.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
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"John, God, you look like shit!" Dave cried as his brother and Teyla came off the plane.
Dave had been thrilled when he'd finally gotten a call from John and he had assured him that both he and Teyla were alive and well. John had been more concerned for Torren and wanted to make sure the boy wasn't having fits because his parents hadn't come back. Dave had assured him that the child had been fine. Of course Dave and Julia had been filling his days with riding the horses and playing with Hannah. And he had the puppy to keep him occupied as well. There had only been a few tears right before bed but they had tuckered him out with so much activity that he usually fell asleep very quickly.
But when John had told him he wouldn't be released from the hospital for a few days, Dave had suspected that John was minimizing his injuries so he wouldn't worry so much. And now looking at his brother he knew that was an understatement. John's face was black and blue, his lip swollen and cut, his left arm was strapped to his chest and his right arm sported a cast.
"Thanks, Dave," John shot back sarcastically. "I knew I could always count on my big brother to keep me humble."
Dave's eyes flew to Teyla and ran up and down to try and see how much damage she had been subjected to by the ex-Marine Colonel. There was a bruise on her cheek, a small bandage on her neck and bandaged wrists but he couldn't see anything else that was obvious. But that didn't mean that's all there was. John had assured him, though, the baby hadn't had any adverse effects from the kidnapping. He wasn't sure he believed him. John was always trying to protect him from knowing the full extent of any horrors they went through.
David gave Teyla a gentle hug, making sure he didn't hurt her by accident. "Are you all right? Julia and I were so worried."
Teyla nodded and said, "I am fine, thank you, David." But he could tell by the look in her eyes that something terrible had happened. And he figured she and John had decided to keep him in the dark. But he wouldn't push since he knew reliving it was probably the last thing either one of them wanted to do.
"Sorry about not being able to fly the plane back myself," John apologized. "But I figured you'd probably want someone who actually had two hands free for that." John looked at his hands, both of which weren't in optimum shape and shrugged his right shoulder. Dave sighed knowing John had been shot in the left. His brother had told him that much.
"It's fine, John," Dave told him and gave a wave to his pilot who he had sent up on a commercial flight to fly John and Teyla back here. "I'm just glad you didn't try and fly it. With your daredevil ways, it wouldn't have surprised me."
John actually looked serious for a second then looked at his wife. "I would never put Teyla at risk like that. And this cast doesn't allow me to work the controls very well."
"Well, come on." Dave picked up the bag they had carried off the plane. "Let's get you back. Torren's been having a great time but I think he really misses you."
They got in the car and Dave asked about the wedding, figuring that was a safe subject. Teyla gladly regaled him with the details while John relaxed as best he could in the back seat. He'd never admit it but Dave hadn't been too far off the mark. He felt like shit, even after the few days of forced rest in the hospital. But the infection had taken a while to start going away and the bruises were still very sore.
They arrived back at the house and Dave insisted he carry their bag. Josie opened the door for them and scowled when she saw the condition John was in.
"Can't leave you alone for a minute, John Sheppard," she scolded. "Still getting in trouble every chance you get. Teyla, I thought you were supposed to try and keep him away from that."
Teyla grinned with a hug for the woman, knowing Josie was only teasing. "Yes, but with John it is not always possible."
John made a face and asked, "Where's TJ? He's been okay for you?"
"He and Julia are watching TV in the den," Josie answered and headed back to the kitchen. John hoped she was making something good for dinner. He was starved. The hospital food had been … well like hospital food.
TJ was sitting on the floor, patting the puppy, his eyes glued to the set as they walked in but Julia heard them and was attempting to lift herself from the recliner.
"Teyla, oh, honey, are you all right?" Julia asked as her sister-in-law walked in. But when she saw John, she gasped loudly.
"I thought you said he told you they were fine," she accused David.
David pursed his lips and replied, "He did tell me that. Obviously he wasn't really truthful."
John rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. Hey Pal," he called out to his son who had finally looked up from the program he was watching.
"Mama, Daddy, you bat," he cried and trotted in their direction. "I watching a Montees. They weally silly guys and they sing." Then he started singing, "Here we tum, watting down a stweet, we get funny loots fwom everyone we meet. Hey, hey we a Montees…"
John started laughing and Teyla simply looked confused as she picked her son up for a hug. John moved next to them and stroked Torren's hair.
