Chapter 21: The naming ceremony.
John entered the mess hall, with Teyla walking along side of him. He was pushing the twins along in a double pram. They had ordered the pram from earth before they were born and luckily it had arrived while Teyla was still in the infirmary.
Teyla had been released from the infirmary this morning, after spending a week there. John had actually spent the entire week with her, as the doctors wanted to make sure that they were both up to the task of looking after the twins. Jennifer had also kept an eye on the feeding, to make sure that both Charin and Tobias were getting enough food, as Teyla was determined that she only wanted to breast feed them. Jennifer had told them that both of the babies were getting enough food for now. Jennifer had also insisted that Teyla bring the twins in every couple of weeks for a check-up.
Torren had spent the week with his Uncle Dave and Auntie Jane. Dave or Jane had brought Torren in to visit them once a day to make sure he felt a part of what was going on with the twins as well.
Coming back to the present moment, he looked around the mess hall to find that the place was decorated with pink and blue streamers and balloons. There was a giant photo of Charin and one of Tobias hanging on one wall with their names at the bottom of the photos. Someone had put one up of Torren when he was a baby as well.
Someone had obviously gone to a great deal of effort to arrange the day for them, for today was Tobias' and Charin's naming day. They had decided to include Torren in the ceremony, because it was not possible for him to have on when he was born, as the Athosians had just been rescued from Michael and most of them were not themselves at the time.
According to Athosian tradition a child's name was sacred and the child had to come before the Athosian leadership within a month of their birth and the parents had to agree to raise the children in the Athosian culture, or in this case agree to teach the children about the culture.
Looking around the room he was happy to see that the room was filled to capacity with the Athosians and people from earth attending; he even noticed a few leaders from other worlds in attendance, including Ladon Radim and Todd. As they continued to walk through the room to the place where the couple of honour and their children would sit John felt that all eyes were on him and that made him feel really uncomfortable.
It wasn't long after they had finally managed to sit down as a family that Halling stood up to begin to proceedings.
"Friends and Family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the naming ceremonies of, Torren John Sheppard, Tobias Jason Sheppard and Charin Elizabeth Sheppard." He paused to smile at John and Teyla, "We have three ceremonies to get through to day, so some aspects of the ceremonies will be combined and other parts will be separate. General Jack O'Neill would you like to speak on behalf of the Atlantis expedition first."
"Thank you Halling. It is an honour to represent the Atlantis expedition here today. I asked Richard Woolsey if he would like to do it, but he suggested that I do it, as I have known John and Teyla longer, so it is with great pleasure that I ask John and Teyla this question. Do you agree to teach your children all that you know of earth culture?"
John looked at Teyla and held her hand as they answered, "We do."
John smiled at Teyla again as Halling stood up and asked the next question, "Do you both agree to teach your children of their Athosian culture and heritage?"
"We do?"
John smiled as Jack and Halling stood up together, he was amazed how much his people actually respected the Athosian culture and were willing to participate in these ceremonies for his children.
He picked up Torren and stood next to Teyla facing Jack and Halling.
Halling spoke first, "John and Teyla what have you named this child who you present for naming today?"
"We have named him Torren John." They both said together.
"And why have you chosen those names?" Halling asked Teyla.
"We have named him after his grandfather Torren and his father John."
Halling smiled and raised his hands, "It is with great honour that I as the leader of the Athosian people accept this child as one of our own."
Jack stood up then and spoke, "It is with great honour that I as a representative of Earth accept this child as one of our own people."
The crowd erupted in applause, as John handed off Torren to his brother Dave and picked up Tobias.
Halling smiled at them both before speaking again, "John and Teyla what have you named this child who you present for naming today?"
"We have named him Tobias Jason." They both said together.
"And why have you chosen those names?" Halling asked John.
"Tobias was the name of one of my ancestors who has greatly inspired me and Jason was the name of his son."
Halling smiled and raised his hands, "It is with great honour that I as the leader of the Athosian people accept this child as one of our own."
Jack stood up then and spoke, "It is with great honour that I as a representative of Earth accept this child as one of our own people."
The crowd erupted in applause, as John handed off Tobias to his Sister in law Jane and picked up Charin.
Halling smiled at them both before speaking again, "John and Teyla what have you named this child who you present for naming today?"
"We have named her Charin Elizabeth." They both said together.
"And why have you chosen those names?" Halling asked Teyla and John
"I wish to honour Charin who was the woman who raised me after my father was culled by the Wraith." Teyla told him.
"And I wish to honour Dr Elizabeth Weir, who believed in me when no one else did. She was the person who gave me a second chance at life and for that I am forever grateful." John supplied.
Halling smiled and raised his hands, "It is with great honour that I as the leader of the Athosian people accept this child as one of our own."
