Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 21/24

-Chapter 21-

Past Present, Future Perfect

-Atlantis – Future-

Come on, come on, can we just get on with this? Doctor. McKay sat in one of the chairs in front of Sylvia Peterson's desk, half turned away from her to stare out into the control room, his mouth folded obstinately shut. He always found these daily progress reports acutely uncomfortable. Not even to himself could he admit the reason for it: continued mourning of the loss of Elizabeth Weir.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Doctor Peterson rub her forehead with the hand not holding the data pad. The sound of a faint sigh reached his ears. No, Doctor, the news isn't good, he thought spitefully. The news is never going to be good. Deal with it. She leaned forward slightly as if preparing to address him. He suddenly scrambled to his feet, eyes bulging, mouth gaping at what he saw happening.

The normal technicians that manned the few remaining working consoles were still there, attending to their duties. But now among them stood other figures, these having a ghostly projection effect that reminded Rodney of badly-made horror movies!

He flapped his hands wildly, gesturing for Doctor Peterson to look, look. "You see that, don't you, Doctor?" he questioned excitedly, wondering if he was going crazy; or if his, Sheppard, and Dex's insane gamble was actually paying off.

Sylvia nodded distractedly, her gaze on the scene in the control room. "Yes, Doctor, I do. What is going on?"

Rodney watched the figures slowly begin to solidify, blending in with the technicians already in the room, some of whom began fading out. The new arrivals, he realized, the ones who had arrived on the Odyssey to replace lost personnel. The very fabric of the tower rippled around them as consoles dark and dead for months came alive again. Grabbing Doctor Peterson's arm, he dragged her out from behind her desk and across the bridge into the control room. His mind was a jumble of comments all needing to be voiced at once. He all but jumped up and down in his excitement.

Sylvia had a detached fascination in her eyes as she stared at the scene. Shaking off his grasp, she turned to look at him. "What is happening?" she demanded again, her voice faint and warped as though coming from a great distance.

Rodney smiled, the most sincere smile that had ever stretched his lips, relief and joy bursting through him in a way he'd never experienced before. "They did it, they did it! They've managed to restore the timeline, and history is patching itself back together to the way it should have been. Oh, my, oh, my, isn't this just glorious." He took several steps away from her

The dark-haired diplomat stepped away in the other direction. She, too, was fading in and out as she turned in a complete circle.

Rodney caught a flicker of movement off to his right. He spun in that direction and saw through the stained-glass windows that two figures were standing on the balcony, which had been empty only seconds before. He abandoned the strange sight in the control room and ran to the door. It automatically opened at his approach. He rocked to a stop, feeling as if his heart would burst.

Not quite fully solid yet, John and Elizabeth stood by the railing where they had so often leaned side-by-side. Weir's back was to the door; she was clinging to the Colonel, her face buried in John's chest. Sheppard, for his part, had his arms just as tightly around Elizabeth, one hand resting on her lower back, the other twined in her dark hair. His head was bent protectively, even tenderly, over hers.

John looked up, and his gaze locked with Rodney's. He had tears in his eyes, but Rodney somehow knew that they were good tears.

Oh yes, this is the real Atlantis. McKay didn't voice the thought, though. The moment was too deep, too sacred for mere words. At that same instant, he realized he was fading out, too.

Sheppard smiled that crooked flyboy grin that used to grate on Rodney's nerves; then offered him a slight chin up motion. Good job, McKay.

I did it, Rodney thought. He paused, a small smile curling his lips as his last thought proudly took shape in his mind. No -- we did it.

-Atlantis – Present-

". . .Was it really worth the terribleness of the price they paid?"

He saw the fragile façade barely holding her together start to crumble. The question hung in the air between them – a cry straight from a heart on the verge of breaking. John examined his own heart for an answer, and offered her the truth he found there.

"Yes, Elizabeth, it was." His voice carried a quiet conviction that made her straighten and turn to face him. "I can speak for him; I know. He believed he could do nothing greater in his life than to prevent the tragedy he'd lived through from ever happening. He died knowing he'd accomplished the mission he'd set for himself: to save Atlantis, and you. Believe me; he was totally at peace with what he had to do. And I believe Ronon will say the same thing holds true for his future self."

Her eyes, probing deeply into his, filled with tears; her lips quivered. He opened his arms to her, and with them his heart. There would be no more hiding of his feelings from her, he vowed, no more pretending they didn't even exist. He'd been given a second chance, one indeed bought at a terrible price. He wouldn't squander it.

Oh, John. Her lips were barely able to shape the words; no sound at all came out. She came willingly into his embrace, clinging to him as if to life itself. As his arms closed around her, she buried her face in his chest and began weeping, all her pent-up emotions flowing out of her with her tears. John bent his head over hers to rest his lips against her dark hair. He felt his own eyes grow wet.

Across the balcony from him, the door opened. He lifted his head and saw Rodney standing just outside the doorway. But – McKay was still off somewhere on the Daedalus, wasn't he? And something else was most certainly wrong -- John could see right through him!

Their eyes locked across the intervening space. McKay looked as startled as John felt for a moment. The Canadian got a look on his face like John had never seen before: totally open, radiant with heartfelt joy, reverent even.

John smiled back and gave the scientist a chin-up motion. Good job, McKay.

Rodney smiled again, a strong, proud smile, and faded completely away.

John lowered his face again to hide it in Elizabeth's hair. He knew he'd just been given final proof of the success of his future self, Ronon, and Rodney's incredible plan.

Thanks. He offered the thought to the sky above him, not knowing what else he could possibly say. The word hardly covered the boundless gratitude he had inside him. The visitors from the future had by their sacrifice not only given him back Atlantis; they'd given him something even more precious, a chance at a life with Elizabeth.

He looked back up at the sky and amended his comment. Thanks -- for everything.

To Be Continued. . .