Ace In The Hole
Chapter 26
"Good morning sir... I hope you all slept well?" Alex comes sweeping cheerfully into the infirmary with a couple of packages in each of his hands "These are for you and you" he quickly hands the two packages to the young boys offering the Colonel a knowing wink whilst they are distractedly tearing the wrapper off the packages.
"Oh man... a PSP ... cool"
"Thanks uncle Alex" both boys say in unison, Sheppard's eyes widen at the term but Alex merely chuckles turning his attention fully back too the Colonel
"Uncle Alex?" Sheppard says quietly
"Their memories have been built from your mind... nice too know you already hold me in such high regard" Alex smiles before nodding towards Carson standing at the door.
"Well... looks like you can get going... but please try to stay out of trouble from now on" Carson says looking at the two young boys.
"They will Doc... I promise"
"Aye... we'll see"
"So where are we headed?" Asks Sheppard following Alex out the infirmary to the nearby transporter.
"Dad?... aren't we going back to our old room?" Matthew asks finally looking up from the PSP that he's trying to open without dropping it.
"Durrrr... don't you remember anything... why were we in hospital?" Mark says looking at his brother like he's suddenly grown another head.
"Oh yeh" the boy suddenly chuckles "Dad burnt the toast... and caused a fire in our room"
Sheppard just looks at them in wonder.
"Well we have found you some new quarters... tower 34, room 2345... nice and easy too remember" Alex grins.
"How high uncle Alex?" Mark asks excitement clearly visible on his face.
"Wait and see..." Alex just grins as Sheppard stares at him.
Sheppard's breathe is momentarily taken away as he steps into the new room, the first thing he notices is that its huge, large windows two stories high show unrestricted views of the ocean in front of him, its clearly one of the larger outer residential towers there is a family sized open plan kitchen off to one side and stairs leading to a balcony above clearly leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms.
"Sorry no balcony... sir" Alex grins as Sheppard clearly jolts back into reality
"Sorry its just... wow"
"Thanks... Alex says slightly blushing... these are my family units... I chose this particular room specifically because there is a transporter just down the corridor" Alex indicates the door.
"I thought that the residential towers are on a separate transport system?"
"They are... but authorised personnel can basically move freely throughout the whole city, the lock out system was designed to keep Lantian children away from labs and such not to make it hard for their parents to get to work" Alex grins "I have suggested that some of the people in relationships may want to consider these larger quarters... after all the smaller quarters in the central area were mainly for single people with less need for space"
"I bet McKaye is bending Jen's ear about moving already" Sheppard chuckles before turning his attention to the raised voices coming from the balcony above.
"Dad!"... Matthew suddenly looks over the balcony down at him and Alex "Will you tell him I get too choose my bedroom first he picked last time!"
"Mark... try to be fair... you can't get first choice every time" Sheppard sighs as Alex just grins at him.
"Dad!... its sooo not fair!" Marks yells back obviously frustrated.
"Boys" Sheppard says to Alex before he just grins then goes charging up the stairs to sort his son's out, when Alex hears laughter coming from the balcony above him he just smiles too himself and beats a hasty retreat.
"Mind if I join you?" Evan looks up from his half eaten breakfast into the smiling eyes of Colonel Grainger, he nods almost imperceptibly to the vacant chair in front of him before sighing loudly.
"Please don't start Dom... not today... not right now... my heads a little messed up at the moment... I just can't deal with any more at the moment" Evan says sounding totally lost and alone.
"I'm here as a friend Ev... talk too me... I already know what's happened... you know what the grape vines like in this place... please …. just let me help you?" Dom says placing his hand on top of Evans which is resting on the table.
Evan stares at their hands and then uncontrollably glances around the room to see if anyone is looking.
"You know with everything that's going on you're still worried that someone will see you holding hands with a guy!" Dom snorts.
"Gimmi a break will you?" Evan fidgets awkwardly pulling his hand back and dropping it to his lap "I'm just not that comfortable in public"
"For god's sake Ev I'm hardly snogging ya... and to be honest I doubt anyone here would even give a damn anyway especially not Sheppard... he's cool with ya ain't he?"
"Yeh... he's said he is but that was until..."
"What?... until you fathered his kids" Granger grins wildly as Evan blanches at the term.
"DOM!" Evan growls "It isn't funny"
"You know I thought I had heard it all but this one..." Dom chuckles as Evan shifts in his seat uncomfortably "So what are they like?"
"Don't know" Evan sighs
"What you mean?" Dom suddenly understands Evans mood "You haven't seen them yet have you?"
"Nope" Evan looks downbeat suddenly "I have to see how they react... the way Jen explained the Colonels not sure what has been put in their heads concerning me"
"And your worrying you're just what... like some unwanted sperm donor?" Evan roles his eyes at Dom's crass analogy but slowly nods "You love Teyla's kid right?"
"Torren... of course I do"
"Yet he's not even yours is he?"
"What's that got to do with it?
"It's just I have seen Torren's eyes light up when you are around... the little tyke thinks the world of you Ev" Evan feels the sting of tears forming in his eyes as Dom continues "You really think that you ain't gonna get that bond with your own kids?"
"This is different" Evan sighs trying too control his suddenly volatile emotions.
