A/N: Sorry for the wait! This chapter took longer than I expected but because it is the final one I didn't want to rush it. Thank you to everyone who has read with me this far – especially those who were kind enough to leave reviews. I have some ideas for a sequel floating around in my head so if anyone is interested then please let me know. A short epilogue will follow this chapter. Thanks again!

Ronon POV

I held my gun fixed on the portal in front of me. It had appeared so suddenly that for a moment the room around me lapsed into silence as everybody stared in amazement. I glanced over my shoulder. "Should we be expecting company?"

"Not of the kind that's been invited," Erik replied as he appeared beside me. Behind him was Marcus and both of them were now armed with sub-machine guns which they pointed towards the portal. Sara pulled up on my left, a FN P90 slung over her shoulder as she reached to tie her hair back from her face. I found it hard not to be impressed by how quickly she and her people reacted.

"Okay. Everyone just calm down for a minute," Sheppard's voice came from behind. "McKay, I assume this is your doing?"

I turned slightly to see McKay emerge from behind the control desk. His mouth hung open as he gaped at the portal. "I don't believe it…" he said, and then he snapped his fingers together in excitement. "But of course! This explains why the Stargate can be loaded with so many ZPMs… The extra energy is channeled directly to this room to power the wormhole." He beamed at everyone in excitement. "The whole set-up has been lying dormant for all these years just waiting for someone like yours truly to come along and reactivate it! This is nothing short of amazing."

"Amazing it might be," Sheppard interrupted, "But is it possible for you to shut it off again?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" McKay's voice was incredulous. "Why on earth would I want to do such a thing?"

I rolled my eyes with impatience. "How 'bout because something could come through from the other side?" I suggested.

"Oh. Oh yes, I guess that is a possibility," he replied. He fell silent and his mouth formed a grim line as he considered the idea. Alcied jumped at the chance to speak.

"General Thorn, I agree with Dr McKay," he said as he stood up from behind his desk. "I don't think we should shut this thing down until we know where it goes. We might not get another chance to look into it, and its presence could pose a security risk to the city."

Erik was silent for a moment and I could see he was weighing up the risks. "I agree," he said at length. "Before we shut it down we need to know where it goes." He turned to Alcied. "Arrange to send a sensor through."

The young scientist moved across the room and busied himself inside a large cupboard. I looked to Erik. "If we can see the portal, then chances are whatever's at the other end can see it too," I reminded him. "We need to act quickly."

Dr Weir also had something to add. "General Thorn, if you are going to enter the portal then I would recommend you take Colonel Sheppard with you. His experience with Ancient technology may come in useful," she said. "If you wish, those of us left behind will cover the entrance to the portal while you are gone."

Erik gave her a curt nod of acceptance. "Much appreciated," he replied as he approached the portal and helped Alcide feed a camera on a long metal rod through its center. Sheppard removed his gun from his shoulder and walked over to stand in the vacant spot Erik had left beside me.

"Looks like we're gonna have to delay that goodbye for a little while longer," he said as he turned to me.

I grinned. "Works for me."

"Yeah… me too," he confessed

I glanced to my left where Sara stood with the butt of her rifle resting under her arm. She was watching the portal with interest and I gathered she intended to accompany us when we went through. A few short hours ago I would have not expected her to do any differently, but there was more than just her own safety to consider now. I caught her eye and we exchanged a long look. By the time it was over her message was clear; yes, she knew the risks and no, I could not persuade her to sit this one out. I gave her a slow nod of acceptance. If something managed to slip through the portal while we were on the other side, there was no guarantee that she would be safe in the control tower anyway. At least if she was with me I could keep an eye out for her if necessary. I reassured myself with the though as Alcide withdrew the camera and played the short recording back.

"It's the interior of some kind of mechanical structure," Erik said. "From what I can see, there doesn't appear to be any activity." He replayed the image so some of the others could take a look.

