The long-term effects of Anna's gene therapy weren't seen right away. She settled into the new, larger quarters that Sheppard assigned to her and Evan, happy to have a place to call their home. After their wedding, the rumor mill found other topics more interesting, and Anna gratefully enjoyed how people became accustomed to seeing them together. The little signs of a healthy marriage-hand-holding, touches on the shoulder, his hand on her back as they went through a door-thrilled her as much as it raised only a few eyebrows. Evan's team welcomed her wholeheartedly, and Major Daniels talked of adding Anna to his off-world team. Evan put his foot down at that, and Anna told Daniels that she was content working on Atlantis. Her husband could have all the adventure.

After two years, they began discussing children. While they lived on Atlantis and never wanted to leave, that desire to produce offspring had finally gotten the better of Anna. She and Evan debated the merits for six months, finally settling on the compromise that, if she became pregnant, they would request a transfer back to Earth. Three years later, they sought the aid of Dr. Beckett as they had yet to have children. Beckett took a blood sample and asked for several days.

On the promised day, Beckett called them into his office. "Well, I know what's happened, but I don't know that it'll be any more comforting than the conventional reasons."

Anna's stomach clenched, and she slipped her hand into Evan's. "Just tell us, Doc." After five years of marriage, they sounded alike.

Beckett broke the news as gently as possible. "I'm afraid there's nothing wrong with you, Anna." He eyed Evan. "Or you, Major. The issue seems to be in your genetic codes. Anna, according to my tests-and I've run them more than three times-your aging process has been slowed considerably."

"Aging process?" Evan asked.

Anna blinked. "That's a change to the base genetic code of a human being!" When Beckett nodded, she stared. "But the only gene therapy I've had was the ATA therapy I came up with five years ago."

"Aye." Beckett sighed. "I've already begun testing everyone who has ever had that particular therapy." Which was nearly the entire expedition. Shortly after the testing showed no negative results, General O'Neill okayed the inoculation of the entire Atlantis expedition who didn't have the ATA gene naturally or by Beckett's previous therapy.

Evan leaned forward, his mind still stuck on Beckett's previous statement. "Wait, you said her aging process has been slowed. How slow is that?"

"I can't be certain, but I can tell you it's down to about a tenth of what it was before now." His announcement took their breath away. "I'm sorry."

Anna held up a hand. "Wait. You're telling me that, rather than living approximately eighty years, I'm going to live eight hundred years?"

Beckett didn't respond, the answer clearly written across his face. Shell-shocked, Evan and Anna made their way back to their quarters. The tears started shortly after the door closed behind them, and Evan spent the evening holding her. He didn't understand everything that she had endured, but he understood this one. She would have to watch him grow old and die. The gray had already begun creeping into his hair, and he knew that his years as a team leader on Atlantis were numbered. Anna's, however, weren't.

Late that night, Evan slipped out of their quarters as Anna slept. He walked to a nearby balcony and spent an hour debating his actions. Should he do what he was about to do? If so, he could be court-martialed and put in prison. If he didn't, his wife suffered for the rest of their marriage. Decision made, he headed for the infirmary.

Beckett met him at the door. "I was expecting you to return, Major."

"Doc, I can't do this." Evan ran a hand through his hair, uncharacteristically frantic. "I can't let her watch me die."

"I know, son." Beckett stuck his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "I'm truly sorry for the news I gave you today."

"There has to be a way."

"Aye, there is." Beckett looked around to see who was listening. "But I don't know what effect it'll have on your system since you already carry the ATA gene."

Evan stared. The doc had already come to the same conclusion he had, and he appreciated it. "I'm willing to take the risk."

"I knew you would be." Beckett pulled a syringe out of his pocket. "Just return in a week for me to run some tests on you."

As the therapy entered his bloodstream, Evan nodded his agreement. A week later, tests confirmed that his aging process had also slowed. The gene therapy sharpened is ability to use Ancient technology, but it didn't give him the level of control that Sheppard naturally commanded. That didn't bother him. His CO could control all of the Ancient tech he wanted. Evan didn't have to watch his wife grieve through the years of their marriage.

Anna was predictably furious with him, but she softened when he told her that he couldn't watch herself grieve for years. Sheppard, however, wasn't so forgiving. Even after Beckett presented his findings to O'Neill and Weir, Sheppard made sure Evan stayed in the dog house for a good long time. Trust was something to be earned, and Evan had stepped out of line.

