The characters of this story are not my own. I only claim Gwen and the plot line.

Her first inclination was to bolt up, but the heavy weight of exhaustion prevented her from following through. She was confused at first, everything was hazy. There were lights, dimmed but still there. Through the fog she could tell she was no longer in the tunnel. On top of that, the warmth and comfort of blankets and pillows assured her that she was most likely in the infirmary. She mumbled something inaudible, getting a response from beside her.

"Hey sunshine. How are you feeling?" He rubbed at his eye sockets. It had been four days since the rescue. He never left her side. Rodney brought him the occasional coffee, while Teyla and Ronon provided the food and company. Carson was busy monitoring Gwen's vitals. He wanted to make sure they hadn't missed anything – so much adventure and drama for someone so small. She was fine though. Perfect even. He held her at night, talking to Elizabeth at the same time, letting her know what was going on around them. Gwen just slept in his arms.

"Better. How long have I been –"

"Roughly fifty-six hours." Her brow furrowed in response. "What? It sounds shorter than 4 days, and I figured you'd want the shorter sounding answer." He grinned.

"Four days." She said faintly while a tear escaped her and trailed down her cheek.

"Hey," He slipped his hand under hers and leaned forward. "We made it. We made it Elizabeth. No more broken legs, no internal bleeding. No unhappy ending. And we lost one daughter only to gain her back, so I say that calls for celebration or at least a certain amount of thankfulness."

She nodded in agreement, letting slip a few more mournful tears. Carson walked in, cradling something in a yellow blanket. "John I thought that you might …" he looked up and immediately his started beaming. " Elizabeth, I see you've finally decided to join us dear. Welcome back." He said the last part while placing the sleeping Gwen in her arms.

"And I thought hallucinations were a sign of bad things." He placed his index finger under the palm of his daughter's tiny hand. "How could this possibly be a bad thing?" He chuckled to himself.

"This is what she wanted most. For us to all be together. It's just hard knowing that she … it just feels strange knowing that she died, but at the same time never left us." Elizabeth stroked her daughter's cheek. "We lost her, and yet we didn't. I don't know whether to mourn her or be happy that we have a chance to start over with her."

"A little bit of both I guess. She wouldn't want us to dwell on what happened. The best thing we can do now is move forward knowing that she's still here," he knew it wouldn't be easy, but then again, their lives never were. There was always another enemy they had to face. Imminent doom and destruction knocked on their doorstep incessantly. It came with living in another galaxy. Heck, it came with living in any galaxy – Pegasus or Milky Way. They chose this and nothing could make them give it up.

"No, no, no. It's not compatible. You have to … oh forget it. It'll just be easier if I do it myself," Rodney wedged his way in-between Radek and their latest project.

"Rodney, Colonel Sheppard asked us to do this together, and I for one would like to be a part of this. Now, if you would have just followed the simple instruction then you would know that the left attachment fits into that depression there."

"No, it doesn't, and I for one don't want to give this to them in any shape or form other than perfect. It's just a simple set of assembly acquired. Nothing that I – genius – can't handle."

"Rodney," Radek stared at him as if he were insane. It was 2 o'clock, and they had started this assignment four hours ago. He had missed lunch and was starving. "It's a bassinet!

"And, your point being what exactly?" He continued to tinker.

"I didn't think I'd have to explain that statement any further. If we mess up, we can start over, take it apart. This isn't a science experiment that relies on us making no mistakes. It will not blow up Rodney. I happen to know how to put one of these things together. It is not astrophysics," he was practically ranting now. All he wanted to do was help, and McKay as treating him like a child bound to break something.

"I know it's a bassinet. But it's for them. They've been through a lot. I just want to do something to make it easier."

Radek beamed. "Are you saying you're trying to do something for someone else Rodney purely because you feel like it? No hidden agenda?" Rodney glared at him, thinking of retaliation. He found one. "You have decided to do something selfless? I must say I am shocked by this, normally you just –"

"I could be down in the labs, in fact I should be, but I don't trust you to do this by yourself. It'd probably be off-centered or worse – unstable. I don't want Gwen's first injury to be the result of a poorly assembled crib."

