Wouldn't Trade It For Anything

by Songbird's Desk

It's amazing how one accident on Atlantis can change Cam's entire life. But even for all that, he still wouldn't trade it in for anything to get back to what it was. Slash Cam Mitchell/Dave Sheppard

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2011~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam backed out of the car, cradling the small bundle close to his chest. He was lucky that the little tyke had fallen asleep as soon as he'd put her into the car seat and slept for the hour drive from the SGC to the house that was on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. Taking a deep breath, he started up the drive towards the large house, gesturing for the SGC security guard to stay at the car. He blinked in surprise as the door opened as he stepped onto the porch, a red-headed woman blinking back at him in surprise.

"Uh, hello." The woman glanced at the baby and Cam's dress blues before glancing back up at Cam's face.

Cam stepped to the side. "Goodbye." The woman rolled her eyes and flounced off the porch in a huff. Cam snorted and turned back to the door to find Dave Sheppard staring at him. "Dave Sheppard?"

The man nodded. "It's David. You are?"

"Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Can we talk?" Cam shifted the baby slightly, causing Dave to glance down curiously.

The CEO of Sheppard Utilities stepped to the side. "Come on in." He led the Colonel to the lounge. "I take it this is about John. What's he done now?"

Cam settled onto an armchair with a sigh, resettling the baby into a more comfortable position as he reached into the bag for a large wad of paper. "Here. It's a Non-Disclosure Agreement." Dave frowned. "You need to sign it before I can tell you anything. Please."

"My lawyer - "

Cam cut Dave of with a wave of his hand. "He's looking over it now. He should call you any minute to tell you it's good to sign."

Dave jumped as his mobile went off, and looking at Cam suspiciously, answered it. "Sheppard...Yes, he's here...You sure? Okay, thanks Jeff." Dave shut the mobile off and reached for the NDA and a pen. "He says it's good to sign."

Cam relaxed with a sigh as he watched Dave scrawl his signature in several spots. "I'm glad." The baby in his arms shifted, screwing her face up in preparation to cry. Cam went wide-eyed. "Oh, hey, shush, it's alright. I've got you. Shush." He rubbed the baby's back.

"How old?" Dave asked, studying the two.

"Hmm?" Cam looked up from the tiny face in his arms. "Oh, two weeks." He gestured to the bag beside him. "She's got a bottle in there, do you think you could...?"

Dave reached for the bag. "Mother doesn't want to breastfeed?"

Cam shrugged as he shifted the baby so that she was in a suitable position to feed, taking the proferred bottle from Dave. He'd only been looking after the baby for less than six hours, and already he was becoming used to it. "Complicated. You finished signing?" Dave nodded as he settled back onto the couch. "Good. I'll start at the beginning. In 1928, a Professor Langford discovered an artifact in Giza. It's a large metal ring with symbols all along the edge. It isn't until 1994, when the US Military brought in an Archaeologist called Dr Daniel Jackson, that they discovered that it was in fact a wormhole device that created artificial wormholes between distant worlds."

Dave blinked. "You're crazy."

Cam chuckled. "To some people. Anyway, it was called a Stargate, and it kicked off a program called the SGC. We had a few ups and downs over the years. Anyway, in 2004 during his posting at McMurdo, your brother was involved in an incident that led to him being employed by the SGC." He ignored Dave's snort. "He was part of the Atlantis Expedition and was sent to another galaxy, the Pegasus Galaxy, to be precise." Dave stared at him in disbelief. Cam cocked his head to the side. "You know, this would be so much easier with Daniel's instruction videos." Cam pulled the bottle away from the baby and shifted her to his shoulder so he could burp her, and paused to tap the radio that sat in his ear. "Daedalus, this is Mitchell. Send down a box of Daniel's Instructional Vids, could ya?" He gently patted the baby's back as he received an afirmative, and a small box appeared on the coffee table before him in a flash of white light.

"What was that?" Dave jumped to his feet.

"We have a ship in orbit at the moment called the Daedalus." Cam responded, pulling a face as he felt the baby bring up some milk, thankful that he'd remembered to put a towel over his shoulder. "Open the box and pull out the DVD labelled One."

Dave eyed the Colonel cautiously as he followed the directions, popping the DVD into the player in a corner. He spent the next two hours with his jaw on the ground as Daniel explained in detail about the Stargate Program, and Atlantis. When he finished the last DVD, he turned around to find Cam cradling a sleeping baby and reading War and Peace. "You're serious."

Cam nodded, closing his book. "Sure am."

"So, what's John done now? Actually, what was John doing?" Dave settled onto the couch again.

"Your brother was the military leader of Atlantis."

Dave gaped again, causing Cam to chuckle at the expression. "We are talking about John, aren't we? The guy that got a black mark on his record?"

"If you think that's odd, you should see the amount of black marks the previous leader of the SGC had on his record." Cam shook his head. "But that's not what I'm here about. There was an incident with a device two weeks ago on Atlantis."

"Is John alright?"

Cam snorted. "Depends." He gestured to the baby in his arms. "Mr Sheppard, meet your brother." Dave's eyes glazed over blankly, before tipping sideways. Cam sighed and looked down at the baby. "Well, that went well." Cam stood and managed to find the kitchen, getting a glass of water one-handed and went back to the lounge. Sitting on the coffee table, he flung a little bit at Dave's face to wake him up. "Wakey-wakey, Dave!"

Dave batted a hand blearily. "It's David."

Cam nodded. "Yes, Dave. You with me?"

Dave sat up, eyes widening as he remembered. "My brother got turned into a baby?"

Cam nodded, grinning widely. "A bouncing, baby girl."

"A girl?" Dave squeaked.

Cam held the baby out. "Here."

Dave cautiously took the baby, staring down at the wide eyes staring back at him. "This is John?"

"Yes. Well, we're not sure if she'll remember being John. She has none of the identifying features that John did, either. None of the scars or birthmarks. Essentially, she's what John would be if he were female." Cam shrugged. "Trust me, this isn't the oddest thing that's happened. He once got turned into a bug. Anyway, the SGC were hoping you were willing to take her in and raise her."

