Shortly after her rescue and subsequent defeat of Nephthys, Anna again returned to Jeneb, this time through the Stargate. Once Atlantis freed the people from Nephthys's control, they gladly unburied their gate and opened negotiations with Evan. He accompanied Anna wherever she went, bringing amused smiles to everyone's faces. This was the first time they'd seen the unflappable major so completely taken with any woman. The rumor mill on Atlantis churned out new stories each day, and Anna had taken to laughing with Evan each evening over what they'd heard.

While they finally allowed the city to see their relationship, they still stayed very private. Their love life wasn't news to everyone, although the rumors liked to believe it was. Most of the women in Anna's lab believed the two lived together, and Anna didn't burst their bubble. For the time being, they maintained separate quarters while adjusting to their lives.

And what lives they were! Anna discovered Nephthys's research on the ATA gene shortly after their return to Jeneb, and Weir allowed her to copy the information onto a flash drive. The IOA wanted Brandt, Anna, and Evan to report for debriefing. They primarily wanted to cover their own backsides when they discovered that a Goa'uld had found Atlantis. During her time on Earth, Anna set up a lab at the SGC and spent hours studying Nephthys's research.

This time, the Tok'ra did kill Nephthys. Anna was there, holding Evan's hand as she tried to appear cold. But tears ran down her face as she finally released the terror left over from her ordeal as Nephthys's host. The Tok'ra didn't comment on her emotion, and Evan merely held her once they were back on Earth. She had faced her demon and won. It was more than could be said for others.

When she wasn't working on the ATA gene, Anna traveled to San Francisco. Evan introduced her to his mother, sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. She laughed with his sister as he played football with his brother-in-law and nephews in the back yard. And she walked hand-in-hand with him along the beach, watching the sunset. While she missed Atlantis, she enjoyed these days to their fullest. Once they returned to the Pegasus galaxy, life would again speed up to the pace they'd endured for the last few months.

One day, Anna dragged Evan to a graveyard and stood over a headstone. Marie had deserved so much more than she'd been given. While he stood behind her, she knelt to place yellow roses on the grave. "I'm so sorry, Marie," she whispered, her tears falling silently. "You didn't deserve what she did to you. I'm sorry."

Evan let her kneel there for a time, a silent witness to her grief. Then, when she finally rose, he hugged her close. "You aren't responsible."

"I know." She smiled at him through her tears. "But she died thinking I killed her. I can't forget that."

"But you can forgive yourself and quit carrying the guilt." He rubbed her arms. "Marie deserves that much."

Anna nodded and disappeared to her room in the SGC for the rest of the day. While she didn't care if Evan saw her grief, this was something she had to do alone. This was part of her past that didn't include him. She had to bury this body by herself.

The next day, she returned to her lab more determined than ever. She no longer had any excuses to keep her from finishing the task that the SGC asked of her. She worked for a long time, skipping lunch and ignoring the tray that was delivered. Her memories of Nephthys had lost much of their edge, and she willingly mined them for the information she needed. Nephthys's files also aided her, and she smiled at the door as Evan walked in.

He stood across the table in front of her, dressed in civilian clothing for a change. "You forgot, didn't you?"

Anna blinked at him as she remembered. "Dinner? Oh, I am so sorry!"

He grinned suddenly. "You're wearing the same dumbfounded look you wore the day you hit on the idea for the ATA retrovirus. How can I be too upset?"

"Dumbfounded?" She shook her head. "I just spent the day doing incredibly complicated equations and, quite possibly, finding the solution to the ATA gene. I need to run some simulations tomorrow to be sure, but I think I might have found what I was looking for."

"Then, we can celebrate?" He pulled out his phone. "I'll call the restaurant and move our reservations."

Evan had made reservations? Anna didn't want to dwell on that and went to her room to prepare for their date. She pulled out the cream dress she wore the first time she played the piano for him and added a string of pearls to it. Her hair flowed around her shoulders, and, while it didn't take her long to prepare, she was happy with the result. He grinned and escorted her to his rental car.

