Pregnant.

Giving birth.

Here.

Now.

On the floor of a cave in the middle of some kind of battle… Jennifer… was having a baby?

Her back against Sheppard's front, the Colonel sat on the floor, propping her up, brushing her hair away from her face while he talked her down, his voice calm in her ear.

She cursed at a volume that would make a drill sergeant proud, her arms bent upward, fingers clenched around the shoulder straps of John's TAC vest behind her. John's arms were wrapped around her upper body, holding both her, and his Beretta, as he eyed the far side of the cavern. His P90 lay beside his hip, locked and loaded.

"He promised!" Jennifer wailed, her breath coming in short gasps. "God damn it! He promised!"

"Och lass…" Carson answered, raising his head from his kneeling position between her bare legs. "You know as well as I do your big man wouldn't miss this if he could. Now push!"

She screamed, the harsh sound echoing louder as a contraction hit, bending her over. John helped her lean forward, her agonized cry echoing around the cavern as Carson shouted encouragement. She collapsed back against the Colonel, panting. "I… am not… having… this child… alone!"

"Breathe, Doc." John ordered, brushing her damp hair off her forehead while she struggled to catch her breath. "You're not alone. We're right here with you."

"I… don't… want you…" She hissed. "I… want… RONON!" She turned his name into a drawn out shout as her body forced her to push.

"He's on the way." John assured her when she collapsed again, his eyes locked on the tunnel to his left.

"He's not coming!" She shouted. "I'm going… to kill him… for this!"

"Come on, Doc. Women do this all the time." He added, then winced when Jennifer's fingers dug into his thigh.

"I… am not… women!" She cursed, her arm flailing up as she snagged his shoulder strap again. "Fuuuuuuuck!" She shouted the curse, long and loud, bending as the next contraction ripped through her lower body.

This time when she collapsed, exhausted, she was sobbing. "I can't… I can't… I can't…"

"Aye, lass." Carson shot the colonel a worried glance as the ground around them trembled from another distant explosion. "You can. Your wee bairn just has a flair for the dramatic – what with showing up in the middle of a battle and all. Quite like a certain father-to-be we all know and love. Now let's finish up so we can get ya' both back to the city. Safe n' sound. Ready? Now push!"

"He promised." She wailed, the word turning into an agonized scream as John helped her lean forward.

Behind them, in the darkness, Ronon stood in stunned silence in the entrance to the tunnel – unable to move – unable to breathe – unable to do anything other than stare.

This was it?

This was her nightmare?

Having his child?

Or having his child without him?

Or having his child without him because he was somewhere else?

Or was it not a baby? Was it something else? Was that what frightened her? Was that the nightmare? Or would there be something wrong with the child?! Would it even be alive?! Panicked thoughts raced through his mind. There were too many pieces. To many questions. To many… he couldn't think. She'd dreamed of having his child? He couldn't put any of it together. When? Why? She did?

"Push lass!" Carson shouted. "You're almost done! Push! Push!"

"OhGodOhGodOhGod!" Jennifer's shouted chant vibrated through Ronon's entire body and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward.

Sheppard's Beretta immediately targeted Ronon's movement. The Colonel's head snapped around, staring as Ronon stepped carefully forward. The barrel wavered then dropped as Carson shouted with urgency over Jen's guttural screams.

"There!" Carson exclaimed as Jennifer's body collapsed against Sheppard, her screams suddenly replaced with exhausted sobbing. "Aye lass, ya' did it! Ya did it!"

Ronon froze in place, his eyes glued to Beckett's hands as the doctor's face cracked into a huge smile. Carson lifted his arms, his hands cradling a tiny infant. A human baby. A live baby. Carson placed the struggling infant gently on Jennifer's chest.

"Och, Jennifer" Carson said softly. "It's a wee girl. A beautiful baby girl."

Ronon stared.

A baby?

His baby?

Girl.

Daughter.

So small.

So very small.

