Author's Notes: No beta, so please forgive my mistakes. This is it, everybody. All done. Thanks for reading and being patient.

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, I just play with them. No copyright infringement intended.

Epilogue

Teyla looked up. She stood up from the large, scrub table she had been bending over, easily abandoning the vegetables she had been cutting. There was that unmistakable feeling in her chest.

She crossed the crowded tent to the water-filled basin. She caught her reflection in the small chipped mirror as she rinsed her hands. Her hair had greyed and there were wrinkles around her eyes. How much a life could change in a year, or five or twenty.

She pushed open the tent flap and stepped out into the windy evening. The tall trees surrounding the clearing where the Athosians had set up camp swayed. She waited.

A moment later, a figure came into view around the around one of the other tents. He was a tall, power man, dressed partially in a black Atlantis uniform and partially in traditional Athosian clothes. There was a sidearm strapped to his thigh and a pair of carved Bantos rods in a sheath across his back.

Once again, Teyla felt a surge of pride. She couldn't help it. He was leader about in the camp and on the base. He was the head of his own team on Atlantis, a team the new commander used for the most delicate operations. He was a skilled fighter and a generous man.

She had felt him coming before he had reached the camp. Their connection had not wavered. It had changed over the years, much like the appearance of mother and son had changed too. The emotions were not as intense, but the range was much wider as if the bound had stretched.

"Hello, Mother," Torren said and wrapped in a strong hug.

It had been nearly three months since they had seen each other. Torren had been he barrowed by an archeology team for an extended mission. She hadn't know when he would be back and so she had gone to New Athos for the Tendol Feast.

"You did not even change," she said and tugged on the sleeve of his uniform.

"We kind of lost track of time on the planet. When I got back and realized it was day of the feast, I did not want to wait."

"I am glad you did not. Come in!" She pulled open the flap and entered the tent.

Torren followed. Since neither of them were staying on New Athos very long, they did not bother setting up their own tent. This one belonged to Halling's.

She returned to the vegetables and Torren ducked behind divider and changed out of his Atlantis uniform. When he reappeared, he had replaced the black uniform pants and jacket with a pair of natural leather pants and long coat. He had also removed his weapons.

He sat down at the table across from her and pulled the cutting board away from her. Without complaining, she handed him the knife as well. They were quiet. They didn't need to speak much. They just enjoyed the sensation of being hole again. They went through this process every time they were apart for more than a day or so. It was an adjustment period, a kind of recalculating of sorts. Teyla could tell he wanted to talk about something specific, but she waited. Instead, Torren began talking about his mission.

Teyla listened as best as she could. She was distracted by something else. It was also a day that she marked but passed unnoticed by everyone else.

It had been fifteen years since her son came back to her. In her mind alone, Torren had two birthdays. The day of his birth, that horrible, wonderful day. A day full of the beautiful anticipation of being able to actually hold her son for the first time and a day full of the unnamable fear of what was going to happen to him under Michael's care. Then, the elation of being rescued and being brought back home to Atlantis.

The second date was the day she was able to bring him home from his five years in hiding. Fifteen years from today. She didn't talk about that day much because it still brought back overwhelming emotions.

Torren took a step back. His eyebrows pulled together. "What is the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing. I am happy to see you."

"That is not the only thing I am feeling."

"You came home fifteen years ago."

He frowned for moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "From Weldon?"

"Yes."

"Mother, that was a long time ago."

"Yes, and you were gone for a long time. I still celebrate your return," she said and placed a hand on his cheek.

"But you are sad. You do not try to deny it."

"It was a difficult time for both of us. I try not to think about it, but I cannot ignore it today. Do not worry. The feeling with pass."

He watched her for a long moment. It was nearly impossible to keep anything from each other. The moment either one became happy, sad, worried, the other knew. They had learned over the years and through many intense arguments was Torren was fourteen or fifteen to respect each other privacy. The unspoken rule was let the other bring up the cause of the feeling; don't pry or pester.

He opened his mouth, clearly about to break this rule when a voice from outside the tent called, "It is Maia. I have come to see Torren."

"Enter," Teyla called back.

A young woman pushed through the tent opening. Maia was a pretty woman with a kind, round face. She was very petit and usually quiet unless she lost her temper. She and Torren were very close and Teyla could sense how much Torren loved her.

Torren stood up when Maia entered, but she went to Teyla first and placed her hands on shoulders. Their foreheads touched. Then, Maia went and did the same with Torren, although it was awkward as if he had expected a different greeting.