"It's an old show from years ago," John explained to Teyla. "It's about a singing group. The show was pretty silly. I can see why TJ would like watching it."
Dave snorted. "Well, that and Julia had a serious crush on Davy Jones. I'm wondering if she ever got over it since she and Torren have been watching this half a dozen times each day."
"They're having a Monkees marathon," Julia defended. "Besides it's un-American not to know who the Monkees are."
"But Torren isn't American," John reminded them.
Teyla looked at John and gave him a beautiful smile. "But his Daddy is, so he should be aware of American culture."
John gave Teyla a grateful look and moved his casted hand to run his fingers down the side of her face. He loved when Teyla did this, gave him credit for being a true parent to her son. It made him love her even more, and it strengthened his family bond with TJ as well. His eyes grew moist when he thought back to how that family had almost been destroyed just a few days ago.
He ran his hand through Torren's curls again and said, "I missed you, Pal. But you did okay without your Mom and me, huh?"
Torren finally looked at his father and noticed his injuries. "Daddy, what happened? Your face got boo-boos all over and you got a hurt hand and arm."
"I know, Pal, your Mom and I had a little accident which is why it took us a bit longer to get back. But we're okay so you don't need to worry. We might just need to take it easy for a few days."
Torren's eyes grew sad and he sobbed, "I don't want you be hurt, Daddy. Maybe you needa west lite when I get hurt. You mate me sit and be twiet for a while."
Teyla chuckled. "Yes, I think you are correct, Torren. Daddy should sit and be quiet for a while. The doctor did tell him to rest."
John would normally have put up a fuss but he did think at least sitting down was a good idea. He moved to the couch and Teyla and TJ sat down next to him. Dave went and put their bag in the room off the den that they had used before they went to the wedding then rejoined them. They listened as Torren told them all about what he had done over the past few days.
Teyla was happy that the boy had been ultimately fine without them here. But then she knew he often went with Halling and Jinto when Kanaan wanted to see him. Unfortunately that wasn't as often as she thought a father should want to see his son but at least Torren had John. And he had been the best father figure she could have ever wanted for her son. There was no doubt in her mind.
But she had always known John would be a good father, long before she ever entertained thoughts of him in a romantic way. He had told the Athosian children what he thought were scary stories at bedtime and she remembered how good he was with them even though the stories were a bit confusing.
But she also knew maybe she was kidding herself when she said she hadn't entertained romantic thoughts of him back then. She knew she had lingered after the stories and had been almost flirting with him when she had asked him about this game of football he loved so much. She truly hadn't cared much about the game; she had wanted him to spend more time with her.
And he had. He had invited her to view a tape he had of a game and they had been sitting very close on the couch with John explaining the rules to her. He had even given her the first taste of popcorn she had ever had. Unfortunately they had been interrupted by Rodney and Aidan but she had been happy to spend any time alone with John at that point and she knew her thoughts were not those of merely a friend.
She glanced over at John who now had Guinness in his lap and he was singing along with the show they had been watching.
"I have no more than I did before but now I've got all that I need. For I love you and I know you love me."
He looked up and saw Teyla staring at him and blushed when he realized she had been watching him sing. He rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Sorry."
"Why are you sorry, John?" Teyla wondered. "The words are quite nice. Although I will also admit the young men, even though very attractive, are extremely silly in their behavior."
John smiled and just nodded. This time right now just sitting around watching old shows and laughing with his family was exactly what he needed. He was glad that O'Neill had told him to take a few more days to assure his brother that he was okay before they had to go back to Atlantis. The General had even offered for him to have another few weeks until he was healed but John didn't want to use all his time right now.
And even though this would be medical leave John really hated to be away from Atlantis for any length of time. Even with his injuries he would still be aware of what was going on in the city and be able to take care of the administrative duties. Lorne would be happy that John would need to do the paperwork and not the missions. They both weren't crazy about administrative duties. But luckily Lorne was more than willing to do much of the grunt organization. He knew the man was irreplaceable.
He looked at Torren tugging on a rag that the puppy had in its mouth and knew his son was irreplaceable too, as was Teyla. He took in a deep breath and hoped he never had to deal with anything like he did this past weekend again. But living in the Pegasus Galaxy he knew that was a pipe dream.
