Chapter: 4
Note: Thank you all for your reviews and comments [and death threats ;)], I haven't had much time on line this week so I'm sorry for not being able to thank each of you. But, as a joint thank you here is the next chapter. Enjoy
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The strange sensation of the transporter faded from John's body, and he took a breath of the planet's fresh clean air. The tastes and smells of New Athos flowed into his senses. It had been twenty years, but somehow the smell of the place was instantly recognisable. Teyla had told him that it was due to the flowers that bloomed almost all year round on a nearby hilltop. They had trekked up there once and had wandered hand in hand through the vast hilltop of swaying purple flowers. He turned automatically in the direction of that distant hilltop, but the forest around the Gate had matured and now blocked out almost all of the view of the surrounding landscape.
"It's changed a lot," Rodney said quietly from John's right.
"It's been a long time, McKay," Ronon replied as he passed John.
John nodded silently as he turned, taking in the new vegetation around the open space of the gate. He and Teyla had talked about constructing a screen of vegetation around the Gate as a means of defence, and there is was – now a fully grown well tended boundary of small trees and shrubs that concealed the forest behind it. It was pleasing to see the change, but it also once again made the passage of time unavoidable. It had been a very long time.
What were also new were the well laid paths leading away from the Gate. They too looked well constructed and tended. John moved towards one path without thinking. This had been the route to the old Athosian camp, and though they had detected a large camp in this direction it was not in exactly the same location as the old Athosian camp. Presumably the Athosians had simply moved the camp, after all twenty years was a long time to remain in one place, especially for Teyla's people.
John stepped onto the path, noting the well worn edges to the stones under his feet. The last time he had been here there had been only a dirt track leading away from the Gate. He had walked that track many times all those years ago. Many of those times it had just been himself, or Teyla at his side, but now he was followed by Ronon, Rodney and a small team from the Artemis. The Artemis' commander had not been keen on John transporting down alone with his two friends. He had a point, for they didn't really know if those living in the camp were Athosians. This was why John had decided to transport down to the planet by the Gate, as it was never good manners to simply materialise in a village. If they ran into any sentries around the camp on the way then they would simply look like people arriving through the Gate for trade.
Of course John knew the other reason why the Artemis' commander had insisted on a small team to accompany John, and it was a position John had been in himself in the past. You did not want to be the commander in charge who lost a famous General. Famous! It still seemed ridiculous to John that he was a well known name to anyone working in Earth defence.
He smiled to himself as he brushed aside a small branch that was valiantly trying to reach across the path towards a large patch of afternoon sunlight. Though what was to soon follow was filling him with both heightened anticipation and fear, he actually felt more relaxed down here. This was what he was really about – not stuck on a ship in hyperspace for weeks on end. Finally he could act, he could find out the truth to long held questions that had plagued him for so long. Though his heart was racing in his chest he felt the first touches of pleasure – for that familiar smell in the air calmed him somewhat.
The path ended when it reached the edge of a opening in the trees. John was pleased to see that the path didn't lead directly to the camp, because that would be dangerous. Rodney stepped up next to John, and there were the tell tale quiet bleeps of the latest in Earth life signs detectors as Rodney scanned the area.
"That way," Rodney reported as he pointed off across the glen.
John strode out into the knee-high shrubbery that had bloomed across the space. He realised that the team were silent behind him, which was especially weird considering Rodney was part of the team.
John looked round at his friend. "You're quiet, McKay," John said, purposefully using Rodney's surname.
Rodney glanced back down at his detector. "I'm just hoping we find Athosians in that camp, or we could be in a lot of trouble."
"Relax, Rodney. It'll be fine."
"You always say that," Rodney mumbled.
John frowned over his shoulder again. He knew Rodney was missing his family, but he tended to get more talkative rather than quiet when he was down. Ronon looked away from the surrounding trees to meet John's frown.
"It's Angus' birthday today," Ronon reported.
