Beauty and the Beast
Epilogue: Ever After
The four commanders of Castle McKay burst onto the balcony just in time to hear John and Rodney's final words. Bates whispered, "We failed! We failed in our duty to protect the . . ."
Bates unfinished sentence hung in the air. They all knew what they had failed to do. They were the Prince's bodyguards and now he was dead. They closed their eyes in sorrow just as the last petal of the rose fell.
A few seconds later, light began to pulse and flash in a multitude of colors. Their eyes flew open to see Rodney's body begin to float above the ground. The light was emerging form his body and John was staring up at Rodney with a look that only could be described as WTF? The light got brighter and brighter and it pulsed faster and faster wrapping around Rodney, changing it. When the light faded the Beast's body was gone and a human body lay there in its place. John stepped forward cautiously and then the body moved. Rodney clumsily began to push himself to his feet. He swayed there for a moment, getting his bearings. He looked down at his hands which were no longer paws and smiled. He twirled around to face John, stepped forward and smiled tentatively, "John, it's me! I am human again."
John stared at Rodney and slowly stepped forward. He reached up and ran his fingers through Rodney's thinning, silky brown hair. Searching for something familiar, he looked into Rodney's deep blue eyes and smiled. He saw his Beast in those eyes, "It is you!" He whispered softly, stepped forward and kissed him passionately.
Now magic is a very powerful force. It can perform miraculous things. As the curse began to unravel, the magic began to restore everything to what it was before the curse had been placed. Which included Rodney in his living state. After all, Rodney had been alive when he was cursed so when the curse was undone one dead prince became one live one.
Power swirled around the castle, touching each cursed inhabitant. It stretched itself out, searching for the one cursed being that was not on the castle grounds. It found Jinto, who had been sitting in Radek's hand hoping that John had made it back to the castle in time. Power swirled around Jinto and Radek and it transported them both to the castle where they landed on the balcony.
Jinto, who had started the journey from Radek and John's cottage as a teacup arrived at the castle as a human boy. Radek looked at his young friend who had gone from a brown teacup to a skinny boy with a mop of brown hair and mischievous brown eyes. Soon everyone in the castle regained their human forms. Ford and Bates became two young, strapping black men. Teyla became a dark skinned, auburn haired beauty and Hollings became a tall man with long, wavy, light brown hair and a beard. Jinto ran up to his father, "Look father, I'm a boy again!"
Hollings smiled gently down at his son. "Yes, you are my son," and ruffled his hair.
Rodney beamed at everyone and grabbed John's hand. He began to pull him to his lab, "Well everyone's human again. John and I have some work to do so we'll be in my lab."
Teyla glided forward and arched a brow, "Perhaps Master Rodney you should contact your parents and let them know you are human again."
"Ummm. I guess so." Rodney muttered distractedly, "You handle what needs to be done."
Teyla smirked and that was how Rodney and John ended up having to dance together at a ball held in their honor at the end of the month. The whole time Rodney complained about how it was taking time away from his very important work. Queen Elizabeth and King Caldwell just smiled and rolled their eyes at their son's antics. So ends the tale of John Sheppard and Rodney McKay; and like every other fairytale, they lived happily ever after.
. . . And then, General Jack O'Neill woke up!