Part: 14/14

Two Princes

Chapter 14 – The Stars

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Halling

It was dark around the camp, but overhead the stars were sparkling bright tonight. He paused and looked up at them glittering so far away, yet so brightly. He smiled and whispered a quiet prayer of thanks in the chilled air, his breath misting, carrying his words upwards to the Ancestors. He smiled again at his thoughts and returned his attention to clearing away his work. Everything completed he walked quietly back towards the tents.

Voices caught on the edge of his hearing and he stopped, looking round for who would still be up this late. Perhaps others were admiring the stars above as well. He moved towards the area overlooking the vast fields below and he saw shadows sat down against a log just down the slope. He moved forward a little further, wondering if they would like some tea to keep them warm, but he paused, for he could now make out their voices. Teyla and John.

Halling moved a little further forward into the starlight and looked down towards the two wrapped up in a blanket. Teyla was sat within John's arm, the two of them keeping each other warm. He smiled and then grinned at his discovery – finally they had decided to acknowledge what could be between them.

The discovery warmed his heart, for he had known of Teyla's affections for John for a long time, though she had never openly said as much, Halling knew her too well. Halling had also seen the pained looks John had been incapable of hiding when he had seen Teyla with Kanaan. It pleased Halling that finally these two, who seemed so well suited, had found one another. It would be an excellent match he felt.

Moving quietly as possible he moved away from the slope and headed back into the camp, smiling as he went. It had not been John's choice to remain in this galaxy, but perhaps the Ancestors had seen fit to keep him here, for perhaps though he had wished to return to Earth, his heart had in fact been here. Halling hoped that John's heart would be happy now, and that whatever wishes he sent up to the stars above that the Ancestors would see fit to grant them to him. For it seemed that it was a time for wishes to be granted.

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Earth

Rodney sighed heavily as he stared up at the stars high above the backyard. "I wonder if they really are out there," he said and not for the first time this evening.

"They made it, McKay," Ronon muttered around the remains of the barbeque he was munching down.

Rodney looked at his friend sat beside him out in the night air. "Isn't that cold by now?"

"Still tastes fine," Ronon replied with a smile.

"It's not like there aren't plenty of leftovers, Rodney," Jennifer pointed out from Rodney's other side. He turned and looked at her sat on his left.

"There won't be once he's finished with them," he replied. She just smiled in response and returned her attention to gazing up at the stars.

It had been her idea initially to remember the one year anniversary since John and Lorne had been lost. Then Ronon had suggested a meal and somehow it had turned into a barbeque in Rodney and Jennifer's backyard. Most of the Daedalus' former crew had turned up as well as pretty much everyone who had been stationed in Atlantis who had been able to get here. It had been a seriously full house and garden as everyone stood around eating and catching up.

There had been several speeches, all along the same vein; that everyone hoped the two lost men were alive and well in Pegasus. Rodney was convinced that they were, at least his calculations seemed to suggest there had been enough time between the Gate deactivating and the expected impact time of the Daedalus. He had gone over the math loads of times and was sure that it would have left John and Lorne just enough time to Gate off world to somewhere in Pegasus, which meant that they would be okay.

Rodney had given a short lecture on his latest power supply research, for though the SGC and IOA had refused another trip back to Pegasus, they had given Rodney permission to create a power source that would enable a Gate to be dialled to Pegasus. No one would be able to get back here, but at least contact could be made. Then maybe there would be some answers. Rodney just hoped they were happy answers.

"Even if we can dial up Pegasus, there's no way to know exactly where they may be," Rodney said out loud. The others were used to his worries, which he voiced frequently, for he needed to share them with someone. "Or if they're alive."

"They're alive," Ronon repeated as he finally set down his plate and sat back in his chair beside Rodney.

"Even if they survived the destruction of the Super Base, who knows what kind of trouble Sheppard's probably gotten himself into since then? You know what he's like. And we can't be sure that the Wraith are really all gone. What if he and Lorne are out there battling for their lives and we never know about it?"

Jennifer's hand dropped onto his arm, her touch soothing as always. "Well, maybe soon we will have some answers when you can make your intergalactic phone call," she said with her soft supportive voice.

He looked to her beside him, her face clear in the starlight. "Even if it works we'll probably only have enough power to dial one gate address. We can't know for sure where they'll be." He had already drawn up a list of addresses he thought John might have remembered and knew to be safe.

"They'll be with Teyla and her people," Ronon stated as if there was no question.

"Or at least Teyla will know how to get in contact with them if not," Rodney considered, though they had already had this conversation many times over the past year. A new touch of a smile warmed Rodney. "At least we'll get to talk to Teyla again."

Ronon nodded beside him and smiled before he too looked up towards the stars. Rodney looked to Jennifer, whose hand had slipped into his. "Maybe we could put together a care package for her as well as John and Lorne. We could send something for Torren."

"I think that sounds a wonderful idea," Jennifer replied and she squeezed his hand.

Rodney began to run through ideas on what he could include for Teyla. He had already come up with a list of things to send through to John, and he knew Lorne's friends had come up with a similar list for him. "We should send her some popcorn," he considered.

"We could send some medical supplies for her and her people," Carson announced as he stepped out through the back door of the house. He set down the tray of hot drinks on a small table and began handing out the mugs.

"Maybe some of those new antivirals we've developed," Jennifer suggested.

"Aye, that would be a good idea," Carson agreed as he sat down in the spare chair beside Ronon. "Will you look at those stars – makes you feel like you could see right to Pegasus from here."

Rodney scoffed. "You know you can't right though…"

"Yes, Rodney, I know that," Carson replied and the others sniggered.

Rodney returned his attention to the dome of perfectly bright stars above. "I wonder where they are," he muttered.

"Probably getting into trouble if I know those two," Carson said with amusement.

"Well maybe in a few months we'll be able to find out," Jennifer said, her hand squeezing Rodney's again.

"Yeah, maybe," Rodney said up into the chilled air, up towards the stars sparkling overhead. "I wonder what they've been up to."

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THE END

NB – now before you all start shouting at me – this fic was always about the Two Princes and resolving that. Maybe John will live his life happily in the Pegasus galaxy. Maybe the Wraith will return. Will the intergalactic phone call work? Who knows, but that's life and there's always time for sequels. Thank you all for your reviews throughout this fic and I leave you to go look up to the stars and hope for a future as yet unwritten. Wedjatqi XXX