Chance Meetings

by MAlyssaConnor

When John and the team are searching the city, it's just his luck to find a woman in a stasis pod. But who is she? John doesn't know and was already head-over heels cliche . What trouble does she bring with her from the past? Just read and find out. R&R

37. Chapter 35

AN:/ Twins will be 1 year 4 months and 1 week

WOAH! Special you, two chapters uploaded within minutes for your viewing pleasure. How about a review?

DAEDALUS.

The ship is travelling through hyperspace. On the Bridge, Doctor McKay is talking to the Bridge crew who are standing watching him as he paces in front of a wall screen.
"So, I'm in Atlantis and I need to get to Earth. What do I do? Since we no longer have access to a ZedP.M. - due to unforeseeable circumstances - my only option would be to call the Daedalus and spend the next three weeks twiddling my thumbs waiting to get back home ... until now." He turns and points to the screen. "I give you the McKay-Carter Intergalactic Gate Bridge."
On the screen, a horizontal line of circles appears across the width of the screen. The line is broken in the middle by a larger icon.
"Thirty-four Gates from both the Milky Way and Pegasus Gate systems have been strategically placed in the massive void between our two galaxies. Simply enter on either side - for example, Atlantis - and boom! A macro that I have written specially for the occasion will command each Gate in the chain to store you in its buffer and forward you along to the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next until you arrive here."
The circles depicting the Stargates flash sequentially along the line until they reach the central icon.
"Once at the midway space station you simply exit the Pegasus Gate system and enter the Milky Way Gate system where a similar macro designed by yours truly will forward you along to the S.G.C. Total travel time, a little over thirty minutes. Cue applause."
The crew - somewhat reluctantly in some cases - politely applauds him. Rodney waves magnanimously. "Thank you. Enough."
The crew stops clapping.
"The midway space station isn't completed yet so we will be testing the system today using a Puddle Jumper. Now, given the history of ..."
He is interrupted by Colonel Steven Caldwell walking onto the Bridge. "Alright, show and tell's over. The test is about to begin. Let's get back to our stations, please."
Rodney looks slightly irked that his presentation has been interrupted. "Right."

SHORTLY AFTERWARDS.

Daedalus exits hyperspace and moves towards the framework for the midway space station. Clamped in one end is a Milky Way Stargate. The camera pans along the structure, which is shaped like a large tube, and shows that a Pegasus Gate is clamped at the other end. As the camera looks along the length of the station, the Milky Way galaxy can be seen in the distance. On the Daedalus Bridge, Rodney consults his computer tablet.
"All systems seem to be ..." he walks over to Captain Kleinman's position, still looking at his tablet "...huh."
"What?" Caldwell asked.
Rodney looks at Kleinman's console. "Oh, there's a ... odd echo on the proximity sensors. Won't affect the test but, uh ..." he types on his tablet "... yeah, we're ready to go."
҉
ATLANTIS.

In the Gateroom, the Gate whooshes and a Puddle Jumper lowers down from the ceiling and takes up position in front of the Gate. Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard reports from the Jumper.
"Gate is dialed. Forwarding macro has been uploaded."
On the balcony of the Control Room, Queen Illyria looks down at the Jumper and smiles. "Alright, John. You have a go."
"Alright, then. Here goes." He flies the Jumper into the event horizon.
WORMHOLE TRAVEL.

The usual sequence is punctuated with occasional bright flashes, presumably caused as the Jumper travels from one Gate to another. After some time, the Jumper bursts through the final Pegasus Gate and stops inside the space station structure. On Daedalus' Bridge, Rodney reports.
"We have a contact."
Caldwell spoke into comms. "Colonel Sheppard, right on time. What's your status?"
"Felt a little weird, but everything seems to be in one piece. Ready to proceed to next phase. Uploading macro and initiating dialing sequence."
He starts to punch the symbols on the Jumper's D.H.D. Ahead of him, the Milky Way Gate whooshes. On the Bridge, Rodney looks at his computer tablet in concern. "Oh, no-no-no-no, this is weird." He looks at Kleinman's console again.
"Shall I tell him to stand down?" Caldwell asked.
"No-no-no, it's nothing to do with the test. It's just our sensors aren't working properly."
"Daedalus, ready to proceed."
Caldwell leans over the side of his seat and stares hard at Rodney. "Do I clear him?"
Rodney is working on his tablet again and answers distractedly. "Mmm. Mmm, yeah-yeah-yeah, I'm sure he's fine." Caldwell continues to stare at him. Finally Rodney notices and looks up. "Uh, he's good to go, good to go, yes. Go ahead."
Caldwell sits back in his seat, not totally convinced. "Colonel Sheppard, you have a go."
John takes a deep breath and flies the Jumper forward. On Daedalus, Rodney looks at Kleinman's console.
"Jumper is away."
҉
EARTH.

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN COMPLEX, COLORADO.

STARGATE COMMAND.

In the Control Room, Chief Master Sergeant Harriman is sitting at the control desk while Major General Landry stands behind him, waiting patiently. Major General O'Neill walks over to join Landry.
"He's late." O'Neil said.
"When travelling almost three million light years, I'm not so sure there's such a thing as "late"!" Landry said.
"Right. Yes."
"You're just mad you didn't get to fly the maiden voyage yourself."
"General, I am quite fond of both maidens and voyages. I mean, put the two together and..."
"You're not a test pilot any more, Jack."
Jack looks at him indignantly. "That's what the President said."
As Landry chuckles, the Stargate whooshes.
"Incoming wormhole." Harriman reported.
Landry and Jack turn to face the Gateroom as the Puddle Jumper comes through the Gate and stops just inches away from the window. Jack leans forward to the microphone on the control desk while looking into the front window of the Jumper at John.
"It's about time!"
"Sorry, sir." John smiled.
"Colonel Sheppard. Welcome to Earth." Landry greeted.
"Thank you, sir. Good to be back."
"You know where to park. We'll debrief and go over the flight data as soon as you're ready."
"Yes, sir."
The Jumper rises up and disappears from view.
҉
DAEDALUS BRIDGE.
"Colonel, we're receiving a data burst. Jumper Three has arrived at Stargate Command." Kleinman reported.
"Mission accomplished." Caldwell said.
Rodney is still looking at his computer tablet. "Yes, of course it worked. I'm already onto the next problem."
"Which is?"
"Well, the sensors are having a hard time determining what it is, probably due to the Doppler effect."
"What is?"
"I'm detecting a foreign object travelling at point nine nine nine the speed of light ... and it's coming this way."

LATER.

MIDWAY SPACE STATION.