"Sure they might be more grown up than Torren is and sure they may not have come into the world the normal way but even so whether they know you or not ain't really all that important is it?" Dom smiles at Evans slight look of confusion "Once they get too know you for who you are... there's not much there that's not too like" Evan blushes at Dom's kind words "Granted most people don't know you are an uptight, neat freak that alphabetises his music collection... but I wont tell em if you don't" Dom just winks at Evan and smiles as he gets up too leave.
"Dom..." Grainger stops too look back at Evan
"Thanks... for the first bit... not the second" Evan grins
"Anytime" Grainger just winks and walks out the mess hall leaving him alone to gather his thoughts.
Evan stands outside the doorway to Sheppard's new quarters it had been less than 10 minutes ago that the Colonel had radioed him asking him to join them for dinner, he couldn't understand why he was so shook up, he and Sheppard had eaten lunch together numerous times before this was no different was it?
Who was he kidding, of course it was different even from outside the room he could hear the cheerful voices inside and deep down Evan yearned for nothing more than to be a part of that, the thought that he might not get to be included was slowly tearing him apart and the need to know one way or the other overrode the fear of rejection.
No sooner had he hesitantly rang the door chime than the door slid open, the first thing he noticed was the large open room with views out across the ocean... the second thing that registered in his mind was the Colonel pinned too the floor being tickled by the two chuckling boys lying across him trying to hold him down... but its what came next that made Evan's eyes widen in shock.
"Papa don't just stand there..." Matthew says whilst trying desperately to grab onto Sheppard's legs
"I..." Evan was caught completely off guard but quickly noted the amused look in the Colonels eyes.
"Come on... he's wining" Mark whines as Sheppard quickly picks up one son under each arm before carefully throwing them both on the sofa before bolting for the kitchen leaving them both chuckling.
"Loser...loser...you ran away!" they both say together before turning back to Evan
"Hey pop... have you been off world?... you weren't in the infirmary when we woke up" say Mark scrambling towards Evan.
"I..."
"You know dad started a fire in our old quarters... it was so funny... uncle Meredith was sooooo mad at him" Matt says as both children throw their arms around him giving him a hug.
Sheppard can see Lorne is struggling too hold his emotions in check and he suddenly wonders if this new emotional understanding comes from the gathering thing that Alex had mentioned or the fact that he is now a father.
"Boys!... go get washed... dinner in ten minutes" Sheppard says commandingly but with a smile on his face both lads give Evan a quick squeeze then bolt off up stairs trying too push each other out the way to be first.
"They started too ask when you where gonna be home about an hour ago... its like something went click in their heads" Sheppard chuckles looking up from the food he is preparing.
"I... I'm feeling a little..."
"Overwhelmed?" Lorne just nods understanding now that Sheppard must be feeling the same way "Just go with it" Sheppard grins "Apparently you and I lived together"
"What!... as in?"
"Oh yeh" Sheppard just smirks at Lornes blush... "Look... Evan I know this is gonna seem sudden... but the thing is... well the truth is... this place is huge... there's like... five bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs plus the living space down here and there was even an office through there" Sheppard points too the double glass doors at the opposite side of the room to the kitchen "Well it was an office till Mark commandeered it as an art studio" Lornes eyes widen in surprise "Guess he got that from you" Sheppard actually blushes much too Lornes surprise.
"And you're telling me this because?"
"Look I know this is a weird thing to ask and I know I have no rights to ask you not really but I've had this idea on my mind since the moment I got here... and I haven't really thought about anything else all day so... I'm gonna ask anyway" Sheppard rubs the back of his neck nervously "I'm not saying that we have too... well you know"
"Are you trying to ask me to move in with you Sir?" Lorne asks a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"No... I mean yes..." Lorne looks confused as Sheppard sighs and gathers his thoughts "Colonel Sheppard isn't asking you to move in but John is" Sheppard drops his head slightly in defeat "Look you have as much right to be a part of their lives as I have... and obviously the weird glowy golf ball thing somehow thought we were an item hence the scenario we now find ourselves in now... and intentional or not we have to deal... I'd totally understand if you said no and bolted..." Sheppard stops rambling to look at Lorne who's just smiling.
"What happens if either one of us meet someone?" Lorne says but no sooner he say it he feels a wave of something he can't put his finger on wash over him, and he's almost certain it came from Sheppard.
"Not gonna happen..." Sheppard smiles "Think about it?"
"I'll think about it" Lorne nods.
Looking down over the balcony Mark smirk's at his brother "They are so gonna get back together"
"You are such a sap!" Matt says rolling his eyes
"We'll see"
"You're a muppet... you do know that... right" Matt says grinning as he thumps his brother on the arm then runs back downstairs
"You just wait!... I'll give you muppet!" Mark launches himself at his brother playfully fighting.
"Will you pair knock it off" Evan shouts as the two boys fall on the sofa wrestling.
"He started it!" Mark says whilst trying to thump his brothers shoulder discreetly.
"Daddies boy" Matt says glaring at his brother whilst rubbing his shoulder.
The phrase was said so matter of factly but it hit Lorne like a bolt of lightning he could see himself and he could see Sheppard in the two young faces staring back at him and in an instant his mind was made up he turns too look at Sheppard who is just smiling at him knowingly.
"The answers yes" Sheppard just smirks... nods then carries on preparing dinner.