Chapter: 64 - Charin

Part: 64/64

Note: Final chapter at last. Thank you to all who have stuck with me from the start of this very long involved fic, and thanks to those who joined me along the way. Your reviews have kept me going. So here, finally, is the final chapter, though I'm sure I will revisit this AU would, for there's loads of more fun to be had. Wedjatqi X

-----------

They looked the same to her as she studied the photo. They were posed more formally than she had ever seen them, but then it was an important photo. They stood before the Stargate, the sparkling colours of the Gate room's glass windows shining down on them through the metal circle. Charin passed her fingers over the picture, over Mother's beautiful dress and Dad's smart uniform. She had only seen him in that uniform once or twice, and she knew he didn't really feel all that comfortable in it. But, he looked comfortable and happy in the photo.

She lifted the heavy page of the album and turned over it over. The next photo had been taken in the same place, but now all her aunts and uncles were lined up beside her parents. The photo opposite though was her favourite of the wedding photos; for she and Torren were in the next one. It was strange to see Torren so young and herself so small to be able to fit easily into Mother's arm.

"Antos!" A slightly pudgy finger dropped onto the photo.

Charin smiled at her baby brother who was snuggled beside her on the couch.

"Yes, Jake. Atlantis," she said to him, sounding out the correct pronunciation.

"An…tos," Jake mumbled as he withdrew his hand from the album.

Charin leant right into Jake's warmth and leant down to him. "But, remember, it's a secret." She lifted her right index finger to her lips and made the Shh noise they all used to joke around. Jake giggled as he pressed his own finger to his lips and shh'ed loudly.

Charin turned the next page in the album. It was a private family album that they all knew was never to be shown, let alone discussed, with another outside of the family and close friends. It was kept locked away in the safe in Dad's office, but Dad or Mother were always happy to pull it out when asked. Charin loved to look through it, though there were plenty of pictures around the house of everyone and even a different version of the wedding photo. That photo had been carefully taken so that nothing that could identify the Gate room could be seen, but Charin could still tell it was from there. She was surprised that Jake recognised even the secret version. He had been so small when they had moved out of the city.

Charin smiled as Jake leant forward to peer at the next photo. Charin didn't want to know anything about what Mother and Dad got up to in the night, but she did know that Jake had been a surprise for them and his arrival had seemed to fascinate Uncle Carson for some reason. Jake was ten years younger than Charin and almost eight years younger than their sister Elizabeth. Not that the surprise had stopped Mother and Dad doting over Jake. He was very spoiled in Charin's opinion, but then he was pretty cute.

She wrapped her arm around her little brother and cuddled him against her. All the family loved cuddles and Jake took full advantage of that fact. It was his weapon against all the family if he even suspected he was in trouble for something. He wasn't in trouble too often, but once he had learnt to talk, which was earlier than normal Dad still repeated proudly, Jake had not stop talking since. He jabbered on all the time, following Mother especially, for she was the quietest of the family. He followed her everywhere, talking away, and she had literally almost fallen over him several times. Not that Mother fell over anything, but it had almost happened, and had ended up the subject of much teasing for her for weeks afterwards.

Charin looked over her shoulder, over the back of the couch towards the wide patio doors through which she could see Mother and Dad seated on a lounger chair together out on the back porch. They seemed to always want to watch the sun set together, and it was a common sight to see them cuddled up. They used to take everyone out to sit along the west pier on Atlantis to watch the sun set. Charin missed those evenings, watching the sun sink down, sitting all together in the sea scented breeze. Charin missed Atlantis.

It had been Dad's promotion that had meant they had to move, though Dad had also said it was important that she go to school. Charin hadn't understood why that was so important. She had always had lessons from people in Atlantis, learning straight from the top scientists of different fields, as Uncle Rodney always said. Uncle Rodney had left Atlantis many years before them, but he always visited. In her opinion she had learnt all she needed from her uncles and aunts. She had basic understanding of medicine, physics, biology, good fighting skills and she could read and write in three languages, though admittedly one was Athosian which she was not allowed to even mention on Earth. But, she and Mother used Athosian to leave messages for each other in the house. It was a game that Charin really enjoyed and she thought Mother did as well.