John winced at his forgetfulness. Being stuck on the Artemis with his circling worries and fears had made him lose track of everything except his own little world.
"Sorry, Rodney I didn't realise what day it was," John said back as apologetically as he could. Truthfully he wasn't actually too sure what month it was either. Travelling through hyperspace made the 'real world' seem so much more distant, especially when you were so self involved as John had been lately.
They had reached the edge of the glen and were once again heading into the trees. John could see the faint hints of a well walked track through the ferns ahead of them and began following it even before Rodney pointed out the right direction.
"Hey, besides you left him one hell of a birthday present, remember," John pointed out to Rodney.
Ronon chuckled from behind, though most of his attention was on watching the surroundings.
"He better take good care of it," Rodney muttered.
John smiled as he pushed aside another branch. "What teenager wouldn't be happy with a new car for his sixteenth?"
"It's not new, I got it from Sergeant Myer," Rodney replied. "Like I would give him a new car at sixteen," Rodney muttered. "It better still be in one piece when we get back."
"He'll probably have improved it long before then, McKay," Ronon replied with an amused tone. John wondered why he and Ronon so loved winding Rodney up, after all these years you would have thought it would have gotten old. It hadn't.
"You think he'll mess with the engine?" Rodney asked worriedly as he turned to Ronon, almost falling over a log as he did.
John smiled at Rodney's awkwardness – it had been a long time since the guy had been in the field, and even when he had been in an off world team regularly he had never quite gotten used to it. John felt a strange sense of déjà vu looking back at his two friends as they walked through a relatively unknown alien forest. It was almost like the old days, and perhaps in a few minutes 'The Team' would be reunited again. John swallowed at the rush of emotion that he had been able to suppress up till now, and he refocused on teasing Rodney as a distraction.
Ronon was still smiling as he gave Rodney a 'you should know better' look. John noticed that the Artemis team behind Ronon were trying not to smile.
"Would you have done that when you were his age?" Ronon asked. Angus had inherited his father's fast, technical mind, and perhaps would turn out to be an even greater genius than Rodney. It was very common to visit Rodney's home and find various innocent household alliances had been dissected and then reconstructed into a 'more advanced' toaster or whatever. Rodney had been a well known face to the fire department when Agnus had been younger.
John watched Rodney's face pale as he no doubt imagined the 'new' car spread out in his garage and then perhaps the possible creature Angus would create from the pieces. "Oh, no."
John tried not to smile so much as he offered "He'll be okay, Rodney. He knows what he's doing." But Rodney only looked more worried. "He'll be fine," John said encouragingly.
The path was now winding through another large glen, the shrubs around John's legs were lush and vibrant. Excitement was growing inside him, but he tried not to allow it too much rein, because the fear was also there, and pretty soon he would have to commit to one or the other. He really wished his heart would stop hammering.
"He's got a license hasn't he?" Ronon was asking.
"No! I made it clear in the card that he wasn't to even get in the car until I got back," Rodney replied.
"Because he's going to start listening to you now," Ronon added.
"He won't take it out. He knows he isn't qualified," Rodney protested.
"He could drive when he was ten, McKay," Ronon pointed out. That was true enough, because John remembered teaching a young Angus how to drive the small buggy things that Area 51 used to travel around their massive campus.
"This is from the man who took three tries to pass his driving test," Rodney teased back.
Ronon made a huffing sound and John looked back with a smile. "He's got you there, Ronon."
"I was perfectly in control," Ronon argued.
"I'm sure you were," John replied, repeating the conversation the three of them had had thousands of times over the years. "But, nearly giving the examiner a heart attack did not look good."
"He was fine. He shouldn't do that job if he was easily frightened," Ronon muttered. "I got the license eventually."
"Sure, when you found out where the brake was," John replied, looking back over his shoulder with a cheeky smile at his friend. Ronon looked away pointedly, but John could see the amusement there. Sometimes Ronon wasn't that good at taking teasing as well as he gave it out, but he had gotten better.
