Chapter 25

2034

Torren was a teacher. Settled in his job and in his home. He taught English and Philosophy at a high school. He volunteered in his free time.

Still, getting him to sign up for the Stargate Program hadn't been difficult. Making sure his paperwork went through properly might pose a problem, but Evan was determined not to let this bother him until they got back to Earth. He'd only talked to him about a week before their departure and he hadn't bothered to check his inbox before they were well on their way. Torren had a right to be here, even if the official mission wasn't suppose to take them to Pegasus.

"So, you really do this thing every five years? With so many people?" He asked, still incredulous.

"Well, not with so many people, but the leader of the SGC goes here regularly. It's a tradition and it always calls to mind that we wouldn't be here without our allies." Evan smiled at Torren. The boy had known about the SGC for a long time now. Sheppard, who had left the Program and the Air Force behind long ago, obviously hadn't even thought about keeping certain things a secret from his surrogate son.

It had made things easier.

"Since they forgot about other allies…"

Evan nodded and clapped Torren on the shoulder. They were close to the archive, a copy of the holo room which the Asgard had built into the Odyssey long ago. It was where copies of all the databanks they had ever found or recovered were stored. Usually Caleb and Alex spent a fair amount of their time in there, but Alex had decided to lie down for a bit and last Evan had seen of Caleb, his son had been on his way to the gym.

"Has Alex shown you what she documented of your parents' people yet?" he asked and Torren shook her head.

"She offered, but I haven't brought up the courage yet.

"High time, then." They were a week into their journey back, which meant the intended tech failure and the subsequent trip to Pegasus was imminent.

"And- well, it's not my parents' history, is it? It's my mom's. My father and her were estranged before we came to Earth. My dad's someone else."

Evan nodded pensively as they rounded a corner. John Sheppard had been the one to raise this boy together with Teyla, and he'd done an incredible job at it. Still, Evan didn't even want to think about what Kanaan might say, should he find out that his son didn't consider him his father. "You're saying I shouldn't have asked you to come? Shouldn't have made up a job that would suit you?" Officially, Torren was here to document the journey from a civilian perspective. There must be about a hundred people within the SGC to be suitable for a job like this, Alex included, and he wasn't looking forward to the pushback he'd get once they returned, but he didn't think for one second that Torren should be left on Earth when they tried to make contact with the Athosians again.

Torren smirked as they rounded another corner and shook his head. "Nope, to be honest, teaching English isn't exactly a dream come true."

Evan scoffed. "Well, enjoy this as long as it lasts, this might very well be our last trip to Pegasus, and your last assignment on the Stargate Program." He'd pulled about a hundred strings to get Torren here, but he was glad he'd done it. Teyla had looked ready to hug him when he told her and Sheppard what he was planning.

As if on cue, one of the massive grey metal doors in front of them swung open, almost knocking into Evan's face. He barely managed to stop, when Grace emerged into the corridor, a smudge of oil on her cheek. "Hey," she grinned, her hand clutched around something in her pocket.

"Hey," Evan said, catching Torren grin and then quickly hide the expression by wiping his face, pushing his rimless glasses askew. "All done for today?"

Grace nodded, taking her hand out of her pocket and patting the item inside.

"I was just about to show Torren the archive-" before he even had the chance to complete the sentence, Grace took Torren by the hand and pulled him with her.

"I'll do it!" she said happily. "Could you radio Colonel Carter for me? Tell her it's done?"

Things were already changing, Evan thought, as he stood there, watching Grace retreat down another passageway with Torren. Grace would never have behaved this way at the SGC. Not when there was even the slightest chance the two of them might be overheard. Or maybe it was just Torren making her act this way.

With a sinking feeling that had nothing to do with the message he had to relay and everything to do with watching his daughter walk off with a guy, he closed the door behind her. Grace had never been good at closing doors behind her.

There it was. North Pier. The lowest floor. That was where Caleb had gone.

Evan had followed her into the corridor and was standing behind her now, white as a sheet.

"I got him," she said, finding that her voice was a lot calmer now. Caleb couldn't be far from the transporter.

Evan nodded, then took a step back. "Right, I'll be with Grace then."

