How it all ended

They had decided to leave two scientists on MXT-089, where they had found little Alexander. They would take each a turn to watch the equipment in case there would be a strange energy sighting, and most probably, Alexander's parents.

It was evening, and Dr. Véronique Dufour was filling her journal entry for the day when a high-pitched beeping caught her attention; it was her scanner that had picked up an unnatural source of energy, not far from the gate. Gasping, she rushed to wake up her sleeping team mate so they could reach the area where the energy disturbance was, as soon as possible: "Juan! Wake up! I think this is it! They're back."

The man groaned and was going back to sleep when she pulled him out of bed by his pajama shirt: "Stop fooling around! Oh gosh I'm all getting nervous!" She finished putting her coat on and threw Juan's clothes on top of his head. She breathed in slowly to calm herself: "Now, Dr. Sanchez, if you are not ready in two minutes, I'll make sure to tell Dr. McKay you were the one who made us miss the return of his alternate self."

The man's eyes grew large with panic and he tried, as best as he could, to dress up but his movements were still clumsy from sleep.

Dr. Dufour smiled with triumph. "That's better." She then went back to packing her stuff.

(-)

Fifteen minutes later, they found the site where the signal was emitting.

Suspended in the air, was a vertical fissure that was emitting little sparks of blue light.

Both scientists were holding their breath and holding their gun ready; someone could come out any second, anyone.

"Véronique, do-"

"Shut up, Juan. Stay concentrated" the woman whispered quickly. She didn't even know why she was whispering, she was too nervous to think about that. Biting her lip, she felt as though she was going to explode from sheer stress alone.

Juan nodded quickly, not wanting to anger her. He closed his eyes, wishing this would end soon or else…

He didn't had time to end that thought that a strange ripping sound was heard and a man was getting out of the fissure. However, because of the darkness of the night, they couldn't see his face well enough to tell if he was friend or foe.

Juan was still mesmerized at the fact that someone had come out of the energy fracture that he didn't have time to react when Véronique yelled loudly at the stranger: "Show yourself!" she bathed him in light with her electric torch: "Where do you come from?"

They immediately recognized the 'I'm-superior-to-you-all' tone: "Well, MAYBE if you weren't BLINDING me with that horrible light I could see where I AM!"

Both scientists let go of that breath they had been holding and Dr. Dufour spoke first: "Welcome to our universe, Dr. McKay." She motioned Dr. Sanchez to lower his weapon and looked back at the Rodney McKay from another dimension: "If you will please follow me, we'll get back to Atlantis."

The alternate Rodney stopped them with a motion of the hand, and put down a large case: "Just wait a few minutes, John is also coming with us."

(-)

It was nine in the evening when the Stargate was activated.

Chuck, the gate technician spoke through the speakers in Elizabeth's office quickly: "Unscheduled activation of the gate. Doctor Weir?"

She was still working in her office when she heard the news. There was no off-world team at the moment and they weren't waiting for anyone… except… "Whose code is it?"

It took a while before the technician answered: "Dr. Dufour's, ma'am."

The leader of Atlantis smiled: "Deactivate the shield." She got up and communicated with Sheppard and McKay. "Your presence is required in the control room, immediately. Weir, out." She was a bit anxious herself at meeting those Sheppard and McKay from another universe.

As Dr. Dufour and Dr. Sanchez came through the gate with both men from the other dimension, Elizabeth, as well as Rodney and John were there to greet them in the Stargate room.

To say that it was a shock would have been… too gentle. At least, for John it was: his alternate self was pregnant: well and swelled in the belly area.

For Rodney, it was simply… strange. His alternate self was not very different physically from him, although a bit more muscled, to which Rodney was slightly jealous. But when he got to the alternate John, he felt something that he couldn't really identify. Of course, this wasn't new to Rodney, feelings never were his forte, but this time, he would have like to be able to know what it was, this... something.

Approaching them felt like a strange dream for everyone on the base. To John and Rodney, it felt like the ending of a long adventure.

(-)

Sitting in the meeting room, Rodney wanted to make things clear before John came back with Alexander.

He sighed, knowing this wouldn't be easy. "Look, alternate me and… alternate John, this is not a joke. What I'm about to tell you is strictly out of affection for Alexander." He paused, judging their reaction. He got what he wanted: a frown from the 'alternate' McKay. "Once, before going to bed, he told he preferred it here, in this dimension."

The alternate John reacted to McKay's words, but the other Rodney stopped him. "And why would he say that?" He tried to hide his anger as well, but did it better than his boyfriend.

"He said that you didn't pay enough attention to him. Well, you-me… you, the alternate me… You know what I meant!" Rodney said gruffly. He did note, however, how his alternate self did not try to rectify anything.

Alternate John, though, did not take the whole thing too well. "What! How can you…!"