Jumper Three comes through the Milky Way Gate and stops inside the station structure.
"We have a contact, sir. It's Colonel Sheppard back from Earth." Kleinman reported.
"Colonel Sheppard, welcome back to the middle of nowhere." Caldwell greeted.
"Thank you, Colonel. I've got a take-out pizza for everyone back at Atlantis. With your permission, I'd like to upload the macro and dial out before it gets cold."
"Negative. We're putting that leg of the trip on hold for now. Seems like we're expecting company."

LATER.

John has transferred from the Jumper to Daedalus and is sitting at a table in a briefing room with Caldwell and several members of the crew. Other crew members are standing around the walls while Rodney, in full lecture mode, is walking around the table.
"Believe it or not, moving that fast, while an incredible feat of technology, isn't very useful - certainly in comparison to travel through hyperspace. Now, moving as fast as it is, this ship - assuming it is a ship - would still take at least a million years just to reach the Milky Way."

"That close to the speed of light, don't you have to take relativity into account?" Caldwell asked.
"Exactly. The people on board - assuming that they are people - would only experience maybe twelve years, so a few stasis chambers and you're laughing ... I mean, they're not laughing, they're unconscious - but, uh, you know, metaphorically."
"So - assuming it's a ship and assuming they're people ..."

"... what do we do about them?" Caldwell finished for John.

"Well, we try and make contact, obviously." McKay said.
"How do you propose we do that?" Caldwell asked.
"Pull up, honk the horn, try to get 'em to roll down the window." John said.
"I'm talking about attempting to match their speed. This ship is not designed to do that."
"We can't. I mean, even if we succeeded, we'd still be subject to the same time dilation effects. We'd be out of contact with Earth and Atlantis for, well, years." McKAy said.
"Can't we overtake 'em with our hyperdrive?" John asked.
"Yes, but they would blow right past us as soon as we dropped back into normal space because our sublight engines are incapable of accelerating to anywhere near the speed of light." McKay said.
"So we max out the sublight engines, get as close as we can get."
"Hmm. Yes. I mean, that might work. We should at least be able to stay in range long enough to get some sensor readings, yeah."
"Do it." Caldwell turned to John. "I'll let Atlantis know you're gonna be late."
As the meeting breaks up, Rodney walks over to John. "Um, did you really get pizza for everyone? Because it would be a shame for that to go to waste if we're gonna, um ..." John stares at him. "... Yeah, OK, so solve this first and then ..."
He hurries away.

LATER.

Daedalus is travelling through normal space.
"Sir, we've got just about everything we're gonna get out of the sublight engines." Kleinman reported.
"They're gonna fly by us in three, two, one." Caldwell said and a blur appears behind Daedalus and draws closer. It races past the ship - it looks like it is a ship but its outline is difficult to make out because of its speed. On the Bridge, Rodney looks at his computer tablet.
"Interesting."
"What?" Caldwell asked.
"If these readings are correct - and to be perfectly fair, they may not be ..."
"Rodney." John warned.
"It's an Ancient warship. It's possibly Aurora class."
"Who's flying it?" Caldwell asked.
"I ... would imagine Ancients."
"But there hasn't been any of them around for over ten thousand years." John said. "Well, except for Illyria."
Rodney sighs. "Relativity? Look, remember, for them only a handful of years have passed."
"Don't those ships have hyperdrives?"
"Well, maybe their hyperdrive was damaged in a battle with the Wraith. It happened to us all the time. Maybe it conked out on the way and they were forced to continue at as close to light speed as possible. That would explain how they got a million light years away from Pegasus without having to leave a million years ago."
"You know the subspace drive specs better than I do, Doctor, but I'm not sure an Aurora class ship has the power to do what you're suggesting." Caldwell said.
"Well, maybe they have a ZedP.M."
John perks up. "That would be worth finding out."
"OK, we need to send them a message before they get out of range and we have to jump ahead. Uh, something like, you know, 'We are humans from Earth currently occupying Atlantis, uh, yada, yada, yada ...'" McKay trialed.
"Why don't we just ask 'em to slow down?" John asked.
Kleinman's console beeps. "Colonel Caldwell. The unidentified vessel is slowing down."
"Maybe they heard me."
McKay was looking at the pilot's console. "No, they saw us. They're not just slowing down - they're slamming on the brakes something like twenty-seven gees."
"So now what?" Caldwell asked.
There's a flash at the front of the Bridge and a hologram of a blonde woman appears. Her clothing is similar to that worn by the Ancients on Aurora. "Unknown vessel, I'm Captain Helia of the Lantean warship Tria. Our ship has suffered damage. We've scanned your vessel and determined that it is capable of hyperspace travel. We've begun deceleration maneuvers. Will you render assistance in the form of hyperspace transport?"
"Well, yes! Yes, of course we will." McKay yipped.
The hologram doesn't turn to him or respond in any way to what he just said.
"I don't think she can hear you." John said.
Caldwell turned to Kleinman. "Open a channel." Kleinman does so. Rodney looks disappointed that he wasn't the first one to speak to the new Ancients. "This is Colonel Steven Caldwell of the Earth ship Daedalus. It would be an honor to render assistance in any way we possibly can."
Helia smiles at him, then her hologram disappears.
"We're gonna meet Ancients! I mean, flesh and blood Ancients who know what everything is and how everything works! I mean, I don't even know what to ask first!"

"Hey!" John slapped McKay upsde the head. "Illyria and the kids are flesh and blood Ancients too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but Illyria doesn't really know al lot about the systems. If she does, she's not telling us."
"Well, it's gonna be a couple of hours before we can match velocities for transport." Caldwell interrupted.
John turned to Rodney, contempt in his voice. "That should give you enough time to write out that list!"
"Right, right!" McKay hurries off.
҉
ATLANTIS.

Elizabeth is walking towards the Gateroom with Captain Frio and Ronon Dex.
"They were battle-scarred and already well on their way to Earth when their hyperdrive finally gave out on them. They decided it was best to continue forward than go back." Illyria informed them.
"How many survivors?" Ronon asked.
"Just over a hundred." Illyria said.
"Word has already begun to spread amongst the Athosian people. They believe this return was foretold - that it marks a turning in the tide on the war against the Wraith. That Jen and Pat are profits," Marissa looked over at Illyria, "that they, along with the new ancients, with bring forth the ends of the Wraith."
"Well, I don't know about that. Th-They're only ten weeks old!"
Up in the Control Room, the Canadian technician walks over to the balcony. "Queen Illyria. The Daedalus is ready to beam down our people and the Ancient delegation."
"Thank you." She turns towards the Gate, zipping up her jacket. A few moments later the transporter beams down John, Rodney, Helia and several other Ancients.
"Queen Illyria, Ronon, Marissa - this is Helia-"
"Captain of the Tria." Illyria smiled widely and rushed towards the woman. Helia reciprocated warmly and the Ancients around them smiled and the Team looked puzzled. Illyria pulled back, keeping her hands on Helia's shoulders. "'Lia, you do not know how wonderful it is to see you again."

