Jack O'Neill smiled as Elizabeth Weir paced around her living room. "You're giong to wear a hole in the carpet," he joked as he took another bite of his cake.
She stopped, turning to him. "I think I know how Rodney feels when he gets into one of those states where he can't stand still," she told him. "I feel like any minute someone's going to wake me up."
"It's real, Elizabeth," Jack promised. "You, John, Caldwell, McKay and a Russian military leader, Beletsky."
"I can't believe they agreed to this..."
"Hey, how could they resist my charm and obvious talent for problem solving?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"Whatever it is you have," Elizabeth said with a smile, "I'm grateful for it."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I'm home!"
Samantha Carter looked up from the paperwork spread in front of her on her kitchen table, "In here," she called.
The smile on Jack's face as he entered the room was proof that his meeting with Elizabeth had gone well. Not that she'd expected it wouldn't.
"So, is she excited?"
"You could say that," Jack smirked.
"I guess this has all worked out for the best then," Sam mused, digging around in a chip packet.
"Should you be eating those?"
"Hey, I have a licence to eat what I want right now," She countered.
"I don't think that's the way it works,"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth looked around the crowd in the terminal at LAX, scanning the sea of people for Abby and Matt. They found her before she spotted them, Abby digging her in the ribs from behind, making her let out a un-Elizabeth-like squeal.
"Ha! Got you!" Abby laughed.
Elizabeth smiled at the teenager, pulling her into a hug. "What do you think we can do to annoy your dad for the few days?" she asked.
"Can you take me to get my belly button pierced?" Abby asked quietly.
"I heard that, and the answer is no. No daughter of mine is defacing her body like that." Matt said firmly.
Abby pouted at him, looping her arm through Elizabeth's and leaving her dad to grab her aunt's luggage.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth sat on the balcony with Matthew, staring out into the night and listening to the sound of the waves on the shore.
"Two week. That's quick."
She smiled, "It is."
"Will you be safe?" Matt asked.
Elizabeth hesitated before nodding.
"Can you tell me anything?"
Elizabeth sighed. "I want to. I want to tell you the whole story. But.."
"Yeah, it's classified. I know."
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I really am. If it was possible, if they'd let me, I'd tell you."
"I know," Matt turned to her, "You're not going to disappear for years on end again, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, at least I doubt it. Everything's so uncertain, but it's a much better situation than it was when I first left on the mission all those years ago."
"You and John have a home here any time you need it," Matthew promised. "Sedge, Abby and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Elizabeth smiled, and reached out a hand to stroke Sedge's head. "Make sure you take care of my two favourite girls," she insisted.
Her brother laughed,"Between your dog and your niece, I think I'm the one who'll need taking care of."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The clatter of cuttlery woke Elizabeth from her sleep about ten the nexxt morning. She opened one bleary eye to see Abby entering her room with a tray of pancakes and coffee.
"Maybe I should go on long trips more often if it gets me breakfast in bed." she joked.
Abby frowned. "Don't say that."
"I'm joking, kiddo."
Abby sat herself down on the bed, handing the tray to Elizabeth.
"I want you to come back as often as you can." she insisted.
"I will."
"And I want you to bring John with you."
Elizabeth smiled, "You still have a crush on him," she teased.
Abby gave her a disgusted look. "As if. He's ancient. He might be relatively cute, but he's an old man."
"If you say so," Elizabeth said with a smirk.
Abby stood, just as quickly as she'd sat, and ran from the room, leaving Elizabeth puzzled, and wondering if she'd said something wrong.
Moments later, she returned, photo album in her hands and a smile on her face.
"I wanted to give you this to take with you," she said excitedly, "Just so you don't forget you want to come and spend time with us."
Elizabeth reached out a hand, pulling on her niece's pigtail, "As if I'd ever forget that."
Abby settled herself in the bed next to her aunt, and opened the album.
Elizabeth was stunned. That camera she and John had given Abby had been put to good use.
"I didn't take them all," Abby confessed. "The early ones are the ones dad took before you gave me the camera."
