A/N: Finally!! See notes at end.
A/N: usual disclaimer: not mine, no infringement intended.
A/N: In my AU, Carson dies much later.
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Epilogue
Major General John Sheppard frowned at his reflection in the mirror. You'd think in the last twenty years they could have found something the ancients used for shaving so he could avoid a razor. He wiped off his face as he walked back into the bedroom, looking with disgust at the clothing on the bed.
John Sheppard was irritated. The day hadn't started well. Even though it was his twentieth wedding anniversary, all he'd received from his wife was a peck on the cheek and a "Don't be late." Add to that he had to wear the monkey suit.
He hated wearing the dress uniform. In his thirty-five year career, it seemed to him that he wore it most often for funerals. Fortunately, today was not one of those times.
He turned to the mirror in the bedroom and tried to tie his tie. Actually maybe today wasn't too bad at all. First of all, it marked the decommissioning of the Daedalus. The old warship had been a rock for Atlantis, keeping the outpost connected to Earth through communications and candy bars. And of course, he had plans for the evening.
Finally giving up on the tie (maybe he did have arthritis after all), he put on his coat checking his decorations. As he did so, he remembered some of the happier times associated with the uniform: receiving a medal from the president with his father there; Elizabeth coming down the aisle for their wedding; her soft, proud smile as she pinned his star on when he made brigadier general; his daughter's smile when she participated in his promotion to major general. Satisfied that things were as good as they were going to get, he exited the bedroom to look for his hat. As he grabbed it and straightened up, he paused, once again, to look at the pictures on the wall.
He had returned to Earth ten times to provide sperm donations. After the first two, Elizabeth had gone with him to make it easier, or at least more fun. Eventually, the military's aggressive search for the gene had turned up enough alternative donors so that he was not needed, something for which he was grateful. Those ten trips, however, had produced 71 children whose pictures graced his walls.
He exited the family quarters and headed down the hall, only to run into Rodney McKay. The scientist was grayer, now, but his speech was still rapid, trying to keep up with his brain. There was now a hint of sadness around his eyes, reflecting the loss of a wife and child. But he was still Rodney McKay, self-titled savior of Atlantis, and general pain in the neck. And John Sheppard's best friend.
"Hey, McKay, when did you get back?"
"Huh? Oh, Sheppard. I came back on the Daedalus. You know. One more trip for old time's sake. So, do you mind stopping by the lab?"
"You did not come back on the Daedalus for old time's sake. Come on, give," said the general, changing direction to accompany Rodney to his lab.
"OK, if you must know, they've got me working with a group of kids. I think they are trying to find the gene earlier and get the folks trained in the skills they need in the program. So, they pull teenagers together and try to talk them into being astrophysicists. Hence, moi."
"Did you scare them all off?"
"Ha, ha very funny," replied the scientist, entering his lab. "I'll have you know I was able to inspire several of the group I was working with. They all have the gene to a varying degree. And one, in fact, has an IQ a couple of points higher than mine, a fact I find hard to believe. They must have changed the tests."
The two men were studying a set of ancient devices that had been discovered recently when they heard a voice from the door.
"You can call off the search, Edward. I found them in Uncle Rodney's lab."
Looking up, John Sheppard found himself being scrutinized by his beautiful daughter who was just signing off of her headset. He couldn't help the lump in his throat as he looked at her. Jennifer Elizabeth Sheppard, Jes to her father, was almost as tall as he was, but she had her mother's green eyes and curly brown hair. Every time he looked at her, it took his breath away. Today, she was dressed for the ceremony in a green dress that accentuated her eyes. He continued to be thankful she hadn't received her father's hair.
"Hey, Jes, what's the problem?"
"Dad, have you forgotten that you have to be somewhere?" she responded, walking over to him and assessing his appearance.
"But the ceremony isn't for another hour and a half. Rodney and I were just –"
"No, it's in twenty minutes," she interrupted, coming over and reaching for his tie.
"Leave that alone," said her father, batting her hands away.
"Dad, it's crooked. You want to look your best. Remember, all the bigwigs from the IOA and the SGC will be here."
"They know who I am," he responded as he submitted to her straightening. "I don't think they expect miracles at this late date."
Focusing on his tie, Jes replied, "Well, then think of Mom. You want to look your best for her, right?"
He put up with her efforts for a few more minutes. "That's enough," he said, finally, pulling away from her fussing with his tie. "Let's go to this ceremony everyone is so eager for. Come on, Rodney," he finished, offering his arm to his daughter who took it gracefully.
