Chapter Eleven

Confirmation

After they had kissed for several long, passionate minutes, John seemed to regain his senses, and his anger. His voice was low, and gravelly, and Merry felt a shiver run up her spine at the sound. She'd never really seen him angry at her before.

"What were you thinking?"

Merry smiled beatifically at him while trying not to snarl. He had no reason to be mad at her. "That if she really could heal me, then I would be able to be useful again. I am so tired of having everyone wait on me hand and foot. I'm pregnant, not a porcelain doll."

He looked frustrated, running his hand through his hair. "She could have killed you. She could have been lying about her powers."

Merry blinked back sudden tears. "You already were killing me. I didn't see the harm, and Aivka and B…Beshia's powers were real; why shouldn't hers be?"

He stared at her, ignoring her question; his eyes were wide and uncomprehending. "How was I killing you? I haven't even seen you in four days!"

She turned away, suddenly realizing the direction their conversation had taken. Moving her legs to the edge of the bed, she groaned. "God, this feels good. I'm going to take a long, hot bath."

He held up a hand, his face hard and his eyes flashing; she thought they looked green, today, a definite sign that he was beyond angry. "Answer my question, damn it!"

She ignored him, gathering clean clothes from the dresser and walking, slowly, towards the bathroom. He blocked her path. His face…something was gentler about his face. "Merry, please."

She took pity on him- briefly- and answered, after setting the pile of clothing on a chair near the door. "You wouldn't answer me. I called and called, but you wouldn't answer. And neither would Leslie. And then, Teyla said she couldn't help me, and Ronon wouldn't answer either, and then Rodney- Rodney McKay!- wouldn't talk to me! What was I to think, John? That you were there for me? You weren't!"

John took a step backwards. "I did what I thought…I didn't want you to see me so angry…I didn't think…"

Merry jabbed a finger into his chest, hard. "No, you didn't. I was injured and unable to move, and I'm PREGNANT! You left me all by myself, and I didn't know if you were coming back, and Alis offered, and now, for the first time in weeks, I can move on my own. And my new people will be arriving soon, and I wanted to be able to greet them myself, not have them traipsing through our rooms to see a boss so injured she can't get a pencil off the floor! Plus, there's the nursery to set up, and a hundred other things that I need to arrange before the baby arrives in about five months. And you can tell everyone to start taking my calls again; I'm lonely, and they're my friends too!"

John choked back whatever comment he had planned on saying. "I'm sorry. I don't know how else to say it."

Merry shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I know I should have talked to about it, but you weren't available. So I had to do it on my own." She picked up the clothes and handed them to him. "Now, you can help me take a bath. If you're good, I may help you take one as well."

His eyes lit up for a second, then sobered. "Are we…are we good?"

She nodded, ignoring the pang in her chest that said that she was still mad at him. "Of course we are."

~*~

The rest of the day was passed in a flurry of checkups and tests. It took Doctor Keller nearly three hours to determine that everything was, indeed, fine, and that Alis had done nothing more or less than heal her. As soon as she drew the conclusion, Keller seemed eager to talk to the old woman about what had happened, and released Merry, stating, in no uncertain terms, that while she was fine to go back to work, she should take it easy for a few days.

Alis had spoken to Woolsey about the meeting of the Dragons, and while he was sympathetic, he believed (as did nearly everyone but Merry), that it was simple myth. The names that they knew, the timelines they had given, coincided with nothing in the Ancient database. But Merry believed her, and wanted to help.

John moved back in, and they had dinner together. He felt guilty not knowing what changes her body was going through, and gratefully accepted the book Keller had given her to give to him- What to Expect When You're Expecting. Merry didn't tell him that Jennifer had given her a copy, too; there was something like too much information.

They settled into a routine. John went about his duties as usual, and read the book when he had a spare moment. Merry and Leslie- now talking, after an apology and explanation- set up the labs for the new department and found living quarters for everyone. They had submitted their list to Woolsey, who approved and sent it back to the IOA. Within a month, possibly as soon as a week, they would set up meetings through the gate to introduce her to her new team. Within six weeks, everyone would arrive on Atlantis, and the real work would start.

It was good news for Merry; she wanted everyone settled before she grew too huge, which, according to the book, could be any day. At the fifth month- which she was nearing- it would be more obvious to everyone that she was pregnant.

Meanwhile, the darkness had spread to fifteen worlds, only two inhabited, and with a warning sent well in advance, everyone was evacuated safely. It seemed that the meeting of the Dragons would need to happen soon, but no one was budging.