John turned back to the path leading through the trees as silence fell over the group once again. The distraction and almost forced normalness was over, and suddenly John could not avoid his feelings anymore. He drew in the flower scent that somehow managed to drift on the breeze through the forest. Memories turned in his mind. He had tried not to focus on the details for a long time, but the scent in the air was too powerful. He had visited this planet so many times over that last year he had been in Atlantis. Teyla had been splitting her time between the city and helping to care for those recovering from Michael's experiments. John had visited her as much as he could, even if it was for only an hour or two sometimes. He had also been one of Torren's main baby sitters around that time and John had often walked the small boy through these trees.
He prayed that the camp ahead of him held Athosians, because it if turned out that they were gone or had been lost, John wasn't sure if he could handle it.
"He better not touch that engine," Rodney muttered quietly to himself from behind John. "He promised to leave the new lawn mower alone, so surely he knows not to mess with a car engine."
John smiled to himself at Rodney's mutterings. John would bet a large sum of money on the fact that Angus was guaranteed to mess with the new car – after all it was his. John was pretty sure Angus wouldn't try to take the car out anywhere. He was a smart kid and he had learnt from his mistakes. Such as that time he had attempted to 'improve' Rodney's washing machine – that had not been pretty.
Abruptly John became aware of voices in the distance up ahead. All thoughts of Earth and Rodney's troubles were forgotten. John quickened his pace towards the now growing sounds of a nearby camp.
The track suddenly became a properly constructed path again and stones crunched under his boots. Up ahead he saw two people in a small clearing and they appeared to be stacking up logs. They turned when they heard John's group approaching and one stepped forward onto the path to meet them. The clothing, somehow, was instantly recognisable to John as Athosian. Something eased in his chest at that.
"Good afternoon," John greeted them formally as he approached.
"Greetings," the man replied, his smile polite, but cautious. "Are you here to trade?"
John opened his mouth to answer as he reached the man, but the other man stepped forward.
"Colonel Sheppard?!" The man exclaimed.
John turned to him and smiled. "John Sheppard, yes." Now he was looking at the guy he was definitely familiar, though the face was understandably older.
"Hakon," Ronon greeted the man loudly as he stepped up beside John.
"Ronon!" Hakon said with a smile, reaching towards Ronon's extended arm. The two clasped forearms. "We had thought you all lost!"
Hakon nodded to Rodney and then looked back at John. His gaze was wide as he studied John, and John guessed he must look a lot older than before. Hakon turned to the other man. "Head to the camp, tell them that those from Earth have returned. Hurry."
The other man ran off with a speed that was rather surprising, but John kept smiling as he looked back at Hakon, who was looking at him funnily again.
"We heard Atlantis had been destroyed," Hakon told them. "We prayed that you had all survived."
"Almost all of us," John replied. Though Atlantis had been fully evacuated before the Wraith bomb had blown, there had still been a small number of casualties who the Wraith had gotten. Those few were heroes in John's mind, since they had put up the alarm despite the danger, and if they had not found the Wraith then everyone might have been lost. John still knew all of their names off by heart. They were the unlucky few who missed their chance to return home to Earth, but without their sacrifice no one would have returned.
Hakon turned indicating the path behind him. "Come, you are all most welcome in the camp." Ronon stepped forward ahead of John and fell into step alongside Hakon, who once again glanced over his shoulder at John with that curious look. John began to fear that Hakon knew he was in for some bad news.
Ahead the voices were increasing and abruptly the trees parted and the Athosian camp came into view. This camp looked very well established, with plenty of space between the tents, and clear areas dedicated for woodwork and what looked like a training area. But before all that there was a large open area, through which it appeared the entire camp was hurrying to greet them. Everyone was smiling and shouting greetings as they began to crowd around John's group, but it was the tall man with his arms held wide that drew John's attention.
"Halling," John called to the man, so pleased to see the big guy again.
