I am obviously MGM so obviously, I own Stargate Atlantis and everything about it. NOT.


"What is this?" Woolsey asked when he saw the gang of kids with his top team.

"These are the people who came through the wormhole on the West Pier."

"A bunch of kids?"

"Hey, we're not kids. We're all legal adults. Except Rachel." J.J. said.

Rachel punched him in the arm, "Four months and you can stop saying that Jay!"

"Lets talk in the conference room."


"Go to the infirmary to get cleared by Dr. Keller." Woolsey said after being briefed. "We need to make sure you're okay after traveling in a wormhole like that."

"No." Meredith stood up, "I'm fine. A little hungry, but fine."

"You need to be checked out by Dr. Keller."

"I said I was fine. I know when something is wrong with me. I'm fine, we're all fine. Just let me go eat."

"I really think you should get checked out-"

She turned on Woolsey, eyes ablaze, "I'm fine."

"Meredith," Torren said, "Calm down."

"Help me out here Tor." she begged.

"Meredith is fine, if you wish, I will examine her but she wishes to be checked out by someone more familiar than your Dr. Keller."

"Are you a doctor?"

"In fact I am. I have the finest medical training I could get on Atlantis from Dr. Beckett."

"Very well then. If that is your wish. First, you four report to the infirmary."

Meredith shot Torren a grateful look and flounced off to the mess hall no doubt.

"What was that about?" Rodney asked.

The four exchanged glances, "We can't tell you." Rachel said.

"There seems to be a lot of things you can't tell us."

"Preserve the future." J.J. said mockingly, as if he were quoting something.


"Well, as far as I can tell, you all are just fine." Jennifer said. The initial shock of looking at the future children of all her friends had almost caused her to faint, but she supposed weirder things had happened on Atlantis.

Torren stood up, "I will go find Meredith."

"Meredith? Is there someone else I need to check out?"

"She requested that I make sure she is okay. I am a doctor."

Jennifer frowned, "Is there a reason she wouldn't come see me."

"If there is a reason, she keeps it to herself."

Dr. Keller sat down in her chair. There was only one person who would have a daughter named Meredith, so why wouldn't Rodney's daughter want to see her?


Meredith sat at the table, staring at her food. She would never turn down food usually, but now that they were on Atlantis in the past her appetite seemed to have fled. This Atlantis didn't feel like home. There were no children running around underfoot, everyone was in a uniform, and she was looking out onto San Fransisco Bay. In a little over twenty years, Atlantis would change so much and the people here had no idea.

"Meredith?" a soft voice said. She looked up and saw Torren, and smiled, "You're not eating?" he asked, sitting across from her.

"I will. How is everyone?"

Torren looked at her, she was making polite conversation, rather unusual, "We all checked out fine. Sam, Rachel and John are getting our rooms right now."

"Good." And she went back to looking at her food.

"Meredith, just because we checked out fine, doesn't mean you will. I need to check you over."

"Of course, just let me finish eating."

Neither of them moved for five minutes, "When will that be?" Torren finally asked.

"Never, lets just go."


Rachel Sheppard sat crosslegged on a bench outside the room they gave her. She was watching people pass by, counting which ones she knew, which ones she didn't, whose children she knew and whose she didn't really like. Mer and Tor came around the corner and spotted her instantly.

"Are you okay Mer?"

"I checked out okay."

Rachel knew that Meredith knew what she had really meant. She also knew not to press the issue with her. "How's the food?"

But before Mer could answer, J.J. and Sam came down the hall, "Guys, conference, now." J.J. said, grabbing her arm and dragging her into his room. Rachel wished her room wasn't next to her brothers, but she knew J.J. wanted to keep an eye on her.

"What's going on?" Rachel rubbed her arm where J.J.'s hand had been after he let go.

"We're on Earth." Meredith said quietly.

Rachel's eyes widened, "Earth? Our Earth?"

"It gets worse. Does anyone know what today's date is?" They all shook their heads. "March 26th 2009."

There was a long period of silence where everyone took in what had been said.

"How long does that give us." Torren finally asked.

"About twelve days." Meredith said, looking out the window of J.J.'s room to the Earth she nor the others had never known.


Sam Dex stood on the balcony his room was lucky enough to have, and looked out on the lights of San Francisco. He had seen pictures of the great cities of his mother's home planet, but they were more beautiful in person.

The door chime rang and he heard the quiet, careful steps of Rachel Sheppard entering his room. "Sam." she laid a hand on his arm, "What's on your mind?"

"My parents."

"Did you see your mom?"

"Not yet."

Rachel laid her head on his shoulder. They were in love, but with a brother like J.J. there was not a lot of they could do in public. There had been a few to many close calls with J.J. almost catching them that they were reduced to seeing each other when there was no chance of him finding them. Not to mention her father, but he didn't think anyone was good enough for Rachel, especially his best friend's son. They stood in silence for the longest time before Sam broke it.

"I just realized something."

"What?"

Sam could tell Ray was tired by tone of her voice, "Both my parents come from destroyed planets."

Rachel looked up at him, "I suppose so."

By the look on her face, he probably shouldn't have brought it up. "Come on." He walked her back to her room and with a quick look down the hallway to make sure J.J. wasn't coming, gave her a kiss goodnight.

"Goodnight Sam." Rachel said with a bemused smile on her face before she went into her room.

"Goodnight Rachel." And he went to bed to dream of desolate cities and his Atlantis.


"The world as you know it is going to end." J.J. said to himself. "No no, that sounds like a movie. What about, the world is going to end so get the hell out of here." He sat down on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. The lives of his family and friends rested upon their ability to get Atlantis back to the Pegasus Galaxy in twelve days or their window of opportunity would be gone.

Why couldn't he remember the stories they had been told of their departure from Earth? All he could remember was that he sat next to Terra as Dr. Zelenka had told them.

Terra Richards, his girlfriend. He would never see her again if Atlantis didn't get on the right track. He would never see her, his parents, Rachel, Sam, Mer, Tor or anyone he knew.

If they didn't get back to the Pegasus Galaxy, none of the people he knew would exsist. There was no way he was going to let that happen.


OO

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