The Long Journey by RGFiz
Summary: This story has spoilers for Season 4 only with my twist on what might happen. John and Elizabeth have a journey ahead of them that they must make alone but only time will tell if their journey will bring them back together.
Categories: Fanfiction Characters: None
Genres: Angst, Baby!fic, Fluff & Slush, Future Fic
Warnings: Character Death, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 9 Completed: No Word count: 34598 Read: 153451 Published: October 25, 2007 Updated: May 11, 2008

1. Healing by RGFiz

2. Escaping by RGFiz

3. Family by RGFiz

4. Delphi Arrives by RGFiz

5. His Choice by RGFiz

6. Pennies, Washers, Horseshoes and Grenades by RGFiz

7. There is hope by RGFiz

8. Returning by RGFiz

9. Sleep by RGFiz

Healing by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
Sorry for any mistakes, had to rush to get this up before I chickened out of posting.
Chapter 1 - Healing


Rodney knew he could do it; he had to do it there was no other choice. He had to finish programming the nanites fast or else they would loose Elizabeth. Rodney had been rather shocked by John’s apparent lack of concern about Elizabeth and it confused him. He thought that John cared for Elizabeth yet he didn’t seem to display one iota of hope when presented with the idea of reviving the nanites.

He knew that everything around them was failing and that soon it might be a moot issue but he had to try and do something and so he feverously worked on reprogramming the dormant nanites. He was at the point of reprogramming them so that when the nanites were pulsed they would die but the parts they repaired would not so Elizabeth would still live. He still hadn’t finished when Dr. Keller told him that Elizabeth was dying, he had to make a choice and he chose to save Elizabeth. He had lost Carson not long ago and it upset him that he was about to loose another very dear friend and that was something that he didn’t think that he could take.

He sent the information over to Dr. Keller and knew that the nanites were reactivated and all he could do was hope that John could understand why he did it. Soon everything was going to hell in a hand basket; Sheppard was calling for an EM pulse machine to be brought in, they had lost too much power to use the hyperdrive and in a short period of time they would all die from the shield failing.

The commotion in the other room got their attention and they saw Elizabeth sitting up and asking what was going on; shocking them all, they had not expected her to heal so quickly. Apparently since so many other systems in the nanites had been deactivated they focused their attention on healing Elizabeth and she revived faster than expected.

She noticed the people that came to see her all were required to wear the hazmat suits and she was glad because despite Rodney’s assurance that she couldn’t infect anyone she didn’t want them to risk it. When Rodney came to speak to her he kept on apologizing and she stopped him and asked her why. He told her that he couldn’t stand to loose her too and that was why he did it. He didn’t get a chance to say much else because he was called away to the control room.

Elizabeth noticed the one person who hadn’t visited her yet was John and she wasn’t upset with him for this. He was trying desperately to save Atlantis and she respected him for this, but that didn’t mean her heart didn’t ache to see him. She was released from the infirmary and was walking up to the command center and watched as the people around her seemed to be afraid of her and move away from her.

She overheard the plan of them planning on stealing some ZPMs and she knew that she needed to go with them on the mission. She knew that without her help they wouldn’t succeed and then all of this would be for nothing. So Elizabeth interjected herself into the meeting and advised them how she needed to go with them, explaining that she would be able to sense the Asurans. Despite John’s objection it was determined that Elizabeth would be needed on this mission.

They boarded the modified puddle jumper that Rodney had finished working on and left for M7R-227. John had very little opportunity to speak with Elizabeth and she could see the stress in him. She got up from her seat and walked to speak with Rodney about what he had done. She informed him that it was foolish for him to have reactivated the nanites but now since he had done it she wanted to thank him.

On the planet the team had been procuring the ZPMs when Elizabeth warned them that the Asurans were coming and that there were thousands of them. The team scrambled when John and Elizabeth were separated from the group.

After a short chase the Asurans surrounded Colonel Sheppard just as another Colonel Sheppard came around a corner and started firing on the Asurans surrounding Colonel Sheppard. The Colonel Sheppard surrounded by the Asurans then smiled and shook his head changing the face to Elizabeth’s face who looked around at her captors.

“Elizabeth” John yelled.

She told him to go because she had put up a force field meant to hold them back but it was failing. He started to run back to her but she yelled for him to run with tears in her eyes and said she had to do this and there was no other way. A hand grabbed John’s shoulder and pulled him away telling him they had to go now or else they and all of Atlantis would be destroyed.

John’s last vision of Elizabeth was of the Asurans surrounded her yet the look on her face was fearless. His heart was screaming at him to turn around and go back for her and save her but if he did then her sacrifice would be for nothing. Now he knew how she felt when he left to go blow up the hive ship.

The Asurans parted and Oberoth approached Elizabeth telling her that it was foolish for them to have come here. He advised that soon they would capture Colonel Sheppard’s team and have the ZPMs and after that they would destroy the rest of the humans on Atlantis. She told him that he would never find them and he said there were no secrets she could hide from him as his hand took the shape of a probe and entered her forehead.

Suddenly Elizabeth was standing in a dark room with only a bright spotlight shinning on her and she was holding Oberoth’s hands. He sensed the nanites in her body and commented on how she has changed. He said now he knows that the humans won’t harm them because she was here with them and it would kill her too. He said he knows how important she is to them and they would never do anything to harm her. He smiled at her as her smile grew bigger.

He looked at her and asked her what she was hiding from him. Elizabeth grimaced as his probe went further into her mind. He tried desperately to see what she was hiding and he sensed something else different about her. He replied that she was the first hybrid and this was a step forward for his people. Suddenly his eyes opened wide surprised at what he discovered and she smiled again.

John pursed his lips together hard as he focused on piloting them away from M7R-227 preparing for the jump into hyperspace. He was dying inside and it didn’t help any that Rodney was yelling at him to turn around and go back but John just piloted them away from the planet with several Asuran ships starting to pursue them from the planet. The ships were firing on them as John was watching them pursue him on the tactical screen when suddenly they disappeared off the screen.

“I don’t believe it, they just fell apart” Rodney exclaimed.

The hyperspace window was opened and a moment later they observed M7R-227 explode. Rodney gasped and called out Elizabeth’s name as the experimental puddle jumper entered the hyperspace window and it closed just as the aftershock of the planet exploding would have reached them.

The journey back to Atlantis seemed to take forever and everyone was quiet. The loss of Dr. Weir had affected them all. When they arrived on Atlantis they installed the ZPMs and expanded the shield of Atlantis to encompass all of her. Rodney and Radek prepared Atlantis and informed John that it was now safe for Atlantis to make the jump into hyperspace. John leaned back in the chair activating it and moments later hyperspace window opened and Atlantis made the leap into hyperspace.

They arrived at M12-578 moments before the Aurora was preparing to leave. Colonel Ellis called them and John responded. Colonel Ellis had surveyed the damage done to Atlantis from the meteors and beamed onto Atlantis to advise them of the damage. He saw John was there to greet them and asked where Dr. Weir was. Rodney looked sternly at John as John advised they lost Dr. Weir.

Colonel Ellis advised that he was sorry to hear that and at that time Rodney scoffed at the comment and said he highly doubts that. Rodney told Ellis that if he wouldn’t have insisted on attacking the Asurans then Elizabeth would still be alive. John yelled out Rodney’s name to quiet him. Rodney stomped off leaving John to speak with Colonel Ellis.

Several days had passed when Rodney finally sought out John. Rodney was visibly upset and his eyes were red as if he might have been crying.

“I can’t believe you. I thought that Elizabeth was your friend. Yet you refused to let me reactive the nanites that could have saved her.”

“Well apparently what I say doesn’t matter to you because you went ahead and activated them anyway, didn’t you Rodney.”

“Well maybe Elizabeth meant more to me than she meant to you because you wanted to activate the EM pulse and kill them as they were healing her. Then you just go and leave her on that planet. Did you set off the disruptor that seemed to destroy the ships? You do know that it probably killed Elizabeth, don’t you?”

“I did what had to be done. Leave it alone McKay,” John said barely controlling his anger.

“You set off the disruptor pulse and then you blew up the planet. You bastard, we could have saved Elizabeth, we could have helped her.”

“Leave it alone McKay.”

“I can’t believe you killed her,” as tears streamed down his face.

“It’s what she wanted.”

“You don’t know that, you never even talked with her after she was healed. So what, because she was part machine you think its okay to just kill her?”

“I know it’s what she wanted because we talked about it many times.”

“How, how could you know?”

“Because we talked about it before.”

“Before, what do you mean talked about it before? When was before, huh?”

John grabbed Rodney by the jacket and thrust him up against the wall of the hallway they were in and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I know what she wanted because we talked numerous times about it and because…”

“Because what, just because you had some ‘what if’ conversation in passing with her doesn’t count.”

“I know because we were together McKay. Is that detailed enough for you? So leave me the hell alone!!”

John released Rodney and stormed off down the hall, leaving a very confused friend in his wake. Rodney couldn’t believe what he heard and it took a minute to sink in. John and Elizabeth were together? He didn’t know this and wondered how long they had been together and then suddenly it hit him, John had killed the woman he loved to save them all.

Rodney put his hands up in front of his face and started crying hard as he started sinking to the floor. Teyla caught him before he slid down the wall very far and pulled him up. She didn’t know exactly what had happened and told him that they should go and she walked him back to his quarters. He continued to cry and after a while she was able to get him to calm down and talk to her about what had upset him so.

John went to his room and changed into something so he could go work out in the gym. He worked up a good sweat and had exhausted himself. He had to do something so that he could get some rest because they needed him to land Atlantis in an ocean on this planet they had been orbiting.

Ronon was still healing and watched from the door as his friend worked himself up to the point that he was hurting himself. He knew that he was trying to exorcise some demon within him so he just watched in case his friend needed help.

They landed Atlantis and everyone started working to repairing Atlantis. The day after they landed Dr. Keller asked Colonel Sheppard to come to the infirmary. Ronon had been in the infirmary getting a fresh dressing on his wound when he heard the Colonel and Dr. Keller talking in her office.

Dr. Keller asked John if understood about doctor patient confidentiality and he said that he did. She said that what she was about to tell him would normally fall under that category but since Dr. Weir was no longer alive that didn’t apply in this circumstance. She said that she had discovered something concerning Dr. Weir and wanted his opinion as to whether or not she should include this in her file. He asked her what she knew that would cause her to ask his opinion about the medical situation of Dr. Weir.

“Dr. Weir was six weeks pregnant.”

John was in shock at hearing this news and his mouth hung open. It took a moment for him to start thinking again and he asked if she still was after the nanites cured her. Dr. Keller said that she knew about Elizabeth’s condition the moment she did the body scan and it appeared that she was miscarrying the baby after the accident but the nanites reattached the baby to Elizabeth’s womb. She said when she took the last scan before they left on the mission Elizabeth was still pregnant.

Dr. Keller had tears in her eyes as she was telling Colonel Sheppard about this and was shocked to see him only slightly misty eyed. She said seeing that he was now the commander of Atlantis he could decide if he wanted this included in her medical file. He said it was a medical issue and her choice. She now had tears falling from her eyes as she said that she wanted his opinion since he was the father.

John looked at her with wide eyes. Dr. Keller said she suspected he was the father when Dr. Weir first came to her for supplements and later confirmed it through DNA testing. She didn’t want to put anything in her file that might damage her career or his.

Jennifer softened her tone and asked him if he knew and he shook his head no. She apologized for having to tell him like this. He thanked her for her discretion and asked if she would leave that information out. Dr. Keller said no one else would know. He thanked her for telling him and protecting Elizabeth and walked out of her office.

Ronon watched as Dr. Keller put her head down and heard her crying. He knew that she was an honorable woman for trying to protect Dr. Weir’s reputation as well as that of Colonel Sheppard. Ronon then followed John out of the infirmary to his room. He stood outside the room and listened.

John couldn’t believe what he had just heard, Elizabeth had been pregnant. She had been trying to talk to him before Colonel Ellis arrived that fateful day but he told her that they would talk later. He hit the side of his head with his fist and called himself stupid for not giving her just a few minutes of her time. John knows that if he would have known about it, he would have done something to keep her safe.

John wouldn’t have let her be near the command center and they she wouldn’t have been injured. They wouldn’t have activated the nanites and he wouldn’t have left her behind on the planet. He had not only killed her but he killed his unborn child. She would still be alive and well here on Atlantis.

John tripped over a boot that had been lying on the floor that Elizabeth had tripped over several times and grabbed it. He looked at the boot and cursed at it.

“God Damn boot always in the way,” and threw it hard against the wall.

That is what started it and he started grabbing anything and everything he could grab and throwing it against the walls in his room roaring in his rage. He ripped the covers back from his bed and dislodged the pillows which moved to revealed a pair of panties he hid from Elizabeth when they were last together. He grabbed them up in his hand and squeezed them hard and growled.

“Why??!!!”

John held her panties in his hand as he collapsed on the bed and grabbed the pillow that she always slept on and held it to his face. He could still smell the scent of her shampoo on the pillow as he held it to his face as he cried into the pillow.

“Elizabeth!!” he screamed into the pillow as he pulled it down to cover his face and muffle his screams and crying.

Ronon stood in the hallway listening to John virtually destroy his room and then he heard him call out why. He didn’t have to wonder why he said that, he knew the agony in Sheppard’s heart. Still Ronon fought back the grief he was feeling for his friend until he heard John cry out Elizabeth’s name and he could then hear John crying. He clenched his fists so tight that they were shaking and hurting.

Sheppard had lost the woman that he loved who was carrying his child. Ronon too had lost the woman he loved and his child when the Wraith attacked his world. He promised that he would watch out for Sheppard and keep him safe so Elizabeth’s sacrifice would not be in vain.
Escaping by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
Please remember that Oberoth had probed Elizabeth's mind in the last chapter and here is what happened.
Chapter 2 - Escaping



Oberoth was shocked by what he had seen in Dr. Weir’s mind and could not believe it so he reached out to the nanites to reaffirm what he had seen. She was not only part human and part machine she was pregnant.

She was the first hybrid of their species because previously other humans had been absorbed by the Replicators except for Dr. Weir. She had them incorporated into her system and without them she would die. The life that she carried within her was the next step in their evolution. The child would be born as a hybrid part human and Replicator. The child will be one step closer to what they are trying to achieve, ascension.

Oberoth knew that if he allowed the others in this group to see what he saw, they would kill Dr. Weir and her unborn child. He was one of the few Asurans seeking the next step of their evolution and Dr. Weir and her unborn child held the key. In order for this to succeed, he would have to take her under his protection; she and the child must live.

Oberoth withdrew his probe from Dr. Weir’s head and she almost feinted. The others asked him what he discovered and he said that the escaping humans would lead them back to Atlantis. He advised that he was going to beam Dr. Weir aboard his ship so that she would not interfere while they destroyed the humans. Oberoth saw tears in Dr. Weir’s eyes and told her that she knew they had to do this but he would not make her watch.

A beam of light surrounded Elizabeth and a moment later she was beamed aboard Oberoth’s private ship orbiting in space. She sensed no other Asurans onboard and rushed to the helm. She put her hands on the console allowing her nanites to interact with the others so she could then reset the controls. Looking at her watch she saw that there was one minute left, she had to time this just right.

Elizabeth watched the tactical screen that she just brought up and saw several ships going after the puddle jumper. She heard Oberoth tell the others to disable the ship so that they could interrogate the humans. It had worked; Oberoth had not seen everything that was in her mind. The only thing that he had seen was what she had focused on hiding the most, her baby and had not seen the other secrets.

She looked at her watch again, there were less than twelve seconds until it happened. Elizabeth punched in new codes and a hyperspace window opened.

“Be safe” she said as she looked at the escaping puddle jumper.

Her ship entered the hyperspace window and it closed after her as the timer on the pulse emitter showed five seconds.

Oberoth had seen this and broke off from the attacking ships; he quickly made a jump into hyperspace back to another Asuran base. He needed to get others who believed as he did help him find Dr. Weir. She was what mattered he no longer cared about the escaping puddle jumper.

The countdown reached zero and the pulse emitter sent out its first pulse with the signal boosted by recent changes made by Elizabeth. The pulse was rapidly disrupting the replicating blocks that made up the Asurans and they were falling apart.

~/~/~

Before they had left on this mission no one noticed Elizabeth sneak off to work on the EM pulse device. She adjusted the signal intensity and set it up to have a rotating resonance just in case the Asurans were able to adjust to one signal. The timing of the pulse was increased so it would not fire in rapid succession.

The last thing she did was to boost the signal strength so that the pulse could piggy back on the towers on the planet and send the signal out from the planet. She didn’t want to risk the chance that some of them could flee from the surface of the planet. The towers would send the signal before falling apart and if she was lucky she would die from one of the pulses.

~/~/~

As Elizabeth was traveling through hyperspace tears were falling down her face. She knew that the pulse would work and hoped the John would escape before the bomb went off. She didn’t have to be told that he had planted a bomb she saw John put it in his backpack as they were preparing to leave the puddle jumper.

Unfortunately what John didn’t know was what she had discovered one of the reasons that the Asurans had selected this world, it had large veins of naquadah running throughout the planet just above the core of the planet. They were using the naquadah as a source of energy little they realize that this would also be their downfall.

Elizabeth knew that the moment the bomb went off it would multiply the intensity of the explosion and virtually destroy the planet. She could only hope that John and the rest of the crew could make the jump to hyperspace before the planet exploded.

She was now on her on and on the run. If John suspected that she escaped she knew that he would come searching for her and she could only hope that he was too busy escaping to notice that she too had escaped.

Elizabeth placed her hands over her still flat abdomen and smiled as she told her baby that things would be okay. She closed her eyes to try and control her tears sad about the life she was leaving behind.
Family by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
John requests to travel to Earth to inform Mrs. Weir the fate of her daughter.
Chapter 3 - Family


When John walked out of Colonel Carter’s office he looked quite relieved and walked down to Rodney’s lab to let him know their request had been approved. Sam knew it didn’t make much sense to let them go back to Earth especially during the reconstruction but it would be more of a moral booster for everyone if they did. So with the power of the new ZPM and the reconfiguring of the Atlantis location, she allowed John and Rodney to go to Earth and speak with Mrs. Weir.

