Author's Note: 500 words exactly. Also, some of the lines in here are used in reference to ShaViva's "Red Flag." Enjoy! ~lg

oOo

For two days, Jennifer and Evan tiptoed around the topic of Tanya Reid. Even his team refused to mention her when he was in earshot. Jennifer had never seen Evan so angry, and it frightened her to think that she could do something to hurt him so badly. That thought, combined with the way Tanya acted around the men of the base, concerned her.

Then, she decided that she needed to eat lunch. Leaving Amanda in charge of the infirmary, Jennifer went to the mess hall. Since her illness, she'd tried to eat a healthier amount of food, much to Evan's approval. Smiling at her pasta, she realized that his opinions mattered more now than they did on New Year's Day. Somewhere along the way, she'd managed to go from wanting a companion to falling head over heels in love with Evan Lorne.

"Are you kidding me?" The surprised voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.

"Nope."

Jennifer recognized the voice of Tanya Reid, though she wasn't sure who accompanied her.

"You and Lorne had a thing?" the other woman asked. Jennifer stiffened when she realized the topic of their conversation.

Tanya snorted. "It was way more than a thing." She went on to describe, in detail, the kind of relationship she'd had with Evan.

"So, are you looking to be the one who finally nails his feet to the floor?"

"Maybe." Tanya sounded nonchalant. "For me and Ace, it was never about white picket fences and two-point-whatever kids. It was. . .hot."

"Yeah, well, I hear he's got the hots for Keller."

"Are you kidding me?" Tanya laughed. "Keller's not old enough to know what's good for her. She couldn't satisfy a man like Evan Lorne even if she tried!"

The two women continued talking, but Jennifer lost her appetite. She carried her tray to the trash bin and left the mess hall. She intended to return to the infirmary, but her feet carried her to Evan's quarters. She'd put his team on stand-down for three days following a minor injury to Reed's ankle. Now, she sighed with relief when he opened the door, wearing his civies.

"Jenn?"

She just stood there. "Hi."

"Everything okay?"

"Um. . .yeah." She frowned. This should be so much easier, but she'd discovered something special with Evan. If he rejected her, she just might run back to Earth. "I was just wondering. . . .could I come in?"

"Yeah." He stepped back, letting her into his quarters.

Jennifer didn't really look around, choosing to focus on him. "I was wondering," she began again, this time finishing in a rush, "if you'd like to have dinner with me."

A slow smile spread across his face as he carefully invaded her space. She refused to back up, however, and he nodded. "It's about time you asked me."

She didn't have time to answer because he kissed her.

~TBC