Physician and Physicist by AndromedaMarine

Epilogue: 20 Years Later

25 May 2021

Jennifer McKay tenderly opened the old piece of paper that had, over the past twenty years, been unfolded and folded again exactly twenty times. Today would be the twenty-first. The square of paper usually rested in her mother's old music and jewelry box, the one that her father had given to her on her wedding day twenty years ago. The words on the paper always made her smile, and remember part of the circumstances that had resulted in the long life of love she and Rodney shared on Atlantis.

My Dearest Jennifer, today is the beginning of the rest of our lives, the day that will live on in our memories as the day we said "I do." I cannot possibly contemplate or list the reasons I have for loving you, because the simplest fact is that I just do. I love you. Our life together may be long or short, it will come with ups and downs, fights and reconciliations, laughter and pain. But through it all I will stay with you, cherish you, and keep you in my heart. I know that our jobs make judging the future an impossible task, but despite that I know—Iknow—that we will persevere, we will triumph, and I want to give you everything you could possibly want...and more. I will always love you, Jennifer. Your Rodney.

Although she knew his message by heart, she never failed to smile or feel her love for him grow every time she read it. She flipped the paper over gently, to read the unfitting P.S. her husband had written as what seemed to be an afterthought.

I will always remember the beginning of our courtship as the time when Avery Fox out-Kavanaughed himself and John Sheppard out-Kirked himself.

Jennifer allowed herself a silent chuckle. She remembered vividly John's role in the McKay-Keller wedding.

Rodney and Jennifer McKay had been married for twenty years. They had three children, the first of whom had been born ten months after the wedding, in April of 2012. They had named him Christopher Carson, and today Jennifer and Rodney expected him to arrive through the Stargate that morning from the SGC, after being beamed from his dorm room at MIT. He was already doing doctoral work, and expected to graduate that summer and return to Atlantis with a fully-paying job.

Their daughter, Sara Elizabeth, had been at CalTech on scholarship for two years since she was fifteen, being checked on weekly (and sometimes daily) by Cassie Fraser. Both Cassie and Sara would be joining Chris at the SGC, to 'gate to Atlantis for the anniversary celebration.

The youngest, who they named Alexander John, was fifteen and had opted to remain on Atlantis doing hands-on training with his father, mother, and the rest of his extended family, before attending college on Earth and eventually being employed on the great Lantean city.

All three children were greatly skilled in the professions of both their mother and father.

Jennifer thought on her children with pride, love, and happiness, relieved and excited that her two older kids would be arriving home that morning. She leaned over her still-sleeping husband and kissed him awake, running her hands through his thinning hair. "Good morning, handsome," she whispered when his eyes blinked open.

"Good morning, beautiful. The kids are coming home today, aren't they?" His eyes sparkled with anticipation. Neither Chris nor Sara had been home since Christmas. He leaned up and kissed her again before stumbling out of bed and starting his morning routine. Jennifer settled back on the covers and watched him with a smile, amused that even after all these years he still managed to trip over the clothes hamper when it was against the wall.

Alex's room connected to theirs, and it was only after Rodney waved his hand over the sensor that it opened to reveal him waiting for them, bored. He got to his feet and gave his dad a swift hug. "It's about time," he complained good-naturedly. Jennifer mused that their youngest had certainly inherited Rodney's impatience. "The whole Atlantean ocean could dry up and the sun go supernovae before you two finish dressing." He kissed his mother's cheek. "Happy anniversary, Mom, Dad."

Jennifer and Rodney exchanged a glance. Living in Pegasus had been good to their family.

"All right," Jennifer said, planting a kiss on Alex's forehead. "Chris and Sara should be coming through the 'Gate in about an hour; how about breakfast with Carson, Laura, John, Teyla, Ronon, and Torren?" Jennifer's men nodded wordlessly and they all went to the commissary, where the aforementioned group of people already sat at a table nursing coffees. Alex sat beside Torren heavily and dug into his food.

"Congratulations," John said. "Twenty years. None of us thought you two could do it."

