Author's Chapter Notes: Disclaimer: I own nothing. No infringement intended. All mistakes are my own
Author's Notes: After I recovered from the shocking end of BAMSR, I had to write an extended scene. I must believe in the good.
Author's Notes: After I recovered from the shocking end of BAMSR, I had to write an extended scene. I must believe in the good.
Full of Grace
It's time to begin.
"Good job, John," Elizabeth whispers, part of her feels proud and part of her feels heartbroken.
"Thank you," a cheery voice pipes up.
She looks over at the Replicator and smiles. Her stern façade begins to slip away. "You did good, too." Her hand automatically reaches out to his, and she feels his strength help her from her chair.
"You look tired." He lowers his voice and suggests, "I think you need to rest."
Elizabeth nods, unaware of how exhausted she is. She glances away from John and looks toward her new Replicator team. Some of them are Niam's followers, who entrusted her to guide them when she implemented her plan to retaliate against Oberoth and the other Replicators. The others are familiar faces from a place she used to call home and those she thinks of as family. "Doctor Grodin, take over for me, please."
"Yes, Doctor Weir."
With her hand still in John's, the two leave the Bridge. "Where are the others?"
"Zelenka and McKay are working on some improvements they witnessed in the great battle. I tried to tell them that we won't need them, but they insisted. It gets them out of my hair," he muses.
Elizabeth chuckles softly. "Ronon and Teyla?"
"Probably the gym. I'm not sure. I think they are still weirded out by the fact that they aren't human. Plus their human selves got to kick some ass while they sat on theirs."
She nods slowly, a twinge of remorse still plaguing her. She knows she made some hard choices, not only for her but also for her team. "I'm glad everyone got out unscathed. We were a little too close to the real Rodney's ingenious plan. I knew he would eventually find a way to destroy them. I just wasn't sure to what extent he would go."
"You pulled us back just in time. Even cloaked and at the farthest spectrum of the battle, we could feel some of the pull of whatever that McKay was doing."
"It was quite unsettling," she admits. "I know you wanted to be in the middle of that fray though."
"Me? Of course, but it was a good thing I wasn't. I rather like being alive." He swallows and glances at her. "Well, you know what I mean."
Her lips curve upwards as she nods an understanding. "It feels like it has been such a long road. I guess picking up where Niam left off was more tiresome than I thought it would be."
"Well, you have had other things on your mind."
She immediately thinks of John. Not the one walking beside her, but the one she spent the last three years of her life with. The one she fell in love with. When she hears her escort tell her that he feels sorry for him, she realizes that he had been talking but she had failed to listen. She automatically asks, "Who? The real you?"
"Him? Nah," the Replicator smirks knowingly. "I met him, remember? I was created from him. I know how much he loves you and this galaxy. Flying, football, and Ferris wheels." His comments earn him a gracious smile. "I was talking about Grodin."
"Peter? Why do you sympathize with him?"
"He'll never know who he is supposed to be. I mean, you fashioned him from the real Peter Grodin, but he died years ago. You and I both know him better than he knows himself, er, his Replicator self."
"I know, but Peter was very important to the expedition. His loss affected me more than anyone knows. Besides, he is doing a good job. I can trust him with control of the ship when we're not available, and he will be instrumental in helping us attain our goal. Right now, that's what I need."
"And I need you." He feels her hand squeeze his and remembers watching her clone die the day she fulfilled her reason for being; the day she saved him and the rest of the team from Oberoth's men. "You know you could have remedied that. Made another copy."
"No. She did…what she…had to do."
John sees her wince and feels her grip on his hand tighten. "What's the matter?"
"She's kicking. Hard."
His concern fades quickly as a wide grin takes its place. He lays a hand over Elizabeth's stomach just in time to feel the baby kick again. Proudly, he announces, "Sharon Weir Sheppard. Future football star."
Elizabeth softly laughs as John drapes an arm across her shoulders, allowing her to snake her arm around his back and lean her head against his shoulder. "I like the sound of that."
"Good," he smugly reveals, guiding them toward their quarters. "She'll also be an ace pilot, and if we ever find any Ferris wheels, she'll enjoy them as much as we do."
"You're pushing your luck on the flying," she warns. "I've seen the maneuvers you do. You both have made my heart stop on occasion. I don't need a third consort."
"You wound me," John dramatizes. "Deeply."