Charin had made that argument to Dad, that she had been taught all she needed, but he had insisted she needed an 'Education', and Mother had agreed. With Dad's new position in charge of some new Flight Base, they had had to leave the city and live on Earth. The only good thing Charin had liked about that was that Uncle Rodney was closer, since he worked half his time in Dad's Base.

She still remembered those first days she started school. She had been shown around it by a senior teacher, who had talked most of the time to Dad and Mother all about the school's high success rate and all that. Charin hadn't liked the empty halls, as they had reminded her of the hallways of Atlantis in the evenings when everyone else was asleep. The teacher had assured Charin that once term started the hallway boards would be filled with bright colourful paintings and project work. But, it had been the sports facilities that had begun to change Charin's mind about the place. It was a massive complex, with two basketball courts, a swimming pool and a track outside. All that and the tennis courts, volleyball pitch and a wide open pitch had stolen Charin's breath. She hadn't known there could be so much space for sport in one place! Dad had winked at her and she had been sold on the idea from then onwards.

The first day of school had been a bit weird though. As she had never been to a school before, Dad had made sure to tell her everything about how to survive in one. Most kids would have been in a school for years by her age, and she hadn't been around so many kids in one place before. Dad had driven her there himself, that first day, and had walked her in to meet the other new kids who would join in with the classes later. The school buildings had been transformed from the quiet empty hallways from the holiday period; instead there had been hundreds of kids of all different ages, all different and all grouped up into their little clans. Charin had been very nervous as she had followed Dad and the teacher into the gym, where the other new kids had been gathered. Charin had taken one look at the nervous expressions on all their faces, and equally on their parents', and she had relaxed; everyone felt the same. She had walked into the new group of potential friends and introduced herself. From that moment onwards she had forgotten her nerves. Dad had left her there with a smile and a thumbs up, and that first day had sailed by.

She had met so many interesting people and had quickly worked out the hierarchy of the school. She had never been teased even from that first day, but then uncle Ronon had taught her how to carry herself to make sure people knew she could defend herself. She had loved every class and had been thrilled to discover that she already knew most of the content of those first classes. Her teachers were very pleased with her and she found the classes easy enough and those areas she hadn't known much about, such as Earth history and its many religions, she had found fascinating. Dad had been waiting to take her home that day, rather than her taking the bus on her first day. She had talked all the way home and all evening about school and she hadn't looked back.

The only thing she didn't really like about living on Earth was that they didn't get to see Torren as much. She missed her big brother all the time, but especially now for they had just come back from a visit to Atlantis and the Athosian camp. Charin had loved that long two week holiday there, and it had been the height of Athosian summer. She and Torren had adventured into the forests together like they had always done. Aunt Kerra and Uncle Kanaan's son Sarum had grown, but being closer to Elizabeth's age had spent most of his time with her.

Charin had loved sitting up, once again, late into the night listening to Halling's stories. She hadn't wanted to leave and had felt really sad for days after they had come back to Earth. And Mother always seemed sad when they left Torren, but the great news was that next month Torren would be coming to Earth to stay with them for at least a whole month. It would be well into summer here by then and she and Dad had begun to plan places to take Torren. He had been to Earth before, but only in short visits and of course there had been those three months many years ago when Atlantis had been on Earth. Dad had bought some games for the garden already, his excitement obvious. 'Team Sheppard' would be back together. Torren always reminded him, with a smile, that it should be 'Team Emmagan Sheppard', but Dad said his version was punchier. Charin was really looking forward to it.

Jake was trying to lift the next page, eager to look on to the next photos. He knew the photos with him in were more to the back of the thick album and was always impatient to get to them. Charin looked back over her shoulder to the garden to see that the light was changing colour. She turned back to Jake.

"Shall we go and see Mother and Dad?" She asked him.

He looked up from his exaggerated attempts to get to the last pages of the album. "Yeah!" He said with enthusiasm before he began to climb off the couch.

