This is posted second, but this is the first chapter of this story. Got caught up in the Sparky intimate moment in the next chapter and posted that first!

They could feel the shudders of the City around them.

The Wraith had kept pounding the City, just to the point of the shields failing, and then halted their attack. Just when they thought it was safe to escape through the Stargate, they couldn't dial out. Rodney had murmured something about a Stargate in orbit, and some other things that she wasn't really listening to. All that mattered was that their last option was blocked.

As she slowly roused from her semi-conscious state, Dr. Elizabeth Weir found herself clutching onto a sturdy column in one of the hidden labs, desperately hoping that the other members with her were still safe.

As the smoke from a small electrical fire started to become transparent, she coughed, "Kate? Meyers?"

"I'm here," a small voice replied.

Elizabeth disentangled herself from the steel pole and wound around the wreckage scattered in the lab they had been exploring, just before the Wraith appeared. She found the resident psychiatrist sitting upright, back pressed firmly against the doors leading out.

"You all right?"

Kate Heightmeyer nodded very briefly. "Nothing broken, no horrendous bleeding. The doors are jammed. I can't get them open."

"I'm not sure how much good it would do to us if they were opened," Elizabeth reasoned, looking around for the young lieutenant that had been escorting them, per her husband's request.

Kate sensed who she was looking for. "I think he got trapped on the other side of the doors. I've tried to radio him, but I think they're out."

Just then, the Expedition leader's earpiece crackled. "Elizabeth! 'Lizabeth, where are you?"

"John!"

"Oh, thank God. I couldn't contact Meyers-"

"Kate and I are stuck in a lab in the East Pier, Section 7, Level 25. Meyers was standing guard outside the door, but after the first blast, they're sealed. We can't get out."

"Understood. I'm sending a team that way. The 'Gate is still blocked, we can't dial out. I've ordered all personnel to try and find another way out, no matter what."

Elizabeth frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, you've ordered? Where's Marshall?"

She heard a heavy sigh. "Sumner's dead. He was in a jumper trying to hold off the darts."

Elizabeth felt her legs go weak under her. Her military commander, the man who had learned to work hand in hand with her, was gone. And now, her husband was technically in charge. She both feared and anticipated this day at the same time.

She put her guard back up immediately, and got to business. "What about the Athosians on the mainland?"

"We couldn't get to them before the attack started. In any case, if we flew a jumper to the mainland, it would alert the Wraith that they're there. I radioed Teyla and told her to lay low, we'd get to them eventually. You know her. She handles the Wraith way better than us."

She smirked. "True."

"All right, you and Kate are okay?"

"Just a couple scrapes, but otherwise, we're fine."

"Okay. Go ahead and keep searching the room. If you find a way out, take it. Right now, it's kinda hard to round everyone up together."

"John."

"Yeah."

"If the Wraith penetrate the 'Gate room, or the control room-"

"The auto destruct is armed. We won't let them find out about Earth."

"John!"

"I have the remote detonator. I'll only use it if I have to."

She moaned, grieved that she could read between the lines so well. She wasn't going to see her husband again. Who knew if she would ever hear his voice again?

She heard a heavy sigh on the other end. "I love you, 'Lizabeth."

"I love you too, John. Be safe," she told him in a quiet voice, uncertain where it had come from.

He broke the connection and she wanted to slump against the wall, burst out into tears and not even bother trying to find a way out. What was the use?

"C'mon, Elizabeth, we need to get out of here."

Her heavy green eyes met Kate's, and instantly felt a wave of relief sweep over her. At least she wasn't completely alone in this.

Dr. Rodney McKay and Dr. Radek Zelenka were sweeping the rooms in the lower level. Radek was murmuring something in Czech, and Rodney wasn't saying anything. His jaw was almost to the floor as his eyes widened. "Oh wow," was all he could manage when he finally found his voice again.

"It looks like the props storehouse for Atlantis," Radek said, smiling at the fit description.

A wealth of new technology lay in front of them, some things that they couldn't even imagine what use they would have. It indeed looked like props. Why did the Ancients invent them? What were they for? How did they work?

Radek walked down one aisle, slowly, looking as if he were categorizing everything by the intensity of his stare. Rodney let out another amazed, "Wow," and touched his comm piece. "Control room, this is McKay, come in?"

