A/N:

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to June Odyssey for creating my Story cover. I absolutely love it! And also, for giving me that little push to do this in the first place. Without you, this story would probably never have come to life.

And to Firedew1, who has continued to be my own little 'guardian angel' throughout this entire journey. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ok, so here is the final chapter to my first incredibly long and rather complex story….

Enjoy!

The Legacy of Janus

Chapter 27

"Are you sure that this is such a good idea, John?"

David watched as his brother positioned his feet carefully, bent softly at the knees and glanced at the dark horizon beyond. He then looked down and breathed out deeply. Shifting his feet slightly one more time, he then swung his golf club hard and fast, sending the tiny ball hurtling into space. Only it didn't get very far, as it impacted on the almost invisible shield that John had repeatedly told him was there.

"Is it…supposed to do that?" asked David.

Despite the completely surreal situation David now found himself in, he couldn't help but smile at his brother, who was now grinning back at him as though he were a kid again.

It was hard to believe that it had only been 24 hours since his brother's promotion and less than that, when his world had suddenly become a much bigger, more complex place.

"Its fine, Dave. It has dealt with far more than just a tiny golf ball, I can tell you…"

David frowned slightly, and John instantly added more firmly, "its ok. It can take it. Now, your turn, Dave."

David couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he took up his position on the other side of the balcony. After placing his own ball on the tee, he glanced back at the blackness of space for a moment, and then looked over at his brother questioningly.

John grinned, and then turned to point at a small cluster of stars. "How about you aim for them?"

David grinned back, shaking his head slightly, and returned his focus to the small ball on the mat. He centred himself, and then swung powerfully through, sending the ball flying into space, straight towards the small group of stars. Once again, the shield rippled slightly in response to the tiny impact.

"Nice shot!" cried John appreciatively.

David stood up straight and looked once more at his brother, who was positioning his next ball. Once more dressed in his standard black BDUs, he looked more like his brother again, and not…..

"So you…do this often?" asked David, shaking himself from that particular train of thought.

"Not as much as I'd like, that's for sure. But I try to get out here as much as I can, especially when we are actually on a planet. Kinda satisfying to hear the plop of the ball hitting the ocean…"

John resumed his stance, and swung through hard, once more sending the ball towards the black nothingness.

Despite the fact that David had had a chance to sleep on everything he had learnt, well sort of, he still couldn't quite get his head around it all. And then listening to John talking about hitting golf balls off a pier of an ancient city on a different planet, as though he had just gone down to the shops, just made it feel that much more bizarre.

John turned to look at him, realising that David was just staring, and his grin sank.

"You ok?" he asked gently.

David tried to smile at him. Now that he knew that John's 'powers' caused him pain, he was determined that he wouldn't be the cause of it. He nodded, and looked back into space. "Oh, you know, just trying to wrap my head around… everything."

"Yeah. Tell me about it…"

David shook his head and looked back at him. "I…don't know how you do it, John, I really don't."

John smiled softly at him, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "The way I see it, I don't have much of a choice. You just have to 'man' up, and deal with the hand you're given."

David couldn't help but smile. That was straight from the 'Patrick Sheppard Book of Life'.

John bent down, grabbed another ball out of the re-filled bucket, and then placed it carefully onto the tee. He then promptly belted that into space, straight at the same cluster of stars, and David let out an appreciative whistle. "Nice!"

John bowed mockingly at him. "Well, thank you."

David leant slightly on his club with both hands and watched his brother again. John still looked the same. He still acted the same. But now, David knew that he was different.

"Can I ask you something?"

John stood up and also rested both of his hands on the top of his club. "Sure."

David actually had quite a few 'something's' to ask him, but the most pressing question in his mind was about his powers. The sight of watching his brother go through what he did yesterday, had deeply disturbed him.

"You say that when you fight…your powers," it still felt weird even saying it, "that it causes you pain. Why would it do that?"

John sighed. "Ben says that when I fight against it, I am fighting myself. That I have to accept it, and just let go."

"So, why do you fight it?"

"Because I…I'm not sure just what my powers are yet. But after yesterday, I've pretty much decided I'm gonna try not to do that…so much…anymore."

As if on queue, David watched as John's eyes gave a little flash of blue, and he forced himself not to react, but couldn't help that his own eyes had widened slightly.

John groaned, clearly realising what must have happened, and looked away. "Sorry, Dave."

David took a tentative step towards him. "No, its fine, John. It's just a little disconcerting, that's all."

John looked back up, and David could see a slight trace of blue remained, but the glow had faded. "Why does it do that?"

"I have no idea. But whenever the energy…surges to the surface it seems to happen."

David peered at him. "Does it…hurt?"

"No, thank God, as it seems to be happening more and more these days."

"Perhaps your…powers are growing…" suggested David slowly.

"More than likely. Ben says I have to learn about them in order to become at 'one with them', so…I guess I have a way to go yet."

David frowned. "Ben…you mean the Italian Monk?"

John nodded, and then bent down to place another ball onto the tee.

"So, he is the…Guardian of this Legacy…"

"Yep, among other things." John gave a couple of practice swing throughs.

"What other things?"

John stopped, and regarded him for a moment. "He is my Guardian too."

David couldn't help but smirk.

John looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"Oh, it just strikes me as…funny."

"What does?"

"Oh, the fact that you now have some mystical ancient powers and that you have a guardian, who just happens to be called Ben…"

"Sorry, not following you," replied John slowly.

David grinned widely at him. "Well, John, it's so very…Star Wars, don't you think?"

John stared at him, and then snorted, shaking his head.

David continued. "All you need is a lightsaber and cloak, and you're there!"

John laughed loudly, as though the thought had never occurred to him. It was a sound that David hadn't realised he had missed hearing.