Elizabeth gave her a grateful smile, as she took in the photos of herself, John, Abby, Matt, her mother and Rodney. So many memories from so many visits they'd shared.
"I love it."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth took one last look around the office she'd called her home away from home. She and Beletsky were due to leave in half an hour. His first trip through the gate, and her return to the place she truly thought of as home.
She scoured the shelves, making sure the only thing left behind was a room full of generic books. She'd already made sure to take John's letters with her. Her mementos of their time apart, and the charting of the 'John and Elizabeth' they'd become, away from the confines of Colonel and Doctor.
The only thing left to take was the jar John had given her for her birthday in their first year on Atlantis. It had once been filled with the ashes of her other self. Now it was filled with pot pouri that had a distinct ocean scent. The smell of the place she'd scattered the ashes of the alternate Elizabeth.
She picked it up, turned off the light and closed the door.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beletsky, for all his military training, looked nervous.
Elizabeth tried to hide a smile as she regarded the man from a safe distance. He had a touch of the General Hammonds about him. A professional, military, yet kindly looking man.
He was obviously wondering what to expect from his first trip through the gate.
She approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Dr Weir," he greeted. "It seems we have just a few minutes before we arrive at our new posting."
Elizabeth smiled, "I know the idea of going through the gate can be a little daunting." she said softly."but it's much better than a long trip on a ship."
He nodded, doing a good job at being convincingly confident. Elizabeth could see right through him, but decided to let it go.
She waited, butterlies in her stomach as she watched supplies being stacked around her, ready to make the trip to Atlantis with the city's newest commanders.
Elizabeth Weir was going home.
She tried to hide a grin, but Beletsky caught her look.
"You seem very happy."
She beamed at him, "You have no idea."
The next thing she knew, the gate was active, and General Landry was giving the go ahead to take that final step.
Elizabeth motioned to Beletsky to join her, and linked her arm with his.
"We'll go through together," she assured him. "On the count of three."
He nodded.
"One," she said softly, so the airmen around couldn't hear, "two," she gave him a reassuring smile, "three."
She stopped, turning to him. "I think I know how Rodney feels when he gets into one of those states where he can't stand still," she told him. "I feel like any minute someone's going to wake me up."
"It's real, Elizabeth," Jack promised. "You, John, Caldwell, McKay and a Russian military leader, Beletsky."
"I can't believe they agreed to this..."
"Hey, how could they resist my charm and obvious talent for problem solving?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"Whatever it is you have," Elizabeth said with a smile, "I'm grateful for it."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I'm home!"
Samantha Carter looked up from the paperwork spread in front of her on her kitchen table, "In here," she called.
The smile on Jack's face as he entered the room was proof that his meeting with Elizabeth had gone well. Not that she'd expected it wouldn't.
"So, is she excited?"
"You could say that," Jack smirked.
"I guess this has all worked out for the best then," Sam mused, digging around in a chip packet.
"Should you be eating those?"
"Hey, I have a licence to eat what I want right now," She countered.
"I don't think that's the way it works,"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth looked around the crowd in the terminal at LAX, scanning the sea of people for Abby and Matt. They found her before she spotted them, Abby digging her in the ribs from behind, making her let out a un-Elizabeth-like squeal.
"Ha! Got you!" Abby laughed.
Elizabeth smiled at the teenager, pulling her into a hug. "What do you think we can do to annoy your dad for the few days?" she asked.
"Can you take me to get my belly button pierced?" Abby asked quietly.
"I heard that, and the answer is no. No daughter of mine is defacing her body like that." Matt said firmly.
Abby pouted at him, looping her arm through Elizabeth's and leaving her dad to grab her aunt's luggage.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth sat on the balcony with Matthew, staring out into the night and listening to the sound of the waves on the shore.
"Two week. That's quick."
She smiled, "It is."
"Will you be safe?" Matt asked.
Elizabeth hesitated before nodding.
"Can you tell me anything?"
Elizabeth sighed. "I want to. I want to tell you the whole story. But.."
