Author's note: First of all, thank you so much for the wonderful support over the last year. I couldn't have possibly finished this story without your reviews. Thanks for staying with me throughout this story, I hope this ending pleases you all.

Down to Earth

"Anxious to get back to Pegasus, Colonel?" Elizabeth asked, while she walked up to John who was standing next to a group of new additions to the science team. The scientists were tightly scrambled together, some of them clutching notebooks to their chest, others looking about to be sick, but most of them having a glint of excitement in their eyes that Elizabeth recognized all too well. It was the same look Rodney got whenever he was about to do research on a new Ancient artefact.

John turned to face her. He didn't look as excited as the most anxious scientists, but his eyes were sparkling and even his hair seemed to celebrate their departure by sticking up in more directions than usual. "You bet I am."

Elizabeth glanced around the room. Apart from John, herself and the new scientists, there were other people present as well: the new military forces, a few experts on Ancient technology, some gene carriers (though none as capable as John), Carson and the eight additions to the medical staff and the biologists who were going to study the plant and animal life on the mainland. She briefly wondered how the Athosians would feel about that.

The Daedalus was already in orbit – and about to beam them all up. They were just waiting for Rodney to join them. She suspected he was saying goodbye to Samantha Carter, though she wasn't completely certain. He could also be stuffing his pockets with chocolate bars in the storage room.

John snorted. "And he has the nerve to tell me to stop being late."

"You ought to," Elizabeth informed him, giving him a stern glare. "Granted, it's Rodney we're waiting for right now, but you two are head to head when it comes to oversleeping." A glance at her watch told her that it was four o'clock. Colonel Caldwell must be getting cranky up there. She sighed. His mood was going to be bad to start with. She should stay close to John for the next couple of hours, make sure he didn't become target practice...

Not that she minded keeping him company.

The doors flew open and Rodney stormed in, arms full of boxes. He came to a halt in front of Carson and dumped some of the boxes into the doctor's arms.

Before John could say anything, Elizabeth touched her headset. "Colonel Caldwell, we are ready to beam."

One second later, she vanished in white light.

oOo

Elizabeth quietly entered her quarters. She had lost all sense of time – day and night didn't exist in space – but she did know when she needed to sleep. Her body was practically yelling at her to get some rest.

During the last couple of hours, she went over every single report handed to her by Colonel Caldwell. Apparently, there were strict regulations regarding the Daedalus' visits to Atlantis, among those the chain of command.

Colonel Caldwell outranked John, and would therefore fulfill the role of head of military in Atlantis whenever he was present in the city, no matter how short his stay.

Elizabeth vowed to schedule every important mission or meeting around the arrivals of the Daedalus, because she wasn't sure she could stand the idea of Caldwell making calls around her, while she knew it should be John.

The bed didn't look comfortable. In fact, the floor seemed less objectionable – but there was hardly enough room for her to stretch out on the ground. Most space was taken up by the bed and the chair standing next to it. She'd shoved her pack under the bed moments after arriving, because she couldn't open the door to the corridor if she left it standing on the floor.

Travelling by spaceship wasn't exactly her idea of fun, Elizabeth decided. She didn't understand why a ship this big couldn't contain more room for the people onboard. After all, people actually lived on this thing. She was glad it wasn't her.

Besides, she thought, sitting down on her bed and pulling off her shoes, Colonel Caldwell probably moved into the biggest quarters he could find the moment he was allowed access to the ship, which makes living here less uncomfortable to him. She didn't know what it was about the man that made her uneasy, but she definitely didn't like him. Maybe over time he would warm up to the ways she handled things, until then – she would continue to treat him like the cold-faced General he was: respectful, but with a hint of defiance to it.

She'd seen John do the same thing, and though she knew it wasn't plausible – especially with his career in mind - she couldn't help but smile whenever she saw the two men together. Caldwell could look intimidating all he wanted; it would never have any effect on John.

Too tired to get out of her clothes, Elizabeth lay down on top of the silky covers and closed her eyes.

oOo

"I'm losing my mind."

Elizabeth snorted, and had to breathe in deeply through her nose to prevent the sip of tea she'd just taken from streaming out. She coughed.

John pouted. "It's true. I don't think I've ever been this bored."

Elizabeth looked up at him through watery eyes. "You find my company boring?"

"Are you kidding? It's probably the only thing keeping me sane. Well," John leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, resting his head on his hands, "that, and my promotion of course."

She shook her head. "You were promoted? Why didn't you tell me?"

He frowned, eyes measuring her up. "Was that sarcasm? Because I'm too tired to think of a smart comeback."

"I guess I've won this round then," Elizabeth stated, inclining her head. "Did you get any sleep last night?" He looked pale.

"It's always night on this ship."

"I take it that's a no."

John sighed. "No, I haven't slept in… forty hours? Give or take. I kinda lost track of time after my forty-eighth game of solitaire."

Elizabeth didn't know if she was amused or annoyed by this statement. She decided it didn't matter. What mattered was that John desperately needed rest. "Well, then I suggest you go to go to your quarters right now, John." He grunted. "I will personally tuck you in if that's what it takes." Realizing what she'd just said, she covered her mouth with her right hand and glanced around. The cafeteria was empty, except for three Marines who were playing a card game in the far corner. They either hadn't heard – or they were good at pretending.

Suddenly, something hit her. "You played solitaire?"

John raised an eyebrow at her.

Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair, finding herself almost nose-to-nose with her CO, who was still resting his head in his hands, "You have a deck of cards?"

John smiled. "Even better. I stole Rodney's tablet."

Elizabeth frowned. "His computer tablet?"

John nodded.

