This is dedicated to every soldier around the world who serves his or hers country at home or abroad, and this is also dedicated to those who sits at home wondering when their heroes are coming home.

Disclaimer: I don't owe anything besides stuff you don't recognize from the show.

It's like I'm looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream

Just a Dream – Carrie Underwood.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she slammed her fingers at the keyboard. She was not supposed to work today, but changed her mind after getting one memo after another from her boss who had been nagging at her for several days to finish off those reports. Working for almost four hours straight with only one break all day had given her a headache that was starting to build up. She looked up from her laptop and gazed up at the watch in her lab. A smile appeared on her lips. It was less than an hour until he came back from his mission at M1K-177, and then they were going to eat dinner together. She hated when he had to go off-world, but she knew that as a soldier he had to go off-world and that there always was a chance that he wasn't coming back to her. Knowing that one day could be the last time she woke up next him or kissed those lips of his made her worried and restless. She always had concentration issues with working when he was off-world but today she knew that he was coming home.

Every time he went off-world, she was always on the edge expecting the worse. When he had arrived safely back at the base, she could breathe out until the next time. He always told her that she was silly for acting like she did, and that he was too lucky to get injured, captured or worse, killed, during an off-world mission. He promised her that he was going to return to her in one piece, and so far he had kept that promise.

She knew that being a soldier's girlfriend or wife wasn't easy. First when she had started to work at the SGC, she had stayed away from the soldiers since she knew that she couldn't handle being a soldier's girlfriend, however, that changed when she met Evan, but it was still hard being stuck in the city when he was off-word doing all kind of crazy stuff. Not only did she have great deal of respect for the men and women who chose to severe their countries overseas, but she also had great deal of respect for those loved ones that sat at home day in and out without knowing if they were going to see their heroes again.

She pulled out a silver pendant from underneath her blue shirt. The pendant meant the world to her. She smiled, reading the words on the pendant, 'I promise'. She put the pendant back underneath her shirt and continued finishing off those pesky reports.

"Hilary?" Someone called out to her.

She turned her gaze at the man that was standing in the doorway. "Dr. Parrish, what can I do for you?" She asked, smiling.

Dr. Parrish took a step closer. Hilary noticed that he had a grief stricken face. Dr. Parrish was one of the few people on Atlantis that was smiling all day long. Seeing him like this made her realize that something was very wrong. Her smile slowly faded from her happy face. Her face was stone cold and it felt like that an elephant had sat itself on her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"There was an accident on M1K-177 and I didn't want you to hear this in the corridor," Dr. Parrish started to explained and paused. Her eyes slightly widened, feeling that she was already getting sick. "Major Lorne and his team were found dead and they've retrieved their bodies."

She kept staring at him with her eyes still widened. So many emotions were running through her body that she didn't know which of the emotions was coming out.

"Evan!" She called out as she jogged after him in the corridor of the Lost City of Atlantis.

He stopped, "Go head, I'll meet you boys in the gate room," He ordered his team. He turned around to face her.

She jogged up to him. "I thought you had the day off?" She asked, sounding upset.

"Well, I thought so as well, but Dr. Lindsay needs someone to escort her to M1K-177," He explained and pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry, Hilary. I know that we were going to spend the day together but it won't take long. I promise that I'll be back. I always keep my promise." He kissed her forehead.

"Hilary?" Someone asked causing her to snap back to herself. Her lips started to quiver, and the tears that had built up in her eyes making her vision blurry, started to stream down her cheeks. She felt that she had been shot straight into her chest.

"But he promised," She managed to squeak, holding her tearful gaze at Dr. Parrish who didn't know what to say. She shook her head as the tears kept flowing down her cheeks, leaving black streaks down her face. "He promised that he would be back," She repeated with a wobbling voice, feeling that something in her throat was stuck making it almost impossible to talk or breathe properly.

"I'm sorry, Hilary," Dr. Parrish finally spoke up, looking down.

"I..I..I need to go." Hilary stood up from her chair and stepped out from her lab.

The autopilot in her had been turned on automatically when she toke one step out from her lab. She quickly dried the wet black streaks with the back of her palm.

"Did you hear what happened to Major Lorne and his men?" She overheard someone say behind her. Her heart sank to her stomach.

"Yes, I can't believe that they are dead. I walked past Lieutenant Reed's girlfriend's lab when they broke the news to her. She let out a heartbreaking scream. I guess that it's hard to be a soldier's girlfriend."

"Poor girl, but didn't Major Lorne have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I don't remember her name but I think she is an archaeologist. Poor girls, knowing that they aren't coming home must be killing them."

Hilary picked up her pace. Her chest was hurting and her heart was beating faster. It felt like she was suffering from a heart attack. She clutched to her chest and forced herself to take deep breaths. Hilary quickly made her way to her quarters where she could get grieve in peace.