"Just don't go over to the Dark side, little brother…" he added jokingly, and John's laughter suddenly died.

John looked rather thoughtful for a moment, but then seemed to shake himself out of it, and returned back to practicing a few more swings.

"John, can I ask you something else?"

John pelted another ball into the darkness. "Go for it."

"Yesterday, when I…was in the Chair, I couldn't get out of it. You did something, didn't you?"

John looked at him. "Yeah, I broke the connection."

"How? You weren't even in the Chair."

"I don't need to be. I have a constant connection with Atlantis."

"The city…talks to you?"

John pulled a face. "Yeah, sort of."

"And this is due to the gene…"

John nodded.

David raised his eyebrows slightly. "Wow. Does that mean…I can potentially do that too?" He was still trying to grasp just what it meant that his gene was apparently almost as strong as John's.

"Yeah, though I don't recommend you try that."

"Don't worry, I have no intention of doing so," replied David quickly. The Chair had been more than enough for him.

John smiled at him, lowered his club, and looked at his watch. "C'mon, let's head back to Teyla's. She and Torren want to say goodbye before I take you home."

David smiled, but instantly felt sad. He knew he had to leave, and the morning had gone by so quickly. It had been wonderful to spend some real quality time with John, and it was just what they both needed.

But he also knew that John and the city were on a tight schedule, so didn't say anything and just focussed on the moment, just as he had before.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The moment the door to Teyla's quarters swished open, John heard Torren cry out and the little guy came toddling over as fast as his chubby legs could carry him.

Predictably he tripped over his feet and John instantly lunged forward to grab him before he hit the ground, and swooped him high into the air. "Hey buddy!"

Settling him onto his hip, he turned to Dave, who was smiling fondly at him. "Come to say goodbye to your Uncle Dave?"

Teyla then came out from Torren's room. "There you are, Torren." She smiled apologetically at them both. "Now that he thinks he has mastered walking, he just seems to want try to run everywhere."

"Dad a," said Torren proudly, and then promptly started to pull at John's cheek.

Once again John couldn't help but feel a ripple of contentment run through him, and his smile grew wider. He leant in and gave him a kiss on his own little cheek. "No point in delaying progress is there, TJ?"

Torren promptly started to talk his gibberish, with the odd recognisable word thrown in. To which, John just had to respond to.

David smiled at Teyla. "Well, I guess this is where I say goodbye," he said sadly, as he held out his hand out for her to take.

Teyla walked up to him, but didn't take it. "Where I come from, we have a different way of parting."

David glanced briefly at John, who was now watching them with affectionately.

Teyla gently placed a hand on either of David's shoulders and slowly lowered her head. He glanced once more at John, who nodded at him, and he gradually lowered his own onto hers.

"Farewell, David," she murmured quietly.

John felt his energies ripple as he watched the two most important people in his life share the private parting gesture he had grown to know and love so well.

She lowered her hands and stood back.

"I … hope to see you both again very soon, Teyla," said David.

"Of that, I am sure," replied Teyla.

John knew that he had to take Dave back, and that there was a small window for him to do so personally, before the rest of the day's agenda kicked in.

He reluctantly started to hand Torren over to Teyla, who instantly started to grumble and clung onto John's clothing more tightly.

"C'mon, TJ, I gotta take Uncle Dave home," he said firmly as he looked down at the little boy, whose bottom lip had started to quiver. He softened his voice. "Hey, no tears little bud. I'll be back before you know it, and then we gotta go see your other Uncles, ok?"

Torren seemed to understand, and sniffed, but released his tight grip on John's shirt. Teyla quickly extracted Torren from John's arms.

"We will see you at lunch, John."

John smiled at her, and without even thinking, leant in to kiss her gently. "See you soon."

He gave Torren another quick peck on the cheek and turned back to David, who was now grinning.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, little brother, nothing…"

John knew that David understood exactly what he had planned when they returned to Earth, so just rolled his eyes, grinning.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

After saying goodbye to the rest of John's friends they were finally heading out in the Jumper once again.

David had hoped, after displaying his apparent natural ability to fly alien ships, that John might have allowed him to have a go at flying the Jumper for real. But John had refused, telling him that the little craft was actually fully loaded with real drones, and didn't want him accidently blowing up the moon or something…

David hadn't needed much persuading after that, so just sat in the co-pilot's seat, and looked out of the window at the blackness of space.

It was definitely different to his previous ride in the Jumper. He felt much more relaxed, which surprised him slightly. After all, it was technically only his second time in an alien space craft. Perhaps he really was a natural…

"Dave, I need to talk to you about something…"

David was beginning to dread it whenever John started a sentence like that. As he looked across at his brother, he suddenly realised that John was no longer holding onto the two joysticks, as he had turned his chair towards him. For a second, David panicked, and then realised that John must be controlling the ship with his mind. He took a deep calming breath.

John cleared his throat. "Now that you know about my…our heritage, you need to understand that…" he hesitated slightly, frowning.

David felt his heart hitch. "Go on…"

"You need to understand that there are…people out there that would be really interested in…learning more about us."

"What do you mean, us? Surely you mean you, as I don't have any powers…"

"No, you don't," replied John slowly. "But your ATA gene is very…powerful as it is, and there are people that wouldn't mind getting their hands…on you."

David frowned hard. "What are you insinuating, John, that I may be in some kind of danger?"

John seemed to take a deep steadying breath. "Maybe."

David laughed nervously. "That's just….insane. I don't know the first thing about…anything! And I wouldn't tell them what little I do know!"

"I know that you wouldn't, Dave," John added quickly, clearly seeing his brother's anxiety was rising. "I just…need for you to understand so that we can take…certain precautions."

"What kind of precautions?" David didn't like where this was going.