Helia smiles at her. "Likewise, My Queen. And from what I'm told, they've done a remarkable job preserving our city."
"We did what we could with what we had." John said.
Helia's face becomes serious as she turned to him. "I need to speak to the leader of your people."
"I'm incharge of everyone within the city." Illyria said.
"You misunderstand me, my Queen. I need to talk to the one who can speak for all the people of Earth."
"That can certainly be arranged, but may I ask why?"
Helia smiles, and a console rises up from the floor between her and Illyria. Instantly Ronon snatches out his blaster and aims at it.
"What is that? How come I've never seen that?" McKay said.
"That is because I have never told you." Illyria said over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off Helia. Helia walks to the console and puts her hand on it. All around the Control Room, the screens go blank. "What are you doing, Helia?"
"Thank you for all that you've done, Queen Illyria, but your guardianship of this city is no longer necessary. The city is now under my control."
҉
TWO WEEKS LATER.

Jack O'Neill and Richard Woolsey of the International Oversight Advisory have travelled to Atlantis and are sitting at the table in the Conference Room. Helia stands opposite them.
"We were in a battle with Wraith cruisers. They proved too much for us so we started back to Atlantis only to be told that the final evacuation was already in progress. I decided to push on to Earth and join the evacuees. Even when our hyperdrive failed we decided to continue on."
"I can't begin to imagine what you and your crew must be going through right now." Woolsey said.
"We owe you and your people a debt of gratitude, but we've just returned home - home to a place we thought we'd never set eyes on again - and we need some time ... alone."
"You do know that we've shed our own fair share of blood defending the city from the Wraith?" O'Neil pointed out.
"But by your own admission, you were responsible for waking the Wraith."

"... Right." Jack looks to Woolsey for help.
Woolsey spoke to Helia. "And by your own admission, you are responsible for the emergence of the Wraith as a species. The fact is, if it weren't for our expedition, there would be no Atlantis. Queen Illyria would still be in stasis and the Ancient Twins would never have been born."
"No-one's saying the city doesn't belong to you or that you don't belong here. What we're saying is that ..."
Woolsey puts his hand on Jack's arm to stop him. "What we're asking ... "
Jack looks down at Woolsey's hand. Woolsey withdraws it, then both he and Jack look up at Helia. "What we're ... asking is that we be allowed to stay here."
"There is so much that we can learn from you - and in return we can offer supplies, manpower, the kind of support you'll need to restore Atlantis to its former glory."
"The day will come when your people will once again have a place here. But that is not this day."
҉
ILLYRIA'S OFFICE.

Illyria is standing and gazing anxiously towards the Conference Room, rocking Patrick. Rodney walks over and points to the Conference Room doors.
"You should be in there."
"I'm the Queen, Rodney. Yes, I should be in there, but….it wouldn't make a difference. It's been years since they've been under my command." She turns away from the window. John is sitting in a chair with his feet up on her desk. Jen was on her back in his lap and smiling and screaming when John was dancing his fingers on her belly.
"You're right. They want us out of here." John said.
"But why? There are maybe a hundred or so of them? I mean, they could use us. They might even need us." McKay said. "You're they're Queen! They can't possibly kick you out."
"What if you were forced from your home by a war, only to return to find someone on your couch, eating your Cheetos, watching your TV." John simplified.
"Well, I'd be fine with that." McKay said unconvincingly.
"No, you wouldn't." Illyria sighed.
Jack and Woolsey walk into the office. John gets to his feet, cradling Jen to his chest. "How go the talks, sir?"
"No talks. Listening is what we did." Jack said.
"It was essentially a transitional meeting. They needed to know how much time we needed to vacate the city." Woolsey said.
"I said forty-eight hours, unless you need more." Jack said.
"No. It should be enough." Illyria exchanges a distraught glance with John, then turns away, handing Pat to Jack.
"That's it? We're just gonna take this lying down? We rescued them!" McKay yelled.
"And they're immensely grateful." Woolsey said.
"Well, they're not showing it!"
"From their point of view, Doctor McKay, they're being extremely generous. Keep in mind that when they left Atlantis, we were basically a hunter-gatherer species." Woolsey said.
"Well, did you remind them that if we hadn't hunted and gathered them out of the void between galaxies, they would still be stuck there?"
"We should have left them out there." John said.
"I know you feel as though you're losing the city." Woolsey said.
"This isn't just about losing a city, Richard. It's about losing your opportunity to talk with and learn from living, breathing Ancients that aren't me." Illyria countered.
"They are willing, over time, to let us back in the city - just not right now. That way we get all the benefit of Atlantis with very little of the risks..." Woolsey looks at Jack. "...or expense."
"Yeah, it's not like we don't have our own galaxy to worry about." Jack said. John and Rodney slump, defeated looks on their faces. "Colonel, I'd like you to supervise the withdrawal."
John glanced at Illyria briefly. "Yes, sir."
"Go ahead." Woolsey leads John and Rodney out of the room. Jack waits until they've gone, then walks over to Illyria. "Can I talk to you for a moment? I didn't wanna say this in front of McKay because I know he'd want the job."
"What job?"
"Ancients are willing to leave someone behind as a liaison - kind of a ... ambassador, if you will."

Illyria gazes at him hopefully. "You know I would be more than happy..."

"One condition." Illyria's face dropped. "John can't stay."

"Wh-what? No! No, no!" Illyria stumbled back, nearly backing into Jen's bassinet. "Jack-"

"Shhhh," Jack placed Pat in his bassinet and pulled Illyria into an embrace, letting her sob into his chest. "It'll be okay."

"Ha-How is this going to be okay!" Illyria pushed him back and heavily sat down on a chair. "Why can't John-"

"You're not married. Helia explained that since John isn't in the Royal Family he can't stay."

"What about the twins? Where will they go?" Illyria looked over to their bassinets.

"They're Breen's, not John's. They stay here." Illyria hung her head. "They also want someone else to stay - the I.O.A. wants Woolsey."
"Woolsey?"
"Yeah. To paraphrase the Ancients, they think you won't be able to..." he struggles for the right words "... let go."
"So they're gonna just shut you out after everything you've done here?"
"I know." Illyria sags, defeated. Jack walks closer to her. "Look, you and Elizabeth have done a hell of a job here, and I am sorry it's ending this way."
"I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that, out of all the ways this expedition could have ended ..." she hesitates for a moment, then raises her head bravely and looks up at Jack "... this is definitely not the worst." Jack offers her his hand. She shakes it. "Thank you."
"Yeah." He turns and leaves the office.

