Author's Chapter Notes: Okay, so I’m really supposed to be working on RPG posts, but Atlantis plotlines are haunting my brains and not letting me focus on my RPG-ness…so I’m trying to appease my brain so that I can continue ;) So, if this is short or…a bit silly…I blame that.
2006 ~ Atlantis Medical Bay
Lillian lay on her side with her eyes closed on one of the beds. Her jacket pulled tightly to her chest, her fingers still slightly pulling at the fabric.
A few feet away from Lily Sheppard, Carson studied the chart that he had started for her. He had confirmed her paternity. She was indeed the daughter of John Sheppard. He wasn’t too thrilled though when he found that she was sick with a condition that seemed to be terminal. It was frustrating, he had tried to figure out what exactly it was, but he was coming up with a blank.
“She doesn’t like it here,” John Beckett whispered as he walked up behind his father. He sighed as he looked at Lily just lying there, “Lily was born with a condition. Her mother had it, she had been attacked by Wraith and while the Wraith was trying to drain the life out of her they ended up transferring some kind of virus, which ended up being genetically transferred to Lily when she was born. We never came up with a cure…”
“We?” Carson questioned, his accent thick. He noticed that he really couldn’t hear an accent coming from his son, perhaps he had lost it.
Nodding, John sighed, “Between you, me, and Grandfather.”
“You?”
A smile plastered across John’s face, “I may only be sixteen, Dad, but I know how to read. I read all of your medical files… I learned Lantian techniques and how to use their equipment and databases, but Lily’s still sick. Grandfather at least was able to stabilize her.”
“How?”
“Well, we’ve used nanites to try to stop the Wraith virus from attacking her cells, but that only works for so long. You have to change tactics. We’ve used nanites in her bloodstream and her water. Like that water bottle,” he said nodding to the clear bottle lying next to Lily on the bed. He sighed, “She’s running a temperature, isn’t she?” John questioned and when his father nodded, he added, “Lily’s becoming immune to that therapy…”
“Her mother?” Carson questioned wanting to know if perhaps her mother was already infected with the Wraith virus and perhaps he had just missed it. After all, this was something entirely new to him, usually the Wraith tried to kill people and when they didn’t succeed then they’d just leave them weak and aged.
John looked up at his father, “Maybe you should let her come around to telling you that when she’s ready…”
*~*~*
2006 ~ Atlantis Conference Room
Elizabeth had gathered her command staff together to discuss what was going on. Most of all she wanted to hear Carson’s report on the children. “How is your investigation coming along, Carson?”
Doctor Beckett frowned, “So far, those who’s DNA I have I have been able to match up to their father… The mothers on the other hand, they don’t seem to want to give up. So, for the most part, they are who they say they are.”
“They’re all healthy then?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not all,” Carson said a bit wearily. He was frustrated with Lillian Sheppard’s condition, his future self hadn’t been able to cure her, so how could he be expected to do so now. The Ancient that had apparently cared for them hadn’t been able to. “From what I can tell…that Ancient that popped up as a hologram took care of the wee ones for some time. I didn’t push for the whole story, but apparently Lillian Sheppard is slowly dying, she has a terminal condition. And it seems that her current therapy is no longer working.”
John’s head turned to Carson on that. Apparently the girl was his daughter, she was young, so how could she be dying? She was much too young to die. “How?”
Shrugging, Carson could only recount what he had been told. “Her mother received a virus from the Wraith and genetically passed it on to Lily when she was born… I have a feeling that her mother died from it…but I don’t know that for sure just yet.”
“Did she tell you who her mother is?” John pushed a bit. He wanted answers. John wanted to know things that he hadn’t even thought up yet, and he wanted to be able to ask his daughter those things.
“Is there nothing you can do, Doctor Beckett?” Teyla asked, her voice gentle and full of concern.
“Not that I have been able to think of…but I will keep trying…” Carson responded.
Elizabeth turned her attention to her radio, putting two fingers on the ear piece as she listened before answering, “Yes, go ahead and escort them up,” she said before turning her attention back to the group. “It seems that two of the children have asked for an audience with us.”
“Which two?” Ronan asked.
Elizabeth smiled, “Jeff Tripp and Jake Emerson. None of those I recognize as Atlantis.”
“You’re right,” Carson spoke up. “Emerson is the son of the CO of the Odyssey…he told me all about it when I examined him. He’s a bright young lad. And I believe Tripp belongs with the Daedalus crew.”