"It's a corridor," Sheppard said as the tape came to an end. "The construction looks similar to that of Atlantis. It could be some kind of Ancient outpost."

"Are we gonna check it out, or stand here and talk about it all day?" I asked.

Erik gave a half smile. "Marcus and I will go though first," he said. "Give us two minutes on the other side and then the three of you follow. We'll wait for you to join us." He turned once more to Weir. "If anything besides us comes through from the other side, then don't mess around. Shoot to kill. The safety of the entire city could depend on it."

Weir nodded. "We have your back," she said as they entered the portal.

The moment they were gone, Sheppard turned to McKay. "Try to work out a way to shut this thing down incase you need to do it in a hurry."

"Shutting it down is not the problem," McKay replied. "All I need to do is to cut the power… The difficulty is I might not be able to reopen it, which would leave you and the others stranded somewhere in time or space where we have no chance of reaching you."

"If it comes that, then I trust you'll find a way to get us back again," Sheppard replied.

"Great," McKay rolled his eyes. "You make it sound so easy. Do you have any idea of what it is you're asking? Even if I could somehow pinpoint exactly where you were, you do realize the possibility that time space continuum could displace the where and include how and when into the equation? Let me put it simply," he clicked his fingers together. "It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only the haystack is in the middle of a field that is filled with a gazillion other haystacks, all of them identical to the one I need to sort through."

The Colonel nodded. "I understand," he said. "I guess its best to hope you don't need to pull the power in the first place." He turned to Weir and tapped the headset in his left ear. "I'll keep in radio contact if at all possible."

She nodded. "Be careful. All of you."

"Two minutes is up," I indicated towards the portal. At Sheppard's signal the three of us walked through together. A brief sensation of coldness passed over me and then we met with Erik and Marcus inside a long narrow corridor. The portal was mounted on the middle of a wall, and the empty passage extended off to both right and left.

"Good to see you all," Erik said. He and Marcus had their guns drawn, and between them they covered each direction of the corridor. Sheppard tapped his intercom and smiled as he picked up Weir almost right away. At Erik's command we began to move off and he relayed the information through to Tarus as we walked. I fell back to the rear where I could keep Sara in my sights while watching for attack from behind. My plan was thwarted when she stopped walking and waited for me to catch up.

"I know what you're doing," she said.

I feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?"

"You're staying behind to cover me," she said. "You think I can't take care of myself?"

I sighed. The last thing I wanted was to get into an argument with her, but I was not prepared to compromise. Mission aside, her safety was my priority. "I never said that," I told her.

"Whatever it is you think you're doing…" she said, and I was surprised to see her smile, "…then thank you. Despite what you might think, I don't want to put myself into any more danger than necessary." She paused and then added with a grin, "At least not for the next few months anyway."

I snorted with relief. "For a moment, I thought you were going to be difficult," I told her.

"Not me," she shook her head. 'If I need help, then trust me, I'll ask for it." She turned to me as we walked. "I'm all for equal rights though. Someday you might need me to save your ass, and if that happens then I don't expect any argument."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "I look forward to it," I assured her. We reached a turn in the corridor and our conversation lulled as the lights above came on to show the way towards the next bend. Up ahead, Erik and Marcus froze and extended their weapons as they looked around in surprise.

"Motion sensors," Sheppard explained. "Atlantis is full of them. Every time you enter a new section of the city the power automatically comes on as you go."

"I prefer your explanation to the possibility that we're being watched," Erik replied. He lowered his gun and straightened up. "Not that it makes much difference anyway," he said. "We've come to a dead end."

I looked past him and saw that he was right. The corridor took a ninety degree turn to the right and then stopped about two meters from where we stood. I leaned against the wall and watched as Sheppard took a look around.

"The passage must lead somewhere," he reasoned. "Or what's the point of it being here?" He approached the wall directly in front of us and banged his fist against it. The metal was solid and emitted no echo.