With a thin smile, Alex turned her attention back on the panel to tell the transporter where she needed to go. The doors closed behind her and next second she was out in one of the corridors nobody ever seemed to use. "Caleb?" she called into the gloom, silently cursing McKay for insisting on keeping the lights out in the more remote areas. They could at least install some motion sensors! And Caleb was bound to be scared half to death.

The only source of light were the lamps stretching from floor to ceiling with water bubbling inside them, the dim glow emanating from them creating ever-moving shadows.

"Caleb? Honey?" She turned right, following her gut.

"Mom!"

Alex whirled around. The voice had come from behind one of the bigger pillars. And just as she felt her heart lift, the light of the transporter went out and they were left in utter darkness.

"What d'you have in your pocket there?" Torren asked when the door to the archive closed behind them.

"Our ticket to Pegasus." With a small wink, Grace stood in the centre of the room, her hand hovering over the console. "Do you want me to show you how this thing works?"

Torren sighed. She knew he was anxious to find out about where he'd come from, but he was also hesitant. "You know, my home's not on New Athos."

"My home's not Atlantis, yet we're still going to find out as much as possible about it, aren't we?"

"So, what's in your pocket?" he asked, closing the distance between them and putting his hand on her stomach. The touch, though not entirely unexpected, made Grace freeze for a second. She looked up at the security camera in one of the corners.

Turning her head towards him, she put her hand on his, entwined their fingers and smiled. "Why don't I show you later? You're the one not sharing quarters with anyone else."

Torren grinned, shook his head as though bemused about what she'd said and kissed the tip of her nose. God, she wished her father would never see the footage. But she leaned in anyway, pressing her lips to his.

"It's okay," she whispered, clutching him tightly. "I'm here, you're okay."

The thing was, though, she wasn't entirely sure she was telling the truth. The light in the transport had gone out, which, all in all, couldn't be a good sign. And then, just as Caleb dug his hands into her shirt, she heard the familiar voice of Amelia Banks in her earpiece. "Attention all personnel, we are under attack. Prepare for immediate evacuation."

Attack.

Immediate evacuation.

Her heart plummeted and she was only glad Caleb couldn't hear the voice still ringing in her ear.

"Mommy, I'm sorry. Let's go home."

The high voice nearly made it impossible to breathe. The pleading in it robbed her of the ability to move.

Closing her eyes and letting out a long breath, she leaned against the transporter door. Deep breaths, she told herself. Just take some deep breaths. And think.

The ground beneath her shook, forcing her to her knees and she only just managed to gulp down a scream. What had happened to her? She was better than this! But the small being in her arms, the tears she felt on her neck, were like a barrier she couldn't breach.

"Alex, come in!"

Evan. He must be going insane, alone in their apartment with the city under attack and in charge of their daughter. "I got him," she said, hugging Caleb even tighter to her chest.

"Mo-om!" Caleb was struggling against her tight embrace as the ground and the walls shook again.

"It's the Furlings. Banks said Daedalus can't get everyone out. They're jammed."

Tears shot into her eyes. There was no way she could get to the Gate Room, no way for Daedalus to get them out.

"Alex!" The urgency in his voice was the thing that pulled her out of her stupor.

"Yeah," she croaked, releasing Caleb somewhat.

"Where are you?"

"North Pier."

A short pause. "Listen, I'm gonna head for the Underwater Bay and see if I can pick up any other stragglers. Go to one of the Loading Ramps. We'll be there."

Yes. Yes, they would be. If the Furlings didn't shoot them out of the sky first.

"Does Ferretti suspect anything?" Torren's arms were wrapped tightly about her as they lay on the side, both of them looking out of the tiny window at the whirlwind of blue and white as they travelled through hyperspace.

"Do you really want to talk about that now?" Grace looked at him over her shoulder. His dark eyes roamed over her face and he smiled softly. It wasn't as though either of them had been trying to hide that there was something going on between them since they met again. But neither of them had told anyone this had been going on for years.

"We've been on this thing for four weeks. We slept together about a hundred times-"

"Oh, come on!"

"I mean, since the first time."

With a roll of her eyes, she lay back down again, her cheek resting on his arm. His skin was so comfortably warm. "I kind of missed you," she admitted, patting his hand. "Not just this, mind. I missed you."

"That's what you get for living so far apart."

