''Interstellar Destiny''

An Explanation

For the first time since they got married, dinner is silent, neither saying anything. Lara has had a bad feeling all day, after what Evan had told her, and is waiting for him to explain what he meant to her, but he has yet to say anything, his eyes as far away as she has ever seen.

Evan, on the other hand, is deep in thought, going through all the information they have, especially after another team had been chased down by the Genii, on a world they had never been to before.

He's still reeling from what the men had told him and Sheppard, how they had arrived at the outskirts of the village and saw a Genii squad shackling people together, before starting to pull them towards the path that lead to the gate.

It had been dumb luck that had them spotting the Genii as soon as they did and made them able to go through the gate, overall unharmed. They had tried to fight the Genii but were outnumbered and knew there wasn't much they could do, hence why they returned to the city as soon as they did. Evan had to agree with them, it really had been dumb luck.

Evan hears someone clear their throat and looks back at Lara, sitting across from him, her plate clean in front of her, and her eyes set on him.

-"I'm not that bad of a cook." - She looks at his, still full, plate, hearing him sigh.

-"I'm sorry. I was just deep in thought."

-"Clearly. Does it have to do with what you told me earlier?"

-"It does." - He nods at her.

-"What's going on? You told me you would explain everything at dinner, but you haven't said a word since you walked through the door."

He looks back at her and hates that he is about to ruin the rest of their night with what he is about to tell her.

-"You're right, I did. So, you know how we have been having these recurrent run-ins with the Genii?"

-"Yes, it seems like every time the teams go through the gate, they run into them."

-"Right. Well, we recently found out two things. One is that the Genii are taking people from their homes on other planets and taking them somewhere. The second, and this we found out today, is that they are treating them as slaves. Hernandez saw the Genii shackling people during his mission today."

-"What?" - Lara is shocked. -"Do you really believe the Genii would do something like that? Maybe it's a rogue faction. What am I saying? Off course they would do something like this."

-"We aren't sure if it isn't a rogue faction, but according to Teyla, a few years ago, there were rumors that no one really believed in, but this was back when they were still seen as simple farmers and traders. McKay did point out that maybe back then they had to be more discreet. And since we unmasked who they truly are, now they are free to do it more in the open."

-"I mean, McKay does have a point there."

Lara stands up and takes her plate to the small improvised kitchen, clearing the table on her side. Evan follows her, stopping her when she turns to return to the table, the unease clear on her face.

He knows that there's no love lost between Lara and the Genii, not after all they had put them through back when they were still trying to figure out their relationship. If Evan hates them with a passion for what the Genii did to her, he can only imagine how she feels about them.

-"I need you to be careful if you go off-world. If you do, let me know so I can make sure that my team is with you when you go."

-"You're forgetting that you can't go off-world with me. We're married now, remember? I'm sure I'll be okay."

Evan shakes his head and sighs, knowing that she is right and hating it. Who knew being married would make his job of protecting her so damn hard.

-"Warn anyone in your team that might go off-world to be extra careful and to take certain precautions."

-"I already have. After what you told me, I had a bad feeling about it so I figured it wouldn't hurt to warn a couple of people I know are going off-world in the next few days."

-"You did the right thing." - He smiles softly at her before kissing her, feeling her kiss him back. -"I love you so much, sweetheart."

-"I love you too."

Evan pulls Lara into his chest and holds her tight, feeling her arms wrapped around his waist, praying that this threat will go away soon and won't reach Atlantis and its residents. Especially Lara.