Rodney shot him a look that John knew all too well. "I knew you had such faith in us," the scientist remarked before gently kissing his wife's cheek. A sudden flashback made him chuckle. "Remember, John, that one mission on which you managed to sprain...what was it, Jennifer, both his elbow and his knee?"

Jennifer had just taken a sip of coffee and narrowly avoided choking.

John's face darkened. "That's the one I don't think I'll ever forget," he said, poking at his food with a fork. "That was the trip that somehow ignited your ATA gene. You know, I can't make that control panel you love so much even work." He referred to a panel in the control that had shown itself to Rodney a few months after his marriage to Jennifer. On it were controls to a program for automatic aiming and firing of drones from the Chair without an occupant. It had helped during the last siege, in which John had gotten knocked out and Rodney had to take over defense of the city and was blocked from the Chair room.

Before long, the hour had nearly passed, and Teyla stood from the table. "I believe your two eldest will be arriving shortly," she said with a glimmer in her eye. She also was excited to see the McKay kids after so long an absence. Laura pulled Jennifer into a tight hug and then did the same to Rodney; Carson embraced the McKays as well.

The Gateroom was crowded when they got there; they had to squeeze through half a dozen knots of military personnel and civilians before reaching the forefront, where the kawoosh would just end. Richard Woolsey's replacement, their very own Daniel Jackson (Vala was at his side), waited to greet them. "Morning and congrats," he said with a smile. "Due in about three minutes."

Right on time, the Stargate lit up and the aqua explosion settled. "Midway, sir," Chuck said, addressing Daniel. He didn't even wait for confirmation before lowering the golden shield.

First through was Chris, followed by Sara and Cassie. Then Jack and Sam came through, and Cameron, Carolyn, Teal'c, Ish'ta, Ry'ac and his wife, Walter, Siler, and a dozen other members of the SGC. Rodney and Jennifer were overwhelmed; they had only expected the first eight as guests. Enthusiastic greetings, hugs and kisses were exchanged, and before long the whole group was beneath the pavilion set up on the same pier on which Rodney had proposed to Jennifer. The significance was not lost on them.

Jennifer stood up at the head table and tapped her glass with her knife. The hum of conversation died away, and she found herself gazing out on the faces of family and friends that had been in her life for over twenty years. The warm feeling in her heart intensified. Jennifer smiled at them.

"Today...Rodney and I celebrate twenty years of marriage. Through Wraith, Ori, Replicators, Goa'uld, and rogue Asgard, and a million other idiosyncrasies of Pegasus, we have prevailed. This is a victory," she said with emotion. The only sound besides her voice was the Atlantean wind. "A triumph to say that our love outlasted the trials and tribulations exacerbated and made worse by the mere fact of living in another galaxy. Not only would it be impossible to avoid each other," she paused when she heard a smattering of laughter, "it's unwise. I guess our life together can be seen as a symbol of unity for this city—this magnificent city that has been home to most if not all of us for some chapter of our lives.

"This place is special. It's special to a lot of us because we found our other halves here." She thought of Laura and Carson, Amelia and Ronon, Chuck and Dusty, Teyla and John, and Evan and his Athosian wife. "But this isn't just New Athos. It's New Earth." She looked down at her husband sitting next to her, who smiled so lovingly her breath caught. "It's our children's home. It's a place that we will never willingly leave, at least not while its defense is still capable." Her eyes remained locked with Rodney's. "We've had twenty years on Atlantis, Rodney. Let's make it a hundred more."

With those words the pavilion erupted in cheers and applause, and Rodney stood swiftly, took Jennifer in his arms and kissed her. They could hear John whistling in the hubbub, but all they felt and saw was each other.

She is the physician; he the physicist.

Their love became legendary.

A/N: Man. That's it. The end. Fin. I can't believe it's over...but it is. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with this story since its inception and many thanks to everyone who reviewed! Special mention goes to DaniWilder, theicemenace, DaletheChu, Whirlwind421, ElisaD263, and LetyBaroque, for your continuous reviews and especially DaniWilder for her encouragement through the evil land of sparse updates. And now...onto the next great project? :)