John was the one in charge of packing up Elizabeth’s things and while doing so he had found a letter addressed to him, Rodney and her mother. He also found the pocket watch that he had seen her with on occasion and pocketed it, this he would give Mrs. Weir when he went to see her. He also keep the clay pot he had given her for her birthday.

~/~/~

The sound of a large vehicle driving up got her attention and she listened as the engine shut off. A couple of minutes later the doorbell chimed and as Margaret Weir walked up to the door and had a feeling of dread come over her. She opened the door and observed an Air Force officer standing before her wearing mirror sunglasses. She had seen this in enough movies to know what this was about. Reluctantly she stepped to the side and asked the officer to come in; no sense in punishing the messenger.

He removed his glasses and cap immediately upon stepping into her house and she noticed him looking around and looking at a picture she had of Elizabeth in the living room. She knew instantly that there was something different about this man especially since he sought out Elizabeth’s picture in her home.

John reluctantly broke the news to Mrs. Weir that Elizabeth had died saving the lives of others in her expedition. He was surprised to see the strong resolve of Mrs. Weir as he spoke with her. He suspected Elizabeth got her strength, from her mother. He was struggling to keep his emotions in check but here was this woman who had just been informed that her only child had died and she was calmer than him; she even offered to make him coffee.

As she got up to make the coffee John handed her the letter Elizabeth had left for her. Margaret walked into the kitchen and John heard the telltale signs of the letter being opened.

She opened the letter and read it. Elizabeth wrote about the wonderful things she has done in the last few years as well as the horror and sadness of things. Elizabeth told her mother that she used her as a role model and drew upon her strength when things were rough.

Then Elizabeth spoke of how she had become close with several people of her expedition and how they were like her family. She told her mother that there was one person in particular who would take her death very hard and if she ever saw him to hug him and tell him that she loved him. Elizabeth said his name was Colonel John Sheppard and he was the father of the child she was carrying.

Margaret Weir was shocked to hear that her daughter loved a man so deeply she was going to have a child with him. Now she knew why this young man in her living room looked so lost; he loved Elizabeth. She put the letter down and walked into the living room seeing John with his head down obviously wiping away tears.

“John,” she said softly as she opened her arms to him.

John stood up and quickly walked into Margaret Weir’s arms and hugged her as she hugged him back.

“I know she loved you very much and I know about the baby,” she whispered.

Her words released the dam of emotions he had been holding in and he started to cry. He cried hard sobbing in her arms whispering how much he loved Elizabeth and how much she meant to him.

Several minutes later when they parted John could see that instead of him comforting Margaret Weir, she was comforting him. He was amazed by the strength of the Weir women.

Margaret served John coffee and they sat and talked for several hours. She would tell him a tale about Elizabeth in her youth and he would tell her a story about her recent life, making sure he left out the secrets about Atlantis. When she turned on the lamp John realized how long he had been at the house. He apologized for taking up so much of her time and said he should be going.

As John was preparing to leave, he handed Margaret the pocket watch saying that he knew this belonged to Elizabeth’s father and he wanted to return it to her. Margaret looked at the watch and tears filled her eyes. She closed John’s hand around the watch telling him that he should have it. He said he didn’t feel right because it should stay in the family.

“It is staying with family, you are family John,” Margaret said with tears in her eyes.

She said that she knows her daughter and she would want him to have this watch. Margaret said Elizabeth loved him enough to have a child with him so he is most definitely family in her eyes.

Margaret handed him a business card she retrieved from the kitchen and told him to take it to this jeweler to have it repaired. John dropped the watch off at the jewelry store just as it was about to close and the jeweler said it would be ready in three days.

Margaret Weir had met Rodney as well as General O’Neill and was very touched at how much they all seemed to care about her daughter. She knew originally Elizabeth had been against the military but had changed her mind and worked for the government and with the military and these friends were the result.

~/~/~

The morning of the memorial service John went to the jewelers to pick up the watch and was surprised to find that everything was all paid for. The jeweler then showed him the inscription on the inside lid of the watch.

“True love has no bounds,” was inscribed and then the jeweler placed Elizabeth’s picture inside the lid over the inscription then turned the watch over. It read “We’re Family.” John asked the jewelers about the inscription. He said that Margaret told him to inscribe these things.

The jeweler said he is a friend of the Weir family and has known Elizabeth since she was a child. He expressed his sorrow at her passing and spoke about when she used to come into the shop and look at the earrings. Her father had given her earrings from this shop and she swore that one day she would return and buy earrings for her daughter.

John sketched a design on paper and asked the jeweler if he could make this. An hour later the final design was finished and John asked them to be earrings with a green stone in the center to represent Elizabeth’s eyes. The jeweler looked at John oddly. John informed the jeweler that Elizabeth had been carrying their child when she died. He said he always wanted a girl. The old man’s eyes misted up and said it would be an honor to craft these earrings for him.

~/~/~

At the memorial service Dr. Simon Wallace noticed there were a lot of military personnel attending the funeral which surprised him. He noticed Margaret Weir slip off to the side and a bunch of intimidating men in black suits blocked the area. When she came out of the room he noticed the President holding Margaret’s hand and talking with her. Simon was confused as to why the President was there and how he knew Elizabeth.

During the service Simon noticed two men sitting next to Margaret, one was an Air Force officer and the other was in a dark suit. He hardly recognized any of the other people at the service and wondered if some of them were fellow diplomats.

After the service people were invited to join in on a friendly luncheon and were given the address. At the luncheon Simon noticed Margaret was finally alone and figured this would be the best time to speak with her.

Simon expressed his condolences at her loss as he continued watching the military officer who had been by Margaret’s side. He noticed him playing with something in his hand and when the other man walked up he saw that the officer opened his hand. Simon immediately recognized the object in the officer’s hand it was a watch like the one Elizabeth possessed. Simon was angry because this military dolt had stolen Elizabeth’s watch.

Margaret had been talking with Simon and noticed his eyes and attention focused on someone else and asked him what was wrong. He asked her who the men were who were sitting with her today and she said that they were Elizabeth’s family. He asked if the watch Elizabeth’s father had given her was returned to her and Margaret just smiled confusing Simon. She advised him that John had returned the watch to her but she insisted that he keep it because he was family.

Simon asked who John was and Margaret pointed out Colonel John Sheppard. Margaret was no fool; she could see a jealous streak a mile wide in Simon. She had been disappointed that Simon hadn’t told Elizabeth the truth when she was last here. Simon was married when he told Elizabeth he found someone else and had been married for almost a year.

Margaret said that Elizabeth and John were together and that they were going to have a child together before Elizabeth died. She said it would have been her grandchild but now that isn’t going to happen. She started to become misty eyed and in an instant John was there comforting her and walking her away from Simon.

~/~/~

Three days later John brought the earrings he designed to Margaret and say these are for her unborn grandchild. She remarked on how beautiful the design was and John said it was special to him and Elizabeth. John placed them in Margaret’s hands and said he knew Elizabeth always planned to buy her earrings at the jeweler’s store and since he had always wanted a daughter he had these made for her. Margaret smiled and said they should stay with him.

She retrieved an envelope of photos from the coffee table and handed it to John, saying that these are for him. He looked inside and saw pictures of Elizabeth as a young girl, when she got her Ph.D. and also one she found of Elizabeth with several people from Atlantis during a Christmas celebration. John is kissing Elizabeth’s cheek as Rodney held something like mistletoe over Elizabeth’s head. She said it was nice to see how happy they all were. Margaret told John that these photos were for him.

Margaret walked him to the door and thanked him for being such a kind messenger to her. She says although her daughter may be gone; she knows that she will live on in all of their hearts and she thanked him for giving her that feeling. John was speechless at how special this woman truly was and swore to himself that whenever he returns to Earth he will always check in on her.

When John and Rodney walk back through the Stargate to Atlantis they were quickly surrounded by friends all wanting to make sure that he is okay. He thought for a moment and says that he is okay; and knows it is due to a special woman, Margaret Weir.

~/~/~

A week later the team leaves on a mission and when they return John looks up to acknowledge to Colonel Carter that everything went okay. When John returns to his room later that day he has a smile on his face. There to greet him is a small clay pot he had given her which holds the earrings he had made and on his desk is the photo of their Christmas together on Atlantis.

John was very tired from his mission and was looking forward to sleeping. As he laid his head down on the pillow he heard the watch ticking underneath the pillow and smiled. It reminded him of Elizabeth and her heartbeat. It is the last thing he thinks of as sleep overcomes him.
Delphi Arrives by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
Elizabeth now has another reason to run. While an old folktale takes a hold in the present.
Chapter 4 - Delphi Arrives



Elizabeth was jarred awake when her ship came out of hyperspace. She hadn’t realized that she had fallen asleep at the controls. She checked the database quickly and found the place she was looking for and went to that planet. She put the ship into a low orbit and beamed down to the planet. Moments later a pulse went off inside the ship, disrupting the replicator blocks making them fall towards the planet, burning up as they entered the atmosphere.

She had to work fast, she knew that there were other Asurans all around the galaxy and chances are a signal was sent the moment she exited hyperspace to the others. She had to get another ship. She chose this world because it was on the outskirts of the galaxy and it was one of the few advanced civilization where she could get a ship without drawing suspicion to her. She quickly surveyed the area and a day later she had gathered sufficient minerals and jewels that were very valuable. She exchanged them and went off in search of a ship.

His name was Lasu Soil and he lived up to the typical used car salesman of Earth, only he was selling used space ships. Elizabeth hated the way he leered at her but she put up with it so she could buy her ship. What surprised him was when he finally agreed to a price she pulled out the correct currency for the sale and then left with her ship.

Elizabeth was anxious to leave this world not only because the Asurans would probably be arriving soon but because Lasu Soil was trying to make advances on her. Twice the workers she had hired had thwarted his efforts and now since the work was done she had to leave so not to give Lasu any other opportunities to harass her.

Elizabeth had gone out to dinner and was returning with supplies for her ship when she noticed the hatch on her ship had been damaged. She walked into the ship and checked out the control panels and was glad that they weren’t damaged. At that time Lasu came up behind her with a knife at her throat.


~/~/~

The next morning the authorities came by her ship and questioned Elizabeth about Lasu Soil who was found dead not far from here. They advised that they were questioning everyone and wondered if she had noticed anyone suspicious in the area lately. Elizabeth laughed and stated that a single woman did not look a man in the eye around here or she would be in danger of being attacked; so no she has not seen anyone suspicious lately.

They thanked her for her cooperation and as they were leaving she asked if she would be safe. They advised her to possibly stay in the city instead of on her ship and then left.

As they walked away Elizabeth could hear them talking. One was asking the other why he wanted to talk with her and the other officer replied because she might have killed Lasu. The other soldier laughed stating she wouldn’t have the strength to crush a bug much less crush Lasu’s throat.

The partner agreed and said they needed to look for someone rather large and strong. Lasu was a stout and strong man who could hold his own against any attacker. They laughed as they talked about the last time someone tried to fight Lasu and they ended up in the hospital instead of Lasu. They continued laughing as they walked away.

Elizabeth smiled and then walked back into her ship to retrieve her tools to repair the hatch lock; it was time to leave this world. She knew what had happened to Lasu but that secret would remain with her.


~Late the night before~

Lasu had a knife to her throat and was threatening her. The alcohol on his breath indicated that he was extremely intoxicated; she thought it would be easy to escape but that wasn’t the case. She struggled and got out of his reach but she did so he cut a part of her blouse open.

“Well I like the preview so what do you say we get down to becoming better acquainted,” Lasu said laughingly.

He lunged at her again and grabbed a hold of her blouse, ripping it almost entirely off of her. Elizabeth tried to hold her blouse over her as she told him not to do this and to leave her be. She said she was with child and it could harm the baby. She felt ill when he only laughed and said he didn’t care whether or not she lost the baby. He said it would be up to her whether or not she lost it, depending on how rough she liked it.

She ran for the hatch and Lasu grabbed for her and suddenly Elizabeth felt pain, extreme pain. She looked down and saw Lasu’s knife embedded in her abdomen. The pain was excruciating knew it harmed her baby.

Elizabeth pulled out the knife and saw the blood flow from the cut. She put one hand over the cut and reached out to hold onto the side of the ship to keep her from falling. She was crying from the pain as Lasu stood there laughing at her.

“Well I guess I won’t have to worry about that bastard child of yours now.”

She was loosing John’s baby the one and only thing that mattered to her. The tears started rolling rapidly down her face, if she lost the baby she didn’t want to live. Then a warm sensation came over her and she lifted her hand from her abdomen.

The wound was no longer bleeding and she noticed the cut was becoming smaller and actually healing. She could somehow sense that the baby too was being healed by the nanites. A few moments later the wound was completely healed and there was no sign of the injury on her abdomen.

“What the …” Lasu said as he watched the cut healing. “What are you carrying, the spawn of evil or are you the evil one?”

The tears stopped flowing and Elizabeth felt an odd feeling overcome her, it was an extreme calm and anger at the same time. She looked up at Lasu and asked him what he talking about, he never hurt her. Lasu looked as he heard the hatch closing then saw her walking towards him and he started backing up.

“I don’t know what you are but I’m sure our scientists would love dissecting you and that thing you’re carrying within you. Get away from me. You’re some sort of evil thing that I want no part of.”

“Funny, a minute ago you were desperate to harm me and my baby.”

Lasu backed into the opposite side o the ship and watched as she continued to approach.

“Let me go and I’ll tell no one about this or how you stole this ship from me.”

His eyes became as big as dinner plates when he noticed Elizabeth’s beautiful green eyes turned cold steely silver. She reached out with her left hand wrapped it tightly around Lasu’s neck and began to squeeze.

“This is my ship which I purchased legitimately. And this is my beloved baby,” she said as she moved her right hand over her abdomen in a loving rub.

Lasu grabbed at Elizabeth’s left hand trying to free himself from her grasp which started to tighten even more. Then she lifted him off the deck while still holding him against the wall of the ship.

“You should have tried to harm me or my baby. It is more precious and important than you will ever know,” she said.

Moments later a couple of loud gasps were heard and then a snap. Lasu’s feet that had been flaying about were suddenly stilled.


~Present time~

That afternoon after the officials had talked with Elizabeth her ship was repaired and she left this world behind. Now she had another reason to run besides the Asurans. She had resorted to violence and it cost a man his life but it was his life or the life of her and her child. She would not loose John Sheppard’s child.

She thought that she would feel more regret for what she had done but she didn’t. All that mattered to her was this child she thought as she made the jump into hyperspace.

A day later she set down on another planet where she went about making changes to the appearance of her ship. Three days later she left the sparsely populated planet for another world where her ship underwent other outward changes. This was to become her life, only staying on a world a few days at a time, never stopping to make friends or allowing them to catch up with her. She had to stay several steps ahead of them if she and her baby were to live.


~Weeks later~

The rumbling of her stomach reminded Elizabeth that it was time to eat so she started looking around for a café to eat at when she spotted an older lady. She had seen this woman earlier when she was shopping for clothes and looking at navigation equipment.

Elizabeth looked at what appeared to be nice café and turned around to ask the lady if she wanted to join her for lunch instead of spying on her but the woman was gone. She decided not to worry about it and went in to eat.

She was eating when she heard a woman’s voice from behind her.

“I know who you are and it is good that you are eating.”

“I’m sorry but I believe that you’re mistaken. I’m new to this place.”

“Yes of course you are Delphi. I know that you come from a place very far away.”

“I’m sorry but I’m not Delphi, my name is…”

“It does not matter what you were called before, you are Delphi and I have been searching for you for years.”

The lady introduced herself as Malei and told Elizabeth that no matter what she was called in her previous life she is the Delphi of their legend. Malei went on to tell the tale of how machines would take over and start eating up entire worlds. She said because of this many worlds have abandoned advanced machines other than those necessary to survive and she fears that these will be the first worlds to fall to the machines. Elizabeth said it has already begun.

Malei said the tale also tells of a woman from a world very far away would come to them and would help them in their battle against the machines. She looked down at Elizabeth’s stomach and said she would bring a child of love and together they would destroy the machines.

Elizabeth said that it sounds like a fable and Malei that is what many believe and so the tale has faded from many worlds. Malei then said that she has heard that one woman escaped one of the worlds that had been destroyed and everyone thought that she was crazy. When they went to return her to her world it was destroyed. Elizabeth asked what happened to the woman and Malei just shook her head. She then reassured Elizabeth that she knows that she is Delphi and knows somehow that she is different.

Three hours later Delphi and Malei returned to the ship with supplies. Malei looked up and asked what “Shep” is because it is on fin of the ship. Delphi smiled and said it is something from her past. Malei looked at the name and then at Delphi.

“Perhaps it is something sentimental from your past but I believe it also represents a very important part of your future,” as she touched Delphi’s flat belly.
His Choice by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
John has made a choice which he now lives with.
Chapter 5 - His Choice


His jaw hurt but he picked himself off of the floor to stop her from hitting him any more. He dodged her next swing allowing him to knock her legs out from under her sending her onto the ground where she struck her head and it temporarily stunned her. This gave John the chance he needed to secure her and although it was against his nature to hurt a woman but he was tired of Larrin using him for a punching bag.

It was a rough first encounter but John was never one to hold grudges and when they next met, Larrin joined them in Atlantis where she became a part of John’s team as Teyla learned she was pregnant. Larrin took Teyla’s temporary spot at Colonel Carter’s insistent that Teyla take things easy. Teyla was reassured that it was only while she was pregnant and it would be open when she was ready to return.

