But you never seem to find any kind of freedom; comin' clean is just another state of mind.

[saera_parrish]

Saera wandered into the mess hall, still not used to having the luxury of taking her time with meals; being on an offworld team really was a whole different world from being head of a department.

She spotted Rae at a table by herself, and headed over. "Mind if I sit here?"

Comments

[dr_macgregor]

Rae looked up to hear a familiar voice. She smiled brightly and gestured to the seat. "Go for it! How've you been, I haven't seen you much lately." She reached out and patted the other woman's hand with her own. "I wanted to thank you for your quick thinking on that arrow. You likely saved John's life. Much as I hate to admit it, Rodney would have just panicked. I can't thank you enough, and I'm really glad you're on his team." She blushed a litle and picked at her salad.

[saera_parrish]

Saera shrugged. "I just thought my mind was working weird, an arrow hit the ground next to me and all I could think of was chemical analysis...Rodney probably would have been calculating trajectories in his head, my mind just happens to run to chemistry when I'm overwhelmed."

She spent a short awkward silence trying to decide which type of mystery food she wanted to try first before changing the subject. "Hey, I haven't had much of a chance to talk to David lately...I saw him in here yesterday with a little girl, don't suppose you know what's up with that?"

[dr_macgregor]

"Well, thank heavens that's the path your mind takes, i know the analysis helped Carson tremendously."

Rae fidgeted a little at her next question. "Err... if you haven't talked to him, it's probably not my place to say..." One glance at the look on Saera's face made her continue. "But, seeing as how we're practically family... Lorne rescued her on a recent mission, her name is Jazlyn. Her entire family and town, everyone she knows, was destroyed by the Wraith. Apparently, they hid her and she was alone there for days. She's really bonded to Marc and David, she even calls them her version of Daddy and Mommy, Abu and Ami. It's funny that David is Mommy. But... They've bonded so much with her... I believe they're adopting her. It'll take some persuading with Weir, but they have our support too. I guess that makes you an aunt. She's a wonderful little girl, Saera. And taking care of her makes David so... you can really see his self-confidence increase daily."

[saera_parrish]

Saera's fork slid back to the plate as she worked for a few minutes to get her mouth working again. "David. Adopting a little girl." She sat for a moment in stunned silence. "I don't suppose you know how old she is?"

[dr_macgregor]

"I believe Carson determined she's about four or so. Quite articulate, learns quickly, and is so sweet. They came over to meet the kittens, and she was sad for a little while. I guess the wraith even killed her pet. Monsters. I know, it was a shock to me, too, but you really should see him with her. He adores her, and he's so protective. He'll be a great parent. She has Lorne wrapped around her little finger, I think." Rae smiled, knowing it must be a shock to the other woman.

[saera_parrish]

Saera nodded, numbly. "I'm sure he would be great with kids, yeah. I just...seeing him with a kid is a bit too much like seeing me with a kid, and that's not how my life went."

[dr_macgregor]

Rae looked intently at her friend. Something was going on behind those eyes... She reached out to cover Saera's hand. "Saera? Is there something you'd like to talk about? And you never know what the future may hold..."

[saera_parrish]

Saera shook her head. "I may not know the future, but I know the past well enough...I...I don't think...even David doesn't know I was stupid enough to get knocked up straight out of college, she'd even be the right age..."

[dr_macgregor]

Rae senses this is a delicate subject Her voice lowers a little to induce a sense of privacy, even though she's at an out-of-the-way table.

"Did you... Did you have her? I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. But did you ever have anyone to talk to about it?"

She was worred. Hopefully, this wouldn't cause too much of a strain on such close siblings...

[saera_parrish]

Saera laughed. "Are you kidding? I was just starting my career in chemistry, the field's hard enough on women when they don't have anything else holding them back...besides, my boyfriend dumped me before I even knew I was pregnant, I didn't exactly want anything to do with him or his kids."

[dr_macgregor]

Ah. That explained that. "I know, science isn't the easiest field, regardless of the branch. At least you didn't have him coming after you to influence your decision. It's your body, after all. Still... I'm sorry you had to go through that. I hope you can try to get to know Jazlyn, give her an honest chance. I think David has really fallen for her." Rae gets a sly grin on her face. "Besides, being aunts, we can spoil her rotten, teach her girl stuff, then send her home..."

[saera_parrish]

She sighed. "It's ancient history, I thought I was over it, but it seems like all my history's been coming back lately - David's here, Katie, it's just too much sometimes." She picked up her fork again and started pushing food around on her plate. "I think I'll be okay with it, though...eventually, at least. Hey, at least we can mess with David's head, threaten to let Katie teach her about being a woman when she's old enough..."