Dave looked at Cam, wide-eyed. "Seriously?" Cam nodded. "Wow." Dave looked back at the baby. "Well, I can't very well call her John, now can I?"

"So, you'll take her?"

"She's my brother." Dave blinked as Cam burst out laughing. "I can't believe I said that. But, yes. I'll take her." He cocked his head to the side, studying the baby once more. "Meredith, I think. After Grandmother."

Cam snorted. "Dr McKay, a scientist on Atlantis, and a good friend of Sheppard's, his first name is Meredith."

Dave raised a brow. "His parents named a boy, Meredith?" Cam nodded. Dave shook his head. "Meredith it is, then. Meredith Brianna."

Cam stood. "Right, well, anything you might need is in the bag. I'll see about getting furniture and everything sent to you. The SGC will cover the cost of them." Dave went to protest, but Cam held up his hand. "It's part of the deal. We'll have to keep an eye on her, anyway, just in case she remembers." Cam dug into a pocket and held out a card. "Here. It's my contact details. I'm stationed on Earth, not Atlantis, so I'm fairly easy to get in contact with. If you can't get me, ask for General Landry, he's in charge of the SGC, and leave a message with him." Cam stroked the baby's cheek, a soft look on his face, already missing the warmth of the tiny body in his arms. "See ya, sweetcheeks."

Dave followed Cam to the door. "Colonel..." Cam raised a brow. "Stay in contact, yeah? I think I'll need someone to talk to about this."

Cam grinned. "Sure. I'll probably be round later today with furniture anyway." He snapped off a salute and vanished in a flash of white.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Cam beamed in next, he found Dave sitting in an armchair, Meredith stretched out on his lap, staring down at her with wide-eyes. "Mr Sheppard?" Cam crouched down next to the armchair.

Dave glanced at him briefly, before looking back at the baby. "I can't...I was only two years older than John." He took a deep breath. "There's just the two of us, no other family. Dad was an only child, so was Mum. I don't have very many friends, so I've never really had to deal with a baby before."

Cam gently gripped Dave's arm. "You'll get the hang of it. And I gave you my contact details, so feel free to call me for anything. I mean that. My sister's got two kids, and I've babysat many, many, many times. So relax. You'll have plenty of help. Hell, you'll probably have SGC staff banging on your front door, offering their services as Babysitter."

Dave blinked down at him. "Serious?"

Cam snorted. "She was only on base for a few hours, and she's already got everyone wrapped around her little finger."

Dave grinned shyly. "John did, too. I remember that."

Cam stood. "So, let's start with the first step, yeah? Furniture." He looked about the lounge room. "Where shall her room be?"

Dave clambered to his feet awkwardly, not yet used to handling a small baby. "There's the guest room at the back." He led the way through the house and stared at the furniture cluttering the room in despair. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Well, I know a few guys that could lend us a hand." Cam grinned, tapping the radio in his ear. "Yeah, we need some strong, strapping young marines at Mr Sheppard's house for furnture removal. Don't tell them that, though, tell them it's weight training." He cocked his head to the side, listening to the reply. "Rodger that. Mitchell out." Cam motioned to the drive they could see out of the large window that took up nearly one wall. "They'll appear on the drive in a moment. Good thing your neighbours aren't all that close, Mr Sheppard."

"One of the things that appealed to living on the outskirts." Dave leant against the doorway. "Look, I'd just like to thank you. For - you know, coming back and helping."

Cam grinned. "Oh, trust me, you're going to be sick of me by the end of the day. Besides, there's no way that I'm going to let that little cherub out of my eyesight for very long."

Dave glanced down at the baby in his arms. "Yes, well, I had already guessed that you were going to be visiting often."

"So often, she'll call me Uncle Cam." Cam grinned at Dave's look. "Since I'm going to be around a lot, call me Cam yourself."

David nodded. "David."

Cam clapped Dave's shoulder as the marines arrived on the drive. "Well, Dave, it's time to order around some marines."

Dave followed Cam with a roll of his eyes. "It's David." Cam just grinned at him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2013~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam accepted the congratulations on his promotion from various people with a stiff smile, one that had seen him through many diplomatic missions to other worlds. His smile relaxed at the approach of Jack O'Neill and Hank Landry. He snapped off a salute. "Sirs."

Jack laughed. "I'm retired, remember?"

Cam snorted. "Yeah, right. Retirement in Atlantis?"

"He's got a point, Jack." Hank pointed out, amused. "And with three kids, well..."

Jack grimaced. "I can't believe I'm retiring to a place that my kids would find a giant playground." He cocked his head to the side. "I think I'm going to need to leash them."

"And Sam." Cam added. "Otherwise you'll never see her again." He winced as he felt a light slap on the back of his head. "Oi. You're slapping a Brigadier General, here."

Sam rolled her eyes, 3 year old Janet holding the back of her skirt, and a 2 year old twin in each hand. "Suck it up. Jack, we've got to go."

Jack sighed. "Gotta love time differences." He turned to survey the Gate Room. "Alright everyone, clear a path! We're opening her up!" The crowd started to trickle out to the Commisionary slowly, clearing the way. Jack gestured to Walter, who started the Dialing sequence to Earth with a grin. "So, this is it." He raised a brow at Landry. "Have fun with Homeworld."

Landry snorted. "Please. Fun with those fuddy-duddies?"

"You do know that you're classed as one of 'those fuddy-duddies' now, don't you?" Jack pointed out, chuckling. Landry mock-glared.

"As long as he doesn't cut the budget to the SGC, I'm happy." Cam clapped the retired General on the back. "Enjoy your retirement, Jack."

Jack eyed his wife and three children as they clucked over several bags. "Yeah, sure, you betcha." He vanished into the Puddle with a sloppy salute.

Landry snorted. "It's never boring around that man." He and Cam started to slowly make their way to the Commisionary. "You do know that if you run into any trouble that you just need to give me a call?"

Cam nodded. "I know, sir. I appreciate it." He jumped slightly as he felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. He swore as he dug it out of his pocket. "Forgot I had it on me."

Landry chuckled. "Anything important?"

"Hmmm?" Cam looked up from the mobile and the text he was reading. "Oh, Mer apparently just wanted to tell me congratulations. Well, babble it, according to Dave."