Months later John and Larrin had been sparring in the gym and after they finished John was walking her back to her room giving her some hints on how to outmaneuver her opponent, never anticipating what happened next. Larrin entered her quarters and reached out and pulled John into her room not even waiting for the door to close before she started kissing him. She was tired of waiting for him to make the first move so she decided to make it for him by kissing him. She liked the fact that he was responding to her kisses and kissing her back as she guided them to her bed.

They fell down on her bed with Larrin landing on top of John continuing to kiss him as she started pulling up John’s shirt just enough so she could unfasten his pants. She’d never waited so long to seduce a man and was determined to have her way with him. Now the months of flirting would end and they would be together.

John was temporarily confused when she pulled up his shirt but when she started unfastening his pants he realized he had to stop this. He grabbed Larrin’s hands to still them, rolled her over onto her back and quickly got off of her and the bed. He apologized, quickly grabbed his workout bag and made a hasty retreat from Larrin’s room. Larrin was confused about what happened and knew that she didn’t read the signs wrong, John’s running off didn’t make sense.

A few days passed and it was obvious to Larrin that John seemed to be avoiding her and when she did run into him he was always in someone’s company. However, she noticed that John was scheduled to have a meeting with Colonel Carter and she knew that he was always upset and would need to blow off some steam after the meeting. Larrin figured that this would be a good time to try her luck again with him. She decided to wait in John’s quarters and surprise him.

She opened John’s door and was glad that he hadn’t arrived yet because that would give her a chance to look around. She spotted the poster above his bed and wondered who this man was to him. Larrin noticed a guitar in the corner, a photo on his desk and a clay pot in the center of the desk. She had seen many people with photos of family and friends on the desk, she looked at the photo she recognized most everyone in the photo and believed they were his friends.

However, the clay pot stood out and looked a bit odd to her. She picked up the pot and looked at it and removed the lid. She put the pot down and removed the small velvet box from inside the pot. Upon opening the box she found a beautiful pair of silver earrings with a green stone in the center. She decided that she couldn’t wait for him to give her the earrings so she tried them on and looked at herself in his bathroom mirror.

She exited the bathroom and saw John’s bed and smiled because she knew that in a few minutes she would soon be rolling around in the bed with John. Larrin lay on the bed to see how if felt and put her head on his pillow. She heard a ticking noise under the pillow and lifted up his pillow and found a very large medallion that had a small chain attached to it. She was enchanted with the ticking noise and soon was swinging the medallion back and forth to the ticking noise.

John was smiling as he left his meeting with Colonel Carter; he had used some of Elizabeth’s techniques during his meeting and found that he and Colonel Carter were able to get along better instead of butting heads continuously. He was anxious to return to his quarters so he could tell Elizabeth that her methods work.

John walked into his room and walked right over to his desk where his thoughts were disrupted. The lid to the clay pot was sitting on the desk and the box he kept inside was now lying empty on his desk; that mean that someone came into his room and stole his daughter’s earrings. He was furious and was ready to find the culprit and pummel them.

“Oh John they’re beautiful. I know I should have waited for you to give them to me but once I saw them I just couldn’t resist wearing them,” Larrin said as she pulled back her hair to reveal the earrings she was wearing.

“Take’m off,” he said in a low angry tone.

Larrin was confused by his comment and figured that he was referring to her clothes so she started pulling up her shirt. As she was doing this she dropped the heavy silver medallion onto the floor.

Her actions confused John but the sound of something hitting the floor got his attention. He saw his family watch rolling across his floor. He grabbed the watch off the floor and put it to his ear to make sure it was still working. Suddenly something soft hit him on the side of the head and dropped to the floor.

He looked at it and saw it was the shirt that Larrin had been wearing. As he looked up Larrin was striking a seductive pose as she was unfastening her bra. A flash of silver around her face caught his attention and he realized that she was still wearing his daughter’s earrings.

John stood up holding out his hand as he told Larrin to take off the earrings and give them to her in a sharp angry tone. She hesitated and John again told her to take off the earrings.

She gave him the earrings and he shoved her shirt at her and told her to put it on and get out of his room. John walked over to his desk never bothering to look at Larrin as she redressed. She walked towards him and asked him what was wrong. Without even turning around John spoke to her through gritted teeth, telling her to get out of his room right now before he calls security.

Larrin exited the room and stood in the hall confused about what had just happened. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen, she was supposed to be seducing John and ending their long running flirtation. She didn’t understand what went wrong but she knew that there was someone who could help her solve the problem with John.

John walked into his bathroom to retrieve alcohol wipes which he used to wipe the watch clean and used another to clean the earrings before placing them back in their box and the box back in the clay pot. He put the pot back in place on the desk and apologized to Elizabeth while putting the lid on the clay pot. He opened the watch and walked back to his bed placing the watch on the pillow as he started apologizing to Elizabeth for ‘her’ being in here. He was angry and knew it was best for him not to talk to Elizabeth for the moment and decided he needed a long hard workout.

When he returned from his workout he showered and then climbed into bed, pulling his family watch out from under the pillow and opened it. He started talking to Elizabeth as he stared at her picture in the watch, telling her about things going on and how he was taking a page from her book on how to deal with people. John smiled at her telling her that he was sorry because he realizes how difficult he must have been to work with when they first started. Soon his talk wandered to things that were happening to Atlantis and he spoke to her saying she would be proud of how things are going. Then he spoke of how much he missed her and he wishes that she could see all that she has done. One of the last things he said before falling asleep was that he still loved her.

~/~/~

After Larrin had left John’s room she showed up in front of Teyla’s door saying that she needed to ask her advice. This was rather odd because Larrin never asked Teyla for advice in the past so she knew it was important. Larrin asked if there was something wrong with John and Teyla advised she was not aware of any problems.

Larrin went on to tell Teyla that she and John were getting closer and gave a look to Teyla to indicate there was something between her and John. Teyla started to stop her when Larrin said that suddenly John snapped and threw her out of his room so she wondered if something was wrong with John. Teyla asked Larrin what happened to bring this about.

Larrin advised that she was waiting for John in his quarters when he just suddenly snapped at her and she hadn’t done anything. Teyla strongly suspected that Larrin was leaving a lot of information out so she started asking Larrin other questions.

Finally Teyla was able to learn that Larrin had gone into John’s room without his consent on the pretext of surprising him after his meeting with Colonel Carter. Yet despite what Larrin was saying, Teyla still suspected that important information was being left out.

Teyla advised John was a very private man and that going into his quarters without his knowledge would be considered violation of his trust. Larrin said she figured he would be flattered since they flirted so much. Teyla tried to hide her smirk and stated that John flirts with many women. Larrin said that it was more than just flirting between them and mentioned that he bought her jewelry.

This got Teyla’s attention and she asked what John bought her and she said silver earrings. Teyla couldn’t hide her surprise at hearing this and Larrin suddenly suspected that there was something more between Teyla and John. She apologized to Teyla asking if those were her earrings and Teyla advised they were not. Teyla described the earrings to Larrin and she said those were the ones.

Teyla said when John last went to his home world he had some earrings special made for his daughter. Larrin was shocked stating she didn’t know that John was married and had a daughter. She advised John is no longer married and immediately Larrin asked how she died and where his daughter is. Teyla advised on John’s home world he is ‘divorced’ which means the husband and wife agree to no longer be married and said that they did not have any children together. Larrin asked who he had a daughter with and where is his daughter.

Teyla’s eyes started to mist up as she advised Larrin that John loved a woman here in Atlantis and that she was pregnant with their child when she died to save Atlantis. Larrin asked who she was and all Teyla said that was for John to say. She then moved to the door and told Larrin it was time for her to leave.

Larrin couldn’t believe it, twice in one night that she was thrown out of someone’s room. But she knew that there was one person who would not throw her out and this person would tell her everything she needed to know so she could push the ghost of John’s former lover out of his life.

After Larrin left her room Teyla started to cry, she didn’t know if it was because of her pregnancy or if it was because it forced her to remember that Elizabeth, her friend was gone. Although she was now becoming friends with Colonel Carter, Teyla still missed Elizabeth.

~/~/~

The knock on his door startled Rodney but what surprised him even more was Larrin walking towards him with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand which she gave him. He suspected that she was up to no good because she had very little to do with him. Then he really got suspicious when she smiled sweetly at him.

Rodney as usual was very informative almost to the point of overloading her with information. First she learned that the former leader of Atlantis was Dr. Weir and that John had bedded her. Then she learned that Dr. Weir was pregnant with John’s child and sacrificed herself to save John and his group, thus allowing them to escape and save Atlantis. At first she thought that Rodney was pulling her leg but he assured her that Dr. Weir was very special to all of them.

Then Larrin started to think about some things as she tried to make sense of this all. First John is attracted to the leader of Atlantis and then he makes a play for her as she was the captain of her own ship before she came to Atlantis. Now she is not the captain and it appears as if he is making a play for Colonel Carter since she is the new commander of Atlantis. She wondered if there was a pattern of John being attracted to women in power and if that was why he was no longer interested in her, because she was no longer in charge of a ship.

So Larrin decided to endure a bit more torture and have lunch with Rodney and see if he could confirm her theory. During lunch she asked him if he believed that John was attracted to Colonel Carter seeing that he had been attracted to the former leader of Atlantis. Rodney almost spewed his food onto the table at hearing this. Once he had swallowed his food he started laughing stating that she was wrong just as Teyla was joining them with her lunch.

Teyla took a seat and asked what was wrong and Rodney laughingly said that Larrin thought that John was attracted to Colonel Carter because she was in command of Atlantis. Teyla smiled and said that Rodney is correct; stating that John is respectful of Colonel Carter but she loves someone else. At hearing this Rodney sat up a little bit straighter and asked if she knew who it was. Teyla smiled and said that she did as she continued eating her lunch. Of course Rodney couldn’t let her stop there and started asking her questions about Colonel Carter.

Larrin got bored listening to Rodney pester Teyla about Colonel Carter and decided it was time to leave. On her way out she saw John and walked up behind him and asked how he was doing and he said he was okay. She asked if they could talk later this evening but he said it would not be a good idea. Larrin asked why not and he said he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea about them, then grabbed a sandwich and water and walked out of the mess hall. As he was exiting he overheard Rodney asking Teyla about Colonel Carter and he felt sorry for Teyla having to endure Rodney’s questioning.

An hour later, John was in his office when Rodney barged in asking him if he heard about Carter. John looked up and asked Rodney if he was talking about Dr. Fred Carter the botanist or if he was talking about their leader Colonel Samantha Carter? Rodney smirked at him and stated of course he was referring to Samantha Carter. John asked Rodney what he was talking about and Rodney said that he was wondering if he heard if Colonel Carter was involved with anyone. John said he knows about it then turned his attention back to his work.

Rodney turned John’s chair around and asked him what he heard about Samantha and who she was involved with. John sighed and said that he knows that Colonel Carter is involved with someone back on Earth. Rodney chuckled and said that it couldn’t be working out very well because she was here and that looser was back on Earth. John smiled and told Rodney to never doubt love because love knows no bounds.

Rodney smiled and said if the guy was so important to her then she wouldn’t be here. John reminded Rodney that Colonel Carter is an officer in the Air Force and she goes where she is assigned and does not have the luxury of choosing where she is assigned.
John knew about General O’Neill and Colonel Carter from Elizabeth and had seen it in person when he was last on Earth.

He remembered seeing them together; he recognized that looks between them even as they were in a room full of people. There was no mistaking the look of love and he saw it between Colonel Carter and General O’Neill. He was a bit shocked that Rodney couldn’t see it but then he realized that a ton of bricks would have to fall on Rodney to get his attention.

He turned to face Rodney and told him that he knows that Colonel Carter is happy in her relationship despite the distance and Rodney asked if she told him this. John said he could tell by the look in her eyes and said that he has seen it only before. He smiled as he said that a woman in love has a certain look in her eyes for that special person in her life and stated that he has seen it before.

“Oh so you look in the eyes of the women before you go Kirking around so you will know if they will go to bed with you? I didn’t realize that you look above their breasts.”

“No Rodney, I’m talking about the look of love a woman has in her eyes. All you have to do is look in her eyes and you will see it.”

“Wait a minute the great Captain Kirk of the Pegasus galaxy is giving away his trade secrets to seducing women. Look them in the eyes and they will fall into your bed. Well Kirk not all of us have…”

John spun around in a flash and shoved Rodney up against the wall of his office and put an arm bar choke hold on Rodney.

“Don’t you ever refer to me as Kirk ever again; I’m sick and tired of you calling me that. I’m not Kirk. It almost kept Elizabeth and me... So help me Rodney I’m gonna...”

John quickly released his choke hold on Rodney turned and sat back down in his chair. He was ashamed of his actions against his friend but he was sick and tired of Rodney talking about him sleeping with every woman when it wasn’t true. Rodney calling him Kirk and raving about all of his conquests almost stopped Elizabeth from being with him.

Rodney rubbed his throat a few times while John’s words sunk into his brain and finally he realized that he had gone too far. He had hurt his friend with his words and all it did was remind him of her. Rodney walked towards John but John told him to leave. Instead Rodney walked up behind John and placed his hand on John’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“I’m sorry John. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“But you did Rodney and I’m tired of it. I’m not Kirk.”

“I know, I won’t say it again.”

“And just for your information I was telling the truth about the look in a woman’s eyes. It’s evident anytime the woman talks about the one she loves or when she approaches him; there’s a certain sparkle in her eyes. I’ve seen it in Colonel Carter’s eyes for her guy back on Earth and I saw it in Elizabeth’s eyes when she looked at me.”

Rodney patted John’s shoulder telling him that he misses her too. John asked Rodney if he hurt him and apologized again for what he did, saying he couldn’t stand him calling him Kirk any more. He said it took a long time for Elizabeth to trust him with her heart and his joking didn’t help. He said that she brought out the best in him and now feels as if that part of him is missing along with Elizabeth.

“I know she was a vital part of this city and she was pretty special to a lot of us.”

“Yeah she was but I loved her. I still love her and I miss her. I keep hoping that maybe one day I’ll…”

“I know John.”

“But it was more than just love; she was the one. The one I chose and wanted to live the rest of my life with but then she… I mean I know what happened but something inside of me keeps on thinking that maybe, just maybe…”

Rodney didn’t have the heart to crush his friend’s feelings at this time. He too saw the world that Elizabeth had been on destroyed. No one could have survived and he knew that she had given her life so that John and Atlantis would live. She was dead, they had a memorial service for her back on Earth but still John couldn’t let go of her. He was afraid that John’s dedication to Elizabeth even after her death would be his downfall. The only thing he could do was be a good friend to John and be there to help him.

Larrin had been standing in the hall outside of John’s open door and heard it all. Tears started to fall down her face; she could not believe what she overheard. John was still in love with his dead lover and there was no indication he was ever going to stop loving her. Colonel John Sheppard had chosen to love a ghost.

-tbc
Pennies, Washers, Horseshoes and Grenades by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
So have you ever heard the old saying, close only counts in pitching pennies, washers, horseshoes and grenades. Well that is the case in this chapter too.

Close calls can make people do things they do not normally do. This chapter has a bit of a dark side in it.
Chapter 6 - Pennies, Washers, Horseshoes and Grenades




“When I give the signal I want you to run as fast as you can to the ship and get the engines started for immediate lift off.”

“No, my job is to protect you and I can’t do that by leaving you behind.”

“I’m not planning on staying behind. Now get to the ship and start those engines right now. Go, go now Malei!”

Delphi then gave a nod and Malei ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the ship, opened the hatch, leaving it open as she ran to the pilot’s seat. The engines started up and then a few moments after igniting they suddenly died. “Not now,” Malei screamed as she kicked the panel and the engines started up again.

The only advantage that Delphi had against her attackers was the fact that her blaster could change just as rapidly as the Asurans adjusted to the blasts but because it changed with each burst it was destroying the Asurans. She heard Malei scream for her to come on and that was all Delphi needed. She took off running and pulled something out of her pack, pulled the pins, turned around and threw the special grenades at Asurans running after her. Then she turned and resumed running for her ship when the blasts went off.

Malei was tapping on the console nervously waiting for Delphi to enter the ship when two loud booms rocked the ship followed by small items bouncing off the ship. A few moments later Delphi stumbled onto the ship slamming the switch to close the hatch as she rushed up to the copilot chair and told Malei to get them out of here.

They quickly left the surface and were in space where Delphi entered the coordinates for their jump into hyperspace. Once the window was open the ‘Shep’ immediately flew into it with the window closing behind them, making good their escape.

In hyperspace Malei turned and saw a large gaping cut in Delphi’s arm that was bleeding heavily as well as blood flowing out of other cuts on her leg and face. Malei got up and retrieve the medical kit from the back and was going to tend to Delphi’s wounds when Delphi stopped her.

Malei watched as the blood stopped flowing and slowly the cuts started to heal themselves. Malei shook her head and shuttered.

“I would have thought that you would have gotten used to seeing that by now,” Delphi said.

Malei still continued to fuss over Delphi until finally Delphi took a hold of Malei’s hands and told her to stop. At that time all that was left to heal was only a two inch shallow cut on Delphi’s arm. Malei shook her head as she got up and returned the med kit and walked back to Delphi with a bottle of tonic.

“Drink this, it’ll help.”

“Malei, you know I don’t need that to heal.”

“Well you may be able to heal physical injuries but you still need to rest and to build up your blood and that is what this tonic will do for you.”

Malei watched as Delphi started to put the bottle aside. She told Delphi she needed to take better care of herself because the nanites alone can’t compensate for a lack of sleep and proper nutrition. Malei reminded Delphi she was part human and needed to take better care of herself for the baby’s sake. Delphi made a sour face and drank the entire bottle of tonic.

In less than ten minutes Malei noticed the tonic taking effect quicker than usual and she realized the Delphi had been injured more seriously than she let on. She led Delphi back to one of the bunks and covered up Delphi, touching her now bulging belly.

“Delphi, what was that loud boom I heard back on the planet?”