Charin closed the album, leaving the later photos to look at later. She carried the heavy book back over the safe.

"In Kitchen," Jake muttered, his voice heading away out of the room.

"No, Jakey," Charin called to him as she quickly closed the safe door. "They're outside in the garden."

Jake stopped in the doorway and looked back. "Garden?" He asked.

Charin stood up and pointed to the patio doors. "See they're in the garden, shall we go find them?" She asked him.

"Yeah!" He said as he turned with buzzing excitement and ran out of the door. She followed him down the hallway. "In de garden," Jake was muttering. "Like garden. Twees," he added as he turned into the dinning room that led to the back door.

"Yes, there are trees in the back garden," Charin replied automatically. Jake didn't seem to mind if you talked back to him, he just kept on telling you whatever was on his mind.

"Shadey twees," he uttered as he reached the backdoor, which was a split door, so that the top half was open, but the lower half was bolted closed. Jake pushed against the lower door, forgetting that he couldn't open it himself and that it opened inwards anyway. "Twees in the shade better," he was mumbling as he finally remembered he couldn't push the door and looked up to the bolt. Charin reached him before he could try and reach up and release it himself. He had loved the Athosian camp and had picked up a wealth of new material to talk about, including the benefit of sitting in the shade of trees when it was hot and sunny.

"It's not sunny out there now, Jakey," Charin told him as she pulled open the bolt in the right way that Mother had shown her. She swung open the half door and Jake rushed out in delight.

Charin pulled the door closed behind her and pulled the bolt across to stop Jake wandering back inside when no one was watching.

"Hey, Trouble." She heard Dad greet Jake. "What you been up to?"

Charin headed over the back porch, watching as Jake began to climb up onto the lounger Dad and Mother where stretched along.

"Otos," Jake muttered with effort as he finally got himself, with Dad's subtle assistance, up onto Dad's lap and Mother spread the blanket that was over her to cover Jake as well. The air was getting colder, but Charin didn't mind.

As Dad and Mother talked away with Jake, though he did most of the talking as usual, Charin made her way down the steps to the lawn. Elizabeth was sitting in the last patch of sunlight on the lawn, her little white hat with plastic flowers on her head still. Elizabeth liked anything with flowers on and she looked over to Charin with a smile. Charin sat down on the still warm steps to the porch and Elizabeth got up, paused to pick up her toys and walked over. Charin looked over her shoulder, realising Jake had stopped talking. He was cuddled up against Dad, turned into Mother's warmth beside Dad and was half asleep. Dad was looking sleepy himself as he laid back with one arm around Mother and the other around Jake.

Elizabeth had reached the steps, but sat down once again on the lawn and used the lowest step as the stage for whatever the game was she was enacting with her plastic horses. Charin set her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands and looked off towards the lowering suns, which Dad and Mother always found so fascinating. The trees at the end of the garden seemed taller and darker in the fading light and Charin imagined creatures living in them.

The sun gradually set on another day of her summer vacation from school. The last colours disappearing from the sky and she heard Mother and Dad stir behind her.

"Right, who wants a cookie?" Dad asked.

Elizabeth's head shot up, her eyes wide. They didn't eat a lot of 'bad sugary food' as Mother referred to it, but occasionally Mother would make a cake or cookies. Charin heard the back door open and Elizabeth shot up the steps.

"Don't forget your toys," Mother called as her voice disappeared into the house.

Elizabeth paused, went back down the steps and carefully with great care picked up each toy in turn, piling them up in her arm. Elizabeth did everything very carefully and usually quietly, like Mother.

"You don't want a cookie?" Elizabeth asked as she passed Charin going up the porch steps.

"I'll have one in a minute," Charin replied. She kind of liked this late time of the evening, when the sun was gone and the night was new. She heard Elizabeth run across the back porch, pausing when there was a thud as one of her horses escaped her arm. The back door shut behind her and the garden was quiet once again.

"You okay, Munchkin?" Dad asked from behind her and she looked up over her head. She hadn't realised he was still there, and she smiled up at him as he peered down at her from directly above.

