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John didn't even register the sound of the car pulling into the driveway until he heard the door shut. He'd been enjoying the afternoon sun beating down on him as he and Teyla watched TJ running around the yard with Domino.

At the sound, he got up and turned around to see Dave and Julia walking in their direction from the side of the house. A grin split his lips as he saw the condition Julia was in. Teyla wouldn't be able to complain about her size now.

"Dave, Julia," John called out. "Glad you guys could make it, especially looking at you, Julia. Are you sure it's even safe to be flying so close to delivering?"

Julia threw him an exasperated glare but it was also filled with warmth and love. She reached to wrap John in an embrace and he hugged back, so thankful to see each other again.

As soon as Julia stepped back, she spied Teyla and cried, "Teyla, look at you. You look amazing and so beautiful."

John reached for Dave's hand for a firm shake as the two ladies attempted a hug. Unfortunately they were hindered from a close embrace by the protrusions of their stomachs. Dave and John just burst out laughing. That of course resulted in more glares from their wives.

TJ, not one to be left out of anything, especially hugs, came running over, the small dog trailing behind him.

"Unta Dave, Auntie, I needa hug, too"

Dave scooped him up and planted a big kiss on his cheek. "Hey, Torren, how's the vacation so far?"

"It great! We been swimmin' in a ocean and hitin' in a woods and we tlimb up a big mountain and almost got stut there when a water tum bat in."

Dave opened his eyes wider to show Torren how impressed he was with all they'd done. Then he looked at John and questioned, "Bar Island, I'm guessing?"

John looked sheepish. "Yeah, I kind of lost track of time and forgot that Teyla might need a few extra minutes for climbing so by the time we got down the tide had already covered some of the sand bar. We made it back but we got a little wet."

Dave glanced over to where the ladies were still chatting, apparently about the size of their bellies, then back at John. "As bad as that time we almost got stuck there?"

"No, nothing like that," John replied. "And it wasn't intentional this time."

"What was not intentional?" Teyla interrupted, her eyes narrowing at the conversation. Julia and Teyla had moved closer and were now listening to the men's discussion.

This time Dave also looked sheepish. "One time we were up here, John and I got this idea that it would be cool to actually get stuck on the island so we may have … altered the low tide time when we told Dad."

"But you did manage to get off in time?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, barely," John responded. "And Mom sure wasn't happy to have to wade through hip deep sea water to get back to the mainland."

"Hip deep!" Teyla scolded. "John Sheppard, how could you? Your poor mother. I am just glad we did not have to wade through any water much deeper than our ankles."

John started to sputter at the accusation. "I wasn't the one …" but Teyla was still looking at him with a dubious expression on her face. Dave just laughed out loud.

"Actually, Teyla, I was the culprit that time. I wanted to get some Boy Scout badge for camping and figured getting stuck on an island and surviving the night would have gotten me extra points or something."

Julia looked delighted at this confession but John just pursed his lips. "Seems I still got the blame for that one anyway, as I recall. Dad never believed that his precious David could do anything devious. Had to be John who masterminded the whole thing."

Dave snorted. "Yup, that was a definite benefit of being your brother."

Teyla now moved toward Dave and he lowered TJ so he could hug her. "You do look amazing, Teyla. Pregnancy becomes you."

Torren gazed up at Julia and his eyes almost popped from his head. "Auntie, how tum your belly bigger than Mama's?"

Julia attempted to lower herself to talk to Torren and John noticed her predicament. "Have a seat, Julia," John instructed and pointed to the patio furniture. "Dave and I will take care of the bags."

Julia flashed him a grateful smile and both Julia and Teyla settled themselves in the chairs as the men walked back to the side of the house. Julia then drew TJ near to her.

"My belly's bigger than your Mom's because my baby is almost ready to come out. Your Mom's baby still needs to cook a bit longer."

TJ's expression showed his confusion at her choice of words and he looked over at his mom. "The baby tootin' in your belly?"

Teyla gave a small laugh and shook her head. "No, sweetheart, it is merely a saying. Auntie Julia means that our baby will need more time inside of me before she is able to be out on her own."