But she had one of those, too! Could one actually play solitaire on the tablets provided for them by Stargate Command? If that was the case, she had just found herself an excellent way to spend the next couple of days.

Putting those thoughts aside – for the moment – Elizabeth focused on the matter that was most important right now. She came to her feet. "I am going to walk you to your quarters," she told John, who gave her a dumbfounded look. "Get up."

John didn't move. "You're not serious?"

Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips, lowering her voice so as not to attract the attention of the Marines in the corner. "Actually, Colonel, I am. You need your rest, and I need my head of military on high alert in case something happens."

"Colonel, huh? You do know how to push my buttons." John slowly rose as well. "Will you be tucking me in?" The glint in his eyes told her he was joking, but she hadn't been kidding when she made the suggestion. At least... not fully.

"I'll think about it," she told him instead. "After you."

John almost ran out of the cafeteria. Shaking her head, Elizabeth followed him. Why did she have the feeling she'd recently agreed to full-time babysitting duty for the foreseeable future?

oOo

She was just about to pull up the cover to his chin when John's hand stopped her.

"What?" she said, tugging harder. "I know it doesn't seem cold in here, but you're going to think differently when you've laid still for a couple of hours. Trust me, I know."

John still refused to budge.

"John…"

"Join me?"

She must have misheard. "Excuse me?"

John's hand dropped away from hers, but she didn't seize the opportunity to properly tuck him in, instead staring at him with wide eyes. "John, we can't. Not here, not now."

"Hey, hey, I'm not suggesting anything," he quickly told her. He sat up in bed and looked her directly in the eye. "I just… think I'll sleep better with you here."

"Why is that?" she asked, curious why he would think that.

John dropped his gaze. "I'll be fine. You can go."

Her computer tablet would have to wait. Elizabeth wasn't letting this subject drop. "John? What is it?"

He still refused to meet her gaze. Sitting there on the edge of his bed, trying to get his attention or at least get him to speak, she felt like she was a mother dealing with her teenage child. Like many other mothers, she wasn't giving in. Granted, she couldn't ground him, but she was going to be persistent.

"Look, if there's something you don't want me to know," she tried, knowing that she was playing dirty. Playing the trust card was a smart, but evil move, for she was aware of how much John wanted her to know he trusted her. After the nanites-incident, he'd made a point of mentioning it in every conversation they had.

John's head shot up. "I've had some nightmares," he blurted out.

"Nightmares?"

John sighed. "It's why I haven't been able to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I… I see images of the Wraith destroying Atlantis..."

He didn't need to say more. Sometimes it was easy to forget she hadn't been the only one thinking the other was dead – taken out by the Wraith. Or, in his case, blown up by a nuke built by the Genii. She sometimes awoke covered in sweat, the image of his dot disappearing from the screen fresh on her mind.

It was quiet for a while.

"What you're saying," she finally said, "is that my presence will help you sleep better."

John shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know. It would at least be… reassuring."

Appearances be damned. Elizabeth shrugged out of her jacket and took off her shoes, corners of her mouth tugging upward at the surprised look John was giving her. She pulled back the covers and nestled herself next to him. When she'd found a comfortable position, she pulled the cover on top of them both. She wasn't touching John, but she could feel his presence next to her. Surprisingly, the warmth radiating off his body made her shiver.

"Do you think this will help?" she half-whispered.

It took John a moment to reply. "Yeah – sure."

They laid there for a while, neither daring to move. When Elizabeth moved her arm, she was startled by the rustling of the cover. Her arms and legs felt stiff, and she knew John must feel the same way. Surely this couldn't be a good sleeping environment.

She turned her head on the pillow and looked at John. He was studying the ceiling, shoulders pressed flat into the pillow. She could tell his hands were resting on his stomach, because there was a bulb under the cover in that area.

This was ridiculous.

Elizabeth moved closer to John and placed her head on his chest, holding her breath as she did so. He voiced no immediate objection, so she carefully put her right hand on his chest as well. Feeling John relax under her hand, she snuggled closer, all tension exiting her body. Lying there with him felt right and with a small sigh, she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, they flew wide open again. "The door's locked, right?"

All she got was a muffled response, but she assumed it meant 'yes'.

Elizabeth contented herself by listening to his heartbeat for a while before her eyes slid closed again. She was positive she'd never before heard a sound that was more reassuring than the beat of this very heart.

John wasn't dead. He'd come back to her – he was alive.

They both were, and she had just enough time to be thankful for that before sleep pulled her under.

oOo

"I figured you'd want to see this."

Elizabeth came up behind John. He was standing with his back to her, eyes fixed on the view in front of him. He must have heard her arrive, because she hadn't said anything to make him aware of her presence. John was quick at noticing her presence. She'd called him on it a few days ago, and he'd sheepishly told her that her existence was the thing that mattered most to him, and that he would always be able to tell if she was still with him.

She stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Look," he said softly.

She looked.

The view that greeted her was amazing. The Daedalus had rapidly flown through the outer atmosphere of the planet, and they were now flying over the brilliant blue water of Lantia. The ocean stretched out in front of them, and the only thing beside water to be seen was the wondrous city of the Ancients, her high towers rising into the sky as if stretching her arms out toward them – welcoming them home.

"We're home," John whispered, voicing her thoughts.

Elizabeth leaned her head back against his chest. "She's beautiful."

The room they were standing in was empty; all personnel were on the main decks, preparing for the landing. That was where they should be as well, but neither of them made a move to go. Elizabeth watched their beloved city grow bigger as they neared her, and she knew that there was no other place in this universe she could possibly be right now.

John kissed her hair. "Are you ready for the next step in our adventure?"

She smiled. "Yes," she told him. "I am."

Both physically and emotionally.

The end