Mina stood in her kitchen, staring out the window at the dreary weather outside. She never knew what to do with herself on days like this. There was no work to do in the fields, even if it wasn't raining. She didn't have much to do at home and had no real friends outside of her siblings. Thali had plans with her friends and Caleb was always busy with his military duties, so they didn't even have time for her. To say that she was lonely wouldn't be completely accurate, as she liked having time to herself, but she was bored out of her mind.
She looked around her simple home, and her eyes fell on a music box sitting on the mantle. She had never really noticed it before and wondered if it had always been there. She walked over to it and turned the key on the side, winding the gears inside. The box began to play a soft melody that she had heard before. It was a song that her mother had played when she had been a child. Mina began to slowly sway to the music, memories of her childhood filling her head.
She remembered following her mother's guidance as she moved smoothly around their living space, demonstrating different dance moves that she had learned. Her father had always sat silently watching, a smile on his face. Caleb had tried to join in a few times, but he was an ungraceful being, often times tripping over his own feet while dancing. He didn't have the grace that Mina and their mother possessed. As the memories flooded in, Mina began to imitate her younger self's movements. She spun around the room, moving her feet and arms in sync in flowing movements.
Mina was so caught up in the music that she didn't hear the door open. Not aware of her surroundings, her dancing caused her to bump into her entering husband. Mina let out a yelp of surprise and stumbled in her movements. Kolya reached out and gently grabbed her arms, preventing her from falling over. Mina regained her balance and looked up at her husband with surprise.
"I'm sorry Acastus. I didn't know you were home."
Kolya released his hold on her arms and gave her an apologetic smirk.
"I'm sorry I startled you. You looked like you were enjoying yourself. I see you found my mother's music box."
Mina flushed lightly and brushed some hair away from her face that had fallen loose during her dance. She hadn't expected him to come home and find her dancing.
"Yes. It caught my eye and I was curious if it worked. The song it played was a song that my mother would play when I was younger. We would often dance to it as dancing was a large part of her culture on her home planet."
Kolya walked over to the music box and rewound the key, starting the song over. He turned back to Mina and held out his hand. Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion, but stepped forward taking his extended hand. He pulled her closer to him and placed his other hand on her waist. He began to lead her in a slow dance, swaying to the music. Mina felt a smile form on her face as they danced together. This was not something that she expected she would ever do with her husband. He was actually a decent dancer. The song seemed to end too soon and Kolya stopped their movement. He released his hold on her hand and removed his other hand from her waist.
"You are a wonderful dancer Acastus. Where did you learn to dance like that?"
Kolya gave Mina a small smile, gazing back over at the small music box.
"I learned from my mother as well. Like yours, she came from another planet and another culture. She thought it was important that I learn to dance. She said it would be an important factor in impressing the ladies. Can't say I've ever got much use out of the skill however."
"Well I found it impressive, so I guess she was right."
Kolya turned his eyes back and met hers, and Mina swore that she could see something there that resembled the affection she had noticed on their wedding day. They were standing so close to each other, and like she had before, Mina felt the desire to close the distance and kiss him. Their moment was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Kolya's warm expression slipped away and he moved away from Mina to answer the door. He pulled it open to reveal a dripping wet Thali. Mina rushed to her husband's side, pulling her soaked sister inside.
"Thali! What are you doing out in the rain? You'll make yourself sick!"
Thali waved her hand at her sister, dismissing her concerns.
"I come bearing good news! Alaina had her baby, a little boy!"
Mina softly laughed as she grabbed a towel from the kitchen to wring out her sister's dripping hair.
"And you felt the need to come tell us that in the middle of a rainstorm?"
"Well, you told me to let you know when it happened. I know that you are always interested to hear when babies are born, since you love them so much."
Mina's smile faltered as she turned her gaze to her husband. He didn't seem to be listening to the conversation and had moved to sit in his usual chair, ignoring the sisters. Thali followed her sister's gaze and realized what the issue was. She lowered her voice so that only Mina would hear.
"Have you not talked to him yet? I thought you were going to do that."
Mina shook her head and replied in a low tone.
"I never said I was going to talk to him. That was your idea, not mine. It's not something I feel like discussing right now."
Thali rolled her eyes and returned to the topic of Alaina's new baby, not wanting to make a scene in front of Kolya.
"They are having a gathering in a few days to present him and reveal his name. Alaina told me to pass on a message to you saying that you were invited. She actually said that you were both invited as her husband knows yours well apparently."
Mina looked over to her husband again, clearing her throat to get his attention.
"Did you hear that Acastus? Callistair and Alaina Dart invited us to their gathering to celebrate the birth of their son."
Kolya nodded his head in confirmation.
"I've known Callistair for a long time, so I suppose it would be right to honor his invitation."
Mina turned her attention back to her sister, giving her a small smile.
"You can tell Alaina that we would be happy to attend. I look forward to meeting the newest member of the Genii."
…..