"Sorry about your luck," she good-naturedly teases him as they enter their room. She shrugs out of her jacket and walks to a picture on the wall. Reflecting on the past, her demeanor changes. A single tear trickles down her cheek while she reaches for the drawing and outlines the city she loves so much. "It breaks my heart that I can never go back."
With her back to him, John approaches Elizabeth and wraps his arms around her. "I know, and it breaks his heart, too." He pauses then asks, "Why did you play it this way? You didn't have to weave that story about being killed by Oberoth. 'Lizabeth, you wasn't there. When we told our human selves about your death, it crushed them, 'specially John. I know. I felt it. You don't know how badly I wanted to tell him that you were safe and alive."
"I'm sorry. I know it was hard for you, but I trusted you and knew you wouldn't say anything. That's why I sent you down with the others." She sighs heavily against him. "It was probably the hardest thing for me to do, but it was the only way that I could finally get him to let me go."
"But why?" He's still discovering how to read her emotions and adapt to the changes she's gone through since leaving Atlantis. "Because of the nanites?"
She bows her head, shedding another tear. Thoughtfully, she begins to speak, delivering her words soft and slow. "I can never go back to Atlantis. I don't belong there any longer. My place is here. I did what I originally set out to do. I found the Lost City. Then I found so much more. Things I never bargained for. Decisions I never thought I'd have to make. Sacrifices that only live in nightmares." She pauses, her sadness changing to hope and determination. "I did what I had to do, John. Now, we can strive for our collective purpose."
"Ascension." He feels her head move against his chest. "But, he'll never know about Sharon. Don't get me wrong. Being her daddy will be my greatest joy. Better than Ferris wheels and football. But I'll know that she is his."
"She'll always be his," Elizabeth reminds. "The love John and I shared will live through her. I am thankful that my accident and subsequent incarceration by Oberoth didn't affect our child. But, it's better this way." She turns around in his arms and looks into his eyes. "For now, this is the way it has to be. Maybe one day, if our paths cross, I'll introduce her to her real father, but for all practical purposes, you are and will be Sharon's father."
He kisses her forehead before embracing her. "I can't wait to experience fatherhood." He's learning about sacrifice and understands Elizabeth's reasoning. He's quite certain that there will come a day when this small faction of Replicators will meet their human counterparts again. When that day arrives, he'll be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice - whatever that may be.
If all of the strength
And all of the courage
Come and lift me from this place,
I know I could love you much better than this
Full of grace
"Full of Grace" by Sarah McLachlan
It's time to begin.
"Good job, John," Elizabeth whispers, part of her feels proud and part of her feels heartbroken.
"Thank you," a cheery voice pipes up.
She looks over at the Replicator and smiles. Her stern façade begins to slip away. "You did good, too." Her hand automatically reaches out to his, and she feels his strength help her from her chair.
"You look tired." He lowers his voice and suggests, "I think you need to rest."
Elizabeth nods, unaware of how exhausted she is. She glances away from John and looks toward her new Replicator team. Some of them are Niam's followers, who entrusted her to guide them when she implemented her plan to retaliate against Oberoth and the other Replicators. The others are familiar faces from a place she used to call home and those she thinks of as family. "Doctor Grodin, take over for me, please."
"Yes, Doctor Weir."
With her hand still in John's, the two leave the Bridge. "Where are the others?"
"Zelenka and McKay are working on some improvements they witnessed in the great battle. I tried to tell them that we won't need them, but they insisted. It gets them out of my hair," he muses.
Elizabeth chuckles softly. "Ronon and Teyla?"
"Probably the gym. I'm not sure. I think they are still weirded out by the fact that they aren't human. Plus their human selves got to kick some ass while they sat on theirs."
She nods slowly, a twinge of remorse still plaguing her. She knows she made some hard choices, not only for her but also for her team. "I'm glad everyone got out unscathed. We were a little too close to the real Rodney's ingenious plan. I knew he would eventually find a way to destroy them. I just wasn't sure to what extent he would go."
"You pulled us back just in time. Even cloaked and at the farthest spectrum of the battle, we could feel some of the pull of whatever that McKay was doing."
"It was quite unsettling," she admits. "I know you wanted to be in the middle of that fray though."
"Me? Of course, but it was a good thing I wasn't. I rather like being alive." He swallows and glances at her. "Well, you know what I mean."
Her lips curve upwards as she nods an understanding. "It feels like it has been such a long road. I guess picking up where Niam left off was more tiresome than I thought it would be."
"Well, you have had other things on your mind."