"How about this?" Marcus suggested. He indicated towards a mass of square tiles that covered a section of the wall to the left. They were light grey in color with a series of black arcs imprinted on them at odd angles. An empty space indicated that one tile was missing. He pressed his hand to it and I watched as he tried to shift the tile above down into the empty position. "Damn," he exclaimed when it did not budge. "I thought the tiles might be shifted to make an image."

I sighed. At this rate we would be here all day. "I say we blast it," I suggested.

Sheppard held up his hand. "Wait a minute…" he drawled. He walked over to join Marcus and took a closer look at the squares on the wall. "You might just be onto something there," he said as he reached out and touched the same tile. This time, a light came on behind it.

"How did you do that?" Marcus asked

"It's a long story," Sheppard replied, "Basically there is something in my genetic makeup that allows me to operate Ancient technology." He began to slide the tiles around as he tried to form a pattern. As I watched, one slowly began to emerge. He laughed under his breath. "I guess it makes sense..."

My incomprehension was mirrored on the face of everyone else present.

"This pattern," Sheppard began to explain, "Back on Earth, it's known as the flower of life. It's believed to represent the fundamental forms of space and time."

Marcus shook his head. "You've lost me."

"I'm not a hundred percent clear on it myself," Sheppard admitted as he slid another tile into place. "But from what we know of the Ancients, they were big on spiritual meaning and enlightenment. From what I recall, both have direct links to the flower." He slotted the second to last tile into place and Erik raised his gun.

"Everyone be on the ready," he warned as he gave the nod for Sheppard to complete the puzzle. The moment he did so, the solid wall at the end of the short corridor began to lift. I dropped to my knee so I could see under it as it rose, but was disappointed to see nothing more than another empty passageway on the other side. Although it was not lit up I could tell right away that there was no immediate danger.

"It's clear," I said. "Just more of the same."

The door rose completely to the ceiling and disappeared from view. I got to my feet just as a noise echoed down the corridor and the lights in the new passageway came on.

"Something's out there," Erik said. "Aim your weapons but hold fire until my command."

The noise came steadily closer and I recognized the sound of footsteps. Lots of footsteps. "Stop right there," Erik called. "Don't come any closer. Identify yourselves or we'll shoot."

The movement stopped. Whatever was in the corridor with us was very close, probably just around the next bend about ten or so meters away. I glanced around to locate Sara, and was relieved to find she was behind me. We held our positions and waited.

"You first," a male voice echoed back to us. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

I glanced at Erik. At least it seemed we were dealing with humans as opposed to wraith. Beside me, Sheppard appeared to be deep in thought. "Wait a minute…" he whispered as he looked back down the corridor. With a puzzled expression, he raised his voice and called out. "Major Lorne? Is that you?"

There was no reply. And then a bewildered voice called back. "Colonel Sheppard?"

Sheppard laughed and lowered his gun a little. "Yeah, that's me. What the hell are youdoing here?"

There was silence again. "What do you mean what am I doing here? We thought you were visiting Sara's home world? We've received no word of your return."

Sheppard's smile fell and I looked at him in amazement. "We're on Atlantis?" I whispered.

The voice grew hesitant again. "Sorry Colonel, I'm going to have to ask you to prove your identity before we proceed."

Sheppard turned to Erik who was looking as bewildered as I felt. He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Protocol," he explained as he looked back down the corridor. "That's a wise call, Major. Very safety conscious of you."

I sighed, bored with so much inactivity. "Lorne," I called down the corridor. "I'm standing here right next to Sheppard. I can vouch he is who he says he is. Either you take my word for it, or wait 'till I come down there and tell you face to face."

"Ronon?" Lorne's head appeared around the corner in front of us. He grinned as he saw me, and then motioned for his men that it was safe to come out from cover. I saw him hesitate as he caught sight of Erik and Marcus.

"It's okay," Sheppard assured him. "They're with us." He walked up and slapped Lorne on his shoulder. "Good to see you! You had us all worried there for a moment." He briefly explained the portal, and then reached for his headset to call Weir.

