out of the sky this will be much more fitting."
"They can get an appreciation of how hard it is to survive with only yourself to rely on," Evan commented. "A taste of what they've put the Olesian's through for months. Pity we can't send a gang to raid them every few weeks - that would really hammer the message home."
"Tempting, but I think they'll suffer enough just with the isolation," John replied. "Rodney thinks he can disable their ship – he'll need time to work out the specifics once he gets a look at it so we'll need to hold them off for a while. Life for Olesia will be that much easier if they have access to that ship – otherwise I'd say to hell with disabling it, just take it out of commission completely."
"So you mean play along?" Evan grimaced.
"It'll be the least risky of our options," Sheppard pointed out. "Torrell will do whatever it is he does here, during which time Rodney can get the details he needs from their ship to disable it. When Torrell and his men leave, that's when we hit them."
"You should know that Torrell has taken women from the village before," Evan said intently. "Eldon mentioned a friend who lost someone the last time they were here. They don't return and no one knows what happens to them."
"That complicates things," John admitted.
"Much as I hate to suggest it Sir, we could offer them a deal," Evan began. "A few supplies that will make their lives a little easier after we strand them. Torrell might be convinced to give up the location of their current base of operations – or if not him, one of his men. Surely one of them is self interested enough to tell us what we need to know." He sighed deeply. "Even if the news isn't good I think the families will appreciate knowing what happened to their loved ones."
"Agreed," John said simply. "We'll work something out … Colonel Caldwell won't like it but the Daedalus will have something enticing enough to lure someone over to our side."
Nodding, Evan put the topic aside. "Ready to head back Sir?" he nodded in the direction of the village.
"Sure," John broke into a jogging pace, the two running easily side by side, their strides eating up the distance. "Everything okay with you and Jennifer now?" he asked.
"Yes Sir," Evan replied, struck again by how much things had changed because of one simple Christmas tree. Before, his CO would never have raised anything of a personal nature, and certainly not with as much ease as he did now. Teyla had been a big influence on the Colonel.
"She did okay," John offered. "Not in an 'I don't miss him at all' way of course, but she coped. You'd have been proud of her."
"I always am Sir," Evan grinned. "I should be angry that you risked her safety to bring Jenn here but I can't be, given how happy I was to see her."
"You did put on quite a show," John teased.
Evan flushed, recalling the reunion scene in vivid detail. Rodney's snide remark about needing a hut and then offering to beam them back to the Daedalus for some 'privacy' had finally broken through their complete absorption in each other. Jennifer wasn't bothered at all – she hadn't even blushed as she'd turned to Rodney and promised to remind him of that comment one day in the future when the tables were turned. Evan knew the look she'd sent McKay – she already had someone in mind for the scientist and a plan for making it happen. He'd laughingly wished the other man good luck, to Rodney's complete confusion.
"Sixteen days is a long time Sir," he excused now.
"It is," Sheppard agreed. Neither man said it but they were both thinking the same thing – John would be just as oblivious to the world around him if he'd been separated from Teyla for that long.
The two men continued their run in companionable silence until they reached the village again, slowing to cool down until they were walking. "Let's talk to Privic about our plans," John suggested.
"Give me ten minutes to get cleaned up Sir and I'll meet you there."
Nodding, John veered towards the hut he was sharing with his team while Evan continued on. Eldon had taken pity on Evan – or maybe it was more taking the opportunity to begin making it up to Evan for all the trouble he'd caused. In either case, he'd given his own hut over for Evan to share with Jennifer, taking Lorne's spot with his team in the other, larger hut. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Evan had taken the offer for what it was, happy to have the means to stick close to Jenn as much as he could.
Jennifer was only just stirring when he walked in. Since she didn't usually sleep in he was reminded anew just how hard the previous days had been on her.
"Hey," he greeted her, moving to sit on the mattress beside her. Smoothing back her hair he noted that she still looked tired.
"Is it time to get up?" she murmured, still half asleep.
"Not for you," he said softly. "Go back to sleep, okay?"
"'kay," she closed her eyes again, a smile on her lips as she let sleep reclaim her.
Evan smiled, touching a hand to her cheek again before he reluctantly got up and grabbed what he'd need to get dressed for the day. He tried to be quiet but Jennifer was a Doctor and too used to waking at the drop of a hat.
"Evan," she said just as he tied the last boot lace.
"You were going back to sleep," he admonished.
"Can't, not when I have you back again," she complained.
Chuckling, he moved back to the bed. "We're meeting with Privic – it'll be a long drawn out conversation. Rest a little longer – if you time it right you'll get there for the good part."
"I suppose," she said reluctantly, yawning.
"I'm not going anywhere," he promised.
"I know that," she said, her expression telling him that intellectually she knew it but in her heart she was still worried he'd disappear again. "But you have to tell me what today's advent is before you go."
As a tactic to keep him there a little longer it was pretty transparent but Evan played along. He'd be a little late but Sheppard would understand.
"You think I memorised all 25 messages?" he teased.
"Yes!" Jennifer insisted, smiling. "Now spill!"
"Okay, since you asked so nicely," he paused for a moment. "Would you take my name, if we were married I mean?"
"Is that the advent message?" Jennifer asked, confused.
"Not exactly, but it's what inspired the message," Evan admitted. "Would you – take my name I mean?"
"Wow," Jennifer smiled, her eyes going soft and dreamy. "You know what? I never even thought about it!"
"No scrawling 'Mrs Jennifer Lorne' in your notebook?" he quipped.
"We're not in high school," she pointed out, amused. "And to be honest I'm glad – you'd have never looked at me back then."
"I didn't know you back then Jenn but I can't imagine any version of you that wouldn't captivate me," Evan returned. "But you know it's not the past that's important – it's the future I'm interested in."
"Me too," Jennifer grinned. "Do you want me to be 'Mrs Jennifer Lorne'?"
"That's not fair – I asked first!"
"Don't be a baby," Jennifer reached out and ruffled his hair.
"I'm not b-," he stopped before the retort could be finished, taking a deep breath. "This one can't be about what I want Jenn. It has to be about you because you'd be the one making a big change here."
"Can I at least ask what it would mean to you, for me to change my name?" Jennifer asked.
"I'll tell you after you give me your answer," Evan replied.
Jennifer grimaced. "Fine." Her expression turned thoughtful and as the wheels turned in her head a smile grew. "Doctor Jennifer Lorne … I like the sound of that. Wow," she said again, her grin infectious.
"Yeah, it's certainly up there on the wow scale," Evan agreed.
"So what was the message?"
"I don't have much but what I have is yours – especially my name, if you want it."
"Well, we've established that I do," Jennifer looked very pleased with herself. "I like the idea of sharing a name with you … it makes us a family."
Evan grinned. "Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself." They were in sync, always had been from that first date last Christmas Eve. Unable to resist, he rested a hand on either side of her shoulders, leaning down until he could kiss her.
It sucked him in as always … he'd have happily kissed the morning away with her but Jenn pulled away. "Oh God, isn't John waiting for you?"
"Damn," Lorne gave her a regretful look, leaning down to kiss her again before he made himself get up. "Go back to sleep," he urged.
"Like that's going to happen now you've got me all fired up," Jennifer complained.
"Try," Evan insisted, amused. At the door he glanced back, glad to see she'd settled back down in the bed. "Bye," he lifted hand before heading towards Privic's hut.