''Interstellar Destiny''

So It's True

Lara is sitting on her couch, Jack next to her, watching her daughter play with her dolls on the floor, trying to make sense of all that Jack just told her. She turns back towards him.

-"So let me get this straight. Evan is really alive, it wasn't some weird alien entity, and he just spent the last three years as a slave of the Genii in some mine on some God forsaken planet?" - Lara looks at her brother, seeing him nod in confirmation.

-"Sheppard found out about the mines through some allies and when he was going through the tunnels of the mine placing beacons so the Daedalus could beam people up, he found Evan there. According to Sheppard, Evan was just as surprised to see him as he was."

-"How long has been back on Earth?"

-"About a week. Before I could tell you about what was going on, we needed to be sure it really was him and not some clone or something like that."

Lara nods, knowing the protocol for situations like this. She looks back at her daughter, the little girl blissfully unaware of what is going on.

-"Does he know?"

-"He put two and two together when he saw you two together."

-"What am I supposed to do here, Jack?" - She rakes a hand through her hair, letting out a sigh.

-"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

-"This is not how I saw my day off going when I woke up this morning."

-"Do you need time to think things through?"

-"That's probably better. I'm not sure what to do next." - She looks at him, holding back tears. -"It took me forever to accept that he was gone and now it turns out that he is alive after all. I just don't know what to do with that."

-"I get it. But can I make a suggestion?"

-"Sure."

-"Hear him out. Sit down with him and let him tell you, in his own words, what happened to him. Maybe it will help if you know everything that happened."

Lara doesn't say anything for a moment, thinking that she never thought she would see Evan again, and now there he is, alive after all this time.

-"I'll talk to him. But I don't want Ava involved in this in any way. I don't want to confuse her. It's bad enough that I'm confused. Can I meet him at the Mountain? I think it would be a good neutral ground for the both of us."

-"Sure, I can make that happen. I just need to know when."

-"Tomorrow. No, wait, Ava's preschool is closed tomorrow."

-"Bring her with you. She can stay with me and Sam while you talk with Evan."

-"Okay, that works too, I guess. But you better not stuff my daughter with candy, otherwise I will let Ava have a sleepover with her favorite uncle, got it?" - She gives him a pointed look, making him laugh.

-"I can make no such promises." - He pulls her in for a side hug, feeling her hugging him back. -"Everything will be alright, you'll see."

-"It better, for Ava's sake."