I sheathed my gun and turned to Sara. "Crises over," I smiled. She walked over to stand with me while Sheppard introduced everyone. By the time they were done, Weir and the others had come through the portal and joined us.

"We had no idea what was going on," I heard Lorne say. "The communications console suddenly came to life and before we knew it, an entire section of East wing was operating under its own accord."

"It's lucky it was only us," Sheppard replied. He turned to McKay who was still beaming from ear to ear over the success of his discovery.

'I knew it," he said. "Tarus was set up by the Ancients as a supply and storage facility for Atlantis. Instead of weighing the city down by keeping everything that was necessary to run it here, supplies were kept at Tarus and then transported through the portal as required. Imagine how much more we'll be able to achieve now that we have access to an unlimited supply source."

Sheppard cast a sideways glance at Erik. He was staring at McKay with barely concealed contempt. "Ah… The supplies at Tarus belong to General Thorn and his people," he told McKay. "It will be up to them to decide how they are used."

McKay looked at Erik and flinched under the directness of his stare. "Oh. But of course…" he held up his hand and took a small step backwards. "That was what I was meaning. With General Thorn's permission…we could, you know…maybe look at somehow powering up the city."

I smiled at his discomfort, but when Erik clenched his fist and took an ominous step towards him I quickly positioned myself between the two of them. "Hey," I said to Erik. "Let it go. He didn't mean anything."

Erik glared at me. I could see McKay's words had hit a sore spot with him, and it suddenly dawned on me that he might have foreseen something like this happening all along. "These are good people," I told him. "They won't take anything from you or your city that you are not willing to give." His stare waivered and I searched for something else to convince him further. "I give you my word," I told him. Slowly he nodded his head, and to my relief he backed down.

Sheppard, who had been watching the situation unfold, was quick to step in and reinforce my words. I left him to the task as I turned to McKay. He had drawn his hands up to his chest and his eyes were wide with fright. "You okay?" I asked him.

He opened and closed his mouth as he tried to speak. "Okay?" he finally managed to echo. "That… savage almost hit me, and you ask if I'm okay?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I take it that's a yes?"

He patted his chest, hips and thighs with his hands as if taking inventory. "Yes…" he finally replied. "It would seem that I am fine. No thanks to your friend though, I might add."

"McKay, you practically said you were going to help yourself to everything he owned," I pointed out.

He lifted his chin defiantly. "Well, there was no need for him to get so touchy about it."

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave, but his voice followed me. "Ah…Ronon?"

I paused to look back at him. "Yeah?"

"It was good of you to…you know, stand up for me." He wrung his hands together as he looked at me. "I guess I wanted to say…thank you."

I grinned and leaned over to slap him on the shoulder. He winced at the impact. "You're welcome," I told him. I walked over to join Sara and together we followed the others deeper into Atlantis.

Sara POV

I stood to one side of the jumper bay and watched the Colonel and my brother talk. There was so much potential here for the advancement of our war against the wraith that I knew Erik had to be excited by the prospect. Other than the slight mishap with Rodney, he had so far seemed to be amicable about discussing combining resources with the Colonel. I glanced over my shoulder as I tried to locate Ronon. Somewhere between the gate room and the hanging bay I seemed to have lost him. I stifled a yawn as I realized how tired I was. Now that the excitement of finding the portal was over, fatigue set in and I leaned against the metal rail in front of me and closed my eyes for a moment.

"So this is where you stayed then?"

Marcus's voice instantly snapped me out of my relaxed state. He smiled as he came over and leaned on the rail beside me. I watched him guardedly. He was close enough that I could smell his cologne, and it reminded me that things between us had not always been this awkward. "This is Atlantis," I confirmed.

He looked out over the jumper bay. "It's impressive," he told me

I nodded, conscious that Ronon could reappear at any time. Marcus obviously had the same thought because he wasted no time in getting to the point. "Your brother tells me you're seeing one of the guys you met here."

