Chapter 24: Enemy at the Gate

Elizabeth knew that returning home was going to be hard. The experience with the Ancients taking their city back had proved that to her and she was determined to keep it together this time round, only she was the only one going through the separation. All her friends, her surrogate family, they were a galaxy away. Elizabeth tried to settle into a normal routine, but everything felt dull to her. The brightness and brilliance of the Pegasus galaxy had altered her perception of life and even though she knew that she was ten times safer on Earth than Atlantis, every bone in her body was aching to return.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and the months moved forward. She was able to stay in semi - consistent contact with John via e-mails that were forwarded from the SGC but he was never able to arrange time to visit. There was one instance, where he and Rodney returned to save Rodney's sister and that's when she was finally able to hear his voice again. "John?" she asked in shock as she clutched the phone to her ear. "Is it really you?"

"Yes it is," he assured his voice sounding strained. "But I don't have much time."

"What are you doing here on Earth?" she asked. "Are you coming to visit."

"No and I'm sorry," he apologized. John proceeded to tell her all that had happened and Elizabeth knew that he was already taking a great risk by calling her. He had been recalled to Earth to do a job and now that the job was done he had only a little while before he would be sent back to the Pegasus Galaxy.

"So why are you calling me?" she asked as he finished his story.

"I couldn't leave Earth without talking to you," John answered. "I miss you."

Elizabeth smiled, though that wasn't exactly what she had wanted to hear. "I miss you too," she replied and though she figured that John had no idea the subtext of her sentence, it made her heart hurt just a little less being able to say that. Their conversation ended after that and Elizabeth fell back into what she considered to be the boring routine of life.

Nearly eight months to the day that she had been recalled to Earth, Elizabeth answered her door to two men dressed in navy blues at her door. "Excuse me?" asked Elizabeth. "Can I help you?"

"Yes ma'am," said the one on the left.

"We have orders from General Landry," the one of the right began.

"Landry?" asked Elizabeth her eyes going wide. "What for?"

"You are to come with us to Cheyanne mountain."

How could Elizabeth say no to an order that she had been dreaming about for so long.

...

"General Landry," Elizabeth began the moment she was allowed into his office. "What's going on with my people."

Landry sighed. "They're not your people Elizabeth."

"I led them for three years General," she stated angrily. "They will always be my people."

Landry sighed. "I suppose in your mind they will be."

"There are," Elizabeth insisted. "Now tell me what's going on. I'm...worried about them."

"You have a right to be worried," Landry stated. "They're in trouble?"

"Trouble?" asked Elizabeth. "What kind of trouble?"

"They weren't very specific but it seems as though the negotiations with the Asurans have—"

"They tried negotiating with the Asurans?" asked Elizabeth. "Who did the negotiating."

"Colonel Carter has handled most of the communications with the Asurans,"

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth interjected again. "And with all due respect to the woman who has saved Earth on more than one occasion, but was she crazy?"

"Excuse me?"

"You can't really tell me that she didn't know that negotiating with the Asurans would be a disaster," Elizabeth explained. "I mean not only does she have experience with the Milky Way replicators but after what happened last time—"

"Elizabeth it isn't your place,"

"Of course it's my place," she snapped. "They're my people. My friends, the people I..." Elizabeth paused and shook her head. "When do I leave General?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why else would you have brought me here," she pointed out.

"I—"

"You know that I'm the best damn negotiator in two galaxies," Elizabeth snapped. "Now, my family needs me. So you need to tell me when I'm walking through that damn gate."

Landry sighed. "You'll be leaving in one hour."

...

John paced nervously along the balcony that overlooked the Stargate arrival area.. "What time is it Rodney?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. He had been told only an hour ago that because of the deteriorating negotiations and near all out war with the Asurans, Elizabeth Weir would finally be returning to Atlantis.

"She'll be here soon," Rodney stated and the moment that he did, the symbols on the stargate activated. "We're getting an IDC," he continued as soon as the gate was active. "It's from the SGC. I'm lowering the shield."

The moment the shield was lowered, John was heading down the stairs and he just reached the bottom the moment that Elizabeth stepped through. The eight months had been good to her he decided as he took her apperance in. She looked healthy and well rested. Her hair reached to the middle of her back and it was loose and swayed as she walked.

She stopped the moment that she saw John. Their eyes locked and time seemed to stand still. It was only broken by Rodney's loud and annoying voice from the balcony. "Elizabeth!" he called out, causing her eyes to go to him. "Welcome home."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you Rodney," she replied. "It seems as though you've kept our home in one piece."

"Yes," Rodney answered. "Well I've done my best," he paused and tapped the communicator in his ear. "Uh, Carter wants senior staff and you in the briefing room like now."

"Thank you Rodney," Elizabeth called back. "We'll be there in a moment."

Rodney nodded and left the balcony area. Elizabeth turned her attention back to John, who seemed to be stunned beyond belief. "You're here," he stated in a softly as though he didn't quite believe it.

Elizabeth nodded. "I heard that you needed a negotiator,"

John said nothing, he merely closed the small distance between them and drew her into a huge hug, the very same way that she had done during the first seige of Atlantis by the Wraith. Only this time the hug conveyed so much more. They just held onto each other and it wasn't until Elizabeth could hear Carter's voice coming from John's earpiece that she pulled away.

"We should go," she stated as she pulled away.

"I can't believe that you're back," he stated once again.

"I know," Elizabeth agreed, trying not to let her heart flutter too much due to his hands which remained on her shoulders. "Eight months is a long time..." she paused and looked up at the command area. "We really should get to the briefing room now."