"Colonel Sheppard," Halling replied as he reached them and his hands landed on John's shoulders with a heavy weight. "Thank the Ancestors!" Halling shook John's shoulders in delight and John grasped the man's upper arms in response. "We had thought you lost all this time!"
The Athosians were a full crowd around them now and John felt the gentle touches of greeting against his arms. He smiled at the faces, recognising some of them, but plenty were new. He looked over the crowd as subtly as he could, but there was no sign of her here.
Halling turned and shouted over the crowd. "Asker, go fetch Torren!"
A young boy nodded. "I will find the brothers," he replied before he turned and ran off through the tents. John saw Halling open his mouth to shout something after the boy, but thought better of it for he turned back to John.
Had the kid said 'brothers'?
"It is so good to see you alive and well," Halling said again as he shook John slightly again.
John desperately wanted to ask about Teyla, but he didn't really want to ask with so much noise and people around him – what if it was bad news? He looked up at Halling's aged eyes, but saw the same strength there from before. A burst of affection went through John. Thank God Halling was alive and well.
"We got back here as soon as we could," John told him, only now having found his voice.
"Did all of your people leave the city before it was destroyed?"
"Yes, just about. How did you hear about it?" John asked as he nodded and smiled to people around him and tried not to make it so clear that he was looking for one face among the many.
"A group of the Travellers visited us. They said they had received a distress signal from Atlantis, but by the time they reached the planet the city had been destroyed. They had thought that you may have reached our camp in time."
John nodded in response. "We would have called you guys, but we didn't have time," John replied.
Halling grinned widely again. "Teyla is going to be so happy to see you."
Relief was such a powerful sensation through John's body that he felt momentarily lightheaded. "She's here?" He asked Halling and he suspected he hadn't been able to hide the desperation in his voice.
"Oh, yes. I am not sure if she is down by the river today…" Halling's words were cut off by the abrupt arrival of Torren through the crowd.
The boy that John had cuddled and helped take his first steps was pushing through the crowd towards him. The boy had become a man, and despite the years and change John knew he would have recognised Torren anywhere.
"Colonel Sheppard! Uncle R…" Torren managed to shout before Ronon stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the young man, lifting him up off the ground. The crowd laughed in delight as the two hugged. Once Ronon had released the man, John stepped forward.
"Torren?" The young man nodded and reached out his hand, but John ignored it and hugged the boy himself. Of all the changes over the past twenty years, nothing was so blatant as the fact that Torren had grown from a toddler to a fully grown man. "Look at you," John exclaimed as he stood back from the boy, the man, before him.
Torren grinned in reply. "Thank the Ancestors you are all alive!"
Rodney rushed past and surprised John by hugging Torren as well. Perhaps it was missing his own son's birthday today, or maybe it was the same overwhelming feeling of affection for the grown boy that made Rodney hug him.
Everyone was talking loudly and laughing again as Rodney stood back from Torren, looking a little embarrassed at himself. John smiled at him.
A younger boy appeared beside Torren, his features far too similar to Torren's to be a coincidence.
"This is my youngest brother, Korlan," Torren introduced the man. So, John had heard Asker correctly – Torren had brothers. John tried not to feel the heaviness in his chest. He looked to the boy, who was staring at John with a shocked expression before he reached out and offered his hand. John smiled at the Earth greeting and clasped the offered hand.
"Pleased to meet you, Korlan," John greeted him.
Korlan smiled, though he was still staring.
Torren had turned and he was talking again. John pulled his attention from the young boy who looked so like both Teyla and Torren.
"And this is my middle brother," Torren was saying as he turned back towards John, pulling another man with him. Okay another brother – John could be happy about Teyla's new family, of course he could.
"His name is John," Torren said. The name was a surprise to John, but not as much as the face that came into view. For a bizarre moment John thought he was looking at himself as a kid. "But we call him Junior."