She immediately thinks of John. Not the one walking beside her, but the one she spent the last three years of her life with. The one she fell in love with. When she hears her escort tell her that he feels sorry for him, she realizes that he had been talking but she had failed to listen. She automatically asks, "Who? The real you?"
"Him? Nah," the Replicator smirks knowingly. "I met him, remember? I was created from him. I know how much he loves you and this galaxy. Flying, football, and Ferris wheels." His comments earn him a gracious smile. "I was talking about Grodin."
"Peter? Why do you sympathize with him?"
"He'll never know who he is supposed to be. I mean, you fashioned him from the real Peter Grodin, but he died years ago. You and I both know him better than he knows himself, er, his Replicator self."
"I know, but Peter was very important to the expedition. His loss affected me more than anyone knows. Besides, he is doing a good job. I can trust him with control of the ship when we're not available, and he will be instrumental in helping us attain our goal. Right now, that's what I need."
"And I need you." He feels her hand squeeze his and remembers watching her clone die the day she fulfilled her reason for being; the day she saved him and the rest of the team from Oberoth's men. "You know you could have remedied that. Made another copy."
"No. She did…what she…had to do."
John sees her wince and feels her grip on his hand tighten. "What's the matter?"
"She's kicking. Hard."
His concern fades quickly as a wide grin takes its place. He lays a hand over Elizabeth's stomach just in time to feel the baby kick again. Proudly, he announces, "Sharon Weir Sheppard. Future football star."
Elizabeth softly laughs as John drapes an arm across her shoulders, allowing her to snake her arm around his back and lean her head against his shoulder. "I like the sound of that."
"Good," he smugly reveals, guiding them toward their quarters. "She'll also be an ace pilot, and if we ever find any Ferris wheels, she'll enjoy them as much as we do."
"You're pushing your luck on the flying," she warns. "I've seen the maneuvers you do. You both have made my heart stop on occasion. I don't need a third consort."
"You wound me," John dramatizes. "Deeply."
"Sorry about your luck," she good-naturedly teases him as they enter their room. She shrugs out of her jacket and walks to a picture on the wall. Reflecting on the past, her demeanor changes. A single tear trickles down her cheek while she reaches for the drawing and outlines the city she loves so much. "It breaks my heart that I can never go back."
With her back to him, John approaches Elizabeth and wraps his arms around her. "I know, and it breaks his heart, too." He pauses then asks, "Why did you play it this way? You didn't have to weave that story about being killed by Oberoth. 'Lizabeth, you wasn't there. When we told our human selves about your death, it crushed them, 'specially John. I know. I felt it. You don't know how badly I wanted to tell him that you were safe and alive."
"I'm sorry. I know it was hard for you, but I trusted you and knew you wouldn't say anything. That's why I sent you down with the others." She sighs heavily against him. "It was probably the hardest thing for me to do, but it was the only way that I could finally get him to let me go."
"But why?" He's still discovering how to read her emotions and adapt to the changes she's gone through since leaving Atlantis. "Because of the nanites?"
She bows her head, shedding another tear. Thoughtfully, she begins to speak, delivering her words soft and slow. "I can never go back to Atlantis. I don't belong there any longer. My place is here. I did what I originally set out to do. I found the Lost City. Then I found so much more. Things I never bargained for. Decisions I never thought I'd have to make. Sacrifices that only live in nightmares." She pauses, her sadness changing to hope and determination. "I did what I had to do, John. Now, we can strive for our collective purpose."
"Ascension." He feels her head move against his chest. "But, he'll never know about Sharon. Don't get me wrong. Being her daddy will be my greatest joy. Better than Ferris wheels and football. But I'll know that she is his."
"She'll always be his," Elizabeth reminds. "The love John and I shared will live through her. I am thankful that my accident and subsequent incarceration by Oberoth didn't affect our child. But, it's better this way." She turns around in his arms and looks into his eyes. "For now, this is the way it has to be. Maybe one day, if our paths cross, I'll introduce her to her real father, but for all practical purposes, you are and will be Sharon's father."
He kisses her forehead before embracing her. "I can't wait to experience fatherhood." He's learning about sacrifice and understands Elizabeth's reasoning. He's quite certain that there will come a day when this small faction of Replicators will meet their human counterparts again. When that day arrives, he'll be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice - whatever that may be.
And all of the courage
Come and lift me from this place,
I know I could love you much better than this
Full of grace
"Full of Grace" by Sarah McLachlan