''Interstellar Destiny''

Confirmation

Elizabeth paces the corridor just outside of the morgue, Sheppard leaning against a wall across from the door, waiting for Jennifer to tell them if the bodies Sheppard's team found really belonged to Evan and his team.

According to Sheppard, recovering the bodies from the house had been relatively easy, the locals avoiding them as much as possible, aside from the emotions that flooded everyone there.

The hard part had been taking the bodies back to the morgue without Lara knowing. Elizabeth sighs, looking back at the door, wishing Jennifer would just hurry.

-"You okay?"

-"I don't know how I'm going to tell Lara if that's really Lorne."

-"You won't have to. I'll do it."

-"Delivering bad news is part of my job, John, not yours."

-"I know, but Evan was my Second In Command, not to mention my best friend. Plus, I was the Best Man at his wedding. I should be the one telling Lara. I was the one who sent Evan on that mission."

-"Are we really arguing over who gets to deliver bad news?" - She looks at him and shakes her head.

-"I guess we are." - He chuckles sadly.

Jennifer walks out of the morgue at that moment, an hesitant look on her face.

-"Do you have confirmation?" - Sheppard pushes back from the wall, as Jennifer takes a deep breath.

-"The DNA is too degraded to make a proper confirmation, but all signs point to those bodies belonging to Evan and his team." - Her voice is still shaky, as much as she tries to steady it.

Sheppard leans back on the wall, a look of anger in his eyes. Elizabeth can see the tears in Jennifer's eyes and knows this can't be easy for her either, with her being Lara's best friend.

-"Thank you, Jennifer." - Elizabeth has tears in her own eyes when she turns to Sheppard. -"We need to talk to Lara in private. She deserves to hear it directly from us and not through the city's rumor mill."

Sheppard nods and pushes himself off the wall, making his way to the nearest transporter, trying but struggling with keeping his emotions in check. Elizabeth follows him, her own emotions a troubled mess, wishing she didn't have to do this.

They enter the transporter and before Sheppard can touch the dot on the map that will lead them to the infirmary corridor, Elizabeth takes his hand and squeezes it in silent support, feeling him squeeze back, knowing that it won't be just Lara that is going to need as much support as she can get.