"Yes," John agreed. "We should."

...

"Teyla," Elizabeth stated as soon as she entered the briefing room. "It's so good to see you."

"Doctor Weir it is good to see you too."

Elizabeth glanced down at Teyla's stomach. "What—?"

"The...thing could not be brought to full term." Telya answered, choosing her words very carefully. "It died as I gave birth to it."

"Oh Telya," Elizabeth sighed. "I am sorry."

"Please," Sam stated loudly. "Take your seats."

"Of course," Elizabeth stated with a nod after giving Teyla a sympathetic look.

"I've called you all here to discuss an important matter," Sam began as Elizabeth and John took their seats with Rodney, Zelenka and Ronan already seated. "The Asurans are on their way to Atlantis."

"Excuse me?" asked Rodney. "What makes you say that?"

"I just decoded that data Rodney," Zelenka answered. "I'm sorry,"

"No need to be sorry Radek," Elizabeth interjected. "You found them before they got here."

"Yes," Sam agreed through she gave Elizabeth a warning look. "We have four days."

"Four days," John muttered as his mind spun. "Enough to evacuate non-essential personal back to Earth. Including you Elizabeth."

"No," Elizabeth stated. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Elizabeth," John began in a no nonsense tone. "It's the Asurans."

"I know who they are John," she argued. "But I'm not going."

"Elizabeth needs to stay here," Sam interjected. "We'll probably need her to buy us some time."

"Time?" asked Ronan. "To do what?"

"To get our ZPMs online to pilot Atlantis out of here."

"How many do you have now?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well we have the one that Carson brought," Rodney stated. "And the two that we got from the Telarians."

Rodney shook his head. "They're not entirely compatible."

"Compatible or not," Sam ordered. "You're to get them working. I want Atlantis to fly."

...

The next three days were buzzing with movement as people packed and bolted down the proverbial hatches. John was busy getting personnel in order and Elizabeth was in almost constant communication with their Wraith allies. Todd and his band of brothers had been contacted and agreed that if Atlantis was to fall at the hands of the Asurans then the Pegasus Galaxy was doomed. And so in order for Atlantis to earn their allegiance, the Wraith demanded that they be given the formula to the syrum that would change the Wraith to humans and Sam agreed.

Things were so busy that Elizabeth and John could barely say two words to each other and what time they were in each others company, there were always others around. Elizabeth wanted to confront John for basically demanding her to run away from her home— again. And John wanted to all but through Elizabeth through the gate to ensure that she wasn't in harms way.

It was the morning of the attack, Rodney said that he was close to getting the three ZPMs online and despite the fact that he had had practically no sleep in the past seventy two hours, they were all willing to believe him. It was on that morning, that John finally found a quiet moment to talk to Elizabeth. She was standing on their balcony, looking out into the sky.

"You know it's not too late you know," he stated as he came to stand beside her.

"I've missed this place so much," Elizabeth said, seeming to ignore his comment.

"I'm sure I could convince Carter to let you go through the gate."

"Never could get used to sleeping without the sound of waves."

"I don't want you to get hurt Elizabeth,"

Elizabeth turned for the first time to look at her former second in command. "What did you say?"

"Atlantis is dangerous."

"Earth is dangerous," she countered. "I'm just as likely to die there than here."

"There's more that can kill you here."

"Well maybe I don't care.'

"Maybe I do."

"What gives you the right to decide where I'll be safe?" asked Elizabeth angrily.

"What gives you the right to come waltzing back here?"

"What?" asked Elizabeth, taken aback by his comment.

"Why did you come back?"

Elizabeth shook her head, feeling gutted. "This is my home,"

"You were born on Earth."

"You know what I mean," she snapped.

"And?" John asked.

"And I was asked to do a job,"

"That you weren't needed for."

"I got the Wraith to join us," she pointed out. "Didn't I?"

John could say nothing to that.

"John," she began quietly. "What's gotten into you."

"Nothing's wrong," he lied.

"Tell me," Elizabeth insisted. "Please."

"Leave it alone Elizabeth."

"John,"

"I said no."

"John."

"Alright!" he exclaimed slamming his hands down on the railing. "Alright. I'm scared."

Of all the things she expected to hear, that wasn't one of them. "I think we're all scared."

John shook his head. "I know that but this is a different kind of scared Elizabeth. This is a breath taking, soul wrenching, gut twisting kind of scared."

"Doesn't sound good."

John shook his head. "It's not."

"What... what are you scared of?" she asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You," he answered truthfully.

"Me?' asked Elizabeth in surprise.

"I'm scared of losing you," he explained. "I can't lose you."

"Who says that you will?" asked Elizabeth sympathetically.

"Last time we went up against the Asurans,"

"I know," Elizabeth interrupted, trying to suppress the memory. "I nearly died."

"And I nearly died along with you," John whispered. "I can't go through that again."

"You won't," she promised. "I swear to you that nothing like that will happen again."

John shook his head. "You can't make that promise."

"No," Elizabeth agreed. "But you can't promise me the same thing either, even though I want—"

"You want what?" asked John turning to Elizabeth. But instead of her smiling or even concerned face, he was horrified to see that she was doubling over in silent pain. "John to Beckett. Come in Beckett!"

What is it lad? Asked Carson through communications link.

"It's Elizabeth," John stated as he reached out to stop her from falling over. "She's in trouble."

Author's Note: Hey folks. This is the second to last chapter. I've got one more before this story is offically done. I hope that you take the time to review because I love hearing what you think. Thanks to Mrs. Rosemary Weir for reviewing chapter twenty three.