“What? No representative from Atlantis?” McKay spoke up, his voice slightly irritated. “What about my daughter…I have a daughter right?” he asked his last question directed to Carson.
“Aye. Aubrey McKay. A sweet lass.”
“I think they’re sending us their leaders,” Elizabeth spoke up. “And I think Lily is Atlantis’. She was at the front of one of the lines…” It was all too much to take in, but she forced her brain to take in that they’d be dealing with two children in a matter of minutes.
The doors slid open and the two young men stepped in. One was taller than the other, his head full of bright red hair and shining blue eyes, his jacket read Tripp. “Jeff Tripp,” he introduced with a nod.
While the other slightly shorter one had a slightly tanner pallor complete with a set of brown eyes and short brown hair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the group, “I’m Jake Emerson.”
“How can we help you?” Elizabeth asked.
Jeff looked directly at her, “We wish to do what we were sent here to do. To save Atlantis, the Daedalus, the Odyssey…the other ships…the mainland on Atlantica…Earth. But you have to let us do it. You can’t treat us like children. We’ve been raised by Grandfather, primed to try and save the future…your future. But we can’t do that if you don’t let us.”
“How can we trust you?” Ronan spoke up eyeing the boys.
“We’re trusting you,” Jake spoke up. “Lily is dying… We’re trusting your doctor to care for her and not make things worse.” He turned his gaze from Ronan to Carson and then rested on Elizabeth. “We’re also trusting you not to hand us over to the SGC and the various agencies on Earth who would find us entertaining to lock up into cells and try to interrogate us.”
Elizabeth studied them and realized that they were right. They weren’t children. She was sure now that they weren’t truly children; they had been made to grow up too quickly. “I wouldn’t do that…I wouldn’t allow it.”
“Sometimes things are out of our hands, Doctor Weir,” Jeff replied.
“Tell us something,” she spoke knowing that John wasn’t the only one who wanted an answer. “Who is Lily’s mother?”
“You don’t know?” Jake asked somewhat surprised, yet amused.
Teyla looked at the boy oddly, “Should we?”
Jeff let out a laugh, “Oh…you’d think…but I suppose perhaps you don’t catch on so quickly…”
John studied them for a moment and thought about it. They were laughing at them almost like it was written somewhere. He had merely wanted an answer, but it seemed they’d be playing twenty questions. “Is her mother on Atlantis?”
“Of course…” Jeff responded.
Jake couldn’t help, but find it amusing as they all seemed to be thinking about it. “You can’t tell by her mannerisms? How she talks? Her eyes?” He had never met Lily’s mother, but he had known Elizabeth Weir right when they had gotten there merely by her eyes…she and Lily shared those.
Teyla knew who it was when she thought back to when Lily had talked about where they came from, it had just hit her. “She is John…and Elizabeth’s daughter,” she spoke up.
“Mine?” Elizabeth asked just as John’s chair tipped backwards sending him sprawling backwards and creating a huge crash. She didn’t move to help John until she saw Jake and Jeff nod. Only then, did she assist John, who was already being helped up by Rodney and Carson.
“My-mine and Elizabeth?” John barely managed to get out.
“Yep,” Jeff affirmed.
Carson looked over at Elizabeth, “I’ll be needing to check you out just to make sure you don’t have the virus then.”
“She shouldn’t,” Jake interrupted, “Not yet…”
“But to be safe,” Sheppard spoke up, “It’s good to know. Plus, maternity testing is always good.”
“Yeah, Lil’ would love to hear you denying her,” Jake mumbled.
“Excuse me?”
“Do we at least get temporary quarters where the lovely guard detail can wait outside?” Jake asked changing the subject.
Elizabeth nodded, “I’ll have some put together. You might have to bunk together.”
“We don’t mind,” Jeff responded.
*~*~*
2006 ~ Atlantis Medical Bay
Carefully, she lifted the hand into hers and rubbed the top of it with her thumb before moving her other hand to brush the brown hair out of her daughter’s face. That still was a lot for her to take it; it almost brought tears to her eyes at the realization that she’d be a mother… But then, this daughter was dying… Carson had hooked Lily up to oxygen and an IV; he was slowly adding more and more wires it seemed. But he had confirmed that she was Lily’s mother, but that she didn’t have the virus like Lily had.
