Lorne led them a couple of klicks away from the last known location of the Genii and found a spot he felt comfortable in securing. It had cover for them but also good visibility should anyone try to sneak up on them. Fortunately, it also had some very exciting plant life.

"Major!" Lorne automatically shushed the other man's excited shouts, and Parrish had the presence of mind to lower his voice. "Sorry. Will you look at this? It looks exactly like a caesalpinia pulcherrima I but this climate is way too dry for it to grow here..."

Lorne tuned Parrish out as he rattled on excitedly and pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil. He was tempted to sketch Parrish - he liked to draw faces that he found interesting - but most people didn't enjoy being sketched without permission. So he settled on recording the plant Parrish was so in love with instead.

"Major, that's amazing." Parrish's voice held a gratifying amount of admiration when he leaned over Lorne's shoulder to see on what he was working on twenty minutes later. With most of his attention on their surroundings and any possible threats coming from it, Lorne didn't think it was his best effort.

He shrugged. "I'm a better painter, but a paint set is harder to carry."

"Yes," Parrish answered distractedly. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the book.

Lorne hesitated. He wasn't embarrassed exactly, but no one had ever shown an interest in his work before, and he found himself slightly apprehensive as he passed over the sketchbook.

Parrish looked through his work while Lorne looked at Parrish. He liked the concentration and consideration Parrish gave to each page, studying them like he studied his plants. Parrish handed it back when he got back to the picture of caesalpinia pulcherrima.

"You're very good," Parrish said sincerely. "I can sketch a little - it's helpful to have a visual cue to go with my notes when I'm doing research in the field - but I'm nowhere near as talented as you."

Lorne flushed a little with embarrassed pride. "Thanks, Doc. My mom was an art teacher."

Parrish laughed, a bright happy sound. "Your mom taught you art and you became a solider. My father taught me to hunt and I became a tree-hugger."

Lorne couldn't help it: he laughed too. It wasn't really that funny, but it was easier to laugh than to worry about their situation and what might happen when night came.

"Thanks, Doc, I needed that."

Parrish grinned that wide, face cracking smile again. "Anytime, Major."

"Lorne. You can call me Lorne," he offered. He had no idea why, but then he added "or Evan." No one outside of his family had called him anything except Lorne since his days in ROTC but it felt right to offer it up now.

"Oh," Parrish seemed surprised at the offer but pleased. "I'm David."

Lorne smiled and held out a hand formally. "Nice to meet you David."

Parrish - David - grinned and took the offered hand. "You too." He hesitated briefly, "Evan."

Lorne squeezed David's hand quickly before releasing it. He liked the way his name sounded in David's mouth, the way it fit there as well as their hands had fit together. Lorne let his eyes fall shut for a moment to push back feelings inappropriate to the place and time.

"If you want to keep sketching for awhile, I can take a watch," David offered.

Lorne opened one eye curiously to find Parrish holding Lorne's side arm, checking the safety on the weapon. "You know how to handle that thing?"

"My father was a hunter," Parrish reminded him mildly, "and I've had the standard training for all non-military personnel cleared for off-world travel."

Well, that was something. He'd be able to hit the broad side of a barn if necessary, but Lorne figured they really were as safe as they could be, and he'd hear danger long before Parrish had to defend them with his weapons proficiency training.

Twilight was falling when he next looked up from his sketchpad. He was pleased to note that Parrish was still awake and alert. He didn't notice Lorne stirring behind him so great was his concentration on their surroundings. That wasn't actually a good characteristic for someone on watch. Not being aware of your team was not being aware of your surroundings, but it was a rookie mistake and Parrish was a rookie after all - newer than that even since he'd never before been off-world in anything remotely approaching a combat situation.

"Major?" Parrish's survey of their surroundings drew his gaze to Lorne's. "Are you awake?"

"Evan," he reminded mildly. "And mostly."

"Everything okay?" Parrish's concern made Lorne smile but he shook his head.

"Yeah, I just need to take care of some business and we can head out for the gate."

Parrish nodded apprehensively and Lorne flashed him his most reassuring 'I'm in charge here' look and retreated to the relative privacy of the woods.

He was just zipping up when he realized he'd made an error - possibly a fatal one for both himself and David. He'd left his P-90 with David, lying on the ground next to his pack. A fact he became painfully aware of when the cold muzzle of a rifle made contact with the back of his neck.

"Don't move." Lorne didn't recognize the voice, but it didn't take a genius to guess that the Genii had found him. All he could hope for now was that they hadn't seen David and that Lorne could lead them away from the botanist.

"Now, let's go back to your friend and you can tell me where you came from." Lorne's heart sank as he realized his captor already knew about his companion. He'd obviously decided that Lorne was the bigger threat, and Lorne hoped that meant he hadn't seen the sidearm in David's possession.

"Listen, we don't want any trouble. My friend and I just want to go home. Leave us alone and we'll leave you alone." Lorne didn't really think reasoning would work. He was looking for a distraction, anything to buy him some time to act before David was in harm's way. But they were already breaking through the cover of the trees and he could see David, standing now and looking directly at them.

"Major, down!" Parrish shouted. Lorne dropped to the ground on instinct and heard three rapid gunshots over his head, the retort impossibly loud in his ears. The Genii behind him dropped like a stone and silence rushed in.

Lorne walked on his knees to the fallen man, checked his pulse and removed his weapon before standing and turning back to Parrish. David was staring - not at the Genii bleeding on the ground - but at the gun still clenched in his hand. Lorne knew he had to get him moving before shock set in. "Come on, Doc, we gotta go before his friends come to investigate the racket."

Parrish looked up at him blankly, and Lorne tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. "Doc? David?"

Parrish shook his head, visibly collected himself and nodded. "Let's go."

They quickly gathered their few belongings and moved out. Luck was with them this time and they didn't see anyone else until the rest of Lorne's team intercepted them a klick from the gate.