“Oh, just something I invented based on a weapon from my planet called grenades. I used to be opposed to them but things have changed,” she said with a touch of sadness in her voice.

Things had dramatically changed for her; she was no longer Dr. Elizabeth Weir the diplomat who deplored violence, she was Delphi a woman who used weapons of destruction to survive. She was drawn out of her thoughts by Malei waving her hand in front of her face.

“Are these grenades,” Malei asked pulling two small items out of Delphi’s pack. “They look awfully small to have caused such a big boom.”

“Well I enhanced its power and incorporated a micro disruptor burst to permanently disrupt the Replicators.”

Malei shook her head stating she was taking too many chances and soon she would not be able to run as fast enough to escape them as she patted Delphi’s belly. Delphi said she knows that and she is working on a plan. Malei told Delphi this was a close call.

“Close, you mean close like pitching pennies? Just like pennies, washer, horseshoo-oo…” Delphi slurred as she fell asleep.

Malei was confused by Delphi’s statement but as her pregnancy advanced she noticed a lot of changes in Delphi. She was making more references to her past life and she was also calling out a name in her sleep. But what really worried Malei was the fact that it started taking Delphi longer and longer to heal and she feared that one day Delphi would not be able to heal herself.

~/~/~

Three Months Later


The hatch suddenly opened and Malei was startled to see the bruises on Delphi’s face as well as what looked like a blast wound to her shoulder. She walked over and helped Delphi sit down on the bunk. Malei then noticed her clothing practically fell off of Delphi and she gasped at the bruises and bite marks on Delphi’s upper chest and bruising on her belly.

“Skies above Delphi, what happened?”

Delphi fell onto Malei’s strong shoulders and started to cry making Malei realize Delphi had a narrow escape. She just held Delphi as she cried until she was exhausted. Malei looked at Delphi’s body as she laid her down on the bunk and saw that the bruises were healing very slowly. It was evident that the nanites were more focused on protecting the unborn child before healing Delphi. Malei was afraid that if Delphi received a severe injury she would go into labor too soon, she would have to keep a closer eye on Delphi.

Delphi woke up a half hour later and saw Malei looking at her. She looked to the front of the ship and could see that they were hyperspace. She asked where they were headed and Malei told her not to worry about it. She then asked Delphi if she wanted to talk about what happened on the planet.

Delphi said that she had been returning with supplies when she felt someone come up behind her and put something over her nose making her black out. She said she recovered quickly thanks to the nanites but it was almost too late. She said she woke up with a man leaning over her biting and suck on her breasts as he pinned her to the ground. When he realized that she was awake he started hitting her in the face, chest and stomach. Delphi said she tried to fight him off then he pulled out a blaster and shot her in the shoulder. He laughed at her as he hit her in the face again then she heard him unfasten his pants.

Delphi started crying again and Malei asked if he mated with her. Delphi shook her head no saying she stopped him. She said her strength almost failed her but she kept him entering her. The tears flowed down her face as she spoke, saying he continued beating on her as she resisted. Malei shook her head in disgust she could not believe that a man would try to attack a woman who was in her eighth month of pregnancy.

Delphi said she grabbed his manhood squeezing it very tightly making him cry out in pain. He was screaming at her say he would still have his way with her and then he would cut her child out of her and then cut her up so she couldn’t take any other man into her body. Delphi said a calm feeling swept over her and she let it happen again.

Malei asked what she meant by ‘it happened again’ and Delphi cried and said she let them take over to protect her. Malei asked if she was referring to the little machines inside her and Delphi nodded her head.

She said this time it was worse, she ripped his manhood from his body, throwing it to the side of them and then shoving him off of her. Delphi said she rose above her attacker and rolled him onto his back from his fetal position and looked down at him. He continued cursing and swearing to kill her. Then in a cold voice she told him that only a heartless man would attack a pregnant woman as he continued to threaten her.

Her hand formed into a probe only this time she thrust it into his chest. A moment later she grabbed his heart and yanked it out of him ripping open his chest from the inside. She said she remembered the look of shock on his face as she held his heart up for him to see and told him that now even the Tin Man has more heart than him.

Delphi sobbed as she turned away from Malei, she couldn’t face her at this moment, she had seen the look of shock on Malei’s face knowing she was repulsed by what she heard. She should have tried to stop the nanites but she didn’t even try nor did she want to stop them. No one was going to take her baby away from her; it was all she had left of John and her past life.

Malei was repulsed by what she had heard and wanted to condemn Delphi for what she had done but she had sworn an oath long ago to help and protect Delphi no matter what happened. So she remained still allowing Delphi time to calm down and come to terms with what she had done. She then told Delphi to turn around and look at her but when she didn’t do it, Malei yelled at Delphi to turn around and look at her and the tone of her voice made Delphi obey her command.

“Did you believe that you and your baby were going to die?”

Delphi nodded yes.

“Then the machines did what they were programmed to do, protect you and the baby.”

Delphi started to say that she should have stopped them when she was interrupted.

“You carry the future of this galaxy within you whether you want to believe it or not. It was necessary to save your lives. We shall not speak of this again.”

After a few minutes Delphi calmed down and Malei finished tending to Delphi’s wounds. When she had finished she brought Delphi something to eat but Delphi refused saying that she wasn’t hungry.

“I don’t care if you don’t have an appetite, you will eat right now,” Malei said in a very angry tone. “If you do not eat then I will find John Sheppard, bring him here and I’m sure he will make you eat. He will not let you harm his child!”

Delphi was shocked to hear Malei threaten her like this. She could see from Malei’s expression and could see Malei was serious about her threat. She remembered that Malei had asked about Atlantis, John, Carson and Genii but she told her that they were a part of her past. What she didn’t know was how Malei knew about John.

“But how do know…”

“You talk in your sleep and a person can learn a great deal about your past from your ramblings in your sleep. I know of John and your love for him and Atlantis. Do not make me seek him out, so eat.”

Delphi was shocked to see Malei take such strong control of the situation. A part of her wished that she just run back into John’s protective arms and everything would be okay but that was never going to happen. She was no longer Elizabeth Weir, she was Delphi.

They had been traveling for two days and Malei noticed that the bruises had finally healed. It took too long this time and she now had to take control of Delphi or she and her child would die. So Malei landed on a world that she had visited in her earlier travels. It wasn’t an advance scientific planet; they only used enough technology to increase their food production, they were a peaceful race.

Malei hid the ship then she and Delphi walked the relatively short distance into the nearest town. They came up with the cover story that Delphi was pregnant and traveling with her midwife while they searched for the Delphi’s husband, but due to her advanced pregnancy they had to temporarily stop. The story was good and allowed them to arrange to rent a small home and they were left alone.

~/~/~

Two Weeks Later

It was too soon Delphi said as Malei put Delphi into a position to make her more comfortable. She then stepped out of the room and signaled for their new friend to join them. Tora stepped into the room and Malei directed her to get behind Delphi and to help her by pushing her forward when she told her.

Malei knew that things were getting close and she could see the child head crowning. She then told Delphi to push.

“Damn you John Sheppard!”

“Breathe deep Delphi.”

“I am breathing deep,” she said between pants. “Oh John,” she screamed out as she pushed.

“Breathe in deeply then give me one more big push.”

Delphi pushed with all of her might calling out John’s name again as if to give her strength. Shortly afterwards the cry from new lungs filled the room. Delphi looked down at her daughter who had been laid on her stomach as Malei told her to push again and the afterbirth was delivered. Delphi started to cry tears of happiness as her daughter calmed down and stopped crying.

They then cleaned up her daughter and placed her at Delphi’s breast where she began to immediately suckle her mother’s milk. Malei smiled at seeing this sight and knew that now there was hope the galaxies would survive the attack of the machines. The tales of old had now taken a hold in the present and future with the birth of this child.

~/~/~

Malei had been called into midwife services once again only this time it was the town leader’s young wife. She took a look at the woman and decided that she would need Tora’s help so she sent for Tora.

Tora had been watching over Delphi as she fed her three month old daughter, with Delphi telling Sonya how beautiful she was and how she had inherited her daddy’s hair as she tried brushing down Sonya’s wild hair. Tora smiled and told Delphi she would never be able to tame that hair and to just give up. Delphi laughed and said that she used to tease John about his hair all of the time and it seems Sonya has his hair as well as his eyes. Suddenly she realized that she had slipped up and was talking about her past and all she could do was hope that Tora didn’t really hear what she said.

A child came running up out of breath and advised Tora that Malei needed her help on a birth. Delphi asked if she was needed and the child said that Malei only called for Tora. Tora asked Delphi if she would be okay and she said they would be fine.

When Malei and Tora returned they both looked exhausted and were glad when Delphi gave them a bowl of stew to give them strength. She asked the ladies how the delivery went and Malei said it was difficult, they almost lost the mother but both mother and son were doing better.

“But close only counts in pitching pennies, washers, horseshoes and grenades,” Delphi said with a smile. She knew that Malei would understand the grenade part.

A week had passed and both Tora and Malei had returned to check on the new mother who was having a difficult time with the child. Soon the new mother was getting the hang of things but it would take several more visits to reassure the mother she was doing fine.

A month later they returned to the leader’s home to once again check on his new son and found him showing him off to anyone who even looked his way. Malei told the leader that he needed to let the child rest. The midwives and the leader were talking just outside of his house when some strangers walked up escorted by Bekon, a local child of the town.

“Welcome, I am Molo, the town leader and this is my new son, Oslo,” he said proudly.

“Thank Molo. I’m Colonel John Sheppard and these are my friends Ronon, Larrin and Rodney. We are seeking an opportunity to trade with your town for food.”

Malei heard the name and twitched when she heard him say it. She feared that Delphi’s past was about to catch up with her and she knew that it was time for them to leave this world. However, she knew that if she left immediately she would draw attention to her and so she would wait for the right time to leave.

Ronon noticed the older woman flinch when John introduced himself but only at the sound of Sheppard’s name. He knew it wasn’t a coincident and believed she was a spy looking for them. He noticed her eyes look around and suspected she was going to escape and warn their enemies but until she made a move he would not do anything, so he watched her.

They were invited to a lunch only to have it interrupted by Bekon who advised the lady was calling Malei to her chambers. Molo excused her and told her to take care of his wife. Ronon watched her as she excused herself from them, he wanted to follow her but she was needed by the lady of the house. He watched as she looked directly at Sheppard as if trying to work out something and decided he would talk to her about that when she returned.

Twenty minutes later Bekon returned to the table and this time he summoned Tora to the lady’s bedside. She asked if Malei wanted her to bring anything to help and Bekon looked puzzled. Bekon said that Malei did not go to the lady’s bedside; she fled out the door once she left the room.

“I should find her,” Ronon said as he stood up quickly from the bench.

“John, that’s an odd name and not very common. Are you from around here John Sheppard?” Tora asked.

“No, not really we’re travelers to your world,” he replied as he tried to smooth down his hair.

Tora watched this and his action reminded her of someone but she could not think of who. A moment later she realized why she recognized his actions.

“Your hair…” paused and then it hit her. “John Sheppard, I’ve heard that name before. It is the one that Delphi screamed during the birth.”

All of John’s team froze upon hearing this. Ronon grabbed his weapon and ran over to where Tora sat and grabbed her arm.

“Who is this Delphi? How do you know about John Sheppard?”

The group was surprised at Ronon’s actions and John could see how terrified Tora was and told Ronon to calm down. He apologized to Tora stating they did not mean to frighten her. He then asked her if she would tell him about this woman called Delphi.

Tora said that Delphi and Malei are also travelers who came to this world four months ago. She said that they were searching for Delphi’s husband when her daughter was born sooner than expected. John asked her if she could tell him what Delphi looked like.

She advised that she was a proud woman and she always walked that way even when she heavily laden with her unborn child. She advised her hair is dark but not as dark as his as she pointed to John, then she leaned closer and looked into his eyes. She smiled and she has eyes like his only darker and stated Delphi’s daughter has eyes like his.

“Take us to this woman,” Ronon said as he grabbed Tora’s arm.

John made Ronon release her and he apologized for Ronon’s action. He then asked her if she would take him to see Delphi. Tora stood up and backed away from the table stating she would not, she would not endanger Delphi or her daughter. She then looked to Molo and asked if she could leave. Molo advised her that she could leave and as she was leaving John rushed to her asked her not to leave.

“You said that she called out my name, are you sure it was my name?” John asked.

“Yes, I’m sure it was your name. She called out the name of John and John Sheppard on several occasions as if you could ease her pain during the birth of her daughter.”

John asked if she would take only him to see Delphi because she sounds like a woman he once knew but Tora shook her head no. John asked why and she said she fears that he means to harm Delphi and her child and she would not allow that.

Behind him John heard Rodney making a ‘tisking’ noise as he paced back and forth. John told Rodney to sit down and let him think. Then he remembered the watch.

“Tora, if I were to show you an image of a woman would you tell me if she is Delphi?”

Tora agreed to do this and John asked Rodney and Ronon to stay while he went back to their world to retrieve his watch. Rodney asked what he was talking about and he said that it had to do with Elizabeth. At hearing this name Larrin turned and started running to catch up to Sheppard.

“Wait you can’t mean the woman who was the leader of Atlantis?” Larrin asked.

“I need to find out if she is Delphi.”

“You need to stop chasing a ghost John. She’s dead and has been dead for a long time,” she said as she pulled John to a stop almost yanking him off his feet.

“No, you’re wrong. This could be her. I have to find out if it is Elizabeth.”

“Your report says she’s dead. You have to stop thinking you’ll find her; you have to get on with your life. I can’t stand to see you tearing yourself apart with her ghost.”

“Leave me alone” he yelled as he started running again for the Stargate.

In the distance she could hear the Stargate activate and moments later it shut down. Less than an hour later the Stargate activated and she observed John walking briskly back to the village. She stepped in front of him and stopped him.

“You can’t keep on believing she’s alive. She occupies your room and now you are letting your thoughts of her risk a trade mission that means so much to Atlantis. I thought that you put the safety of Atlantis above personal gain. Were those words just a lie or do you really believe in them. If you believe in them then stop chasing the ghost of your Elizabeth.”

John walked past her clutching his watch tightly in his hand. She was wrong, she had to be wrong. Deep down he had always hoped Elizabeth was alive but knew there was little chance that it was true. But now there was new hope and a chance that she was alive with his child on this world. He then picked up his pace to the village.

He ran into the village and stopped at Molo’s house. He then asked Tora to come over and look at this picture and tell him if this is Delphi. Tora hesitated walking to him seeing how anxious the men were but John assured her that they would not harm her or Delphi. Tora stepped next to John and looked down at the picture. She was about to say something when Larrin ran up out of breath.

“Don’t John. It’ll only hurt you more when you learn it’s not her. I can’t take it any more. Let her go, I’m right here for you,” she said with tears flowing down her face.

“Please Tora, tell me if this is Delphi,” John pleaded.

Tora looked at the photograph and then looked at the woman crying then looked again at the photograph.

“Please tell me if this is her Tora. Please! I love her and I need her.”

At hearing this Larrin turned and walked out of the home. Tora looked up to see the shocked faces of the men by John’s declaration. Yet she saw something in John’s eyes that showed that he was not lying.

“She is older looking now. I think that she has had a rough time.”

“You’re sure that this is her,” Rodney asked in an excited tone.

“This is Delphi,” she said in a quiet voice.

John’s chin was trembling as he heard Tora tell him this. Ronon cleared his throat and told John that they needed to find her and bring her back home. John asked Tora if she would take them to see Delphi.

~/~/~

Malei had been summoned to the lady’s bedside to help but she knew that she could not waste any time. She had to leave right away and warn Delphi that they were in danger. All she knew was that Delphi had stressed she could not contact anyone in her past so Malei then ran as fast as she could back to the house.

“Delphi,” she screamed as she ran into the house.

Delphi had been asleep when she was awoken by Malei’s calling her. She was up in a flash and went to see what was wrong. After Malei caught her breath she told Delphi that they needed to leave and Delphi didn’t ask why but immediately started packing up their things

It was while they traveling to the ship that Malei finally explained that men from Delphi’s past were here. She said that she recognized the name of John Sheppard, causing Delphi to stop in her tracks.

“John?! John’s here,” she asked.

Malei looked at Delphi and knew that look, it was a look of love and not one of fear. She wished that she could turn around and allow Delphi to confront her past but early on Delphi said their very existence depended on them staying away from everyone in her past.

They arrived at the ship and minutes later the engines they left this world. As they were leaving the surface Elizabeth blew a kiss back towards the village where she knew John was. It was Elizabeth that blew the kiss because she was the one that loved John.

~/~/~

Everyone but Larrin rushed towards the house. John took off running shouting out Elizabeth’s name as he got closer. He burst through the door and ran through the small house seeing that it was empty. There were signs that the people here had left in a hurry. Then he noticed the small crib in the bedroom and he frantically looked all around as if hoping to find them hidden within the room.

Ronon followed John inside the house and saw the broken look on John’s face upon finding an empty bedroom. He saw the crib and noticed items strewn about and said he would track them and that they would easy to follow. Ronon then ran out of the house as if his very life depended on finding her.

Rodney walked into the bedroom where he saw John sitting on the edge of the bed clutching clothing to his chest. Rodney opened John’s hands and saw it was a woman’s blouse and a baby’s outfit.

“Rodney, she was here. She’s alive,” John said as buried his head into the pillow he knew she had slept on.

Larrin had followed at a much slower pace and was about to enter the house when Tora stopped her. She said that it would not be wise for her to go in at this time. She asked why not and Tora said because his love has fled. Larrin looked harshly at Tora and said that she was just his boss. Tora shook her head at Larrin and told her that she knew that was not true; John still loved this woman and no one else. She told Larrin to hold out hope that his love for Delphi would fade would be foolish.

Ronon followed the tracks which showed signs of being hastily covered up. He followed them to a cave and found the fresh skid tacks indicated that a ship had been hidden in the cave and it had just left. He could track anything on the ground but he could not track things in space. Slowly he walked back to the house regretting what he would have to tell his friend.

