When Fred heard the edge in Carter's voice, she wondered if it was because Mark was going to be there. She knew the divorce was in her file for all to see and it made her wonder. It also made her sick to her stomach. "All right," she quietly said before Carter walked out of the room. She then looked at John and sighed. "I'll be fine."
"Who's Mark?" Rodney asked.
"My ex-husband," Fred said before she slipped off the table. She didn't want to leave medical. She wanted to stay there and not have to deal with any of this. He had no right in being there. This was her home and not his. One of the reasons she'd taken the job on Atlantis was so she could be as far away from him as possible. The divorce had been a nightmare, something he made sure of, and she knew she had to get away because with his connections, Mark could've made her life more difficult than it needed to be.
Reaching down, she took John's hand, knowing they needed to change before getting General Harris. She didn't say much as they went to their quarters. Once there, she changed into her Atlantis uniform and waited for John to get ready before leaving with him.
When they reached the Gate room, Carter and Rodney were already there. "I'm so sorry, Fred," Carter said.
"It's okay, Sam," Fred replied, knowing why she was apologizing.
"General Harris and his guest are coming through the Gate," Chuck announced.
Fred took a deep breath and watched as General Harris and Mark walked through. The moment Mark came into view Jake, who had followed them, started to growl.
"It's good to see you again, Jake," Mark said with a sly smile. He then looked at Fred. "Same goes for you, Fred. You look..." He paused and looked at her pregnant stomach. "...well."
"Welcome to Atlantis, General Harris," Carter said.
"Thank you, Colonel Carter. And, let me introduce Doctor Mark Duncan," Harris said before grinning. "Now, lets get down to business. We have a couple of things we need your assistance with. First, Doctor Duncan has discovered something and needs to use Doctor Sheppard's crystals for it. And secondly, I would like to explore a nearby planet with Colonel Sheppard's team. I hear your missions are quite the adventure, Colonel. Especially when you actually follow orders. Lets hope nothing bad happens. I wouldn't want you to have to shoot me."
As the General laughed, Fred felt her jaw clenched. She didn't know what he was talking about but it still pissed her off. She was suddenly wishing she had her weapon on her so she could wiped the smug looks off Harris' and Mark's faces.