"We read you, McKay, where are you?" John Sheppard asked.

"Um, well, Radek and I were surveying some of the labs that we hadn't looked into, yet, and well, one of the rooms that we got into, it's, uh, it's pretty close to the transporter-"

"Rodney, make it quick, or I'm ending this call."

McKay groaned. "Fine. Anyways, we found a treasure trove of what I-" As Radek cleared his throat, he rephrased. "-of what Radek and I believe to be a mass amount of Ancient technology. I want to start-"

One of the devices in the far corner started making noises just as Rodney was talking. He paused, staring at Zelenka in confusion. "Wha - what was that? Radek, what did you do?"

"I did nothing," Radek swore, raising his hands in front of him.

"McKay, what's going on?"

"I don't know, just give me a minute!"

The two scientists proceeded carefully towards the location of the ruckus and discovered what appeared to be a full length mirror nestled in the corner, glimmering on its surface. Yet the reflection didn't show them at all; it showed a dark room, full of smoke and sparks flying.

"Sheppard, you better get down here. Something's happening." He tapped his earpiece, ending the conversation, and consulted the tablet in his hands. "Radek, what do you make of this?" he asked, looking down as the Czech scientist stopped walking next to him.

Radek didn't reply directly; all Rodney heard was a gasp, followed by more soft cursing in his native language.

Rodney groaned, rolling his eyes upwards and glaring at Radek. "Now what?" he asked, exasperated.

His gaze was solidly fixed on the shimmering surface, and Rodney's eyes followed to see something - rather, someone - that he never expected to see again.

Especially after everything that the Expedition had been through.

"Oh my God," was all he could say as he saw the panicked faces of Dr. Kate Heightmeyer and Dr. Elizabeth Weir appear as they touched the surface on their side.

Teyla had seen Sheppard take off running from the control room and quickly followed him to the transporter. She arrived apparently just after Sheppard had, judging by the gasping and moaning coming out of the colonel's mouth. The transporter doors closed in front of them.

"John, what is the matter?" she asked, standing next to John as he was bent over, hands on his knees, panting.

"I don't know, McKay is exploring the city and found something. The comm got cut off."

As the doors opened once more, he reached for the gun that was holstered at his side. "Just in case," he said, holding his thumb against the safety.

Teyla walked behind him, having left her weapon in the armory, and glanced over his shoulder.

John kept looking at the top of the corridors, trying to find the section numbers, until he found the one that Rodney had previously been exploring. "Rodney?" he called out, holding his gun securely in front of him.

"In here!"

John looked sharply at Teyla. Rodney's voice sounded more panicked than normal. He clicked off the safety and rounded the corner into the room.

He saw the generous amount of devices that Rodney had told him about and knew he was in the right place. He stalked down one of the aisles and saw Rodney and Radek crowded around a glowing item in the corner.

"Rodney?" he called out quietly.

Rodney spun quickly and stared at him, a look of disbelief plastered on his face. Behind him, the device seemed to power off, and he heard a stifled sob behind the men.

There was just enough space between them for John to see though, and he almost felt faint at the sight, yet tightened his grip on his gun.

"Elizabeth."

She turned around, and stared at John. "John," she said, her voice seeking comfort.

John narrowed his eyes. They widened again as Teyla moved forward next to him, looking at the fourth person they encountered that John's hazel eyes seemed to have missed.

"Kate?"

The deceased psychiatrist smiled kindly at them. "John. Teyla."

John's eyes widened again. He felt his pulse quicken. Something wasn't right.

"Rodney? What's going on?" John asked, glancing sideways at him as he slowly started to lower his firearm.

Elizabeth Weir glanced up at him. "I think we can explain better."

John nodded wearily at her. "First things first. Let's get you to the infirmary, and make sure you are who you say you are."

Elizabeth and Kate nodded at him.

Elizabeth sat on the exam bed, wringing her hands nervously as Jennifer stood in front of her, checking off items on her clipboard. "All right, bloodwork is completely normal." She flipped the pages back to the front. Looking at the visitor with a anxious smile, "As far as I'm concerned, you are Dr. Elizabeth Weir."

Elizabeth nodded her thanks, knowing they would do whatever was needed to ensure the safety of Atlantis. She noted Rodney's awestruck smile, probably amazed at the new technology that they had discovered. Teyla was giving her most reassuring smile. And John stood near the exit to the infirmary, looking as if he were getting ready to bolt.