"You could've moved to Colorado earlier."

Torren shrugged. "Could've, yes... but it doesn't really matter now, does it? Since we're well on our way to another galaxy?"

"I suppose," Grace said, and as she sat up, she wrapped the blanket around her. She was somewhat uncomfortable with the window open to the universe outside, even though she knew nobody would actually be able to look through that window. "So..." she trailed off, looking down at him. At the dark, thick curls framing his face and the roguish grin he must have picked up from John.

"So, I guess I'm gonna talk to my new boss today? Tell him I've been in love with his daughter for a while now."

Grace felt the heat in her cheeks and saw him grin even wider when he looked into her eyes. "You have?"

He shrugged and nodded. "Is that okay?" He stretched out a hand for her and she took it without hesitation. In a way what she had with Torren reminded her of what her mother had once told Grace about the relationship between herself and her dad. That things had just fallen into place. That they'd been comfortable around each other from the get-go. And that was just it. She was comfortable around Torren. He'd made her blush and laugh for years now and every time they met, things were uncomplicated. Things were good. Maybe too much so. Grace still wasn't sure she was comfortable with how at ease she felt with him, but then again, she'd known him nearly all her life. That ought to make up for a lot of things.

Nodding, she leaned against his chest, ready for the kiss, when her radio on the nightstand crackled and the blurry outside quickly turned back to black dots against blue and black sky.

"So much for a little peace and quiet," she muttered, stretching out her hand to reach for her radio. They were close to Pegasus now. There wouldn't be a whole lot of time for things like this in the near future. Grinning, she kissed Torren, then slipped the small radio button into her ear. "This is Lorne."

"Lorne!" Sheppard shouted, once the rear hatch of the Jumper opened. "Lorne, you okay?"

Evan was still clutching Grace to his chest and he could feel how tense Alex was. They'd only just managed to get onboard, before the Daedalus made the jump to hyperspace. They had been the last people to get onboard.

"Yeah, we are," Evan breathed, unsure whether to ask how many people had made it onboard and dreading to ask who hadn't.

"Do you need the infirmary?"

Alex shook her head, and though her arms must be heavy by now, she gestured for Evan to hand over Grace as well. There was no chance she'd let the Sergeant standing next to Sheppard and approaching them quickly, take one of her children away. Not even for a second. "We're okay," she said wearily, repeating what he'd already said. "Is there a place I can take them?" she asked and Sheppard looked at her sceptically, until his eyes fell on Grace, whose head was nestled against her mother's neck already. He was longing to hold her, but there was just no time.

"Sergeant, take the Doctor and the kids to Colonel Lorne's quarters."

The middle-aged woman nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"I'll see you later," Evan said, but Alex didn't look at him as she followed the Marine towards the door, past the three or so Jumpers taking up the room between the 302's.

"You guys got here just in time," Sheppard said and Evan's face snapped towards him. "Mind you, we only just made it. Woolsey was furious. He meant to go down with the city."

"How bad is it?" Evan asked tentatively as Sheppard pointed him to the second door, the one leading towards the lift that would take them to the bridge fastest. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Fisherman standing there in a tight embrace with Chuck. Keller was tending to Murdoch and Beckett was sitting on one of the other Jumpers' ramps, holding his head and waving off Amanda. That must mean Jonas and his kid made it here, too. Well, that was something. He hoped.

"Bad." Sheppard grimaced as he called for the lift. "The jamming was particularly effective in the places where many people were at the time. We barely got anyone out. The Daedalus could only get a lock on those with a beacon transplant." And that meant that even more people were left out. Those transplants weren't cheap and were only given to members of the expedition who were on a regular team. "A couple made it to the Jumper Bay."

"Teyla and Torren?"

Sheppard nodded grimly. "Ronon isn't here, though. Daedalus picked up an energy spike that would suggest the Gate was opened just before the jamming started."

With a sigh, Evan brushed through his hair as they stepped onto the lift. The self-destruct hadn't gone off. Daedalus was fleeing.

The situation must be bad if they were neither willing to fight, nor to stand with their people. "How many?"

"Four hundred," Sheppard said. "And that's including the people who're part of the Daedalus' crew."

