Evan couldn’t quite contain his grin as he stood waiting for his brother’s team to return. They were due any minute now, and he was nearly bursting with excitement over the news. Standing by the door of the gateroom, Evan leaned against the wall and assumed a relaxed stance, folding his arms over his chest even as the first chevron lit up.
It seemed to take longer than normal for the wormhole to engage, but seconds after it did, Ioan stepped through the gate and spotted his older brother. Evan bit his cheek to keep from laughing at the confused look on Ioan’s face as he walked down the ramp.
“Hey, man, everything okay? Something happened, right?” Ioan asked, unclipping his P90.
Pushing off from the wall, Evan easily kept pace with Ioan as they headed toward the infirmary for post-mission medical. “You could say that,” Evan hedged, grinning. Handing Ioan a piece of paper, he added, “We got our orders. Atlantis is a go.”
Ioan’s eyes widened almost comically. “You’re shitting me!”
Laughing, Evan shook his head. “Nope. This was your last mission. We have three weeks to get everything organized for the expedition, then we get a few days’ leave to say goodbye before attending to last minute details.”
That sobered them both somewhat. As excited as they both were at the prospect of discovering the city of the Ancients, and everything that might entail, they knew that the trip would likely be a one-way affair, unless they could find ZPMs on the other side. Neither of them were naïve enough to believe it would be that simple. Still, they were all too aware of what Earth was facing if they didn’t at least try, and it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.
Clearing his throat, Ioan read his new orders to buy himself a little time, then said quietly, “So we’re really doing this then?”
Evan clasped his baby brother’s shoulder. “General O’Neill’ll understand if you want to stay, Ioan. This is still mostly on a volunteer basis.”
Ioan shook his head. “No. No, I’m going. I’ve got your back, Ev. Always.”
Squeezing Ioan’s shoulder, Evan nodded. “I know, and I’ve got yours. Now go. Get your medical over with. As soon as you’ve been debriefed, we need to report to Sumner.”
The following days, Ioan and Evan were hip-deep in paperwork. At least, that’s what it felt like to Evan. He’d known of course that organizing an expedition like this meant they had to try to account for every little thing they might need. Envision every possible scenario and prepare for it. But as much prep as had already been done up to this point – and that was when they only had a vague idea of the trip actually happening – there was still a crapton to do.
It was a given that they’d need as many weapons and as much ammunition as they could possibly get away with. God only knew what mess they’d land in once in Pegasus after all, and they would not have the SGC behind them anymore. They’d be on their own. But it was everything else that stunned him. The uniforms. The MREs. The non-perishable foods. The seeds. The data pads. The batteries and generators. The list was endless.
Ioan muttered unintelligibly under his breath as he checked off his list. Chuck, who was helping them, scratched his head, then asked, “You get the nagging feeling they missed something in all this?”
Evan looked up. “What do you mean?”
Chuck and Ioan shared a glance. Chuck said, “Movies,” at the same time Ioan said, “Entertainment.”
Shuffling through the myriad notes, Evan hummed. “You’re right. They thought of everything else, but not what we might do to unwind. I guess they figured that was for each individual to do?”
Ioan snorted. Sighing, Evan nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see what I can figure out.”
It took some doing, especially since Sumner was a bit of a hard-ass, but Evan finally got the okay to arrange for entertainment, on the proviso he did it on his own time. Help came from an unexpected corner, though in retrospect, Evan should have known better. One afternoon, Vala came traipsing into the office with Cameron in tow.
“Hi, boys! I heard you needed some help spending money on fun stuff!” Vala hopped onto Ioan’s desk and winked at him.
“Vala,” Cameron warned, though he had a hard time not smiling.
“Oh hush, Cameron, and don’t be a spoilsport. These fine young officers are going to a galaxy far, far away, and someone neglected the entertainment. Who knows what trouble they’ll get into and we’re going to have to miss out on all the treasure they might come across, so the least we can do is help them out now.”
