Fic: Love, War, and Reunions
Title: Love, War, and Reunions
Author: Rachael Sabotini (wickedwords)
Other Info: Gen-or-Not, Lorne/Weir possible, 590 words
Summary: Lorne's family comes from a very small town.
sherrold and z_rayne were kind enough to beta this for me, and I really appreciate their work. Written for the third round of atlantis_lvw. The theme was 'gifts', and we had a 600-word-count limit.
Love, War, and Reunions
The Lorne family reunion--technically, the McInerney family reunion--was held at the Keyhole Country Club, Pine Haven, Wyoming. Picking up his beer and scanning crowds of people in the main dining room, Nick wasn't sure why he'd come. He didn't really have anything in common with the rest of his family--most of them farmers, ranchers, and engineers--but his mom wanted all of her boys to come some year, so this time, Nick had. He hoped it made up for some of the many times he'd missed Easter, the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving.
Anyway, he was still recuperating from getting his leg slashed up in the last Wraith firefight. He really didn't like limping around the halls of Atlantis, seeing the concerned looks on everyone's faces, or the way Dr. Weir looked at him, her eyes so full of guilt.
"Excuse me?"
Nick glanced away toward the speaker. She was about 16, with wood-brown hair pulled back with barrettes and wearing a cotton sundress. He wondered if she'd sewed it herself.
"Hello," he said, nodding at her. "I'm Nick. Nick Lorne. And you're--"
"Sarah McInerney." Of course. "Uhm, listen," She stared down at the floor a second, then back at Nick. "They told me you were in the military, and that you'd been injured."
"That's right." Nothing classified about that.
"Well, the bishop talked to us all at youth group last Wednesday, about, you know, making stuff for people overseas--"
Oh, for the love of-- "I'm fine, really--" He held up his hand to stop her, but she barreled on through, scientist-fast.
"And I was wondering if you could tell me how to find my aunt, so I could send her something."
That took Nick aback. "I'm sorry. You're looking for your aunt?"
"Well, she's kinda my aunt," the girl said solemnly. "She's a friend of my mom from college, and she's not exactly military, more a civilian contractor? I think." Her mouth pursed. "We lost track of her a couple of years ago. She used to work for the U.N." She twisted the fabric of her dress between her fingers.
Wow. Nick had no idea where to start. "What's her name?"
"Elizabeth Weir," she said, and then corrected herself: "Dr. Elizabeth Weir."
**
Lorne stood just outside Elizabeth's closed office door, waving the package in his hand, a big grin on his face. He didn't limp at all anymore, and it was great to be back. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and motioned him in.
"I thought Sergeant Campbell normally delivered the mail?" she asked as Lorne handed her the bundle.
"He does ma'am, but as I was already on the Daedalus when she landed, I figured I'd take advantage of the situation." He slid into the chair across from her. "Just call me Santa Claus."
"Well, thank you, Major Claus. It's good to have you back." She smiled at him, the warmth in her eyes more than her tone telling him how welcome he was.
She picked up the brown paper wrapped package and looked at the label: written in red, crosses on the front, and a return address in Gillette, Wyoming. "It's from my niece Sarah," she said, sounding a bit overwhelmed. "She's never sent me anything before." She glanced at Lorne. "You think it's cookies, don't you?"
"I detected the faint odor of chocolate chips about it."
"If you're right, I promise to share." She tore the paper opening the box, and the delight on her face was better than Christmas.