"I need for you to agree to have a subcutaneous transmitter inserted into you…"

"A what?" He wasn't quite sure what one was, or where it would be inserted, but it didn't sound pleasant!

"It's a tiny microchip that's placed just beneath the skin, which allows our scanners to detect your life signs. I have one, as does Teyla, Ronon and McKay. In fact, it's standard protocol for everyone to have one…"

David was feeling extremely uncomfortable about the whole idea. "I don't know, John, I just don't see the need for me to have one. It's not as though I'm going anywhere…"

John looked extremely intense then, and a flicker of tiny blue appeared in his eyes. "I know that, Dave. I just…want you to be safe, that's all."

The flash of blue was all it took to convince David that John meant everything he said.

"Alright," he replied slowly. "If it matters to you that much…"

John seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "It does."

"Ok then." He grimaced slightly. "How do I…?"

John smiled gratefully at him. "I'll speak to General O'Neill this afternoon, and he'll make all the necessary arrangements. Don't worry, it won't hurt."

David gave him a look. "John, the thought of pain doesn't bother me."

John's eyebrows went up slightly.

"It's the thought of why I need it in the first place, which does…"

John then frowned for a moment before nodding slightly and turned back to face the controls.

The rest of the journey continued in silence. It didn't take long before they were flying over the surrounding fields of the ranch.

David already knew that John would have cloaked the Jumper, and it being in broad daylight now, wondered where he was intending to land. Sure enough John aimed straight for an area behind the rarely frequented hay barn, just beyond the stables. Once they had gently landed, David could feel the engines power down, and John turned his chair to face him again.

"Thanks, Dave, "said John slowly.

"For what?"

"For agreeing to have the transmitter. It means a lot."

"Look, if it means that you can sleep soundly in your bed, knowing that I have it, then I'm fine with that." He couldn't help but grin cheekily at him. "That's if there is much sleep going on…"

John smiled, somewhat embarrassed by his rather unsubtle innuendo.

They then both got up, and made their way towards the rear hatch of the craft. For a moment, they both hesitated slightly before they embraced each other. They then stood back as the door began to lower.

"Be careful out there."

John smiled at him. "Always am."

"I mean it, John."

John's smile slowly disappeared. "So do I."

David knew that he did, so just nodded, and then gave him a big smile. "See you real soon…I hope."

"Oh you will, Dave. I can promise you that."

David sighed, took one last look around the small interior of the jumper, grinned and then looked back at his brother.

"Goodbye, John."

"Bye, Dave."

With that, David took one very careful look out of the open door, just as he remembered John had done the last time, and then walked out.

David didn't look back, but just kept walking towards the house. So he didn't see the sad smile on his brother's face, or hear his quiet words. "It's all in the blood…."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

By the time John got back, he knew he was running late, so headed straight for the Conference Room.

Seeing as there would be so many people at the Farewell Lunch, he had decided that it would be better served in the larger room.

As the doors swung open, cries of welcome sounded out, and he couldn't help but grin.

The large mahogany table was now protected by a large cloth, and various dishes and plates pretty much covered the entire surface. The kitchen staff had done them proud.

"Colonel Sheppard," came the stern voice of General O'Neill. "It's about time…"

"Sorry, Sir," he replied as he walked in.

O'Neill then looked amused. "McKay here was going to eat all the cake…"

"No I wasn't!" exclaimed Rodney quickly.

"Was too," added Ronon, grinning.

Samantha Carter laughed, and John made his way over to her. "Hey, glad you could make it, Colonel."

She smiled back at him. "Wouldn't miss it, John, and call me Sam. We're the same rank now, remember?"

John grinned proudly. "Yeah, how about that? There were some that didn't think I'd ever make it passed Captain."

"Yeah, well, what did they know, huh?" she replied, smilingly. "Oh, and Cam sends his apologies, as does Teal'c. But Cam said he would love to catch up when you get back."

He hadn't really expected to see his old friend, but thought he might have dropped by if he was in the neighbourhood. The fact that Sam didn't elaborate further, meant they must be on some secret mission or another, so didn't press the matter further.

John turned to look at everyone else in the room. Carson stood over with Rodney and Jennifer, who each held a plate; some with more food on than others. Daniel was with O'Neill and Woolsey, and Ronon stood beside Teyla, who was holding a very happy looking Torren.

He smiled, which then slowly faded. It was their final farewell.

As if sensing his sudden shift in emotion, O'Neill then spoke up. "Well, now that we are all finally here…I guess we can get on with the show."

The room fell silent, as everyone knew what was coming.

"Many of you already know that I'm not a great fan of speeches…"

Quiet chuckles echoed round the room.

"So, I'll keep this as succinct as possible." He then raised his glass of wine at John. "Good luck, Sheppard. Come back soon."

Gentle laughter sounded out again, and John couldn't help but smile, and everyone raised their glasses at him.

"Well, sir, that's…pretty succinct." John suddenly had a feeling a déjà vu…

"Thanks". O'Neill replied as he lowered his glass. "Ok then, I think it's time for cake!"

The rest of the meal passed quickly, and John couldn't help but feel his sadness growing stronger.

But he had one more thing to do before they left. He had already spoken of his concerns to O'Neill, who surprisingly hadn't laughed at him once. In fact, he almost looked like he had expected it.

He wandered over to the General. "Er, Sir, may I have a word?"

"Sure, Sheppard, what's up?" he replied, still munching on his rather large slice of cake.

"I er, spoke to my brother."

"And..?"

"He has agreed to the subcutaneous transmitter."

O'Neill nodded. "Good. I'll get one of my people to arrange it ASAP."

John sighed. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, Sheppard. It's what we do…besides," his voice lost some of its easiness, "as brother to the all powerful Colonel John Sheppard, he will certainly come under a few peoples' radar now…

The edge in O'Neill's voice reassured John that he and the General were definitely on the same page.