Ronon advised that Dr. Weir escaped and he does not know where. He asked Tora in a soft voice if she had seen what their ship looked like. She said that she never saw it but often overhead them talking about checking out the engines, she said that she didn’t know what they were talking about. Ronon thanked her for her help. He stopped seeing Larrin crying while sitting off to the side of the house.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and said it would hurt less in time. She looked up at him and asked him if he would tell her the truth if she asked him a question. He said that he would have no reason to lie. She asked him if he thought that John ever loved her. He said that love does not come easy to John Sheppard it is obvious how deeply he loves Elizabeth. Ronon did not say anything else then left her and entered the house.

“Well at least we know she is alive as is your daughter. I’m sure that Malei was only looking out for Elizabeth’s welfare,” Ronon said as they exited the house.

“Yeah, I mean look at how close we got to finding her. I mean well we did find her but we got real close to catching up to her,” Rodney stated.

“But close only counts in pitching pennies, washers, horseshoes and grenades,” John said.

“That is what Delphi said on several occasions. What does that mean?”

John smiled and said that it was something that he used to always say to Elizabeth. Tora patted him on the shoulder and told him that she must love him very much to call out his name during the birthing because the women of their world normally remain silent during this time. He thanked Tora for such kind words. She smiled and said that his daughter looks a lot like him and that he should never give up hope of find them both. He promised that he would never give up hope.

It had been a hard blow for him to take; first he finds out Elizabeth is alive, secondly he discovers that she gave birth to his daughter and lastly she fled from them. He needed to see her, to touch her and know that she was okay and maybe then he could have let go of her but instead none of that occurred. She was gone with no trace of where she went or even where he could look for her but there was no way that he would let that stop him from continuing to look for her.

When the team returned to Atlantis Colonel Carter was surprised to see John not even look up at her but he just walked out of the gate room. Surprisingly Rodney was the one who approached her and asked to speak with her in her office. Once in her office Rodney related the details about them learning that Elizabeth was alive but he conveniently left out the part about the baby at John’s earlier request. Sam was shocked to learn that Elizabeth was still alive and was now going by the name of Delphi.

John didn’t even acknowledge his return to Colonel Carter instead he just walked immediately to his quarters. He then opened his closet door and hung up the two items of clothing that he had in his pack that had belonged to Elizabeth and his daughter. He turned and looked at the clay pot and smiled, he had a daughter and maybe one day he would be able to give her those earrings.

After the debriefing Carter spoke with John advising she would have all teams to listen for the name of Delphi while on their missions and report back anything they learn. She said if this was Elizabeth they wanted to be cautious. John looked angrily at her but she reminded him about Elizabeth being part Replicator and even Elizabeth would agree that they needed to be cautious.

John thanked her and left, he had been so close to finding her but she was gone. At least now he had hope that he would find her again some day and he would get to hold her and his daughter in his arms. It wasn’t much to go on but it was what he would use to make himself go forward.
There is hope by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
Sorry for the delay in posting but r/l kept on rearing it's ugly head and delaying my posting. Thanks for taking the time to read. Oh yeah, btw this is another long chapter.
Two Years Later


Delphi marveled at her daughter as she played with some of the local children; she didn’t appear to show any signs of trauma from her last injury. At that moment Malei walked up and remarked on how big Sonya was and Delphi agreed. Then with a serious look in her eye Malei stated that they had to start being extra careful, they came too close to loosing Sonya this last time.

Delphi had tears in her eyes while nodding in agreement, remembering how Sonya was last injured. Delphi believed that Sonya was too curious for her own good and that was why she had to see the visitors. Sonya should have listened to her warning but she wanted to see if the visitors to the planet were people who knew her mother. It turned out that they did know her, only they were Asurans who shot and injured Sonya just as she walked into the open field; this was not the first time Sonya had disobeyed her mother’s instructions to stay hidden. The Asurans shot Sonya with the firearm in an attempt to injure and capture her and her mother but thankfully Delphi had been quick and scooped Sonya up in her arms and ran to her awaiting ship after firing a disruptor at the attacking Asurans, destroying them.

She thought back on each time her daughter had been injured and each time after her daughter had been healed she realized that the nanites had aged her daughter. Now instead of her daughter looking her age of two years old, she appeared to be six years old. Each time the nanites healed Sonya, Delphi had to put her hand probe into her daughter’s head to make the nanites stop aging process as they repaired Sonya.

It had been a rough first year for the trio of women and they were almost captured three times but each time they managed to escape but not without injury. Delphi was distressed when Malei became injured because she did not heal fast but her main concern was for Sonya. During that first year Sonya had been injured twice and each time the nanites healed her, they aged her daughter.

However, this last attack a few months ago was the worse. They shot Sonya and it pierced her lung and she was coughing up blood as she was crying out in pain. Delphi put her hand into her daughter’s head and instructed the nanites to quickly heal the hole in her daughter’s lungs and in the process they discovered a few other internal organs had been damaged. When the nanites finished healing Sonya, instead of her appearing to be 2 or even having the appearance of a 3 year old, they had aged her and she now appeared to be six years old.

~/~/~

Since the last close call the ladies only stay on a planet for a month at the longest and tried to limit their contact with the local people. At least that was the plan but with an extremely rambunctious six years old who was curious about everything especially other children it was hard to avoid the other inhabitants of planets they visited.

Yet the most shocking thing to happen was when Sonya asked her mother where her daddy was. Delphi told her that her daddy had died and when Sonya asked why they lie to the village people by saying they are searching for her daddy because he is dead. She looked into Sonya’s eyes and said it isn’t good to lie to people but she does it so that people will not pity them and will leave them alone. She reminded Sonya that she was still working on a plan to stop the bad people and so being left alone is very important and that is the only reason she lies about her daddy.

A week passed and Sonya was awaken by her mother whimpering while sleeping so she got up and walked over to her mother’s bed. Her mother seemed troubled so she decided to see what was upsetting her mother so she turned her hand into a probe and entered her mother head just she had seen her mother do to the bad people on several occasions.

At first Sonya did not understand what she was seeing so she tried to change the vision in her mother head. Then a man’s smiling face appeared and she could see her mother smiling back at this man and she could sense her mother being happy. She heard her mother say, “I love you John,” and he said, “I love you Elizabeth” and then they pressed mouths together. Sonya could sense her mother liking this but before she could sense anything else she felt someone touching her.

Sonya quickly withdrew her hand from her mother’s head and took a defensive stance ready to attack as her mother had taught her and saw Malei looking sternly at her. Malei asked her what she was doing and Sonya said her mother was restless and she just wanted to see what upset her. Malei stood and took Sonya’s hand and walked her back to her bed and tucked her in, advising that she was never to enter into anyone’s head especially her mother’s head. Sonya asked why and Malei hugged Sonya and said that her mother is older and has seen and done some things that a young child should never have to see or experience.

Sonya was still confused and asked what her mother could have done and Malei said that her mother has had a hard life and they have been running for a long time and people have been trying to harm her mother. Sonya asked why anyone would want to harm her or her mommy and Malei said that there are some bad machines in this galaxy and that one day she and her mother will help destroy them but until that time she should just enjoy being a child.

As Sonya lay there trying to go back to sleep she remembered her mother putting her mouth to the man’s mouth and remembered that she had seen some other adults doing it but she didn’t understand it. She decided she would ask her mother about the mouth touching it in the morning

The next morning Delphi was surprised to hear her daughter ask about mouth touching and why people do it. Delphi asked if she was talking about kissing and said it is when two people put their lips together and Sonya said that is what she wanted to know about. Delphi said that kissing is usually done between a male and a female and is a way to express how much they care about one another then asked Sonya why she was asking. Sony said that she had seen two people doing it and Delphi asked where and Sonya almost said she had seen her mother do it with a man named John but instead she said on the last planet they visited she saw a young man and woman doing this.

Then Sonya really shocked Delphi by asking her if she ever kissed her daddy before he died. Delphi blushed and said that yes, they kissed a lot and that was because they loved one another but they didn’t do it out in public. Sonya asked why not because others do it in public and Delphi said it would not have been proper for her to do it in front of others whom she worked with.

Sonya asked if she could go out and play and Delphi was more than happy to let that subject drop. Once Sonya had left the house Malei started to chuckle; Delphi told her to hush but it only made Malei laugh harder and she pointed at Delphi as she started to blush. After things had calmed down Malei asked Delphi if she would ever tell Sonya who her father was and that he was alive shocking Delphi. Malei winked and told Delphi not to worry because she would not tell Sonya but said she talks too much in her sleep. Malei smiled and went about cleaning up the dishes while Delphi stood there shocked for a second time today.

Two nights later Sonya again heard her mother mumbling in her sleep and she walked up to her mother’s bed. This time she didn’t hesitate when she put her hand into her mother’s head. ‘Show me my father’ Sonya said to her mother. Then the image of the man she had seen named John appeared and she saw many images of him and he was always smiling. Then she realized that he was smiling at her mother and she knew that he must have loved her because he always made her mother smile. She saw her mother and father together on a platform up above some water looking out over the ocean and they were smiling as they talked then saw them leaning in to kiss when she felt something touch her shoulder. She again withdrew from her mother and saw Malei looking at her sternly again.

“Do not do that with your mother,” Malei said sternly.

“I was just curious about…”

“I told you last time not to do that. I don’t care what you were curious about. Do you remember what happened the last time you were curious? You’re mother was very seriously injured trying to save you and she risked her life to save you and this is not the way to repay her.”

Tears started to fall from Sonya’s eyes and Malei pulled her into a hug and told her that it was okay but she is not to do it any more and that she is going to talk with her mother in the morning. Sonya was frightened at hearing this and begged Malei not to tell her and Malei said that she will think about it. Sonya returned to her bed terrified that Malei would tell her mother what she had done.

In the morning Sonya noticed her mother had a happy smile on her face and nothing appeared to be wrong. Malei later cornered Sonya and said that she would not tell her mother this time but would do it if it happened again. Sonya promised that she would not do it any more. Then Sonya asked Malei who her father was and Malei said that she never met her father and so she doesn’t know what he looks like; yet Sonya suspected that Malei was keeping a secret from her.

That night Sonya looked at her mother and Malei and saw that both of them were asleep so she again approached her mother’s bed. She looked over again at Malei and then put her hand in her mother’s head. ‘Show me my father’s face,” and right away John’s image came to mind. ‘Is my father alive’ she asked her mother and her mother said he is. Sonya asked ‘Where is my father’ and the word “Atlantis” appeared in her mind as did the image of Atlantis. Quickly following this came the image of her mother quickly packing up their stuff and fleeing because Malei said John Sheppard was here.

Sonya removed her hand from her mother’s head and walked over to Malei and put her hand into Malei’s head. It took her a few moments to get used to Malei and then she asked the question. ‘Is my father alive’ she asked and the image of four people walking towards Malei appeared. She looked closer at them and saw the image of her father and Sonya smiled. ‘Where is my father’ she asked and Malei said she did not know they had to leave the planet to protect her and her mother.

Sonya went back to bed to try and understand the information she had obtained from Malei and her mother. Now she knew that her father was alive but he didn’t know about her and wondered if it was because she was different and Sonya began to cry. She was just like her mother and she wondered if her father hated her and her mother because they had been changed by the machines within them which made them different.

That morning Sonya was jarred awake by Malei telling her to quickly gather her things because they had to leave immediately. She asked where her mother was and Malei said that she was trying to hold them off and give them time to escape. Sonya started to run out of the bedroom when Malei yelled at her to finish gathering her things.

They ran from the house into the woods and boarded their ship and started up the engines. Moments later her mother ran into the ship and they lifted off only to be rocked by the force of something hitting the ship. Her mother yelled for them to hold on and in seconds they blasted off the surface and were in space.

Upon reaching space Delphi saw several Asuran ships waiting so she cloaked their ship and opened a hyperspace window opened. One of the Asuran ships entered the window, leaving two ships waiting then the window shut down. Delphi opened two more windows directly in front of the two ships as she hovered below those ships. Seeing that this wasn’t working, Delphi opened a third window and both ships left through the third window. Still Delphi suspected there were more ships in hiding and opened up a fourth hyperspace windows only to have Malei yell that it was draining too much power.

Suddenly a ship uncloak went through the second window another ship uncloaked and went through the fourth window, then a third ship uncloaked and went through the third opened window and all four windows shut down. Another window opened and Malei looked over at Delphi knowing that this may not be a stable window then Delphi entered this window still cloaked.

Once in hyperspace Delphi told them to stay buckled in as an alarm went off and the ship lurched to a stop, exiting hyperspace. Unfortunately Delphi had not been buckled in and Malei and Sonya watched in horror as Delphi flew out of her seat and slammed into the upper console and the window with her head, falling unconscious onto the deck of the ship.

Malei told Sonya to stay buckled in while she went to check on her mother. Malei could see that Delphi was seriously injured and she needed to find a place to land so that they can start to make repairs on Delphi and the ship. Opening the numerous hyperspace windows had drained most of the power from the ship and Malei searched desperately for a nearby planet on which to land before they became stranded in space. Sonya walked up and pointed to a planet and told Malei that this looked like a nice place and so Malei set out for the planet.

Sonya helped Malei get her mother secured into a bunk, buckled her up as they prepared to land. Malei quickly arranged for shelter so she could help Delphi. It really worried Malei because Delphi had not yet awakened and she seldom was unconscious for such a long period of time. She looked into Delphi’s eyes and saw that they were dilated and this worried her even more yet she had to try and remain confident for the sake of Sonya. They had been on the planet for one day and still Delphi was unconscious and she now knew she would have to do something desperate to save Delphi’s life.

Malei turned to Sonya and said she needed help in healing her mother and told Sonya to put her hand into her mother’s head to see what was wrong. Sonya was puzzled by this request but Malei assured her that it was okay this time because mother was very ill. In her mother’s mind Sonya was able to see that the Asurans had developed a new weapon which they fired on her mother. What made this weapon different was the fact that it contained nanites but they were not the same as those nanites that were in her and her mother’s system. These were invaders and she could sense that they were programmed to destroy the nanites in her mother’s body and she knew if she remained much longer she too might become infected by these invaders if she didn’t leave her mother’s mind soon.

Before exiting her mother’s head Sonya had instructed her mother’s nanites to fix the area where the flesh was dying from the wound on her mother’s arm. She then informed Malei what things she would need to help her mother. But once Malei left Sonya entered her mother’s head again giving further instructions to the good nanites in her mother’s body to help protect them then she reprogrammed the invading nanites making them go to sleep, telling them to wait until her mother was fully healed. Sonya remained in her mother’s mind as she sensed the invaders stopped and became dormant. She was afraid that the bad nanites had destroyed too many of the good nanites in her mother and she wondered if her mother would wake up.

Malei had left to pick up the supplies needed in a local village and tried her best to not to draw anyone’s attention to her. The people in the town were preoccupied preparing for a festival and were talking about how good it would be to see their old friends again. Malei was thankful their attention was focused elsewhere because she had been asking for several unusual items yet these people seemed to have everything she needed. Then she heard the name of Colonel Sheppard being spoken and she quickly gathered her stuff and fled the village.

Back at the small house she put the things down and watched as Sonya mixed several herbs and medicines. She told Malei how to apply the medicines to her mother’s skin and which medicines she was to feed to her mother in a broth. When Malei first arrived she seemed very anxious because of her mother being so ill but she later sensed that something else was wrong. Sonya feared that the Asurans had found them and they would have to flee again and she knew it would decrease her mother’s chances of healing, yet she pushed those thoughts aside and continued to help Malei tend to her mother.

Later that afternoon Malei collapsed from exhaustion and when Sonya was sure she was asleep she entered Malei’s mind. She observed people in the local village and they spoke about how good it would be to see Colonel Sheppard. Sonya exited Malei’s head and knew what she was thinking would be risky but she had to take the chance on what she saw in Malei’s mind. She then closed the door to their house and ran towards the village.

As Sonya walked around the village she saw a man in clothing similar to what she had seen her father wearing so she approached him as he spoke with another adult. Sonya stood quietly a couple of feet away from this man with dark hair and waited her turn to speak to him.

Lorne had been talking with Halling and several adults when he noticed a young girl looking at him. He thought it was odd for her to just be watching them especially without any adult in the area introducing her as their child. He continued talking to the elders and occasionally looked over at the little girl who was still standing there as if she was waiting for him to finish. Lorne walked over to the little girl who had beautiful hazel eyes and brown curly hair.

“Hello, I’m Major Lorne. Are you lost? Where are your parents?”

“My mother’s very sick and my daddy lives in Atlantis.”

Lorne’s eyes got rather large because that meant someone had been involved with one of the Athosians; this would not bode well with Colonel Carter. Lorne looked at Halling to see if he could shed some light on this situation. Halling looked at the little girl and asked her mother’s name. Yet Sonya did not answer him, she just looked at the visitors and her eyes searched the village as if she was looking for someone. Lorne asked if she knew her father’s name and Sonya nodded her head yes.

“Sweetie, can you tell me your name?” Lorne asked.

“I’m Sonya.”

“Do you have a last name Sonya?”

“What is a last name?”

“A last name is another part of your name that comes after Sonya.”

“Oh, my name is Sonya My Beloved; at least that is what my mother calls me. Malei even says that too.”

“Who is Malei?”

“She takes care of me and my mother.”

“So does your mother have a last name?”

Sonya nodded and stated it was a secret. Lorne was becoming quite frustrated as he tried to unravel the enigma called Sonya. He focused on remaining calm when Sonya asked him if he would send for her daddy because she wanted to meet him. Lorne then asked who her daddy was and she said, ‘Colonel John Sheppard.’

“Are you sure that is his name?” a dark haired lady said as she pushed Lorne aside.

Sonya looked at her and based on the lady’s reaction Sonya determined that she did not like this woman and would not speak with her. She walked over to where Lorne had been pushed and whispered that she didn’t like this lady and didn’t want her here.

