So sorry it took me so long to update, RL caught up and then I fell behind again!
Hope you enjoy, please leave a review, or any comments you have, or anything you'd like to see happen ... We're nearing the end, but I'd love your feedback!
At this serene moment, in this peaceful place, John Sheppard found himself never wanting to leave.
Watching his exhausted, beautiful wife sleep with her hand atop their son's head in the cradle next to her was calling to him. It wanted to be his permanent occupation.
But with their precarious situation just outside of San Francisco, and the powers that be on Earth deciding the fate of Atlantis, John knew that their tranquility would soon be shattered.
So he leaned against the wall, content to remain here keeping vigil over his family till all hell broke loose.
As Jennifer Keller walked up behind him, he crossed his arms. Gently patting him on the shoulder, she smiled kindly as he turned around. "How are they doing?"
"Great," he replied in a proud yet hushed voice. "He's so little, but so strong. Nothing rattles him."
"Reminds me of someone else we know," she replied, glancing to his mother.
John glanced between them, and nodded. "Woolsey heard from the IOA yet?"
Jennifer shook her head.
John sighed. "Well, whatever happens, I have a feeling that going back to Pegasus is at the bottom of the options list for them."
She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Even with two ZPMs at near full capacity, the city isn't in any condition to go back right now. In any case, the IOA will probably want every section of Atlantis investigated. What better time and place to do that, huh?"
"You don't think the IOA would do something drastic, like, take Atlantis apart?"
He shook his head. "Nah. Atlantis is too valuable to them right now. With the chair and weapons platform gone-"
"Atlantis is the sole Ancient protection on Earth," Jennifer finished in realization.
John nodded, then turned his intent gaze back to Elizabeth, still sleeping. "But they'll have their own people crawling over this place by the week's end. I'd bet on it."
He saw his wife turn slightly in her bed, and whispered to the doctor, "Don't say anything to Elizabeth just yet, okay?"
She swallowed, then nodded in understanding.
John shot her a grateful glance, then paced slowly over to Elizabeth. She was facing the cradle where Jack lay sleeping, her green eyes reexamining every part of her son. Her face was beaming in pride, but John was starting to see the worry creep back into his wife's face.
"Hey," he called softly, setting down in the chair next to the bed, becoming the third point in the family triangle.
She glanced up at him, apprehension returning to its usual space on her face. "How bad is it?"
He tried to soothe her, get her mind off the state of affairs. "Elizabeth-"
"I may have just had a baby, but this is still our city, John. I need to know what's happening."
With that simple request, John was thrown back to the last time, not too long ago, when she had uttered those words.
John and Woolsey were standing in the control room, talking with Todd on the view screen. The remnants of his crashed shuttle were visible behind him, and upon hearing that one of the Wraith's minions had attacked him, he started to feel another ulcer coming on.
Woolsey kept pestering him with questions, and the colonel silently commiserated with Todd on this one point. He had been subject to an interrogation from Woolsey in the past; it wasn't entirely pleasant. It didn't matter if they were Wraith or human; the Wraith were usually less likely to answer, but so far Todd had proved that idea wrong.
"You'll excuse me for being blunt, but why should we care?" Woolsey asked.
"It isn't the fact that he attacked and at least temporarily defeated me that should concern you," Todd informed them. "It's rather how he managed to do it."
"And how was that?" Woolsey questioned, getting rather curious.
"Ah, he acquired a very rare and powerful piece of technology, one with which I believe you are quite familiar."
As Todd spoke his next words, John swore he felt his appendix burst as hid mind began racing, pondering the ramifications of a power hungry Wraith having a fully charged ZPM.
Woolsey agreed to have a team of Marines meet him and bring him back to the City. Once the wormhole powered down, John shot a humorous look at the leader. "So. You wanna tell McKay, or you want me to?"
"I'll let you have the honors, Colonel," he wryly replied as they started walking to McKay's lab. En route, John tapped his earpiece and summoned Teyla and Ronan, first ensuring that McKay was in his office and not off eating or something.
Then he called Elizabeth.
Jennifer allowed her to leave the infirmary briefly, more for the sake of exercise than anything. She ordered John to escort her back as soon as their meeting was completed.
