Thanks to my lovely reviewers. I've managed to update a little more quickly than normal with this one. When things getter better and worse for our hero.

Janet Donaldson walked along the stones and photographs lining the walls of her office. It had taken a few trips to bring back all the crumbling contents of the altar but it had been worth it. The stones were exactly what she'd originally thought and more. Certainly, she'd managed to decode a gate address from each one, and early reconnaissance suggested that they were indeed the locations of temples, though most so far had been ruins only. She'd been to the first two and had quickly decided that it wasn't practical or necessary to bring back the stones, photographs being all that she needed. There was something more that she'd begun to understand from the Ancient runes and pictures too: a story was emerging of a cult going back to the earliest days of human life in this galaxy and she was beginning to suspect that The Asgard, if that's who they were dealing with, had twisted the cult's beliefs to suit their own ends. There was a point in history, clearly signified by the first representation of their physical form on the stones, where it changed from worshipping the Ancients and believing in a prophetess with Ancient blood who would lead the human population to higher planes of existence, to a search for a child who had some sort of blood line that Janet suspected was to be used to halt the weakening of the Asgard through generations of cloning.

At first, she'd been surprised that Colonel John Sheppard had personally led every mission to the ruined temples, imagining that a busy man like him would have much more important things to do until she'd learned a little more about the nature of his loss. She'd seen an awful pain in his eyes, despite his often neutral expression otherwise, and had gleaned from the friends she had begun to make in the city that the relationship between his wife and him was a bit special. The city was a place of mourning and sadness too. Janet didn't have the Ancient gene naturally, though the gene therapy had worked on her, but even she could sense a deep melancholy that was not just in the feelings of its inhabitants but in the walls and floors of the place itself.

John stood guard at the 'entrance' to the latest temple. The planet was typical of many in the galaxy: wet, cold and overgrown. He was trying hard not to become impatient with the whole information gathering process but was painfully aware that he needed something to keep him busy and away from the terrible emotions that frequently threatened, even six months on, to tear him apart. Last night had been just one of those occasions. For some reason, he could only assume tiredness played a part, his legs had taken him automatically to their old quarters, a place he hadn't visited since the day of his family's death. Without a thought, he'd entered the rooms and raised the lights. The shock of what he saw had been enough to bring him to his knees, the buried feelings hitting him like a punch in the stomach. Images of holding Cat in his arms, making love to her on their bed, the smell still lingering of her perfume were too much for him to bear. And then, his eye had been drawn to the model of Atlantis which someone had placed on chest of drawers. Everything he'd lost in that instant six months ago hit him in one awful wave and he had crept to the bed, curling up in a foetal position, hugging Cat's pillow for some last contact with her, and sobbed like he hadn't before. Finally, he'd fallen asleep, which had been a worse mistake. In the early hours he woke up, disorientated and unsure of where he was and in his half-sleep had automatically reached across the bed to touch her skin, to reassure himself that she was still there, just as he always had. The shock of reality had numbed him this time and he'd stiffly got up and returned to his old quarters, unable to sleep anymore and tried to while away the night by playing mindless computer games.

He heard a noise behind him and the familiar tone of Rodney McKay. If one positive was coming from this, it was that Rodney was able to engage in the kind of puzzles he loved and John could see that it was doing the man good. Above everything else, John Sheppard cared about others, especially his closest friends, and he hadn't been so wrapped up his own misery not to notice the impact the tragedy had had on the others. Rodney, after all, had always had a bit of a 'thing' for Cat, despite his loving and successful marriage, and she'd proved a worthy and fun chess partner. Teyla had lost her best friend and sometimes still seemed distant when the memories stirred. As well, she'd had to cope with Torren's childlike openness and lack of tact, he frequently asking when his friend Mona and his favourite aunty would be coming home. Ronon was, as always, more difficult to read, but he had been quieter, if that were possible, since Cat's death. Maybe, John reasoned, memories of his own had been stirred.

'Well, that's it for this god-forsaken hole,' Rodney was complaining. 'If I have to go to another damp and miserable planet I think my immune system will collapse entirely. I've already had more colds in the last two months than I've had in my life.'

John glowered impatiently at his friend. He knew this was 'normal' but just wasn't in the mood for it today, and Rodney flinched a little under the severity of the stare, just enough to stop him from moaning any more. 'Have we discovered anything knew here, McKay?'

'Well, there's another bit of the 'story' I think and more images of The Asgard. And, there is a gate address which is mentioned several times. It might be worth checking out? I suggest we get the photos back to Doctor Donaldson and see what she says.'

John tried to ease the tension in his shoulders then gave the order to leave. All he needed was something, just a clue that would help him to finally understand what the events of the last six months meant and, in his role as military commander, whether there was a wider threat that they needed to be aware of. He had no serious hope any more that his wife and daughter might miraculously be returned to him.