"Dad, hurry up!" Carson Sheppard appeared at the end of the corridor, obviously excited. "The ship's already landed and everybody's there!" Only eleven, Carson was their gift, unexpected, and born soon after the sorrow of losing the faithful doctor.
They emerged on the North pier where seating for several hundred was set up. The dais was next to the ship itself. The Daedalus had been the prototype of a successful fleet of intergalactic ships that had supported Atlantis over the last twenty years. Now it was to become a museum orbiting Earth and providing the people of Earth a look at space. But before that final status, it had taken one last trip to Atlantis. And now the personnel of Atlantis had gathered to bid their first life-line a fond farewell.
General Sheppard joined his wife, Elizabeth Weir on the dais along with the other dignitaries of Atlantis and the SGC. General Caldwell, now retired, was there, as well as Colonel Lorne, current commander of the Daedalus. Generals Landry, Mitchell, O'Neill, and Carter, and others that had been involved with the Stargate program over the last thirty years were also present. The Athosians had come over, and Teyla and Ronon were present with their four children. There were also some faces missing, lost in the wars with the Wraith and Ori and the enemies that had replaced them. In the front rows were the people of Atlantis. The Sheppard's three children, including 16 –year old Edward, were at the end of the front row.
The speeches were not too long, mostly stressing the achievements of ship and crew and their importance to the small Earth colony in the Pegasus galaxy. Actually, the atmosphere was the happy sadness of a retirement. Something was ending, but it was a good ending that gave hope for the future.
The party following the ceremony got off to a great start. About halfway through, Elizabeth wound her way to her husband's side.
"John, we have some VIPs to visit with."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, but I think you'll enjoy this group." She motioned to Rodney to join them and they left the party.
The three continued down the hall to a small reception area that had been set aside for VIPs. John realized Elizabeth was eyeing his tie critically.
As she reached for it, he grabbed her hands and kissed them. "It's fine. Jes fixed it. Now, can we go?"
John let Elizabeth precede him into the room then entered himself.
"Atten-HUT."
John Sheppard glanced quickly around as the small group in the room stood up. Several were in uniform and at attention while others were obviously civilians.
"As you were," said John, not at all at ease himself. He looked over a group of nine young people, none of whom he recognized, but all of whom looked familiar. He looked over at Elizabeth who was standing to one side with Jennifer, Edward and Carson. He raised his eyebrows asking for an explanation.
"Major General John Sheppard, I would like you to meet the first class of the Plato Project."
His breath caught and he struggled to keep a straight face.
"Oh, there's my nephew," said Rodney, moving to stand beside a young man with blond hair that wouldn't lie down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, why don't you introduce yourselves and let General Sheppard know what you are doing." With that, Elizabeth and the children moved to the back of the room and there was a general shuffle as everyone sat down.
There was a little pause, and then a young man with dark hair and hazel eyes in an Air Force uniform stood up.
"I'm Jason Burnham. I'm a third-class cadet at the Air Force Academy where I'm studying meteorology." He looked around a moment then sat down.
"General Sheppard. I'm Juliet Tompkins, currently a sophomore at MIT where I'm majoring in applied mathematics."
The string of introductions became a little bit of a blur though he was finally seeing names and faces together.
"Lynette Sheets. . . third-class cadet Air Force Academy. . ."
"Robert Davis. . . . sophomore at Rice University, majoring in Electrical Engineering. . ."
"David Houston. . . .Midshipman in my second year at Annapolis, training to be a naval pilot. . ."
The blonde young man seated next to Rodney stood up. "I'm Rodney Jonathan Miller, Rod, and I'm a sophomore at the University of Toronto, majoring in math. I plan to get a PhD in the states."
There were three left, all sitting at the back of the room. The girl stood up first. "I'm Janet Fraser O'Neill, and I'm a sophomore at Princeton and in the Air Force ROTC. I'm studying astrophysics."
"I'm Jacob Carter O'Neill, and I'm finishing pre-med at Harvard."
Finally, a tall, lanky kid in the back stood up with a smirk on his face. He was easily six feet tall, but he looked like he hadn't grown into his body yet. "I'm John Sheppard O'Neill. I just finished a masters at Cal Tech and I plan to go on for a PhD in astrophysics."
John felt like he was looking into a mirror. This kid looked just like he did at twenty.
"So I guess it's true," the kid continued as he sat back down.
John licked his lips. "Uh, yeah. When did you find out?"
"On the trip out here," said Jason.
"Yeah, they pulled us all into a room and explained things but swore us to secrecy until we got here," said Janet.
"Explained what? What meeting? I was on the ship and with you guys most of the time, so what are you talking about?" Rodney was totally baffled, a strange feeling for him.