Evan and Ioan exchanged amused looks while Cameron seemed to barely be holding it together. Vala either didn’t notice or ignored it, but it was painfully obvious she considered the matter closed. “Right. So,” she said, turning her attention to Chuck, who’d thus far been staring dumbstruck at her, “I’ve got Colonel Tightwad over here looking into getting you a couple of projectors. Teal’c, Sam, Daniel, and I are ordering lots and lots of books and movies – though no porn because Colonel Bossypants here wouldn’t let me. All digital copies of course, and Sam’ll make sure they’re all compressed so they take up less space, but just in case, she’s putting them on hard drives not yet allocated to you, so you won’t lose out on anything for work.”
They all sat listening to her, stunned, as she continued to rattle off what she’d already managed to put together in merely a few hours. Evan had to admit that the woman was impressive. Completely nuts, of course, but impressive.
“So, what else will you need?” she finally finished, glancing from one to the other before settling back on Ioan.
Clearing his throat, Ioan ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “Well,” he mused, “we’ve all been polled on hobbies and skills outside of what the military’s taught us. Which makes sense, because there’s plenty that we’ll need to do for ourselves if we’re truly cut off from Earth. But I didn’t notice much by way of making use of it. I know there’s knitters and sewers, but while they’ve requisitioned sewing machines and fabric to make uniforms and the like, there’s little else. Also no tools for woodworking or other things. Though they have got everything for gardening, thanks to botany.”
Nodding, Vala pulled a notepad from her cleavage and a pen from her hair, which ended up cascading around her face now it was no longer being held up. Evan watched in amazement as she scribbled a few quick notes, then nodded to herself again. “Right. On it.” Hopping back to her feet, she grabbed Cameron and herded him out the door, throwing a casual, “Not to worry, boys, I’ve got you covered. Come on, Cameron, we’re going shopping, and we’re taking Sam and Daniel with us.”
Chuck was still staring after her in a daze when he said quietly, “So… do you think General O’Neill knew what he was doing when he okayed adding ‘fun stuff’?”
Huffing a laugh, Ioan shook his head. “I don’t think anyone’s ever really prepared for Hurricane Vala. She’s something else, that one.” After a pause, he added, “I’m gonna miss her.”
Grinning, Evan couldn’t help agreeing. “Yeah, she’s made life interesting here, to say the least. Not that it was ever boring, mind you.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Uncle Ev! Uncle Ioan!” two shrill voices echoed as they walked through the door of their parents’ home. Bracing themselves for the onslaught of their niece and nephew as they barreled into them, hugging their legs.
Evan dumped his bag on the floor, scooping up five year old Joe. “Heeeeey, slugger. You been taking good care of your mom and Natalie?”
Seven year old Natalie, ensconced in Ioan’s arms, looked triumphantly at Evan. “I’ve been taking care of him, Uncle Ev. I’m the oldest,” she said in a voice that clearly questioned his sanity.
Ioan grinned, ruffling her hair. “Of course you have, Nat. Now come on, let’s go find granma and grampa, okay?”
Wiggling out of his arms, Natalie scooted down and ran off to the kitchen, hollering, “Granma! Grampa! They’re here! They’re here!”
Joe giggled, apparently content to stay where he was. Sucking his thumb, he pointed after his sister and mumbled, “Mommy there, too.”
Sure enough, once they made it to the kitchen they found their sister Amanda helping their mother with dinner, while grampa had pulled Natalie up on his lap at the table. Wiping her hands, Sarah stepped up to Evan who put Joe down in order to hug his mother. “It’s so good to see you, son. It’s been too long.”
Suppressing a wince, Evan glanced at his brother who was busy hugging Amanda. He gave a slight nod, and Evan knew Ioan was thinking the same thing he was: This might well be the last time they saw their family, and they wouldn’t be able to prepare them for that eventuality. Granted, they were both in the Air Force, so there was always that inherent risk of them dying on the job, but it wasn’t the same and they knew it.
Clearing his throat, Evan pulled himself together and kissed Sarah’s cheek. “Sorry, mom. You know how it goes,” he hedged.
Sean coaxed his wife off their oldest son and pulled Evan into a hug of his own. “Of course we do, Evan. You know how your mother fusses. She did the same to me when I was in the Force, she does it with Aaron, and I’m sure if either Joe or Natalie enlists, she’ll do the same with them, too.”
That earned their dad a smack on his arm, but the reminder had served its purpose. Evan felt a little better about the situation and he could tell it was the same for Ioan. “Thanks, Dad.”