Illyria sinks down to sit on her desk, her face filled with loss.
҉
JOHN and ILLYRIA'S QUARTERS.

John shoves a bag of his possessions into a metal box, closes the lid, then sits down on the bed and picks up another bag. It was the Twin's baby bag. Ronon and Marissa come to the open door. Ronon taps on the door and John looks round to them and stands up, whipping the wetness of his face.
"Hey. You guys all packed up?
Ronon shrugs as he and Marissa walk into the room. "I really don't have that much stuff."
John smiles. "Right."
"Most of my belongings are already with the Daedalus." Marissa nodded.
"How's that Athosian thing going, by the way? Are the Ancients allowing them to stay on the mainland?"
Marissa smiles ruefully. "They've found a suitable planet for them to relocate to - one with their own Stargate."
"How'd that go down?" John asked.
"It was not the homecoming of the Ancestors Teyla's people envisioned."
John looks awkward, then gestures around his quarters. Baby toys and bridal magazines strew across. "You guys want any of this stuff?" He takes his poster off the wall above his bed. "Johnny Cash poster? Skateboard? Sudoku books?"
Marissa throws an amused smile at Ronon who is flicking through the pages of a book he has picked up. John hesitates, still looking awkward, then walks over the top of his bed to the other side. He sighs and sits down on the bed again. Ronon puts the book down as John looks at Ronon.
"You know you're welcome to come back with us, right?"
"I can't leave this galaxy until every last Wraith is dead." Ronon smiles.
"Well, I just had to say it out loud."
"And the Athosian's would like us to know that they would be honored if we decided to stay with them." Marissa added.
John was taking the last of his items off the bedside table, hesitating over a picture of him and Illyria before putting them into a box. "Yeah, well, I think the Air Force has got other plans for me. And the Marines for you."
"I also just had to say it out loud."
"Right." John looks around the room, realizing that he has packed everything that he owned. He shrugs awkwardly as he looks back to the other two. "Well ... this sucks."
"Yeah." Ronon grumbled.
"I'm not, I'm not ... I'm not good at ... goodbyes."
"Our paths will cross again," Marissa turned to Ronon. "Of that I am sure."
"Well, before our paths uncross, would you give me a hand with these boxes? I'll throw in pizza and some beer and ..."
"... popcorn?" Marissa interrupted.
"And popcorn!" As Marissa laughs, Ronon stands up, grinning, wraps his arms around John's waist in a bearhug and hoists him up off the floor. "Oh, my God!"
Ronon swings him round and dumps him back down again. They all laugh as Ronon and Marissa move to collect John's stuff. Before they exit, Marissa stops in the doorway. "Why isn't Illyria's stuff packed?"

John hesitated, looking down. "She…she isn't coming." Marissa's jaw dropped and Ronon's face got stern. "The Ancients what to keep the Twins here. The only way Illyria would allow that-"

"Was if she stayed." Ronon finished.

John nodded. "Yeah. Woolsey is also staying as a sort of Liaison."

"John-" Marissa streached out her hand but pulled it back.

"Let's just get these boxes moved."

LAB.

Rodney, Doctor Zelenka and Doctor Beckett are standing at a table in the middle of the room, packing stuff into metal boxes.
"Well, I was offered a job at Masaryk University right before I came here. I imagine I could work there if I wanted to. What about you, Carson?" Zelenka asked.
"Well, they offered me a surgery position at Stargate Command." He looks at Rodney. "You?"
"I don't know. Area 51, I guess - tool around with as much of the database as we're able to bring back with us."
"You know, in a way I look forward to focusing on a single problem for a while. Being continually pulled off of research to put out fires can be, you know, frustrating." Zelenka said.
"Ah, I suppose so. I just don't know how many times I'm gonna be asked to save the day at the eleventh hour at Area 51."
"Oh, I'm sure it'll come up." Carson said.
"Yeah, well, not as often as I'd like." McKay complained.
"Well, I must admit, it's been a pleasure working with you both. In fact, out of all the people..." Carson trails off and stops what he's doing, lowering his head.
"You are not tearing up on me, are you?" McKay rolls his eyes. "Oh, he is, he's tearing up."
Carson angrily starting to pack again. "Now you've ruined it."
"Oh, I'm sorry." McKay sarcastically said.
"I was just about to say something."
"Well, it's not like we're not gonna see each other at the Gate."
"No, of course not." Carson closes the case he was packing, lifts it off the table and starts to walk away. "I don't know what I was thinking." He sighs in an annoyed way.
"What was it?" McKay said in a tetchy voice.
Carson stopped. "What?"
"What you were gonna say. Just say it. Now I'm curious."
Carson sighs again, then turns to face him and Radek. Quietly saying, "I was going to say ... goodbye, Rodney."
Rodney's sarcastic look fades. Radek raises a hand in farewell to Carson, who turns and leaves the room.
҉
NIGHT TIME.

ILLYRIA AND JOHN'S QUARTERS.

Illyria is packing books into a metal box. Her door chime sounds and she goes over to the door and touches the wall panel. The door opens and she finds John standing there, writing on a notepad.
"Colonel."
"Queen."
"Come in."
John walked in. "Well, we are way ahead of schedule, ready to head out at 0800. Daedalus is gonna take most of the gear. People and our odds and ends will make their way through the Stargate, thanks to the Ancients' new ZeeP.M."
"Good….You're taking this rather well."
John was still writing on his notepad. "Actually, I'm pissed. For one thing, I'm only a quarter of the way through 'War and Peace.'"
"I can't imagine what I can possibly do without you here."
John was writing on his pad again. "Life isn't fair - it's just fairer than death."
Illyria frowns, surprised at his quote. "Oscar Wilde?"
"'The Princess Bride.' Good movie." Illyria chuckles. John looks up at her, and then lowers his pad, looking awkward. "You gonna be ready to move out at 0800?"
Illyria looks round thier room briefly. "Yeah, yeah. I should be. You?"
"Just one or two ... hundred things to do. I'll see you at the Gate."
He turns and leaves the room. Illyria sighs deeply, then runs over to John, embracing him from the back. "Please," she sobbed, "Please don't leave me. Leave us…"

John breathed in a rugged breath. "I want to—God, I want too!" He spun around and crushed his lips to Illyria's. They spent a few breathless moments passionately kissing. When they came up gasping for breath, lips raw, John rested his head on her hair. "Where are the kids now?"

"They're with the Team." She whispered. She pulled away a little and looked up at John. "John, stay with me tonight?"

In response, he lowered his head.
҉
NEXT MORNING.

0800.

