Epilogue

John's eyes followed the woman in the purple dress; her movements where sure, unhurried, fluid. She paused briefly to speak to with an acquaintance. He studied her profile. Sun kissed skin, almond shaped eyes, and a generous mouth. The soft sound of her laughter floated up to him. She was beautiful. Again she moved. Her long reddish brown swayed with each step she took. It was nearly as long as it had been the day they first met.

"Would you stop drooling at your wife and help me? Your little 'angles' are trying to rip the hair from my scalp!"

John turned to his cousin and smothered a grin. Rico held a toddler in each arm and while he'd managed to capture the hands of one, the other child had a handful of his hair in a firm grip. John reached for his daughter.

"Twyla, sweetheart, let go of Uncle Rico's hair."

Twyla, happy with her accomplishments and the treat of being held by her father squealed happily. Jayla, content in the arms of her uncle, gave him a juicy kiss on the cheek. John grinned as Rico wiped the slob off his face. Cameron Mitchell came across the walkway, drinks in hand. He paused glancing at Rico's wild hair and wet face. "What the hell happened to you?"

John couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. Both girls giggled with joy.

"There you are!"

All three men turned as Teyla topped the stairwell.

"I've been looking for these little monsters everywhere."

Rico readily handed over his bundle. Teyla smiled at him, a brow arched.

"What happened to your hair?"

He answer was drowned out by John's laughter. Passing Twyla to Teyla, John turned and glanced down at the crowded room below.

"Where are Tyler and Michael?"

"With your father and Ishta in one of the less crowded common areas."

"And Jay and Jared?"

She smiled at her husband.

"The last time I saw them they were chasing Rebecca with a plastic reptile."

Teyla gnawed on her lip.

"Well, I hope it was plastic."

John grinned. He stole a kiss while she had her hands full.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?"

Teyla blushed, conscious of the eyes watching.

"Yes you did, but it's still nice to hear. Are you coming for dinner? I already told your father. Everyone is planning to meet at eighteen hundred hours."

John knew that everyone meant Elizabeth, Rodney, Rebecca and their youngest David, Carson and his wife Susan, Aiden, his wife Lisa, and their baby Anna, and Ronon and his wife Eve, who was eight months pregnant. He glanced at his watch. Dinner in thirty minutes.

"Yes."

Teyla turned to Rico and Cameron.

"Will you two be joining us?"

They nodded in unison.

"Good. Now, please excuse me gentlemen."

John turned to watch Teyla as she headed for the transporter. He knew he wasn't the only one to do so. Rico and Cameron looked at John and had the decency to blush when they realized they'd been busted. He shook his head before turning around to lean against the railing and survey the crowd below. They joined him, one on either side. Rico shoved his shoulder and raised his cup.

"Hey, Happy Alliance Day."

Cameron straightened and raised his own.

"That's true I don't I've said it to you guys yet, Happy Alliance Day."

John smiled as their cups touched.

"Happy Alliance Day."

He drained his cup.

"I'm going to go find the twins. I'll see you guys at dinner."

John made his way to the dinning hall with Jay, Jared, and Rebecca trailing behind him. So much had changed. After returning to Athos, the Lanteans became the aggressors in the war with the Wraith. Any planet known to be or have once been a den for them was attacked. Eventually, the Wraith returned to Atlantis. The first time they sent five Hive ships. John'd allowed himself to be captured and the queen attempted to feed. Aiden told him the pulse had filled the sky like a nuclear explosion. He hadn't seen it. He'd been too busy trying to get off the unmanned Hive ship, moments before it crashed into another. Aiden'd said those explosions were more like fireworks, occurring one after the other. The second time the Wraith came they numbered in the hundreds. Luckily by then the Helix nanite had been duplicated, with a little help from the Asgard. It was added to the shielding of all of the Earth class warships in Pegasus and to their missle warheads. The Wraith were obliterated.

The next few years were spent rebuilding the city. The Athosians returned to Atlantis and other refugees whose worlds were completely devastated by the Wraith were offered shelter. Soon the walls overflowed in Atlantis and in Olympus, the outpost on the mainland. It was decided that the old city of Athos, Althera, would be designated as the new Alpha site and reconstruction of the city soon began.

As for Alliance Day, one of the many leaders on the Lantean Council suggested designating a day to celebrate the destruction of the Wraith and the Alliance of the many races who now made Atlantis, Olympus, and soon Althera, their home. The vote had been unanimous. That was five years ago.

John walked into the dinning hall and paused to take in the chaos that was his family. The children ran ahead of him to take their seats at the kids table. This wasn't a dinning facility like the one used for meals at Atlantis Control, no this one was a large dinning hall designated as a common area for families to gather in their living community. These type quarters were assigned to permanent residents only. John headed for his seat beside Teyla, stopping Michael and Tyler as they ran by to ensure they'd cleaned up before dinner. He sat down and let out a sigh. Teyla turned to him and smiled. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"I'm not late, am I?"

"No, your father just gave thanks and Ronon will soon give the toast."

John glanced around the table at their guests: his father, General John Sheppard, General Jack O'Neill, Col Samantha O'Neill, and their daughter Sabrina, Dr. Daniel Jackson and his wife Vala, Teal'c, Col. Cameron Mitchell, and his cousin Col. John Rico. At the surrounding tables sat members of the original expedition team, like Dr. Radek Zelenka and his wife Karen and Dr. Kate Heightmeyer, who was currently dating Rico.

The room quieted as Ronon stood and raised his glass.

"To allies, to friends, to family, to Atlantis; a beacon of hope in the Pegasus galaxy. Happy Alliance Day."

Once the toast ended everyone settled down for dinner. Throughout the meal, John thought back on the man who'd made the decision to come to Pegasus with the flip of a coin; of the horrors he's witnessed, the pain he's experienced, the friends he's made and lost, and the family he's found. He wouldn't change it, any of it, not for all the money in the world.

"Is this lemon? It smells like it! What, are you trying to kill me?"

John sighed. Well, maybe just one or two things, but that's it.

Authors Note: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's stuck with me through the long droughts (I can be horrible with updates), but this is the last story of this series. I'll take a little break, but plan to continue with shorter stories, occasionally a few chapters but not a series. Any who, again I wanted to say thank you and I hope that you enjoyed it.

Devine