When it became apparent that anyone with the new gene therapy would live stupidly long lives, the rest of the Atlantis expedition faced a choice. They could live natural lives or receive the new therapy. The next few years saw a lot of debate as the IOA realized that their control of Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy slipped between their fingers. This new therapy ensured that the IOA members were seen as a temporary irritation. Eventually, Sheppard forgave Evan and joined the ranks of those taking the new therapy. Production stopped, and incoming personnel received the original therapy. They would transfer back home in time.

Fifty years later, Evan and Anna buried his sister. They stood at the back of the crowd around the grave, faces obscured by the shadows of the trees. Their nephews still lived, but both boys had grown children. Due to their extended lifespan, Evan and Anna had stopped visiting Earth shortly after his mother's death. People asked too many questions since they obviously looked younger than they should have. Shortly after that, Evan and Anna officially went MIA. Neither of them liked the lies, but they couldn't subject his family to the pain of the truth. They would live longer than any of his sister's grandchildren. After the funeral, they closed out their lives on Earth and returned to the Pegasus galaxy for good.

Atlantis changed over time. Those who received the new therapy were given the choice of changing identities every twenty to thirty years or transferring to Atlantis, where everyone knew what was happening. Most of them moved to Atlantis, and the city filled up. Children now ran the corridors, not at all intimidated by soldiers rushing around with weapons at the ready. Everyone who lived there drilled for an invasion, and the children knew the dangers. Their parents had raised them to understand. Just like in war-torn countries, it became a way of life.

Evan received a promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in time, and Sheppard jumped to full Colonel. General O'Neill and his new wife, former Colonel Samantha Carter, transferred to the Pegasus galaxy. They had both received the new therapy, and they treated their time in Atlantis as a sort of retirement. Sheppard and Weir remained in command, and O'Neill came out of retirement only for galaxy-transforming events. That didn't happen often.

One evening, as Anna walked the corridors searching for her daughter, she heard her name called. "Dr. Travis." A moment later, she heard it again. "Dr. Travis!"

She turned and stared. She hadn't been called Dr. Travis in so many years that it sounded foreign. Most of the city's residents called her Dr. Anna, so as not to confuse her with her husband, who remained simply "Lorne." A woman hurried to catch up, and Anna blinked in recognition. "Rachel Harrison! I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah." The other woman smiled. "It's been a few years."

Anna snorted at the understatement. "It has."

"How are things?"

"Good." She wasn't sure she wanted to discuss her marriage and family with a woman who once pined over Evan when they first got together. "I was headed up to the control room. Care to join me?"

"Sure." She looked around. "It's different, isn't it?"

"Very," Anna agreed wryly. She fell silent, however, when she saw the gate activate. They weren't expecting an update from Earth any time soon. The IOA had eventually taken over the SGC, and they dialed in occasionally to touch base. Those contacts had thinned down to once a year as time passed.

Today, however, an audio signal silenced the control room. "Atlantis Base, this is Stargate Command. Do not, I repeat, do not send reinforcements through the gate. We are under attack at Cheyenne Mountain, and it is only a matter of time before we fail to defend the gate. We are at peace with this. The war that started a year ago has reached an impasse, and much of Earth has fallen victim to nuclear bombs." Shouts sounded in the background, someone screamed, and then the gate shut down.

Weir turned sharply. "Get that back open!"

Chuck seemed too shocked to move, so Evan rushed from his location at the back of the room to dial the gate. The seventh chevron failed to engage. After three attempts, he stepped back. "I can't do that, ma'am."

Weir stared. Anna waited while Evan returned to her side. All around her, faces fell as the implications hit home. Then, Weir looked to where Chuck had regained control. "Get in touch with Caldwell." She sighed. "I want him bound for Earth and ready to give me a full report."

Modifications to the hyperdrive over the years shortened the trip to Earth from three weeks down to a few days. Just over a week from that disastrous audio transmission, Caldwell, who had received the new therapy, returned with discouraging news. Earth's surface was covered with too much radiation. They could get no life sign readings, and no one answered their call.

Anna stood next to Evan on the day that Weir activated citywide communications.

"By now, you have all heard that we have lost contact with Earth." Weir's voice echoed through the halls of Atlantis. "While we do not know the exact nature of the conflict, we know that Earth was embroiled in a global war. The Daedalus has just returned and confirmed our worst suspicions. The nuclear fallout is too severe to allow human life to exist on the surface. We do not know how many-if any-survived the war." She drew in a deep breath, and her voice shook when she spoke again. "Atlantis, we are alone."

~TO BE CONTINUED~

COMING SOON!

Lantean Symphony II

Atlantis Interlude

First chapters should be up in one to two days!