Sitting on the bed next to her, Dr. Kate Heightmeyer sighed. "So we are who we are. What's next?"

John walked up to the pair, arms crossed. "Why did you come here?"

Elizabeth glanced at the woman sitting across from her. "Our city had been under siege by the Wraith for months. Finally, our last ZPM was depleted, the drones ran out, and the shields failed. We couldn't protect ourselves anymore. We tried to dial the 'Gate to any address that wasn't in Wraith territory, but we couldn't dial out. Rodney assumed that the ships in orbit had a Stargate aboard and it was active, and being in such close proximity, we were trapped."

Teyla looked between the women. "We were under siege by the Wraith within our first year on Atlantis. Did you not experience that?"

"We did," Kate informed her, standing from the bed to stretch her legs gently. "We successfully made it through. The first time, the second time, the third time, and so on."

"Wa - wait," Rodney interjected, holding up his hand. "Exactly how many sieges have you had?"

Elizabeth stared down. "We'd lost count. They were so ruthless, so determined to destroy us."

"They didn't want to go to Earth?" John asked, starting to appear confused.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "They didn't know Earth existed. The stories that were circulating were that we were Ancients, trapped in stasis, who had been revived and were reestablishing Atlantis as a base of power in the galaxy. Somehow, they came under the impression that we had a weapon of some type, capable of wiping out the entire race. After they heard that, they didn't bother to stop and ask questions. They continued attacking us until we couldn't defend ourselves anymore."

John nodded. "Yeah, they're not real big on talking."

Elizabeth smiled. "True. In any case, being blocked in the city, we assembled more invasive search teams, trying to find anything in the hidden labs that might help us. Kate and I were in the quadrant where we found the mirror when the shield finally failed."

"What happened to the rest of the Expedition?"

She shook her head sadly, almost overcome with guilt. "Colonel Sumner-"

"Sumner?" John spat quickly, eyes narrowed at her.

"Yes," Kate replied. "He's the ranking military off-"

"I know who he is, but … sorry, it's just, in our world, he died shortly after we arrived. He was captured by the Wraith."

"We never personally saw or encountered the Wraith before the sieges started," Elizabeth replied, casting a weary look around the room. "We heard talk of them from the Athosians, and other peoples that we encountered, but never came face to face."

She watched Rodney tap the information into the ever present tablet that he was holding, murmuring quietly, "Well, there's one big difference."

John shook his head. "What happened right before we found you?"

She shook her head in mild shock. "Um, John told me Colonel Sumner had died. Teyla was on the mainland with her people. Kate and I were trapped in a lab, trying to find another way out. We heard the darts flying over head, and then someone over the radio shouted that they were beaming into the city. John was outside the lab, trying to find a way in, when the Wraith found him." She suddenly flinched, and looked around the room at the grim group.

Looking at John's eyes, she saw the familiar hazel that she loved, but there was something else there. Something hidden behind the darkness, something that made her want to run away.

Not breaking eye contact, she gulped. "When we found the mirror, we assumed it was similar to the one that SG-1 had encountered. I suppose we got lucky."

"Yes, it, uh, it seems to follow the same parameters as their quantum mirror, with a few minor variations," Rodney confirmed.

She glanced at Jennifer Keller, leaning again a wall. "Um, Doctor, what are the symptoms of entopic cascade failure?" she asked.

"Sorry?"

"Entopic cascade failure? I'm worried about when it might start affecting me."

Rodney's face scrunched in thought. "Why would you be worried about that?"

"I came through a quantum mirror from another universe. Having two Elizabeth Weirs in one place might be too much," she replied with a slight chuckle.

A deep voice in the group let out a strangled groan. She caught a glimpse of dark, unruly hair making its way through the door out of the infirmary.

She looked back to the small crowd in confusion. "I mean, there are … two Elizabeth's … aren't … there?"

Teyla sighed, Rodney ran a hand over his face, and Jennifer shook her head.

"Oh my God," she replied in realization.

Her counterpart was dead.

She was dead.

That thought scared her more than all the previous sieges she had endured.

No wonder John pulled his gun on her.

It must break his heart for him to see me, she silently decided, fingering the ring on her left hand.

Please review, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!