The Alliance Bride

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis, I just like to write about it.

Fate

Chris could feel the tight knot in his stomach as he stood at the door to Mili's quarters; he'd been there for almost fifteen minutes trying to think of what he is going to say when he finally rings the chime on her door. He knows that no matter what comes of it, he needs to talk to her even if it's only for the sake of his own sanity as Head of Security.

Taking in a deep breath Chris finally places his hand over the chime on Mili's door. Within moments the door slid open in front of him and the sight that greeted him made Chris's breath catch. Mili was wearing a sparing outfit similar to those he'd seen Teyla in, a long skirt with slits up either side so that her legs could move freely and a tight halter style top that hugged its way down her body and stopped just past the top of her skirt. However, the alluring apparel was not the reason for the change in Chris's breathing; Mili's bottom lip is split and slightly bruised.

"What happened to you?" Chris asks quickly coming into Mili's quarters, without even thinking, he takes her chin in his hand to get a closer look at her injury.

Chris finds himself looking down into a pair of very surprised deep blue eyes, "it's nothing to worry about, I was sparring earlier and I went right when I should have gone left."

Straightening up while he clears his throat, and awkwardly removes his hand from Mili's chin, Chris says, "I hope you saw Dr. Beckett about it."

Mili tries to smile at Chris only to wince in pain, "yes but only because Teyla made me, it's really nothing to make a fuss over, I've had much worse."

Chris suddenly felt his anger flare up, "Teyla did this to you?"

Mili must have been able to tell that Chris was ready to walk out and confront Teyla about hurting her, because she grabs his arm, "it truly was an accident, she is very good and I was overconfident."

He looks into her eyes trying to detect if she is being anything but truthful but he doesn't see any deception in them, "alright then… I actually came here because I wanted to speak with you."

She gives him a little smile careful not to hurt herself again, "then would you like to sit down?"

Chris nods and Mili leads him over to the small grey couch in the corner. For the first time since he's entered Chris looks around the room, Mili has added little things to it. She's hung sheer deep burgundy color curtains over the windows, there are some small pieces of pottery on her dresser next to the little plant that Chris had placed there on the first day Mili arrived and the same candles he'd also brought where still on the table.

They sit in silence for several moments, before he finally looks at her, "I'll be honest I'm not really sure where to start."

Mili closes her eyes as she pulls in a deep breath, and then opens them again, "than I'll start… I'm sorry."

There is such sorrow in her eyes that it shocks him, "this isn't your fault, it's no ones fault… well maybe Mikes a little," unfortunately Mili smiles when he says that, and he sees that it hurt, "sorry I guess I shouldn't try to be funny for a few days."

Mili pulls her hand away from her lip, this time she only has a slight smile, "it's alright, I'm just glad you came to see me."

"I'm sorry it took so long," Chris says softly.

"No I understand, I have had my entire life to get used to the idea that I would be married to a stranger, but I imagine this must be very difficult for you," Chris looks into her eyes as she is speaking and they have such kindness in them, that he can't help the little smile that alights onto his lips.

"I'll admit this was not a situation I ever imagined myself in; however, I did sort of choose this. You're the one I should feel sorry for since you didn't have a choice," Chris says trying to convey his compassion for her situation but then he adds a little angrily, "I mean how could your father just give you away to the first guy that comes along with something he wants, it's just so… I can't even think of a word to describe how horrible I think that is."

"Actually I did have a choice in a way, even though I was the next to be married if I had truly not wished to become your wife one of my other sisters would have taken my place," Mili says in an effort to help Chris understand.

"Then you chose to be my wife," he says questioningly, before a little smile comes to his mouth.

Mili looks down at her hands, feeling her cheeks heat up because of the true reason that she chosen to be Chris's wife, "yes," she says in a weak voice.

She'd never lied to herself about her motives; the truth was she was unbelievably attracted to Chris from the very first moment she'd laid eyes on him. He was more than she'd ever dared to dream of in a husband. Even though she had heard many conflicting things about what Chris was like, she was inclined to listen to Mike, since he seemed to know Chris the best.

"I'm glad you had some choice, that's a big weight off my shoulders," the relief in his voice makes Mili look up at him questioningly, "you see up until about 150 years ago on Earth my people were in slavery and that's how I saw what was happening to you… it just didn't sit well with me."

"I'm sorry I did not know but you must understand among my people to be an alliance bride is considered a great honor and responsibility," Mili tells him firmly.

"Responsibility," Chris asks questioningly.

Mili tilts her head to the side, choosing her words carefully, "the reason my people have alliance brides is so that we are all interconnected, if a world we're an alliance bride is living is attacked by the wraith or in need of some other kind of assistance we're honor bound to lend whatever assistance we can. That is the reason Dr. Weir wants me to start going on diplomatic missions once she feels I am ready, because I can get you into places that would have been shut to your people before… my people have a belief that nothing ever happens without reason. Your people have an ambition to rid this galaxy of the Wraith and from what I've seen the best chance any of us could hope for to actually accomplish that goal, perhaps helping your people is the reason fate has sent me here," looking back down at her hands again she adds quietly, "I just hope that it is not the only reason."

Chris had never truly believed in coincidence himself, to many times in his life he'd simply been in the right place at the right time. The most resent example he could think of was this morning when he'd arrived at Mike's lab just as he and Mili were talking about hers and Chris's relationship, or lack there of.

'Not the only reason,' Mili's words settle into his mind, and it finally hits him that she doesn't want to be alone any more than he does. If he is honest with himself he has been lonely since coming to Atlantis, but is he fooling himself into thinking that he can trust her already, he still doesn't really know anything about her and easing that loneliness isn't reason enough to put Atlantis in danger.

Taking in a deep breath, Chris says, "well I know the reason that I am here, at this very moment and that is so that I can get to know you."

Mili looks up at him with a little smile, that makes Chris's heart skip a beat, "what would you like to know?"

Reviews:

Dr. Dredd: You're funny; his goodness is not way, way down. The way I see him he's just really dedicated to his job, I mean come on the safety of the entire city is his responsibility, which has to be very stressful.

PurpleYin: I know you think that her having a brother that's sort of like Chris is iffy; however, the next chapter will clear up a lot of questions as to why and I'm going to discuss more of their cultural differences as well. Hope you like the part about her belief system. Anthropology ROCKS!

Author note: Don't think that the thing with Mili's lip was in there just to have a reason for Chris to start to feel something for her, I'm actually writing her character as a sort of accident prone person. Which is ironic because she doesn't believe any thing happens by accident.