Torren seemed to think about that for a while then turned back to stare at Julia's very large abdomen. He leaned in and rested his head on it while his arms wrapped as far around her as he could, his whispered words barely audible.

"Hi, I Torwen, I your tousin. When you tum out maybe you tan play with Domino, too."

The words reminded Teyla that her son had been playing with the dog. She looked around anxiously then relaxed when she saw the dog a few yards away, chewing on the tennis ball John had found for it to play with.

"Torren," Teyla reminded him, "perhaps it is time to return Domino to Mrs. Brewer. Make sure you thank her for allowing you to play with him again today."

Torren nodded, gave Julia's belly a little kiss then picked up the dog's leash to walk him through the small gate that was set between the tall bushes separating the two properties. Teyla could hear him talking to Mrs. Brewer who usually worked in her garden when Torren 'borrowed' the dog.

Julia's gaze followed Teyla's and her eyes grew misty. "I can't wait until I have my own little Torren. Well, his name won't be Torren obviously but you know what I mean. I love being pregnant and feeling him move inside but this summer heat has been doing a number on my feet and I can't even tell you what my back feels like."

"I understand," Teyla responded sympathetically. "I have done this before, remember. Unfortunately I spent my last few weeks before delivery locked up and strapped to a table for most of the time."

Julia felt horror creep through her. She hadn't known this. She'd have to ask John about it. She wouldn't ask Teyla as the woman looked like it still haunted her. But as she watched, Teyla seemed to shake it off and her smile returned.

"Have you and David picked out any names for this child yet or will you wait until he is born?"

Julia smiled back, anxious to get away from the subject Teyla had mentioned a moment ago. "That was fairly easy. We're going to name him Patrick, after David and John's Dad. So he'll be Patrick David Sheppard which is the opposite of David Patrick Sheppard."

"That is lovely, Julia. Torren is named after my father, also."

Julia narrowed her eyes and questioned something she had wondered about but had never really asked. "He's Torren John I know but at that time you and John hadn't gotten together and his real father's name is … Kanaan, right? Why did you name him after John?"

Teyla looked slightly uncomfortable but after a few seconds answered. "Yes, Kanaan, Torren's biological father, also asked that question."

She made sure to emphasize the word biological as she truly thought of John as Torren's real father now. He was certainly the one who was there for the child at all times unlike Kanaan who deemed to see him perhaps once a lunar cycle. She hesitated for another moment then sighed.

"I told Kanaan that John possessed many qualities, like loyalty, bravery and intelligence that we would wish for our child and that he never gave up on rescuing me when I was taken. And those reasons are still very true. But as you may have figured, there was also an underlying reason. John Sheppard has been a fixture in my heart for many years and I think perhaps subconsciously I held out hope that someday he would be more than just my best friend and teammate."

Julia reached over and squeezed Teyla's hand. "I'm glad you had hope and that your dearest desire came true. And I know John is glad, too. He loves you so much Teyla, it's so obvious to anyone who sees you together."

"Yes," Teyla agreed, "He has been a wonderful husband and father. I have truly been blessed."

Julia noticed that Torren was still talking with the neighbor so she leaned forward as best she could and said, "And everything's all right with the baby, right? No lingering side effects of what happened right before the wedding."

Julia didn't even want to say it, she still had a hard time believing it had really happened. The sight of Teyla and John being tortured and then David being dragged out to be abused as well, still gave her nightmares. She didn't know how Teyla lived with that sort of thing. And from her earlier words it sounded like it had happened on more than one occasion.

Teyla calmly nodded her head and assured her. "Jennifer has done numerous tests throughout the past four months and she says everything is progressing as it should. And John assures me that the equipment on Atlantis is far superior even to anything this planet has to offer. And as this child grows I am able to sense her thoughts and feelings and I know she is fine."

"Oh, that's right; I forgot you have that connection thing going with Torren. And you can sense John now too, right? He said that you can do it much easier than before and he can't hide anything from you."

"Yes," Teyla chuckled at John's words. "Although I try not to purposely pick up his emotions but many times they will drift into my mind when I am unaware. This usually happens when his emotions are strongest. I will sense his anger at some work related problem or his frustration with the military brass and I most definitely can sense when he is feeling amorous. But at that time he does not even attempt to hide it from me. His eyes almost glow with a determination and a fierce longing that is simply too easy to identify."