Everything came into sharp contrast for John. The young man, looking at him with a wide shocked expression, was not quite the same as John had been at that age, but it was close. The man had long hair the exact same colour as John's and their eyes were the same, though Junior's were wider - more like Teyla's.
Oh, my God.
His name was John and they called him Junior.
He had a son.
More emotions than he could ever really process or understand all jumbled together in his chest. He was a father. Teyla had been pregnant! All these years he had had a son and he had missed it all!
"Hello," Junior said with a voice that sounded as emotional as John felt.
The bizarre shocked little world John had been frozen in evaporated, and he was once again aware of all the voices and laughter around him.
"Hi," John replied slowly.
Junior extended his hand, as Korlan had done, towards John.
John looked down at the hand, noticing the strong thick forearm that spoke of his son's strength. John reached forward and clasped his son's hand and the grip was strong, but John could feel the slight tremor of nervousness to the boy's hold.
John had spent many of the past twenty years in the presence of kids, starting with Torren all those years ago and then onto Dave's kids, and all the kids born to ex-members of Atlantis. There was still a yearly get-together to remember the fall of Atlantis and over the decades the number of people attending had grown to include new partners and kids. John knew what it felt like to take care of a kid and to care about them, but the sensation welling up inside him was completely different. He was a father and this was his son.
John released his son's hand slowly and looked up at the green eyes that were a mirror image of his own. He could see the nervousness now, the worry. The new sensation in John desperately wanted to put his son at ease.
"Pleased to meet you, Junior," John said and was finally able to smile.
Junior smiled back, with clear relief.
"I am pleased to meet you as well," Junior replied. The speech was so very Athosian and polite, just like his mother. John was aware that he was staring again, and surely that wouldn't be making Junior feel any better.
"Hi, I'm…" Ronon reached around John, extending his hand towards Junior.
"Uncle Ronon," Junior replied instantly, his nervousness still clear.
"That's me," Ronon replied and it sounded like he was smiling, but John couldn't look away from his son. Junior smiled at Ronon and the smile was shockingly similar to Teyla's. He stood about an inch or so shorter than John, but it was no wonder that the camp members had been staring at John when he had arrived – for there was no doubt that he was Junior's father. John suddenly wondered what that had meant to Junior.
"And Uncle Rodney," Junior was saying to Rodney on John's other side as the two shook hands. "Mother has told us all about you."
"Watch out, McKay," Ronon said with a chuckle. "Teyla's already told them all about you."
John smiled himself at that and managed to look away to Rodney, who was pulling a face back at them. "I'm sure Teyla has been nicer than you two have ever been."
Halling moved back into view. "Junior, where is your mother?"
John's attention went straight back to Halling, the brief respite of humour with his friends forgotten.
"She is working down in the river channels," Junior replied.
"Perhaps you would like to take Colonel Sheppard down there?" Halling suggested.
The desperate need to see Teyla was now even more powerful. Not only did John now know that she was alive and well, but now he knew that they had a son! Of course he didn't know who Korlan's father was and if he was still around, but regardless John would be seeing Teyla again.
Junior looked at John with a hopeful little look on his face. "Would you like to go now?"
"Lead the way," John replied some how stopping himself from shouting 'hell yes'.
Junior smiled, nodded and then turned. The crowd parted and John followed him through the group of Athosians. Okay this was more than a little weird – his son was leading him back to Teyla!
Behind him John heard the crowd talking again, and John glanced back pleased to see that no one else had followed him and Junior. John wanted some time alone with his newly discovered son and to finally be reunited with Teyla in private. Before he turned back, John noticed Ronon and Halling smiling in his direction. John looked away, feeling rather on display, though he knew his friends only wanted the best for him.
Junior had paused, waiting for John. "We can walk down to the river this way," Junior offered as he indicated a path that led away from the camp. "It is a short walk from here."
