Epilogue
Surrey Down

"You're sure you don't mind?" Dean asked Lisa as the Winchesters and Braedens made their way to the Gateroom two weeks later.

"What? No, of course not," Lisa replied. "Why should I mind?"

"It's your apartment, technically."

"Yeah, technically, but how much time are we going to spend there?"

"True."

"Besides which, they're family. And it'll save them having to look for a place, plus getting set up with doctors and all that."

Somehow the mention of doctors made Dean uneasy, but he didn't think there was anything Lisa had heard from Earth that he hadn't, so he chalked it up to nerves. The brothers had been ordered back to Earth for one last intergalactic briefing on the demon threat, and Landry had specifically requested that Ben and Lisa come with them to discuss their future status in the Atlantis expedition. Ben's grades were good, and Lisa's classes were a hit, so Dean didn't expect Landry to be planning to send them home... but he still worried.

"Will you guys have to go straight to your meetings?" Ben asked Sam.

"I don't think so," Sam answered. "The main briefing's not until after lunch, so that should give us some time to hang out for a while. Bobby said he'd meet us at the Gate."

"Okay, cool."

After some brief leave-taking, the Gate activated, and the family walked through to the SGC. Sure enough, Bobby was there at the foot of the ramp, and so was Henry, looking much happier and healthier than he had at Christmas. They all exchanged hugs and greetings, and then Bobby ushered them toward the guest quarters where they'd most likely spend the night if they had to stay over.

"I'd love for you and Josie to sublet 'my' apartment," Lisa told Henry as they walked. "We can take care of that this afternoon, while Sam and Dean are in their meeting."

Henry sighed in relief. "Wonderful. Thanks. We'd be able to afford a house soon on what the SGC's paying us, but Lebanon's such a small town, and Josie just feels a lot safer coming here to see Dr. Lam."

Doctors again. Something Was Up.

Bobby noticed the look on Dean's face. "You ain't heard why they're movin' to Colorado Springs, have you?"

Dean frowned. "Heard you and Rufus were retiring, becoming Men of Letters—something about your house blowing up?"

"Yeah, bunch of ghouls got it into their heads they'd be helpin' Menva by takin' us out, blew up my house when I wasn't in it but they were. I was here, and Rufus was in Vermont. Good thing I'd already asked Cas to help me move my books and your car down to the bunker. But that ain't all that's been goin' on," Bobby added with a pointed look at the back of Henry's head. "I mean, I'm sure a couple o' newlyweds don't want to spend too much time with us old coots—"

Henry snorted in amusement.

"—but if it was as simple as that, Rufus has a place in Montana where we could hole up."

Henry looked over his shoulder at Sam and Dean. "Boys, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. We really have been swamped."

"Telling us what?" the brothers chorused.

But before he could answer, Josie came around the corner from the other direction... and the reason for Henry's apology became as obvious as the fact that she was wearing maternity pants. Lisa saved the day by rushing forward to hug Josie and talk new-mom talk for a minute while Dean tried to figure out what his reaction was supposed to be.

Bobby nudged him. "Say something, boy."

Henry chuckled. "It's all right, Bobby. It is kind of awkward."

"Um," said Sam. "Congratulations?"

"Thanks, Sam."

"When is she due?"

"Mid-October, we think. Early November at the outside. Dr. Lam's not exactly sure, since we were too busy to come in until Abaddon was defeated. I mean, Josie's been taking care of herself, but... let's just say I have no idea how Bobby's managed his switchboard on his own all these years."

"Ain't been this busy since the Apocalypse," Bobby returned.

Mid-October, Dishon mused. That would mean—

Shut up, shut up, do NOT go there! Dean interrupted, then managed to plaster on a smile and give Josie a hug, just in time to get kicked in the gut by the baby. Literally.

Josie chuckled ruefully and rubbed her belly. "I'm sorry, Dean."

