A/N: As an unmarried, non-romantic person of the female persuasion (I literally refused to plan my "perfect" wedding as a little girl because why should I? I want a life with my partner, not a day), weddings are always difficult for me to write. But I found this wedding blessing on Pinterest (gotta love it) that was absolutely perfect and fit in so well with the Stargate universe that I had to use it. As soon as I found it, it was like everything clicked in place.

Now to answer a question I received about Leaving Earth. This is the last chapter, but not the last post of this chapter. I absolutely never know when exactly a story will end until the characters tell me it's time because I am telling their story, their life. So there are holes left, there are threads that just trail off into nothingness because I haven't explored and written down that rabbit path. But it is their story and I cannot dictate to them when it will end.

Thank you all for sticking with me over the YEARS it has taken to get to this point. This community and fandom are wonderful and so very thought-provoking. This is not going to be the last installment of my Sophie/Ronon pairing or even Stargate (SG-1, SGA, or SGU) even though the Leaving Earth season is ending. I encourage you all to follow me as a writer, both here and on P-atreon and Ko-Fi to keep up with what I write and when the next "season" begins.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me and being the amazing readers and reviewers that you are.

As always Like, Follow, Favorite, Subscribe, and Review,

Much Love

JR

Recap:

After Ronon is accosted by a sick Atlantis Team Member and he is stuck in quarantine. The days are counting down until the formal mating. And the city has been given an ultimatum due to the rising threat of the Lucian Alliance in the Milky way, return to Earth or make a run to Pegasus. They have one opportunity and it is now. Repairs proceed at a rapid pace with all hands on deck. Jack and Sam are scheduled to leave the city, but what about the wedding? Is Ronon even going to get out of Quarantine for it? Or will his marriage begin in the Med-wing?

Episode 14 Part 1 The Beginning in the End

Sophie's Quarters

Bent over the plans of Atlantis as they traced the water purification system through the filtering rivers in the indoor gardens, Sam and Sophie didn't at first pay any attention to Kara and she walked around the room straightening and futzing with the room.

"Mom." Sophie began, not looking up from the paper plans as she pulled up a section on her tablet and zoomed in so Sam could see in it in detail. "What are you doing?"

"Getting your quarters ready for your mating." Her mother said simply, moving to her bedroom. "You have a dress somewhere in here right?"

Blinking in surprise, Sophie straightened, her finger stilling on the blown-up portion of the plans. "In my closet," she murmured. "I think anyway."

Thumping and banging came from her bedroom, but at least there was no yelling. Of course, there wouldn't be. Kara was the reason that her closet was so overstuffed. Mainly because Kara was the one that provided most of it. And had been the one to threaten to throw out anything that was left on the floor when her children had been growing up. Stuff had to go somewhere, but she didn't want to see it. Kara had learned to pick her battles.

"Do you want to wear the lace or the black?"

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Sophie sighed. "The lace but Ronon is still in quarantine for a few days so there's no need to go preparing for it now."

"Actually he's on his way here now." Kara chuckled. "Apparently Jack wants to make sure you actually tie the knot, for the Earth paperwork, before the Selene gets here."

Dropping the stylus that she held to the table with a muffled clatter, Sam straightened like someone had just called her name back in basic. "The Selene? I didn't even know that she was ready for her maiden flight. She must have been rushed after the battle." The blond general turned to the doorway that Kara had disappeared beyond. "Do you know when she's supposed to dock?"

"Docks in an hour," Kara replied. "Leaves in two. Apparent the captain wants to push the engines and see what she has under the hood."

Standing silent and stunned, it took Sophie a moment to realize what they were talking about. It wasn't a shock that she was mating Ronon, she had been the one to suggest it after all, but so soon? And here they were talking ships. Couldn't either one of the "old" married women in the quarters see that she was on the edge of panicking? Seriously?

Then she breathed and came back to herself.

Turning back to the younger woman, Sam saw that the healthy glow she always seemed to have was muted and her hazel eyes looked troubled. "You okay?" She asked, taking one of Sophie's hands and squeezing.

Blinking, Sophie raised her gaze to her old friend and smiled reassuringly. "Yes."

"Not having any doubts?" The female general asked. "You haven't known him long. It would be perfectly fine if you wanted to wait a bit. Get to know him better, you know?"

Smile growing at her friend's concern, Sophie patted the older woman's hand. "I know all I need to know." She said, squeezing Sam's hand. "And more than most people do when they get married."