"Great," John replied as he fell into step alongside Junior. The noise of the camp faded behind them as they followed the path down a slope. John glanced subtly to his side towards Junior, only to find Junior was doing the exact same thing. They shared a quick polite smile and both looked back to the path. The atmosphere was thick with a history unshared. John glanced at Junior again. What did you say to a son you had never known existed until now? Surely this must be weird for Junior as well though.
John cleared his throat, trying desperately to find a way to start talking, but no ideas came to mind. He glanced back up the slope where the tops of the camp tents were disappearing from sight.
"So, you guys moved the camp then?" He asked, and then rolled his eyes at himself – he would have been subtler if he had started to talk about the weather.
"Yes, about five summers ago," Junior replied quickly enough though. His words were slightly hurried which made John wonder if Junior was seeking for conversation material just as desperately. "We are now closer to the fields and the river. It divides further up the hillside and we now use one channel for drinking water and the other for washing and to irrigate the crops."
Okay, John could talk geography and camps.
"There used to be a well in the old camp?"
"Yes, it dried up when I was young," Junior reported eagerly.
The path they were following led around the side of the slope and the wide fields came into view below. They were full with lush, soon to be harvested, crops. John could make out the dark shapes of people working amidst the tall grains and the shorter vegetables.
"Have you always lived in the camp?" John asked, glancing at his son again.
"Yes, my tent is on the far side of the camp. But Mother has always encouraged us to travel to other worlds on trading trips.
"You have your own tent in the camp?" If John remembered correctly, kids were allowed their own tents around about sixteen and Junior had to be about nineteen.
"Yes," Junior replied with a smile. "I live near Torren and Mother, though Korlan is slightly further away in the camp. He says it was because there was not enough room around that part of the camp, but he just wants to be further away."
"He doesn't get on with you guys?"
"We all love each other dearly, but Korlan has only just moved out of Mother's tent and to be honest he prefers to live closer to his friends."
"I can understand that," John replied with a smile. "So, Korlan's about sixteen?"
"Yes, he moved into his new tent several months ago," Junior replied as he indicated to one path in the fork up ahead, and together they took the path leading around the hillside and in the distance John could already hear the sound of running water.
Teyla would be out there somewhere, and very soon John was going to see her again. He wanted to find out about her living situation before he saw her, but he wasn't too sure about asking Junior about that. Junior had said 'Mother's tent', so maybe Korlan's father wasn't around anymore either. John looked at Junior beside him, and decided that perhaps asking honestly would be the best policy here, after all that was the Athosian way.
"I, ah, hope you don't mind me asking," he began. Junior looked round eagerly, clearly willing to answer any of John's questions. "Where is Korlan's father?"
Junior didn't look surprised or uncomfortable at John's question. "Kanaan passed to the Ancestors in Korlan's first year." Okay, that answered many questions for John. So Teyla had gone back to Kanaan. A conflicting sense of feelings warred in John. On one hand he didn't like the fact that Teyla had gone back to the Athosian, but at the same time it was good to know that there wasn't some other guy around. Though, if had been something like fifteen years since Kanaan had died… Junior continued on, unaware of John's inner thoughts. "Mother moved in with Kanaan when I was around two years, and Korlan was born a year later. Most of those who had been altered by the creature Michael did not survive many years longer."
"I'm sorry to hear that," John replied honestly.
"I do not really remember Kanaan that much, though he was always kind to me," Junior replied. John didn't like the idea of Junior feeling different like that when he was a young kid. It was the Athosian way to accept, but surely it must have been weird. Though, if Kanaan had died that long ago, the boys possibly hadn't had a regular father figure around. John knew what it was like to have father issues, and he regretted that he, without intending to, had continued the Sheppard tradition. He looked at his son and needed desperately to mend it somehow, but he never could.
John stopped on the path and turned to his son. "Junior," he began. Junior stopped as well, his wide green eyes looking up at John. John hesitated – how do you say this kind of thing? How would Teyla handle it? She would be honest and forthright and John should really be the same.
"Junior," he began again. "I never knew about you..." he tried.
