A/N: A long time ago I wrote a fic called "The Lost Children of Atlantis" under my other profile pdljmpr6. If you've read that, you'll know why I mention it when you get to the end. -Punk

Laura was surprised to hear the gate activating as she approached the gateroom from behind the marines always stationed to guard incoming wormholes.

"Colonel Sheppard's IDC." She heard Chuck call out, followed immediately by Woolsey's remark that they were atypically ahead of schedule.

One after another Teyla, Rodney, John and then Ronon appeared through the event horizon.

"Not only were those power readings coming from useless radiation. If Mr. Daddy over there had just accepted the price they gave us for the crib and baby cage thing we wouldn't have been in the mess in the first place." Rodney complained, face red from running.

"I told you it wasn't a fair price." Ronon growled.

"Baby cage?" Teyla raised a wary eyebrow.

"He means playpen." John muttered dismissively, catching sight of Laura's red hair before her face as she emerged from the shadows under the stairs at a jog.

"Ronon, I need you to come with me." She called out to him, waving him over to her. Her eyes met John's briefly and his stomach clenched at the worry he saw swirling in them. Ronon didn't hesitate, slipping his blaster into his holster as he followed Laura back the way she'd come at a run.

John and Teyla exchanged a look before falling into a run behind them, John ordering Rodney to breif Woolsey before he joined them. They slipped into the transporter just before it closed, Laura halfway through her explanation, one calming hand on Ronon's forearm.

"She's in good hands Ronon. Carson is prepping her now. When we get there you need to get scrubbed up so you can be in the OR, okay?"

Ronon's expression was closed, staring at the transporter doors. Three pairs of eyes bored into him, worry and tension thick enough in the small space to reach out and touch.

As soon as the transporter doors swished open Ronon was gone, making his way to the infirmary at a dead run.

In the infirmary organized chaos hummed in time with machines and voices. Ronon frowned as his eyes scanned the flurry of activity, looking for Jennifer's familiar form. There, toward the back, he saw Carson and, when a nurse moved aside, he caught sight of Jennifer laying on her back on a gurney.

He plowed across the room toward her, shrugging off the hands of another doctor, and then a nurse, talking to him, trying to pull him off course.

"Back off!" he barked, turning quickly toward Dr. Munn who was babbling about 'scrubs' and 'mask' and 'prep'. The man's hands flew off of his arms as if burned.

Ronon didn't care about these words. Didn't care about the concern or alarm in the nurse's face beside him. There was only Jennifer now. He pulled away from them again and this time ran into the warm, surprisingly steady form of Carson Beckett. He wore scrubs, his hair tied under a surgical cap and his face mask hanging loosely from his neck.

"Now look here, Ronon, we're on our way to the OR." The Scot stepped to one side, then the other, preventing the Satedan from passing him to get to the woman in the bed. "Just ye go with Dr. Munn and get scrubbed up, you can join us when you're finished."

Ronon's eyes flashed and he put his hands firmly on both of Carson's shoulders, without a word he moved the man to one side and stepped away from him.

"Carson, it's okay." Jen nodded. Her hair was caught up into a hair net, and her body covered from shoulder to knee with a surgical blanket.

Ronon's eyes were intense and dark, but in contrast to the barely restrained rage that had flowed from him before, now his hands were gentle as he caught her fingers in one, and laid the other on top of her head.

"What's going on?" He asked, an uncharacteristic tremble in his quiet voice.

Cadman had explained, but he hadn't understood. The only words he'd comprehended were 'blood' and 'problem' and 'OR'. After that all he'd been able to see was a tunnel to Jennifer's face and he knew the buzzing in his ears wouldn't go away until she could explain what was happening to her. To their child.

Carson, Marie and a few nurses began wheeling the bed out of the infirmary toward the OR and Ronon fell into step beside them, his eyes never leaving Jennifer's.

She licked her lips, wanting to explain in words that he would understand, that would comfort him.