In the Control Room, Rodney is talking with Helia. "Grounding station on the south pier's a bit twitchy - got shot up. It wasn't our fault. You need to look at that."
"I'm sure we'll find our way, Doctor."
"No, I'm sure you will, but, um, you should also, uh ..."
"Rodney!" Illyria called up from the Gateroom.
Rodney turns and looks over the balcony. As various crewmembers walk through the Gate, carrying the last of their possessions, Marissa, John and Carson are standing waiting for him. Ronon and Illyria are standing facing them. Carson jerks his head at Rodney in a "get down here!" gesture.
"Uh, right, yes, well." McKay turns to Helia. "I gotta go."
Helia hides a smile as he turns and heads for the stairs. Down in the Gateroom, Illyria smiles at the others. "You've been good friends - to all the people of this galaxy."
Hesitantly, John walks over to her. He looks at her for a moment, and then bows his head. Marissa bows hers and they touch foreheads. They said nothing, just stared at each other. That was all they needed.
"Farewell."
"Take care." He softly said.
Ronon looks on, his eyes a little teary. Rodney arrives at the bottom of the stairs and smiles at Illyria as he walks past her. "Bye." He walks over to Marissa, John and Carson. "Hi."
Illyria and Ronon walk away as the Earth team faces the Gate. They walk towards it side by side, but Marissa stops just before they reach the event horizon. John, Rodney and Carson walk into the Gate. Marissa turns and runs towards Ronon and Illyria. She embraced them both tightly before turning and running into the event horizon.
҉
EARTH.

S.G.C. GATEROOM.

TWO MONTHS LATER

John - wearing green BDUs - comes through the Gate supporting a soldier who is limping and grunting in pain. "Get your damned weight off your foot, you'll be fine."
They reach the bottom of the ramp and John hands the man over to a medic who is waiting for them. Landry walks in.
"Tell me you didn't engage the Ori, Colonel."
"We didn't engage the Ori, sir." John gestures to another member of his team behind him. "Bambus here was inspecting some curious fauna when he discovered the ground underneath him wasn't stable. He fell twenty feet into a babbling brook." He gestures in the direction the medic just took the other man. "Wallace there was trying to help him get back up when he lost his footing and broke his ankle."
"I see."
"Never thought I'd miss Rodney McKay being a member of my team!"
"Well, chemistry doesn't happen overnight. We'll debrief as soon as Wallace is out of the Infirmary."
"Yes, sir."
The Gate begins to dial in behind them. Harriman yelled from the Control Room. "Offworld activation."
"Hold on, Colonel. You may get a kick out of this." Landry starts to lead John from the Gateroom. "This should be General O'Neill on his scheduled check-in from Atlantis."
"He went back, sir?"
"Woolsey needed a little back-up. Apparently the Ancients find him a bit trying." He chuckles as John smiles. "Imagine that!"
"Mmm! What about-" before John could finish his sentence, the Gate whooshes and Jack and Woolsey appear on the video screens.
"General!"
"General!" Landry responded.
"Is that Sheppard there with you?"

"Yes, sir." John said.
"Talks are proceeding at an acceptable pace; but the real news is that the Pegasus Replicators are heading back to Atlantis to make another run at the city." Woolsey said.
"They are?"
"No-one here seems to be that worried about it." Jack said.
"Why not?" Landry asked.
"They're Ancients!" O'Neil yelled.

"What about Illyria? She must've told them what happened to us. She wouldn't let them-"

Woolsey coughed, ignoring John's question. "Apparently these Replicators have a law in their base code that makes it impossible for them to harm their creators." Woolsey explained.
"And they're expecting to find us." John said.
Woolsey nods.
"According to Helia, they're gonna run into some kinda nasty surprise." O'Neil said.
"So you can pass it on to Doctor McKay that if you and he hadn't rescued the Ancients and returned Atlantis to their care ..." Woolsey trailed off for John to finish.
"... I'd have lost the city anyway."
"Right." O'Neil said. John smiles briefly, but he doesn't look at all reassured by the news. "Well, we should get back to our talks ... and talks and talks. O'Neill out."
The Gate shuts down. John turns to Landry. "Sir, I'd be happy to talk to you more about these Replicator guys."
"Naah, sounds like they've got everything under control."
Landry walks away.
"Yes, sir ... I guess they do."
҉
JOHN'S OFFICE.

John throws a dart into a dartboard on the wall. He grimaces, not making the shot. As he throws another dart, Rodney's voice comes over a speaker on John's desk.
"I hate it here."
"How's that possible?"
"It's true."
John sat down at his desk. He glanced over at a photo of him and Illyria smiling and holding the twins. He smiled briefly. "Look, they gave you everything you wanted: your own lab ..."
"Yeah, it's too big."

Rodney is standing as he talks to John on his mobile phone. He is on a balcony overlooking a huge chamber. Behind him a massive generator or reactor of some sort is spinning slowly.
"... hand-picked assistants ..."
"Yeah, sycophants, every one of them."

"... even your own choice of projects."
"Well, that's not true." McKay said dejectedly.
"Well, other than going back to Atlantis."
Rodney sighs. "You know, the truth is, I ..."
He trails off. John looks at the phone suspiciously.
"What?"
"I don't - I don't wanna use the term "lonely," but, uh, there are certain people who ... I miss."
John smiles. "Me?"
"You? You I'm talking to on the phone right now and having dinner with tomorrow, so not so much, but other people - people who I may never see again. Like, even Marissa- she hasn't returned any of my calls."
"I know what you mean."
Rodney sighs again. "Hey - at least you still get to go offworld with a team of your own."
"Oh yeah, the best and the brightest! Alright, see you tomorrow night."
"Yeah, wouldn't miss it. Hey, you know, I ..." John reaches out and switches the phone off. At his lab, Rodney takes the phone away from his ear and looks at it ruefully for a moment before closing it. "Yeah."
҉
MARISSA'S APARTMENT BLOCK.