"I know," Junior replied quickly. "Mother said that she did not discover she was carrying me until after you had been lost."
Okay, that made John feel a little better. "We had talked about starting a family together," John added.
"Mother told me that as well," Junior replied, his gaze straying downwards to the path before them. John watched the boy's nervous expression before he looked back up at John. "She said you would have been happy to have a son," Junior said softly, the need and discomfort painfully clear.
A huge ache opened up in John's chest and he felt the urge to hug Junior, but would that make Junior more uncomfortable? Was it too soon?
"I would have been," John replied quietly. "I am."
Junior looked back up at him again and there was a rather watery smile in reply. John held his gaze a little longer than he normally would, and finally had to look away and blink away the wetness in his own eyes. John swallowed the thick heavy emotions threatening to choke him. He stared off at the nearby tree line into which the path would lead them.
"I'm sorry I wasn't around when you were a kid," John told Junior, and he finally felt strong enough to look back at Junior. "I missed a lot," John said. All those years of longing to be back here – it was almost as if he had known that he had been missing something so important back here.
"I am glad you are here now," Junior replied after a beat and John meet his eyes again. Junior grinned.
John shook his head and smiled back. "You look so like your mother when you smile."
Junior nodded. "People have mentioned that to me before."
John nodded as he turned back to the path ahead of them and they began walking again, but now the tension had lifted considerably. They reached the trees and birdsong danced above them as John looked up at the thin canopy overhead. At least this was a beautiful place for his son to have grown up. He had been surrounded by people who loved him and it sounded like his brothers loved him.
"So they all call you 'Junior' huh?"
Junior nodded. "Everyone says that I remind them of you and Mother chose my name to honour your memory, though she never truly believed that you had been lost with the destruction of Atlantis."
A wave of grief made John look away to the birds overhead again. After a moment he was able to push aside those feelings, for now. "You like being called 'Junior'?"
Junior shrugged. "It has always been my name. I am rarely called John."
John didn't really like the idea of calling his own son 'Junior'. "What does your mom call you?"
"She calls me 'Junior', or sometimes 'John Junior' if she wants my full attention."
John chuckled at that. "You mean when you're in trouble."
John saw the slight reddening to Junior's cheeks. "I try never to upset or disappoint Mother," he said quickly, sounding worried.
John reached out and dropped his hand briefly on Junior's shoulder. "I'm only teasing you." Junior looked round with another one of those hopeful smiles. "Where I come from 'John' is sometimes short for 'Jonathan', and my father would use it a lot when I was in trouble."
"Mother calls Torren by his full name when he was ever in trouble," Junior added with a chuckle of brotherly amusement. "Torren John Emmagan, she would say."
"We used to call him T.J. back in Atlantis," John told him.
"I did not know that," Junior replied.
The path twisted along through the trees and the sound of running water was growing louder.
"John Junior," John pondered the name. He didn't want to call his son 'Junior' really – it made John fell like he was putting down his own son. It reminded him far too much of his own father's attitude. "How would you feel about me calling you J.J?" John asked.
Junior smiled. "I would like that," he replied.
"Unless you prefer Junior?" John added hurriedly.
"No, I would like you to call me J.J," Junior replied.
"Great," John added feeling a little better about it all now.
The trees began to thin out and the slope down towards the fields below became clear. Another few steps and John could see part of the river ahead, where it tumbled down the hillside, twisting and turning forming little pools of reasonably still water. John could see several people around one pool washing clothes and blankets. With one brief look John knew Teyla wasn't among them.
"Mother is working down near the fields, where the irrigation system feeds water to the crops," Junior informed him somehow knowing what John had been thinking.
John nodded and as they reached a rise they could see the path of the river down the hillside, flowing smoothly down to the fields below. John noticed the series of clearly hand cut channels diverting away from the main water course. There were dark spots down there as well, where people were working on the irrigation channels. One of them would be Teyla. His breathing was getting shallower as the twenty year old pain and desire drew closer to resolution.