And somehow that jarred the 'step-grandmother' label enough that he could see her instead as a young wife and mother-to-be, and he managed a real smile. "Let's try that again," he said and hugged her more carefully, and she gave him a peck on the cheek as a thank you.

Sam, of course, didn't get kicked at all.

Then Lisa insisted on taking Ben and Josie to the mess hall for ice cream, leaving the men standing in the hall and feeling awkward. Henry rubbed the back of his neck; Sam ran a hand through his hair to push the bangs out of his eyes, even though they hadn't quite grown out that far yet; and Dean ran a hand over his mouth.

Bobby sighed. "Let's go, idjits."

"So yes," Henry said as they started walking again, "it's a lot easier for Josie to see someone here who'll understand if she says, 'Gee, it must have happened during our literally enchanted honeymoon because we've been too busy saving the world since the spell was broken'!"

Sam let out a low whistle, and Dean uttered a quiet Goa'uld curse.

Henry didn't say anything else until they got into the guest quarters. Then, once the door was closed and everyone had sat down, he said more quietly, "I don't think it was an accident, though, and not just because Abaddon had a spell placed on us to get us out of the way. After the showdown, we got separated... and one of the Fates helped me find her."

"The Fates?" Sam repeated. "As in—"

"The Moirai. I can't be sure, but I think it was Atropos. I can't imagine why, though."

"I can guess. I finally found the section of Janus' journal where he explains the Ancient controls in the bunker; he did intend for it to be a place to protect our branch of the family, as well as the Men of Letters' knowledge. He didn't tell anyone else those controls were there, but he knew there would be generations of Winchesters who knew about the gene and would eventually end up using the place—more than just the three of us. But if Dean and I remain Tok'ra, neither one of us will be having any more kids. Right now, our line ends with Ben."

Dean nodded. "And Ben wants to stay in Atlantis. He's even got a girlfriend on New Athos. No Winchesters left on Earth, no Winchesters in the Men of Letters... and makes it a little hard to have a Celebrity Death Match."

Henry paled. "You think they'll try again?"

Sam shook his head. "Not in our lifetime. And if we're still Tok'ra, that could be another two hundred years."

Henry inclined his head a little and murmured, "So that's what John meant."

Dean turned his head a little. "Pardon?"

"Sorry. Um, Raphael gave me a chance to talk to your father's spirit for a moment. I promised to do what I could for you, and he said you'd probably outlive your cousins' grandchildren."

"Huh," said Sam.

Henry took a deep breath and continued, "He... also asked me to tell you he's proud of you. He said that was something he'd forgotten to say until it was too late."

Dean didn't know how to feel at that revelation. Dishon gave him the mental equivalent of a side hug.

Just then, Bobby's phone rang. "Singer," he answered. "Hey, Gwen. ... Well, I'm sure sorry to hear that, but..." There was a long pause before he said, "Huh. That is suspicious. Listen, see if you can't get permission to bring the body to the Air Force Academy Hospital for an autopsy—Colorado Springs, right. If you need, I can get Sam and Dean's okay." He covered the mouthpiece and whispered, "Samuel Campbell's dead, and Gwen thinks it's our kind of weird."

Dean frowned but nodded. "I'm oldest next of kin. Let's do this."

Bobby nodded back and took his hand off the mouthpiece. "Gwen? Yeah, Dean's right here, okayed it." After another pause, he nodded again. "All right, we'll let 'em know to expect you. You take care, girl. And tell Mark he talks too much." Dean could hear her bark of laughter as Bobby smiled and hung up.

"Why bring the body to the Academy Hospital?" Sam asked.

Bobby sighed and pocketed his phone. "Gwen said Samuel met up with her and Mark on Monday to discuss a hunt, told them he'd started feelin' poorly a few days before that but figured it was just the flu or somethin'. By Wednesday he was hospital-bad. They couldn't find any kind of infection, but his tissues were dyin', and all his organs were shuttin' down at once. Never could get him stabilized, and he passed a few hours ago."