"And you'd think that I would put less effort in as you. You don't think I care about her well-being just as much. If you hadn't …" Their bickering trailed off, while unbeknownst to them a couple eavesdropped in the hallway.

"Should we tell them, we could do it ourselves? It might save Radek an earful. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we just stepped in and interrupted," John smiled as his whispered his comments into Elizabeth's ear. It had been a week since they returned home, and it wasn't till now that they had started to worry about setting up any sort of nursery. Carson had kept Gwen in the infirmary just to make sure everything was alright. I mean, they assumed that it was. Future Gwen had assured them of that. But, Beckett couldn't help but worry. It was in his nature to fuss.

"Let's just leave them alone for now. I'm sure it will resolve eventually. Besides, this just goes to show how much they really care. They're fighting over a crib John," she giggled. "Two grown scientists. Two grown men are fighting over our daughter."

"You know, you're right. I didn't think about it that way. Rodney has been a little protective lately," he smirked.

"It's not just Rodney," she shook her head in amusement. "Ronon and Teyla check in nonstop to see how Gwen is. And have you seen the way Ronon looks at people when they crowd around Gwen? If they're even a little too close for his liking, he let's them know." John grimaced at her last observation. He would hate to see what Ronon would be like if he ever had children of his own. "Teyla is just as bad."

They laughed as they walked back down to hall toward the infirmary. It was time to check in on their daughter, and they were comforted knowing that they had others – friends and family – who loved their Gwen just as much as they did.

A few weeks later

John, Rodney, Ronon, and Teyla returned from an off-world mission.

"We visited the planet, and found this," John placed the chest on her desk.

As she lifted the heavy lid, she noticed the emblem was Lantean design, bearing two familiar initials – GS.

They smiled together as John stood behind her, taking in what had been left behind. "It's all there, everything that we had left with her in the alternate reality."

The first piece she lifted out was a photograph of her, John and Gwen – she couldn't be more than two months. There were others of them in different parts of the city. Their balcony, the dining hall, the infirmary of all places, and their room. There were two letters – one from John and one from her. And her wedding ring. When her alternate self found time to take it off and stow it away in the midst of a war was unknown to her. But it must have been important enough. The last thing within the case was a locket. One she had seen many times.

It hung from the neck of a stranger incased in a frozen chamber. She wore a sapphire, long-flowing gown. Her hair hung loosely in brunette curls and around her neck hung a bright, cerulean locket. Gwen wore that necklace every day until her last.

"This is what she wanted us to find. Carson said she told them to revisit the planet where you were shot. But what I don't understand is if she placed this there in the other reality, why is here. Why did we find it?"

"I don't know Elizabeth. I don't even know what to think." He placed his hands on her tense shoulders.

Her thumb brushed the locket's smooth surface, touching the crystal within it. A bright light gleamed out, absorbing them in white.

I never thought I'd have to make this, but Janus and Kara said it would be wise. In times like these, no one knows what may become of us – they said. The Wraith are here, and tomorrow could very well be our last. They sounded morbid, pessimistic, and I feel bad for having hope. For holding on to what little we have left. Janus said it is because I'm different. I don't come from Atlantis. Well, at least not this one.

I can see the hive ships from here. The balcony provides a clear view of what our city has become. You know, if it weren't for the possibility of impending death, the explosions above the shield would almost be pretty.

I can't distinguish where this locket came from. I don't know if someone who loved me made or … anything.

One day, Kara just slipped it into my hand and told me to trust her. She said it came through the gate eighteen years ago with my biological parents – John and Elizabeth Sheppard. Not something you want to hear after spending your whole life with said people who claimed to be family.

I wish that I could meet them. I wish … I knew them. How I long for a deep embrace or words of adoration. It doesn't seem fair that I lost them.