Lorne asked Larrin if she would step away and she replied she would not because if this involved John then it concerned her. He told her to step back or he would have her physically restrained and reluctantly Larrin stepped away from them.

“Are you sure Colonel Sheppard is your daddy’s name?”

Sonya nodded her head yes. Lorne then asked her what her mother’s name is but again Sonya said it was a secret. She asked if he was going to go get her father from Atlantis now and he said not right now.

Sonya started walking away from him and Lorne had to sprint to catch up to her. He stopped her and asked her where she was going and she said she had to check on her mother because she was still very sick. Lorne stated that they have some medicine that could help her mother and Halling walked up stated that they would be glad to help her mother too. Sonya smiled kindly at them and said there is nothing they could do and that only she and Malei could help her mother. She then side stepped Lorne and started walking away again a little bit quicker.

Lorne ran to catch up with Sonya and stopped her once again and told her that she needed to talk with him before he would get her father. What happened next took Evan by surprise. He wasn’t sure if it was the lack of light but he could have sworn that Sonya’s eyes had turned a deep green in contrast to her earlier hazel color but that wasn’t what chilled him to the bone, what really shook him up was what was said and the voice the child used.

“Tell Colonel John Sheppard that the Delphi and her daughter await his arrival.”

At saying this Sonya turned and ran off. It wasn’t until Lt. Garnet shook Major Lorne’s shoulder did he realized that Sonya had run off. He asked Major Lorne if he was alright because he looked as if he had seen a ghost, only to have Lorne say he hadn’t seen a ghost but he had just heard one. Garnet asked what he heard and he said that Sonya’s eyes turned dark green and when she spoke to him just now she sounded like Dr. Weir.

He grabbed Garnet and told him to rush back to Atlantis as quickly as possible and to speak only with Colonel Sheppard and to bring him here. Garnet asked what if the Colonel refused to come with him. Lorne said to tell him exactly this, “The Delphi and her daughter await him.”

Garnet gathered his equipment and Lorne yelled at him to hurry before it was too late. Lorne had been squatting down all this time and suddenly he felt dizzy and allowed himself to plop down on the ground. The standing order had been to notify Colonel Carter when they heard the Delphi name but he was telling Garnet to bypass Carter and speak directly with Sheppard. He knew there would be hell to pay but it was the urgency in the voice that he detected in Sonya that made him decide to do this.

Garnet stepped through the wormhole and Colonel Sheppard seemed concerned to see only Garnet. He asked if everything was okay and he said everything was fine but he needed to speak to him privately and asked where Colonel Carter was. Sheppard advised that she had finished work early and was probably in her quarters.

Garnet then pulled Colonel Sheppard to the side and said that he had an urgent message from Major Lorne. John suddenly became tense because he knew Lorne wouldn’t normally send a lone man back through the Stargate unless it was his only hope. He was especially surprised at the urgency because Lorne’s team had gone to the relocation planet for the Athosians. Sheppard asked if everyone was okay and Garnet said they were all fine but they needed to hurry back to the planet. Sheppard was feeling a bit apprehensive but he needed to know what Major Lorne’s message was.

“Sir Major Lorne said to tell you the Delphi and her daughter are waiting for you.”

Sheppard grabbed Garnet by the arms and asked if he was sure that was what Major Lorne said and Garnet said that is exactly what the Major said. He thanked him and said he could return to the planet but Garnet said with was instructed not leave Atlantis unless he was with him. John told Garnet to wait by the gate; he had to get his team together.

In ten minutes Teyla and Ronon were in the gate room ready to depart along with Lt. Garnet and another minute later John was dragging Rodney along telling him to hurry up or he would leave him behind. John then walked up to the control center and told them to dial the Athosians’ gate and he asked if he should notify Colonel Carter. He said they could tell her after they were gone but for now to just dial up the gate.

They walked through the gate and the moment they were on the other side they all started running towards the town. Half way there Rodney complained of getting side cramps and John yelled telling Rodney he could stay there but they had to get to the village before Elizabeth left. Rodney suddenly found energy and was only slightly behind them all the way to the town.

“Where is she Lorne? You said that the Delphi and her daughter were waiting for me,” John stated upon arriving in the village.

Lorne advised he needed to speak to John privately first. He told John about how a girl named Sonya claimed he was her father and that Larrin scared the little girl so she didn’t talk much after that. John asked how old this little girl was and he said she was about six or eight years old. John shook his head; it had to be a trick someone must have known he would come when they mentioned the word “Delphi” so he put Ronon and Teyla on alert. Lorne told John that wasn’t all; he could have sworn that the little girl’s eyes turned green just like Dr. Weir’s eyes and when she gave him the message she sounded and hesitated a moment before speaking. He then grabbed John’s shirt and said that the little girl sounded exactly like Dr. Weir.

Sonya ran quickly through the woods to her mother’s house because she could sense her mother was at a turning point and would need some help to stay alive. When Sonya arrived back at the house both of the ladies were still asleep. Sonya woke up Malei telling her what she needed to do while she entered her mother’s mind again.

Delphi was in obvious pain and it was hard for Sonya to control her mother’s pain. She could feel the other nanites in her mother’s system active again and trying to destroy her mother. Sonya probed deeper and then motioned for Malei to inject her mother with the needle of medicine she had mixed earlier. She gave the command again; Sonya could feel the invading nanites going back into a dormant state around the flesh wound of her mother’s arm and she commanded the good nanites to leave that area of her mother.

Sonya then removed her hand from her mother and fired the disruptor gun at her mother’s arm then put her hand back into her mother’s head. She could sense that there were still some invaders alive in her mother close to the wound so she removed her hand again and fired again. It was a risky move because so much of her mother had yet to be healed by the good nanites and there was a chance she would dissolve her mother’s arm with the disruptor shots but it was a chance she was willing to take if it meant saving her mother.

‘Sonya my beloved what have you done,’ her mother mentally asked her. ‘I’ve saved you mommy. The bad nanites are dead,” was Sonya’s reply. Delphi image looked like a mother scolding a child and said that is not what she is talking about. She then asked Sonya why she had them send for John and why they were on this world.

Delphi thanked her daughter for saving her but said that it was time for them to leave. Sonya was confused and asked why they had to leave. Delphi said if her father was able to find her then so would the Asurans and she still wasn’t able to stop them yet and that could put John and all of Atlantis in danger. She made Sonya promise not to return to the town and to prepare to leave, saying they would leave when she awoke. Reluctantly Sonya said she would do as she was told.

Sonya removed her hand from her mother’s head and told Malei that when her mother awoke it would be time for them to leave. Sonya yawned and said that she needed to sleep; she had to be strong in case her mother needed her again. Malei said she would start packing things while she slept and Sonya walked into the bedroom closing the door behind her.

However, sleep was the last thing on Sonya’s mind. She quickly packed what she wanted and then wrote a note and placed it on the bed before she slipped out the window. She was going to meet her father and she didn’t care what she promised her mother, she had to meet him.

“I’m tired of waiting are you sure of what you heard,” Ronon asked Lorne in an agitated voice.

Lorne said that she promised to be here but she didn’t say exactly when. Larrin had walked up to John and asked to speak with him. She told him that she believed that this was a trap and it would be best if they left. She said this woman was not the lost love he was looking for because she has a young daughter instead of a toddler. John told Larrin to leave him alone. He said it’s obvious that she didn’t understand things and she said he was the one confused. He was in love with a ghost and this woman is just pretending to the ghost of his past, Dr. Weir was dead.

John grabbed her harshly around her arms and told her that she needed leave because he didn’t want her here. She said that maybe she should leave Atlantis too and John told her to do that if that was what she wanted. Larrin asked him if that was what he wanted and he said he wanted Elizabeth and his daughter back. Larrin called him a fool because they weren’t real and he would always be chasing a ghost then stormed away. He shook his head knowing she would never understand that he truly loved Elizabeth and she would never be dead as long as he held her in his heart.

The sun was rising when John noticed someone standing in the sunlight by a building. He looked over and saw a young girl with brown wavy hair staring intently at him. Both of them just looked at each other for a moment and then he moved towards her. John reached into his vest pocket slowly and removed the small box he had retrieved from his room.

“You are John Sheppard I have seen you before,” she stated.

“Yet I don’t think that I’ve seen you before. What is your name?”

“My name is Sonya,” then stopped when she saw movement out of the corner out her eye and turned and stared coldly at Ronon.

John signaled to Ronon that it was okay and to let her continue.

“Sonya when did you see me?”

“I’ve seen you many times in my mother’s mind and only once in Malei’s mind.”

“What do you mean seen me in your mother’s mind. Who is your mother?” he asked in a soft voice as he squatted down in front of her.

“My mother is the Delphi but you once called her Elizabeth.”

Rodney interrupted saying that can’t be so because it was physically impossible for her to be Elizabeth’s child because Elizabeth only gave birth two years ago and it is physically impossible. Sonya looked sternly at Rodney pointed a finger at him and told him to be quiet.

“Are you sure you’re my daughter because she would only be two years old.”

Tears started to fall from Sonya’s eyes as she stepped backwards. John started to approach her but she held out her hand to signal him to stop. Sonya said this was all just a trick to get to her and her mother and now she knows he isn’t her daddy. She turned and started to run when John called out asking her to please stop. He jogged over to her and asked her why she would say that.

She said her mommy said her daddy loved her and her real daddy wouldn’t doubt her, so this must be an Asuran trick and yelled at him, demanding he remove his probe from her mind. John said he can’t probe her mind and she yelled at him again calling him a liar. Tears were now streaming down her face as she said her daddy was dead just like her mommy told her and this was a trap to kill her and her mother as she continued to slowly step backwards away from John.

Delphi awoke and called out for Sonya. Malei stated that she is asleep in her room and that she has everything packed and it is on the ship. Delphi slowly got up and walked to her daughter’s room and opened it. She saw Sonya’s bag sitting in the middle of the floor waiting to be taken onto the ship but there were no signs of Sonya. Delphi turned towards Malei who said she thought Sonya was asleep. Delphi told Malei they needed to hurry and grabbed Sonya’s bag along with the note as they walked out to the ship.

John felt his world crumbling the little girl was leaving without him knowing whether or not she was his daughter. He kept on hearing Rodney saying that it was just a trick and that she couldn’t be Elizabeth’s daughter. He yelled at Rodney to shut the hell up and to get out of here. He told Sonya not to cry and that he was sorry if he upset her. She kept on saying that he wasn’t her daddy because her real daddy would love her and her mommy but he didn’t so he wasn’t her daddy.

John then opened the box of earrings and said that he did love her and that he brought these earrings all the way from Earth just for her.

“You are a liar,” Sonya screamed at him.

A flash of light appeared and then Sonya heard, “Don’t call your father a liar my beloved, that’s not very nice.”

“Elizabeth?!!” John exclaimed.

She smiled and John rushed forward to Elizabeth as Sonya started to run away when her mother called her back. John was kissing Elizabeth deeply when he heard Rodney saying something but it didn’t matter because he had Elizabeth in his arms. Elizabeth kissed him back and for a moment all of people were stunned at the sight in front of them.

“Mommy, is this a trick by the Asurans?”

“No Sonya, no Asuran trick could ever be this good,” she said as she kissed John again.

Sonya then hit John hard on the side of his thigh sending him crumpling to his knees startling everyone. She looked at him and in a harsh tone said he wrong to be so mean to her.

Elizabeth then knelt down beside her daughter. “John, this is our daughter, Sonya. Sonya this is your father, John Sheppard,” she said as tears formed in her eyes.

John reached out and pulled Sonya into a hug as tears started to form in his eyes.

“I’m sorry that I ever doubted you. You are as beautiful as your mother. Here, I had these made especially for you back on Earth,” he said as he opened the box containing the earrings again. “The green is for the color of your mother’s eyes and the design is…”

“Atlantis,” Sonya said and smiled.

“Yes this is what Atlantis looks like from the sky. And I had them made just for you.”

Elizabeth asked when he got them and he said when he returned to Earth to talk with her mother. He said that he broke the news about her death and she was his rock and helped him through it. Elizabeth asked why the earrings and he said that he had them made after Mr. Jiggle of the jewelry store told him about what she used to say about getting earrings for her daughter. Elizabeth smiled as he pulled her in for another kiss.

Larrin was angry at seeing this; she could not believe that this was happening. She start to charge towards the couple when Ronon and Teyla stopped her and told her to leave them alone. Ronon said Sheppard made his choice years ago and has never faltered on his decision. Larrin started to say something but Teyla stated it is obvious Elizabeth is his choice. Larrin turned and walked away realizing John never kissed her in public, yet here he was kissing Dr. Weir in front of everyone.

Elizabeth looked at the earrings and picked them up and said they were beautiful. She showed her daughter where the earrings went and said that she would have to pierce her ears first. She leaned in and pushed the earring into her daughter’s ear lobe with little bloodshed and the wound healed instantly with the help of her nanites. Elizabeth stood up and started to fall when John reached out and steadied her. He moved the open sleeve from Elizabeth’s blouse and saw a flesh partially destroyed in her arm and he cringed. Elizabeth realized this and advised the Asurans have come up with a new weapon with which to attack her.

John asked Elizabeth about Sonya age, asking if this was due to the nanites. She said yes; they had a few confrontations with the Asurans and during that time they had been injured. Although the nanites could heal Sonya, they aged her. John smiled; he now understood why his daughter appeared older. John asked Elizabeth and Sonya to join them in Atlantis and she frowned and said she would never be able to return stating it would bring the Asurans to Atlantis’ doorstep. She heard Malei calling her on the ear radio and she replied for her to standby.

Elizabeth told John to kiss his daughter goodbye because they had to leave. He told her that he was coming with them and she said that she could not endanger him. He said it didn’t matter he wanted to come with them. Elizabeth kissed his cheek and said that Atlantis needed him more. He said Atlantis didn’t need him as much as he needed her and asked her to let him come with them. Elizabeth said this was difficult for her but it was what needed to be done. She said that maybe some day they will meet again but for now they had to flee. She kissed him tenderly and said that this was very hard on her and their daughter and asked John to leave Sonya with a good memory of him. John then knelt down so he was eye to eye with his daughter.

“Sonya, you are more beautiful then I could have ever imagined for my daughter. I’m so happy to finally meet you and know that I’ll see you again real soon. Until them remember I love you.”

Sonya rushed into her father’s arms and hugged him tightly crying on his shoulder saying that she loved him over and over again. John held onto her whispering back to her that he loved her so much.

“This is the best day ever, I met my daddy.”

“I’ll see you again, I promise” John said with tears in his eyes.

He then stood up and kissed Elizabeth putting as much passion possible in the kiss.

“I love you Elizabeth and I’ll see you, I’ll see you both again I promise.”

She kissed him on the lips and stepped back away from him and in a flash she and Sonya were gone. The team looked up and saw explosions in the sky and could hear metal being struck and recognized an Asuran ship flying low overhead. Moments later it soared upward towards space. Then seconds later there was a loud explosion and debris was burning up as it entered the atmosphere. Everyone gasped and feared the worse. A minute later another aircraft of unknown design made a low flyby. John saw “Shep” on the fin and smiled as the ship then soared up into space.

He then looked down at the ground trying to control his emotions but was failing. Teyla walked up to him and hugged him telling him that he had a beautiful daughter. John hugged her tight and tears silently rolled down his face onto her shoulder. After a few moments he dried his eyes and told them it was time for them to head home.

Back in Atlantis John apologized to Colonel Carter for just leaving and although Carter was not pleased by his actions she understood his reason. She warned him that the next time she would not be as lenient, her heart was hurting for him but she had to make a stand as his superior officer. He apologized again but thanked her because seeing Elizabeth and his daughter was worth it.

As he was exiting Colonel Carter’s office, Teyla was there to greet him telling him that he needed speak with Larrin. He nodded his head and said she was right.

John asked Larrin to meet him on the southwest pier which she did. He apologized for not speaking to her earlier about this, stating he never should have led her to believe there was something between them because he could never commit to anyone except Elizabeth. Larrin stated that she knew that when she first met him but she had hoped that he would put his past love to rest and maybe they could have a chance. John said he couldn’t let Elizabeth go, she means everything to him.

Larrin said it was obvious with him kissing her in front of his friends. John realized she was trying to lighten the mood and he laughed and said he was surprised Elizabeth even responded because she was more conservative than him. Larrin said it still hurts and he apologized again but said Elizabeth and Sonya are the loves of his heart and now he is living for the next time he can see them. Larrin kissed his cheek and wished him well. He asked her if she was leaving and she said it was time for her to move on and leaving Atlantis. As Larrin left he knew she was sad but she would recover and find someone new.

As for him, his heart would never recover from the love of three very special women who were all Weir women, Margaret, Elizabeth and Sonya. All he had to do now was change the last names of the latter two to Sheppard and things would be much better. Now that he knew they are alive this gave him hope that he would see them again soon.

-tbc-
Returning by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
This takes place two years later from the previous chapter. Apologies for taking so long to update.
Returning



She really had a hard time focusing on the report before her and was wishing someone would come disturb her so that she could stop reading when a few moments after her thought there was a knock on her door. Carter looked up from her report with a smile on her face but it quickly faded upon seeing who it was and the look on his face. This is the talk that she had been dreading for the last couple of months.

A week later there was a large gathering in the gate room where Colonel Sheppard was saying his goodbyes to other members of the expedition. Normally he would have left on the Daedalus but apparently the IOA wanted him to return earlier so that they could ‘interview’ him but he knew that was just their diplomatic way of saying that they were going to rake his hide over hot coals. So Colonel Sheppard bid farewell to people who had become more than just co-workers, they were his friends and a few of them had become his family.

He picked up his bag and looked back up to the balcony where she used to stand and saw that the spot was empty as the place in his heart she had filled. He then looked over to his side and saluted Colonel Carter and smiled stating he would see her in a few weeks.