He stepped down onto the porch steps alongside her and sat down on the top step with her.

"You missing school yet?" he asked.

"No," she told him honestly. She enjoyed school, but she loved being at home. Holiday time was just as much fun for her. Usually she got to see all her uncles and aunts and sometimes, if she was lucky, she got to go with Mother or Dad to a Gate facility. She had been helping Uncle Carson and Uncle Rodney in their latest testing on the Ancient gene and how she and her Dad were so go at manipulating the technology.

She looked up at Dad. He had some grey silver strands to his hair now, but Charin agreed with Mother; it made him look more distinguished. Charin had had to look up that word, but now she knew what it meant she agreed.

"Do you miss Atlantis, Dad?" She asked him.

"Sure, I do," he replied as he looked down at her.

"I miss being able to open doors and turn on the lights," Charin told him. "Sometimes I still forget to turn the light on physically."

Dad laughed at that. "Me too. Though you were a bit of a problem with that whole opening doors thing, when you were younger," he told her.

"I was?" Charin moved closer to him. She loved his stories and she had thought she had heard them all about her childhood. Though, she knew there were plenty of other stories she didn't know about, and would hopefully learn them when she was older. She knew that there were a wealth of stories linked to all those photos in the album and she would catch looks being exchanged between Dad and Mother that told her they were really good stories.

He smiled. "You were just old enough to sit up by yourself and I remember that day because I was on duty dealing with these really difficult people from this planet that had the best waterfalls and prize holiday resort." Charin smiled along with him. "I'm telling you; surf to die for! Anyway, this call comes in from the nursery." There had been a nursery set up in Atlantis when she was little, and she had grown up with a few other kids that had called the city their first home. "She asked me to get down to the nursery when I was free. I got down there as fast as I could, imagining you having fallen over and hit your head or something, but there you were happy as anything sitting with your toys." As usual Dad animated his stories with hand gestures and exaggerated expressions, and if possible, with as much teasing of Uncle Rodney as possible.

"The woman in charge told me that there had been a problem; that you had managed to open the door. Now, of course I look over to the short plastic house there was in there; it had the door and flowers in a fake windowsill?" She nodded as she remembered the house she had played in for years. "I was proud, though surprised that you had managed to open the plastic door, especially as you couldn't even stand yet, but the woman explained that it was the Ancient door to the room that you had opened."

Charin laughed at that and Dad rolled his eyes.

"These poor women had been getting freaked out by the doors opening and closing by themselves. The technicians couldn't find anything wrong with the doors and then this day they realised that it only ever happened when you were there and they had caught you that day sitting facing the door and when it spontaneously opened you were giggling and clapping."

She laughed at the story, and more than a little pleased with her younger self.

"It's funny now, but it scared the hell out of us. We imagined you wandering out into the city by yourself; walking into power cables or falling off a pier. So, I got Uncle Rodney onto it right away. Turns out the Ancients had had the same problem and there was this child proof program that he just had to activate, so that the technology didn't respond to you until you were older. Only that caused another problem, since the technology stopped reacting to some people who had the ATA gene therapy, seems the city thought those genes were like undeveloped Ancient children."

Charin laughed knowing where this story was headed. "Like Uncle Rodney's gene."

Dad laughed, "Exactly. Maybe you should ask him how he fixed the problem next time we see him."

"I will," she said as she leant into Dad's side. He wrapped his arm around her and his warmth chased away the cold night air. "Dad..?" she asked.

"Yes, Munchkin?"

"Will you tell me the story about when I was born again?"

He tightened his arm around her. "Okay, but let's get a cookie to go with it."

"Okay," she replied and together they got up from the step and walked towards the back door through which she could hear Mother talking with Elizabeth. Light was streaming out of the top half of the doorway and she reached up to hold Dad's hand. His larger, strong hand surrounded hers and she smiled up at him. When she grew up she was going to be as cool and strong as her Dad.

"So, there was this alien space station…" He began.

---------
THE END