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xoxoxoxoxoxxo
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"Ronon," John called out as he saw his friend in the gate room of the SGC. Landry had asked if John and Teyla would be willing to travel back at the same time as Ronon and Amelia to save opening the gate too many times. They'd had to get the others back as well but they had gone earlier in the week. And Rodney and Jennifer still had another week and then they would need to go back too.
He was glad no one had let the newlyweds know what had happened and that it had been resolved quick enough. Coming back to help find your kidnapped friends would have put a real damper on the honeymoon. They'd find out once they got back anyway as John would still have the cast on his arm. It would be kind of hard to explain that away easily.
John looked around and saw that Amelia had moved toward Teyla and Torren to greet them. He leaned in close and quietly questioned, "How'd the trip to Amelia's parents go?"
Before Ronon could answer he heard Teyla squeal and saw the two women hug each other. His puzzled face swung back to Ronon for an explanation.
"We got engaged," Ronon shrugged casually but John could see a grin beginning. "So I guess you could say it went well."
John's eyebrows rose and he stuck out his hand. "Hey, congratulations, Buddy. Welcome to the club."
The Satedan took John's hand although shook it considerably softer than he usually would because of the cast covering it. His grin grew bigger and his eyes lit up.
"Yeah, I think they liked me," Ronon coughed out almost in embarrassment.
John grinned too. "What's not to like?"
Now the women moved toward them and Teyla announced, "John, look, Ronon got an engagement ring for Amelia. Is that not wonderful news?"
John smiled widely at Amelia who was blushing. "That's great! Congratulations, you're getting a great guy but I guess you already know that or you wouldn't have said yes."
"Thank you, Sir," Amelia answered and John frowned.
"Maybe when we're not on duty you can drop the Sir. I mean now that you're gonna be married to my best friend it just seems kind of formal. Maybe I'll even start calling you Amelia instead of just Banks."
Amelia smiled. "That would be nice, Sir." She then grimaced when she realized it would be a hard habit to break. John seemed to understand.
"Everyone ready to go back?" Landry asked loudly as he, O'Neill and Carter entered the gate room to see them off.
John looked around at the Radio Flyer red wagon he had gotten for Torren and they were using to haul their bags. He knew his left side was completely useless for now and his right arm was a bit sore. They had put Guinness in his carry case and tucked it between two bags and hoped the little piece of fur would stay quiet until they made it through the gate.
"I think we've got everything, Sir," John replied and looked at Teyla for confirmation. She nodded and reached for Torren's hand.
But Torren as usual lifted his arms to be picked up. John gave a great sigh.
"Hey, Pal, how about you be a really big boy today and walk through yourself, huh? Mommy's got some stitches in her side that hurt and my hands aren't really available at the moment. You can hold Mommy's hand though, okay?"
Torren got a scared look on his face but nodded, his lips jutting out pathetically. Amelia's eyes turned sympathetic and Ronon just reached down and plucked the boy up into his arms.
"How about you let me take you?" Ronon asked as he bounced Torren in his arms. The child seemed to perk up and grinned enthusiastically. He wrapped his arms around Ronon's neck and kissed his cheek with a muttered thanks. Ronon looked around then lowered his lips and kissed him back.
John moved toward the others and held out his hand. "General O'Neill, thank you for all you did to find Teyla and me so quickly. We really appreciate it. Sam, appreciate your effort in there, too."
"I'd tell you to stop getting in trouble," Jack started, "but I know these two here would just remind me of all the trouble I've found in the past. But don't feel you have to follow in my footsteps, Sheppard. I'm okay with not being emulated."
John gave a hardy laugh. "I think I'll try and take that advice, Sir. Appreciate it. General," he addressed Landry, "Thank you for the extra few days to get back on my feet, Sir."
Landry just shook his head and sighed. He turned his head slightly and yelled, "Dial it up, Walter."
The chevrons started spinning and suddenly they heard a small bark. John's eyes opened wide and he stared at the wagon hoping Guinness would settle down or they could be in deep shit. But the bark came again as the next chevron locked.
O'Neill looked at Landry and started, "Uh, Hank, so I was thinking that maybe when I …" but Landry was cocking his head and frowning.
"Was that a dog barking?"
John swallowed hard and turned to Teyla and fudged, "Teyla, I thought we took the batteries out of that toy so it wouldn't keep going off every time there was a loud noise.
