It had been two years since the marriage. They had known each other for months before coming to Atlantis, becoming close friends during their shared experiences in Antarctica. Once they had come to Atlantis, their experiences had brought them even closer. Near-death experience after near-death experience had brought them to a point where friendship evolved into something much deeper and stronger. It was half-way through their second year in Atlantis that they finally moved in together, finding a larger room and sharing a bed.
By their third year they had known that this was not something that would disappear. Their friendship, and their love, grew with each passing day and night. After a year and a half of steady dating, finally the question was asked on a moonlit balcony overlooking the calm, pearly-blue ocean. The answer had been immediate—she had thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him before saying anything.
"Is that a yes?" he had asked her in momentary confusion. She had giggled playfully and kissed him again.
"That is so a yes." She had laughed. He had lifted her off her feet and twirled her around, the two of them laughing in the moonlight.
A month after the engagement the two of them had returned to Earth briefly and when they returned on the Daedalus each had been wearing a gold band on their ring finger. No one had ever seen the couple happier—one of them was always smiling. But after two years, the smiles grew even bigger.
oOo
"She's fine, Rodney." Carson assured him.
"But she's been sick almost every morning…" Rodney argued. Even now Elizabeth was resting in one of the infirmary beds after Rodney had rushed her there after she had yet again spent a morning sick.
"I think you'll find this is normal, Rodney." Carson said, grinning broadly. Rodney looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Normal? She's been throwing up, Carson! How is that normal? And how can you say she's fine?"
Carson smiled and slapped Rodney on the shoulder.
"I suggest you talk to your lovely wife." He said and walked away before Rodney could ask any more questions.
When Rodney came to Elizabeth, he found her sitting in bed beaming at him. When she told him the news, the scientist passed out cold on the floor.
oOo
It wasn't just Rodney that thought that Elizabeth grew more beautiful with each passing day. All the men in Atlantis found her gorgeous, the woman radiating a glow that only an expecting mother could have. The larger her belly grew, the larger her smile grew. And her pregnancy also did nothing to slow her down. If anything people came to respect her more for she remained just as powerful and commanding, but now she had an entirely new air around her.
But there was a major change in Rodney, too. For the most part the scientist was pretty good at hiding his emotions behind a gruff, abrasive exterior. But John Sheppard managed to see the truth when he walked into McKay's lab. Elizabeth, radiant in her seventh month, had been standing near Rodney's desk. The Canadian had been on his knees in front of her, his forehead resting gently on her belly. Both had been smiling—Elizabeth had been stroking her husband's hair while Rodney had settled his hands lightly on either side of her bulging stomach.
Elizabeth had noticed John first, looking up at him and smiling.
"Hello, John." She greeted. Immediately Rodney had leapt to his feet and tapped Elizabeth's stomach lightly.
"Everything sounds good." He had smiled stupidly and hurriedly went back to work. Elizabeth had just smiled and shook her head.
oOo
Elizabeth had refused to leave Atlantis when the time came. She wanted no one else but Carson Beckett to deliver the baby—she had been convinced that it was a girl though neither she nor Rodney knew for sure—and she wanted the baby to be born at home. Not on Earth. That wasn't home anymore. Home was with Rodney. Home was with her friends and brothers and sisters. Home was in Atlantis.
Rodney, John, Teyla and, of course, Carson were all present during the delivery. Both Teyla and Carson had delivered their fare share of babies. John was there because both Elizabeth and Rodney had wanted him there. He was like a brother to both of them and the man had been overjoyed to be invited. He had held Elizabeth's right hand, Rodney had her left. Both had coaxed her through the labor, though Rodney had needed a bit of coaxing himself.
And then the air had been shattered by a baby's scream.
"Congratulations." Carson had said over the baby's healthy cries. "You've got a beautiful wee baby girl."
"You're a daddy, Rodney." Elizabeth had whispered, turning her sweat-drenched face towards her husband.
"Oh, God." Rodney whispered, still clutching Elizabeth's hand. His eyes widened as if everything had just hit him—he was now the father of a baby girl, delivered by his wife. Grinning, the man passed out cold on the floor.
oOo
"What's her name?" John had asked.
Carson had pushed two beds together, Rodney lying beside Elizabeth on the white sheets. The tiny pink baby girl had been wrapped in Elizabeth's arms, the child sleeping soundly.
"I always knew she would be a girl," Elizabeth whispered, looking at Rodney. The man grinned.
"David if she was a boy. But, since she is our little girl," Rodney stroked the girl's cheek, "we've named her Tori Rose."
"Tori Rose McKay." Elizabeth murmured quietly. "Our beautiful baby girl."
oOo
Tori Rose McKay probably grew up with the biggest extended family in history. All of Atlantis became a part of her life. As a baby, as a toddler, and even into her teenage years she was surrounded by family.
She had proven herself to be quite intelligent—just like her father—but with the easy temperament of her mother. She was strong, brave, spunky, quick-witted and loved to smile. Her eyes were a beautiful shade between blue and green, sometimes shifting to one or the other color in certain lights. She had Elizabeth's freckles and, as it turned out, had gotten the ATA gene from her father.
This last bit had been quite a surprise. Carson reasoned that since McKay had received the gene so long ago that it had merely been passed like any normal trait. She had learned how to fly a puddle jumper at fifteen and now knew more about the little ships than anyone else in the city—even more so than John.
Like her father she could build, disassemble, and rebuild anything. Like her mother she became quite fluent with languages—at eleven she could already hold a conversation with Zelenka in Czech, as well as speak French, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. She could even speak a smattering of Ancient.
And through it all, as Elizabeth and Rodney grew older with Tori, the love of a family grew deeper and stronger. They were there to see Tori fall in love, were there to see her marry, have children of her own. They were even there to see her children have children. And as the original family of Atlantis grew older, grew smaller, the friends they had grown closer.
When death finally claimed the proud parents of Tori Rose McKay, they were in bed together, sleeping in each other's warmth. It had not been the Wraith, or the Genii or any other horrible end. It had simply been life. And in the end, that was all they had ever wanted.