Landry nodded. "How is she?"

Cam tucked his mobile away as he finished texting Dave. "She's good. She's two in a month, so Dave's a bit stumped as to what to get her, but we'll have a brainstorming session when I see them later."

Landry eyed the newly promoted Brigadier General walking beside him. "You're fairly close to them, aren't you?"

Cam shrugged. "Close enough. Dave doesn't mind me hanging around, says that I'm better company than the rich snobs he usually has to deal with."

"Hmmmm." Landry was silent for a moment. "Oh, before I forget, the President is pushing through the abolishment of the DADT." Cam froze mid-step, staring at Landry in astonishment. "It looks like they'll be removed in about two months time, after the usual arguments."

"Seriously, sir?" Cam's voice broke, and he quickly coughed. "They're seriously getting rid of DADT?"

Landry nodded. "It was one of the conditions on Jack retiring and me taking his place."

Cam blinked. "Wow. That's impressive." He jumped as his mobile vibrated again. "Ah, excuse me, sir." He quickly dug it out and read the text, rolling his eyes. "Stupid man."

"David Sheppard?" Landry asked curiously.

Cam nodded. "Tried to fix the plumbing and now the basement's flooded." He looked around as they entered the Commisionary. "SILER!" The retired technician, who had been specially invited for the Retirement and Promotion Ceremony, jogged over through the crowd. "Sly, you any good with plumbing?" Siler nodded. "Good, you're coming with me in a moment." He eyed the celebrating SGC staff. "Enjoy your night, everyone!" The staff waved him off, and with a salute for Landry, he and Siler left the room. "Dave tried to fix his plumbing and flooded the basement. Again."

Siler chuckled as they climbed into the elevator. "His plumbing likes to do that, sir."

"Yes, it does." Cam quickly dialled Dave's number. "Silly twat, why did you try to fix the plumbing yourself? This is the second time since I've known you that you've flooded the basement...Yeah, I'm bringing Sly with me, we'll be there in the hour...Well, considering he only lives a block away, it shouldn't really be a problem, now should it? See you in an hour." He hung up with an eyeroll. "Stupid man."

"How is Mr Sheppard and the little one, sir?" Siler asked curiously as they entered the parking lot.

"Well, Mer's completely spoiled, and Dave drives me batty on trying to be as normal as possible." Cam commented dryly as he pulled out his keys. "I'll see you at the house."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dave!" Cam stripped off his uniform jacket, slinging across the back of an armchair as he passed through the lounge, Siler following.

"Basement!"

Cam took the stairs two at a time to find Dave shin deep in water, bent over to hold a happily playing Meredith. "Are you sure that's safe for her?"

Dave gave him a look. "Hello, Sly."

"Mr Sheppard." Siler grinned at the chortling toddler. "She looks happy."

"Water baby." Dave responded with a shrug, swinging Mer up to settle on his hip and approaching the stairs. "Look who's here, Mer. Uncle Sly and Uncle Cam."

"'Am!" Mer clapped her hands gleefully before holding them out to Cam to be held.

Cam plucked the girl from Dave's arms, blowing a raspberry on her stomach to make her giggle. "Hello, sweetcheeks. How about we let Uncle Sly work his magic on the pipes and show your Dad what to do next time while we go dry you off?" He clomped up the stairs to Mer's bedroom, leaving the other two to crowd around the pipe.

Dave came into the bedroom half an hour later, collapsing onto the floor beside the rocking chair with a groan. "I hate plumbing."

"Then stop trying to do it yourself." Cam commented softly, only having just managed to rock Mer to sleep. "Where's Sly?"

"Gone home." Dave peered over the arm of the rocking chair. "She asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Thank god." Dave fell back onto his back. "She's hasn't been sleeping well."

"She never has, remember?" Cam pointed out, stifling a yawn. "Hey, did you know that they're getting the DADT removed?"

Dave sat up with a jerk. "What?"

Cam nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah. It'll be official in about two months time."

"You're kidding!" Dave rubbed his hands together. "That would have made John's day if he was still around."

Cam blinked. "John was gay?"

"Bi, actually." Dave admitted with a shrug. "Dad didn't know of course, otherwise John would have been completely disowned, rather than just..." He waved a hand. "Found out when I stumbled across him snogging Franke Mellows in high."

Cam chuckled. "Makes sense. No completely straight guy can have hair like that."

Dave snorted, laying back down on the floor. "I wonder how many SGC personnel will come out of the closet?"

"Not many." Cam sighed sadly. "There's still the fraternization rule, and considering how intricate the chain of command is at the SGC..."

Dave frowned. "Bugger. You guys just can't get a break, can you?"

Cam smiled bitterly. "No, not really."

"Why don't you put that brat of mine in her cot, and I'll go grab us some beers?" Dave suggested. "My disaster here ended up ruining your celebration at the base."

Cam stood from the rocking chair. "I'll grab the baby monitor."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2014~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam ran a hand through his short hair as he read over the latest mission report from SG12. He'd been cooped up in his office for eight hours solid, it was currently a ridiculous 2 am and he was barely halfway through the paperwork he needed to get through. He honestly had no idea how Jack and then Hank had managed to survive for as long as they had.

"Sir?"

Cam looked up blearily, surprised at seeing Walter standing in front of his desk holding out a cup of steaming coffee. "Walter." Cam took the coffee with a sigh. "You are a god send, did you know that?"

Walter grinned. "Yes, sir."

Cam peered at the man over the rim of his coffee mug. "Shouldn't you be home?"

Walter shrugged. "I live on base, remember sir? Besides, who else would supply you with coffee at 2 in the morning?"

"It's a delightful 9 am somewhere in the world." Cam pointed out.

"It's also a horrible 4 am somewhere else." Walter retorted. "Why don't you go home, sir?"

"I live on base as well." Cam drawled, leaning back in his chair. Walter went to say something else but was prevented by Cam's mobile buzzing it's way across the desk. Cam stared at it in surprise before leaning forward to answer. "Dave? What's up?" Cam winced as he heard Mer's wails in the background. "She still not sleeping?"