In her apartment, Marissa sits on a sofa writing. An empty pizza box lies on a chair nearby, while the coffee table is covered with empty take-out cartons. Someone knocks on the door. Marissa gets up, goes over to the door as the person knocks again, and looks through the spyhole. When she sees who it is, she sighs, hesitates for a moment, then opens the door to reveal Carson standing outside.
"Carson."
Carson was smiling at her. "Hullo, Marissa."
"This is a surprise."
"Well, you didn't return my messages so I thought I'd just stop by."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Come in."
"Thank you." He walks in and looks around the room. It's quite a mess.
"Oh, excuse the mess. I wasn't really expecting company." She picks up a cardigan from the floor. Carson looks at her with concern but masks it.
"Oh, please. I'm from a family of seven - our home was never this clean! You look good."
She doesn't. She's dressed very scruffily and her hair is tied back in a ponytail but still looks unkempt.
"Ah, well, thanks for lying. How is the S.G.C. treating you?"
"It's only been two months so I'm still settling in, but it's good. Interesting work, kind people."
Marissa glances down at the coffee table and starts to clear up the take-out cartons and crockery on it. "Good! That's good."
"How about you?"
"Oh, you know - keeping busy." She said, still clearing up.
Carson watches her, his look of concern back on his face. "Oh yeah? Doing what?"
"In the Marine reserves, working for my father at the Station House. I've been doing a bit of writing - uh, working on my memoirs." She straightens up again and smiles at him.
"Your memoirs? About your time in Atlantis?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"And on what planet did you expect to publish it?"
"I suppose it's for posterity as much as anything else. And for me. Just trying to get it straight in my own head. It all went by so fast, you know?"
"Aye - that it did." Marissa looks down. Carson walks closer to her. "Marissa, we're all a bit worried about you."
She laughs. "You're worried about me?" She sits down. "Why?"
"Well, you don't return phone calls, and the few times that you've run into people, they say you've seemed distant."
"I'm just ... I'm just trying to move on."
"By writing your memoirs and fighting fires?" Marissa looks up at him, unable to answer. Carson sighs and sits down on the coffee table opposite her. "Marissa, why haven't you taken another position?"
"The S.G.C. let me enter their version of the reserves when I asked. Since then, I'm doing consults for them and Homeland Security."
"You don't need to be here for that - you could easily consult them from a secure phone line."
Marissa looks at him for a moment, then looks down. "I guess I'm just not ready yet."
"Look, Rodney's flying in tomorrow. John and I are taking him for dinner. You should come."
"Tomorrow? Oh, gosh, tomorrow ... I ..."
"I'll pick you up at seven." Standing up, Carson kisses her hair, then leaves.
҉
ATLANTIS.

In the Control Room, Jack and Woolsey, together with Helia, are watching the wall screen as it shows a Puddle Jumper approaching a ship which is headed towards the planet.
"That seems like a pretty big ship. You're sure only sending one Jumper up to fend it off is the right thing to do?" Woolsey asked.
"It is impossible for them to harm us." Helia stated.
"I could use some enemies like that." O'Neil said.
The Jumper Pilot spoke over comms. "We have established communications, Commander."
"This is Commander Helia. The city you're approaching is once again under Lantean control. Stand down and return to your planet immediately, or you will be..."
The image of the Puddle Jumper flashes, then disappears from the screen.
"I thought you said they couldn't harm you!" Woolsey yelled.
Helia turned to one of her crew. "Raise the shield!"
The sound of the shield deploying can be heard but before it can raise over the entire city, a blast rocks the tower.
҉
EARTH.

RESTAURANT.

John, Marissa, Rodney and Carson are sitting at a table eating dessert. John speaks to Carson through a mouthful of food.
"You should call her."
"Mmm." McKay said, agreeing with him.
"Who, Cadman?" Carson asked.
"You guys did make a cute couple." Marissa nodded.
"It didn't work out. May have something to do with our first kiss being through Rodney!" He mock-glares at Rodney accusingly.
McKay grimaced. "Oh, I thought we made a solemn vow never to speak of that again!"
"I remember no such thing!"
"You know what? It's getting late." Marissa said.
"Since when do you sleep?" John asked.
"Since I got back. I've got a lot of catching up to do. But it's been awesome seeing all of you again." She puts a hand on Carson's arm. "Thank you for getting me out."
"No, we should thank you. You're taking us to dinner, right?" John asked.
"Cheeky!"
John's mobile phone, which he had put on the table, starts to ring. As he reaches for it, a second ringtone can be heard. Rodney rummages in his pockets and takes his phone out as John answers his.
"Sheppard." John asked.
Just then another ringtone starts. Marissa reaches into her handbag as Rodney answers his mobile.
"McKay."
Marissa takes her Blackberry out of her bag and looks at the screen. It has the message, "Incoming call - N.O.R.A.D." She answers it. "Hello?"
"I didn't bring my bloody cellphone with me. What's happening?" Carson asked.
҉
S.G.C. BRIEFING ROOM.

The four of them are sitting at the table as Landry walks across the room.
"We got this data burst about twenty minutes ago." Landry said.
He activates a remote control and a recording begins to play on the wall screen. Jack O'Neill appears on the screen, broadcasting from Atlantis' Control Room. The recording is poor and filled with static and there are several moments when the image fritzes out completely.
"Atlantis is under attack from Replicators. Somehow they figured out how to override their programming. The Ancients were taken off guard and have lost most of the city already."
Woolsey, standing behind him, turns to something off camera and fires a pistol at it several times.
"Request immediate evacuation!"
Woolsey turned towards Jack. "They're coming!"
The screen blanks out. Landry turns to the others, who have been watching the recording in horror. "They never made it to the Gate. I was informed they had a law written into their base code that made it impossible for them to harm the Ancients. How the hell did this happen?"
Marissa and John looks over to Rodney who answered nervously. "It is remotely possible that in trying to rewrite Niam's base code, I ... uh, we may have opened the door for them to make other changes."
"You did this?" Landry yelled.

"At the time we thought it was the only possible way to save the city." Marissa backed Rodney.
"How it happened doesn't matter. They may have changed it on their own. The question is: how do we fix it?" John asked.
"That's why I called you in. I have my orders. The Daedalus is already on the way. Now, what I need from you is ..." Landry activates his remote control again and a schematic of Atlantis appears on the screen "...what's the best way to get a nuke past the shield?"
The team stare at each other, appalled.
"Well, I have no idea." Carson said.
"I didn't call you in, Doctor." Landry said.
"You're going to use nuclear weapons on Atlantis?" Marissa asked.
"It's the gateway to Earth." Landry said.
"And we have an iris!" McKay shouted.
"Yes, we do, but thanks to your Intergalactic Gate Bridge, all they have to do is rewrite your macro and they can come out anywhere in the Milky Way."
"Yeah, but those macros are very complicated."
"They are very complicated, Doctor McKay. They just rewrote their own damned base code! I think they can handle it."
"Sir, General O'Neill and Woolsey may still be alive. Hell, my fiancé and our kids are still there! Now, I know the city like the back of my hand. Just give me sixty marines and some of Colonel Carter's new, um ..." John snapped his fingers.
"... Anti-Replicator weapons." McKay said.
"Yeah, those things."
"I'm sorry, Colonel. I have standing orders. They happen to be General O'Neill's standing orders. The Daedalus will be there in a little under four days. Now, how do I get a nuke past their shield?" Landry asked.

҉
LATER.