Rod Miller looked at his uncle. "Uncle, we're all the children of General Sheppard."
The scientist was speechless for a moment, then he stood up and pointed at John. "You said nothing happened with my sister!?!"
"Unk, unk!" said Rod, pulling his uncle back into his chair. He quietly explained the circumstances, and the scientist leaned back, somewhat amazed that his nephew was a cross between John Sheppard and his sister, who carried some of his genes. No wonder the kid liked to fly.
John had been quiet during this exchange, clearly overwhelmed. Elizabeth stepped forward.
"I think that we will want to get to know all of you much better, and I know we will over the next months. You have all been debriefed, but this was a surprise some of us."
"Obviously," contributed John O'Neill.
The pause and the comment had given John time to regain his footing. "Well," said John, "first things first. Jennifer, come here please."
Jennifer, looking a little confused, came to the front to stand next to her father who placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Everyone, this is my daughter. That means that she is your half sister and is off limits."
Jennifer turned a fiery red. "Dad!?!?" she said in exasperation, sitting down quickly in the front row, allowing her hair to fall forward to hide her blush. Elizabeth was looking daggers at her husband, her expression suggesting that he had turned into a Neanderthal.
"OK, next thing. How many want a tour?"
There was a chorus of agreement and a shuffling as people began to stand.
"Chair room first?"
This agreement was even louder, and everyone began moving to the exit. Elizabeth and Rodney joined John close to the door to greet the young men and women more personally, while Jennifer, Edward, and Carson led the way to the weapons room, talking excitedly to their new siblings.
John O'Neill was the last out of the room and stopped next to the general. "I should tell you I'm the cuckoo in this bunch." At the general's confused look, he continued. "We all found out we were your children. But Dad explained, privately, that I'm a little different. The thing is, I'm really your clone. It seems that Dr. Lam pulled a fast one on mom and dad. So, anything I should know?"
John's mouth dropped open. A clone? It would take him awhile to get used to that one. From the look on Elizabeth's face, she obviously hadn't known about that either.
"Uh, no, nothing I know of, but we can talk more later," John managed to reply. "I hope you were easier on your dad that I was on mine."
The younger man smiled softly. "Whenever things got tough between us, he sent me to Grandad." He looked the general straight in the eye. "I still miss him."
"I do, too," replied John, his voice rough.
John O'Neill nodded and left to join the rest of the group.
The general looked over at Elizabeth and took her hand. She, too, still looked a little shocked, but she got a small smile on her face.
"Hmmm, another John Sheppard. I'm not sure about that. I wonder if he got your trouble gene with everything else?" She grinned and reached up to kiss him. As she pulled back and turned to Rodney, she realized he was looking confused.
"A clone? But that would mean he has the same genes you do, and IQ is largely genetic, so he would probably have the same IQ you do, and his IQ is two points higher than mine, which means that your IQ, . . ." Rodney paused and looked at John with dawning horror.
The general looked over at him with a smirk. "And your point?"
For once the scientist was speechless.
"Get over it, McKay," replied the general, offering his arm to his wife.
As they followed the group, she said, "See John? You did get to see them, and I think they turned out pretty well."
"No thanks to me," he replied, the old bitterness an echo in his words.
"Yes, you gave them the best raw material to work with."
He looked at her with his trademark half smile. "You think so?"
She raised an eyebrow back. "I know so. After all, we've had the same material to work with and I think ours are turning out pretty well."
"Was this your idea?" he whispered.
"No, but I agreed once they asked me." She turned to look him straight in the eye. "You needed to see the results yourself. You'll have a chance to get to know them since they will be around for the next two months as part of their summer term. And we can do this with another group next year. Now let's catch up to this tour before they have a chance to corrupt Carson and Edward."
And side by side, the retired leaders of Atlantis stepped out to introduce the next generation to the wonders of their city.
--The End--
A/N: Comments on this or the whole story very welcome and appreciated.
A/N: I would like to acknowledge the work of SGAFAN. Her stories, Letter and Resolution, provided some of the inspiration for the medal ceremony in my story and contributed to the character of the older Colonel Sheppard. I know I was affected by many of the stories out there, so I hope I haven't offended anyone. It wasn't intentional.
A/N: When I started this I thought it would be three chapters at the most. There were only 5000 SGA fics. In fact, I had started reading SGA fic only a few months before, and it led me back to watching the show (I had missed most of the second season). I never thought i could write over 100k words.
THANK YOU ALL for the wonderful comments. They really kept me going, and I finished in less than a year.
Now back to our previously interrupted programming, the dissertation...