So now the senior staff stood in McKay's lab. Rodney pulled out an adjacent stool and offered it to Elizabeth, who gladly accepted with a smile.
Telling Rodney that the Wraith have a ZPM was like throwing a bull into a china shop.
"A ZedPM? Are you kidding me?" Rodney shouted, throwing his Canadian pronunciation into the word.
Sheppard shrugged. "That's what he said."
Ronan Dex looked suspicious. As always. "I don't buy it."
Elizabeth glanced over at him. "Why not?"
"Well, for one thing, they don't exactly grow on trees," McKay smirked.
Ronan seemed to ignore Rodney's explanation and continued with his own. "He got betrayed by one of his own people. Now he wants us to help him clean up the mess. End of story."
Teyla offered another possibility. "It is possible that he mentioned the Zero Point Module simply to get our attention."
"Except he would also have to know that sooner or later we would discover the truth. And in the meantime he's volunteered to place himself in our custody." Woolsey shook his head. "Not a very good plan."
"Well, you can bet there's something he's not tellin' us," John accused, crossing his nodded.
"Granted, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's lying about the ZeePM."
Elizabeth glanced sideways at their resident genius. "Rodney. What are the implications if Todd's story is true?"
"If this is true, it could be very, very bad."
John successfully hid a smirk. For being so smart, so many of Rodney's explanations started out very simple. Almost insultingly so.
"I mean, inefficient power generation is the Achilles' heel of Wraith technology – it's basically the reason for every technological advantage we have. If this ... 'underling' or whatever it is that Todd calls him is flying around in a ZedPM-powered Hive ship, then…" Rodney trailed off as the consequences started to overwhelm him.
Determinedly, Elizabeth spoke again. "It's a threat we can't tolerate ... and we won't," she said pointedly, rubbing her belly consciously.
John stiffened at that moment. Jennifer said that she could go into labor any time. But at this moment, seeing Elizabeth grasp the reality of the situation and holding onto her control made John's knees buckle. The city would always do what was right for the greater good, whether it be Atlantis, Pegasus, or Earth.
And after sharing a steely gaze with his wife, he knew that she understood his silent promise to always do what was needed.
For the baby. For her.
After Woolsey had a talk with Todd, it was determined that the most prudent course of action was to find the upgraded Hive and destroy it before it could do any damage. Elizabeth was sitting in their bedroom when John walked in, running a hand through his unkempt hair.
Elizabeth immediately sensed the tension streaming off of him. She glanced over at him as he pulled his black leather jacket out of the closet. "You okay?" she asked quietly, closing the book that she had been reading.
He chuckled, then turned to face her. "Of the two of us, I should be the one asking you that," he replied, a lopsided grin helping to cheer her up a bit.
She smiled, then stood slowly and padded over to him, one hand holding her belly. "Baby's been kicking a lot lately."
"I know. I felt him last night," John told her softly as he knelt down in front of her, whispering into the baby's current place of residence.
She giggled, placing a careful hand on top of her husband's head. "'Him'?" she asked curiously, staring at John in feigned disbelief.
He shot her another cheeky grin. "I'm just guessin'." He pressed a kiss to her cloth covered stomach, then stood with a groan. "Daedalus is ready to go."
She cupped his cheeks and pulled him towards her, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Be safe," she whispered as she pulled back, her lips still touching his just slightly.
He nodded eagerly. "I will. Be home soon."
As he turned and walked out of the room, Elizabeth felt a slight twinge of pain. She imagined it to be nothing severe, just the emotional strain of seeing her husband have to leave so close to D-day.
She softly paced back to the comfy chair and resumed her reading of What to Expect When You're Expecting.
The sightseeing trip took longer than John expected.
A week and two days later, Daedalus finally made it back to Atlantis, limping for most of its trip.
Woolsey greeted them, almost nervously, as they were beamed onto the balcony next to the control room. He walked up to Sheppard. "Colonel. It's good to finally have you all back."
"What did we miss?"
He had no idea what he's asking. But putting business first, he explained that while there were no other Wraith ships heading for the Milky Way, the Apollo and Sun Tzu were both incapacitated from their encounter with the advancing Hive ship. It barely scratched the hull.
