Part Seventeen

Five days after John had been released from the infirmary he was on his way to the 'jumper bay with a yawning Mya. It was late in the evening and they were about to depart for the mainland.

John and Mya had spent some time with the Athosians on the mainland, where Breda and her fellow villagers had already settled down, and John had at last come to terms with what he knew had to happen. Throughout the day Mya had been saying a sad farewell to those she had come to know during her time in Atlantis. She had produced pictures in readiness for the occasion, including pictures for all those who had retrieved the prisoners and prevented the slavers from ever hurting anyone else.

John had cleared the late departure with Dr Weir, who agreed it would be less traumatic for Mya if they left after most people would have returned to their quarters for the night so the corridors would be quieter. As they arrived in the 'jumper bay, they were met by Teyla and Major Lorne, who would be piloting the ship on this occasion.

Silently they filed on to the 'jumper and took their seats, Mya seeking John's lap for the journey, wanting to spend as much time as she could with him while she could, and John was more than ready to accommodate her as he fought to remain positive about the whole situation.

As soon as they were settled, Lorne got permission to depart and within moments they were in the air and on their way. Ten minutes before they reached the mainland, John could hear Lorne talking quietly on his radio, just able to make out what he was saying.

'Jumper 3 to Athosian settlement, we are en-route and should be with you shortly, please stand by to receive us.'

As they landed, they were met by a small group consisting of the family who would be providing a home to Mya, Breda who would also be living with them and Halling.

'Welcome home,' Halling greeted Mya formally, holding out a hand to her. Overwhelmed at what was going on, Mya stuck her thumb in her mouth and silently took Halling's hand, her eyes fixed on John's face, who smiled reassuringly at her. 'I expect you are tired little one?' He crouched down in front of the silent Mya who nodded. 'Then perhaps it would be best if you went straight to bed. Colonel Sheppard will come along shortly to bid you good night.'

He took Mya over to the couple waiting patiently with Breda.

'Mya, you already know Tomar and Cristyn, they will take you to their home and get you settled. Good night.'

Still not speaking, Mya accepted Cristyn's hand, and with Breda taking her other hand, they made their way to the far side of the settlement, disappearing from view within moments as the darkness swallowed them.

'You are doing the right thing, Colonel,' Halling spoke quietly, understanding the wrench it was in handing Mya over to someone else's care. 'Mya can begin a new life here with people who will understand what it is like to lose loved ones. Children are remarkably resilient and she has now seen the good side of human nature, she will soon settle down.'

'I know,' John replied with a big sigh. 'It doesn't make it any easier, though.'

'No,' Halling agreed. 'But she is only a short distance away so it won't be goodbye, merely farewell until you next meet. Her fellow villagers are also here and have already settled in with their new families so she also has people she knows and who can help her adjust. Ah, here is Lomar,' Halling looked up as a child of around twelve years old came running towards them. 'It is time you said your farewells. Lomar will show you the way.'

Glancing back to where Lorne and Teyla remained chatting quietly with Halling, John followed Lomar to Mya's new home where he found her already in bed, her teddy tucked in beside her. Cristyn was sitting with her but stood up to leave the two of them alone for a few minutes as soon as he appeared.

Neither of them spoke. They had spent enough time together that words weren't needed. Pulling Mya into a hug, John could feel her shoulders start to quiver as the tears she had fought so long to control finally began to fall as she realised that John would be returning to Atlantis without her.

John allowed her to cry for a short time but when she showed no signs of stopping, he pulled away, held her by the shoulders and looked into her face.

'I will come back to visit you soon,' John promised, gently brushing away the tears with his thumb. 'And you know I wouldn't leave you if I didn't know you were going to be alright. Now, it's time for me to go and Cristyn has promised to tell you a story. Be brave.' Standing up, he bent down and gave her one last hug before moving swiftly out of Mya's sight, pausing to watch Cristyn sitting beside Mya on the bed, hugging her for a few moments before starting on the story.

