Prompt: Cards (part 2)
Pairing: Evan Lorne x OFC (Natalie) / Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Evan wanted to do something special for Natalie. They had been dating for four years now and this would be their third Christmas together. They had this tradition of exchanging cards the week before and he knew exactly what he wanted to do for her card.
It was his day off, Natalie was covering the morning shift in the infirmary for another doctor that was sick, so he knew he had at least eight hours to get her card done. Pulling out the box that stored all of his art supplies, he got to work. He took the picture he had of her from his jacket and placed it on the table. Taking a piece of charcoal from the box, he began tracing her face on the piece of paper that would, eventually, become her card.
The idea was simple. Evan was going to draw her face on the front of the card and write a loving message on the inside. He knew how much she loved when he would draw, but was always reticent when it came of her becoming one of his paintings or drawings. She would say that, even though she loved seeing him paint, she wasn't so sure about being painted, simply because she didn't think it was worth the hassle on his part. So, Evan would sketch her in his notebook, always without her knowing. And now, with this card, he was hoping he could show her how beautiful she was and how it was no hassle, simply because he loved her.
A few hours later and he was finished. Just in time to meet Natalie on the open balcony halfway between the infirmary and the mess hall. It was their favorite spot in the city and where they would always trade the cards. He was the first to get there, so he sat on the bench and waited. He started getting nervous. "What if she doesn't like it?" and "What if she gets upset?" were the thoughts running through his mind.
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a smiling Natalie and with that, all the nervousness he was feeling was gone. She had this calming effect on him that no one else he had ever met had. He saw her walking towards him and sitting on the bench next to him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he slid her closer to him and kissed her softly, feeling her kissing him back.
Once they were both content, Evan pulled his card out and handed it to her. He saw her taking it out of the envelope and heard her gasp at the image in front of her. It was a perfect replica of the picture he had of her and that he would always carry with him. He could see she had tears in her eyes. She didn't say anything, she just kissed him. The smile on her lips was enough to tell him that she loved it.
Natalie placed the card very gently back in its envelope and put it by her side on the bench. It was now her turn. He saw her pull an envelope from her jacket and when she handed it to him, he noticed her hand shaking a bit. She was nervous. Evan knew that, no matter what the card said, he was gonna love it, simply because it was from her.
Evan pulled the card from the envelope and looked at the front. On it, she had drawn three hearts: two large ones and a smaller one between them, all of them painted; one of the large ones was painted blue, the other pink and the small one was half and half, blue and pink.
He smiled at the care that she had put in drawing and painting them. They were quite cute and he made sure to tell her just that. Opening the card, inside was a simple question: "Earth or Atlantis?" and under it was a piece of paper folded in half. Evan was confused by the question. Unfolding the paper, he saw what was on it and he almost dropped the card.
Looking at her with wide-eyes, he couldn't believe what was in the card. "Please, let it be true.", he thought, hopeful that she wasn't playing a cruel joke on him. He saw that she had tears in her eyes and when he asked if it was real, she simply nodded, a huge smile on her lips. He was going to be a dad.
He could barely believe it. In that small piece of paper was an ultrasound. It wasn't like they were trying, but they weren't not trying, if it makes any sense. Standing up and pulling her with him, he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately. He couldn't believe his luck.
Looking back, he should've guessed it when he saw the hearts. But he really had no idea. Natalie just gave him the best Christmas present he could've had ever asked for. Sitting back on the bench, he couldn't resist but to rub her stomach, the place where their baby was growing.
They both knew they would have to tell Elizabeth and John, but for now, they were just going to enjoy the news. There was plenty of time to let everyone know.