A smile fluttered across her face as she watched Lily’s eyes slowly open and then close again, “Hi there,” she greeted. Elizabeth had hoped that she’d wake up before she had to go. There was a mission briefing she needed to attend, but she had told herself that she’d stay with Lily as long as possible.
Her mother was looking down at her, which had not been something that Lily remembered or had ever dreamed of seeing. Her eyes were a bright green, and her smile was gentle. “Mother?” she whispered weakly before realizing that this woman wasn’t her mother, at least not yet… She hadn’t meant to tell her mother or father, but her father had been able to read and that had given it away very quickly.
“You’re safe,” she assured running her hand along Lily’s cheek. “Carson’s going to try to help you. Make you better…”
“John,” Lily said immediately looking around for him. He was usually there when she woke up if she was sick… But where was he?
“Your father?” Elizabeth questioned.
Shaking her head, Lily clarified, “John Beckett…” Things were complicated, and she wasn’t sure that they wanted to tell them everything… Though, they wanted to change the future, so perhaps it would help.
“Ah, Carson’s son,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “He’s with the others. They’re in quarters, resting. He’s been here for hours… I practically had to have him dragged off, it was that or Carson was going to sedate him.”
Lily tilted her head a bit as she forced herself to sit up. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she questioned, she had expected a more hostile response…paranoid, and more closed off than her mother was showing towards her. Reaching for her water bottle, she frowned when she saw it was empty. Somehow she didn’t see them letting her walk to the jumper to get a new one.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have to be nice to me… Technically you’re not my mom… You never raised me, I wouldn’t have even known you if I hadn’t seen a picture before. You died when I was two. Carson and his wife raised me,” she explained trying to show her mother that she didn’t have to be so nice or motherly towards her.
Elizabeth smiled a bit more, “You sound like you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“You don’t want to get attached to me… I’ll due to die…” Lily said, her voice calm and wholly accepting of her fate.
A frown replaced her smile, “Don’t talk like that.”
“It’s true.”
“You know who you sound like? Your father,” Elizabeth said shaking her head. She had heard John accepting his fate of dying on many occasions and his calm voice. Lily was like that. “But you’re strong, you’re going to fight it, and Carson is going to find a cure. You have to believe in that.”
Lily nodded a bit and relaxed against the pillow, “I believe in Carson,” she whispered before letting her eyes slide closed. She was tired, more so of arguing than overall tired.
*~*~*
TBC...
Lillian lay on her side with her eyes closed on one of the beds. Her jacket pulled tightly to her chest, her fingers still slightly pulling at the fabric.
A few feet away from Lily Sheppard, Carson studied the chart that he had started for her. He had confirmed her paternity. She was indeed the daughter of John Sheppard. He wasn’t too thrilled though when he found that she was sick with a condition that seemed to be terminal. It was frustrating, he had tried to figure out what exactly it was, but he was coming up with a blank.
“She doesn’t like it here,” John Beckett whispered as he walked up behind his father. He sighed as he looked at Lily just lying there, “Lily was born with a condition. Her mother had it, she had been attacked by Wraith and while the Wraith was trying to drain the life out of her they ended up transferring some kind of virus, which ended up being genetically transferred to Lily when she was born. We never came up with a cure…”
“We?” Carson questioned, his accent thick. He noticed that he really couldn’t hear an accent coming from his son, perhaps he had lost it.
Nodding, John sighed, “Between you, me, and Grandfather.”
“You?”
A smile plastered across John’s face, “I may only be sixteen, Dad, but I know how to read. I read all of your medical files… I learned Lantian techniques and how to use their equipment and databases, but Lily’s still sick. Grandfather at least was able to stabilize her.”
“How?”
“Well, we’ve used nanites to try to stop the Wraith virus from attacking her cells, but that only works for so long. You have to change tactics. We’ve used nanites in her bloodstream and her water. Like that water bottle,” he said nodding to the clear bottle lying next to Lily on the bed. He sighed, “She’s running a temperature, isn’t she?” John questioned and when his father nodded, he added, “Lily’s becoming immune to that therapy…”
“Her mother?” Carson questioned wanting to know if perhaps her mother was already infected with the Wraith virus and perhaps he had just missed it. After all, this was something entirely new to him, usually the Wraith tried to kill people and when they didn’t succeed then they’d just leave them weak and aged.