A cool touch of fingers brushed his cheeks and he looked up, realizing he was there – he was beside her – beside them both.

Jennifer smiled, her cheeks wet from the tears, an exhausted sob escaping her lips. "You're here." She whispered. "You came."

He nodded, unable to make his voice work. Unable to think past the fact that she'd had a baby. His baby. On the cold, hard floor of a cave in some forsaken planet… she'd given birth to his child. Her child. Their child.

But it was only a dream.

Ronon jerked to realize they were suddenly alone. John was gone - and it was his own arms that held Jennifer and the child. Not the Colonel's. A quick glance confirmed that absence of Carson as well.

Weapons fire cracked down the corridor – moving closer.

Ronon didn't chance anything that could possibly be coming next. He leapt to his feet, bringing Jennifer up with him, her arms clutching the baby to her chest. The panic of the situation kicked his heart into a rapid fire beat as he carried her into the shadows towards the rear tunnel. He couldn't seem to find enough belief in the fact that this was still a dream. Just a dream. He knew it was. Understood it was.

But a part of his mind wouldn't let go of the fact that he was protecting the child and her mother.

Jennifer and her daughter.

His daughter.

This was her dream? This is what she didn't want him to see?

A chunk of rock exploded past him and he hunched his shoulders, twisting as he ran, keeping as much of himself between whoever was shooting, and his precious cargo. He reached the safety of the tunnel, moving around a jagged corner. The approaching sounds of footsteps alerted him and he turned to set Jennifer onto her feet so he could free his hands.

"Ronon."

Jennifer spoke from directly behind him.

He turned around, his eyes locked on a second Jennifer. This one was fully clothed in her uniform, no belly, no baby, standing in the middle of the tunnel, watching him with intensity.

He spun back around, confirming the position of the first Jennifer – the mother and the child – and was shocked to see… himself. Still standing, frozen in time as he set her down. It looked as though someone had taken a photograph of his movements and covered his vision with it. He stepped around himself – around the frozen trio, fingers poised to touch.

It was then Ronon realized there was no sound. No gunfire, no shouting, nothing save for a faint ringing in his ears.

He looked at the new Jennifer. "What's happening?"

"My dream." She whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She took a slow step forward, placing her palms flat against his chest. "My nightmare."

"Why?" He shook his head… wanting answers. Wanting truth. "Having a baby?" He croaked. "Or having my baby?"

Tears escaped her eyes as she tipped her head back with a gasp. "No." She shook her head, her voice thick. "Never that."

"Then what?"

She pointed down the tunnel behind him and he turned to face two hybrids. Michael's hybrids. Both armed. Both aiming at the exposed and unprotected spine of his other self. They hadn't been there a moment before – but in this world, he supposed it didn't really matter.

But he understood now. Their position and his. His back to their weapons. They would kill him before he could set Jennifer and the child onto the ground.

This was her nightmare. Not the child. Not his child. Not the life found – but the life lost.

"You never even get to hold her." Jennifer whispered softly and he turned. "No matter how many times I try to change it."

The real Jennifer now stood behind him holding the infant – his dream self gone, her dream self gone. It was just the two of them… the two of them… and their daughter.

"Jennifer…" He hesitated… unable to find the words.

Jennifer gently touched the child's temple and the little girl wriggled, her tiny fingers clutched into miniature fists as she scrunched her angelic face.

"My dream." Jennifer looked up, tears tracing down her cheeks. "My nightmare."

He could feel the tremble in her fingers as she lightly touched his cheek, her skin cool against his.

"I love you, Ronon Dex." She whispered, her anguished eyes searching his. "I always have."

And with a roaring flash of sound, Ronon heard Ellie's screamed warning inside his head at the same time as the world around him kicked to life. His arm swung – the barrel of his blaster moving to face the hybrids – but she was faster.

After all…

This was her dream. And this time... she was ready for them.

In the blink of an eye Jennifer switched their positions.

The hybrids fired.

And she pushed him away.