She stepped into the quarters they shared. She never thought that she was going to fall for a soldier. Walking over to the desk, she picked up a picture of a happy couple. A tear fell down on the glass in the picture frame. She gently put it down again. She picked up his shirt that was hanging on the chair beside the desk and smelled his shirt. The smell from his aftershave was still stuck on his shirt. Her vision was getting blurry from the tears that were building up in her eyes. She bit her lips that was shaking like leafs. She gazed down where he usually placed his muddy boots.

She scooped up the many shirts that was lying everywhere in room, letting out a frustrated sigh. She was angry and irritated. Hearing the door the slid up, she turned around. Holding the shirts in one hand, she placed her empty hand on her hip. "Does it look like I have a PhD in cleaning? And can't you clean up the mess after your boots? You know how much I hate mess, Evan?"

He stepped closer into the room, stopped and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry. I was supposed to clean up my shirts before I went off-world," He apologized and closed the gap between them, pulled her closer to him and gazed down at her, "Hilary, I'm sorry."

Her face softened. A small smile formed as a curve on her pink lips. "Damn it, Evan. How can I be mad at you when you are looking at me like that?"

She walked over the bed, laid down, and curled up in ball still clutching on to his shirt that had become more than a stupid shirt. She started to sob loudly making her whole upper body shake. It didn't matter how much or loud she sobbed, the pain that was chewing her up from inside refused to leave her grieving heart. The sobbing turned into uncontrollable sobbing making it difficult for her to breathe. She clutched on to his blue shirt even tighter. He was her soldier, her boyfriend and her hero. Her hero didn't wear a cap or a mask but a pair of muddy combat boots. Those puffy red eyes that had shed many tears today started to slowly close as the sobbing faded, hoping that this was just a horrible nightmare, and that when she opened her eyes again he would be here with her.

Major Evan Lorne sat with his team in a holding cell, leaning his head against the wall, waiting for something to happen. His mind traveled back to the moments during the ambush. Everything happened so quickly. The only thing he remembered from before he ended up in this godforsaken cell was that he had ordered Doctor Lindsay to dial for back up and they got overpowered by Genii rebels and stunned. Waking up today, he didn't plan to get captured. This was supposed to be quick and simple mission but yet again there was no quick and simple mission. He didn't know what the Genii wanted to do with them but he was sure that he and his team was going to find out that very shortly.

"Major, do you think that the people back at Atlantis are searching for us?"

"Don't worry, Reed. I'm sure that they are looking for us," Evan assured the Lieutenant, still leaning his head against the wall, hoping that he was right. The people back at Atlantis must be looking after them. After all, they had been gone for several hours by now. He hoped that Dr. Lindsay had managed to fall back to the gate, calling for backup.

All the sudden he felt his chest tighten due to the fear that had suddenly struck him like lightning from a clear blue sky. What if Dr. Lindsay hadn't reached the gate to call for backup? Then they wouldn't know where to look for them and what if they won't find them. The fear of rotting in a prison cell on alien planet would scare every soldier, not to mention the most experienced soldiers would be scared as hell.

He would give everything he owned to get out from the cold and wet prison cell and back to Atlantis, to his warm bed and most important of all getting back to her. She must be worried sick by now. He closed his eyes as his mind wandered back to the first time he met her smiling face.

Evan was walking down in the corridor patrolling the city that had turned into his second home. Turning around the corner, the long narrow corridor was filled with music. It sounded like country music. He felt that one of his eyebrows rose up. Walking further down the corridor, the music became louder.

Turning his gaze into the one of the labs in the corridor, a smirk appeared on his lips and his eyebrows were raised. Who ever said civilians at this base were boring had definitely not seen the scene that was unfolding right in front of his eyes.

"Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady, Men's shirts, short skirts," The woman in front of him sang as she danced, shaking her head. He felt that his gaze was automatically dragged down to the woman's butt that she was shaking while walking over to one of the desks in the lab. "Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style, Oh, oh, oh, get in the action, feel the attraction." She turned around, "Color my hair, do what I dar,-". She abruptly stopped when she saw that she had an audience and quickly walked over to the CD-player and turned it off. Evan quickly pulled back his gaze. "I didn't know that I had an audience," She said, giving him an awkward smile while she was turning red.

"I'm sorry, I just heard some country music and thought that I should check it out," Evan admitted. "I don't think I've met you before, I'm Major Evan Lorne," He introduced himself, extending a hand.

She waked over to him with an extended hand, "Dr. Hilary Bradshaw." She shook his hand without letting go of his hand, giving him a wide smile.

"Major, someone is coming." One of his men informed making him return to the wet, cold prison cell.

Evan stood up as the heavy footsteps came. The footsteps had stopped in front of the holding cell. It was the Genii with an unconscious McKay and bunch of marines. The guards opened the door, dragged McKay and the marines in to the prison cell, and stepped outside and closed the door. Evan sat down in the bench, wondering what is happening.