"Yeah, I know. All the same, sir, I appreciate it."

O'Neill just nodded at him, and took another bite.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

This was the moment John had been dreading.

It was time for them to leave.

The four people who were about to beam back down to Earth stood on one side of the Gate room.

John felt his energies shift as his sadness grew. But he knew better than to fight it now and just breathed out slowly, and stepped up to begin his goodbyes.

He took the outstretched hand of Richard Woolsey, who was smiling at him.

"Good luck, Colonel," he said warmly.

"Thanks, Richard." He really was going to miss the man. He also felt rather guilty. After all, it was really down to him that Woolsey didn't have a job any more. "Any idea what you are going to do now?"

"Oh, I have a few options," replied Woolsey easily. "Just taking my time in deciding…"

John knew that, after being the Commander of Atlantis, there were very few jobs that would seem to fit the bill. Elizabeth had certainly felt the same way…

"Good luck, John," Woolsey spoke again, even more sincerely this time. "I really hope you find what you are looking for…"

"Yeah, me too."

John took another calming breath, and turned to Sam. For a moment he thought she was going to salute him, but she just grinned and pulled him into a quick hug instead.

"Take care of yourself, John," she said, and she then stepped back.

He smiled. "You too…Sam," he added, somewhat playfully. "You heading back to the General Hammond?"

"Yep. Another top secret mission…" she grinned, bouncing slightly on her toes.

"Well, good luck with that. Stay safe out there."

She playfully punched him gently on the arm. "Right back atcha, John!"

He shook his head. He really was very fond of her.

He then turned to General O'Neill, who stood beside her.

John instantly brought himself to a smart attention, and gave the General his sharpest salute, as was the proper protocol to do when a Superior Officer was leaving.

With everything that had happened after his promotion, he was still finding it rather hard to believe that he really had made it to full Colonel.

He held his salute there until O'Neill gave him an odd smile, and then returned the salute, though somewhat more relaxed than his own.

"Well, I guess this is it, Colonel Sheppard."

"Yes, Sir. I…" said John, who then grimaced slightly. This had been easier when he had been ascending! He tried again. "Thanks…again, Sir, for…continuing to believe in me."

All trace of humour appeared to fade from the General.

O'Neill cleared his throat. "Yes, well…" he was clearly as uncomfortable as John was. "I'm proud of ya, son. Not many people would…deal with what you have gone through, and keep smiling."

John couldn't help but do just that. Although he still had a long way to go, both literally and mentally, he had his family, and that meant everything to him.

His smile faded. "Thank you for watching out for my brother, Sir. I…"

"Hey," O'Neill intervened, giving him one of his looks. "It's what we do…"

Both of them seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as the awkward moment seemed to have passed. "See you when you get back, Sheppard."

John nodded. "Yes, sir."

Now, the hardest person to say goodbye to: Daniel.

They both looked at each other for a moment. John didn't know what to say. He certainly didn't know where he would be right now, if Daniel hadn't been there for him, every step of the way.

John thought back to the first time he had met him over five years ago, hundreds of feet beneath the ice in Antarctica. The great Doctor Daniel Jackson, who had been responsible for deciphering the famous coverstone, and the reason the Stargate programme existed in the first place.

Daniel's enthusiasm and tenacity had been contagious then, as it was now.

It was also that same single-minded determination that had driven the man to discover the very existence of the Legacy of Janus.

But it was so much more than that. It had been Daniel's gentle presence, as he lay there dying, that had reached out to him, guiding him on his journey to Ascension. When he had lost his ability to speak, Daniel had been there for him again; helping him to communicate through sign language.

In hindsight, he could have just written stuff down. But then, he never had been a writing kind of guy. Expression through action: that was who he was.

He felt his emotions cause his energy to shift, and John knew that his eyes had just glowed, but Daniel didn't bat an eye. He just smiled at him, reaching out his hand towards him.

John then remembered that Daniel had been dealing with Goa'uld for well over a decade. So he guessed 'flashing' eyes weren't that strange a sight for him after all.

John looked down at his offered hand, and slowly took it. But it wasn't enough, and he then did something that was completely foreign to him. He pulled him into an embrace.

"Thank you, Daniel, for everything," he murmured quietly in his ear. "I don't know what I would have done…"

"You are welcome, John", Daniel replied gently, and then stood back, smiling kindly at him. "Hey, you would have done the same for me."

"Daniel, in a heart beat."

Daniel then glanced at O'Neill, who just sighed.

"I wish I was going with you guys…"

O'Neill just rolled his eyes, but still didn't speak.

"Don't worry, Daniel," said John reassuringly. "We will see you again real soon…I can promise you that".

"I hope so…" Daniel's voice sounded small, almost wistful.

"I know so," replied John firmly. Again, he didn't know how he knew that. He just did.

"Ok, campers," said O'Neill loudly, "time to let these folks head out."

Quick hugs were exchanged as Teyla, Ronon and Rodney stepped forward to say their own goodbyes.

As John began to turn away from the gate, his eyes suddenly stopped on the stairs, and he stood rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off them.

"John?" Daniel had seen him instantly freeze, and went to stand beside him. "Something wrong?"

John frowned, as he continued to look at the markings on the stairs. He hadn't even realised they were even words until now, and he began to slowly translate them out loud, his eyes moving from one step to the next.

"A hearty welcome to those of other worlds, visiting for the first time.

Welcome again to those returning. You have been gone too long and your absence has weighed heavily on our souls.

We are whole again that you are among us and we celebrate you being here again as we leave for distant worlds…

Our people will lay down their lives to protect the weak and the just. Let this be our pledge to those inhabitants…and all we may ever know, we will always strive to come in peace as we go in peace…"

The group was silent, and Daniel continued to stare at the stairs.