John sighed. "Well, there went my bright idea."
Woolsey cleared his throat. "Colonel - John, there is one other thing."
John shot him a dark look. "Where is she?"
"The infirmary."
John took off in a full run, without so much as a word.
Woolsey pursed his lips. He didn't blame him.
Jennifer Keller had been informed the moment that Daedalus beamed their crew down. It was almost unneeded; she could hear the colonel galloping towards the infirmary in the outside corridor.
As he brought himself to a stop just inside the doors, he put his hands on his thighs, still heaving. He struggled to find his voice, then stood, looking straight at the chief medical officer.
"Where is she?" he panted, glancing frantically around.
Jennifer nodded at him. "Come with me."
She steered him into a private medical suite. The coloring in this room was softer, redesigned with pastels, and there was a still vacant crib next to the bed in which Elizabeth was reclining. She was still reading the book that Jennifer had given her as a shower present, but upon hearing their arrival, she regarded John with a wistful expression and laid the book down.
He didn't waste any time in walking over to her, sitting on the bed next to her, kissing her soundly.
Jennifer maneuvered around the bed so that she didn't see their intimate moment. As she began examining the scans, she saw them draw apart.
In a low voice, John asked, "You okay?" as he laid his hands gently on her belly.
Elizabeth shrugged good naturedly. "I started having contractions just after you left."
John stared at her, expectantly. "Doesn't that mean that someone should be handing me a squirming blanket right now?"
Jennifer smiled. "They were Braxton Hicks contractions. False labor contractions."
"Ah. Okay."
"I came to see Jennifer yesterday. I was getting concerned since my due date was a week past."
John frowned. "Woolsey made it sound like something bad had happened."
Jennifer patted his shoulder. "Well, almost."
She turned the screen around to face them.
"This scan is from this morning. She's dilated three centimeters, and the baby has turned. Technically speaking, Elizabeth is in labor."
John reached his hand towards the screen. "The baby, he's okay? He's supposed to look like that?" he asked anxiously, forehead furrowed in concern.
Jennifer smiled at him. "Yes, the baby is fine."
"John," his wife called, laying her hand on top of his, "I'm in labor. The baby will be born any time now."
"I know," he said quietly, glancing downwards and suddenly feeling very afraid. "I heard her."
"John."
The unspoken pleading in her voice made him look upwards.
"I need to know what's happening out there."
He started to shake his head in protest. "'Lizabeth-"
"This is still our city. I need to know."
Shooting a questioning glance at Keller, the doctor nodded permissively.
John watched as Elizabeth's eyes followed Jennifer out of the room, then turned her full attention back to her husband. "What happened?"
He sighed, looking at their mingled fingers. "The Apollo and the Sun Tzu engaged the hive, but it was stronger than we thought. Both ships are crippled, and the Apollo is holding both crews. They can't even reach a Stargate for another month."
She closed her eyes and sighed, laying her head back on the pillow. "Oh my God. What about the hive?"
John shook his head mournfully. "Minimal damage. It's still heading to Earth. With nothing to stop it."
Elizabeth regarded him solemnly for a moment, then lifted a hand to his cheek. "What can we do?"
He hung his head and shook it. "I don't know," he softly admitted, starting to allow some of the fear he felt to flow through him.
"Hey."
He shook his head again, refusing to look up so she could see the sense of failure and disappointment in his eyes.
"Hey." She repeated it with a stronger tone this time, moving him to look up.
Elizabeth was giving him her most determined smile, that look that always assured everyone that things would turn out okay, even if you couldn't see the sun anymore. "Someone once told me, 'You will never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have'. Even though we're in another galaxy, we're the only way to save Earth."
John frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Elizabeth tilted her head at him, still smiling as she poised her question. "Where did Atlantis come from? How did it get here?"
The foggy confusion started to lift as John's eyes widened in understanding. "Atlantis is a ship."
She nodded with pride.
He leaned forward, kissed her forehead, whispered, "You're a genius," and lifted himself from the bed. "I'll be back!"
TBC ... reviews are appreciated very much!