"She got about an hour earlier." Dave admitted, the exhaustion clear to his friend. "I was hoping you could talk to her over the phone? It might calm her down a bit. She seems to sleep better when you're around."

"Of course, put me on speaker." Cam waved his mug as Walter left. "Hey, Mer, it's alright. Calm down, sweetcheeks, there's no need to cry. Don't put your Dad through so much stress, yeah? That's it darling, calm down." Cam heard Dave breath a sigh of relief as the three year old's cries lessened. "Your Dad's got to get some sleep before his big day at the office tomorrow, doesn't he? You're going to enjoy going with him, aren't you? You'll get to see a big office, and have a gorgeous view over the city. You will even get to see Cheyenne Mountain, won't you?"

"You did it." Dave breathed. "She's asleep." Cam heard Dave moving about the house. "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem, you know that." Cam stood and went out to the conference room so he could see the Stargate. "You shouldn't have to deal with that on your own, Dave." Dave snorted. "Shut up. I'm serious. Look, I was speaking to Carrie earlier today, and I mentioned that Mer's not sleeping well. She said that it's not normal, not even for a 3 year old."

Dave sighed. "What do you reckon I should do?"

"Bring her in. Carrie said that she can observe the little tyke for a night, and see what the problem is. For all we know, she could be dreaming about her life as John." Dave was silent. "Dave. You can't keep doing this. You're the CEO of the biggest Utilities company in the country. You need to be on top of your game."

"I know. I'll bring her in tomorrow, after work."

Cam sighed. "Good. You'll be able to stay with her all night and I'll stay as well if that's alright?"

"Of course it is." Dave sounded surprised. "You've played a pretty big part in raising her so far, Cam. I'm not going to turn you away now." Cam smiled. "Look, I'm going to go get some sleep while she's sleeping."

"Sure. I'll have my mobile on me if you need me again."

"I hope not. Get some sleep yourself, yeah? You're sounding as exhausted as I feel."

"Yes, worrywarts." Cam hung up with a small chuckle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I was right." Carrie announced, entering the Infirmary chirpily. "It appears to be memories from her past life as John Sheppard." She flapped a hand as Cam and Dave stared at her in horror. "Oh, don't worry. We'll put her onto meds so that she can sleep for the moment, but there's a few things that you can do during the day to ensure better sleep." She perched on the bed opposite the two men and toddler. "Exhaust her physically and mentally during the day, and she'll sleep better guaranteed."

"And how exactly are we meant to do that?" Dave asked sarcastically. "She's three!"

Carrie shrugged. "Get her to run. Play stimulating games with her. Granted, she is only three, but she's already showing advanced intelligence for her age."

Dave grimaced. "Yeah, so did John." He looked at the toddler that was clutching a stuffed purple rabbit that Siler had given her one Christmas and that she'd named Abbi. "Well, Mer, it looks like we're both going to be exhausted."

Cam jumped off his bed. "We'll go bug the scientists for some stuff. A few of them have kids, really smart ones, so we'll pick their brains." He ruffled Mer's dark hair, getting her to grin up at him and his shook his head in fond amusement. "Come along, Dave. Let's play scientist."

Dave stood with a groan, gently settling Mer on the ground and taking her hand. "Do we have to?"

"Do you want to sleep?" Cam retorted as they left the Infirmary, ignoring Carrie's muttered 'Men' as they went.

Dave pulled a face. "I know." He glanced down at the skipping Mer. "It's just...I wanted her to have a normal life, you know? Not have to deal with being abnormally intelligent, or having to deal with memories as her time as John."

"Dave, whether you like it or not, she's never going to have a normal life." Cam pointed out softly. "And considering she'll probably attend the Primary School we set up here at the SGC..."

Dave sighed. "I know. I just wish..."

"So do I." Cam admitted. "Let's go see if Daniel has any ideas."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2015~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam stared at the arguing politicians blankly, consumed solely by the disbelief that he was the one in charge of the SGC when it went public. Beside him, Landry leant over. "You okay, General?"

Cam glanced at the older man. "I...guess."

Landry studied him for a moment. "When was the last time you slept?" His question managed to get the attention of the arguing politicians, who all stared at the two in fury that they weren't paying attention to them.

Cam shrugged. "Three days? These arguing twats aren't all that concerned with letting me sleep." He eyed the glaring group before him. "I'm beginning to understand why Jack threw those two system lords into time out."

Landry snorted. "They are acting like children, aren't they?"

"Excuse me?" One of the politicians spluttered.

Cam rubbed his temples to try to get rid of the headache that was pounding his head. "Please, I know a 4 year old who behaves better than you lot. 4!"

"Well, considering you answer directly to me, General, I'm ordering you to Safe Haven 2." Landry tapped the radio in his ear. "Odyssey, General Mitchell to Safe Haven 2, if you please."

Cam blinked as he reappeared in a flash of white light in Dave's office, getting a scream from Dave's secretary, Mrs Miller, and a raised brow from Dave. "Hi."

"You look like shit." Dave commented, leaning back in his chair.

"How...you just..." Mrs Miller sunk into the chair behind her, pale.

Cam frowned, crouching down before her. "Mrs Miller, are you alright?"

Mrs Miller cupped his face. "There really is a Stargate, isn't there?"

"Yes." Cam smiled slightly at the older woman.

"And you're in charge of it?"

"Yes."

Mrs Miller brushed a maternal kiss over Cam's forehead. "Well, laddie, watch out for the press. They seem to be a bit vicious about this whole thing." She stood and strode out of the office.

Cam clambered up into her vacated chair, leaning back in exhaustion. "I hate politicians."

Dave chuckled. "I take it that's why you haven't been answering your phone?"

Cam sat up right. "Is everything okay?"

Dave blinked. "Of course. You really don't realise how much we talk to one another, do you?"

"I did when I was locked up with 2 year old politicians for three days straight." Cam sank back into the chair, closing his eyes. "How's Mer?"

"Driving everyone nuts. What happened, Cam?"

"They were...well, interrogating me, I suppose, on the Stargate, and how it's run, and how we use it, blah blah blah." Cam shifted with a grunt. "Haven't slept in three days. Hank had to authorise Odyssey to give a removal to Safe Haven 2 to get me out of there."

