Evan wrapped his arms around Mac’s shoulders, kissing the top of his mate’s head. “Find anything interesting?” he asked quietly, glancing at the screen.

Mac tilted his head back to look at Evan, placing his hand where Evan’s crossed. He seemed tired, but there was a light of excitement in his eyes. “Aye. She hadn’t been kidding, Ev, when she said Janus put everything they had on soul bonds on this crystal. It’ll take us months to sift through it all, and it would have taken us years to find it on our own.”

“You’re enjoying all this digging into all that information, aren’t you?” Evan asked, smiling fondly at Mac.

He half-turned in his seat, surprise in his eyes. “Of course! Between what Janus left us and what we already knew – or thought we knew – of our species, it’s been thrilling to say the least. It’s been interesting to see, using the DNA examples we have on file of everyone, both before and after the ATA therapy, how it all fits together. Humans truly are the second evolution of the Lanteans or Alterans or whatever they went by. Or rather, most of us are. They populated much of the galaxy back before they retreated to Pegasus when the plague hit. They had seeded many worlds, mixing their legacy with that of others, which over time caused the ATA gene to get spread too thin. In some cases, it’s completely extinct, case in point being those who’ve received the therapy and it didn’t take.”

Evan’s lips twitched with amusement as he listened to Mac. He slid into his lap, straddling it. “What about the rest of us?” Though he really was curious, he asked more because of how Mac seemed to light up every time he talked about his research.

“Ah, you see,” said Mac, grinning as he wrapped his arms around Evan.

Even though he had slowly come to terms with the whole soul bond thing, it still boggled Evan from time to time that Mac was his. They hadn’t yet completed their bond, though, because Mac refused to push Evan beyond what he was ready for. Something he very much appreciated, but he was beginning to think that maybe Mac pushing him a little might not be a bad thing.

Mac jostled him, narrowing his eyes playfully. “Oy, are you listening to me?”

Evan blushed. “Sorry, guess I got a little distracted. What was that again?”

Mac gave him a knowing look, his lips quirking up in a crooked smile. Evan couldn’t help himself, he dipped his head and kissed him. It was sweet, tender, and it left him with a feeling of contentment he couldn’t remember ever really having before. Running his fingers through Mac’s hair, he hummed softly to himself.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Mac asked quietly, his eyes searching Evan’s.

He nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about everything that’s happened these past few months, I guess.”

Mac tilted his head. “You know I’m happy to wait for as long as you need, Ev. Right?”

“Yeah.” He bit his lip, earning him an inquisitive look. “I was thinking… between what happened down in the labs with the nanites, and the whole Chaya thing. Not to mention the Wraith encounters. Maybe I could do with a little less waiting. We both could.”

Mac’s arms tightened around him. “What are you saying, Evan?”

The intensity of Mac’s eyes made Evan’s breath hitch slightly. “I’m saying that what we have – what we could still get – it’s precious. I get that now, Mac, and I’d be worse than a fool to deny either of us the chance to be all we could be as soulmates. I may be many things, but I would hope a fool isn’t one of them,” he quipped, though his heart was tripping over itself with anticipation.

“Are you certain, Evan?” Mac asked quietly.

He rolled his eyes and rested his forehead against Mac’s. “You told me a while back that one of the things you’d discovered about the soul bond was the deep connection between mates. An awareness that was akin to that which all ATA carriers have with Atlantis itself.” Mac nodded, so Evan continued. “There are aspects to that we’re still figuring out, right? What that means exactly?”

Again, Mac nodded.

“I know from Ioan that he and Kimberly are attuned to each other’s moods. John and Rodney, they’ve proven that the bond lets us know when one of us is hurt, with a general idea of where and how badly. There’s good and bad to both of those things, but I think, especially with where we live, it would not be a bad idea to be able to do. I know I’d want to know if anything happened to you, no matter what it was,” Evan said with quiet sincerity.

Mac reached up, cupping the back of his head as he pulled him closer. “You ought to know by now, Evan Lorne, that I can’t really deny you anything,” he whispered against Evan’s lips before kissing him deeply.

Evan closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in his mate for a moment. Pulling back reluctantly, he smiled and cleared his throat. “You know, much as I want to keep going, we probably had better stop for now. Technically still on duty,” he confessed.

Mac laughed, pecking his lips. “Well fine.” He smacked Evan’s ass lightly. “But then you’d better get up or I won’t be held accountable, love.”

With a put upon sigh, Evan got to his feet and hooked his foot around a stool, pulling it to him so he could sit next to Mac instead. “So, what was it you were trying to explain earlier?”

Shaking his head, Mac murmured, “You’re really something, you know that?” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Right. Okay. Well, basically the natural ATA carriers are direct descendants of the Ancients. If we were able to trace John’s lineage, I’d wager he had Ancients on both sides of his family, probably several generations worth. It’s why his gene is so strong. Same with General O’Neill, and you and Ioan, though you guys would have fewer in your family tree. Been diluted more.”

“And you?”

“Those of us who’ve had the therapy do have Ancient lineage, but it’s been diluted too much to have all the markers active. The therapy basically ‘fixed’ our DNA so it’s complete again.”

Evan tilted his head slightly. “I see. Guess that makes sense, sort of. I’m no scientist, but…” He shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. All that I really care about is that it allowed us to receive this gift we’ve been given.”

Mac took Evan hand in his and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “That’s what it really boils down to, in the end, doesn’t it?” he agreed quietly.

 

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