Jack stood up then and spoke, "It is with great honour that I as a representative of Earth accept this child as one of our own people."
The crowd erupted into applause for one last time, before Jack stood up and spoke, "John and Teyla want to thank you all for coming here today, to celebrate their children with them. Some light refreshments will be served shortly. If you would like to come and congratulate the couple, come forward at any time, but please leave any gifts on the table over by the cake."
John sat down relieved that it was all over and they could take the time to feed the twins and relax a little.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla was relieved when the ceremony was over. Feeling exhausted she sat down for a rest before it was time to feed the twins, all three of her children were with their Aunty and Uncle right now, so she snuggled back into John's arm when he put it around her.
It wasn't long before people started to come up and congratulate them and she almost groaned until she remembered that these people were here to celebrate her children. She knew that her children were truly a blessing, as were any children that were born into the Athosian culture. Their numbers had dwindled in the last few years, as many had chosen not to undertake the bonding or have children.
It was hard for her to comprehend that her children also represented the joining of two cultures and the fact that her and John weren't even from the same galaxy made it an even more miraculous occurrence.
Her musings were interrupted when Todd walked up to their table, "Congratulations, John and Teyla. I have had a gift for each of the children sent to your apartment, as it was to big to bring to the mess hall."
Teyla smiled at her friend, "Thank you Todd, we are honoured that you could be here to celebrate this special day with us."
Todd chuckled, as he replied, "I wouldn't miss it. You and John have become two of my closest friends, which is saying a lot; because I never thought I'd make friends with humans."
"You have become one of our closest friends also and I never thought I would say that about a wraith."
Todd nodded and walked off. It was a strange turn of events that led to the situation in the galaxy at the moment. The wraith were embroiled in a Civil war, with Todd and his hives on the side of the humans and the rest of Wraith against them. John had told her about his trip to the future and the peace treaty that would eventually be signed. How she longed for that day when the galaxy would be at peace.
She was startled when Radek came over to congratulate them, "Congratulations to both of you, your children are absolutely beautiful. I have left a present for the three of them over at the table."
"Thank you Radek," she replied.
Looking over at John she realised that he was in deep conversation with General O'Neill and there was no chance that she was going to get his attention any time soon. She was really hoping to feed the twins, before it was time for the rest of them to eat, but she needed John's help to do it.
Luckily Jack stood up and walked away at that point, "John I need to feed Charin and Tobias, before we eat and I need you to help me."
"No problems sweetie, I'll just go and get them off Dave and Jane. They do seem to be handling the three of them though. I think they'll make great parents someday, don't you?"
Teyla looked over at the couple and smiled, "yes, I believe they will and I am looking forward to them being able to look after the children when we want to go on our honeymoon."
She watched as John left to collect the children and tears came to her eyes. What a wonderful father John was, he had already proved that he was a good father with Torren, so she had no doubt that he would succeed with the twins.
He came back a few minutes with Charin cradled in one arm and Tobias cradled in the other, "do you need any help sweetie?"
"Can you hold Tobias please Honey and I'll feed Charin first."
There were still tears in her eyes as she started to feed Charin, this was her life now and it would be for a long time. She had no idea how she was going to get through the next few days, never mind the next eighteen or so years.
"Are you alright Sweetie, do you need to leave?" John asked her softly.
"I am fine John, I'm just feeling a little emotional today. Do you realise that we are parents to not only Torren, but Charin and Tobias, for the rest of their lives and we will have to care for them for many years to come?" The tears were streaming down her face by the time she had finished speaking.
John pulled her hair aside and whispered in her ear, "it's okay Sweetie, we'll face it together. Once we have eaten and cut the cake, we will head back to our apartment and you can have a rest if you'd like too."
"Thank you honey, I would like that, now can you hand me Tobias and I will feed him, while you burp Charin."
They swapped babies and she began to feed Tobias while John held Charin over his shoulder and patted her back.
Suddenly she realised that she was missing a child, "Where is Torren?"
"He's over in the corner with Rodney and Jennifer, the Doc seems to love it, but Rodney hates every minute of it. I pity Jennifer, trying to convince Rodney that they should have kids." John chuckled.
"Perhaps they should not. It is a big responsibility and one which should not be taken lightly. I honestly do not think we are ready to be parents."
"Well we are parents Sweetie and I know that it is going to be a difficult journey for us, perhaps for you more than me while they are young, but we have done a pretty good job with Torren so far, don't you think?"
Before Teyla had a chance to respond General O'Neill stood up and spoke, "Refreshments are served, after you have eaten John and Teyla will be cutting the cake, before they head off home."
"Would you guys like something to eat?" Dave asked, as he and Jane came over to join them at their table.