It turns out that John and a few others weren’t the only ones leaving Atlantis, Colonel Carter was also leaving Atlantis as this was only supposed to be a temporary assignment. Although she would like to have returned sooner back to Earth due to her condition they didn’t dare risk it and so was to leave on the Daedalus after she was able to bring her replacement up to speed on things happening in Atlantis. Jack said he didn’t want to risk anything happening to the newest developing member of the O’Neill family, so Sam would get to take the long way back to Earth.


~*~*~*~*

2 years later

It was hard for her working out in the fields because she was an old woman and the constant bending over as she tended to her crops was wearing her down fast and making her feel even older. Lithia slowly stood up stretching her back and wishing she had some help in working the fields especially in a couple of months when she would need to harvest her crops. Maybe this year she would make enough money to hire someone to help her next year but she saw no further need in day dreaming about what might happen, she had her crops to attend to right now.

Suddenly there was a bright almost blinding light in the back area of her field which alarmed her to the extent that she let out a cry of astonishment. It took her a few moments to gather her wits about her and she then went to the back part of her field to see what might have caused this bright light to appear and see how many crops were destroyed but what she saw shocked her. Lying naked amongst her crops was a woman and at first Lithia thought that the woman was dead until she saw the woman breathing.

Lithia removed her dead husband’s shirt which she had been using to protect her from the sun and covered the woman. She had been just staring at her for a little bit and finally the woman seemed to move and Lithia asked her if she was okay but the woman looked scared and confused. Very cautiously Lithia extended her hand to this woman who took it and Lithia then helped her put on the shirt and then motioned for the woman to follow her.

Lithia walked with the woman back to her house and was puzzled by this woman’s apparent rude behavior of not speaking. It wasn’t until they had reached the house that she discovered that the woman simply didn’t understand what she was saying, so as she walked the woman inside her house, she gave her a glass of water and started teaching her fundamentals of the language.

~*~*~*


6 Months Later

Young Lt. Greenbaugh practically jumped out of the way as Ronon Dex walked up to the group to join them for the mission. Lt. Felix tried not to laugh and told Greenbaugh not to worry that Ronon was okay, you just had to get to know him. Major Katz asked if everyone was ready and he looked up to Colonel Merkon and the Colonel gave the command to dial the gate. Colonel Merkon watched the team as they entered the wormhole and chuckled once they left, wondering if Greenbaugh would ever get over his fear of Specialist Ronon Dex. Merkon began calling Ronon by his proper title as a sign of respect which he seemed to appreciate and reciprocated by agreeing to stay on after Colonel Sheppard returned to Earth and to also assist with training besides joining other teams on missions.

Once Major Katz’s team stepped through the gate they followed the road to the small township which was a few kilometers from the gate. Once there they discovered that they had arrived at harvest time which was much to their benefit because now they could see some of the crops that were grown on this planet and perhaps they could establish a regular trade or even contract one of the farmers to dedicate a part of next years’ crops to Atlantis. So Major Katz put on his best diplomatic smile and greeted some of the council members of the township as they gave the team a tour of the different stands where crops were sold.

Things were really looking good for Atlantis as far as trade negotiations were going and so in order to avoid intimidating the council members, Katz told his guys to spread out and look at some of the vendors in the area. Greenbaugh started walking off on his own but always keeping one of his team members within eyesight until the smell of food overwhelmed his nose. He went to a stand where the proprietor was cooking some of his crop on an open flame which made Greenbaugh’s mouth start watering. He tried some and despite burning his tongue he stated it was wonderful and started walking off when the smell of something sweet got his attention.

He walked over to the stand where an elderly lady was holding out a sample of her crop for Greenbaugh to try. He looked at it first wondering what it was because it was bright yellow and smelled intoxicatingly sweet but he couldn’t resist and so he took a bite of it and a smiled ripped across his entire face. It was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted but it looked like a banana with the skin of a melon and the inside was bright red. He thanked the lady who said her name was Lithia and she grew the groubel that he was eating and asked if liked them. He said he definitely like it and asked her if she regularly grew this and she said that she did but this year she was able to harvest her crops in time because of her assistant and pointed to a woman who was bringing some of the crop to her stand.

Greenbaugh’s jaw practically hit the floor as he looked at the assistant and was about to say something when he felt someone push him and in a rough voice told him to move onto another stand. The voice came from Specialist Dex who thanked Lithia and said that they would be back later and may speak to her about next year’s crop and graciously smiled at her as he continued to gently push Lt. Greenbaugh along.

Dex continued pushing the young lieutenant until they were quite a distance from Lithia’s stand and then he stopped pushing and Greenbaugh turned around and asked him if he saw who her assistant was. Dex quietly asked who Lithia’s assistant and Greenbaugh replied it was Dr. Weir but Dex just shook his head and started to walk away.

This action shocked Greenbaugh and so he ran up to Specialist Dex and grabbed his arm and said that he may not give a shit about anyone else but that lady back there was Dr. Elizabeth Weir. Ronon quickly broke free from Greenbaugh’s light hold and firmly grasped Greenbaugh’s arm, holding up a finger to signal him to remain quiet and then strong armed him away from the crowd as they had started to draw the vendor’s attention.

Once they were out of ear shot he released Greenbaugh and said that the next time he sees something he is to report it to his superiors and not start shouting it unless their life is in peril. Greenbaugh straightened his uniform and glared at Specialist Dex and said that he just saw Dr. Elizabeth Weir and although he might care about her, but before he could say anything else Dex gripped Greenbaugh around the throat as he pinned him up against a building.

“Never ever say that again or I will cut your tongue out,” Ronon said as he released his grip on Greenbaugh’s throat.

Ronon then walked over to Major Katz and asked to have a word with him and at that time he revealed to the Major what he had observed and what had transpired between him and Greenbaugh. Major Katz told the team to head back to the Stargate and put Specialist Dex in charge of the team as he finished speaking to the council members but as the team started to leave he held Lt. Sputum back. He briefly explained what they would be doing as the team exited the township.

The team was waiting for Major Katz at the gate and then Lt. Sputum dialed the gate and the team went through the wormhole. Greenbaugh was shocked to see that they weren’t in Atlantis but instead on another planet they had been to a couple of weeks ago and asked what was going on. At that time Major Katz informed the team that none of them were to speak about what they saw at the market today and the person who did would be sent to a Wraith planet then asked if they all understood his order. The only one who looked lost was Lt. Greenbaugh but his friend Felix told him keep quiet about whatever he saw and to trust the Major. Katz advised that they had gated to this world and would gate to another world just in case someone was trying to follow them back to Atlantis and then told Sputum to dial it up again.

They returned to Atlantis and after their post mission exams they had their debriefing with Colonel Merkon and informed him about the good trade agreement with the township on M3P487. Merkon had noticed the hand signal given by Katz at the start of the meeting and all of them stood up to leave but Dex and Katz stayed behind. At that time Dex informed them of what he saw and Katz related what he too had seen on this separate trip through the market. Merkon asked them point blank if they felt that it was worth of checking out again and both men agreed and Merkon advised Katz he had better rest up since he had a mission tomorrow morning and suggested that he take Dex along and to take the doc and Teyla with him too.

That evening as Ronon was walking down the hall to his room he was confronted by Lt. Greenbaugh who asked if he could speak to him privately. He told him to follow him and they quickly transported to another section of the city away from the living quarters then Ronon asked Greenbaugh what he wanted.

Greenbaugh was livid and started shouting right away that he was sick and tired of being picked on by him and that it was going to end right now. He said that next time he wanted to speak with him privately the correct thing would be to ask to speak with him in private and not grab him like a child. Dex calmly stood there waiting for Greenbaugh to finish his triad and he thought that Greenbaugh had finished until he then said that Dr. Weir may not mean very much to him because he was from the Pegasus Galaxy but Dr. Weir is important to Atlantis and someone needed to be told about what he saw. Dex waited until Greenbaugh stopped talking and then he took a menacing step towards Greenbaugh and continued encroaching on his space until Greenbaugh was backed up against a wall.

“It’s obvious that you’re new here because you don’t know what you are talking about. I’m living here because of Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Weir extending an invitation for me to stay and now for the first time in a very long time I have a place to call home. I had to walk away from Dr. Weir and leave her at the hands of the Asurans in order to save the rest of Atlantis and not a day doesn’t go by that I regret obeying her order. So don’t you ever …” and stopped as his fist shook in anger at his side.

Ronon then turned and stormed down the corridor almost running over Teyla in the process. She looked over at Lt. Greenbaugh and asked if he was okay and he said he was fine and she then asked him if he would accompany her to the mess hall for something to drink, perhaps some tea. He thanked her and said that he doesn’t drink tea and she said that it was not really a request and smiled at him. Greenbaugh then walked with Teyla to the mess hall where she proceeded to tell him about the Dr. Weir that they knew and how they were all devastated when they lost her.

Greenbaugh advised that he just saw her and Teyla had to struggle to keep a calm exterior as she told him that she has seen several people on other planets who look like Atlantis personnel and that is probably what he saw. Greenbaugh started to say something when Teyla put her hand over his and said she believes he is restricted from speaking about his last mission and it would be wise if he refrained from saying anything else so it will not get back to Major Katz.

The next morning Major Katz along with Specialist Dex, his wife, Dr. Jennifer Keller and Teyla Emmagan aboard the puddle jumper entered the Stargate to new Athos to visit her people, or at least that was the location which was dialed into the computer. The moment the shuttle craft exited the wormhole, it waited until the wormhole disengaged before dialing M3P487.

The puddle jumper landed just outside of town after doing an initial scan of the people in the market, looking specifically for any large count of nanites in the area but found none.
Dr. Keller placed a portable scanner in her jacket as they walked the short distance to the market area and he was greeted by Council Member Ducton who had brought the trade agreement. Major Katz signed on behalf of his people and Ducton on behalf of his people and advised Katz to go out amongst the people and make a selection and make his deal with them for next year’s crop.

Katz led the group to the stand where Lithia was standing with a smile on her face as she sold her crop to others who were around her stand. Ronon took the opportunity to step back out of sight and gently pulled his wife’s arm and asked her to follow him. She silently followed him and he then pointed out the woman who Lithia said was her assistant. Jennifer’s jaw dropped as she stared at the woman who remarkably appeared to look like none other than Dr. Elizabeth Weir and she looked quite fit and young. Ronon tapped his wife’s hand and it snapped her out of her thoughts and she removed her scanner and pointed it at the woman and concentrated on what the scanner was telling her.

She motioned with her head that she was done and they moved away from the area only to stop a few feet away. Jennifer handed Ronon her scanner and then leaned away from him while she started throwing up her breakfast. Ronon supported her and after a few minutes he offered her some water so she could wash out her mouth. When she stood back up she was pale and advised that the initial scan shows no signs of nanites in the woman but she would actually need to do a more thorough exam her to make sure. Ronon smiled and said that he knew she would be shocked but he didn’t realize that seeing Dr. Weir would affect her this much.

Jennifer said she was shocked to see Dr. Weir if this really is Dr. Weir but that wasn’t what made her throw up, making Ronon cock his head to the side to show how confused he was by her statement. She turned her head away from Ronon and threw up again although there was little to nothing else in her stomach. When she finished Ronon was again there to help her clean up and when she looked up at him she saw him smiling at her. He asked her when she was going to tell him and she said she had confirmed it yesterday but he came back in such a sour mood last night and she didn’t want to risk upsetting him even more. He smiled and said that this is the best news he has heard since she agreed to be his wife and hugged her.

The team then met off to the side and all agreed that they would all go speak with Lithia. They learned this assistant who Lithia called ‘Beth’ came to her about six months ago. She said that she wondered out into her field and she took her in, fed her and clothed her but other than that, she doesn’t know much about her. She said that Beth does not speak very much and that factor still concerns her but their healer assured her that Beth is okay and will speak in her own time.

They advised Lithia that they wanted to work with her to purchase her crop this year but also arrange for a partial purchase of the crop for next year and Lithia’s face lit up. Teyla and Major Katz then spoke with Lithia to obtain more details; Teyla participated as it was some of her people who would agree to help with the planting and harvesting of the crops.

At this time Jennifer walked up to the assistant that Lithia had called Beth and she asked if she had a moment. Beth looked up at Jennifer with a pleasant smile on her face and nodded her head to signal Jennifer to talk. Jennifer asked if she could understand what she was saying and Beth again nodded to show she could understand and Jennifer smiled back at her. She then advised that she looks like someone that she used to know then asked if she could help her resolve a problem as she pulled a syringe from her bag. Much to Jennifer’s surprise Beth did not react to this and she asked if she could take a sample of her blood and advised that would mean she would need to use this syringe and held it so Beth could see the needle at the end of it. Jennifer asked if this was okay and Beth turned and looked over at Lithia and then back to Jennifer and nodded her head. Jennifer asked if she was sure and again Beth nodded her head.

Very quickly Jennifer inserted the needle and withdrew some blood and then put cotton gauze over the hole and placed a bandage on top. She noticed that Beth then rolled her sleeves down which had been rolled up earlier and she stepped away from them and walked to Lithia’s side as she dealt with Major Katz and Teyla.

Ronon and Jennifer then rejoined the group after the sample was secured and the group left and they could hear Lithia’s happy voice speaking about how great next year would be for both of them. Teyla looked over her shoulder and saw a sad almost haunted look in the assistant’s eyes and it tore at her heart because deep down she wanted to believe that this assistant called Beth was really Dr. Elizabeth Weir.

Two days later Dr. Keller walked into Colonel Merkon’s office and advised that she personally ran the tests twice and had another doctor run the same tests and each time they came up with the same results. Colonel Merkon looked into her eyes which were welling up with tears as she said the tests conclude that the woman known as Beth on M3P487 was their Dr. Elizabeth Weir.

He asked her to take a seat while he called for Lt. Colonel Lorne, Major Katz, Teyla Emmagan and Specialist Dex. Once they arrived he asked her to tell them exactly what she had just told him. Lt. Colonel Lorne had already been briefed by Colonel Merkon about the possible identity of this woman. Dr. Keller advised that three tests were run and the conclusions all showed that the woman on M3P487 was actually Dr. Weir and according to the DNA readings which were nanite free, she is actually about the age she was when she first arrived in Atlantis.

Colonel Merkon then looked over at the pictures on the wall in his office which held photos of the two previous leaders, Dr. Elizabeth Weir the original leader of the Atlantis Expedition and Colonel Samantha Carter whom he recently replaced. He had worked previously with Dr. Weir during a negotiation with the Russians and had remained a friend, occasionally writing to her only to loose touch with her when she came to Atlantis.

Teyla lowered her head and silently allowed her tears to flow and then she lifted her head as she said this is wonderful news. Lt. Colonel Lorne didn’t even bother to hide the tears that quickly fell from his eyes and he looked over at Dr. Keller who was opening crying in her husband’s arms and Ronon had moisture in his eyes.

After a few moments they all composed themselves and it was Colonel Merkon who said that they need to bring this lady to Atlantis if it is safe and asked Dr. Keller if she would again accompany the team to M3P487 and she said yes. Ronon objected and said that she could not because she was pregnant and there was a chance it could harm their child. Merkon, Teyla and Lorne both congratulated the couple on the announcement, and then Teyla asked if that was why she got sick on the last mission and Jennifer said it was.

Two jumpers left Atlantis, one to pick up some of the Athosians who would be helping Lithia with her planting while Katz, Lorne, Dex, Emmagan and the cloned Dr. Beckett boarded the first jumper. The plan was to pick up the Athosians and transport everyone to M3P487 where they were to meet with Lithia and at that time the team would convince Beth to rejoin them on Atlantis.

When the two jumpers landed a short distance from Lithia’s home, they cloaked the jumpers and walked onto Lithia’s land. The Athosians were pleased by what they saw of the surroundings happily greeted Lithia and immediately they started talking about planting and wanting to know about the growing cycle of her world.

The team approached Beth who was standing off to the side of the house in the shade looked as if she was about to run away. Teyla stepped away from the team and asked them to let her approach first and continued slowly walking with her hand extended to Beth. She slowly wrapped her arms around Beth and hugged her saying they are here to take her home. Beth slowly increased the tightness of her hug as Teyla assured her that they were taking her home to Atlantis and with that being said Beth closed her eyes and tears began to flow down her face.

Slowly Beth eased her hug and stepped back from Teyla and she introduced each of the team and Beth put her hand up to cup each of their faces except for Colonel Katz whom she smiled at and then moved on to greet the next person. The last person was Dr. Carson Beckett and the look of confusion was evident in her face as she bit her lower lip slightly and then she hugged Beckett.

The jumpers remained on the planet until late that night when they then returned the Athosians and then they returned to Atlantis late at night with one additional member to the expedition. She was escorted to the infirmary that Dr. Keller had cleared of all non essential personnel and they did an examination on all members of the expedition.

Colonel Merkon came down and greeted Dr. Weir and arranged for her to stay in a private room and asked the doctors if they made it one with a camera in it so they could monitor without drawing any additional attention to their guest if that would suffice and they agreed. Elizabeth was taken to a special room which had some items of comfort in them and they showed her how to summon someone to help her and pointed out the camera to her to show that they would be able to watch over her. She smiled and cupped the faces of her escorts consisting of Lorne, Keller and Dex.

For the next couple of weeks Beth stayed in the room and they found her trying to speak and although nothing was wrong with her she just couldn’t seem to talk. Then one night as Teyla was watching over Beth, she noticed that she was having a restless night of sleep and she sat up and turned on the microphone to listen for any cry for help. As the night wore on Beth continued to move about the bed, kicking at the covers until she suddenly sat up and called out “SONYA!”

At hearing this in a flash Teyla was running down the hall to where Beth was staying and opened the door only to find Beth still sitting up in bed and screaming out Sonya’s name as if she was in pain as tears rolled down her cheeks. Teyla hugged her and told it was okay and that she was safe now, she was here and at Beth again screaming out Sonya’s name. Teyla then took Beth’s face in her hands and called out Beth’s name but she didn’t seem to acknowledge it so she called out ‘Elizabeth’ and Elizabeth’s eyes focused on Teyla’s face. Then in a soft voice Elizabeth said ‘Sonya’ in a questioning tone and Teyla said she ascended.

