Sitting in a mostly empty mess hall Lucas stared longingly at all of the food Kate had placed in front of him and sighed softly. "How much of this is mine to eat? How much do I have to share?" He briefly glanced at the few other people in the room.
"Share...?" Kate blinked in surprise, before shaking her head. "This is all for you. You don't have to share it with anyone."
"All of it?" Lucas stared in disbelief, "But what about my mom?"
"There'll be plenty for her to eat when she gets here." John answered as he slid into the chair next to Kate. "So go ahead and eat up."
Not arguing, but still skeptical Lucas started to eat slowly, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He wasn't used to people - other than his mom - being kind to him, it was starting to make him edgy.
"Better?" John questioned a short time later when Elizabeth joined them.
"Much." Elizabeth sat down next to Lucas. With out thinking about it Lucas slid his plate closer to Elizabeth, giving her better access to the food on it. Smiling slightly Elizabeth ran a hand through Lucas' shaggy hair, absently thinking that it was probably time to get him a hair cut. "Are you being good?" Lucas just gave her a 'who-me?' look that made him look like a spitting image of John.
"Of course he's being good." John smirked, "A regular eating machine."
"They said all of this food was for me, that I didn't have to share with any one." Lucas looked up at Elizabeth in disbelief.
"That's right. You can eat as much as you want, but don't eat too much or you'll make yourself sick. There will be more when you're hungry again."
"Yes ma'am." Lucas went back to his meal.
Taking a good look around Elizabeth inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. "It's hard to believe that after all this time I'm finally home...I keep expecting to wake and be back..."
"Liz..." John reached a hand across the table grabbing Elizabeth's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I know." Elizabeth tightened her hold on John's hand.
"Lucas how would you like a tour of the city?" Kate addressed Lucas who was watching his mother with concern etched across his face.
"What about the guards?" Lucas questioned innocently.
Letting go of John's hand Elizabeth turned to face Lucas, "There are no guards, at least not like you're used to. From now on you can do whatever you want, go where ever you want with in reason as long as you let me know first."
"But.."Lucas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "If I...Who will look after you, make sure you eat and take care of you if you get hurt?"
"Hurt?" John cut in before Elizabeth could answer.
"Yeah...Koyla like to hurt her sometimes...mostly it's just cuts and bruises. And..." Lucas paused a moment. "Sometimes she doesn't eat. Sometimes when I tell her she needs to eat she just says she's not hungry and that I need the food more than she does anyway."
"She does, does she?" John glanced at Elizabeth as he came around the table to kneel in front of Lucas. "Lucas could I have a word with you alone?"
"John?" Elizabeth bit her lip nervously.
"Don't worry I just want to have a little man-to-man chat." Holding his hand out John waited until Lucas took it then lead him away from the table a little ways.
"Elizabeth..." Kate drew Elizabeth's attention away from John and Lucas. "We're going to need to-."
"I know." Elizabeth cut Kate off, her gaze falling back to John and Lucas. "And there will be plenty of time for us to talk, later." Right now I just want to pretend none of it ever happened and just enjoy being home."
"That's fine for now, just as long as you know you can't pretend forever, that you will have to deal with everything that's happened. Sooner rather than later."
Before Elizabeth could respond John and Lucas returned to the table. Moving to stand in front of Elizabeth, Lucas studied her intently for a second before speaking.
"He said he would look after you till I got back." Lucas glanced between John and Elizabeth. He knew John was his father his mother had said as much earlier, but Lucas hadn't yet made up his mind one way or another about John and was cautious about leaving his mother in the man's care.
"That's good." Elizabeth brushed a quick kiss on top of Lucas' head, then stood up.
"Kate I suggested that you might take Lucas by some of the class rooms and introduce him to some of the other kids." John moved to wrap an arm around Elizabeth's waist.
"Sounds like a plan." Kate held her hand out to Lucas.
"You're sure she'll be OK?" Lucas hesitated.
"Positive. If you need us Kate knows how to get a hold of us." John ruffled Lucas' hair playfully.
"Behave yourself." Elizabeth called to Lucas as he and Kate started for the door.
"Yes Mom." Lucas rolled his eyes in the typical ten year old fashion.
"Feel like taking a walk?" Elizabeth turned to face John when the other two were gone.
"Whatever you want." Moving his arm to around Elizabeth's shoulders John headed for the door. It wasn't long before the two found themselves standing out on 'their' balcony staring out over the ocean, with John behind Elizabeth holding her in his arms.
"I could stand here like this forever." Elizabeth whispered leaning back against John. Sighing contently she turned to face John, "What did you and Lucas talk about?"
"You," John pulled Elizabeth closer. "And how I was here to help take care of you, that Lucas didn't have to do it all by himself any more. And that I would help take care of him too."
"That's good to know." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around John's waist, resting her head against his chest.
"Always and forever." John quoted a line from their wedding vows as he gently kissed the top of Elizabeth's head.
"Always and forever." Elizabeth whispered back.
"Do you know how many times I've dreamt of this moment?"
"Probably as many times as I've dreamt of it." Elizabeth lifted her head giving John a soft kiss, then snuggled back into his hold.
"Tens years..." John sighed.
"Shh." Elizabeth soothed, gazing at the ring on her finger, her hand resting on John's chest. It had always puzzled her why Koyla had let her keep the wedding ring, but she had never questioned it. "I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Lucas, he gave me a reason to keep going." She confessed after a brief silence. "I tried to make you real to him, I told him stories about you...about Atlantis...about everyone."
"Did you know you were pregnant before..." John softly stroked Elizabeth's hair.
"No, I had started to suspect that I might be, but didn't know for sure." Elizabeth shook her head."I had planned to speak with Carson after I got back. Thankfully a child of your's - which Koyla was probably going to try and use to hurt you some how - combined with my skills and knowledge in negotiation as well as a few other areas made me somewhat valuable in Koyla's eyes." Elizabeth paused to let out a slight chuckle, "I never would have thought my mother's obsession with gardening would come in handy some day."
"Elizabeth did he ever...?"
"No, no..." Elizabeth shuddered taking a deep breath. "I was never...he occasionally hit me, but nothing else, I swear. I was beneath Koyla's notice for that sort of thing, and if he'd have let his men have me I would've been in no condition to do what he needed me to do."
"And what about Lucas, did Koyla ever hurt him."
"No, I begged, pleaded, gave up all of the pride I may have had." Lifting her head Elizabeth gazed into John's eyes. "I humiliated myself and bargained with the Devil for Lucas' safety. I did my best to teach him what I could to help him survive if anything were to happen to me, taught him how to help me where he could. I tried to make him invisible enough to go unnoticed, but valuable enough that if something did happen to me he'd at least have some degree of protection. And when I could I taught him how to defend himself, like you and Teyla taught me. I know he's just a child, but he knows how to survive."
"Hell of a thing to have to teach a child." John tightened his hold. "Lucas couldn't have had a better teacher, or better mother."
"Of all the things I thought I would teach our child..." Elizabeth shuddered nestling in closer to John.
"I want to kill Koyla."
"John." Elizabeth pulled back just enough to look John straight in the eyes.
"I know we've had this conversation already," John reached a hand up to caress Elizabeth's cheek. "But that doesn't stop me from wanting to be the one that kills Koyla someday."
"Just as long as you don't actually go after him yourself." Elizabeth leaned her head into John's hand.
"I promise. Now come on I think its time for you to get some rest, Carson will have my hide if you don't follow doctor's orders."