John was highly amused by everyone talking about sneaking their pets in. He knew that if they worked together, they could do it, and truth be told, he thought it would be great to have pets on Atlantis. If the others were planning on bringing theirs, he wondered what Daniel would think of them having one. It had been a long time since he'd had a dog. Truth be told, he kind of missed it.
All thoughts of pets were pushed aside, though, after Hammond arrived, obviously with some news they weren't going to like. Especially when he mentioned an IOA change.
Then he told them what they were planning, and John almost stood up but forced himself to stay seated. "The fuck?" he said. "That's not right."
Sam nodded in agreement. "Without Atlantis, the Pegasus galaxy doesn't have any real protection. We saw what happened while it was gone and the Wraith had control. That can't happen again."
John then looked over at Teyla, who looked like she had been hit by a ton of bricks. She looked over at Evan and then back at Hammond. "General, what about me and Ronon? The Pegasus galaxy is our home. Does Atlantis not returning mean we'll have to stay here?"
"No," Hammond said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "They've decided that you and Ronon are to return home via the Daedalus."
"What?" Teyla asked. "But Evan and I. We're married. I thought Earth had..."
"Immigration," Fred supplied.
She nodded. "Thank you. Immigration laws to allow spouses to stay together even if they're from different places."
Hammond looked like he wished he didn't have to be the one to tell them any of this, and John felt bad for him because he knew he had nothing to do with decision. "We do. But the IOA say that since you aren't human and you weren't married here, your marriage to Evan isn't valid under Earth law. I'm...I'm so sorry, Teyla."