Disclaimer: I don't own the rights, characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate Atlantis; they belong to their respective owners without whom this fanfiction would not have been possible. All reviews are welcome.

Stargate Command, 0900 Hours; four days after the Siege of Atlantis.

It had been four days since the key Atlantis personnel, consisting of Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Carson Beckett, Dr. Rodney MacKay and Major John Sheppard, walked through the Stargate back to Earth for the first time in nearly a year. Following their return, the four of them had been debriefed, and continued to be debriefed by everyone from the President of the United States, to the IOA, to the senior military Command.

Major John Sheppard, the military leader of the Atlantis expedition, had just left the briefing room after hours of the higher ups in the military chain of command going through his handling of the situation on Atlantis, in particular they had numerous questions about what had happened to the previous military leader, Colonel Sumner. The Major repeated once again that he had no choice but to perform a mercy killing, that he had no choice since the Wraith had nearly killed him by sucking out his life force.

"The Colonel wouldn't have wanted to ensure more of that, because I know that I wouldn't want to either. If it were me, I'd want someone to kill me" he told the panel that was briefing him for the fourth straight day. He also told them that they weren't there when it was happening, and if they were; then they would have made the same decision as he did.

As he passed General Landry's empty office, he knew that he wasn't the only one being debriefed on the situation on Atlantis. They had been presumed missing in action for the past year after all, and he heard a couple of days after he returned that the SGC even sent its newest battlecruiser; the Prometheus, to Pegasus, however it was hijacked by a space pirate on the way. The damage that it then received against an organization calling itself the Lucien Alliance, to whom the pirate had promised she would sell weapons grade Naquada, prevented the ship from going further towards the Pegasus galaxy. In the end it was the latest deep space carrier that came to Atlantis' aid during the Siege.

The Major knew that Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Rodney MacKay and Dr. Carson Beckett were also being debriefed about their experiences in Atlantis, but he knew that he'd be taking it harder than them. Shaking his head, he reached the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the locker rooms. The Major knew that today was the last day for his briefing, so all he wanted to do was get back into his civilian clothes and head back out in the world after having spent a year fighting the Wraith.

Years before the assignment that led the Major to work out of McMurdo Base in Antarctica, where he met General O'Neill and was almost brought down by an Ancient Drone, before he found out about the Stargate, the Ancients, and the fact that he had the Ancient Technology Activation gene which made it ridiculously easy for him to control Ancient Technology; he was stationed in almost every continent. As he reached the twenty first floor and headed towards the locker room, he thought back to the argument he had with his media magnate father on joining the Air Force. That fight had dropped a wedge between them that lasted until the present day; Patrick Sheppard never wanted his oldest son to join the Air Force since the man already had a future laid out for his son. Major Sheppard, however, didn't want any part of that future and so, after graduating from Stanford, Major Sheppard joined the Air Force.

Heading into the locker room, he looked around for the one that he had been assigned a year ago and headed towards it. Smiling to himself as he unlocked the unit, he opened the door and took out the one year old clothes that were inside.

"Yeah" said the Major to himself as he picked up a shirt, "I definitely need to get some fresh stuff."

Alone in the locker room, the Major quickly changed into his civilian clothes before he headed back out through the hallways. He knew that Dr. Weir and MacKay were still being debriefed so he made a quick stop to the infirmary where he hoped that Dr. Becket would be after his debriefing.

"Hey Doc" said the Major as he walked into the infirmary, glad that at least one of the members of the Atlantis Expedition had finished their debriefings, "you heading out?"

"Major" said the Scottish doctor while he nodded at the man, "I've got a flight tonight to Glasgow. My mother's waiting for me with my brothers and sisters… can't wait. How about you?"

