As she stood there and breathed in the sea air, the realisation hit her. She was back. It had felt like years since she had last stood in this spot but, in reality, it had only been a matter of months.
Maybe it seemed so much longer because over the last three years, Atlantis had become her home. She had been separated from the place she loved and the people she cared for and it was the loss that had seemed to accelerate time.
She contemplated this for a while; her delicate fingers desperately gripping the railing, as if to make sure that she would never be separated from this place again, when she heard the 'swoosh' of the opening door.
Elizabeth knew who it was but she still glanced back over her shoulder. As predicted, a grinning John Sheppard stood in the open doorway. Elizabeth flashed him a welcoming smile and turned back to the ocean. She sighed and once again the sound of the door could be heard over the crashing of the waves.
"The ocean here isn't as calm as the one on Lantia." God she missed that. His comforting presence, the way he always seemed to know what she was thinking.
"Think it's got something to do with the five moons." He continued "Makes the tides a little … you know … violent and unpredictable"
He shifted beside her, resting his forearms on the railing and leaning out to the ocean.
"Five?" She hadn't been back long and realised she knew nothing much about this 'New Lantia'
"Yeah" There was something more; she could see it in his eyes. The way they rested half closed, glistening in the dimming sunlight. John inhaled deeply, composed himself and then continued.
"We nearly named one after you, you know but I … I … I thought that it'd be admitting that you really weren't coming back."
He'd stood up straight by this point, his hands lying limply by his sides. Elizabeth, taken aback by what she had just heard, hadn't realised that her hands had left the cold metal of the railing and relocated to her sides. In the process they had gotten closer and the backs of their hands now brushed against each other.
Throughout her time away from Atlantis it was thoughts of John, more than anyone, which had brought her comfort. She knew that deep down that John wouldn't give up and it wasn't until this moment that she understood why.
"I couldn't do it." He was facing her now. His ever-present unruly hair and charming smile softened in the fading light.
"I couldn't give up on you Elizabeth. The IOA, the SGC, Carter. They could but I …" He took her hands in his ad started to fiddle with her slender fingers. From this he moved to caressing the palms of her hand with his thumb.
"You" She stated softly but the look of confusion on Johns face prompted her elaboration. "It was the memories of you that kept me fighting John."
Now she was the one grasping his hands, moving to intertwine their fingers. Face to face, connected, emotions laid bare.
"Your strength, your passion, your determination … all of you."
She was tearing up; she could feel the tiny droplets gathering in the corners of her eyes. The coldness of the air around them enhanced when a single tear escaped and ran silently down her cheek.
John watched her for a few moments. She really was beautiful when she cried. He missed seeing her every day; missed her smile, her laugh but most of all he missed her eyes. Right now, they were stunning. The green hue was darkened with a tinge of sadness, the combination of tears and moonlight made them shine and this captivated him.
John watched as another tear fell, this time it didn't make it past her cheekbones. He moved his hand from within hers and swept the tear away with a glance of his thumb.
"I missed Atlantis. Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Radek, Chuck, and Lorne too but I never imagined that missing you would be the most painful. It … I … John I …"
"It doesn't have to hurt anymore," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug. "You're back home … and I'm here"
Any control Elizabeth had over the tears was long gone. There, her head nestled in the crook of John's neck, they broke free. His one arm wrapped more tightly around her waist whilst the other rubbed soothing patterns on her back. Still crying she realised that she'd never felt so safe, so comforted. Not even with Simon.
After a few minutes, once the tears had all been spent, she turned her head to look back out across the ocean. Everything was bathed in a bluish-silver light. They had been out there so long that all five moons were now clearly visible.
Elizabeth could feel the wind rushing through her hair. She knew it must be colder than it had been earlier but there, wrapped up in John, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath run down her neck that cold was a stranger to her.
John, squeezing her a little tighter as he did so, leant down and placed a gentle kiss in amongst the curls on the top of her head.
"So," she started, craning her neck a little to meet his gaze. "Which one would you have named after me?"
John laughed and Elizabeth settled back to resting her head on his shoulder.
"The one closest to the planet but it doesn't matter anymore. I have the real thing right beside me."