Evan felt sick to the pit of his stomach as the doors slid open again. This battle cruiser rarely came here with the full contingent of personnel, meaning two hundred and twenty airmen. He remembered that he'd been meaning to go over the numbers that morning, but he'd been too worried about Grace.

"Two hundred people made it back," Sheppard said. "That's what the earliest head count would suggest, but it's only been twenty minutes, so who knows. It was complete chaos." He bit his lip. Two hundred. That wasn't even close to half the members of their expedition.

"I didn't find anyone else in the area," Evan said, folding his hands behind his back, urging his body to stand upright. "I-"

"Not your fault," Sheppard cut across him, frowning angrily at the closed doors. "A couple more people made it to the secondary Jumper Bay on the West Pier. And Woolsey's trying to get Caldwell to stop by New Athos on the way to Earth."

"Back to Earth?" Evan asked incredulously.

"Yeah… Caldwell thinks we don't have enough naquadah to afford a stop with the ship bursting at the seams like this."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Sheppard nodded grimly as they stepped out into the corridor and pushed their way past the ten or so airmen stationed outside the corridor.

"We have the juice!" McKay sounded more than annoyed. His voice had gone all shrill and the tempo if his words had picked up. Woolsey was standing next to him, traces of blood on his temple, but the wound had stopped bleeding already. "We can easily divert and check up on-"

"Maybe." Caldwell interrupted him and as Evan and Sheppard stepped onto the bridge and Evan wasn't at all surprised that McKay's head was as red as a lobster. He felt about ready to disagree with Caldwell himself, when the other Colonel turned towards him and Sheppard and nodded. "Glad you could join us, Lorne."

"Colonel," Evan said with a curt nod, ignoring Caldwell's cool tone. "I was a bit stuck down there." There were about thirty people, technicians and other crew members, up here working on consoles and patching up split cables. This ship had really taken a hit. Marks was running a diagnostic and there were beads of sweat on his brow.

Caldwell just raised his eyebrows.

"I agree with Doctor McKay," Woolsey said, his calm voice carrying easily through the room, and Caldwell's head snapped around. "We have to try and get our people before we head back."

"This ship is under my command, Mr Woolsey," Caldwell said, shaking his head, "and I have my orders."

"Orders?" Sheppard sounded incredulous. "This situation was actually anticipated?"

Caldwell sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Months ago. Can we discuss this later? I need to take care of my ship."

"Where are we?" Evan asked just as Grace walked through the door onto the bridge. Carter was sitting in her command chair. His eyes flickered to her for just a moment and by the looks of it, he'd just arrived here himself. He looked up at the ceiling, where the voice recorder was located. They had to be careful what they said up here, because there was surely going to be an investigation and Grace had no idea what could possibly have driven her father and Carter to this. They were both jeopardizing their careers.

"One day's journey away from the Pegasus Galaxy," Carter said grimly, tapping her chin. She stood up. "Lieutenant, did you check the systems?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Grace said, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the scorched crystal. "Looks like a manufacturing problem. I've never seen anything like this." The truth was, she had. When she'd made the first crystal in a trial run to check how long it would take for this one faulty crystal to be burn out. The timing had to be exact, after all.

Carter approached her and Grace handed the crystal over without hesitation. A brief smile flickered over Carter's face. "General," she said, turning to Evan, "I suggest we divert to a destination close-by to check all our systems."

Evan hesitated for a moment, then he nodded. "What planet's close-by, Fisherman?" he asked, turning to look at the Major.

Fisherman frowned, as she looked at the data scrolling before her. She was a rather petite woman, dark-skinned and a couple of years older than Grace. Evan had told Grace that she was the adopted daughter of two other former expedition members. If someone from the IOA had properly looked at the manifest, they would have known he and Carter were up to something, but apparently, they'd been lucky. "Two days from New Athos, Sir," Fisherman said, her eyes trained on the screen.

Grace watched her father nod at Carter and smile faintly at her. Not triumphant, but there was a sadness and determination in his eyes she'd rarely ever seen her. Not in that mix. "Set the course, Colonel."

A/N: I know the updates aren't as frequent as they used to be, but at least there's about a chapter a week. Is that still ok? I can't work any faster…. Anyway, let me know if you're still reading this thing. Would be nice to know there are still people out there who care 😉

Take care, everybody! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of parallels.