"Take in the sights, we've been stuck here for four days… I need to get out. Got a P.O. Box here for my mail from San Francisco, so I gotta go check up on that" said the Major as he shrugged his shoulders, "we've got three weeks off for the Daedalus to get back here and resupply, and then we'll be spending two weeks on that ship for the return trip to Atlantis. In the mean time, I guess I could have some fun around town, then once Rodney and Elizabeth are finished with their debriefings… I was going to suggest dinner… or something. But since you're leaving tonight…"

"I know… sorry" said the doctor, "but I'll be back once the Daedalus returns. Elizabeth wants all senior staff to meet and pick the next candidates who'll be returning with us to Atlantis."

"Yea" said the Major as he shook his head, "I won't be there."

"But you're the military commander" said Dr. Beckett.

"I'm betting that the higher ups will place Colonel Caldwell in charge of the military at Atlantis" said the Major with a wave of his hand, "they won't let a Major with my record take charge."

"You are joking?" asked the doctor surprised, "but you are coming back with us, right?"

"No joke" replied the Major as he patted Dr. Beckett's shoulder, "and yes, I'll be going back with you guys, but I'm sure it won't be as the military commander."

"You know what I think?" asked the doctor leaning forward as Major Sheppard raised an eyebrow, "I think you should be in charge."

"After what happened to Lieutenant Ford, and Colonel Sumner?" said the Major, "I wouldn't place any bets on it."

"They know that what happened to them weren't your fault, Major."

"We'll see" replied the Major before he nodded at the doctor and headed back out the same door he came through.

It was about thirty minutes later that he reached his box at the post office when his phone started to ring. Picking it up and activating the line, he brought the phone to his ear while opening the small door with his other hand. The Major was sure that he'll have nothing waiting for him, he was estranged from his family.. and divorced from his wife so he was pleasantly surprised to find an envelope waiting for him inside. His initial surprise made him forget that his cell phone was attached to his ear as Dr. Weir's voice was calling out for him, asking if he was alright.

"Sorry, Elizabeth" said the Major as he took out the envelope and looked at it. He noticed that the envelope itself was yellowing at the edges, but there was no postal stamp, or return address. It just said 'Urgent', along with the Major's name. The Major frowned at the letter and then concentrated on the phone as he walked out of the post office, towards his car, "well, if you and Rodney are done with your debriefings… oh… you're not? The IOA, again? Yeah.. alright… tonight then. Just tell Rodney I promise no citrus, unless he does something to deserve it."

The Major smiled as he put back the phone into his pocket as he reached his car. He took out his keys when he felt a breeze hitting his face. Stopping suddenly, the Major looked at the surrounding trees and noticed that they weren't moving. He looked around once again before he settled on a fair skinned, slim woman with long dark blonde hair looking back at him from the other side of the street. The Major could see that she was wearing a white dress while she clasped her hands together in front of her at the lower part of her body, and smiled at him. Suddenly, there was a sound of a honking horn as the Major turned his head to see a car almost hitting another pedestrian. Shaking his head, he then turned his head again to look at the woman, but she was gone.

The Major shook his head and got into his car. Putting the letter on the passenger seat next to him, he thought back to that woman he just saw and looked at his rear view mirror. Not finding her there again, the Major looked back at the letter and picked it up before carefully tearing the top of the envelope open.

Once it was open, the Major looked inside and just found one neatly folded piece of paper along with an old picture of a smiling little girl. Looking at the back of the picture, he saw the words; 'Tara, 1986… six years old'.

'Tara' though the Major to himself as she looked at the smiling picture again, 'who is… what the… huh?'

The Major put the picture back into the envelope and took out the neatly folded piece of paper and opened it. The more the Major started to read the letter, the more wide his eyes got in surprise.

My dearest John,

By the time you read this letter, I would have been dead for many years. In fact, I can tell you that I will die in two days from the time that I dated this letter. Bone cancer.

Sorry, that was very rude of me. My name is Laura Maclay, and I knew your father. I was actually his secretary, and we've worked together for a few years. He used to talk about you and your brother all the time in the office, I saw your pictures and I'd tell your father that you'd grow up to be a handsome young man. He was very proud of you, as am I.