"Oh my God…" exclaimed Daniel slowly, looking across at John with wide eyes.

"That's what those funny shapes are? asked Ronon, in his usual blunt fashion.

"Kinda fittin', don't ya think?" said O'Neill, to know one in particular.

Daniel was about to speak, and O'Neill looked at him sternly. "No, Daniel."

"Jack, c'mon!"

O'Neill just looked at him, and then activated his earpiece. "Daedalus, we are ready to beam."

John was now looking back at them, smiling sadly.

"Good luck, Sheppard. Don't forget to write …"

And with that, all four of them disappeared in the bright white light.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Colonel John Sheppard leant back in his chair, in his own office, and smiled to himself.

It was hard to believe that this time last month he had been drowning in a sea of paperwork, red tape and endless meetings.

Life couldn't be more different now. Atlantis was free, and heading home; her real home. He had been promoted, and he and his brother had not just resolved their differences, they had begun anew. He now had powers, which he had yet to fully comprehend, but was determined to get a handle on them.

And he had Teyla.

And that, to him, made all the pain and hardship worth while. Well, that and saving Atlantis from a fate worse than death. But on a purely selfish level, it meant the world to him to finally be able to admit not only to himself, but to her, and soon to others, how he felt…well, ever since he had first laid eyes on her, all those years ago.

He also had not had another nightmare since they had left, thank God. He did wonder whether it was a culmination of the precautions he had now put in place to protect Dave, or whether it was just the wonderful hours that he and Teyla spent together each night.

He had continued to sleep in Teyla's room, albeit secretly, and couldn't honestly imagine not waking up beside her now.

But they were both getting rather tired of all the sneaking around. Last night they had actually discussed how they would make their relationship official, and John had started checking with Atlantis for more 'family' appropriate quarters for them. And he had just found the perfect Suite.

Apart from Daniel and Ronon, no one else officially knew of their relationship, although he suspected that it must be so obvious to everyone by now, you had to be Rodney McKay not to see it.

He looked through the glass walls of his office, and saw the man himself, was still sat at one of the laptops in the Control Room, no doubt monitoring their progress back to the Pegasus Galaxy.

The constant feel of the hyperdrive had become a reassuring sensation for John. All three ZPMs were easily sustaining the massive sublight engines, and the inertial dampeners were working seamlessly, as were the energy buffers controlling the flow of energy to the hyperdrive. All his hard work had certainly paid off, as the city's systems were literally humming with delight.

Only a few more days and they would reach their destination…the Place of our Legacy.

He could almost feel the city's anticipation growing as it drew ever closer.

John sat forward and stood up. Even though he was getting regular updates from Atlantis, so was probably even more aware of their current status than Rodney was, he didn't want to make the guy feel redundant.

Besides, there was only so much sitting in his office he could bear, and he hadn't really got used to the fact that it really was his office now. It still felt like he was just 'looking after it' until the real Commander arrived…

The fact that he was, not just the Commander of the whole city, but also the owner, was still a huge fact he just couldn't quite wrap his head around. Much like everything else really, but he finally felt like he was making progress.

As he made his way along the walkway towards his friend, John suddenly began to feel rather strange….

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Rodney felt absolutely shattered; like he was back in college, cramming for his last paper.

But he had dreamt for so long what it would be like if they ever had 3 ZPMs. And now that they had, with everything that had happened over the last two weeks, he just hadn't had a chance to really discover what that meant for the city. But now that they had finally left for Pegasus, he just couldn't help himself.

Ever since they had left Earth, a mere 48 hours ago, he had worked tirelessly to run his tests, to check the systems, and to find answers to questions that had plagued him for what felt like forever.

His thirst for those answers far outweighed his need for sleep or even food; instead he had drunk so much coffee, and eaten so much junk food, that he now felt incredibly wired. To the point which reminded him a little of the time he had injected himself with the massive dose of wraith enzyme, when Ford had captured them, almost four years ago….

He tapped a few keys of his laptop, bringing up the latest readings of the power distribution levels.

Rodney was only too well aware that, if used for extended periods of time, the hyperdrive engines created excessive heat. Which could cause the generators, buffers and systems to become damaged, and would ultimately result in an engine burnout.

But the coolant and ventilation shafts, which helped to reduce the temperatures and prevent catastrophic overloads, were working like a dream. And coupled together with the power distribution levels, that were set to maximum efficiency, everything was working perfectly.

Sheppard had done a truly incredible job in preparing the city, though Rodney wouldn't be the one to tell him that…

At that very moment the console that he was sitting at suddenly shifted, as if a heavy object had just crashed into it.

"Hey!" Rodney looked up sharply, straight into the face of John Sheppard.

His instinctive reaction was to berate him, but in a split second, his heart skipped a beat. His friend didn't look so good.

"Sheppard? You ok?"

John, who had a strange expression on his face, looked rather confused himself. As though he had phased out for a second, and the moment he had crashed into the console, it had brought him round. Sort of. John frowned as he looked back at Rodney, as if he was trying to refocus.

"Er, yeah, sure." John didn't sound right. "Guess I just…missed my footing…"

Missed his footing? The guy was as nimble footed as a goat! Rodney had never known him to trip or stumble, unless he was…

Rodney looked questioningly at him, but his friend didn't seem to notice. Instead John had started to rub the centre of his forehead, and was now beginning to look a little pale.

"You sure about that?" Rodney pressed a little harder; his voice was a little firmer.

John seemed to once more pull himself together, and gave him a look. "I'm…fine, Rodney." He cleared his throat. "So," he gestured slowly towards his laptop," how's she looking?"

Rodney couldn't help himself, and promptly started to reel off all his latest discoveries with his usual gusto. But it didn't take him long to realise that his audience was not as enraptured as he had thought.