"Safe Haven 2?" Cam could hear Dave standing and moving about the office.

"Hmmm. A few months back we set up safe points to transport to in case of an emergency. Five each. My first one is your house, the second is here. Third is my apartment, fourth is my sister's house, and fifth is my office in the SGC." Cam sighed as he felt cool hands on his forehead.

"You're running a fever." Dave murmurred in his ear. Cam shifted to rest his head on his friend's shoulder. "Let's get you home, yeah?" Cam gave a grunt as he felt his radio being removed from his ear. "Odyssey, this is Dave Sheppard. Request a removal to Safe Haven 1, if you could. Thank you." Cam stumbled slightly as he felt himself reappear in the living room of Dave's house, leaning completely on the other man. "Come on, Cam, let's get you to bed."

"Hope you don't plan on anything happening." Cam mumbled sleepily, ignoring Dave's tensing. "Don't feel up to it."

Dave relaxed as Cam nuzzled his neck. "Maybe next time, yeah?" Cam felt the world tilt and a soft mattress appeared underneath him. "Sleep." He fell asleep to the soft movements of Dave removing his blues and replacing them with sleep pants.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam woke to the enticing smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee. Sitting up blearily, he looked around before stumbling out to the kitchen sleepily. "Hey."

Dave smiled at him from the stove. "Morning. Take a seat." He gestured with his egg flip at the kitchen table.

Cam made his way to the seat he usually used, pausing to press a quick kiss to Mer's head, earning himself a giggle. Dave slid a plate in front of him and held out a mug of steaming coffee once he was seated. "Thanks."

"No problem." Dave slid into the seat opposite him. "Those buggers really took it out of you, didn't they?"

Cam nodded, absently giving Mer a piece of bacon. "Landry and I called them children."

Dave choked on his egg. "Children?"

"At least we didn't send them to time out." Cam grinned. "Jack did that with two Go'auld System Lords one year."

Dave snorted. "Pity I never met him before he retired."

"He reminds me a bit of the stories you told me about John." Cam stood to get a fresh pot of coffee, refilling Dave's cup as he did so. "Quirky but absolutely brilliant."

"Quirky but absolutely brilliant!" Mer suddenly parrotted.

"Yes, just like you, sweetcheeks." Cam ruffled the dark hair of the four year old. "How's your work?"

"Boring." Mer pouted. She brightened. "My scales are good!"

Cam laughed. "Glad to hear it."

"Grandma Miller is taking me to the zoo today." Mer declared proudly. "We're going to see the giraffes!"

"Yes, you are." Dave stood and gathered the breakfast things. "Go and get ready, she should be here soon." The four year old clambered down from her seat and ran out of the kitchen, clutching Abbi under one arm. Dave threw Cam a tea towel. "You, mister, are on drying duty."

Cam grinned and stood next to Dave at the sink, taking the plates as the other man handed them to him. "Thanks for yesterday afternoon. I was really out of it."

"Yeah, you were." Dave handed him the frypan. "You didn't even wake when Mer came home yelling excitedly about going to the zoo tomorrow." The two fell into a comfortable silence as they made their way through the dishes, and then through putting them away.

"Dad! Grandma Miller's here!" Mer skidded into the kitchen on her socks, Abbi in one hand, shoes clutched in the other. Dave scooped her up and sat her on the counter so he could do her shoe buckles up as Cam went to let the secretary that had become more like a grandmother to them all over the years.

"You look better, laddie." Mrs Miller eyed Cam.

"I feel better." Cam admitted, leading the woman into the lounge, not embarassed at being caught in his pjs. "So, I hear you're going to see giraffes today?"

"Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes!" Mer skipped into the lounge and threw herself at Mrs Miller. "And we're seeing elephants, and lions, and tigers, and bears!"

"Then we'd better get going then, if we're going to see all of that." Mrs Miller shooed the four year old out the door. "We'll be back after dinner." She winked at them and left, discussing otters with the bouncing Mer.

Cam raised a brow. "Did she just wink at us?"

"Yes." Dave leant against the door jam.

"Why?"

Dave rolled his eyes. "She thinks we're going to do dirty, naughty things with one another."

"Dirty, naughty things?"

Dave nodded sagely. "Dirty, naughty things." He paused. "And we can't disappoint Mrs Miller, now can we?"

Cam narrowed his eyes. "No..."

"So, we shall be doing dirty, naughty things." Dave gave a smirk and held out a hand. "Shall we do as ordered?"

"I'm good at following orders." Cam commented, taking Dave's hand.

"That is debatable." Dave drawled as he tugged the General through the house to the master bedroom.

"Well, these orders I'm good at following."

"Good."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2016~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"DAD! CAM!"

Cam grunted as he felt the exuberant five year old land on top of him. "Mer."

"It's the first day of school!" Mer bounced on the bed. "Come on! Up!"

Cam buried his head under the covers. "Mer, it's six o'clock in the morning. It's too early."

"Cam!" Mer whined. "Come on. I want to go to school now."

"Mer, there's no one there." Dave pointed out sleepily, shifting under Cam. "It's too early. Go back to bed."

Mer sighed. "Fine. But can I stay with you two?"

Cam shifted with a yawn, lifting the covers and grateful that he and Dave had gotten into the habit of dressing in pjs after doing 'dirty, naughty things'. Mer scrambled under the covers and settled between the two, dropping off to sleep instantly. Cam smiled at Dave happily over her head. "See you in an hour."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam entered the corridor in the SGC dedicated to the Primary School in time to see Mer tear out of one of the rooms angrily, her teacher following in bemusement. "Dad, they're idiots!"

Dave blinked from where he leaned against a wall, waiting and talking with several other parents. "Meredith Sheppard, where did you learn such language?"

Mer huffed. "They're all idiots!" She waved her hands around, Abbi flopping from side to side, ignoring the staring parents. "I learnt this stuff years ago!" She stormed over to Cam, holding her arms up. Cam picked her up absently, swinging her onto his back as he walked over to Dave and the teacher.

"I'm sorry, but she's right." The teacher shrugged as parents started to collect their children. "She's years ahead of them."