Kara sat me down and told me the truth. Moros wasn't happy, but at this point I am not focused on his anger. The war is overtaking us, and our people are dieing. Truth is all we have left.

The light flickered and died. John and Elizabeth both jolted, confused.

"What was that?"

"I could see her John, standing where we normally do."

"Her voice was in my head. That was weird," he stood silent not really sure what to say. "What happened?"

"I think it was a live journal. That's what it felt like. Kara and Moros, she said they were her adoptive parents after we …"

"… After we died," he kneeled down looking into Elizabeth's eyes. "Do whatever you did again, maybe there's more."

I'm afraid of what will happen to Atlantis while I sleep. They left today. Atlantis is vacant. I am the last of the Lanteans. Janus said that this wouldn't be easy. He said that traveling forward would be harder than I thought. This locket that has become so dear to my heart has provided me with a way to leave behind my essence. I never thought I would have to use it – that one day I might be gone and need a way to remind myself of what happened – to keep to my promise to never let anything happen to my true parents. This is my failsafe to restore memory that is lost.

So if in fact I did not make it, and you are the only ones to find this piece of heart, remember I am always with you. I will never leave, and I loved you more than sun loves to rise. Mom, dad, the chest was my gift to you. It is everything that I have dear to life. Letters, found within the sleeves of your jackets. Handwritten with love and tears, they are what Kara me to reveal your hearts, your true selves. Photographs of sunny days spent on dad's favorite beach. Mom's wedding ring, which contained more shared memories. These are my gifts to you in case I do not finish this mission. The locket is the key to restoring what was lost. I hope that it brings you as much solace as it provided for me.

Calium videre eessit, et eraos ad sidera tollere vultus.

Aveo

With all my heart, Gwen.

Silence surrounded them now without their daughter in their heads. At some point Elizabeth reached out to John and now they were holding hands, taking it all in.

"What did that last part mean? What is 'Calium videre esss'… something, something?"

Elizabeth smiled, "It means, 'When you see her, you see the sky, and those on earth must lift their faces toward the stars. Goodbye.'"

"Wow," he paused and then couldn't help himself. "What does that mean?" Elizabeth giggled while wiping away the tears that assaulted her cheeks.

She shook her head, leaning forward. "I'm not sure John. It's ancient, very close to Latin, but I don't know why she said that in that particular context. Maybe with time." Can you believe she left this chest in that cave for us? On that mission, none of you could figure out how to get inside of the cave. She must have known this was there, and wouldn't let you through."

"Rodney did say it was supposed to be easy. Huh, she didn't want us to get in. She knew that if there was a chance that she would fail that …"

Elizabeth let go of John's hand and stood up at her new revelation. "She wanted us to have something else to hold onto in the off chance that she wouldn't make it. Calium videre eessit, et eraos ad sidera tollere vultus."

"Again, what?"

"When you see her, you see the sky, and those on earth must lift their faces toward the stars," she said, hoping he would catch on.

"All I get from that is that our daughter was good with riddles," He physically winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay John. She said, 'The locket is the key to restoring what was lost.'"

"The locket contains her memories, so unless it brings people back to life I don't see how this will help bring back something that's been lost. I still remember our daughter. I haven't forgotten her."

Elizabeth pulled him to her. "Follow me." She picked up the locket and headed for the infirmary.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I greatly appreciate the reviews that I have been receiving.

Freckles-101: I already sent you a message, but again, thank you so much for your review.

Jollygoauld: I'm glad you're glad that Sheppard made it. I didn't and would never have the heart to kill him permanently. I love his character too much. After all, where would be without our hansom flyboy.

Padme4000: Thank you again for your review. I am glad that you are still enjoying this plot line.

I hope that everyone continues to like this. Let me know again what you think of it so far. Oh, and what do you think will happen in the next chapter. I have already started to write it, and I am almost done. Soon to be posted.

HeartyJessica