Teyla tried to hide her smile. She could feel the rush of nerves and excitement. Something big was about to happen. Again, Teyla waited. They exchanged pleasantries and Torren told them a little bit more about his mission. They talked about the feast and then Maia left.

This was no what she was expecting. Torren went back to the cooking as if nothing had happened. She concentrated and she found the felling deeply buried.

"You better be careful or she is going to get away," Teyla said. "Anyone with eyes can see how much you love her and no one can wait forever."

"Do you mean Maia?" he asked.

"Of course!"

"I have my duties on Atlantis. I cannot—"

"You can hide it from everyone but me. Torren, my sweet boy, you are afraid. You are afraid of losing her or being killed yourself. It is a risk every couple must take no matter what their duties are. What makes you special?"

He stared, open mouthed at her. "How can you say that?"

"What? Encourage you to take a risk?"

"Ask me what makes me special. Because it is you. You made me special. You gave me this gift, this connection and I can feel everything you feel. I already know what losing a lover feels like. I had a very real idea what it is like to lose a child. Besides, you have no right to lecture me about taking risks. Ask Sheppard."

She felt a pang of guilt. In a small sense, he was right. Her relationship with John had been complicated for along time. They were together and had been for years, but she spent months away from him at a time. They shared quarters when she was on Atlantis but she had never allowed talk of marriage or more children. Conversations that a normal, healthy couple should have.

"My relationship with John is—"

"Is complicated," he finished for her. "For the love of the Ancestors, I know. Do you keep your distance out of respect for my father? I highly doubt. You accepted and forgave yourself for his death a decade ago."

It was more like having an argument with herself then with her son. "I was not trying to make you angry," she began, but Torren just kept talking.

"Or it is because you shared a connection with Kannan that you cannot find again. He had the gift too. Sheppard cannot understand that. How could you consider having more children when you know you will never be able to be as connected as you are with me? Then, there is me. How can any woman or any person compete with the connection I share with you? Any person I marry would always be on the outside of this," he said as he gestured back and forth in the gap between them. "I do not relate well to other people because I half expect to be able to read them."

She didn't have anything else to say. He was afraid that was true, but she had wrongly guessed at the source of the fear.

"Do not use me as an example. I have made a mess of everything. I have only ever wanted the best for you, but I have made many mistakes."

"You did what you had to do. They were not mistakes."

"Fine. I made choices that radically alter your life and that has led you to view the world in a certain way. What we share is unique, but you are not the first to be special. I grew up with the gift; I was special yet I found love and have a family."

"And it was nearly taken from you several times. And I know that feels. We were just talking about this an hour ago. It has been fifteen years since I came home—since you got part of your family back—and it still haunts you."

"I did not hide you on a forgettable planet so you can live in fear. I wanted you to live! If something had happened to me or Michael's experiments had succeeded, you still would have been alive to grow up and get married and have children."

"Marriage? When were we talking about marriage?"

"Torren, that is exactly what we are talking about! You do not have to marry Maia, but I need to know that you not be alone for the rest of your life."

"I am not alone. I have you and all of Atlantis and the Athosians."

"But I want you to have love," she said quietly. "I want you to be safe and happy."

"Why are trying to push me away?" He sounded like the nine-year-old who had just come back to Atlantis.

"Never ever. I want you to get married and give me grandchild and live in the room next door to me until I die. You cannot live in fear of the bad things or you will miss the good things. And you are going to miss so much."

"It is my life," he snapped.

"Of course and you know that I am so very proud of you. No matter what you chose." She conjured up the way she had felt when she had first seen him walking through the camp just hours before. "But do hold back because of feeling you experienced through me. Please, live your own life."

He finally had nothing left to say. He just put him head down on the table. She got up and she sat on the bench next to him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Hours later, Teyla stood around the large bound fire, surrounded by her people. Night had fallen and everyone was in a good mood. Their bellies were full of food and wine. Music was playing and many people were dancing, including Torren.

Teyla had been talking with a small group of people, mostly about the harvest, but she had become quiet when Torren had pulled Maia to her feet. They were dancing together with their bodies close together.

Teyla watched closely. Torren leaned over and whispered something in Maia's ear. Her looked up at him with bright eyes and nodded. He kissed her and Teyla felt his happiness soar.

Halling suddenly appearing, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Care to dance?" He grabbed her hand without waiting for an answer and allowed herself to be pulled to the dance floor.

After a while, Torren cut it.

"Mother, you were right," he said.

"She said yes." It wasn't a question. The final pieces of her life were falling into place. She was perfectly happy, being near her son, her people and celebrating for the sake of celebrating.