Dave sighed. "No, we should have warned you that she's been tutored for the past two years." He eyed the pouting five year old. "Don't look like that, Mer, it's not a good look." The pout vanished and he turned back to the teacher. "What do we do?"

The teacher shrugged. "I suppose we can give her a separate teacher. Essentially continue on with her tutoring."

Dave and Cam shared a look, and Cam nodded. "I'll see about contacting her tutors from last year, see if they can continue it."

"They can use a room here." The teacher suggested. "We won't mind. That way she'll still be considered part of the Primary School, just on a fast track program."

"I'll contact you later today to let you know about the tutors." Cam smiled at the woman, and followed Dave out of the corridor and into the elevator that would take them to the surface.

"I'm sorry, Dad." Mer murmurred. "I know I'm difficult."

"You're not difficult, sweetcheeks." Dave reached out to tug gently on one of Mer's pigtail plaits. "And there's no need to apologise for being intelligent."

Cam walked the two to Dave's car, getting Mer settled in the backseat before wrapping his arms around Dave. "I'll call the tutors and see if they're willing to take her on again."

Dave nodded against Cam's shoulder. "What time will you be home?"

"Just before dinner, I promise." Cam pressed a gentle kiss to Dave's neck. "Go. She's getting antsy." Dave snorted and gave Cam a tight hug before leaving.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2019~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam took a deep breath before entering the lab where he knew Mer was arguing over a doo-whackey with one of the scientists that was her tutor for the week. "Mer?"

The eight year old cut off mid-sentence, turning to face him with a small frown. "Cam?"

Cam smiled sadly. "Let's take a walk, yeah?" Mer glanced at the scientist, before hopping off her stool and taking Cam's offered hand, following him through the bustling corridors, and saying hello to various people she knew.

"What's going on, Cam?" Mer asked worriedly as they entered Cam's office.

"You know about our daily connections with Atlantis?"

"Of course." Mer swung her legs on the seat. "Everyone knows about them, even the norms at the Primary School."

Cam rolled his eyes at the nick-name she'd given the average intelligence children of the SGC Primary School. "I got a package a year or so ago from Dr McKay."

Mer cocked her head to the side. "Jennifer McKay or Rodney McKay?"

"Rodney." Cam pulled out a brown paper wrapped package from a locked drawer in his desk. "You've always known that you weren't quite normal, haven't you, with the strange nightmares and all." Mer nodded. "This might explain a few things." He passed her the package. "Your Dad thought it was too early, but after that nightmare you had last night..." He trailed off.

"What is it?" Mer examined the package curiously.

"Do you ever wonder why your Dad never says anything about your mother?"

"Not really, no." Mer shrugged. "I figured that he would eventually tell me something about her when he was ready."

Cam blinked. "Oh. Well, you've heard of Colonel John Sheppard?"

"Who hasn't? He was the Military leader of Atlantis up until 8 years ago, when he suddenly died in an accident." Mer frowned. "Where's this going, Cam?"

"He died the same day you were born, did you know?" Cam propped his chin on the palm of his hand. "And he didn't exactly die. Just changed form. And age. And sex." He added. Mer narrowed her eyes. "The accident changed him into a baby girl, Mer." Mer gaped at him. "In the package are the journals he kept of his time in Atlantis. Your nightmares are actually vague memories of then. The journals might help." Cam ran a hand through his hair. "Read them, Mer. Learn them and live by them."

Mer slipped off her chair with a nod. "Yes, sir." She smiled slightly. "I'll be in the commisionary."

Cam watched her go sadly, horrified that he had to ruin her childhood so early.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I want to learn how to fight." Cam and Dave looked over at the eight year old standing in the doorway to the lounge room. Mer crossed her arms, a stubborn look in her eye as she held a journal in one hand and Abbi in the other, tear tracks evident on her cheeks. "I want Teal'c to teach me how to fight, and I want you to teach me how to fight, Cam."

Cam lifted his head from where it rested on Dave's chest. They'd been stretched out on the couch, watching a random movie, and taking comfort in one another's presence. "You should be asleep. It's gone midnight."

Mer waved Abbi at them. "I couldn't get to sleep so I continued reading the Journals. Dad, Cam, I want to learn. I need to learn."

"Why?" Dave asked anxiously. "You're only eight, Mer."

Mer sighed. "I just...He really knew how to defend himself, and I want to keep some part of that alive."

"Sometimes, sweetcheeks, you don't sound like an eight year old." Cam commented affectionately, laying his head back onto Dave's chest.

Mer came over and climbed onto their entwined legs, squeezing in to lay between them and the back of the couch. "Please?"

Dave sighed. "Cam, you'll talk to Teal'c?"

"Yeah." Cam tucked an arm around the yawning girl. "In the morning, you'll start learning."

"Thank you." Mer dropped off to sleep.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Dave asked quietly.

"She'll just go to someone else on the base." Cam commented sleepily. "Better that we organise it. And besides, it'll help exhauste her physically, and it'll come in handy if she gets into trouble when she's older."

Dave nudged Cam gently. "Yeah. Come on, you put her to bed, and I'll turn this crap off."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2023~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam whistled as he made his way through the corridors of the SGC, fingering the velvet box that had been burning a hole in his pocket all day. "Good afternoon, Walter."

Walter looked up from his computer screen. "Afternoon, Sir. You're in a happy mood today."

Cam grinned. "That I am, Chief. How's everything doing?"

"We've had no explosions, no unscheduled off-world activations, and no emergencies." Walter toasted Cam with his coffee mug. "It's a good day today."

"Today is a very good day, Chief." Cam pulled out his phone as it went off. "Excuse me. Hey Dave." Cam's eyes went wide. "What do you mean she's missing? She's with the group that went to the beach, isn't she, to study marine life...? They can't find her? Dave, calm down. Look, I'll be there in a minute." Cam hung up, and glared at Walter. "You just had to jinx us." He tapped his radio. "Odyssey, this is General Mitchell. Safe Haven 1." He vanished in a flash of white and reappeared in the lounge of the house he now shared with Dave and Mer. Dave was pacing in front of him anxiously. "Dave."