"The placenta, the organ that connects the baby to me…it separated from the uterus." She explained, watching him carefully. They moved through intermittent brightness from overhead lights as they made their way down the hall. Beside the bed Marie read Jennifer's vitals aloud to Carson from a tablet. "Carson is going to surgically deliver the baby so it can get the oxygen it needs."

Ronon shook his head, his mouth dry. "But it's too early."

Jen squeezed his hand. "It will be okay. They have an incubator ready to go. She'll be fine."

Ronon's breath caught.

"She?" He croaked, his mind frozen on the word.

Jen blinked, a tear ran out the corner of her eye and down the side of her face into her hair and she smiled.

"I changed my mind."

They arrived at the OR doors and Marie put a hand on Ronon's arm to stop him from entering.

His eyes held onto Jennifer's until their gaze was broken by a nurse stepping between them.

The doors closed and Ronon blinked, turning to look at Marie.

"A girl." He whispered, clearly star struck.

"Let go get you into scrubs, Dad." She smiled encouragingly. "So we can get you back into the room with your girls."

SGASGASGA

John pulled up beside Laura in the observation room, followed by Rodney and Teyla. Laura glanced at him, her arms folded tightly over her chest, before returning her eyes to the OR isolation room below.

John stood with his hands in his pockets close enough she could feel heat radiating off of him and she shifted her weight to one side, pressing the length of her upper arm against his. She took comfort in the contact when he moved to lean into her.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, his eyes still gazing toward the activity in the room below.

Laura sighed. "Yeah."

"Not very convincing."

She bit her lip, and didn't respond. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked hard to keep them at bay. She was worried. Her best friend and her new niece were in danger and there wasn't a damn thing she could do but stand there and wait.

No. She wasn't okay. Not by a long shot.

She felt warmth surround her and realized John had lifted his arm and draped it across her shoulders. Despite being in full view of the OR, she shrunk toward him, relishing in his warmth and strength. She leaned her head down against his shoulder. John turned and pressed a kiss to her hair, squeezing her shoulders.

"They'll be fine."

She nodded.

After a moment John caught Rodney's eyes over Laura's head. He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

Rodney frowned, confused. He lifted his hands to the side, silently asking what his friend wanted.

John tilted his head and moved his eyes to Teyla, to Rodney, to Teyla, then to Laura. He raised his eyebrows again.

Rodney's frown deepened.

"Wha-"

From his other side Teyla grabbed Rodney's arm and lifted it, sliding herself underneath and hugging her body to his side.

"I believe the Colonel would like us to help cover for him." She responded quietly to Rodney's slightly shocked, very questioning look.

"Oh." He cleared his throat, pushing his free hand into his pocket. "Well why didn't he just say so."

Below in the OR, and unaware of the antics of the adults above them, Carson straightened from his bent over position, making a satisfied noise in the back of his throat.

"Aye, there's a good lass."

Entranced, Ronon watched Carson lift the tiny, wriggling baby girl with steady hands. His child.

His daughter.

Too overwhelmed to put names to any of the emotions crashing into him, Ronon turned an almost blank look toward the pressure on his arm and he saw Marie pressing a pair of medical scissors into his hand.

"You want to cut the umbilical?"

Instead of answering he turned to look at Jennifer. She gave him a tired smile and nodded imperceptibly.

Swallowing hard, Ronon hesitantly took the implement from Marie and did as she directed. Ronon didn't understand the significance but the way the Earthers were all smiling softly at him he thought it must have been important where they were from, and his chest swelled with warmth.

As soon as the cord was severed Marie was beside Carson holding a warm towel and the doctor carefully helped her swaddle the infant in it as she fussed and squirmed. A tiny cry pierced the quiet of the OR and Carson laughed.

"That's it lass! Oh, she's got right tidy lungs on her, hasn't she?" He smiled. "Marie, take her to be checked out please, and then place her in the incubator."