The path now reached the edge of the river and he and his son turned to follow it down stream, down towards the flatter land below. As they walked they passed close to the washing pool and John saw the stares from those around the water as they watched them pass by. One person in particular waved and John realised it was Jinto. John waved back, but for now he wasn't about to stop to chat. There would be plenty of time to catch up later. John waved again to Jinto before he and Junior disappeared from view. John could see Jinto smiling and shaking his head in amazement before he turned to the others around the pool. One thing was clear – he and Junior would be the talk of the camp tonight.
The river turned in its last leg down towards the fields below and John realised he and Junior had lapsed into silence as they wandered along its edge.
"What would you like me to call you?" Junior asked abruptly.
John looked away from the distance irrigation channels and focused on his son again. "You can call me anything you want."
Junior nodded, but he looked uncomfortable. "Mother told me that where you come from you do not use Mother and Father as names."
"That's usually true in my home country. I always called my father 'Dad', but if you want to call me 'Father' that's okay. Or 'John' if you don't want to," John offered feeling uncomfortable himself now. Did biology make you a dad, or was there more to it?
"Dad," Junior tried out the word. "May I call you that?"
"Of course you can, J.J." John smiled as he replied. Junior smiled back and they wandered on in silence again, but now it was comfortable once more. Wow, he had a kid who was going to call him 'Dad'!
The river levelled out and they reached a small wooden bridge that crossed the first widest diversion channel. John waved Junior before him and as he walked over the well constructed bridge he looked down at the shored up edges of the channel below them. This had all been well thought out and the channel was impeccably clean and well kept – so typically Athosian.
As John stepped off the bridge he looked off towards the fields before him.
"Mother was working at one of the furthest channels," Junior reported. "I think she will probably still be working there."
"Let's start there then," John said with forced confidence, something he was good at anyway. He didn't really want Junior to see how much this was affecting him. The emotion from so many years was seriously threatening its own shored up banks. He strode forward, focusing on the channels around him for distraction. "So the water feeds off to the furthest fields from here?"
"Yes, we use simple hand pumps and some of the crops grow best if the water is allowed to flood over the soil at a constant rate. It works well, but it could be improved," Junior added.
They kept walking, crossing over the channels via small bridges and in some places via simple planks. All the while John asked simple basic questions about the fields and the camp, all to help distract himself from the approaching reunion.
The river flowed slower here, and the fields were giving way to more overgrown vegetation and then another channel came into view.
"She should be down this channel," Junior suggested.
They left the river's edge and turned, following along the small bank of the channel. This channel was wider and shallower than the others, and Junior said it was designed more to control the river's flooding, but John didn't really hear what he said, because in the distance in the middle of the channel he could make out a figure. She was wading along through the ankle deep water, her attention focused down at the water. John couldn't really see her features from this distance, but he knew it was her. The pain and sadness were almost unavoidable now and he felt the tears in the corner of his eyes. He cleared his throat and stopped.
"J.J," he said to his son, without taking his eyes away from the distant shape of Teyla. "Could you give us a minute?"
"Of course," Junior replied quietly.
John nodded and moved forward, his heart physically aching in his chest. He blinked his eyes, surprised at the overwhelming emotion trying to break free, but he kept his gaze fixed on her as he drew closer. He could already see the subtle changes to her, but she looked as beautiful as she ever had. The sunlight, glittering off the flowing water, danced over her bare arms as she reached down into the water and pulled up some water logged twigs. Her skin was the same golden colour he remembered, and as she turned to throw the twigs to the bank he saw her hair was long and plaited down her back. There was a large amount of grey in there, but then so had he. So, much time had passed, but right now, looking at her, he felt that no time had passed. All the same old feelings were back and a burst of love and joy made him pause along the bank.
She became aware that there was someone close by and she looked up towards him with a polite questioning expression. He smiled at her and he saw her eyes widen and her mouth open in shock.
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TBC