JOHN'S OFFICE
"Now, those Replicator thingamyjiggies you're talkin' about ..." Carson trailed off.
"Let's just call 'em A.." John said.
"They're energy weapons. They disrupt the link between the nanites' cells. The Replicators literally fall apart when you fire on them." McKay said.
"You know, uh - hypothetically - Ronon'd be more than willing to help ... if we asked." John suggested.
"We would need to gate into Atlantis. All they'd need to do to keep us out is activate the Gate's shield." Marissa said.
"Well, I did write a back door to the shield program a couple of years ago when Kolya stormed the city, so ... I mean, it could hypothetically let us get into the Gateroom." McKay said.
"General Landry was worried about the Replicators rewriting the Bridge macro to gate them somewhere else in the Milky Way. Does that mean you could change the macro - take us somewhere else in Pegasus?" Marissa asked.
"Somewhere like, uh ... just talking here ... the Athosian settlement where Ronon is?" John asked.
"We'd need a Jumper." McKay said.
"... and some of those A.."
"... and someone to make sure Landry doesn't close the iris on us." Marissa said.
"Hmm!" McKay smiled.
"Hypothetically." Marissa smiled.
"Of course!" Carson said.
John shrugs in agreement.
҉
LATER.

Marissa and Rodney are walking along a corridor.
"The Jumper is in its storage area under guard. We need for one of us to be added to the authorized personnel list, and there's only one guy who can do that." McKay was telling her.
"You?"
"No. Why'd you think I was gonna say me?"
"I don't know. Seemed like you were leading up to it."
They reach an elevator. Rodney swipes his keycard through the wall panel to call the elevator. "No, sadly, Doctor Lee's been the one heading up the Jumper research project, because they refused to send him to Area 51 for me. But I think I should be able to add one of our keycards to the authorized personnel list, but I have to do that from his office."
"So?"
"Well, he's in his office, so you need to distract him."
Marissa's eyes widen. "Me? How?"
"Well, here's what I'm thinking..."
The elevator doors open and they go inside.
҉
DOCTOR LEE'S LAB.

Doctor Bill Lee smiles with delight at Marissa who is standing near to him, then grins across to Rodney.
"I gotta say, I have never met a woman this into World of Warcraft!"
"It's a silent passion of mine."
"As it is with all of us." Marissa strolls casually around Lee, forcing him to turn with her. Once he can no longer see Rodney, Rodney takes out his keycard and turns to a computer nearby. "I'm level seventy-five - Mage, specializing in engineering and dueling. You?
Rodney swipes his card through the reader and a list of names comes up on the screen.
"Oh, wow! Level seventy-five!" Marissa said. Lee smiles proudly. Behind him, Rodney turns the screen around so that it's no longer facing Lee. "Me, I'm only fifty."

Behind Lee's back, Rodney spins his finger at Marissa to indicate that she should keep talking. He starts to type.
"Ah. Well, I had the beta of the expansion pack, so I sorta had a leg-up on most people. What's your race?" Lee asked.
Flummoxed, Marissa glances over at Rodney. Without looking at her, he holds up his hands, puts his fingers together and then pulls them away from each other, indicating that she needs to drag this out for as long as possible.

"...Mage."
"You know, I'm trying to increase my enchanter skills, but it's just, it's not going very well." Lee bows his head, shaking it sadly.
"Oh, I disagree, Bill!" Marissa shouted.
"What?" He looks up as Marissa smiles at him flirtatiously. "Oh! Uh, Rodney..." He starts to turn towards Rodney, who straightens up from the computer quickly. Marissa instinctively grabs at the lapels of Lee's lab coat and turns him back towards her. "Look, I don't mean ..." she lets his lapels go and straightens them down again "... I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so forward."
"No, no, no, go on, be forward!"
Now that Lee has turned away from him again, Rodney gets back to work on the computer.
"Well, oh, I ... look, I'm not quite sure how exactly I should put this ..."
On the computer, Rodney creates a space in the list between "Mason, John" and "Mirman, Wallace" and types in "McKay, Rodney."
"A true Mage speaks his mind ... or her mind, in your case."
Clearing the screen, Rodney moves the computer back into its original position. "Wow!" He looks at his watch. "Will you look at the time?" As Lee turns to face him, Marissa sags in relief. "Where does it go, huh?"
"What?" Lee asked.
"Uh, we're late. We should, um ..." McKay looks at his watch again "... we'll see you, Bill."
He starts to hurry out of the lab. Marissa follows him quickly. "Bye, Bill!"
Lee tries to protest, but they've already gone.
҉
CORRIDOR.

John, Marissa, Rodney and Carson, geared up in black BDUs, walk briskly along the corridor, John and Rodney both carrying rifles. They stop as Wallace - the man who John had brought back through the Gate earlier - hobbles around the corner on a pair of crutches.
"Wallace! What are you doin' here?" John asked.
"General Landry wanted to talk to me about reassignment."
"Oh, right. Sorry about that."
Wallace looks at the others. "Are you already going on missions without me, or ...?"
Carson walks towards him, putting on his best bedside manner in both his voice and his smile. "You should really stay off of that ankle, son."
He puts his hand gently on Wallace's shoulder as John casually walks around behind them.
"Yeah, well, when General Landry says "now", he means now." Wallace said.
John looks around the corner to check that nobody is in the vicinity, then turns and activates a zat gun. "Sorry about this, too." He fires into Wallace's back. Wallace convulses and starts to collapse. John catches him while Rodney grabs his crutches. Carson helps John carry Wallace out of sight. "Can't afford to have him tell Landry he ran into us."
҉
JUMPER STORAGE AREA.

Marissa, Rodney and Carson sneak to the side of the Jumper while John walks quietly to the front and peeks in through the windshield. He ducks back again at the sight of Master Sergeant Siler, one of the base's technicians, working in the rear compartment. He walks along the side of the Jumper and round to the rear hatch. Activating his zat gun, he shoots Siler, who collapses and rolls down the ramp onto the floor.
"Let's move!" John said, running into the Jumper's back hatch.
Marissa and Carson hurry inside the Jumper while Rodney goes to a computer in the room and pulls up a screen showing an image of the Stargate and the message "Idle." He enters a Gate address, then calls out to John.
"You set?"
John has just settled into the pilot's seat. "Go for it."
Rodney activates his command and then runs into the Jumper. In the Gateroom, the Gate begins to dial. Walter, sitting at the control desk, looks up in surprise. "What the hell?" He activates the radio. "General Landry to the Control Room immediately."
In the Jumper, Rodney runs into the front compartment and sits down behind John. "OK, they'll be able to get through my hack pretty quickly."
"It's alright - I don't need much time."
Landry comes into the Control Room. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, sir. The Gate just started dialling on its own."
"It doesn't do that!"
"I know that, sir."
In the Gateroom, the Jumper lowers down from the ceiling until it is opposite the Gate.
"Close the iris." Landry commanded.
"I can't, sir."
"Find a way, Walter!" Landry calls out to the Jumper, "Colonel Sheppard, stand down! That is a direct order!"
Before he can finish speaking, the Jumper flies into the Gate. Moments later, the Gate shuts down.
"D'you want me to try to find out where they were going, sir?"
"Don't bother. I already know."
҉
MIDWAY SPACE STATION.