John looked up at his father, “Maybe you should let her come around to telling you that when she’s ready…”
*~*~*
2006 ~ Atlantis Conference Room
Elizabeth had gathered her command staff together to discuss what was going on. Most of all she wanted to hear Carson’s report on the children. “How is your investigation coming along, Carson?”
Doctor Beckett frowned, “So far, those who’s DNA I have I have been able to match up to their father… The mothers on the other hand, they don’t seem to want to give up. So, for the most part, they are who they say they are.”
“They’re all healthy then?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not all,” Carson said a bit wearily. He was frustrated with Lillian Sheppard’s condition, his future self hadn’t been able to cure her, so how could he be expected to do so now. The Ancient that had apparently cared for them hadn’t been able to. “From what I can tell…that Ancient that popped up as a hologram took care of the wee ones for some time. I didn’t push for the whole story, but apparently Lillian Sheppard is slowly dying, she has a terminal condition. And it seems that her current therapy is no longer working.”
John’s head turned to Carson on that. Apparently the girl was his daughter, she was young, so how could she be dying? She was much too young to die. “How?”
Shrugging, Carson could only recount what he had been told. “Her mother received a virus from the Wraith and genetically passed it on to Lily when she was born… I have a feeling that her mother died from it…but I don’t know that for sure just yet.”
“Did she tell you who her mother is?” John pushed a bit. He wanted answers. John wanted to know things that he hadn’t even thought up yet, and he wanted to be able to ask his daughter those things.
“Is there nothing you can do, Doctor Beckett?” Teyla asked, her voice gentle and full of concern.
“Not that I have been able to think of…but I will keep trying…” Carson responded.
Elizabeth turned her attention to her radio, putting two fingers on the ear piece as she listened before answering, “Yes, go ahead and escort them up,” she said before turning her attention back to the group. “It seems that two of the children have asked for an audience with us.”
“Which two?” Ronan asked.
Elizabeth smiled, “Jeff Tripp and Jake Emerson. None of those I recognize as Atlantis.”
“You’re right,” Carson spoke up. “Emerson is the son of the CO of the Odyssey…he told me all about it when I examined him. He’s a bright young lad. And I believe Tripp belongs with the Daedalus crew.”
“What? No representative from Atlantis?” McKay spoke up, his voice slightly irritated. “What about my daughter…I have a daughter right?” he asked his last question directed to Carson.
“Aye. Aubrey McKay. A sweet lass.”
“I think they’re sending us their leaders,” Elizabeth spoke up. “And I think Lily is Atlantis’. She was at the front of one of the lines…” It was all too much to take in, but she forced her brain to take in that they’d be dealing with two children in a matter of minutes.
The doors slid open and the two young men stepped in. One was taller than the other, his head full of bright red hair and shining blue eyes, his jacket read Tripp. “Jeff Tripp,” he introduced with a nod.
While the other slightly shorter one had a slightly tanner pallor complete with a set of brown eyes and short brown hair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the group, “I’m Jake Emerson.”
“How can we help you?” Elizabeth asked.
Jeff looked directly at her, “We wish to do what we were sent here to do. To save Atlantis, the Daedalus, the Odyssey…the other ships…the mainland on Atlantica…Earth. But you have to let us do it. You can’t treat us like children. We’ve been raised by Grandfather, primed to try and save the future…your future. But we can’t do that if you don’t let us.”
“How can we trust you?” Ronan spoke up eyeing the boys.
“We’re trusting you,” Jake spoke up. “Lily is dying… We’re trusting your doctor to care for her and not make things worse.” He turned his gaze from Ronan to Carson and then rested on Elizabeth. “We’re also trusting you not to hand us over to the SGC and the various agencies on Earth who would find us entertaining to lock up into cells and try to interrogate us.”
Elizabeth studied them and realized that they were right. They weren’t children. She was sure now that they weren’t truly children; they had been made to grow up too quickly. “I wouldn’t do that…I wouldn’t allow it.”
“Sometimes things are out of our hands, Doctor Weir,” Jeff replied.
“Tell us something,” she spoke knowing that John wasn’t the only one who wanted an answer. “Who is Lily’s mother?”
“You don’t know?” Jake asked somewhat surprised, yet amused.
Teyla looked at the boy oddly, “Should we?”
Jeff let out a laugh, “Oh…you’d think…but I suppose perhaps you don’t catch on so quickly…”
John studied them for a moment and thought about it. They were laughing at them almost like it was written somewhere. He had merely wanted an answer, but it seemed they’d be playing twenty questions. “Is her mother on Atlantis?”