"Yeah, isn't that how we got into this condition," Julia teased as she rubbed her extended middle.

Torren loped back into the yard and ran right up to Julia to lean against her belly again. Julia's arms automatically wrapped around the small boy and tightened.

"I missed you so much TJ," Julia said as she lowered her head to kiss his soft curls. "I'm so glad you and your parents came back for a visit."

TJ tipped his head up to look at her with a big excited smile. "And I get a tum to your house and stay with you and Unta Dave and Daddy said I tan wide a horses … but not by myself."

Julia laughed at his exuberance and innocence. "Uncle David will have to help you ride the horses, sweetheart. I'm afraid your Auntie Julia is a bit too big to get up on one of them right now."

Torren simply shook his head in understanding and said, "Otay. So Mama not wide a horses, too."

"You are correct, Torren," Teyla acknowledged. "I do not think I will be riding the horses when we are there."

Julia smiled knowing that Teyla was not enamored of riding the horses anyway unless she was sitting next to John on one. They would let the boys, big and little, do all the horseback riding this time. She sat back with a big sigh and Teyla gazed at her with concern.

"Can I get you something, Julia? It must have been a long trip."

"Maybe just a little something to drink until dinner."

Teyla stood up and instructed, "Come Torren, we should go check with Daddy and see what he has decided for dinner. Would you care to come inside, Julia or would you like me to bring your drink outside?"

Julia pushed herself out of the chair and arched her back. "Is John still doing all the cooking for the family?" Julia teased knowing Teyla often had problems in that area.

Teyla looked chagrined. "Yes, most of the time he does unless he is needed for some security matter. Unfortunately that happens far too often and Torren must suffer with my cooking or we eat in the mess hall."

They climbed the steps into the house and Teyla added, "It has been wonderful to see John so relaxed while we have been here. There has been absolutely nothing to stress him. Even the weather has been beautiful and sunny the whole time."

Teyla went to the refrigerator and offered Julia her choice of iced tea or lemonade. Julia indicated iced tea then looked down at TJ who had stayed close to her side. "So, you haven't given your Daddy any problems then either, huh? You've been a good boy?"

"I always a good boy," Torren answered with a sincere expression on his face. "Wight, Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Teyla replied and bent to give her son a kiss on his cheek. "Your Daddy and I were both just saying the other day how fortunate we are that you are so well behaved."

"I know, I heard you," TJ chirped matter of factly and skipped away to settle on the couch with a picture book.

Julia sat down next to him and set her drink on the coffee table. Her eyes filled up as they often did these days. Damn hormones! She placed her hand on his head and stroked her fingers through his curls.

"I hope this little guy," she said as she patted her stomach, "is just like you, Torren."

Torren just nodded but didn't look up from his book. "He will be. He be my tousin so Daddy say we all family. And so I will tell him he needa be good for you and Unta Dave, otay, Auntie. Don't worwy."

Another bit of moisture slipped from her eye as she kissed the top of his head. "Okay, I won't worry. Just because you said so."

Julia leaned back against the cushions and knew for right now, she absolutely wouldn't.

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"What the heck does Julia have in this bag, anvils?" John complained as he hoisted the bag and set it on the bed in the other front bedroom with the matching balcony to the one he and Teyla had enjoyed so much.

Dave just laughed and shook his head. "Oh, you know the typical; blow dryer, curling iron, make up case. What every woman needs on a daily basis."

John looked up in remembrance and said, "Yeah, I guess Nancy used to have all that stuff but I forgot about it since Teyla really doesn't bother too much with it. Unless of course some of the other ladies get a hold of her." John rolled his eyes at this thought.

Dave started putting some of their clothes in the closet and John sat on the bed and gazed at his brother. It really was good to see him again. It still seemed strange to think that way but he was really happy it was true.

For so many years he and Dave had barely spoken and when they did it usually became very awkward. This was especially so if their Dad was nearby. They'd been so close as kids and had been willing to do anything for the other but then once John had started choosing a different path from the one Dad had wanted, things had been different.