The Jumper has arrived at the space station. Rodney is working on a console behind John while the others wait anxiously. Suddenly Carson's eyes widen.
"My turtles!"
Marissa and John look round at him. "What?"
"I just bought some wee baby turtles and no-one knows to feed them."
"Well, turtles are pretty hardy. I'm sure they'll be fine." Marissa said.
"And they make good soup." John said.
Carson frowns at him in disgust. "I figured I'm back for good so I might as well get a pet. I'm allergic to cats and, well, I'm at work too long to be fair to a dog, so I went with turtles. I've probably killed them."
"Any time now, McKay!" John called out.
Rodney turns around from his console. "Oh, trust me, I am going as fast as I can!"
"Poor little buggers." Carson muttered.
The heads-up display comes up on the windshield. John frowns. "The Milky Way Gate just activated." Rodney turns around from his console to look. "Did you do that?"
Landry's face appears on the windshield.
"Nope." McKay said.
"Colonel Sheppard. I'm going to assume that you're still at the midway station waiting for Doctor McKay to rewrite his macro. I understand what you're doing, Colonel. Hell, I'll even call it brave." Landry's voice begins to rise. "But if you don't turn that ship around immediately and come back to the S.G.C., I'll see to it personally that yours and Captain Frio's career in the military is ..."
John slams his hand down on a button on the front console and the H.U.D. shuts down. Marissa stares at him. "That way I won't know what he was gonna say."
Rodney's console beeps. "OK. OK, I've got it."
John looks round at everyone. "Alright. Last chance to change our minds." Nobody answers him, although Carson looks doubtful, but perhaps he's more worried about his turtles than what might face him in the Pegasus galaxy. "Alright. Let's do it."
WORMHOLE TRAVEL
ATHOSIAN SETTLEMENT.

Illyria and Ronon are sitting in a tent with Ladon Radim of the Genii.
"I knew you would never come to me so I thought I would come to you. Our relationship has been ... strained, but we need to put all that behind us now." Ladon said.
"We do?" Ronon asked.
"Well, your friends have all returned home and you've been asked to leave Atlantis. So the question is: what will you do next?"
"We are helping the Athosian people rebuild this settlement." Illyria said.
"Yes, but the settlement seems finished." Ladon looks at Ronon. "Besides, is carpentry and clearing brush really the best use of your skills?"
"Get to the point." Illyria said.
"Come work with me." Ronon snorts quietly and sits back. "I understand your reluctance. In the past, the Genii have hardly been the shining beacon of hope in the galaxy."
"In the past'?" Ronon said.
"We are growing stronger every day, and we have a number of operations planned that could seriously cripple the Wraith."
"What do you have in mind?" Illyria asked.
"Well, I am of course reluctant to go into specific details here ..." Marissa and Ronon exchange a glance "... but suffice it to say the plans are dangerous and in need of your unique abilities."
"We're not interested." Ronon said.
Ladon smiles. "Well, that's too bad ... although not entirely surprising. Give it some time, Ronon. I wonder how much joy you'll find as a tava bean farmer."

LATER.

Ronon and Illyria are walking through the settlement, guiding the twins as they waddled more steadily.
"I'm not gonna start working for the Genii." Ronon said.
"We would not be working for them - merely with them."
They stop at a fire with a large pot of bubbling liquid - presumably soup or stew - on top of it.
"Forget it."
"When I left Atlantis, it was returned to Helia; the Genii are the most powerful and organized group of humans fighting the Wraith."
"The Atlantians'll do something."
"True - but they neither need nor have they requested our help. The Genii have." Ronon gazes at the fire, not answering. "I know that you are anxious to return to the fight, but the Athosians are farmers."
"Maybe this isn't the place for me, then. A place for us." Ronon turns to walk away.
"That smells great." Illyria and Ronon turn back in surprise as John, Marissa, Carson and Rodney walk out of the trees, smiling at them. "Hope you saved some for us."
"John!" Illyria quickly put Jen in the basinett next to her and ran over to John who caught her in mid leap. They embraced tightly, squeezing their eyes closed. It was a few moments before John left Illyria slid down, smiling. "It's wonderful to see you - all of you!"
"And you." Marissa said, taking her hug from Illyria.
"We missed that - whatever that is." John said, pointing to the pot.
Ronon looks at the four of them closely. "Something's wrong."

LATER

ILLYRIA'S TENT

In the center of the tent were piles of blankets and furs. Chests and baskets were lined against the walls. The team was sitting on cushions surrounding a small table off to the side. Rodney is unpacking the Anti-Replicator Guns - which are about the same size and shape as Ronon's blaster - and hands one to Ronon.
"They emit a directional energy beam that disrupts the connection between nanites."
"Not what I asked." Ronon said, taking the gun.
"Uh, yes. They work good."
"Good." He lifts the gun and sights along it. "Do you need us because we know our way around the city?"
"I need you because you're part of our team." John said.
"There may be hundreds of Replicators on Atlantis by now." Illyria said, rocking her bassinet.
"We've got a plan - a good one. I wouldn't ask you to come with us if I didn't think we could do it."
"Also, General O'Neill and Richard Woolsey were both on Atlantis when the Replicators attacked. There's a chance they're still alive." Marissa added.
"I'll be damned if I'm gonna let a bunch of Replicators take our home away from us. So - you with us?" John asked.
Ronon looks over at Illyria. She returns the look, and then they smile at John, who smiles back.
҉
ATHOSIAN STARGATE.

The Puddle Jumper lifts off the ground and hovers just in front of the Gate.

"OK, I think I've loaded up the G.D.O. It'll lower the shield when we dial." McKay said.
"Go for it." John said.
"Alright." He looks round at everyone for a moment. "Dialing Atlantis." He punches six symbols on the D.H.D. "And ..."
He hits the final symbol. In front of the Jumper, the Gate whooshes.
In the Atlantis Control Room, the Gate whooshes. The Replicators/Asurans in the Control Room turn to look.
"What's happening? Activate the shield." A rep. man asked.
Behind him, another 'man' works on a console. "I can't."
In the Jumper, Rodney looks at his laptop. "That's confirmation. The Gate shield has been lowered."
"I hope this little plan of ours works." John said.
"Ah, you and me both."
With a grim look on his face, John sends the Jumper into the event horizon.
WORMHOLE TRAVEL.
TO BE CONTINUED.