This letter is something that I've been wanting to do for sometime, for something that causes a pain in my chest when I look back to the time I worked for your father. I did something horrible. To be more precise, both your father and I did something horrible. He would confide in me about how bad things had gotten between him and your mother, and I'd talk to him about how things were going with my husband.

It was just two lonely people, John. We were just two lonely people who were married to people we didn't love, or thought we didn't love. We cared for each other, and were attracted to each other but we never acted on it until one day when it was particularly bad for us both. Suffice it to say, we broke our vows to our partners. After that, though, things started to change for the both of us. We promised each other that it would be the one and only time we did something like that. It was a mistake for us, John. Please don't blame your father. He never told your mother, who he eventually reconciled with, about what happened and I never told my husband.

However, things had started to get strange at work and I eventually quit after two weeks. Your father knew why I left, and he did everything he could to either change my mind or to get me a new job. I chose neither as my eldest son needed to be looked after at home as my husband had gotten a job, and he insisted that I stay. Although your father was disappointed, he accepted my decision and even placed some money into an account for me every month. I know he felt bad for what he did; he thought it was his fault, but the truth is that there was no one to blame, and at the same time, we were both to blame.

That deed, however, gave me someone that I could cherish until the day I die. I placed a picture of her in this envelope. Her name is Tara Maclay, she is my daughter; your half sister. I haven't even told your father about her because I know that if I did, then he'll do everything he could to watch out for her. But I know that would have broken up your family since you would have found out that your father cheated on your mother with me. She doesn't know about you because, I was afraid of my husband and what he'd do if he found out I cheated on him; that Tara wasn't his.

I guess you are wondering why I'm telling you this, and not your brother, or your father. For one, I think that since you're older now, I know that you can understand that this was something that just happened between two adults who needed someone in our lives to care for us. I cared for your father, and he gave me a daughter that I have cherished for years. She's a strong girl, John. She may not realize it, but she's a very strong girl despite what she believes herself. Secondly, you are the one I trust to look out for her wellbeing. If I'm not wrong, you just came back from a far off land, and you found out certain things about yourself. You've earned the respect of those around you for your courage, leadership and heroism, and she'll need that from you. Her biological brother has never been the greatest person in the world, neither has her father been the greatest. But she now has someone she could look up to; she has someone that she could trust.

I know you don't believe in this, but Tara could explain everything to you. After what you've been through… trust me what she has to say will be easy to believe. Not at first though, just take it slow. She's your sister, John. Please, go to her. Go to your sister, she needs your help.

With love,

Laura Maclay.

The Major read through the letter three times in disbelief. He had known that his parents were not always on the best of terms when he was younger; there were lots of shouting matches due to his working long hours and going overseas for merger talks to expand his company.

'Then, all of a sudden, everything was alright' thought the Major to himself as he read through the letter once again, 'the shouting stopped, dad was home more…. Was it because of this? No, they still divorced later on. I have a sister? Hold on.. how did.. the letters dated in the mid-nineties.. so how can she have known about Atlantis, the Wraith… how..? I gotta go check this out first…. Tara Maclay… I'll call the SGC for her address. No, not the SGC. I wanna keep this quiet for now until I find out what's going on. I'll get on the net, look up Tara and then use my leave and… like Mrs. Maclay said, I'll go check in on her.'

The Summers Residence, 1400 hours.

Major Sheppard had taken the first flight out of Colorado Springs after having taken a ran check for dinner with both Dr. Weir and Mackay. When Dr. Weir asking if he was alright, the Major just told her that he needed to go to California on a personal matter; and that since he has leave… he'll be cashing in on a few days to check on something. He didn't tell the leader of the expedition that he had already looked up Tara on the internet and found that from her social media page that she was located in Sunnydale, California; and that she was studying Anthropology at U.C. Sunnydale.

"Alright, John" said Dr. Weir as the Major was driving to the Colorado Springs Airport with only the clothes on his back, his wallet and the envelope, "I just wanted to tell you that I'll be pushing hard for you to be leading the military contingent of the expedition. I guess what I'm trying to say is.. don't look to finishing all of your leave at once. I'll need you to select the new recruits who'll be stationed on Atlantis."

