Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.
Part 14/?
Wraith named Michael: Yes, they do. And I hadn't thought about Thor, but you're right. . .the little grey guy does have terrible timing, doesn't he? I'm sure leadfingers would love to have a conversation with your friends. . .she sympathizes with you all. (Don't ask me why, she just sees where you're coming from with the whole feeding thing, she's like that a lot, LOL.) And hopefully Ronon will. . .and Teyla. Hope you and your friends enjoy this chapter!
Freeplaces: Thank you so much! And addicted. . .is this a good thing or a bad thing, LOL? I'm so glad that you're enjoying it, and I hope this is a good chapter, too!
SpaceMonkey0941: In this chapter, you'll find out how the twins can sense Teyla. I hope you like!
Darkjewelledassassin: Yes, this is the chapter where you need the tissues. (hides) I hope you enjoy (and don't need the whole box. . .)!
Chapter 13
Going Home
With the addition of another Carson Beckett working on the mystery of why Jadin and Kyana could sense Teyla, it did not take long for the answer to reveal itself. To everyone's surprise, it was a quite simple solution, one that had been overlooked and dismissed in the past.
"Wraith DNA?" Teyla blinked in surprise and glanced over at Kyana and Jadin, who were laughing and giggling in the corner of the room with Annie. "But I thought that you had dismissed that idea earlier?"
Carson shrugged. "Both the children said that when they were sensing you, it was not the same feeling inside them that they got when they were sensing the Wraith, so we dismissed the possibility of it being the Wraith DNA. However, after running more tests on both you and the twins, that was the only thing we could accredit to."
Beckett cleared his throat. "Barring something supernatural of course," he said. "But since none of us believe in such things, the logical answer is the Wraith DNA."
"You sound unsure if that is the answer," Teyla said, arching one eyebrow.
Carson looked nervous. "Well, we aren't entirely sure that the DNA inside you and the children is the answer. Like I said, both children can sense you but in a good way. We're hoping that the Wraith have some sort of genetic pathway among them that allow the same thing. Or, it could just be the Wraith DNA combined with the part of Ronon's genetic makeup that prevents the Wraith from feeding on him. It's like we said, we can't understand it, but all we know is it's there, and it could just be the Wraith DNA or it mixed with something else. We don't know, and we're not sure if we'll ever know for sure."
"It's a true medical mystery," Beckett agreed. "And one we will all be pondering far into the future."
The two doctors left the room, still discussing it as they passed Dex coming in.
"How are you feeling?" he wanted to know, coming to stand next to her bed.
Teyla offered him a thin smile. "Well enough to go home," she said truthfully. "Though there will be many things I will miss in this reality."
Both of their gazes drifted to Jadin, Kyana, and Annie, then back to each other. "We're all going to miss you," Dex said, his voice huskier than normal. "You've helped us all, Teyla. Thank you."
She reached out her hand and squeezed Dex's, still softly smiling though there was a film of tears in her eyes. "You have helped me very much as well," she said. "You have helped me look at my life in a different way, and you also helped me return home. Thank you."
Dex cleared his throat, the barest trace of a smile curling his lips. "It was the least I could do," he told her. "Especially after all you've done to help me and my people."
Teyla looked away from Dex's intense green eyes. "I am happy that I can finally go home," she admitted, "but the fact that I have to leave here. . ." She shook her head. "It is going to be hard. Harder than I thought it would be."
Dex gave her a gentle hug, one that let her know that he would miss her, too.
Beta Site
Teyla knelt in front of the twins, who were gazing at her with matching pairs of sad green eyes. Swallowing back her tears, Teyla pulled Jadin and Kyana in for gentle hugs as she whispered: "I will miss you both. Thank you so much for showing me what is possible."
Four small arms wrapped around her neck tightly. "We'll miss you, Mama," they both said at the same time.
Teyla closed her eyes and hugged them a little tighter. "I will miss you both as well," she whispered. "So much."
She finally let the twins go and went to shake Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard's hands. "Thank you so much for all your help," she told them. "Both of you."
Sheppard rested his hands on his wife's shoulders. "You would have done the same for us," he said. "And, besides, you deserved to go home. You've proved to us that there's another world, a world where everything is going right. What more could we have asked for?"
Teyla smiled at him before going on to McKay. "Thank you, Doctor McKay," she said to him. "You figured out how to turn the mirror on to get me home."
McKay shuffled his feet and looked a little embarrassed. "I might have figured out how to turn it on, but it was the other me standing in front of the mirror getting ready to throw the wrench in his hand that helped me to figure out which reality was yours."
Teyla managed a small laugh, then shook McKay's hand. "Thank you anyway," she told him. "I am forever in your debt."
At last she came to Dex, who stood next to the mirror watching her quietly. There was a sad look in his eyes, but there was also a content there that Teyla knew hadn't been there for at least two years.
"Thank you, Ronon," she said to him. "For everything you have done."
Dex smiled and hugged her gently, careful of the wound on her back. "Thank you, Teyla. I'll miss you." He held on to her for a long moment, and then, as he drew away, he whispered: "And thank you for giving me the chance to say goodbye." His lips brushed her cheek as he drew back, and he offered her another, somewhat wobbly, smile.
Teyla smiled and bowed her head, one last graceful motion of thanks for everything these people had done for her. "Thank you," she said, forcing her voice not to waver. "I will never forget you, any of you."
And then, with Ronon's arm around her, and Rodney, Carson, and John. . .her closest friends, around her, she reached out and touched the smooth, mirrored surface that would take her home.
On the other side she looked back, seeing the group of people that had become her close friends over the course of the two weeks she'd been in the alternate reality gathered around the mirror, watching her with different degrees of sadness and pain on their faces.
She closed her eyes, bowed her head to them, and committed them to her forever memory as the mirror shut down and closed off her last link with them.
To Be Continued. . .
I know this was a short chapter, but I wanted it to be this way. And even though Teyla is home, there is still a lot of story left to tell, I promise. Next chapter should be up tomorrow! I hope you enjoyed this one!