“Of course…” Jeff responded.
Jake couldn’t help, but find it amusing as they all seemed to be thinking about it. “You can’t tell by her mannerisms? How she talks? Her eyes?” He had never met Lily’s mother, but he had known Elizabeth Weir right when they had gotten there merely by her eyes…she and Lily shared those.
Teyla knew who it was when she thought back to when Lily had talked about where they came from, it had just hit her. “She is John…and Elizabeth’s daughter,” she spoke up.
“Mine?” Elizabeth asked just as John’s chair tipped backwards sending him sprawling backwards and creating a huge crash. She didn’t move to help John until she saw Jake and Jeff nod. Only then, did she assist John, who was already being helped up by Rodney and Carson.
“My-mine and Elizabeth?” John barely managed to get out.
“Yep,” Jeff affirmed.
Carson looked over at Elizabeth, “I’ll be needing to check you out just to make sure you don’t have the virus then.”
“She shouldn’t,” Jake interrupted, “Not yet…”
“But to be safe,” Sheppard spoke up, “It’s good to know. Plus, maternity testing is always good.”
“Yeah, Lil’ would love to hear you denying her,” Jake mumbled.
“Excuse me?”
“Do we at least get temporary quarters where the lovely guard detail can wait outside?” Jake asked changing the subject.
Elizabeth nodded, “I’ll have some put together. You might have to bunk together.”
“We don’t mind,” Jeff responded.
*~*~*
2006 ~ Atlantis Medical Bay
Carefully, she lifted the hand into hers and rubbed the top of it with her thumb before moving her other hand to brush the brown hair out of her daughter’s face. That still was a lot for her to take it; it almost brought tears to her eyes at the realization that she’d be a mother… But then, this daughter was dying… Carson had hooked Lily up to oxygen and an IV; he was slowly adding more and more wires it seemed. But he had confirmed that she was Lily’s mother, but that she didn’t have the virus like Lily had.
A smile fluttered across her face as she watched Lily’s eyes slowly open and then close again, “Hi there,” she greeted. Elizabeth had hoped that she’d wake up before she had to go. There was a mission briefing she needed to attend, but she had told herself that she’d stay with Lily as long as possible.
Her mother was looking down at her, which had not been something that Lily remembered or had ever dreamed of seeing. Her eyes were a bright green, and her smile was gentle. “Mother?” she whispered weakly before realizing that this woman wasn’t her mother, at least not yet… She hadn’t meant to tell her mother or father, but her father had been able to read and that had given it away very quickly.
“You’re safe,” she assured running her hand along Lily’s cheek. “Carson’s going to try to help you. Make you better…”
“John,” Lily said immediately looking around for him. He was usually there when she woke up if she was sick… But where was he?
“Your father?” Elizabeth questioned.
Shaking her head, Lily clarified, “John Beckett…” Things were complicated, and she wasn’t sure that they wanted to tell them everything… Though, they wanted to change the future, so perhaps it would help.
“Ah, Carson’s son,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “He’s with the others. They’re in quarters, resting. He’s been here for hours… I practically had to have him dragged off, it was that or Carson was going to sedate him.”
Lily tilted her head a bit as she forced herself to sit up. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she questioned, she had expected a more hostile response…paranoid, and more closed off than her mother was showing towards her. Reaching for her water bottle, she frowned when she saw it was empty. Somehow she didn’t see them letting her walk to the jumper to get a new one.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have to be nice to me… Technically you’re not my mom… You never raised me, I wouldn’t have even known you if I hadn’t seen a picture before. You died when I was two. Carson and his wife raised me,” she explained trying to show her mother that she didn’t have to be so nice or motherly towards her.
Elizabeth smiled a bit more, “You sound like you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“You don’t want to get attached to me… I’ll due to die…” Lily said, her voice calm and wholly accepting of her fate.
A frown replaced her smile, “Don’t talk like that.”
“It’s true.”
“You know who you sound like? Your father,” Elizabeth said shaking her head. She had heard John accepting his fate of dying on many occasions and his calm voice. Lily was like that. “But you’re strong, you’re going to fight it, and Carson is going to find a cure. You have to believe in that.”
Lily nodded a bit and relaxed against the pillow, “I believe in Carson,” she whispered before letting her eyes slide closed. She was tired, more so of arguing than overall tired.
*~*~*
TBC...