I nodded. "That's true," I confirmed.

"I saw you with him at the banquet last night," he said. "I thought there was something going on between the two of you then, but I hoped I was wrong." The regret in his voice emphasized his words. "Then I saw you both today," he continued before breaking off again. He was silent for so long that eventually I turned to look at him. "I was going to ask you if it was serious…" he said. "…If you loved him. But I think I already know the answer."

I swallowed. He was obviously hurting, but I was afraid to reach out to him in any way for fear he would misread my actions. "I'm sorry," I told him as I held his gaze. Ronon aside, he had to know that I meant what I said when I told him we were over.

He stared back at me and tried a different approach. "Your brother has asked him to join our military ranks at Tarus. He wanted to know if I thought I could work with him."

I raised my eyebrows. "And?" I asked. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that if we want to continue our fight against the wraith then we need more men." He turned to me. "I will work with the man, but you should know this…" his voice softened, "…every time I see him with you, every night you spend with him…I'll wish it was me in his place."

I looked away. "You say that now," I told him, "but one day you'll find someone who will make you think differently." I gave him a hesitant smile. "Then you will see that I was right about us."

He went on as if I had not spoken. "I promise I won't make things difficult for you," he said. "After today, I won't mention my feelings for you again." He reached out and touched the back of his fingers to my cheek. It was such a tentative gesture that I did not have the heart to pull away. "I just needed to tell you one last time how sorry I am. If things don't work out the way you hope… well, I'll be here for you," he said.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Thank you," I whispered.

He stroked my cheek just once and then removed his hand. It was then I noticed Ronon had finally reappeared. He caught my eye across the jumper bay and my heart beat quickened at the sight of him. The reaction he stirred in me was impossible to disguise completely, and my expression must have tipped Marcus off to his presence because he stepped back a little. Although I had nothing to hide, I felt guilty for the scene Ronon may have just witnessed and I quickly beckoned for him to join us. His change of attire indicated he had spent the last few minutes in his room at Atlantis and I realized he had taken the unexpected opportunity to retrieve a few of his belongings. Dressed in chaps and a fitted, dark brown leather vest that bared his arms and buttoned down front, he carried a couple of other garments over his arm as he approached. I stepped away from Marcus to meet him and it dawned on me that as far as I knew, the two men were yet to be properly introduced. I smiled at Ronon. "Ronon," I said as I turned to Marcus, "This is Marcus Lancaster."

"Marcus," I said, "This is Ronon Dex."

They dipped their heads towards each other in acknowledgement, but I noticed that neither made a move to shake hands. As they sized each other up, I could not help but compare the two of them myself. Marcus was shorter than Ronon, although at 6ft 2", he would hardly fall into the category of a small man. He was broad in the shoulder and thickset, his clean shaven face and short, spiky black hair the perfect contrast to Ronon's dreadlocks and goatee. Both men were equally fit and muscular, and despite their different styles each was handsome in their own right. Only one of them could set my heart racing with a single word or gesture though, and my eyes went to Ronon as Marcus finally broke the silence.

"I hear there is a possibility that you might be joining our military ranks," he said..

"You heard right," Ronon replied. "I was in the process of accepting the General's offer right before we found the portal."

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "Well then, I guess its welcome aboard," he said. "The General speaks very highly of you." He looked at me. "As does Sara."

Ronon shifted his weight to his other foot. He appeared casual and relaxed but I knew he was deciding how far he could trust the man who was my ex-lover. "Don't believe everything you hear," he said as he arched his eyebrow in my direction.

"Neither Sara nor her brother are prone to exaggeration," Marcus replied. He met Ronon's eyes squarely, and I realized how difficult this conversation must be for him. I felt a moment of pride towards him as he extended his hand to Ronon. "I look forward to working with you," he said.

Ronon eyed him for a moment, and then to my relief he accepted the hand and exchanged a brief shake. The moment it was over, Marcus took a step away. "I'd best get going," he indicated his head towards Erik and Colonel Sheppard. "I'll see you both around."