"But you don't seem…" Trailing off, Sam looked away while she searched for the words she wanted. How do you confront someone about their lack of feeling without insulting them, she wondered. The older blond sighed, releasing her companion's hand to begin rolling the plans to put them away safely. "Enamored of him." She tried, the unspoken question clear in her tone.

"In love?" Chuckling, Sophie took the next set of plans to put them in their case. "Infatuated? Passionate?" Setting the rolled plans away in their carefully divided box and turning for the small stack of tablets, she smiled.

"Well," Sam shrugged. "Yes."

"When have I ever been given to fits of passion?"

A wry twist of her lips answered the question better than words ever could have. "So you don't love him? Why would you ask him to marry you then?"

An easy smile slid across her lips as Sophie rested her hip against the table. "Lust is what most people mean when they talk about love. I thrust Ronon, with my son and myself, which is no small thing. I care for him. I desire him, although that doesn't rule my decisions." Hands raising as if she was weighing between things that would make her choose yes or no. "He's honorable. He's kind to those he cares about." The yes hand lowered as if under a weight. "He's intelligent. He cares for my son. He cares for me. He cares for the rest of my family. He's generous. He's protective. He's strong and gorgeous." The hand only moved a tiny bit for the last one but much larger distances for the things that she considered more important. "I like him. I respect him."

"He's got a temper." The no hand moved a fraction. "But has legitimate reasons for it." Tossing her head as if to show those two points balanced each other out a bit. "He's got a harem of women that follow him around the city and actively try to break us apart." The hand didn't move at all. "But my own brothers have that problem. Can't tell you how many women try to poison my brothers against their own family. Not fun. He has a dangerous job, arguably slightly more dangerous than Travis had." The hand moved slightly. "But I was married to Travis so that can barely be counted."

She took a deep breath before going on. "He's furling." The yes hand moved again. "Sort of anyway. He's stubborn and overprotective and demands his own way frequently." The no hand moved three times despite the shrug that accompanied it. "But the same can be said of me. We can both grow together, are willing to work together, and in fact, have actively taken steps to do so. Minor ones currently." She qualified with a tilt of her head. "But that doesn't change the point." The yes hand fell away like a boulder fell on it.

"He is the best choice I could ever make other than keeping my son after I found out he was half Tokk'ra." Sophie concluded quietly but no less certainly for its lack of volume. "Do I love him? Not yet. Can I? Will I? Very likely yes. I can see it happening quite easily."

After a moment of thought, Sam coughed. "Then I guess we had better get ready for your wedding. There doesn't seem to be much time."

"I wonder if Ronon even has a suit." The pair heard Kara wonder aloud from the other room.

Thirty minutes later. Sophie's quarters.

The entire living room had been moved around so that everything faced the wide glass balcony doors and the stars that burned outside. Inside the room was lit only by the candles that seemed to cover every flat surface. Friends and family sat or stood around the perimeter where they could see the couple standing in front of Rota.

Smiling serenely in her pure white lace beach dress, her long blond hair braided in a crown around her head, Sophie held Ronon's elbow and glanced down to her son in his front-row seat crossed-legged on the floor. It turned out that Ronon did indeed have a suit, apparently a gift from John some years before, and her son was determined to match his new father. Neither was wearing the white dress shirts that came with the suits, much to Kara's dismay. Just the vest with their hair pulled back and the trousers. Not one of the new family was even wearing shoes. Considering they were in a carefully constructed circle of stone, that reminded Teyla of the stone circles used in her own ceremonies, maybe having no shoes was a good thing.

In fact, all of the guests were quite casual in their dress. Exactly how Sophie wanted it. All the women were still in dresses, but they tended to be sundresses which may or may not have been borrowed from Sophie or Kara or Rota's own closets. Vala was stunning in a gold dress that made her look like a Greek goddess as it fluttered around her knees. Sam in navy blue lace and her long hair braided down over her shoulder, leaned back against her husband whose protective hand never left her stomach. Teyla with her son on her hip, looked every inch the forest sprite in her color-shifting dress that went from blue to green to purple as she rocked a sleeping Torren. And Kara and Rota looked every bit the beach moms in with floral Maxi dresses.

And while the men were wearing dress slacks that was where the formality ended. If there was a dress shirt in appearance, it probably had the sleeves rolled up past the elbow. But there was not a tie in sight. And heaven forbid there be a suit jacket among the lot of them. One of the brothers had to correct John when he had showed up in a full suit. He didn't object too much when the jacket and tie were pulled from him though. Jack and Daniel, even Cameron had known better, in their messily rolled long-sleeve button-downs, tunic shirts, and leather vests respectively.