Janet Donaldson was quick to confirm what Rodney had thought. It was the first time that the same gate address had been found several times in one of the temples and there needed to be a good reason for it. Maybe this temple was more important than the others? Maybe it was still active? And, there was something else. Not a single tablet or piece of writing mentioned The Wraith or being attacked by them. Now, that was definitely worth investigating and Woolsey had been able to justify the time and expenditure of the investigation to the I.O.A. on this basis alone. Consequently, the next morning, the whole team was ready to head out to the planet.

There was a buzz in the gate room that morning: something in the air that suggested nervousness and anticipation, even felt by Rodney McKay who wondered why they seemed to all be experiencing it. He looked over to John who was making last minute adjustments to his tack vest and, as ever, fidgeting and restless. He was rocking back and forward on his heels in the way he did when he was excited about something although Rodney suspected that he was entirely unaware of the habit. The man exuded energy standing still! No wonder he was so thin.

***

Marlana was exhausted. Her old body wasn't meant for chasing around after the fiery little would-be escape artist and she had her hands full. It would be bad enough if the child was happy and content, but the frequent outbursts of sorrow for her mother, and the night time screaming for her father, meant that the old woman had not slept properly in the last two months. She had tried to remain devout, frightened of the consequences if her belief in the rightness of what she was doing should slip, fearing the might of the strange creatures who brought the girl to her, but increasingly those throw away words from beings who she had so long revered had eaten into her consciousness. They had 'disposed' of the little girl's mother, an expression so awful in its casualness that she had begun have nightmares about what it really meant. Visions of a mother fighting to keep her daughter, being torn away from her, then slaughtered for trying to protect her child haunted her dreams, bloody images so in contrast to the angelic goodness she had assumed for her 'gods'.

Right now, the little girl had contracted some sort of virus and her streaming nose and coughing made it even less likely that she were to sleep. Marlana tried to remind herself what an honour it was to be caring for the messiah child, but it was hard when your eyes felt like a hundred needles had pierced them and your spine was so sore that sitting wasn't a possibility. She had just managed to prevent the child running out into the midday heat, when she heard the unfamiliar sound of the Ring of the Ancestors activating, something that hadn't happened for twenty years. She wondered if it was the creatures coming back to check on her, but looking out of the window she saw some very different beings. Quickly, she grasped the girl by the arm and held her tight to her, one hand across the firebrand's mouth and tried to make out who these new visitors might be.

At the front was a tall man in what looked like a leather shirt and trousers. His wild hair was knotted into bazaar snake-like appendages and he held a weapon in a way that suggested danger and strength. Behind him she could just make out a smaller figure, female she thought, with honey-coloured hair and, even from here, an air of serenity and stillness about her. To one side, and fiddling with some kind of contraption, a slightly balding and stocky man was nervously chattering, either to the others or to himself. And then she saw him: a tall man, not as tall as the first, in black clothes, holding a nasty looking weapon, alert and ready for action. A man who she could see was a warrior from his upright stance and readiness for action. But more than that, she registered with shock the dark hair that sprung at awkward angles from his head and, surprisingly from this distance, she could make out that he was extremely handsome. That hair was very familiar, and she looked down at the girl she was holding so tightly and knew. In a very short time, she would need to make some very difficult decisions.

***

John put on his aviators and looked across to the intact temple on the horizon. Well, this certainly looked more hopeful and maybe there would be someone living to ask questions of here, rather than just interrogating old stones and runes. He looked across at Rodney and raised a questioning eye-brow. 'Life signs?' he asked expectantly.

'Yes. Two, in the direction of, well over there in the temple,' replied Rodney.

John raised his small telescope in the direction of the cluster of buildings. 'Right, let's head out. And, be careful. We don't know what we're heading into and we don't need to take any risks. There are far too many windows for unknowns to hide behind and take pot shots at us from for my liking.'

It didn't take long to cross the short distance to the temple, across the barren land. Once inside the complex, it was clear that this was a construction similar to the others they had found, only much more intact. Living quarters were evident on several sides, though most were empty and falling into disrepair, but ahead there was one which looked just a little more 'lived in', a pot of herbs sitting by the stone lintel and a heavy wooden door firmly closed and intact. With a sigh of relief at not finding any more inhabitants, John beckoned the team towards this last structure and as he did, he thought he saw a movement behind the window, a glimpse of a dark shadow behind the loose blinds that protected the occupants from the ravages of the sun on this planet. He raised his left arm in the gesture that they all knew meant 'stop and assess', then to Ronon flicked his fingers to the right and to Teyla to the left, sending them around the building in a pincer movement, while he and Rodney cautiously took the direct approach. Again, he thought he saw the shadow behind the window but as yet no signs of an attack. Then, without warning the door opened and a small and quite ancient woman exited the building. She was wearing cream-coloured long robes, long grey hair swept up into an untidy knot and a set of brightly coloured beads around her neck, with an unfamiliar symbol attached. John immediately realised that they were finally face to face with one of the priestesses that had been written about on the tablets.

