Some reference to the story 'Bond'.
Dreams
John swept up the last of the cookie crumbs and dumped them in the trash can. He glanced up at the ceiling when he heard a loud bang. Taking the back stairs two at a time he quickly arrived outside the playroom. He opened the door and glanced around the room at his children.
"Hey fellas, I need you to keep it down. Mom's resting, okay?"
John and Jared, who were glued to their video game, both nodded.
"Tyler, that means no more cannonballs."
He looked at his son standing on a chair, eyeing a large beanbag some five feet away. The boy turned to him.
"Yes sir."
John glanced down when someone tugged his pant leg. He lifted Michael into his arms.
"Did you want something?"
The little boy nodded.
"What?"
"Pizza."
"Not right now buddy, but maybe later."
Jared turned from the television.
"Dad, can we go after the Judo tournament?"
John nodded in agreement.
"Chuck E. Cheese's?"
"Yes, but only if you guys keep it down. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Sweet!"
Tyler leapt from the chair and landed with a loud thud. He smiled sheepishly at his father.
"Sorry Dad."
John opened his eyes. He glanced to his side and found the bed empty.
"Teyla?"
Rising, he slipped on a pair of jogging pants.
"I am here."
Following her voice, he stepped out onto the balcony. Teyla stood by the railing in a long nightgown and one of his jackets. She cradled a cup of tea in her hands. John crossed the balcony and greeted her with a kiss.
"Good morning."
"Good morning and happy birthday."
He grinned.
"Why, thank you sweetheart."
"You are welcome."
She sighed settling into his embrace.
"Did you have another one of your dreams?"
John rested his chin on her head.
"Yes."
"Have you thought more about what Till said when last you visited her?"
"That my dream from the Hourri will come true?"
"Yes."
"Some, but I don't know if I can believe in a predestined future. And besides, Carson has run all kinds of tests on you and they all say you're not having twins."
"No. Carson can only confirm the presence of one child."
"But the Ancient technology used-."
Teyla turned to John.
"Nothing is absolute except death Sidi and as we have seen even the Ancients have found a way around that. It is your birthday. Enjoy it. Do not waste time wondering about the future."
She placed his hand on her stomach.
"We shall know soon enough."
The common areas of the city overflowed with people. It was the end of another quarter at Atlantis and there was much to celebrate; in particular the birthdays of the past three months. The 'quarterly birthday bash' had become so popular that even the Athosians had begun to add their names to the event listing. The hum of hundreds of voices echoed throughout the rooms, but one in particular stood out.
"What do you mean 'a little game of guess who'?"
John glanced from Teyla to Elizabeth.
"Why can't I have my present first?"
He smiled charmingly hoping to sway the ladies to his way of thinking. Rodney smirked.
"Aren't you a little old for whining?"
John glared over his shoulder.
"Shut it McKay."
"John."
He turned back to Teyla.
"It will be a very quick game, only three guesses. Then you may have your present. Now, turn around so that Carson may blindfold you."
He sighed and grudgingly submitted to the game. Carson tied a scarf over his eyes, turned him around three times, and placed his hand on the shoulder of a very tall man. Height alone eliminated a majority of the Atlantis and Athosian population, but the dreads were a dead give away. John smirked.
"Ronon."
"Hmp, how very astute."
"Rodney!"
"Ssshhh!"
Teyla confirmed his choice.
"That is correct. Now, number two."
John's hand was placed, yet again, on the shoulder of a tall man. The jacket he wore was a mixture of leather and fur. Briefly touching his bearded chin and shoulder length hair, John made another guess.
"Halling."
"Correct again, you only have one more."
When his handed landed on the shoulder of another tall man, John frowned. He couldn't think of anyone else as tall as Ronon or Halling, and yet this person was. Lightly touching the person's hair, he realized it was fashioned similar to his own. He then ran a hand over the person's face; the high forehead, smooth cheeks, straight nose and dimpled chin gave him pause. John could think of no one in the city who fit the description, but instinct told him that he knew this person very well. As a matter of fact, he kind of reminded him of his cousin. Going on a hunch, he ran his hand through the person's hair one more time feeling for a childhood scar. When his finger traced the familiar z shaped pattern, John gasped.