Sheppard now had a rather 'far-off' expression on his face, like he was daydreaming.

"….so it won't take nearly as long as we thought…" he concluded, more slowly.

Silence.

Rodney frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

"Sheppard. You been listening to a word I've been saying?"

"Yeah," came the rather slurred reply. Rodney frowned harder. John now sounded like he was spaced out on one of Carson's more powerful drugs.

"But then," continued Rodney slowly, as he looked more carefully at his friend. "I'm sure you know all this anyway, seeing as Atlantis would have told you already…"

John didn't respond. Rodney glanced over at Zelenka, who sat at a nearby workstation, but was looking over the top of his glances at the Colonel. So, Rodney wasn't the only one who thought that something was out of place.

Rodney felt his gut suddenly tighten as his concern rapidly began to rise.

Was John just tired? Flying the city for hours at a time would usually tire anyone; but John had insisted that he did most of the flying, and it did seem completely effortless to him now. So was there something else that was making him to react like this?

He decided to test the extent of Sheppard's current state.

"Listen, I've been meaning to ask you. About those Ancient uniforms…."

"Yeah…" john replied slowly, but his response was not quite what Rodney was expecting. John still seemed seriously distracted.

"The uniforms, Sheppard. You said we were going to adopt those and replace the SG attire…just wondered when you…."

"What?" replied John slowly, frowning hard.

Rodney gave up on that line, and tried a different tack instead.

"Say, how did you manage to get hold of a ten thousand year old uniform anyhow? And don't tell me you found it in a hidden closet."

Silence.

"Sheppard…" Rodney spoke slowly, staring more intently at him now. He had gone as white as a sheet, and the familiar blue began to shine through John's eyes, with every rather pronounced blink.

John then suddenly seemed to waver slightly, and his hands quickly reached out to grab the side of the console to keep his balance. Rodney shot up out of his chair, which skidded back across the floor and into the consoles behind.

The entire Control Room had looked up, wondering what was going on.

"Sheppard….what's wrong?" Rodney had just begun to move around the console towards, not taking his eyes off him, when John suddenly cried out and hunched forward, his head dropped down and he was now leaning heavily over the console.

"John!" In a second, Rodney had reached him, and without thinking, grabbed onto him tightly with both hands. Once more, John Sheppard appeared to be in pain.

John's legs almost seemed to collapse from under him, and Rodney instantly tightened his grip. "I need some help here!" he yelled, and Zelenka instantly appeared on the other side of John, grabbing him firmly.

John then seemed to recoil so violently, it was almost as if he had been hit by something invisible, and he instantly covered his head, groaning loudly.

Rodney risked taking one hand off his friend and quickly activated his earpiece. "This is McKay. I need Brother Benedict in the Control Room, NOW! Colonel Sheppard is in trouble! "

Again!

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The moment he had left his office, John had begun to feel rather…weird.

It wasn't his energy, he knew that much. After what had happened two days ago, he had been making a conscious effort to just relax whenever he felt the energies stir. So far, it had worked and they had been calm for some time now.

No, this was something else.

It was like he was almost having an out of body experience; his head, or rather his consciousness, felt strangely disconnected from his body. It was a very surreal feeling, as he began to make his way across the walkway towards the Control Room.

It made him feel like he was literally floating across the floor….

It was not that dissimilar to the bizarre sensation he had felt when he had ascended, which just confused him further. Was he about to start turning into a mass of energy? No, the feeling was similar, but definitely not the same.

What the hell was going on?

He continued to 'float' until he felt his body crash into the console that Rodney was sat at. He was only vaguely aware of his friend's sudden response.

"Hey!"

John tried to reconnect his brain to his body, but somehow neither were very responsive.

"Sheppard? You ok?" Rodney's voice sounded distant, like he was miles away, instead of sitting right in front of him. He felt himself frown, as he looked at his friend.

Only now his vision seemed off. Like a strange mist was beginning to cloud his eyesight. But he could clearly see Rodney's concern was beginning to mount, and he struggled to get his voice to speak.

"Er, yeah, sure."His voice sounded disconnected, like someone else was speaking. "Guess I just…missed my footing…" Even John wasn't convinced by that, and neither was his friend.

His head had begun to feel a strange pressure, that didn't feel unlike a Replicator or wraith trying to gain entry. He knew it wasn't either of those. But it certainly felt like someone or something was definitely trying to get in.

He felt his hand rub at his forehead, right over the area known as the 'third eye', where the pressure was beginning to build the most.

He had learnt about this 'third eye', also known as the 'mind's eye', concept during his Aikido classes, and the significance was not lost on him now. In some religions it was supposed to signify a gate to inner realms and higher consciousness: clairvoyance, precognition and…visions.

He heard Rodney speak again, and John struggled to focus on his face.

"I'm…fine, Rodney." John's voice sounded hoarse, and he forced himself to clear his throat. His mind felt sluggish, slow to respond. "So," after a supreme amount of effort, he managed to get his hand to move in the vague direction of Rodney's laptop. "How's…she… looking?"

Unsurprisingly, Rodney began to update him on the current status of the city, their progress 'home', and how well the three ZPMs were doing. But John was quickly losing his focus again, as the pressure in his forehead continued to build.

His vision was becoming more clouded now, like a strange mist had begun to descend over everything. He blinked hard, hoping that it would clear. It didn't.

His heart rate began to pick up, and his energies began to respond rapidly. He struggled to relax, to just let go. But it was hard, as he didn't understand…

Rodney spoke again, but John was too busy trying to just keep himself 'together'.

"Sheppard. You been listening to a word I've been saying?" Again, Rodney's voice seemed so far away.