The woman was clearly in pain as she hobbled out to greet them, her wrinkled face etched with an age impossible to assess. John walked forward and tried to put on his 'I'm perfectly relaxed and I'm not a danger' look but there was something about the woman that made him nervous. 'Hi!' he said in as calm a voice as he could muster. 'Please don't be scared. We mean you no harm. My name is John Sheppard and this is Doctor Rodney McKay. The big man coming round the corner is Ronon Dex and this is Teyla. We are travellers and are interested in the temple.'

The look she gave him took him aback. He expected maybe fear or uncertainty. What he saw was much more. She seemed to be fighting with herself, a gamut of different emotions flitting across her face, as though trying to come to some sort of momentous decision. In a weak voice she replied, 'Welcome, travellers. I am the high priestess of this temple. You may call me Marlana.'

John looked at Rodney who handed him the life-signs detector which clearly showed another life sign, somewhere inside the building. 'Um, are you here alone?' he asked. 'I mean, I only ask because this is no place for a woman to be by herself. It must be pretty dangerous out here?'

Her face showed even more of whatever indecision was troubling her then she replied, 'Yes, I live her alone. That is the way of our sect.'

At that moment, a small sound came from the building and Ronon stood at alert. John paused. 'Well m'am, I wonder if you'd invite some weary travellers into the cool of your home. We could do with some water and food before we return to our own.' As he spoke, Ronon circled behind the old woman, noiselessly edging towards the door. Teyla had trained her stunner on the back of the woman, but was also keeping a careful eye on the window. And then, it all happened so quickly. Marlana suddenly became aware of what they were doing and tried to spin around and run back to the building, her old bones finally failing her as she fell to her knees. Ronon at the same time smashed through the wooden door and Teyla ran to the woman, gently but firmly pressing the nuzzle of the stunner to the back of her head. Then, John watched as Ronon came back out of the house, a wriggling bundle in his arms and a look of astonishment on his face, soon breaking into a broad smile as he delivered his package into John's arms.

John looked down into the emerald eyes of his daughter, aware that Rodney and Ronon were at either side of him, desperate for a longer look at the miracle child, but also ready to hold up their friend if the shock proved too much. There was a pause as she scanned his face, then she smiled a huge toothy smile and shouted 'dadda' before throwing both arms around his neck so tightly, as though she would never let him go. John made eye-contact with Teyla, tears of joy silently streaming down his face as the truth of what had happened began to sink in. He sank his face into her head and held her close, needing to take in her smell, to feel the taught little body against his, to come to terms with the knowledge that he was holding his daughter in his arms. For what could have only been minutes but felt like hours he was frozen in the same position, shock and awe immobilising him.

His daughter was alive. The ship she was in had somehow escaped: hadn't blown up. She'd been with her mother. Cat! He snapped his eyes up from his reverie and met Teyla's, a similar thought clearly showing in her own, then looked down to the old woman, now prone on the floor in some desperate attempt to gain some kind of forgiveness.

Teyla knelt next to Marlana, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. 'Marlana. When the 'creatures' delivered Mona, for that is her name, did they say anything about her mother? '

Marlana raised her head and met John's stare. She could see the hope in his eyes and feared the consequence of what she had to say. With a degree of hesitation, she repeated what her visitor had told her and watched the light in his hazel eyes go out as she did. She told him that his wife was dead. She told him that she'd be killed because she had caused too much trouble. She saw the briefest moment of pride shining as emerald as his daughter's, before he lowered his head back to the little girl, hugging her even more tightly if that was possible, his shoulders dropping with defeat.

Teyla walked over to her friend. 'John, I think we should leave. It may not be safe here and we should get Mona back to Atlantis.' He simply nodded, looked towards Ronon and Rodney with an unspoken order, then set off towards the gate. Ronon gently helped Marlana to her feet and she looked at him with uncertainty, not sure what these strangers might do to her.

'I think you'd better come with us,' was all he said, before wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her across the scorched land, and she knew that she would never to return again to the place that had been her whole life or to the beliefs that had been the sole purpose of her existence.

***

'Unscheduled off-world activation,' said Chuck before checking his screen. 'It's Colonel Sheppard's IDC sir.'

Richard Woolsey stood at the edge of the balcony, the site of so many returns to the city, both happy and tragic. He hoped that the Colonel and his team had found some answers on the planet, though rather suspected that it might be yet another set of clues. He was beginning to think that this was a mission that needed to be closed and the IOA had warned him that it should be, if no Intel about what 'weapon' kept The Wraith away from these planets was forthcoming. At first there seemed nothing extraordinary about the group who came through the gate until he heard a little voice shout with joy and saw the old woman being guided gently by the big Satedan. Unable to believe his eyes and ears, he slowly walked down the stairs to the gate room floor, eyes on the excited bundle in John Sheppard's arms.

'Colonel?' he asked. At the sound of his voice, a familiar little face with fiery eyes turned to him and smiled. 'Mona! How? Oh my God!' was all he could say at the sight.

'Yes!' replied John, before he turned to his friends and smiled weakly. 'I think I need to take Mona home.'

TBC

Please R&R? You know I appreciate it. So John has his daughter back. Still, there are difficult times ahead. Apart from anything, how will our hero fare as a single parent?