Title: The Hourglass
Author: MsRaven
Rating: PG (or whatever this is now)
Spoilers: Up to "Runner"
Summary: Written for the swficathon. There are differences in every timeline, but it's what stays the same that matters.
Author's Note: For Melyanna who asked for a time machine (can be functioning or not), John and Elizabeth separated from the rest by time, distance, or locked doors, and Linguist!Lizzie. Special thanks to Shane and Faith for being awesome betas!

One Step Forward…

"Colonel, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to accompany your team down to the planet."

Everyone in the conference room freezes halfway out of their seats. They turn to look at Elizabeth with mixed looks of suspicion and concern. She typically only gets involved in off-world negotiations after there's been trouble. The team is probably wondering how they've managed to cause a problem without having yet stepped foot on the planet. It takes quite a bit of her willpower not to roll her eyes in response.

"Uh…of course. Why not?" John rubs the back of his neck with a shrug. "Lorne's report said the planet was peaceful. You could be…uh…useful in the treaty negotiations."

Elizabeth can't help but smirk a little.

"Well, I'm glad you think so, Colonel."

She turns her attention to shutting down her laptop as the others file out, knowing that John will hang back.

"Elizabeth? If you don't mind my asking…"

She thinks of maybe pulling rank or questioning his confidence in her usefulness during negotiations, but opts to give him a reassuring smile.

"I just feel like a change of scenery. It's been too long since I've stepped through the gate."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"This isn't some sort of audit of my negotiation skills?"

"What negotiation skills?" Elizabeth can't help but fire back.

"Funny."

"I thought so."

Elizabeth stands and grins at John as he follows her out of the conference room and into her office. She quirks an eyebrow at him when he unceremoniously plops himself in a guest chair.

"Shouldn't you be off getting beat up by Ronon or Teyla?"

"Not before a mission."

John's hand instinctively goes to his right shoulder with a wince. A rather brutal sparring session with Ronon a few months back had cancelled his team's mission when John couldn't even hold his P-90 the next morning.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Better. Could use another massage though," he responds with a twinkle in his eye that Elizabeth pointedly ignores.

She busies herself by glancing through the various reports that have been left on her desk during the briefing, automatically putting them in order of importance. When John doesn't make any move to leave after a few minutes of silence, she looks up with a questioning quirk of her eyebrow.

"Was there something else, John?"

"Have you had a chance to read over my proposal?"

Elizabeth can't help but smile. John had put together a very detailed argument in favor of what he called "A request for recreational activities and its impact on morale, health, and general well-being."

"I have."

"And?"

"Your arguments were stated very well."

"So it's a go then!" A huge grin breaks out on John's face.

"I didn't say that."

"But…"

"Dr. Weir?" Dr. Zelenka appears at her doorway, effectively cutting off the rest of John's argument.

"Yes, Radek?"

"You wanted to meet with the science team looking into alternative energy sources." The scientist waves in the direction of the briefing room where she can see a group already seated around the table.

"Thank you, I'll be right there."

John stands as Zelenka walks away.

"We can talk about this later."

Without waiting for her response, John is out the door and up the stairs to the Jumper bay. She shakes her head with an exasperated, although somewhat amused, sigh as she moves to join the scientists. The man is definitely persistent.

Due to a long list of meetings and large stack of reports to review, Elizabeth doesn't see John until the next morning as they are preparing to go through the 'gate.

"Okay. Ronon, Teyla and I will go through first. You two can come through when we give the all clear."

Elizabeth smiles at John's added precaution, but dutifully waits until she and Rodney are given the okay signal to walk through the Stargate. They step onto Archados to find John, Teyla, and Ronon talking to a small group of locals. John turns at the sound of the 'gate shutting down and rewards Elizabeth's patience with a welcoming smile.

It catches them all by surprise when a collective gasp issues from the Archadans and they fall prostrate to their knees.

"Uh…Elizabeth?" asks Rodney. "Is that for me or for you?"

She isn't given the opportunity to attempt a guess. A second group of Archadans walk into the clearing, led by a handsome man who is, by dress and bearing, clearly a high official of some sort. He looks around, confused, at his people before spotting the team from Atlantis. There is another round of startled gasps and rustling of clothing as this new group of locals also drop to their knees.

"This is getting to be a bad habit," mutters John darkly.

Elizabeth sees him tighten his grip on his P-90, distrust clearly written on his face. In the way of warriors, this tension flows quickly to both Ronon and Teyla. The three form a human barrier between Elizabeth, Rodney, and the Archadans.

"Please stand," Elizabeth says softly from behind John. She doesn't dare walk around him. She may think he's overreacting, but his instincts have saved her more than once. "We're here to discuss a treaty of mutual respect, not for worship."

The official stands, still pale, but attempting to compose himself. He turns to the other Archadans and, with a whispered command from the official, the others start to leave the clearing. More than one give a final look of awe over their shoulder as they leave.

"Please forgive us, Lady Elizabeth. We were unprepared for your arrival."