"She's gone, Cam, just gone!" Dave threw himself at Cam. "They said that one minute she was there, and when they next looked, there wasn't a sign of her."

"Have you tried her mobile?" Cam tightened his hold on Dave.

"Yes." Dave muttered. "Turned off."

"Damn. Knew I should have gotten a locator implanted." Cam pressed a quick kiss to Dave's head. "We'll go to Landry."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Landry was absolutely furious over Mer going missing, and instantly started to call his connections as Cam and Dave waited in his very large office. It wasn't long before Landry turned to them with some news. "It sounds like the NID have her."

Cam scowled. "What do they want a twelve year old girl for?"

"They managed to get their hands on her file." Landry admitted. "Not only is she valuable for the ATA gene, but she still has a few remnants of bug DNA from when she was John." He eyed Cam. "As soon as we get her back, we're implanting a locator in her, as well as you, Mr Sheppard."

"How'd they manage to get her in the first place?" Dave demanded, leaning into Cam's side.

"I'm planning on finding out." Landry muttered, picking up his phone again.

Dave buried his face in Cam's shoulder. "I can't lose her, Cam, I just can't. She's all I've got left of my family."

"I know, love." Cam took a deep breath. "She's all I've got left too. We're not going to lose her, I promise you that. We'll find her, and have her in our arms by the end of the day."

"I have twelve special ops teams moving in on her suspected location as we speak." Landry interrupted.

Cam blinked. "That was quick."

"I have a lot of friends that owe me favors." Landry informed them grimly. "And they don't like pissing me off." He stood. "We'll be going up to the Odyssey to wait. Carrie will be there to look young Meredith over and to implant a locator in her, so don't fret." Landry sent a quick message to the Odyssey, and a moment later they were in the infirmary.

"Cam, Dave." Carrie gave both men tight hugs. "I'm so sorry." She pushed them onto a bed. "If it's alright with you, Dave, I'll put a locator in you now." She shook her head, angry. "Don't know why I didn't do this sooner. Should have thought about it, considering the program's public and has several enemies."

"Generals." Colonel Johnson entered the Infirmary. "I'm sorry to hear about the kidnapping."

Dave blinked. "Didn't take long to get around."

Johnson shrugged. "She's the favourite of the SGC, hands down. Any of us would willingly give our lives to save hers."

Landry gave a cough. "The teams have entered the location. Hopefully, she'll be up in here in a minute or two." It was actually less than thirty seconds before Mer was throwing herself at Cam and Dave. The Infirmary quickly emptied as everyone else left, leaving the two men to cradle the crying girl between them.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight for the next two decades." Dave grumbled.

"Try three." Cam corrected. "Did they hurt you?"

"No." Mer shook her head, her thick plait flinging from side to side, tears still running down her face. "They tried, though." She grinned sheepishly. "I'm awfully glad that you and Teal'c trained me."

Cam tightened his hold on the girl. "So am I, sweetcheeks."

Mer squirmed. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but something in your pocket's digging into my leg."

"Cam..." Dave frowned at his partner.

Cam loosened his hold with a choked laugh, one hand digging in his pocket. "I was planning on asking you tonight, but the brat decided to get kidnapped." He held the velvet box out to Dave. "Marry me?"

Mer gave a squeal as she was crushed between the two men. "Ew, guys, get a room!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2026~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Congratulations!"

Cam smiled as Mer burst out laughing at the sudden yell everyone had given when the family had entered the Commisionary. "You guys do know that you're terrible at keeping secrets, yeah?" She asked as she bounced further into the room to get several hugs. "I've known you were planning this for weeks!" She grunted as Siler scooped her up in a huge bear huge. "Uncle Sly, I need to breath."

Siler put the teenager down with a large grin. "I expect great things from you, girlie." He moved over to Cam and Dave as Mer got passed around the room. "Do you know what her plans are now that she's graduated from MIT?"

Dave leant against Cam happily. "She's planning on working here at the SGC with the technician crew."

Siler nodded. "She's good at that. They've been a bit sloppy since I left."

"There's no one like you, Sly." Cam admitted. "I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"Almost couldn't." Siler grimaced. "But you know I'll do anything for my girl."

"She still has Abbi." Dave confided softly.

Siler gave a soft smile. "I'm glad." He glanced at the girl. "Thank you for letting me be Uncle Sly."

Cam reached out to squeeze the man's shoulder. "You're family, Sly. You've been here longer than anyone. And even if you are retired, you still somehow manage to be here most of the week."

"Dad! Da! You've so got to come see this cake! It's so cool!" Mer yelled from the other end of the room. "It's a replica of the Stargate."

Dave rolled his eyes. "You know, most of the time I don't realise that she's 15, and then she blurts out with something so teenagery that it's impossible to ignore." The two men with him burst out laughing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you enjoy the party?" Cam asked as he glanced in the car's rear-view mirror.

Mer gave a violent nod, ponytail bobbing. "Course I did! I haven't seen Uncle Sly in six months. He looks..." She trailed off, uncertain. "He's not going to last much longer, is he?"

"No." Dave admitted softly. "A few more months and that's it."

Mer sighed. "I'm going to miss him."

"So are we, sweetcheeks." Cam pulled into the drive of their house. "Unfortunately, there is one more present left."

Mer glanced over her shoulder at the boot of the car, which was filled with presents. "I think I'm all presented out, Da."

"Tough." Dave slung an arm over Mer's shoulders. "Now, he is a bit exuberant..." He ignored Cam's snort.

Mer frowned between the two as they entered the house. "Okay, what exactly have you got me?"

"He's in your room." Dave gave her a gentle push towards the back of the house. Confused, she jogged to her room, and a moment later, both Cam and Dave winced at her excited yell.

"Oh my god, a puppy!" Mer skidded into the kitchen, black pup cradled gently. "What breed?"

"Newfoundland." Cam answered, lifting himself up onto the kitchen counter.

"What's his name?" Mer gave the puppy a squeeze.

Dave shrugged. "You get to name him."

Mer held the puppy up to look in his eyes. "You shall be henceforth called...Siler!" She grinned at the two men. "Thank you!" She gave them a kiss on the cheek each and vanished back to her room.