Before he could continue, his boyfriend put a hand on the pregnant man's forearm. "No, he's right, John. I don't give Alexander the time he deserves. I realized this a few months ago when we finally got rid of the Wraiths on our Atlantis." He looked at his John Sheppard and added: "And now with another one on the way, it constantly reminds me of Alexander. I've been a bad father…"

One question then hit McKay: "You said a few months ago… what the hell took you so long to come back?" And another question he kept to himself: 'And when did you have time to have another kid?'

This time, it was a calmer alternate John who answered: "Our fight against the Wraith depleted our ZPM. We needed its energy to spark the dimension fissure. We had to wait until we found another one."

Alternate Rodney, however, started chuckling. "I know what you're thinking."

Rodney looked at his other self hesitantly: "Who, me?"

"Yeah, you. I'm pretty sure you were asking yourself how come John is pregnant... again" the alternate Rodney said, putting some emphasis on 'again'. "Well, it actually is a really funny story..."

John sent him a death glare. "It was an accident, yet again, and all Rodney's fault, yet again."

Both Rodneys slightly blushed, but for different reasons.

They didn't have time to talk about this further, as John entered the conference room with a sleepy Alexander attached to his hand.

As the man and the child walked closer to the conference table, confusion was evident in the boy's face. He didn't yet understand how come there was two mommies and two daddies.

John, who let go of Alexander's hand, commented: "He was already asleep when I came in and I guess he's still not completely awake."

The other John's eyes started to shine, seeing his son. "Hey little buddy, we've come to bring you back home" he said, his voice uneven.

Alexander looked back and forth between his parents. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening; he gasped as he threw himself at his mother who, with wide open arms, welcomed him back.

Tears were falling freely from the little family as the other McKay and Sheppard hugged Alexander strongly.

For the other two men present in the room, it was an akward moment; they felt like outsiders. They looked at each other, not really knowing what to say.

Finally, it was the ever impatient Rodney who cleared his throat loudly.

The hugging ended and the alternate versions of John and Rodney stood straight. "We can't thank you enough for taking care of Alexander," John started.

"Yes, but we thought that maybe a ZPM could fit as a gift" Rodney continued. He bent down to take the case he had brought with him. "When we found our ZPM, there were two of them in the ruins, so we thought we could share a bit."

Rodney took the case from his alternate self with surprise. "Huh, well... Thank you, alternate self..."

John chuckled at his friend's lack of words, for once. "Yes, thank you, but you shouldn't have. Even though it was rather... weird at first, it was a great experience."

The other McKay then announced that they should get going, as Atlantis was being devoided from her leaders.

"But we want to know... How is it, in your dimension?" Rodney asked.

"Well there doesn't seem to be much difference. Except for that big buy with the dreads and that woman that is your leader, it pretty much looks the same."

Then, John asked: "What about Ford? Is he still with you guys?"

"Of course, Ford is part of our team. Isn't he here?" The alternate John answered.

At the grim look the two men had on their face, the alternate John took this as a 'no'.

They all decided to end the conversation not to stir any other unwanted emtions and started to walk toward the gate.

"We will be using the Stargate to return home, as we created a special crystal that you can put in your DHD. This will enable the fissure in your dimension so that we can go back to ours" the other McKay said, giving the crystal to his alternate self. "It's a one-time thing, so you won't be able to use it once we've gone through the gate. Sorry."

Taking the crystal, the scientist went to work and put it where is was suppose to be to enable the Stargate to send the little family into another dimension.

(-)

McKay smiled as Alexander and his parents walked through the Stargate, leaving for their own dimension. "Well, this is really the end, huh?"

"Yup."

Turning his head to send a glance at Sheppard, he noticed how the man's eyes were slightly shining with unshed tears, still focused on the Stargate that just shut off.

Giving the colonel a shoulder bump to bring him back to reality, he decided that it would definitely be better than a manly hug; it would be less harmful to "mommy's" already damaged masculinity.

John smirked and answered him with a shoulder bump of his own: "Shut up, McKay." Then, the man's eyes widened in panic as he turned to face the scientist: "Dammit!"

Rodney slitghtly panicked: "What's wrong?"

"We forgot to ask them how my alternate self ended up, errr... pregnant... I definitely don't want this to happen!"

Rodney exploded with laugh and received a slap behind the head: "Shut up, McKay!" John said, with a smile in his voice.

LOL This chapter was written a long time ago, before most of them were even thought about. I hope I didn't disappoint some of you by sending Alexander back to his dimension :(

One chapter left and then it's finished; well, it's more like an epilogue more than anything.

Oh yeah, and just for you, Gazerock4evr, what RODNEY SAID TO JOHN at the end of the last chapter (which made him blush): "You're back... I thought I had lost you this time..."

Thank you for reviewing and stay tuned for the next chapter... which is coming in less than fifteen minutes! lol