As soon as he was out of hearing range, I turned to Ronon. "Anything you might have seen… it wasn't what it looked like," I said.

He looked me slowly up and down. "You don't need to explain," he said. "I know you've got a history. It'll take a bit for everyone to get used to things."

I exhaled in relief. "Really?"

He smiled and reached for me with his free hand. "Sure," he said as his arm slipped around my waist and he pulled me to him. "Although I'd just as soon he kept his hand to himself in the future."

I smiled at his possessiveness. It was a side of him I had not seen before. "You won't," I assured him as I stood on tip toes and kissed him briefly. "What you saw was goodbye between us."

Ronon raised his eyebrow. "You sure he knows that?"

"Absolutely," I told him, and to back up my point, I kissed him again. We parted a moment later and I inclined my head towards where the others were deep in conversation. "Looks like they could be a while," I said. "Do you want to wait around, or maybe head back to Tarus?"

"Let's check if we're needed," Ronon replied. "It not, then we'll leave."

We rejoined the others and they broke off their conversation as Ronon addressed Erik. "Sara and I were thinking about going back to Tarus," he said. "I take it you don't need us here?"

It was the first time he had looked to my brother for direction – a fact that I was sure did not go unnoticed by those present – and I watched as Erik slowly inclined his head.

"Go ahead," he said. "Marcus and I are probably going to be a few hours. No point in the two of you standing around."

Ronon looked at me and then turned to Colonel Sheppard who stood a little to my right. "I guess this is it then," he said to his friend.

The Colonel gave him a wistful kind of half smile. "I guess so," he conceded. "Although I'd like the chance to check out some of these running circuits I've been hearing about on Tarus." He smiled and rested his hands casually upon his hips. "Don't be surprised if I use the portal to check you're keeping up with your cardio."

Ronon grinned. It was no secret that he and the Colonel often worked out together by running around the city of Atlantis. With the revelation of the portal, there was no reason why they could not continue to do so. "I'll be expecting you," Ronon told him as he ignored his hand and stepped forward to embrace him in a powerful bear hug instead.

The Colonel laughed, and then choked a little under the force of it. "Easy there," he warned. "If you break my ribs, I'm not gonna be able to run."

Ronon released him and gave him one last slap on the back as he turned to go. I waved to Erik and ventured a smile towards Marcus before we left them behind in the jumper bay. We walked for a moment together in silence until Ronon suddenly stopped and turned to me. "Have you thought about getting checked out yet?" he asked.

Although we were standing outside the infirmary, it still took a moment for me to realize he was referring to my being pregnant. I turned my head and saw the door to Carson's office was ajar and he was inside behind his desk. An uncomfortable thought occurred to me. "You planned this?" I asked.

"No," he shook his. "I just thought it might be a good idea… Make sure you're alright and everything."

I exhaled and relaxed a little. I didn't like to admit it, but his suggestion made sense. In fact, I felt a little guilty that the thought had not crossed my own mind. "Alright," I conceded. "If Carson's not busy, then I'll see him now."

Ronon nodded and together we approached the doctor's office. He looked up as Ronon knocked on the door.

"Sara. Ronon," he said as he stood up from behind his desk. "This is a pleasant surprise. I thought the pair of you would both have returned to Tarus by now."

"We're on our way," I told him. "We just stopped by to say goodbye… and to maybe ask a favor."

"Oh?" He looked at me for a moment and then walked over to close the door behind us. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Ronon's hand pressed gently against the small of my back. "Sara might be pregnant," he said. We were hoping you could take a look at her… Make sure everything's okay."

Carson's face lit up. "Well," he beamed, "I must say, this is a lovely surprise." He beckoned for us to follow him into an empty room in the medical bay and then handed me a test to take. In the privacy of the bathroom next door I followed the directions and then came back to prop myself up next to Ronon on a nearby bench while we waited for the results. It was barely two minutes before they came through.