"You have to train him!" Dave yelled after her. He chuckled, turning back to Cam. "I think we just made her day."

Cam smiled. "I'll let Sly know that she called the pup Siler. I think it will make him happy."

Dave smiled softly in return. "Yeah."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~2032~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam stood at the base of the ramp to the Stargate, watching as the familiar blue puddle appeared. Looking over his shoulder at Andrews, he received a thumbs up, and he turned back to see a large group of people exit from the Stargate. "Welcome to the SGC." The group of Atlanteans grinned widely at him, with the younger generation gazing about them in curiosity.

"You've gotten old, Cam." Sam commented in amusement.

Cam rolled his eyes. "I ain't the only one." He sighed as the lights suddenly went off. "Great. Just what we wanted." He tapped the radio in his ear. "Mer?" He listened for a moment before gesturing at the group. "The Head Technician's asked for me to stop by on the way up. So, who do we have with us today?"

Jack cleared his throat. "We have Dr Elizabeth Keller-McKay, Carson Keller-McKay and John Keller-McKay, and their parents Dr Rodney McKay and Dr Jennifer McKay. We have Commander Hayley O'Neill, Dr Jacob O'Neill and Dr Janet O'Neill, my three brats. We also have Dr Madison Miller and Lt Col Robert Miller, along with their parents Dr Jeannie Miller and Dr Kaleb Miller. You know me and my wife of course." Jack grinned widely as they piled into the elevator. "But you already knew that."

Cam shot Jack a look. "Considering you're all coming for dinner tonight, and that I had to clear you all for Earth Entrance, I should hope so." They exited the elevator on Level 25 and headed down the corridor to the Power Grid.

"Do these blackouts happen often?" Rodney demanded.

"Only when NORAD are being idiots." Mer called from where she was crouched in front of a power unit, wearing only a pair of boyleg underpants, a sports bra, and gumboots and earning herself startled looks from the new arrivals.

"What have they done this time?" Cam asked curiously, reaching down to rub Siler's ears from where he was flaked out on the floor near the door.

"The same thing they did last week." Mer flapped a hand at Jacob O'Neill. "Pass me that wrench." Jacob looked around for a moment, before passing it to her. "Thanks." She pulled her arm back and swung the wrench at the unit. The lights spluttered back to life, and she stood. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go lecture them. Again." She smirked as she pushed past the group.

Cam groaned. "Just don't make any of them cry this time."

Mer waved a hand over her shoulder as she went down the corridor, Siler padding quietly beside her. "No promises!"

"That was your Head Technician?" Robert Miller sqwarked as the group started to make their own way to the elevator. "She looks barely old enough to be out of school!"

"She's 21. Graduated from MIT at 15." Cam informed them proudly. "She's been Head Technician since she was 19, but she was fooling around with out systems since she was about six seeing as her tutors were associated with the schools here."

"Does she always wear so little?" Jeannie murmurred, still wide-eyed as they piled into the elevator.

"Not usually. She was obviously in the middle of dressing." Cam shrugged. "It happens often enough that we don't blink an eye at it anymore. She's trained the technicians to drop whatever they're doing if there's an emergency, whether they be fully dressed or not. The other week she dealt with a situation wearing only a towel and still wet from her shower."

"I thought Atlantis was weird." Hayley muttered.

"You haven't seen anything, yet." Cam grinned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cam slumped against a wall in the Briefing Room, listening to the Atlanteans chatter.

"So, General Lorne told us that you were married." Sam leant against the wall beside him during a lull in conversation

"Mm-hmm." Cam glanced at her. "Eight years and counting."

"Who's the lucky girl?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"Boy, actually." Cam grinned at their shocked looks. "What? Can't a guy fall in love with another guy?"

"I think it's more the fact that you don't come across as homosexual." Sam explained cautiously.

"Neither does Dave." Cam shrugged lazily. "We are what we are, I suppose." He pushed off the wall as Mer entered the room, fully dressed with a bag slung over her shoulder and Siler her usual shadow. "Ready?"

"Yep." Mer chirped, not looking up from the data pad in her hand. Cam rolled his eyes and signaled to the Sun Tzu that they were ready to beam. Mer swayed slightly as they landed on the drive. "I'll be back down soon, I've just to figure out this problem for the George Hammond." She walked up to the house, muttering under her breath.

"The Head Technician lives with you?" Madison Miller sounded scandalized, earning herself a few looks from the older Atlanteans..

"No, my daughter does." Cam raised an eyebrow at her. "She just happens to also be the Head Technician. Meredith's her name, but we call her Mer, and the SGC tends to call her GD." He rolled his eyes as he led them into the house. "Short for General's Daughter."

Dave poked his head around the kitchen door. "Where's Mer?"

"Sorting something out for the George Hammond." Cam answered, pressing a quick kiss to Dave's cheek. "Everyone, this is Dave. Dave, these are the Atlanteans."

Dave grinned at them. "Nice to meet you all. Oh, and General O'Neill?"

"Retired." Jack quickly put in. "Call me Jack."

Dave nodded. "Jack it is. I just wanted to thank you for deciding to give Mer to me. I definately wouldn't have a life like this if you hadn't."

Jack looked confused for a moment before his face lit up. "Meredith's...?"

"Yes." Dave rolled his eyes. "You can take the girl away from the Stargate, but not the Stargate from the girl."

"What are you talking about?" Rodney demanded huffily, taking a beer from Cam.

"They're talking about how I was once John Sheppard." Mer's apperance at the doorway caused the Atlanteans to jump.

Rodney, Jeannie, Kaleb and Jennifer all dropped their beers. "What?!" Jeannie squeaked.

Cam laughed. "I told you earlier that you hadn't seen anything yet."

"I think I need to sit down." Jennifer groped for a chair, pale.

Mer rolled her eyes. "Atlanteans." She eyed the younger lot. "Let's leave the adults to their chatter and camp out on the deck." They vanished out the door.

Jack bumped his shoulder against Cam's. "You've made quite a life for yourself, haven't you?"

Cam shrugged. "Meh." He ducked the slap Dave aimed at his head, and grinned at his husband. "Wouldn't trade it in for anything." Dave just grinned back sappily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~