DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters of 'Stargate: Atlantis'. They're not my property.
Since Elizabeth had been working late, it had been John's turn to let Syla sleep in his room.
Kia's funeral had been earlier. Both John and Elizabeth were invited to attend as Syla's foster parents. It was a colorful ceremony by the pier; flowers and ribbons everywhere, songs and even a dance. It appeared more like a celebration than mourning, maybe because that's what it was – a celebration of the life Kia had lived and preparation for the life she would continue in the heavens.
Syla was unusually quiet throughout the festivities as if she understood what all this meant. When the final words were spoken by Jodian, Syla looked up at Elizabeth. When Elizabeth met the little girl's eyes, she was stunned. "John…" she called him carefully.
"What is it?" He looked at the little girl's face and was amazed.
The gray color that was once there was slowly replaced by a warm green, matching that of her "parents".
"How did she-?" he asked.
"I don't know…" Elizabeth replied absently.
Syla smiled at them before she placed her small head on Elizabeth's chest and soon after fell asleep.
"She accepted you entirely with that change," Jodian had explained to them later. He added that, "the children tend to mimic their parents' eye color until they accept them fully and the change becomes permanent. If the agreement we reach is to welcome her in our society again… this is something she will not alter about her."
Neither John nor Elizabeth knew how to properly respond to this. They were also told that she had reached the right age for this change. Had her mother lived, Syla's eyes would have taken the grey color for life. However, if Syla hadn't accepted either Elizabeth or John, she would have kept the eye color of her mother.
As he prepared the bed and added an extra pillow, Syla watched him with those eyes that appeared to John as if they were his own. The feeling sent shivers through him and the thought was rather disturbing… but in a pleasant way. He sat down on the bed while Syla was sitting on the chair, still looking at him. "You're a really good kid, you know that?" he told her.
She smiled as if she understood him.
Syla had caused him or Elizabeth very little trouble, much to their relief and surprise. He could see in Elizabeth's eyes that morning that, at least for a moment, she wished they could be in a different place with her; somewhere safe. For a moment, he shared that wish with Elizabeth.
He chuckled when he remembered the previous day when McKay had tried to hold her, on Elizabeth's request, and Syla responded with the loudest cry of protest either of them had ever heard from her. It left poor Rodney embarrassed but it was amusing for the others.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts briefly. "Come in."
Elizabeth appeared with a few papers in her hands. "I'm sorry for dropping by this late. I hope you have a moment?"
"Yeah, sure," he responded, still on the bed.
"Hey, Syla," Elizabeth greeted her gently.
"I was just telling her what a great kid she is."
Elizabeth smiled in agreement. The papers then reminded her of her original purpose for coming here. "I… just wanted to bring a few drawings that Syla made some days ago." She handed the four drawings to John. "I think you'll be as amazed as I was."
With raised eyebrows, he looked at the drawings in his hands. "Wow…these are… good." The first drawing was of his face, the second of Elizabeth; but what made them remarkable was the talent with which they were drawn. They weren't kindergarten drawings with circles and lines, but real picture-perfect drawings. Syla had captured them both with every detail in the most beautiful light. He then took a look of the other two. One was of Kia and the other of a man.
"I assume that's her father," Elizabeth said.
"Mm…" He felt bad for the little girl just by looking at how well she had remembered her birth parents. "Well, these certainly blew my kid drawings out of the water," he added with a lighter tone.
Elizabeth smiled. "They are incredibly good. It seems the Atonians develop a skill for drawing at a very early age."
"Looks like it. When did she draw these?"
"The first night. She seems to have excellent memory by the way her parents are drawn."
John nodded in agreement. "You drew these, you little Da Vinci?" He showed the drawings to Syla with a smile.
Syla giggled and then clapped as a response to his question.
"I was approached by Kia's sister yesterday," Elizabeth then said. When John's gaze showed his attention to this, Elizabeth retold the conversation that had happened earlier.
"Yeah, I figured that," he replied. "Well, they are welcome to stay in Atlantis."
"I told them that, but they wanted to be somewhere closer to nature."
John shook his head. "If the Atonian children are so sensitive about who takes care of them, how is Syla going to handle this?"
"Well, Jodian did add that she could maybe adapt."
"None of the Atonians wanted to touch her after Kia's death. It's like she has a disease or something," he said with annoyance.
"Maybe they'll reach a positive conclusion," Elizabeth replied. "At least Syla has a relative, so that might help."
Making a small buzzing sound, Syla interrupted them as she started imitating the Jumper again.
"She really does like flying. The Puddle Jumper ride must have left quite an impression on her."
John was pleased by this. "She enjoyed it." His face turned serious again. "Did Kia's sister tell you why Syla responds the way she does towards us?"
"She mentioned something about Syla feeling secure. I don't know how much of an explanation that is."
"Not much," he responded.
"I agree. Her mother was still alive then. There must be something else."
"She can't stay with us," he said.
"I know."
"I mean, just this morning there was an emergency in the lower decks. I had to ask Teyla to keep an eye on Syla. The moment I stepped out of the room she started crying. When I came back later, she was still crying until I picked her up." He exhaled. "At least Teyla was pretty cool about it all." John glanced at the drawings. "Why us? Why not someone else here with less responsibilities?"
"Believe me, I've been asking that question myself over a thousand times," Elizabeth replied. "Well, best you get some sleep now. Good night, both of you," she then said.
"Hey, Elizabeth?" John called her when she approached the doors. When she turned around to face him, he lifted the drawings. "Thanks for bringing these," he told her.
"You're welcome," she replied.