At the restaurant, they dined on five-star cuisine and talked about nothing related to work. In the weeks on Earth, their relationship had deepened to the place where silence was communication. After dinner, Evan drove her to the apartment he kept in Colorado Springs. Anna followed him inside, surprised to find the military precision she'd expected to find in his quarters on Atlantis. Of course, he didn't live here but once a year, but that didn't matter. This was what people expected of a career Air Force major.

The apartment had a balcony, however, and an easel stood in a patch of moonlight, it's cover rippling in the slight breeze. Evan flipped on the lamp near the door and dropped his keys as he emptied his pocket. Anna frowned. He wasn't given to letting things slip like that, and she wondered if he was simply tired from all the meetings he'd been forced to attend. Thankfully, that was over. Their ship for Atlantis departed at noon the next day, and Anna couldn't wait to get back to Pegasus. Now that she'd truly buried Marie, she had nothing keeping her on Earth. She caught sight of a picture of Evan's family on his mantle. Well, nothing from her past held her on Earth.

Evan moved to the balcony, and she followed him. He stood next to the draped easel, his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to show you this." He turned to the easel, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he removed the cover. "I painted this while we were back home."

Anna stared at her portrait, stunned by the artistry and how he had captured her likeness. She had never seen her face as she played the piano, but she knew she looked different. Everyone said she glowed. She never thought about it until now, and seeing Evan's perception of it took her breath away.

Then, he moved, and she blinked as he dropped to one knee. He produced a ring-large, but still very tasteful-and she threw herself into his arms before he could ask the question. "Yes!" She stayed there even as he laughed. Then, she pulled back. "But I'll let you ask if you want."

"No, that's okay." He grinned. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to get it out right anyway."

The next morning, she proudly wore her engagement ring to the farewell meeting they had with General O'Neill and Colonel Carter. O'Neill ribbed Evan about their relationship and secured an invitation to the wedding from them before allowing the Daedalus to beam them up. Caldwell raised his eyebrow but said nothing until that evening, when he found Anna hunched over a computer in the mess lab. He asked if she was happy, and she nodded. "Happier than I've ever been."

"Good." Caldwell nodded. "I'm glad you recovered."

Anna smiled, knowing he spoke about her ordeal with Nephthys. "I had good friends." She folded her hands under her chin, still trying to get accustomed to seeing the ring on her finger. "I do have a favor to ask, though."

Caldwell blinked. "If it's in my power, you have it."

"Walk me down the aisle."

For the first time in her life, Anna saw what Caldwell looked like when someone left him priceless. After a moment, he recovered. "I would be honored."

Life on Atlantis resumed a normal pace. She and Evan still maintained separate quarters, but Sheppard grinned when they returned. She later discovered that a pool regarding their relationship had been started, and Sheppard won. He shared some of the booty with Evan, who later confessed to bribing his CO.

Three days before their return trip to Earth for the wedding, Anna stood next to Beckett in the infirmary. Evan and Sheppard were also there. The time for human testing of her gene therapy had come, and she wanted to be the first to give it a try. Especially since the first round hadn't taken. She extended her arm for Beckett to administer the therapy and held Evan's gaze as it entered her bloodstream. She spent the next day feeling under the weather, but the therapy took. She activated several innocuous Ancient devices and got her first taste of flying the Puddle Jumpers just before gating back to Earth. O'Neill congratulated her and approved large-scale production of the gene therapy once several more rounds of testing had been completed.

Eighteen months after their first encounter in the cave, Evan and Anna were married by General Jack O'Neill on the beach of San Francisco Bay. Sheppard stood as Evan's best man, and Anna asked Teyla to be her maid of honor. As she walked down the aisle, she almost laughed at the sight of Ronon in a tux, but she saved her smile for her groom. Since some of the guests, including Evan's family, weren't in the know about the Stargate Program, O'Neill kept his comments about what they had faced to a minimum. Less than thirty minutes after Caldwell placed her hand in Evan's, O'Neill pronounced them husband and wife.

~TBC

Author's Note: Only the epilogue, and then this one will be finished. It's been quite an adventure for me! Now, it's time for the massive cliffhanger I've been promising some of you. (It's massive to me, anyway.) So, let me know what you think! ~lg