The Atlantis crew had a little bit of a rougher time trying to figure out what to wear to a Furling wedding, or at least to Ronon and Sophie's wedding. But they did okay. Jennifer in her soft pink thigh-length dress that made her look like cotton candy and her beautiful blush when Rodney looped an arm around her waist and wouldn't let her go until he had claimed a seat and pulled her down onto his lap. Rodney, for once, looking at ease and happy in his dress slacks, sweater, and oddly striped socks that Jennifer had ordered him from earth because he had complained about cold feet. Even Radek and Lorne were there, grinning like fools as they took the arms of the couch as seats in their equally dress-casual looks. Even Woolsey was there, looking slightly uncomfortable without his suit jacket, but he compromised with a cardigan.

And hidden away in the corner, Romanov sat quietly a pained but happy smile on his face for his friend.

Ronon's long fingers squeezed Sophie's elbow gently in reassurance. Ready? He mouthed as Rota slid a double-edged knife between their arms and gently twisted so that each edge pressed into their skin.

Nodding, both to him and her Gran, Sophie tightened her hold on his elbow as Rota began speaking softly in Furling.

"Above you are the stars," Rota began, "below are the stones."

Off to the side, Sigrun opened a small intricately carved fragrant wooden box and offered her the contents.

Holding the double-edged dagger steady, she reached into the box with the other. "As time does pass, remember: Like the star should your love be constant. Like the stone should your love be firm." She withdrew her hand and a long piece of ribbon that she laid over their joined arms. "Be close, yet not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding." Looping the ribbon over their arms several times, she pulled it snug. "Have patience with the other; for storms will come, but they will quickly fade."

Tying the two ends of the ribbon she lay her hand atop their arms and the binding, and as they pressed their arms into the blade, knowing that was the signal for the mixing of their blood, Rota yanked the blade back. The razor-sharp edge did its job so quickly that they barely felt the blade before the sting of mixing blood began."Be free in giving of affection and warmth." Quickly the sting morphed into a warmth that spread from the wound up into their body.

Ronon didn't look away from his mate as a glow began following the same path as the warmth, filling their veins first before it flooded even inch of them. Soft and gentle like a single candle at first before it gained strength and brightness as Rota kept talking.

"Make love often, and be sensuous to each other." Rota chuckled, knowing this would not be a problem. "Have no fear, and let not the ways of words of the unenlightened give you unease. For the Great Spirit is with you now and always." As her prayer came to a close, the glow faded to all but the wound on their bound arms.

Raising her gaze to each of the gathered guests, Rota smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen. I now present to you Ronon Dex and Sophie Dex." As clapping began to break out, she held up a hand. "There is still one piece of business that needs to be done before we conclude the ceremony and everyone leaves to go get some food in our quarters next door."

She lay a hand on each of the bound couple's shoulders and pressed lightly. "Kneel."

Ronon's smile grew wider as they sank to their knees and Luka slid closer, presenting his small arm to clasp Ronon's much larger unbound one.

"As many of you may already know, Ronon has requested to adopt Luka. Our ceremony for that is much like the one for weddings without the binding and different words are spoken." Rota explained, gently guiding Luka against his mother. "Are you both prepared?"

Nodding in tandem, Ronon and Luka both grunted yes in Furling and Rota slid the blade between their forearms. Smiling widely at the two, she tapped Ronon's shoulder. The words were his to say this time.

Slowly, at times rolling the unfamiliar words he wanted to say around on his tongue, Ronon promised made his promises of fatherhood and faith, patience and love, strength and loyalty, to Luka. Luka grinned, he didn't care that Ronon stumbled at times on the foreign words Ronon was making the effort and that meant more than words could express.

As the words faded away, Luka wanted so much to launch himself at the bigger male, but he waited because it was his turn now. Slowly so Ronon could understand each of the rolling words, Luka gave his own vows of fidelity and honor, of trust and respect, even of obedience.

When the last word was spoken, Rota drew the blade and after handing it to her husband, she pressed the two limbs together. "So may it be." She whispered as the glow once again spread. While the one between Sophie and Ronon had been gold and pure like the shining stars, this one was white and innocent but equally as powerful.

"Allow me to also present to you, Luka Dex." Rota smile, brushing at her damp eyes when the glow faded.