Minutes later Dr. Beckett, Dr. Keller and Ronon were rushing into Beth’s room and saw her sobbing into Teyla’s arms softly calling out the name of ‘Sonya’ repeatedly in between her sobbing. Dr. Beckett had been told who Sonya was and at seeing this he had to step back to wipe the tears from his eyes. Unfortunately Beth didn’t settle down and Dr. Keller had to give Beth a sedative to help her go back to sleep.

The next day instead of Beth looking rested, she looked as worn and tired and they knew that she was now regaining more of her memory back, knowing that the Ancients would have erased her memory before she descended. Since her memory was now returning they decided to start stimulating her mind by showing her things that might be familiar to her to include pictures they had of her, Sonya and of John whom they hoped she would recognize but only the pictures of Sonya held Elizabeth’s attention.

Another week had passed with only limited success in facial recognition with Elizabeth and they were become frustrated that all of their efforts seemed to have been thwarted. Yet one evening as Jennifer was watching Elizabeth, she noticed a peculiar action done by Elizabeth, it looked as if she was hiding something under her pillow. The next morning when she brought Elizabeth a fresh change of clothes which Elizabeth took into the shower and proceeded to shower while Jennifer waited. Jennifer remembered that Elizabeth had been hiding something under her pillow so she lifted the pillow and there was a picture of Colonel John Sheppard giving one of his usual smirks only there was a type of tenderness in his eyes that Jennifer seldom saw when she had contact with the Colonel.

When Elizabeth came out of the shower she smelled something foul and looked at Jennifer who was holding a wastebasket and Elizabeth motioned for Jennifer to use her bathroom. Quickly Elizabeth went to her bed and made it up and hid the picture of the handsome man so they would not take it away from her.

At the end of the third month Colonel Merkon was become frustrated at the lack of success in the reclamation of his friend. He had heard rumors flying about Atlantis that they had taken a Wraith prisoner and they were conducting experiments on it to they finding a living Ancient. He knew that he would not be able to keep Elizabeth in isolation for much longer and he needed a certain amount of success to happen before he could allow her to roam through the city.

That afternoon the group met in Colonel Merkon’s office to discuss what could be done concerning Dr. Weir’s condition. Jennifer immediately jumped up and said she refused to any experimenting on her to force her to remember what she had forgotten and stated that she forgot things for a reason. She then marched up to Colonel Merkon and said if he dare lay one hand on Elizabeth she would personally sedate him and do such horrible things to him that would make Dr. Frankenstein look like all he did was put a bandage on a skinned knee rather than creating a monster. Ronon grabbed his wife and pulled her back and she said she meant it and that he had better leave Elizabeth alone then turned around and started crying into her husband’s shoulder.

Colonel Merkon swallowed a lump in his throat and said despite what Dr. Keller threatened to do to him, he was actually talking about another form of therapy for Dr. Weir but thanked Dr. Keller for showing such great concern and passion for her patient. He said that very soon they would have to let the IOA, the SGC and Colonel Sheppard know about Dr. Weir’s existence only not in that exact order. Dr. Keller lifted her head up and asked what he was talking about. He smiled and advised that it was time for a little R&R time for Specialist Dex, Ms. Emmagan and Lt. Colonel Lorne and he thought he remembered them putting in this request a couple of weeks ago and he thought their idea of visiting Earth sounded very nice. They all smiled knowing exactly what he was suggesting.

Friday arrived and Ronon, Evan and Teyla all stood at the gate waiting for the connection back to Earth and then the signal was sent through and the trio stepped through the wormhole en route for Earth.
End Notes:
Again thanks for your patience.
Sleep by RGFiz
Author's Notes:
John has a bad day that keeps on getting worse.
Chapter 9 - Sleep


It was a bad day and was getting progressively worse but at least he could take refuge in his turkey sandwich he thought as he was spreading the mayo on the bread. Just then a big glob of mayo fell off his knife and right onto his foot and onto the floor but that didn’t faze him a bit, he just kept on making his sandwich knowing that he would clean it up in a minute.

John reached over to grab a napkin with his sandwich in his hand and lifted up his foot to stretch and when he put his foot back down it was right on top of the mayo on the floor. It was as bad as the cartoons; John’s feet started slipping on the floor as he tried to regain his balance which he managed to do at the expense of dropping his turkey sandwich. But then it got worse just as John got his balance he ended up stepping right onto his turkey sandwich ruining it so he couldn’t eat it. He was disgusted and rose up quickly only to catch his head on the corner of the open upper cabinet door and in an instant he was seeing stars. He touched his head with his fingers and they came away bloody, he had hit his head hard enough to draw blood but at least he wasn’t bleeding profusely like this morning.

This morning while he was trying to paddle out and catch one of the few good waves some amateur surfers who aren’t familiar with surfing rules ended up hitting him in the head with a surfboard. One of his surfing buddies grabbed John until he could get his bearings and told John that he was bleeding from where he was whacked in the head with the surfboard; so that ended John’s morning surfing. So now his day had gone from bad to worst because the turkey sandwich he had just destroyed on his kitchen floor was the last bit of turkey in the house. John cleaned up the mess and decided to heat up a microwave snack instead, hoping that it would curb his appetite until he went to the store later in the afternoon.

He just sat down with his lunch when the phone rang and it was Dave’s wife (Dave is John’s younger brother) calling to advise John that she had a friend of hers who was going to be in the California area and thought that if he wasn’t doing anything. At hearing this John’s eyes just sort of glazed over, once again Dave’s wife was trying to set him up with one of her friends even though he had told her that he didn’t need her help. He asked if Dave was around and once Dave got on the phone he asked Dave what he was doing telling his wife that he was on vacation, stating that he wanted to have a nice and peaceful vacation. Dave apologized and advised that he would inform his wife to stop.

A couple of hours later the phone rang again and John didn’t know the number and was about to ignore it when he recognized the area code as being in the DC area so he answered the phone. It was a doctor advising him the Margaret Weir had been in an accident and he was calling to advise him of her status since she listed him as next of kin. Once the conversation was over John called Dave and asked about their private jet stating that he needed to make an emergency trip to DC because Margaret was in an accident and it doesn’t look very good for her. Dave arranged for the jet but told John that it would take a few hours but it would be more direct than taking a commercial flight.

John went to his bedroom and started packing a bag when he noticed a bright light coming from his living room area and he went over to investigate. Standing in his living room were Ronon, Teyla and Evan but instead of them having a smile on their face, they all looked a bit concerned when they saw him. Immediately John noticed that Rodney wasn’t with them so he asked if something was wrong and where Rodney was in a worried voice. They assured John that Rodney was fine but he was back on Atlantis working on a special project and that Rodney needed his help with this special project.

John smiled and said his days of being Rodney’s guinea pig were over and he could find someone else but they advised him that it was really something important that only he could help with. John said it was nice to think that he was indispensable but he had more important matters to attend to right now and advised them that Elizabeth’s mother was involved in a car accident and he needs to get to DC right away.

Evan advised that they have a ship in orbit and that they could beam him to General O’Neill’s home in DC because he knows why they are here. This stopped John in his tracks and asked them what was up and Evan said that it could wait until he went to see Mrs. Weir.

John called Dave and advised that the USAF was arranging for a special transport for him to the DC area because he was also needed to consult on a special matter so he wouldn’t need the jet and he should cancel it. Dave asked John to keep him apprised of Margaret’s condition and to call him if he needed anything. After the call Evan notified them that they were ready and they were then beamed into the home of General Jack O’Neill who had received a call from Evan advising him of the situation.

The moment they rematerialized in the living room of the O’Neill home John’s leg was attacked by a blonde tornado named Grace O’Neill, who just loved hugging her Uncle John. Jack apologized for the attack and John smiled as he lifted Grace up in his arms stating he loved these attacks as he nuzzled his nose in Grace’s blonde hair. Just then a very pregnant Sam walked into the room to say hi and she started speaking with the rest of the group while Jack spoke with John. They stepped outside and Jack introduced John to his driver and gave the driver instructions to take John where ever he wanted to go and told John that they were just a phone call away.

A couple of hours later Ronon was still amazed at the energy level that Grace had and said either he was getting old or else she had a source of energy that Atlantis needed to tap into. Jack enjoyed this and when she heard her father laughing Grace ran to her father and hugged him. Just then Jack noticed a look on Evan’s face and he knew that something else was wrong and was about to question him when his phone rang and he left to take the call in the other room.

A few minutes later John came back into the house and they all anxiously asked John how Elizabeth’s mother was. He advised that she was stable for now but that things weren’t looking good. They all started telling him to have some faith and that they were sure that she would start feeling better when they were interrupted by Jack who was standing in the doorway when he cleared his throat to get their attention.

Jack walked into the room and closed the door behind and asked John what were Margaret’s odds and he said right now and he advised it was 50/50 but that she is showing signs of getting better. Jack advised that was good and that he would be happy to check on her for him and John started to object when Jack told John to just listen because time was of the essence right now.

Jack then informed John that these three were here from Atlantis because they found Dr. Weir, stating apparently she descended and is alive and in Atlantis. He could see John tense up and he told him that they had to start moving right now if they were going to protect her. John and the others looked over at Jack obviously confused by his statement. Jack said he had just received a call from a source of his and they advised that the IOA was being woken up right now and being advised that Dr. Weir has returned from the land of the Ancients. His source has also informed him that the IOA and some of their so called researchers are planning to whisk her away especially since she is not in any condition to object. Jack told them that he was going to be blunt; there was nothing that the USAF could do to stop them because Elizabeth fell under civilian rule. Since Elizabeth last answered to the IOA they would have the ability to ship her where ever they want and do what ever they wanted to her unless she has the ability to fight them.

Jack informed John that when a person descends they usually don’t have much memory of their past like Daniel did the first time he descended and that appears to be the case with Elizabeth. Jack informed John he was being reactivated for an important mission, to help Dr. Elizabeth Weir regain her memory before the IOA can snatch her away. He handed John some papers which showed his being recalled to active duty and his direct orders from POTUS (President of the United States) and no one in the military can counterman those orders.

Jack then stood up and told them it was time for them to leave and told John to get his bag and they all walked out into the living room. Jack then took out his communication device and advised that the package was ready to be beamed directly into General Landry’s office, then turned to them and wished them all luck. A moment later the foursome were beamed out of General O’Neill’s home and directly to General Landry’s office at the SGC.

Hank shook John’s hand and welcomed him back to active duty and informed him that they needed to accompany him right now to the control room. Once in the room Landry looked over at Walter who just nodded his head as General Landry advised the airmen to clear the gate room. Once the room was clear Walter entered the address for Atlantis while John, Evan, Ronon and Teyla walked the empty corridor to the gate room where the connection was established.

“Atlantis base this is General Landry of the SGC calling for Colonel Merkon.”

“General Landry this is Colonel Merkon of Atlantis base.”

“Colonel you will be receiving a package in a moment with special instructions directly from POTUS.”

“I understand,” Colonel Merkon replied.

Landry then looked down on the foursome and advised that they have a go for their mission and wished them good luck. Landry had been informed by Jack exactly the reason why they were being sent to Atlantis and the need for urgency. The foursome then walked up the ramp and through the wormhole and what seemed like moments later they arrived in Atlantis.

“SGC, this is Atlantis base. The package has been delivered.”

“Very good Colonel, we will wait for your signal until then the SGC will not be contacting you.”

“Yes sir, message understood. Atlantis base out.”

With that the gate was disengaged and Hank thanked Walter and he nodded and asked what for because he just now arrived back from his break. Hank smiled at Walter then left to speak with the Airmen and have them return to guarding the gate room once again. After all they could tell anyone anything if they didn’t see anything and that was why they were asked to leave earlier. He then walked up to his office where he called Jack on his cell phone and informed him that the package was delivered and Jack thanked him and said he owed him one and Hank just smiled and said they were fine and not to worry about it.

Back in Atlantis Colonel Merkon walked down the steps to greet the foursome and escorted them personally to the infirmary. Once there he asked John if he had his orders with him and John handed them to Merkon who smiled at reading them and thanked John because now he was under direct order from POTUS himself not to interfere with Colonel Sheppard. He then informed the foursome that he would let Dr. McKay know that they were here and until then Dr. Keller could catch them up on the condition of their project.

Once the exams were through Jennifer informed John that she has done all of the tests on Dr. Weir and that she is fully human and based on her DNA she is real only there are some slight differences from the time when she died. This got John’s attention and he asked what was wrong and she assured him that it was good; stating that according to the DNA, Dr. Weir appears to be the same physical age as when she first arrived in Atlantis. Jennifer advised that she looks even younger than he may remember and aside from looking young she is just a bit confused.

That afternoon John was seated in front of a monitor where he was viewing their experience with Elizabeth which all seemed okay until he came to the part where she started calling out for Sonya, their dead daughter. John shoved his chair backwards knocking it down and almost ran into the door as he waited for it to open so he could escape the room. Jennifer stood and started to go after him but Teyla and Ronon advised it would be best if John had a moment to himself.

Out on an empty pier John stood there looking at the waves as they crashed against Atlantis and he wanted to scream out in rage. Everything was happening so fast he hardly had time to breathe much less figure out what do; however, he just lost it when he heard her calling out for Sonya, it broke his heart at hearing the pain in her voice.

Back on Earth a phone rang in General Landry’s office and when he answered it he smiled knowing exactly who was calling. He greeted Woolsey who asked when they were next due to contact Atlantis and Landry advised they are scheduled to contact them in two weeks. Woolsey advised that he needed to be informed if they had any contact with Atlantis and he would be sending someone to the SGC to monitor any activity between Earth and Atlantis. Landry asked how long the person would be there so he would know if he needed to make sleeping accommodations for this person and Woolsey advised they would be there until contact was made and stated that this person was due to arrive before the end of the day. Landry said that was fine and he would inform security to expect the arrival of IOA personnel and hung up the phone with a big smile on his face.

John had been out on the pier for about an hour when he heard the door open and he looked over to see Rodney walking up. Rodney advised that he heard that he has been reviewing tapes about Elizabeth and he understands why he needed some air. John thanked Rodney for his concern and asked Rodney how he was holding up because he could see dark circles under his friend’s eyes and knew he was also working hard to help Elizabeth. Rodney advised that it was slow going but he hoped that his being here but said that right now time was not on their side. He asked John if he was ready to view the tapes a little more and John patted Rodney on the back and said he was ready.

That evening as Elizabeth prepared for bed in the bathroom, John was allowed to go into her room alone so he sat on the edge of the desk that was in her room and waited for her to come out. She didn’t notice him at first and had pulled back her covers then suddenly stopped. She placed her hand on her pillow where she kept his picture hidden then looked over at him and froze in place.

“Elizabeth, it’s really me, John. I’m really here, see” he said softly as he extended his hand.

Elizabeth quickly scrambled into her bed and pulled the covers over her and curled up on her side as her hand reached under her pillow. She pulled out the picture that she had there and looked at it and stroked his face on the photo and shook her head as if to disagree with the image of John in front of her instead of him just being on the picture. Elizabeth then put the photo in front of her face and closed her eyes as tears started to well up in her eyes.

John saw her stroke his photo and when she hid her face with his photo he moved from her desk to right beside her bed and softly called out her name. She lowered the picture and the quickly put it up in front of her again only to have John gently push the picture down from the top with a single finger. He tenderly touched her hand and he felt her tighten her grip around his hand until he pulled her hand up towards his face. He then released her hand as he rested her hand on his face.

In a nearby security room they watched on the monitor and when Jennifer saw that Elizabeth seemed to be cupping John’s face with her hand she turned off the monitor despite the protests from Rodney. She looked at Teyla who had tears in her eyes just as she had and noticed that the men seemed to be a bit choked up about what they had observed.

Elizabeth sat up in bed as she cupped his face and John leaned into her touch and then she used her other hand to cup the other side of his face and looked at him. He said he was real and he was here just for her as tears silently fell from his face. She touched the tracks of his tears with a finger and then pulled that finger away to observe it and then took that same finger and touched his lips. John kissed her finger and she just sat there staring him and he hoped that she was figuring out things.

He looked down at the floor for a moment as he tried to compose himself but as he looked up at her face he saw that she was crying and he shushed her and told her that it was okay and that he was real.

“John?” she said just above a whisper.

Before he could even answer her she threw her arms around him and was hugging him tight and he hugged her just as tight back. He tightened his grip afraid that if she let go she would be beamed somewhere or he would wake up and realize that this was just another one of his cruel dreams. She then whispered his name in his ear which sent chills down his spine and he squeezed her even tighter until she told him he was holding her too tight. John chuckled at hearing this and only slightly eased his hold on her.

Several minutes later she pulled back and looked at his face and moved her fingers under his eyes where he was sure he had dark circles. John chuckled and said yes he knows that he needs some sleep and then Elizabeth struggled to get out of his grip. She moved backwards on the mattress and lay back down and held the covers up to signal for him to join her.

John was torn, a part of him wanted to jump into the bed and make passionate love to her as he had dreamed about doing for the last few years, another part of him knew that it was too much to expect her to accept him so maybe he should just sit there while she slept while another part of him said he should get up and leave. Apparently Elizabeth could read the confusion in him and she reached out with her hand and ran her fingers through his hair and smiled at him and said “sleep”. With an invitation with that, how could he resist?

John sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes and then slipped under the covers with his clothes still on. Elizabeth snuggled up to his chest and breathed in deeply and then placed her arms around John and he felt her body relax. John wrapped his arms around her and softly called out her name and heard her mummer something as she was falling asleep. Once he was sure that she was asleep he allowed himself to fall asleep knowing that this would be one of the best nights of rest he got in a long time.
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