After everyone had had a chance to reconnect, Evan and Ioan were directed to sit at the table. They were not allowed to help with anything, they never were on their first day home. It didn’t take long, though, for dinner to be served and soon they were catching up over great food.
Amanda handed Ioan a roll. “Aaron requested leave so he could see you, but he couldn’t swing it. He’s sorry to have missed you guys and said to tell you to keep your heads down on your next assignment.”
Tearing at the bun, Ioan nodded. “He doing okay? Where’s he at these days? Still in Afghanistan?”
“Yeah. He’s fine, just really busy. Should be back home in time for Christmas, though. At least as far as things stand now. When’ll you be back home, do you know?”
Evan cringed, then quickly hid his discomfort. “No idea. We’re not going to make it back any time soon, I know that much.”
“We won’t be able to contact you, either. The mission we’re on is highly classified and communications in or out’ll be… tricky,” Ioan added casually, though Evan could see the balance he was trying to maintain. “You know you’ll all be in our prayers, though.”
Reaching across the table, Sarah put her hand over Ioan’s and smiled. “As you will be in ours, boys. Always. You be careful out there, alright? Come home to us safely.”
Evan’s jaw tightened, then he forced a smile. “We’ll do our best, mom. Promise.”
The next couple of days, both Ioan and Evan tried to put thoughts of their upcoming mission out of their minds as they focused on glutting themselves on family time. They played ball with the kids, went on long hikes as a family, played golf with their dad, and went shopping for art material with their mother and sister. On a whim, Evan decided to stock up on paints and brushes, too. Just in case. He’d find room in his allotment somehow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Da!” Mac called out, waving as soon as he spotted his father in the arrivals’ waiting area.
“Mac, my boy, it’s good to see you,” Conall said as he hugged his son tight.
Mac clung to his father, relishing this moment even more than he usually did. It wasn’t often he had the chance to return home, after all, and God only knew if and when he’d be able to visit again. After a couple of minutes, they let go and made their way to the underground, as Mac only had his carry-on for luggage. As was their tradition, they stopped by the pub for dinner and a few pints before heading home.
They only had three days together before Mac had to report to the SGC, so they made the most of things. Mac helped his father around the house, doing those chores the old man no longer could do on his own. They did the shopping, cooked together, played chess, and took a tour of the British Museum. Conall went there every week and held a membership in order to enjoy special exhibits. Usually, he took someone along, be it one of the kids from the youth center or someone from the senior citizen’s home he volunteered at.
On the morning he was traveling back to the SGC, he stopped by the grave of his mother to pay his respects. Conall stood waiting at the entrance as usual, giving his son the time he needed. Placing the small bouquet of her favorite white roses, interspersed with sprigs of lavender fresh from his father’s garden, on her grave Mac sighed. He wished he could tell his father everything that was going on, but since he couldn’t, he took his beloved mother into his confidence.
“Hello, mum. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long. You wouldn’t believe the work I do now. Or maybe you would, if you’re watching over me. I hope you are, and that you’ll be able to keep doing so. I have a feeling we’ll need all the help we can get. I’m going to go to another galaxy, mum. Crazy, isn’t it?”
He reached a hand out and gently touched the lettering on her headstone. “It’s my biggest adventure yet.” He pondered a moment. “I don’t know if you’ll be with me there, mum, but if it means you can’t be here for da, then stay here. Da’ll be all alone with me gone, but I can’t not go. There’s too much at stake. I’m not talking about my career, but I’m sure you know that already. There’s dangers out there, mum, that people here couldn’t fathom. I have to do what I can. You understand, don’t you?”
Mac listened quietly for a moment and smiled when he felt a warm breeze caress his face. He knew people thought him silly for talking to his mother’s grave as if she were there and able to hear him, but he’d seen too much over the years to discount the possibility. After all, hadn’t he seen Daniel die and interact with his loved ones more than once? And then come back, alive and well? Mac was no fool, though, in holding out hope for his mother’s return, but he firmly believed she was still here in some capacity.
After allowing himself a few more minutes, he got to his feet and dusted off his pants before bending to rest his forehead against the headstone. “Goodbye, mum. I love you. Please take care of da.” With that, he turned and walked toward his father who put an arm around his shoulder without saying a word.
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