Marie started to walk away, taking the new, tiny being with her and Ronon opened his mouth as if to speak, taking a small step after her.

"It's okay, Ronon. They're just going to check her out. She came a little bit early." Jennifer's quiet voice sounded from below him and he looked down. She nodded. "It's okay."

With a deep breath Ronon listened with half an ear as Carson began giving out orders to get Jennifer stitched up so they could get her to recovery. Replacing his hand in hers, Ronon moved his eyes up to the observation room where John had Laura pressed tightly into his side.

John met his eyes and nodded. He said something to Laura, who shook her head and stood away from him slightly as he withdrew his arm. John placed a quick kiss on her cheek and moved to leave. A moment later Rodney rolled his eyes and followed.

Ronon relaxed slightly, returning his gaze to Jennifer's prone form, knowing his friend would go put eyes on his daughter and she would be safe until he could go see to her for himself.

"How did she look?" Jennifer asked, blinking up at him languidly.

Ronon leaned forward, stroking her sweaty forehead with his gloved thumb.

"She's beautiful. Just like you." He pressed his lips against Jennifer's softly and she returned his kiss as much as she could. "You did it."

Jen smiled and sighed. "We did it."

SGASGASGA

Ronon's heart was bursting.

He'd never felt so…full. Gazing down into the sleeping face of his daughter, he felt as if every broken piece of his soul had been found and returned to him, brighter than they'd been even when they were whole. She was soft and warm and tiny, so very very tiny. It was almost comical to think the huge belly Jennifer had complained about 'lugging around' for the past few months had been occupied by such a tiny, little being. His hands dwarfed her as he stared down at her cradled carefully in his arms against his chest. She was perfect.

She had lightly tanned skin and a head full of dark hair, a fact everyone kept marveling at when they saw her.

Earlier when John, Cadman, Rodney and Teyla had visited they'd each reached for the small child, holding her carefully in turn. His heart had burned with worry and fear and joy and wonder while they held her, then it jumped into his throat every time they passed her from one set of arms to the next. He hadn't been able to keep his hands from reaching toward her, wanting to create an extra layer of protection in case she slipped through their fingers.

She was just so small.

How was it something so small could fill his heart so completely?

Pride. Protect. Shelter. Love. All the words he could think of felt small, insignificant to what he felt washing over him. The small child's nose wrinkled and her mouth went wide with a yawn, then smoothed in sleep again. She hunched her shoulders, curling inward toward the warmth of his chest.

His hand rested gently against her head, his thumb rubbed soft dark curls.

And he knew.

He knew, with every fiber of his being, he would do anything for this child. Would fight for her. Bleed for her. Given the chance, the choice, he would die for her.

To keep her happy. To keep her safe.

"Ronon?"

He looked up, surprised to see Jennifer was awake and had pushed herself to a more upright position in the bed. Immediately he stood from the chair beside her and leaned down, gently placing the baby in her waiting arms.

"Say hello to your daughter." He said quietly, leaning close as Jennifer bent her head, getting a good look at the sleeping child.

"Hello Jelly Bean." She slid one finger into a tiny balled fist. "Aren't you just the prettiest thing in two galaxies?"

Ronon nodded his agreement.

Jennifer looked up at him, a question on her brow. "Why isn't she in the incubator?"

Ronon smiled, first at her, then down at their daughter.

"She didn't need it. Doc said she was healthy. Must be the Satedan in her," he grinned. Instead of rolling her eyes like he thought she would, Jen smiled back at him and bobbled her head.

"Maybe it is."

Unable to bring himself to go back to his chair, Ronon instead carefully climbed up onto the bed beside Jennifer and eased her back so that she was leaning against him. His long arms encircled them both and she sighed, resting her eyes, feeling more whole than she'd ever thought possible.

Ronon looked down at the small ID bracelet on his daughter's wrist that Jennifer was fiddling with idly.

Camaiya Anne Dex.

Of Sateda. Of Earth.

Of Atlantis.

TBC