Merry had spoken to John about what Aivka had shown her, had even tried to get him to take the memories for himself, but nothing helped. Alis and her niece had cornered him several times, to which he had responded by assigning them a guard to keep them away from him. Reva, on the other hand, simply followed him until he gave in and begged her to leave him alone, and gave her permission to visit her brother in his cell.

Merry felt frustrated and fed up, but there was nothing she could do.

~*~

Three weeks had gone by so quickly. Merry had ordered everything she needed for the nursery; the military had been very generous, only dividing the items into three groups, so they would all be there before the baby arrived. A message sent to her sister had been responded to; Pip was thrilled that she was finally going to be an aunt, and had taken the liberty of telling her children that they would soon be cousins. Sam, in particular, was very excited.

She had also sent a message- under John's name, of course- to his brother Dave, who had sent back a polite and almost cheerful message in response, one that had surprised John. Soon, the brothers would be emailing frequently, something she thought would be as good for them as it was for her. Her relationship with Pip hadn't been good for so long, she had thought they would never recover, but they had been getting along swimmingly since her marriage.

After a long day supervising the installation of a new lab, all Merry wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep until dinner. She needed to eat, of course, but John, when not on a mission- very infrequent, given the danger of the darkness- had taken to bringing her dinner. Occasionally, they were joined by his friends, usually Rodney and Jennifer, but also Teyla and Kanaan and Ronon and Amelia. Leslie, in her new relationship with Hanai, the Athosian Teyla had introduced her to, rarely came by, but they spent most of the day together anyway, so Merry wasn't hurt.

She waved her hand wearily over the crystals to open the door, and jumped in surprise when there was someone waiting for her on the other side.

Reva looked tired and worn; acting as the go-between for her brother and their people was wearing on her. "Merry Sheppard."

Merry stared at her. "Reva. How did you get in my quarters?"

Reva frowned. "They were not locked. It was a simple thing." Waving it off as unimportant, she continued. "My brother said that the meeting will take place in four days, on a planet near here. The rest of the Dragons will be there, and he and Alis must attend, if they are to save all worlds. This, he knows, and has sent me to tell you." Her voice was intense.

Merry sighed. "I don't know what you think I can do about it. John isn't budging, and even if he did, Woolsey won't allow it."

Reva shrugged. "Then perhaps they can come here, to Atlantis. This is where the Darkness was first fought, and then Aivka will not leave."

The door opened behind Merry, and she jumped, shrieking in surprise. Reva looked stunned, but not more so than John. "Mer, what's going on?"

Merry's brain froze. "Um…"

Reva jumped in, her face determined. "You must free my brother and Alis to go to the meeting of the Dragons. We will do anything, if you let them go!"

John was taken aback. "You'd allow an escort of Marines to go with? And scientists?"

Reva nodded hurriedly. "Of course. The meeting must take place. This Aivka has told me. He will agree to whatever you wish."

Merry put a hand on John's arm. "You're not seriously considering this, are you?" she asked hopefully.

John didn't look at her. "And if we decide to bring everyone back to Atlantis? Will they cooperate?"

Reva nodded. "I believe so. Anything to contain the Darkness again. That is their purpose."

John glanced at Merry. "Then I'll talk to Woolsey in the morning."

Reva grinned brightly. "Thank you! My brother will be so very pleased!"

John opened the door for her, and she left, grin stretching from ear to ear.

Merry waited until the girl was gone and the door firmly shut before she spun on her husband, nearly loosing her balance in the process. "What's changed?"

John sighed. "We received word that the Darkness was going to Proculus. You know, the planet with Ithar, the Ancient woman?"

Merry nodded, confused. "Okay?"

John sank into the sofa, patting the cushion for Merry to join him. "We sent a team through, letting them know what was coming. Chaya was horrified to learn that the Darkness was loose. She confirmed Aivka's story. Said the Dragons could save everything. She…she said that they had never found anything else that could. She said we could, and should, trust them."

Merry leaned closer into him. "You needed confirmation, and now that you have it…"

John sighed again, this time with frustration. "Convincing Woolsey will be difficult, but with the word of a real Ancient? Should be a piece of cake. Speaking of which, have you gained weight?"

Merry was stunned by the question. It was so out of character, and yet, there had been a teasing quality to his voice that she hadn't heard in a long time. "Are you calling me fat?"

John laughed. She didn't realize how long it had been since she heard him laugh, truly. "No, just asking. You seem…bigger."

Merry giggled, and she reached up and kissed him. "I've missed you."

He returned the kiss with fervor. "Missed you, too."

Again, sorry for the delay. Will be much faster now that I have the whole story planned, and my computers (both of them!) have had all viruses eradicated, and all physical repairs done. Long story. Lots of money. Bitch of a delay.