Dave had thought John should just conform. John thought Dave was an idiot for doing everything their father had wanted and asked for. And that had been the end of the fun, carefree days of hanging out as brothers. He was happy they had truly started getting back to where they had been before.

"I'm really glad that you and Julia decided to come up here for a few days," John told his brother as Dave closed the closet door and opened a bureau drawer. "I have to admit it's been nice having a brother again even if we haven't seen each other all that frequently."

Dave stopped and straightened up, looking at John, his own expression bittersweet. "Yeah, it has been. And we used to have some great times when we came here for the summers. What have you done so far while you've been here?"

Dave turned back to filling the drawers and John filled him in on the places they had been and what they had done.

"Oh, and we saw Mr. Pappalardo yesterday. I told him you were coming up and he was hoping he'd get a chance to see you. I though maybe we could have a little cookout before we left and invite him and Charlie Brewer and his family and Mrs. Brewer. She's been letting TJ play with her dog every day."

Dave smiled at John and nodded. "That's be great, John. I'd like that." Dave's face got more serious and he looked more closely at his brother. "How's everything with Teyla and the baby? No complications? I know you haven't said anything when you send the videos but TJ is usually there too and I figured you might not want to say anything in front of him."

John's eyes grew serious too but a little smile played around his lips. "Everything is fine according to Jennifer and I know she'd tell us if it wasn't. But lately," and John glanced around the room like he was about to tell a secret, "Teyla's been helping me meditate and concentrate enough to sense her feelings too and I can do it."

His eyes lit up bright and almost twinkled. "If I concentrate enough I can actually sense what Teyla is feeling. And the other morning when she was still sleeping…" John took a deep breath in. "I actually connected to the baby's thoughts and feelings."

Dave's eyes popped open wide as he looked at his brother's serious expression. "Can Teyla do that too?"

"Yeah," John replied. "She could do that when she was pregnant with Torren, too. She knew it was a boy from about three months along. And she's the one who let me know this one is a girl. And TJ has been able to feel what the baby's feeling as well. I guess I was feeling a little left out and of course Teyla knew it, as she knows everything I feel."

John's smile turned crooked. "And because Teyla can't stand seeing me unhappy in any way she gave me a few pointers on trying to connect with her and it worked. I mean, I can't do it anywhere near as good as her but the more I do it the better I get. And the last few days I've been able to feel the baby's emotions and she can feel mine too."

"What's that like?" Dave asked curiously.

John closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "You can't even imagine how incredible it is. The feelings are so powerful and intense and completely mind-blowing. Sometimes I have to admit it's almost a little overwhelming. But to actually get a glimpse into the mind of my child, it is well worth it."

John saw Dave's shoulders go up and down a tiny bit and then he looked wistfully at John. "I have to admit I'm a bit jealous of you, little brother. I can't even imagine how that would feel. Although getting into Julia's mind would probably be even better. That way I can figure out when she's in an extreme hormonal mood and know when I should avoid her."

John nodded in complete understanding and let out a sigh. "Yeah, feeling your pain brother. I have a feeling though that my being able to sense Teyla's emotions won't always be a benefit as she can also sense mine. And if I'm avoiding her because she's in a bad mood, she'll be able to tell and probably get even madder at me."

Dave chuckled and gave John a grin. "Does she do that a lot; get mad at you?"

John raised his eyes in thought. "Not really. I have to say our relationship has been really great. We were such good friends before we got together and so we already knew so much about what the other was like. She does get aggravated occasionally if I spend too much time working especially if I promised TJ I would do something. But for the most part I really have tried to make sure they come first. But she also knows that my job and what I do is vitally important to the city and for their safety so she may be slightly annoyed that it happened but she also understands why."

John raised his eyebrow and asked, "You and Julia? Things still in the honeymoon phase?"

"Well, we just celebrated our first anniversary and are expecting a child in about a month so I'm not sure you can still call us honeymooners. You and Teyla have been married far less time although you already have a kid and another on the way so I guess your honeymoon period is over, too."

John grinned. "I guess you can't really accuse us Sheppard men of waiting around for family, huh? Not that we should at our age. I had friends from high school and college who had children in their twenties and look at us just starting families in our forties."