"Thanks Dave, that would be great." John replied.
Teyla looked relieved, "thank you Jane I would really appreciate that."
Once there was food in front of them, John put the babies down in the pusher and she was happy to see that they fell asleep, which gave her a chance to enjoy her meal uninterrupted; at least for a while.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John finished putting Tobias and Charin in the pusher and sat back with his arm around Teyla, it was nice for them to finally be able to enjoy the meal that was in front of them, he hadn't seen Torren, since the naming ceremony and he was happy that there were so many willing baby sitters to look after him. He would be three in a couple of months' and he couldn't believe how fast he was growing.
His thoughts were interrupted when Ronon and Amelia came over to talk to them, "Hey Sheppard, great ceremony. We had a similar ceremony back on Sateda when a child was born." Ronon informed him.
"Congratulations Colonel." Amelia said smiling at him.
John smiled at them both, he still hadn't had a chance to ask Ronon if he'd asked Amelia to marry him as yet, but he couldn't see a ring, so he suspected that he hadn't as yet. "Thanks guys. Can I ask you to do something for us at the end of the party?"
"Sure, thing Sheppard, what do you need?" Ronon answered.
"Can you bring all the presents back to the apartment for us? I was going to ask Rodney and Jennifer to help as well.
Amelia answered, before Ronon had a chance to say anything. "We would be happy to do that sir."
"We'll make sure it is done." Ronon informed him. "I'll catch you later Sheppard.
John and Teyla sat in silence during the rest of their meal. John was relieved that no one came near them to talk. He was getting a little tired of being the centre of attention and he just wanted to retreat to his quarters for the next few weeks until he was on duty again.
Finally, the meal time was finished and Jack stood up again, "It is time for John and Teyla to cut the cake," he looked at them and then continued on, "are you free at the moment?"
"The babies are asleep at the moment and Torren is otherwise occupied, so yes." John answered, feeling weary and wanting the ceremony to be over.
John stood up, took Teyla's hand and led her over to the cake table. The cake was a large chocolate cake with Vanilla frosting and it had their children's names written on the top of it. Torren's name was written in green, Charin's in pink and Tobias' in blue.
Once the cake was cut, John stood up to make a quick speech, so that they could get to their apartment as soon as possible. "I want to thank everyone for coming here today and celebrating this occasion with us. Thank you for all of your kind words and your wonderful gifts, we will open them all when we get home."
He took Teyla's hand and headed back to their table relieved that the ceremony and subsequent celebrations were over and he could finally take his family home and hide for a few weeks. Jennifer had arranged for meals to be sent to their apartment for the next three weeks and she had arranged to check on the family every couple of days.
Arriving back at the table, he was relieved to find that the twins were still asleep.
He led Teyla to a seat and proceeded to pack their possessions into the pusher, luckily the twins slept on. Finally, he was all packed up and ready to leave. Helping Teyla to her feet he was happy to be able to leave without anyone stopping him along the way.
When he entered the apartment, he received the shock of his life to find that there were three huge teddy bears sitting in the lounge room, one was green, one was pink and one was blue. He had no idea where they were going to put them, because they were almost as big as Teyla was.
He approached them with his eyes wide, he was glad that Torren was staying with his auntie and uncle, otherwise he would be squealing with delight and waking the twins, "I wonder who these are from sweetie?"
"I have no idea, I think there is a card with each of them."
John looked down at the green one and smiled when he read it, "To Torren, happy naming day, from Todd."
He looked at the pink one and it read, "To Charin, happy naming day, from Todd."
Finally, he looked at the blue one and it read, "To Tobias, happy naming day, from Todd."
"There from Todd Sweetie." He chuckled, he never thought that he would see a wraith trying so hard to be human, but maybe that was what happened when they now longer needed to feed on humans. Perhaps they were closer the humans than he thought.
"I think I'll put them in the spare room for now sweetie."
"Tobias and Charin appear to be waking up, I would like to feed them again and then can you look after them while I try and have a sleep."
John went over to the pusher, to see who was most awake and he discovered that Charin was about to cry, so he picked her up and handed her to Teyla, who had settled into the lazy recliner.
Tobias seemed to be settled for the moment, so he sat and watched Charin feed, he thought that it was the most beautiful thing in the world watching a baby feed. By the time Teyla had finished with Charin, Tobias was beginning to stir, so he took Charin off her and handed her Tobias.
Once Teyla had finished feeding both the babies she headed off to the bedroom to try and get some sleep.