"Well Sara," Carson smiled at me, "I am most happy to confirm that you are indeed pregnant."

My stomach did a small flip-flop. "Thank you," I whispered. I wanted to tell him I had guessed as much, that the confirmation of a baby was not news to me, but it seemed that the difference between suspecting something and knowing for sure was bigger than I realized. I was pregnant. This was really happening. My mixed emotions must have shown because as I turned to Ronon, Carson took a moment to busy himself with some papers on the desk behind. Before I knew what was happening, Ronon stooped to reach for me and I felt his arms wrap around the tops of my thighs as he hoisted me high off the ground. I let out a soft cry of surprise and braced my hands upon his shoulders as he held me above him, my hips pressed to his ribcage while he supported my weight solely by the strength in his arms. I looked down at him and my breath caught as I discovered I was the single focus of his green eyes. He stared at me with a combination of such awe and fierce pride that I felt both incredibly strong and yet achingly fragile all at the same time. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I remembered we were not the only ones in the room. "Put me down." I whispered softly.

He held me in place for a fraction longer and then slowly lowered my feet back to the ground. I barely had time to register my toes were curled before the moment was broken as Carson turned around. My cheeks flushed with color as I wondered what he must be thinking. "I'm sorry," I stammered as I tried to explain. "This is all… We didn't know for sure until now."

He shook his head and waved my words away with his hand. "No need for apology," he said. "In fact, given the circumstances, it's a pleasure to see." He clasped his hands together in front of him as he gave us both a broad smile. "Please, let me have the honor of being the first to offer you both my sincere congratulations."

Ronon smiled, seemingly not in the least uncomfortable about the display of affection he had just showered upon me. "Thanks, doc," he replied with ease.

Carson nodded and then indicated for us to take a seat. The mood in the room became more serious as he got down to business and explained what I could expect over the coming weeks. While he appeared to know a great deal on the subject, he made it clear to me that pregnancy and childbirth was not something he specialized in. Although he would help me in any way that he could, he recommended that as my pregnancy progressed I should seek a midwife on Tarus as well. It dawned on me how little I knew about what I was facing and I suddenly felt a little overwhelmed by what was ahead. Ronon took my hand and squeezed my fingers.

"You're gonna be fine," he told me as if he could read my thoughts. "Between the doctors here and on your home world, you'll have the best possible care."

Carson nodded his agreement. "So long as you don't try to overdo things," he warned.

"I'll see to it that she takes things easy," Ronon replied as he turned to me. I shot him what I hoped was my most rebellious look and was rewarded when the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a smile. It seemed we had discussed all that we needed to, so Ronon retrieved his clothes from Carson's office and we bid the doctor a fond goodbye. We walked in silence back through the corridors of Atlantis that would take us to the portal. It was a moment before I realized that Ronon was watching me intently.

I raised my eyebrows as I turned to him. "What?" I asked.

He held my gaze. "I think it's a girl," he told me.

I stared at him in surprise as I realized he was still thinking about the baby. "Really?" I replied. "What makes you think that?"

He shrugged. "Just a feeling."

I raised my eyebrows. "It's much too early to tell either way yet," I told him, and then paused as an unwelcome thought settled over me. "Will you be disappointed if it's a boy?"

He replied without hesitation. "Not at all. If we have a boy I'll get him his own triple barrel… And I'll teach him to stick fight too."

I smiled at the image. "He'll have a great teacher," I told him.

He squeezed my hand. "So will she."

I laughed. He was so sure of himself that I didn't see any point in arguing. It was still a good few months before we would find out if he was right or not anyway. The portal came into view and we drew to a stop in front of it.

"You got everything?" Ronon turned to me.

I reached out to take his hand. "Everything I need," I told him.

"Same," he whispered, and he leaned down to graze his lips gently across my own. His eyes were soft as he pulled back and looked at me, and I offered no resistance as he guided me towards the portal and took me home.