Teyla looked curiously at John slowly understanding what he was doing. "Yes, I thought we had, too. Someone must have put them back in."
Landry's eyes were narrowed as he listened and heard the bark again. Then Torren started clapping from his position in Ronon's arms. "I lite a puppy go 'woof'. Woof, woof!"
Landry just shook his head as the event horizon splashed out and settled in the gate. "They make these toys so realistic these days. That sounds like a real dog. Isn't technology amazing? All right off you go. Stay out of trouble."
"Hey, Dex." O'Neill called out. "You think you can make your wedding actually be a bit smoother where no one gets kidnapped or beaten or shot? It'd be a nice change from the rest of your team."
Ronon just smirked and shrugged. "No promises." Then he followed Teyla and Amelia up the ramp as they pulled the wagon behind them. He slowed and allowed Sheppard to catch up.
He leaned in closer as they approached the event horizon and muttered to his friend, "You think that toy dog thing will work with Woolsey, too?"
John just laughed knowing they cleared one hurdle but still had a few more to go.
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xoxoxoxoxox
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"Incoming Wormhole," Chuck called out then finished, "It's the Mid-Way Station, Sir."
"Good," Woolsey said crisply. "It must be Ronon and Amelia. Hopefully they'll have more word on the condition of Colonel Sheppard and Teyla. Major Teldy said they were both still in the hospital when she came back with that group."
Woolsey moved toward the stairs and followed Major Lorne down as he also wanted a report on his CO's condition.
"I can't believe Colonel Armstrong actually tried to kill them," Lorne said in amazement as they waited for the wormhole to stabilize.
"Yes, it is quite disturbing that we had someone that unstable here on Atlantis that whole time and never realized he was unbalanced that way." Wolsey was still shaking his head.
"I'm not sure he was back then," Lorne hypothesized. "But it seems his plan backfiring on him certainly pushed him over the edge. I'm just thankful our people got to them in time. I hate to think of the Colonel and Teyla and the baby, too, …" His words trailed off at the implication of what could have happened.
The event horizon rippled and Amelia walked through with several bags and then surprisingly Teyla walked through right behind her.
"Teyla!" Lorne cried pleased at seeing her. "Are you all right? How's the Colonel?"
Teyla smiled at him then motioned toward the gate behind her. "He is better. He is coming through also."
The blue wave rippled again and Sheppard walked through pulling a wagon with Torren riding on top of the bags and then Ronon followed up behind. The gate then shut down.
"Colonel," Woolsey walked closer and eyed him curiously. "Major Teldy gave us the impression it could be a while before you made it back through. She said your injuries were pretty severe."
Sheppard's mouth twisted as he said, "Well you know me, I don't really like being confined to a bed for long. I managed to convince them to let me out on good behavior. We spent a few more days with my brother when we picked up Torren."
"How are you feeling, Colonel?" Lorne asked with concern. "You look like Armstrong really did a number on you."
John grimaced and conceded, "Yeah, he wasn't playing with a full deck, that's for sure. Unfortunately the military training was still ingrained. It's a good thing we have such dedicated friends." And his head jerked in the direction of Ronon who was handing some bags to an SO to take back to their quarters.
"Yes, I heard Ronon found you just in the nick of time," Woolsey said. "Thank you, Ronon, for your diligence. And Teyla how are you? You've been checked thoroughly by a medical professional and all is well with your pregnancy?"
"Yes, I am well enough," she answered but did not provide any more information. She still had nightmares of Armstrong carrying through with his plan. "Perhaps we could speak more of this after we have been cleared in the infirmary and gotten some rest. It has been an exhausting few days."
Woolsey nodded and said, "Certainly, yes, by all means. Major Teldy already gave us a report of what happened so there's no need to rehash it all. Please, get some rest."
Lorne had moved toward Torren and bent to greet him. "Hey, Pal, how was your trip? Did you get a new stuffed animal?" He motioned to the small bundle in Torren's lap. Then he saw it wiggle and took a quick step back, surprised.
Torren held the squirming pile of fur up in front of him and Lorne saw it stick out a tongue and lick the boy on his face. "I got a puppy. See! He love to lit my face and it tittles when he does."
Lorne's eyes grew bigger and he turned to his CO and grinned. "You got Torren a dog, Sir?"