A few days later, Mina found herself once again in the event room that she had married her husband in nearly three months prior. The room was filled with people that had gathered to celebrate the birth of the Dart baby. Callistair and Alaina had revealed his name to be Lowell. They had presented him to all in attendance and everyone had offered their congratulations. Even Cowen was present at the celebration, honoring the couple with his blessing on their child's future. Mina gazed around the room, taking in the sight of all the merriment around her. There hadn't been much celebrating in quite a while. Ever since the revelation of the early awakening of the wraith, her people had been on edge. It was nice to see them in a happy setting once again.
Her gaze fell on the new parents, who were both beaming and conversing with guests. Like she had before, Mina began to feel the gnawing feeling of emptiness in her gut. She felt like something was missing, much like she had felt when gazing upon other couples she came across. Alaina almost seemed to be glowing with happiness, even though she looked exhausted. Mina knew that Alaina had always wanted a family and had told her so on many occasions. The two of them had grown up around each other, both coming from surface dwelling families and being a similar age. Now Alaina had fulfilled her dream, and she was sharing her happiness with anyone that would listen.
Mina was pulled out of her thoughts by a soft nudge to her elbow. She turned to look at Thali, who was standing next to her. She had that look of pity in her eyes.
"You are making that face again," her sister pointed out.
Mina sighed sadly.
"I may as well admit it, I want that. I want a child. I want a loving husband."
Thali reached over and took Mina's hand giving it a squeeze.
"I know you do. Your face throws it all out in the open. But, you might want to know that I'm not the only one that's noticed."
Mina looked at her sister with confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Thali looked pointedly across the room at something, indicating for Mina to look as well. Mina looked in the direction her sister had indicated and was surprised when she saw her husband's face looking back at her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Mina quickly looked away.
"Are you sure he's noticed? He could simply be looking in this direction."
Thali shook her head and gave Mina's hand another gentle squeeze.
"I'm pretty sure he figured it out. He's been watching you for a few minutes now. I saw his gaze go from you to them and back again. He looked concerned and surprised. I think it is time you talked to him Mina."
Mina nodded in resignation and looked over in her husband's direction again. He had looked away from her, but he still had a troubled look on his face. Mina had a feeling that he would bring it up soon if she didn't herself.
As the celebration dragged into the evening, Mina excused herself from her sister's company and made her way outside to get some air. She walked down the path a little ways away from the building, before sitting down on a rock. She gazed up into the night sky, counting the stars to distract her mind from the millions of thoughts swirling around inside.
"You lied to me before, didn't you?" a voice said, coming up behind her.
Mina jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She turned around to see her husband standing a few feet away.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Kolya closed the remaining distance between them, sitting next to her on the rock. He wouldn't look at her, but Mina could tell he was bothered by something.
"When you told me that family was not a priority to you, you were lying weren't you?"
Mina opened her mouth to protest, to prove him wrong, but no words would come out. He finally turned his head to look at her and she was surprised to see that his expression seemed almost sad.
"You want a family. You want what Callistair and Alaina have. You only told me that you didn't because you thought you lost your chance. I want you to know that isn't true. I'm giving you an out…"
Mina scrunched her face up in confusion, not sure what he was talking about.
"An out? What do you mean?"
"I want you to be happy. You didn't ask to be married to me. If you want to find someone that you can love and have a family with, I won't stop you."
Mina's eyes widened in response to his words. He was offering her a chance to find love wherever she wanted. He didn't realize that what she really wanted was to find that with him, not someone else. She wasn't sure how to phrase that in a way that wouldn't scare him, as he didn't seem to want the same things from her.
"Oh Acastus, that isn't necessary. I am perfectly fine with how things are. I don't need to find someone else. I don't need a family. I've already had the chance to raise a child, as I helped raise Thali."
Kolya shook his head, surprising Mina by reaching out and taking her hand.
"It's not the same. Are you sure that you don't want to find someone else? Someone you can be happy with?"
Mina looked at her husband's concerned face and realized that this was the perfect time to tell him how she felt. She didn't have the courage to form the words, so she took a small step in the right direction. Leaning forward, Mina placed a gentle kiss on Kolya's cheek.
"I'm sure."
She watched as Kolya's eyes widened in surprise at her kiss. He stayed silent but she could sense that he was confused.
"The one thing I do want is to have a better relationship between us. I'm not asking you to love me or anything, but I would like us to at least have a friendship. Something more than simply saying goodnight and good morning to each other and sharing meals."
Kolya's surprised expression faded and was replaced by a small smile. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it and standing.
"That I can do."
Mina returned his smile and stood as well. The two of them silently walked back towards the celebration, keeping a small space between them. Mina could feel some sort of progress building between them and she continued smiling the rest of the night.
A/N: We are almost at the point where the Storm episodes of SGA take place so we are entering canon territory. I hope to go along with canon events as much as possible, but I may change a few things so bear with me! Please review and let me know what you think!