"Rico!"
Lt. Col. John Rico snatched the blindfold off of his cousin and grinned.
"It's about damned time. I was starting to have my doubts."
They hugged in greeting.
"You two girls going to keep that up all night or can I greet my son?"
"Dad?"
John turned and hugged his father; General John Sheppard.
"When….how did you guys get here?"
"We came through the gate this afternoon and have been hiding in our rooms ever since.
Happy birthday Jay, now are you ready to open your present?"
John grinned.
"Yes sir."
John closed his eyes against the late night breeze and sighed.
"How are you holding up?"
Turning from the balcony railing, he looked at his father.
"I'm good….. surprised, excited, concerned."
John Sr. laughed.
"Let me guess. You're surprised to see us, excited about the baby and concerned for Teyla's welfare. Am I right?"
"Yeah."
The General nodded.
"It's enough to wear any man out, but at least you have family and friends here to help."
John smiled.
"Yes I do. How long can you stay?"
"Four months."
His eyebrows rose.
"Four months?"
John Sr. nodded.
"When I contacted General Landry and mentioned that I was interested in making a visit, he asked me that very same question. My vacation suddenly turned into a temporary duty. They had begun searching for a General who could take a temporary assignment to the Pegasus galaxy while Elizabeth was on maternity leave. I just so happen to fit the bill. It also made getting approval for my visit a lot easier."
"What about Rico?"
"They gave him orders too. He's here as my personal assistant."
Both men turned at the sound of footsteps. They smiled as Teyla stepped out onto the balcony.
"Are you okay?"
She smiled.
"Yes John, I am fine. I just wanted to say goodnight."
John Sr. glanced at the night sky.
"I guess it is a bit late. I'd better turn in if I'm going to be able to keep up with Elizabeth tomorrow."
He leaned forward and kissed Teyla's cheek.
"Goodnight you two."
"Goodnight."
John pulled Teyla into a hug and kissed her deeply. When he finally ended the kiss, she pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"What was that for?"
John ran a hand over her stomach.
"Because I love you."
Teyla touched her forehead to his and softly kissed him on the lips.
"I love you too."
He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Shall I tuck you into bed?"
Teyla giggled.
"If you wish Sidi."
John grinned wickedly.
"Sidi wishes."
He cupped her face and gave her another kiss.
"Hey Jay?"
Rico paused in the balcony doorway.
"I see some things never change."
John pulled back.
"What?"
"Never mind, I'll catch up with you later. Goodnight Teyla."
"Rico wait."
She turned to John.
"Go. Enjoy the rest of your birthday."
He frowned.
"But baby we were about to."
Teyla smothered a grin.
"I will be here when you return."
Rico smirked.
"Yeah, but will he be sober enough to get…."
John's glare shut him up. Teyla cupped John's cheek bringing his attention back to her.
"When you come back we will have the rest of the night and the morning to ourselves. There will be no need to hurry. I promise."
John gazed into Teyla's eyes and slowly nodded. She kissed him once more.
"Until then."
John sat on the edge of the pier and looked down at the pitch black ocean flowing below. He flicked the butt end of his Cuban cigar into the water.
"What would you do if you had a glimpse of your future?"
Rico looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"What?"
"Your future, what would you do if you saw it?"
Rico frowned.
"I know we went through that bottle of Scotch pretty fast, but I didn't think you were drunk."
"I'm not drunk Ree and I'm serious."
Rico took a moment to consider what he'd been asked.
"Well, was it a good glimpse or a bad one?"
"Good."
"Was Teyla there?"
"Yeah."
"Kids?"
"Oh yeah."
"Did anyone die?"
"Dude, I said it was good."
"Oh yeah. Well…"
He shrugged.
"I'd just go with it.
"Just go with it? What the hell kind of answer is that?"
Rico slapped him on the back.
"Look Shep, you've got the assignment of a lifetime. I mean look at this place."