"We'll see what happens, Elizabeth" said the Major, "and thanks."

"See you soon, John" said the diplomat as she cancelled the call while the Major continued to drive. While he was glad that Dr. Weir had every confidence in him, and trusted him.. the only thing that was in the forefront of his mind was Tara.

'I have a sister' thought the Major to himself, 'she's my half-sister… but a sister nevertheless.'

Now, as he drove up to a house by the side of the road in Sunnydale, the Major got out of his rental car and made sure that he had the letter in the inside pocket of the jacket that he was wearing. Closing the door behind him, the Major walked up the pathway to the front porch of the large house in front of him. He looked around before stepping forward to knock on the door. Hesitating for a split second, he was just about to turn around when he suddenly stopped as he felt a strange sensation going through him.

'That's odd' thought the Major to himself as he looked around at his surroundings before he turned towards the door again, 'I've been getting a strange feeling since the plane landed in this city. Like a energy is going through me, it's the same sensation I have of sitting in the Control Chair back in Atlantis.. or at the Antarctic Outpost.'

Frowning to himself again, the Major reminded himself that all he needed to do was confirm some things with this woman.

'Come on, Sheppard' though the Major to himself, 'you fought the Wraith, how bad can it be talking to a woman who could may well be your sister.. be a man. Come on.'

The Major then rang the door bell twice. It wasn't too long before she heard a female voice from the other side of the door shouted 'hold on'.

Smiling to himself as he heard the hurrying of feet that seemed to come down towards him, he steeped back as the door opened and he looked at a redheaded young woman in a white shirt and blue jeans.

"Yes?"

"Ma'am" said the Major as he nodded his head while the redhead smiled, "my name is Major John Sheppard, U.S. Air Force. I'm looking for a Tara Maclay."

"Tara?" asked the redhead as she looked at the Major, "what do you…"

"Willow?" asked another young woman who was walking down the stairs in a blue top and jeans. The Major took a look at the young woman and had a flashback to the woman he saw outside the post office.

'They could be… no.. no way' thought the Major to himself as he saw that new arrival smile at Willow, and then smile at him while standing next to the redhead, 'she and that woman… don't tell me that she's Tara's mother…. But….'

"Ummm" said Willow as she looked at the Major, "this is Tara."

"Hi" said the Major as he mentally reminded himself to calm down, "Tara, Tara Maclay?"

"Ye.. yes" said the young woman nervously as she looked at Willow, and then at the Major again, "I'm…. ummm… her."

"My name is John… Major John Sheppard. I'm with the Air Force and… umm…. Well, I know that this will sound weird but, I received a letter and I was hoping that I could… look…. Maybe you should read it first."

The Major reached into his inside pocket and noticed that the redheaded girl seemed to tense up real quick. Putting that aside for a moment, the man then brought out the envelope. HE took out the picture first and handed it to the blonde haired woman. He stood outside in the porch just as Tara took the picture and looked at it with her eyes wide open in shock.

"Tara?" asked Willow as she looked at the shock on her girlfriend's face, and then looked back at the Major, and then back at Tara again, "Tara, baby? You alright?"

"How… how?" asked Tara as she held on to the picture with both hands as she looked at it, and then at the Major with tears in her eyes, "this…. This pic.. picture was taken when my mother took me to a lake. I picked up that flower for her.. she saw me smile and she took the picture. It was my favourite…. I.. I thought my father threw it away with the rest of her belongings.. I mean… how.. how did you get this?"

"Maybe this letter would explain better than I can" said the Major as he handed the young woman the letter.

Willow watched Tara read the letter with her eyes wide open as she stumbled back and grabbed the banister of the staircase while she continued to read the letter. Willow looked at the Major, and then at her soul mate… completely unaware of what was going on. All she could see was tears coming from Tara's eyes as she sat on the stairs in shock while she read through the letter again before she looked up at Major Sheppard.