"Yeah," the sound of his own voice drifted to his ears, sounding as vague as was now feeling. It felt like he was wading through treacle!

Rodney then spoke again, but John suddenly couldn't understand the words…

This was just 'derentis'!

Wait a second, wasn't that Ancient for 'insane'?

What the hell?

The sound of Rodney's voice drifted towards his ears. "…ancient…" he was saying.

"Yeah…" It was Ancient alright, but why were Ancient words beginning to pop into his head suddenly?

"….Sheppard. You said …. attire.… wondered when you…."

"What?" John could barely understand what Rodney was saying. He felt himself frown, which only served to make the pain in his forehead more intense. It now felt like there was a huge needle being forced into his third eye, and it made his eyes water.

Once again, Rodney spoke, but John could no longer understand, or hear his friend properly. The pain was growing, and his energy was rapidly moving through his entire body, in response to it.

The mist was now more like heavy fog, and he felt a sudden chill run through him. It reminded him too much of the dream he had had. He started to blink hard, hoping it would clear his vision, but it had no effect.

His energy then surged powerfully through him, so hard and fast that it made his head swim and what little vision he had have, shifted violently. He instinctively reached out, grasping for anything that would stop him from falling. Thankfully he felt something solid, and grabbed on tightly.

Again, the voice of Rodney drifted to his ears, but John could no longer respond. His energy was shifting so violently, that for a moment, he instinctively pushed back, and once again, he felt the slight heat of the fire course through him. He couldn't help but cry out, and he felt his body lurch forward, and hoped the strength of his arms would stop him from face planting onto the hard surface below…

"Sheppard!"

Within seconds, John could feel the sensation of hands gripping onto him, as he struggled to once more let go. Thankfully the fire began to ease off, but it seemed to take all his strength with him, as he suddenly felt his knees begin to give out.

"I need some help here!" Rodney again, only yelling loudly this time. Once again, he felt yet more hands grabbing onto him.

It was at that moment, everything suddenly shifted violently. It felt as though his third eye suddenly exploded in his head, and an intense flash of light appeared before his eyes.

As his eyesight began to return, and the pain subsided, he began to make out vague images, which appeared to be emerging from some strangely heavy mist.

Just like his dream.

His energy suddenly shivered, deep and powerful. It felt ominous, like someone had just walked over his grave. No, not walked. Floated.

It can't be….

He could then feel them: the dark, ominous forces…so close that he could even smell them.

"NO!"

Even though he felt it came from him, the voice was not his own.

It was that of his brother's!

But before John could even begin to figure out what that meant, he felt a massive pain in his head, like he had been hit with something hard. He heard his brother's voice again cry out, and he felt himself instinctively raise his arms above his head, shielding himself.

But John could feel that the impact had done damage, and he was either going to vomit or pass out. He prayed that it would be the latter, and not both at the same time.

The world began to spin violently, and he fought hard to see…to catch a glimpse of his assailant. But he was losing consciousness fast, and everything tipped as he felt himself going down…he was passing out.

"Sheppard!"

He tried to reach out, to cry out, but he had nothing.

He couldn't stop himself as he began to fall, and everything faded to black.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Ronon was first on the scene, as he was already on his way to catch up with Sheppard anyway, but upon hearing McKay's frantic order, he instantly raced the last several yards to the Control Room.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

"What the hell happened?" he growled, as he stepped in quickly to take over from Zelenka's hold on Sheppard.

"I don't know, Ronon!" exclaimed Rodney loudly, "One minute he's standing there, the next he just…"

John groaned, swayed a little, and then his legs suddenly gave way, as he appeared to pass out.

Ronon growled, and then promptly bent down and heaved John over his shoulder into a fireman's carry. "Get Beckett!" he barked loudly at no one in particular, and headed straight for John's office.

Ronon carefully lowered John onto the sofa, who now appeared to be completely unconscious. His Combat First Aid training kicked in instinctively, and quickly raised Sheppard's feet with a cushion, and then moved to check his pulse.

It was racing, far faster than was normal for a man that had just been standing still. It was like that of someone who was running, or who was in extreme medical distress.

He looked at John, whose eyes were closed, but his breathing was rapid, and his face looked extremely pale.

At that moment, Teyla arrived and paused for a moment at the doorway, and then rushed over.

"John?" she spoke slowly, but Ronon could tell by the slight quiver in her voice, that she was as worried as they were. Teyla looked at him. "What happened?"

"Dunno," replied Ronon gruffly. "He just went all weird."

"I've called for Benedict, and Carson is on his way," added Rodney quickly, who was hovering anxiously behind them.

Ronon stepped back, and Teyla instantly knelt down beside John.

"John?" Teyla's voice broke slightly as she spoke more loudly, as her anxiety began to rise. Ronon felt his chest tighten painfully. He could only imagine what she must be feeling right now.

At that moment, John then gasped loudly, his eyes shot open and sat bolt upright, causing everyone in the room to flinch.

But it wasn't the sudden act that made Rodney take a small step back. It was the intense blue that now shone out of John's eyes. Almost as though the energy could no longer be contained within them… It was like something out of the film, Dune!

"Sheppard!" Ronon's voice was low and urgent, but John continued to stare, his intense blue eyes still wide and unblinking.

"John," said Teyla slowly, "help is on the way…."

Teyla could hardly breathe! Although she had begun to be become accustomed to John's blue eyes, what she saw now was something completely different. This was more powerful, and so much more ominous….

What power was this that could affect him so? "John?"

She slowly began to reach out to him, but hesitated slightly.

"I…er…I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Teyla." Rodney sounded completely wired.

She looked back at him. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Rodney. John will not hurt me." She turned back and spoke once more to him, her voice now strong. "John, can you hear me?"

Nothing. John just continued to stare, wide eyed, into space.