It wasn't long before Colonel Sheppard followed. The guard opened the prison cell and pushed Sheppard in. Evan stood up and walked over to his commanding officer.

"Major, Boys," Sheppard greeted them.

"Colonel," Major Lorne greeted back, standing next to Sheppard.

"Way to be alive." Sheppard looked at the Major that he had thought was dead.

"Thanks, Sir. So, have you come to rescue us?" Lorne hoped so. He wanted get back to Atlantis.

"Well, until about a moment ago I thought you were dead, but now that I see you speaking and breathing… yeah, I am thinking about it."

"Well, good. Let me know if there's anything we can do to help, huh?"

If the Colonel Sheppard thought that he was dead then rest of Atlantis thinks that he and his men were dead, and if rest of Atlantis thought he was dead, she was thinking that he was dead. He had promised her that he will come back from every mission in one piece, and he was going to make sure, one way or another, that he would keep that promise.

One hour after Colonel Sheppard had been pushed into the prison cell with the rest, the marines and Dr. McKay began to wake up. Evan helped the marines up onto the bench.

Out of the blue, Evan could hear the same heavy footsteps that he had got used to. In matter of second, the guards and Ladon was standing in front of the prison cell. They opened the cell and Ladon stepped in. Sheppard looked up at Ladon that was standing in front of them with a gun. He aimed the gun at the Colonel.

"Times up," Ladon announced.

Major Lorne stood up as his eyes were glued on the gun that was pointing at his Commanding officer.

"Doctor Weir said that Doctor Beckett could cure the people I sent through the gate. Is that true?" Ladon asked.

"Doctor Beckett is the best doctor in both galaxies. If he has a cure, he got it," Sheppard explained.

Ladon lowered his gun, "We are letting them go."

They all exchange a couple of surprised glances before they all stepped out of the cell. He was skeptical. It couldn't be that easy. Evan was standing behind Sheppard listening to what Laden was going to do with Cowen. He thanked God that Ladon had changed his mind about leaving them behind to get vaporized with Cowen and his men.

They made their way to the gate and looking at the established wormhole, Evan noticed a smile on his lips. Stepping through the gate, his heart was dancing in joy of being back at Atlantis several hours in captivity.

The Genii guards that had come through the gate with them had surrendered themselves. Evan was relieved that everything was over and that he had gotten his men and himself back to Atlantis in one piece.

"Okay, boys, I want all of you to get checked by Dr. Beckett," Colonel Sheppard ordered.

"Yes, Sir," the all said in unison.

Making their way out of the gate room and to the infirmary, they heard a couple of screams further down the corridor. The women who came running down the corridor threw themselves at their soldiers and kissed their faces.

Evan smiled as he watched as his men were overrun by their girlfriends, but he felt that the disappointment slowly started to sneak into his body.

"Sir," Evan called after the Colonel. Colonel Sheppard stopped and turned around. "I was wondering if I could do something first?"

A smile appeared on Colonel Sheppard's face. "Be quick, Major. I don't know how long I can stall Dr. Beckett until he comes after you with a syringe."

"Thank you, Sir," Evan said and gave Sheppard a nod.

Evan made his way quickly through the corridor. Everyone who he bumped into gave him a smile and welcomed him back. He felt great. He was back at Atlantis and there was nowhere else he wanted to be. Stepping closer to his quarters, for some reason, his heart started to beat faster. Perhaps it was the excitement of seeing the one person he missed the most at this base?

He waved his hand in front of the control panel, the door slid open, and as he stepped into his room, a smile of joy formed on his lips. She was sleeping, curled up in a ball while she was clutching onto his favorite shirt. Evan walked over to the bed and gently sat down on the side of the bed.

Evan stroked away a piece of her hair that had covered her face, revealing black streaks from her eyes that didn't stop until her jaw. He watched as her eyes slowly started to open. Her eyes shot up and she quickly sat up.

"I'm not dreaming?" She asked as she was touching his face to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. Evan smiled and watched as her eyes began tearing up. "I'm not dreaming." Evan shook his head. She took his head between her hands and kissed him. Evan kissed her wet lips.

She pulled back and smiled through her tears that had gone from tears of pain to tears of joy to see her hero alive, "My hero is home."

"I promised you that I'll come back home," Evan reminded her as she gave him a nod.

A/N: So, first I want to say sorry for an mistakes that you might spot and if you find any mistakes I don't mind you pointing out them to me. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. This is something I came up with when I listen to Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood and it became longer than I had planned it to be. I wrote this to practice to write flashbacks since I've never done that before, and I also wanted to practice 'show, not tell'. I accidentally deleted this story and now I have to upload it again but y'all are welcome to leave a review.