"You… you… you're my brother?" said a shocked Tara, "but…. I mean…"

"What?" asked Willow as she looked at Tara, and then at the Major whose face had become serous before he turned and looked around at his surroundings.

Just then, he heard popping sounds that came from behind the house; the same sounds made from a nine-milimeter weapon.

"Get down!" shouted the Major as he pushed Willow and Tara down on the floor and covered the both of them while whoever it was holding the weapon, continued to fire. The Major felt both girls flinch as three more shots were fired. The Major got up first and looked around before asking them if there was a back door.

"My God" said Willow as she looked at Tara, "Buffy!"

Willow quickly got up and ran towards the kitchen before the Major could stop her. He looked at Tara, who was looking back at him, and told her to stay down when he heard a scream from outside. Running the same place that Willow had run through earlier, with Tara getting up and running close behind him, the Major made it through the backdoor only to see a girl laying on the ground bleeding from her abdomen with a dark haired man trying to stop the bleeding while Willow was trying to comfort her.

"Tara" said the Major as he turned around, "call the ambulance, now… go.."

"Who?" said the young man as he looked at the Major running over to Buffy and feeling for a pulse, "who are you?"

"Xander" said Willow with tears in her eyes and she looked at Buffy, "later… I.. I…."

"Get some blankets" said the Major as he looked at Xander, "go.. move it.."

"Right" said Xander as he rushed back into the house while Tara rushed out the backdoor while talking on the phone.

The Major put his hands over the wound and pressed down to stop the bleeding, but he knew that it was going to be close. He knew that without medical attention, the girl would die.

"Buffy" said Willow as she leaned down while the Major tried to stop the bleeding, and while Tara was on the phone, "who did this? Buffy? Buffy?"

"War…." Was the only thing that Buffy could say as she continued to look up at the sky.

"Warren?" said Willow in anger. The Major noticed the rage in her voice as he looked at Willow, and then immediate looked at the shocked look on Tara's face when he looked back after seeing patches of Willow's red hair turning black.

It was then that a breeze hit the Major, just as it did back at Colorado Springs. Looking away from Tara, and behind her.. he saw that same woman as earlier that day looking back at him and smiling. He noticed her eyes were alternating between him and Buffy when he turned back to the young woman lying down on the grass, and just knew what he had to do. It was as if he was acting on instinct.

The Major remembered the feeling he had when he sat on the Control Chair, the same feeling he was having now. The same feeling that he experienced with the Ancient known as Chaya Sar on Proculus when she shared her essence with him. It was a strange, but warm feeling… the same feeling that he was getting now.

As if by instinct, he placed his hand over the wound. He knew that the bullet had to be taken out before anything could be done.. and just as he thought it; Willow, Tara, and the just arrived blanket carrying Xander looked on in surprise as the bullet came out of the wound and into the Major's hand.

'The Ancients had weird powers' thought the Major to himself, 'at least that's what I was told. But the gene only activated Ancient technology…. Why am I able to do this, and why now?'

The Major then closed his eyes and the others looked on as there was a strange sound followed by a brilliant white glow from his hand. It wasn't too long before Buffy was able to move and sit up as she looked around confused before settling her eyes on the Major, who looked back at her confused.

"Ummm…" said Tara into the phone, "sorry, false alarm. Yeah… bye… sorry again. Yeah."

"Who are you?" asked Buffy as the Major looked behind him and caught a glimpse of the woman again standing behind Tara. He saw her smile before thanking him, and vanishing in a brilliant glow. The Major then looked at a still shocked Tara, who started to run towards him as he felt himself falling onto the ground.

"John… John.."

"Tara" said Xander who looked at a stunned Buffy who was getting up while Willow brought up the Slayer's bloodstained shirt to her abdomen where the bullet hole had been. The redhead looked up at Buffy, and told her that she was healed, before looking back at Tara who was leaning over Major Sheppard as she continued to call his name, "who.. who is this guy?"

"He's her brother" said Willow as Xander and Buffy looked at the redhead in shock, while Tara continued to try waking up the Major.