She took a deep breath and slowly lowered her hand on his arm.

He seemed to flinch slightly upon contact, and then slowly turned his bright unblinking eyes towards her.

"Caecus eram…sed iam video…" John spoke slowly, almost prophetically, but he didn't sound like him now. His voice was strangely heavily accented, as though English was no longer his first language.

But it was the tone in which he spoke, that sent shivers through everyone. It was as though the energy itself was speaking, as John's eyes continued to look at Teyla.

Teyla and Ronon had no idea what he had just said, as it didn't appear to be Ancient.

"It's Latin…" said Rodney slowly. "…I was blind…but now I see…"

"John?" Teyla's heart was in her mouth. What was happening to him?

Carson then flew into the room, with medical kit in hand, and breathing heavily. "What's happened?" He stopped instantly, the moment he set eyes on the Colonel. "Oh, bloody hell!" he whispered, and his bag dropped suddenly to the ground.

"It is…vision" said the deep, rather ominous voice of Brother Benedict, who had silently arrived behind him.

At the sound of his voice, John's focus moved quickly to look at him, and then slowly blinked.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

John stared at him.

He had been blind, so very blind.

But now…he could see.

His energy was still coursing through him, but he felt no fire.

Despite everything, he had managed not to fight against it, and had just let it happen. It had been incredibly hard, as all his senses had been screaming at him to act, to fight it, to find some control.

But he knew better than to do that now. He understood that it was no longer a separate entity, which had to be controlled. It was part of him; just as he was part of it.

Where he had not been able to feel the energy in his eyes previously, he could now. And what he could see…

It was as though he had been wearing contact lenses, or had cataracts, that had just been removed. His vision was now clearer, more enhanced than ever before. Everything looked brighter, and more defined. Colours looked richer, and everything had more depth.

As he continued to stare at Brother Benedict, his image seemed to shift slightly, as if he could see two people, one overlapping the other.

John began to frown, which instantly caused his head to throb painfully, serving as a reminder to what he had seen….and felt.

Benedict had called it a vision. He would have called it a nightmare; had he actually been asleep that was. But he knew that the monk had spoken the truth.

His nausea returned with a vengeance, and he swallowed hard against the bile.

"John?" Teyla's soft and gentle voice.

He turned his head slowly towards her. For a moment, every single thought was forgotten. She took his breath away. She looked…so beautiful! But it was not the beauty on the outside that made him react so strongly. It was her soul….

"What happened, Colonel?" asked Carson, who slowly squatted down in front of him, causing John to look at him, and pull his attention away from Teyla.

He felt his energy course through him, and he breathed deeply, opening himself to it. And with it, came the emotions.

"My…brother…" his voice sounded once more like his own, though heavily loaded with his energy, which was growing darker by the minute.

He felt nauseous, confused, and afraid…and his energies were reflecting that.

Teyla moved closer. "What…did you…see, John?"

He could feel and hear the fear in her voice, and as he looked back at her, he could see it in her eyes and in her aura.

"I was in…Dave's house." His voice was steady.

Teyla took a sharp intake of breath. "Same as before?" she asked quietly.

"No." He took another deep calming breath. "This time the place was…" he felt his energy pulse. "Teyla, the place is trashed."

She gasped slightly. "And …David?"

His breath caught in his throat. "I…felt…"

Teyla reached out and took hold of his hand, squeezing it as she did so. He looked down at her slender fingers, and tightened his grip back.

He felt his energy shift again, but it simmered slightly as he felt her warmth and her love flow through him, centering him once more. He looked back up, straight into her eyes once again.

"I felt…Dave, Teyla."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You…felt him? Then, he is alive…"

"Yeah, he's…alive. For now."

He knew what he had seen, and he knew what he had felt. The only question in his mind was whether it had just occurred, or if it had yet to happen.

He looked back at Brother Benedict, who still seemed to be moving in and out of focus slightly.

"You think that…?" Teyla clearly didn't want to finish her question, but he knew she was thinking back to their conversation a few nights ago.

A vision. A premonition.

Whatever you chose to call it, he had been too slow to respond to it.

Damn it!

John suddenly felt incredibly angry and his energy instantly responded, though again he refused to fight it. He now welcomed the power he felt as it coursed through his veins.

He looked all the faces staring at him, and then turned back to Benedict as he spoke again.

"I have to save my brother."

Benedict merely inclined his head slowly.

"What's going on?" exclaimed Rodney, clearly not understanding any of it.

John stared at him, as he forced himself to speak slowly. "My brother has, or will be, attacked. Probably a head wound, and he will be taken."

"What?!" Rodney was about to launch into yet another of his rapid questioning sessions.

John felt his anger rise and the energies surge through him once again, and his vision cleared; the sign that indicated his eyes had once more flashed blue. Rodney fell silent.

When John spoke, he sounded as deadly as his purpose now was.

"We are going back to Earth."

To be continued…

In 'BLOOD OF THE HEIR'

Post script: bit of a long one I'm afraid.

I know, before you all shout at me…I know THE biggest cliff hanger ever!

But then, name me a series finale episode that didn't have one.

I have been incredibly touched and overwhelmed by how many of you have taken to my story, and I want to thank each and every one of you that took the time to PM me or leave a review. Without them, I probably wouldn't have continued.

So don't forget, keep an eye out for Blood of the Heir, or you could 'follow author', and you should get an automatic alert when I post the first chapter. I have almost finished writing the first chapter, so you won't have long to wait.

Keep an eye on my on my Profile page, for a taster of what's coming up…

Oh, and the words on the stairs are the actual translation of Ancient words that are written on each step. Honest!

I would welcome your thoughts on this final chapter, and on your favourite parts of the story - Fight sequences, tender scenes, or character moments that made you smile….

Thanks again,

Sandy

xxx