When the doors closed, John said, "It'll be hard to convince people that a baby drew these." He heard Syla giggle again. "What's so funny?" he asked jokingly. "Maybe I'll say I drew these?" He chuckled when she pulled out her tongue at him in protest. "Yeah, you're right. Who'll believe that?"
Putting the drawings aside, he took a pillow and some blankets and then put them on the floor next to the bed. He then picked up Syla. "Wait… do you need to go to the toilet before bed?" Syla only stared back at him with no response. He gave a sigh. "Yeah, of course you do." John placed her in his arms. "Come on."
Elizabeth was asked the next day by the Atonians to join them along with John. When they entered the room and the serious faces of all the senior members greeted them, an unsettling feeling reached her. Jodian stood up and gestured for Elizabeth to approach them. When she did, he said, "We have reached an agreement."
Elizabeth nodded to this with Syla's head resting on her shoulder. John looked at the faces of the other Atonians and their repulsive stares towards the little girl. This was not a good sign.
"Because of our ways, we cannot accept a child from another Atonian. Only those who have given life to the child must take responsibilities for them; no one else. Those are the rules in our society."
This sentence disturbed Elizabeth who was about to voice her protest when Jodian continued.
"However, because our numbers have dwindled due to the Wraith attack… we agreed that it is in the Atonians' best interest to welcome Syla back with us."
"Thank you," Elizabeth replied, having trouble changing the serious expression on her face.
The last person sitting with the others had been Vera. She soon stood up and approached Jodian. "This is Vera. She is Kia's sister. She will take care of Syla."
The encounter of the previous day had made this meeting more difficult for John and Elizabeth. They were aware that they could not take Syla in but Vera's words also made them question the way she would be raised by the Atonians. There was a hostile vibe in the room that took a grasp of the two people, particularly John.
"Welcome her back with you…" John crossed his arms, almost mumbling those words. "It sounds like she wasn't even a part of your people," he told them.
"It is normal that this would appear strange to you, John Sheppard. Because of the recent tragedy amongst the Atonians, the request of Elizabeth Weir has forced us to reconsider certain rules. We deliberated and agreed we do need Syla to return to us."
"Wait, wait, wait," John interrupted. "It took you five days to realize how important this child is to you?"
"This has never been attempted before," Jodian reminded them.
"Yeah, I know that already," John replied quickly. "If she didn't reach out to me or Dr. Weir she would've… no, you would have allowed her to die," his voice was calm but full of resentment.
The four Atonian women and five men exchanged glances at the sudden response.
"We are aware that our customs must look cruel to you but –"
"Damn right they do!"
"John," Elizabeth tried to calm him but he brushed her off.
"No one came for her; no one even looked at her after Kia's death! And she's a perfectly healthy baby."
"But we are willing to accept her now," Jodian replied.
"No, that's just not right. You're still looking at her as if she's diseased. I can't help but think that some sort of stigma is going to be attached to her as she grows up with you!" John protested.
"John Sheppard, you expressed the desire for us to take – "
"Not any more," John replied and took Syla from Elizabeth.
Standing there in brief shock, surrounded by the whispers of the others, Elizabeth watched the colonel leave the room. She exchanged a brief look with Jodian and then hurried after John.
"John!" She called after him but he didn't respond. "Colonel Sheppard!" she tried again. This time he hesitantly stopped. "What are you doing?" she asked him quietly but firmly.
"Don't tell me you weren't disturbed by the way the others were looking at her."
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "I admit some were worrying but I'm sure they'll adapt. They have no choice now. It is in their best interest to welcome her back."
"I'm beginning to understand why Vera said what she did," he told her.
"I thought we agreed we couldn't afford the time to take care of Syla," Elizabeth said.
"Vera can stay in Atlantis with Syla if she wants to but, I am not letting Syla be raised in their presence."
"They will have children of their own again; she will grow up like a normal Atonian."
"But she will be looked upon differently. I have no doubt that being an outcast for an Atonian is a feeling just as bad as for a human being."
"We don't know them well. As Vera said, some rules will change."
"For her they won't."
"She will be with a loving adoptive parent. And isn't that what the Atonians have been saying the entire time? That it's important for the parent and child to have a connection, the love, so the child could survive and mature?"
John shook his head determinedly in disagreement. "They'll reproduce fast and in great numbers, we know that already about them. And then the old rules will come right back in use again. Syla will not only be reminded constantly of how her parents died but she will be looked upon as a tick, a parasite because of their stupid rules."
Elizabeth understood his concern. She had her doubts as well. "How will we take care of her, John? When there is a crisis here almost daily?"
"As I said before – Vera can stay here. From what she told you I'm sure she wants the same for Syla as we do. At least here she'll have a happier upbringing."
Elizabeth tried to remain calm to his response. "We've only known her for five days; they have known her since birth and probably better than us."
He doubted that. "You think they do?"
"We cannot take care of her. You said so yourself that she can't stay with us."
"Yeah, well that was before I got in there," he replied. John looked at Syla who was quiet during their disagreement. "I know what it's like to be an outcast, Elizabeth. She's a great kid; I can't let her grow up with the constant feeling that she's not wanted."
"John, I understand your concern, but she's not –"
"No, no, don't pull out the she's-not-your-daughter card," he said with annoyance.
Elizabeth placed her hands behind her back as she watched him intently instead. Syla made a disturbed sound to which John covered her face and whispered some comforting words to her.
"I thought you cared about her, Elizabeth," he then said with a doubtful stare.
This took her aback. "Don't you dare question my concern for her," she replied firmly.
John returned his gaze to Syla instead of responding to Elizabeth.
"I'll have a word with Jodian and Vera," she said coldly and walked off.