Dave nodded. "Our problem was that we waited so long to find the right woman that we needed to start the family right away once we found her. But I can't really complain because I know Julia is exactly the perfect person for me."

John's smile turned crooked. "Maybe it just takes us a while longer to realize what we want than most men. I thought Nancy was perfect but honestly in hindsight I realize that as much as I did love her, I really married her so Dad would actually give me his approval for something good. That's a pretty sucky reason to get married. And I never put as much into our marriage as she deserved. I don't want to do that to Teyla."

Dave slapped John on the shoulder and said, "You won't. Teyla's a pretty strong woman and I have a feeling that she'll let you know if you're not holding up your end of the marriage."

John stood up and agreed. "You're right that Teyla isn't really the type to sit around and hope things will happen. She makes things happen. It's one of the reasons I love her so much."

Dave's eyes sparkled as they moved toward the door. "And how often do you tell her that?"

John stopped and smirked. "Every night. It's my new resolution and I find the more that I tell her and TJ that I love them, the easier it becomes. You should try it. The benefits are really great too."

They started walking down the stairs and Dave grumbled, "My wife is eight months pregnant, there aren't a whole lot of benefits at the moment."

John laughed and patted him on the back as the women looked up at them as they walked into the living area.

"What are you two laughing about?" Julia asked suspiciously as Dave sat next to her and John moved to the kitchen area to start pulling food from the refrigerator.

"Not laughing," John disputed, "Just talking about how lucky we are to have such beautiful women in our lives and how we probably don't deserve all that you give us."

Julia rolled her eyes and Teyla tilted her head as her lips twisted. "Such a smooth talker that I married. It is a good thing I can read his mind and know that he truly means these things otherwise there could be trouble."

John pulled Teyla closer to him and took a nip at her lips with his own. "You're all the trouble I can handle, sweetie. Don't ever forget that."

Teyla knew there were many things she could tease him back with but his lips hovering near hers were just too tempting so she simply moved her lips closer and returned the kiss.

Torren, sitting next to Julia, made a gagging noise and said, "Mama and Daddy tiss too much."

"You know someday, TJ," Dave advised, "You'll actually like kissing a girl and then you'll understand why your Mom and Dad do it so much."

Torren made a face and his tongue hung out of his mouth as he shook his head in denial. Everyone laughed.

"I thought I'd just whip something up for dinner here tonight," John announced as he and Teyla began preparations on the counter. "You two must be tired and I didn't figure you'd actually want to go out to eat."

"Thank you, John, for thinking of us," Julia smiled at him. "That's very thoughtful. It has been a very long day."

"Hopefully it was not as long as our journey to get here," Teyla supplied and then regaled them with the details of their trip from Atlantis and all they went through to finally get to the cottage.

"I'm tired just listening to that," Julia sighed and ran her and over Torren's head. "That must have been tough for you, huh, sweetheart?"

Torren nodded swiftly when he realized someone was giving him attention. "But Mama and Daddy got me donuts and let me eat a bunch of them."

Julia grinned at John and he looked sheepish. "Someone was more than a little cranky during the trip. Can't really blame him though. It was very long and tiresome."

Dave chuckled. "I'm betting TJ wasn't the only one who was cranky."

"Yes," Teyla filled in. "I am quite sure I heard a few inappropriate words come from John's mouth during the trip as well."

Torren leaned against Julia and whispered, "Mama don't lite Daddy to say damn but he did."

Julia wrapped her arm around the little boy standing on the cushion next to her and stuck her head near his. "I won't tell anyone and you probably shouldn't say it either. I'll bet if Mommy doesn't want Daddy saying it, she probably doesn't want you to also."

Torren nodded solemnly and laid his head on Julia's shoulder, his arms wrapping around her neck. "I love you, Auntie. I happy a tum here and then I get a tum a your house. Daddy said we gonna have fun, wight?"

"Absolutely, honey, and remember you need to teach me and Uncle David how to be good parents." She patted her belly. "Your cousin will be here before you know it and we'll need to know how."

Torren leaned close and whispered to her again. "You need a feed him donuts."

Julia laughed loudly and hugged the boy tighter. "Oh, we will most definitely have fun while you're with us. I can't wait."

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