John took her place in the lazy boy chair and cradled both of the babies in his arms. It wasn't long before they were fast asleep again, he gently placed them in the pusher next to him and settled back to get some sleep himself. At this point they were trying to feed them every two to two and a half hours, which meant that when they were sleeping it was a good idea to try and get some sleep yourself. All the books he'd read on multiple births suggested to try and establish a routine early on, but for some reason that was easier said than done, sometimes when they wanted to be fed, you just had to feed them whether the two hours was up or not. With the twins sleeping soundly and Teyla in the bedroom it didn't take to long for him to fall asleep.
He awoke sometime later to the door chime sounding, he had no idea how long he'd been asleep, but it wasn't anywhere near long enough. He really didn't want to get up, so the just thought open and the door opened to reveal, Ronon and Amelia bringing Torren home.
"Daddy!" Torren shouted running into the room and jumping on his father's lap.
John place his finger to his lip, "shh…. Charlie and Toby are still sleeping and Momma and I need them to stay asleep for as long as possible."
"Where Momma?"
"Momma is sleeping as well,"
"No, she's not." Teyla told him and she walked out of the passageway.
"Sowry Momma, did I wake you?" Torren asked, using his best puppy dog eyes.
Teyla sighed, "No darling I was already awake and I fear I will never get enough sleep."
John looked at her and he thought that she certainly looked exhausted, "why don't you sit in the recliner? He suggested putting Torren down and standing to his feet.
He had forgotten that there were two other people in the room until Ronon spoke, "hey Sheppard, Amelia and I want to talk to the two of you, but it can wait for another time, if this is a bad time."
"No now is as good a time as any." He turned to look at his son who was jumping around the room, "Torren, can you go and play with some toys in your room for a while?"
"Sure daddy." John was happy that he left without any problems.
He sat down with Ronon and Amelia, who had decided to sit down at the table and Teyla decided to join them as well "now what can we do for you?"
John watched his friends closely and when Ronon took Amelia's hand he was pretty sure he knew what they were going to say.
"Well you guys have been kind of busy, so we haven't really had time to tell you that we are engaged."
John slapped him on the back. "Congratulations, Chewie about time too."
"That is fantastic news Amelia, may I have a look at the ring," Teyla said hugging her friend.
Amelia took a deep breath, before speaking. "We have something that we would like to ask both of you as well."
John and Teyla both nodded for them to continue. "Go ahead."
"I want you to be my best man Sheppard?" Ronon asked with a hopeful look.
"And Teyla, I'd like you to me my matron of honour." Amelia asked looking hopeful as well.
A grin lit up John's face as he answered, "I would be honoured Chewie, just let me know whatever you need."
John watched as Teyla smiled at her friend. "It would be a great honour for me to stand with you on your wedding day Amelia."
Before any of them had a chance continue the conversation, Charin started to fuss. John sighed and looked at his watch and he realised that it was probably time to feed the twins again.
He looked at his friends and shrugged his shoulders, "sorry guys, but it's time for feeding again."
"We'll bring your gifts by tomorrow morning; McKay and the Doc have promised to help." Ronon informed him before leaving the room with Amelia, leaving them with two crying babies.
John looked at her distraught face. "What do you want me to do Sweetie?"
"Can you see if Torren want's some dinner, while I feed the twins and then he will need a bath before bed."
"I'll organise something for us to eat while I'm at it, and then hopefully we can all sit down together, while the twins sleep.
Forty-Five, minutes later, the twins were fed, their diapers changed and thankfully they were sleeping again. John was so glad that they were such good sleepers; well at least they were for one-week old babies.
Sitting down at the table he heaped three plates with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but he didn't really feel like eating much, because he was so exhausted. He couldn't imagine how Teyla was feeling right now. The only sign of life at the dinner table was Torren's constant babble and as much as he loved his son, he was kind of hoping that he would be quiet.
They had barely finished their meal when John's com activated.
"Sheppard here."
"Ah John," Todd hissed.
"Oh, hey Todd, what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering what you thought of my gifts?"
"I totally loved them, as did Torren, but Charlie and Toby are a little young to enjoy them."
"Ah very funny John Sheppard. I have to go now, but I will catch up with you later."
"Catch you later Todd."
Looking at the clock he realised that it was time to get Torren bathed and ready for bed, while Teyla fed the twins again and then hopefully they could crawl up in bed together to sleep for a few hours. Teyla was right when she said that this was going to be their life for now and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that thought, but he knew that he would be back at work in about four weeks' time and then Teyla would be on her own during the day. He really didn't blame her for wanting to cry.
An hour later when Torren was in bed fast asleep and the twins had been fed and changed, John climbed in bed beside Teyla. He closed his eyes hoping sleep would come quickly, because he knew in a couple of hours Charin and Tobias would need to be fed again.
TBC...
When my own twins were born, it struck me that this was going to be my life for many years and I found that difficult to come to terms with. It was a real struggle, especially when they were young, so I thought that I would write some of my own struggles into John and Teyla's story.
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