It's the Atlantis team's turn to be surprised. Elizabeth doesn't realize that she's reached out to John for support until her hand makes contact with his upper arm.

"You were expecting us?" asks Rodney.

"Yes."

"A prophecy?" questions Teyla. It isn't the first time they've encountered humans who foretold the return of the Atlanteans. "We are not the Ancients."

"Not a prophecy, but history," corrects the Archadan. "Our texts are very clear that we are to unearth the Ancient ring and welcome others not of this galaxy. The travelers will bring with them Lady Elizabeth, the same Lady Elizabeth who once traveled back through time and helped our world survive from the onslaught of Wraith cullings."

He turns to Elizabeth with a self-depreciating smile, seeming to see her shock for the first time.

"I'm sorry. I am not handling this properly. My apologies. It seems I am not as prepared to greet you as I believed. My only excuse is that we were not expecting you until the third visit." The official takes a deep breath to calm himself, but his hand is still shaky when he places it over his heart. "I am Lord Rardner, Prime Minister of Archados."

"I don't suppose your history books mention the names of these travelers?" asks Rodney. The physicist is clearly still skeptical, but an uneasy feeling has come over Elizabeth.

"Oh yes!" responds the Prime Minister calmly. "You are Rodney, Teyla, Ford, and, of course, John. Your names have become quite popular on Archados. I am Lord Alan Rardner and my father was named Aiden."

Elizabeth can't help but smile at John's automatic grimace upon hearing the name Alan. She's never understood his profound dislike of his middle name, but isn't beyond using it periodically to tease him.

"I am not Ford," says Ronon.

"But that cannot be. Our history books clearly state…"

"I am not Ford."

"There must be slight differences in our timeline," says Elizabeth softly. John turns to face her and she shrugs, amazed at how calmly and quickly she's accepting the what Lord Alan is telling them. Meeting a ten thousand year old version of herself did wonders for her ability to accept the unimaginable.

"You don't actually believe him!"

"It's not like it hasn't happened to us before, McKay. Elizabeth seems to have a knack for finding time machines." John's words are light, but she can see the concern in his eyes as he turns back to the Prime Minister. "Lord Alan…how long ago did Lady Elizabeth first appear on Archados?"

"Many, many centuries ago, before the first culling. I'm afraid that some our texts were destroyed by the first Wraith attack, so we do not have the exact date."

"How did I get here?" Elizabeth asks.

"You arrived through the cave of the Ancients. You did not how you came to be here or how to return to your own time. Our history speaks of the countless hours you spent in the cave, reading the walls, to no avail. Even after you taught others the language of the Ancients and our understanding of the technology they left behind grew, we still have no understanding of how the machine works."

"There's a machine?" asks Rodney.

"Of course, within the cave."

"Can you show us this machine?" asks John, cutting off McKay's next question.

"Easily enough. Please follow me."

The Prime Minister leads the way out of the clearing with Teyla by his side, the others following closely behind them. Elizabeth can hear Lord Alan running through a narrative of Archadan history, centered around the part she had played in it.

The emotions swirling inside her are indescribable. She had thought it beyond strange to meet the significantly older version of herself on Atlantis, but to know that she had played such a large part in the Archadan's survival is nearly overwhelming. The Minister's oratory of how she had convinced the elders to bury the Stargate and to move a majority of the population underground sounded more like the plot to a movie, not a description of how she had led her life after being stranded back in time.

Stranded. Alone. She suppresses a chill and risks a glance at John, but he seems lost in his own thoughts. His only reaction is a low grunt when Lord John mentions her late marriage into one of their upper houses. It was apparently a marriage of convenience, a way for her to secure a voice in the newly formed Parliament. Elizabeth isn't sure how she feels knowing she spent the rest of her life in a loveless marriage. She can't help but sneak another glance at John.

"And we're here."

They find themselves standing in front of a nondescript cave entrance. Rardner does not hesitate to enter and the others slowly follow him. It's John's hand on her arm that keeps Elizabeth from going in.

"I'd prefer it if you stayed here."

"Why?"

"As much as I'd like to stay true to my DeLorean theory, I think McKay's thoughts on time travel are probably closer to the truth – just don't tell him I said so."

"Meaning that I can't change the Archadan history by not going back this time?"

"Right. So, this time, I'd prefer to keep you out of harm's way."

Elizabeth reaches out to touch his arm with a smile.

"That's sweet, John. But the Prime Minister mentioned Ancient text on the walls and Rodney's translations seem to be limited to geek-speak."

"Geek-speak?"

"You know what I mean."

"Then we'll come back and take all the pictures you want. But you're not going in that cave." John tempers the resolve in his voice by placing his hand over hers. "I'd like to keep you here."

She can only nod her response. John gives her a thankful grin before turning to enter the cave. Her thoughts start to drift to this thing – whatever it is – between them, when his voice echoes out of the cave.

"Rodney! I told you not to touch –"

Then there's a blinding flash of light.

TBC...