"Yeah, it's classified. I know."
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I really am. If it was possible, if they'd let me, I'd tell you."
"I know," Matt turned to her, "You're not going to disappear for years on end again, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, at least I doubt it. Everything's so uncertain, but it's a much better situation than it was when I first left on the mission all those years ago."
"You and John have a home here any time you need it," Matthew promised. "Sedge, Abby and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Elizabeth smiled, and reached out a hand to stroke Sedge's head. "Make sure you take care of my two favourite girls," she insisted.
Her brother laughed,"Between your dog and your niece, I think I'm the one who'll need taking care of."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The clatter of cuttlery woke Elizabeth from her sleep about ten the nexxt morning. She opened one bleary eye to see Abby entering her room with a tray of pancakes and coffee.
"Maybe I should go on long trips more often if it gets me breakfast in bed." she joked.
Abby frowned. "Don't say that."
"I'm joking, kiddo."
Abby sat herself down on the bed, handing the tray to Elizabeth.
"I want you to come back as often as you can." she insisted.
"I will."
"And I want you to bring John with you."
Elizabeth smiled, "You still have a crush on him," she teased.
Abby gave her a disgusted look. "As if. He's ancient. He might be relatively cute, but he's an old man."
"If you say so," Elizabeth said with a smirk.
Abby stood, just as quickly as she'd sat, and ran from the room, leaving Elizabeth puzzled, and wondering if she'd said something wrong.
Moments later, she returned, photo album in her hands and a smile on her face.
"I wanted to give you this to take with you," she said excitedly, "Just so you don't forget you want to come and spend time with us."
Elizabeth reached out a hand, pulling on her niece's pigtail, "As if I'd ever forget that."
Abby settled herself in the bed next to her aunt, and opened the album.
Elizabeth was stunned. That camera she and John had given Abby had been put to good use.
"I didn't take them all," Abby confessed. "The early ones are the ones dad took before you gave me the camera."
Elizabeth gave her a grateful smile, as she took in the photos of herself, John, Abby, Matt, her mother and Rodney. So many memories from so many visits they'd shared.
"I love it."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elizabeth took one last look around the office she'd called her home away from home. She and Beletsky were due to leave in half an hour. His first trip through the gate, and her return to the place she truly thought of as home.
She scoured the shelves, making sure the only thing left behind was a room full of generic books. She'd already made sure to take John's letters with her. Her mementos of their time apart, and the charting of the 'John and Elizabeth' they'd become, away from the confines of Colonel and Doctor.
The only thing left to take was the jar John had given her for her birthday in their first year on Atlantis. It had once been filled with the ashes of her other self. Now it was filled with pot pouri that had a distinct ocean scent. The smell of the place she'd scattered the ashes of the alternate Elizabeth.
She picked it up, turned off the light and closed the door.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Beletsky, for all his military training, looked nervous.
Elizabeth tried to hide a smile as she regarded the man from a safe distance. He had a touch of the General Hammonds about him. A professional, military, yet kindly looking man.
He was obviously wondering what to expect from his first trip through the gate.
She approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Dr Weir," he greeted. "It seems we have just a few minutes before we arrive at our new posting."
Elizabeth smiled, "I know the idea of going through the gate can be a little daunting." she said softly."but it's much better than a long trip on a ship."
He nodded, doing a good job at being convincingly confident. Elizabeth could see right through him, but decided to let it go.
She waited, butterlies in her stomach as she watched supplies being stacked around her, ready to make the trip to Atlantis with the city's newest commanders.
Elizabeth Weir was going home.
She tried to hide a grin, but Beletsky caught her look.
"You seem very happy."
She beamed at him, "You have no idea."
The next thing she knew, the gate was active, and General Landry was giving the go ahead to take that final step.
Elizabeth motioned to Beletsky to join her, and linked her arm with his.
"We'll go through together," she assured him. "On the count of three."
He nodded.
"One," she said softly, so the airmen around couldn't hear, "two," she gave him a reassuring smile, "three."