John looked sheepish and threw a glance at Woolsey who had just noticed the animal. "Yeah," John confessed. "The guy who manages my cottage in Bar Harbor had them and TJ just fell in love with this little guy. I didn't remember any regulations against dogs so we took one. I thought it would be a great little playmate for TJ especially once the new baby comes."
Woolsey came closer to the boy and dog and his forehead creased as his eyes narrowed. "A dog, Colonel, are you sure that was wise?"
John straightened up and cleared his throat. "Well, Sir, this breed stays fairly small, no more than a foot and they're supposed to be very loyal and protective of their owners. I thought it would be good for Torren when he's in the city especially once he gets older. He's plenty small enough to fit in our apartment and this breed isn't known for excessive barking. So if he does bark it's probably because there's something we should be aware of."
"Hmmm," Woolsey seemed to be considering things as he stared at the dog who was still licking Torren's face. Finally something broke across his stern expression and he reached down to the animal.
"Torren, do you think I could see him closer?" Woolsey requested of the young child. John looked nervous. What was the man looking for?
Woolsey held the dog carefully in his hands and examined him as the puppy squirmed. He then looked at Sheppard and asked calmly, "Does he have a name?"
John nodded still wondering what Woolsey was thinking. The man must be a master at poker. "Yes, Guinness."
"Guinness," Woolsey tried it out and the puppy barked already knowing his name. That made the man smile. "I guess you know that's you, don't you boy. You are a boy aren't you?" And he lifted the dog briefly to check.
He stared at him again and his eyebrows knitted together. "Guinness, hmmm? Because of the black and tan color, I assume, Colonel?"
"Yeah," John responded then watched as the expedition leader held the dog closer to him and allowed the animal to lick his face. When he did, a huge smile erupted and he actually laughed.
Woolsey allowed the dog a few more licks then eased him away. "You know the breed's not exactly the same but he reminds me of the dog I used to have. I loved that dog. Well, Guinness, welcome to Atlantis. I hope you'll be happy here."
He then lowered the dog back to Torren and faced Sheppard. "Well, Colonel, it looks like Atlantis now has its first dog. I hope maybe you'll allow me to spend some time with him occasionally. There's something very upbeat and fulfilling about seeing a dog running around playing."
"Of course, Sir," John agreed, happy Woolsey didn't seem to have a problem with the new pet. "Any time you want, just let us know."
"Good, now why don't you all get to the infirmary and get checked so you can enjoy your last day off. Even though you don't look fit for active duty, Colonel, I hope you're well enough to sit through a few meetings. We've had some developments in the Coalition, good ones so nothing to worry about but still I feel you need to be brought up to speed on them as soon as possible. Teyla, you too."
John stifled his groan at the word meeting, especially one with Woolsey. Those had a tendency to last for hours and be filled with tons of boring facts and figures. But he knew he had been gone for almost three weeks. He did need to get up to speed.
"Absolutely, Mr. Woolsey, tomorrow first thing," John promised then guided Teyla and Torren away from the gate room.
Torren held his new pet carefully and asked, "Daddy, Guinness need a chet up too?"
John thought for a second and shrugged. "I guess we better bring him, just in case."
As they walked to the medical center, he hoped Carolyn Lam wouldn't bring the news of the dog back to her father. But he remembered a few exchanges between her and the General and knew she'd probably revel in the idea of pulling a fast one over on the old curmudgeon. He smiled because it didn't really matter now. Woolsey had actually liked the idea.
He walked down the hall and felt the hum of the city coursing through him. He knew he was just being whimsical but he felt like the city was happy he was back. But then he paused for a second and mentally reached for the child Teyla carried inside her and actually gasped when he felt her emotions.
He could feel that she was content but when he slid closer to the whisper that was his baby girl, he knew that she also felt the connection to the city and it hummed along inside her as well.
He gave a smug smile as they entered the infirmary and hoped no one would ask why he was smiling. But this new discovery had just strengthened his reason to be here. This new child was connected to the city as he was and Teyla and Torren were connected to her. All felt right as he thought of his family and Atlantis. There was no better sign than this for him.
This place was where he belonged, where his family belonged and he couldn't argue with that.
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***a piece of my childhood gone. Rest in Peace, Davy Jones***
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