He gestured to the silhouette of Atlantis behind them.
"Your wife is hot, ridiculously so, I might add, and loves you to death. From the 'oh yeah' comment earlier, I can only imagine that in this glimpse of yours there were many children."
John grinned.
"Yes."
"Then go with it. From what I'm hearing, you have nothing to loose."
"That's what I keep telling myself."
Rico turned to John.
"Then what's the problem?"
"What if I start to believe in something only to later find out that it was just a dream."
"Just because your life isn't exactly what you dream doesn't mean it's not good. Take what you have and make the best of it."
John looked at his cousin and shook his head.
"You know, sometimes our thoughts are so similar it's scary."
Rico rolled his eyes.
"Why are you asking me all of these damned questions if you already have an answer? I've drank a lot of alcohol and all of this thinking is giving me a headache."
John and Jared settled into bed. Jared looked down at his father from the top bunk.
"Dad, how about the story with the killer Wraith?"
Sheppard turned to Jared.
"Killer Wraith? I don't remember that one. Why don't you tell me?"
"Ah, come on Dad?"
"Dad..."
"John…."
"John, wake up"
He could feel someone shaking him.
"John, get up. It's time."
"Hhmm?"
"The babies are coming. I'm in labor."
"John."
Sheppard jerked awake when a hand touched his shoulder.
"John."
He rolled over and looked at Teyla.
"Yeah?"
Her hand tightened on his shoulder as she doubled over in pain.
"The baby is coming."
John placed a kiss on his son's brow and smiled. He was perfect. From the dark silky hair that covered his little head, to the tip of his little toes. Perfect. They both were. Glancing over his shoulder he watched as Teyla hummed softly to the bundle in her arms. Twins; just like in his dream. Teyla suddenly glanced up, an excited smile on her face.
"John."
He walked over to her side.
"Yes?"
"I know we agreed to name the baby Tagan John Sheppard, but under the circumstances, I think we should make a slight change."
"Oh really?"
She grinned.
"Yes, really. I was thinking we could name the children John Tagan Sheppard and Jared Emmagan Sheppard. What do you think?"
John stared. He'd told Teyla the whole dream, but that was a long time ago. He wondered if she even remembered the children's names.
"What made you think of that?"
Teyla's brow knotted.
"We live through our history and traditions."
John frowned.
"What?"
"That's what my father taught me from a very early age and your father said something similar to that in Germany. It made me think. John and Jared honor your father and his twin brother, your uncle who passed. It also maintains the tradition of a John Sheppard in every generation. Tagan Emmagan honors my father and our children, your male heirs, will continue to lead the Athosian people. So, what do you think?"
John smiled.
"I think I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world. That's what I think."
Teyla smirked.
"For once, I think you may be right."
The next day Teyla and the twins were released from the infirmary. They arrived home to find many notes of congratulations and small gifts waiting outside their doorway. Over the next week John and Teyla adjusted to the addition to their family in relative peace.
John stood over the bassinets watching the children sleep. He smiled as Jared stretched, waving his little fist in the air. He was still having a hard time believing that something so precious could belong to him. John sighed. Something had changed. He could feel it. The restlessness and confusion that had driven him to the edge of the universe was quiet; still.
Teyla sat up and held out her hand.
"John, come to bed."
Taking one last glance at the children, he walked to the bed and sat beside her. She smirked.
"What are you doing?"
John leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Saying thank you."
"Wha-?"
He placed a finger over her lips.
"For the first time, in a long time, I can honestly say that I am happy. I love my job, I'm surrounding by family and friends who care about me, I'm at peace with my father, I'm married to the woman I love and we have two amazing children. My life is good and it's because of you. So, thank you."
Teyla was stunned. She stared at John, eyes wide, before finally pulling him into her embrace. The kiss they shared was filled with deep emotion. When it ended she smiled at him.
"I love you."
John wiggled his eyebrows.
"I know."
Teyla smirked and slapped him in the head with her pillow.
Author's Note: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I've actually rewritten this story a few times and could never get the right feel for it. Cielito, I hope you like it.
Devine