As he watched, he saw Mya's tears gradually stop as she listened, enthralled at the story she was hearing and he could feel himself beginning to accept the separation at last, relieved that things were working out but still struggling to control his own emotions. Just as he was about to take his leave, unnoticed by the two he had been watching, he felt a hand touch his arm gently.

Turning, he found Teyla watching him with understanding in her eyes. Saying nothing, he nodded his head sadly and followed her to the main living area where Tomar, Lomar and Breda were gathered, drinking tea and talking quietly.

'We will look after her as if she were our own,' Tomar promised, standing and gripping John's hand reassuringly. 'And you will always be welcome in our home.'

'Thank you,' John replied simply, not trusting his voice to say anything further just now.

'We should be going,' Teyla jumped in, saving John from having to speak again. 'But I am sure we will see each other again soon. Good night.'

They walked back to the 'jumper in silence, John appreciating Teyla's company but relieved she didn't want to talk as Rodney or one of the others would no doubt have done. As they approached the spot where they'd parked the 'jumper, John looked around for Lorne and Halling but could see no-one. Sensing his concern, Teyla spoke up.

'Major Lorne is waiting inside for us and Halling has returned to his home for the night. He thought you would prefer there to be as few people around as possible.'

'Thanks,' was all John said, knowing that Teyla understood what he meant. When they arrived at the 'jumper, John nodded a greeting at Lorne who looked around briefly to check both of them were present and settled then set about flying them home.

As soon as they arrived back in the 'jumper bay, apart from a brief word with Lorne and Teyla, John hurried back to his quarters, wanting the opportunity to be alone with his thoughts, at least for now anyway. He wandered restlessly around his room, picking up a few items and throwing them down, picked up his guitar then put it back down again before settling with his book open on his lap but not reading it.

The room was too empty and lifeless, he figured out pretty quickly. He had become so used to having Mya around in the short time she had been on Atlantis that he hadn't realised how big a gap there would be once she had gone.

He prowled the empty corridors of Atlantis for a while, avoiding the eyes of the few personnel who were still up and about at this late hour before his feet instinctively took him towards the mess hall. Thoughts of coffee and a snack became most appealing and he helped himself to a plate of sandwiches from the small selection left out for those working late or just unable to sleep. After grabbing a cup of coffee as well, he headed for a table near one of the windows when he noticed for the first time that the rest of his team were already gathered at one of the tables.

He'd had enough of being alone for now and he gratefully went to join them.

'We thought perhaps you might appreciate some company,' Teyla smiled at him welcomingly.

'Thanks, guys,' John returned the smile and sat down, picked up a sandwich and took a bite, content for the time being to listen to Rodney and Ronon continue a heated discussion about the merits of keeping animals as pets. He watched as Rodney grew pinker in the face as the conversation progressed.

'Animals are food,' Ronon insisted, almost sneering at the sentimentality of keeping livestock for any other purpose. 'You slaughter them for their meat and use their skins to make clothing.'

'You…you,' Rodney spluttered, struggling to find words to respond to Ronon's calm insistence that he was right and would not be swayed no matter what arguments were put forward.

Teyla, ever the peacemaker, decided it was time to step in and head things off before her two bickering team-mates started a fist fight.

'Rodney, you were going to tell us more about this hockey they play in Canada,' Teyla suggested, grinning as John rolled his eyes at the thought of listening to McKay spout off about the sport.

Leaning back in his chair, John surveyed his team as they became caught up in another discussion, Rodney struggling to make Ronon understand the intricacies of the game while Ronon appeared unable to understand the vagaries of these people from earth that demanded they devote so much time to such useless pastimes. Ronon caught his eye and winked, unseen by Rodney who continued his ranting, unaware that he had been set up, and for the first time that day John felt relaxed and secure in the knowledge that Mya was in the best hands and that he too was lucky with the people with which he was surrounded, ready to get some rest and return to work the following day.

THE END

I hope you all enjoyed it. I'd like to thank everyone who was kind enough to review - your comments and support were much appreciated - and thank you to everyone who read it.

The Stargate, Atlantis, the characters, stories and anything else that is seen in the show belong to the people who made them up. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author