Henry hummed thoughtfully. "Suspicious timing, to say the least, that he would deteriorate so quickly after Abaddon's departure."

Sam frowned. "Wait a minute, that sounds like..."

"Beckett," Dean agreed.

"But that doesn't make sense. I mean, you weren't cloned. I wasn't cloned. Adam wasn't cloned."

Henry stared at him.

"That's why I told Gwen to bring him here," Bobby said. "Lam or Brightman or somebody should be able to get enough out of an autopsy to tell. Abaddon's been dealin' with rogue angels, Trust agents, Lucian Alliance... no tellin' what she had access to."

Henry's eyes narrowed. "Before that first assault on the Pentagon, the wards were broken in the middle of the night, and the demon that tried to use the communication stones got there several hours early. Would this other case have been among files she could have accessed during that time?"

Sam nodded slowly. "Possibly. And that happened before Abaddon had Ion raise Samuel."

Dean sighed and scrubbed at his eyes. "Dunno which is weirder, a grandfather who's younger than me or a grandfather who's a clone."

"I still can't figure out why she would have cloned him, if that's what happened."

"And I still can't get used to hearing the word 'clone' used so casually," Henry confessed.

Sam's head bobbed. "Winchesters," Salim stated, "can get used to anything."

"I suppose so."

"Case in point," Bobby muttered and looked at his watch. "C'mon. Let's go get some lunch before Lisa decides to drag Josie out to the mall."

The briefing was pretty much all good news for a change. Demons and monsters were still sniping at each other some because each side blamed the other for their defeat, but hunters were already mopping up the monster threat as best they could, and the angels were in the process of rescuing the captured souls and working with the Reapers to make sure the souls reached their proper destinations safely. Gabriel had gotten his Trickster on again and faked a message from Lucifer that convinced the severely weakened demon factions to settle their dispute Downstairs. If that hadn't worked, though, the Campbells were still out of the Purgatory hunt now that Samuel was dead, and the Lucian Alliance was in tatters and couldn't assist Hell any further even if its leaders wanted to. The Alliance had worn out its victim card, too, at least as far as most of the Milky Way was concerned; though they had been legitimately deceived and victimized, the general consensus was that they deserved their misfortune because they'd willingly worked with demons. In Pegasus, by contrast, the Coalition was stronger than ever, and what few unwary hives in the stakeout zone the Asgard had missed had since been taken out by the combined fleets of the Genii and the Travelers. Several Milky Way worlds had expressed interest in forming a similar coalition, with or without the involvement of the Tau'ri, and their representatives would be meeting with the Nox while they were all still at the SGC.

Dean knew better than to think these victories would solve all of the galaxies' problems. Monsters and Wraith might never become extinct. The Alliance might disband if it kept failing, but sooner or later another group with a similar philosophy would show up again—hell, Earth still had neo-Nazis and various flavors of Mafia, even though Hitler and Capone and their cronies had been dead for decades. And that also guaranteed that Hell would eventually rebuild and start attacking Earth again, maybe even find a way to renew the assault on other worlds.

Even so, a win was a win, and these wins were huge. Plus, Raphael had finally truly seen the error of his ways, and with him openly backing Gabriel and Cas, Heaven would be stable and (probably) not trying to jump-start the Apocalypse again in the foreseeable future. And even if some other angel went rogue, it shouldn't go after the new aunts, uncles, and cousins as long as Sam and Dean were still viable vessels.

Maybe, just maybe, it really was going to be okay for Henry and Josie to start a new branch of the family, for Bobby to retire to the bunker, and for Sam and Dean to retire to Atlantis.

The meeting had just adjourned when Lam radioed for Sam, Dean, Bobby, and the angels to meet her in a meeting room up on the entry level, which was in the NORAD section and didn't require SGC clearance. They arrived to find Lam talking with Gwen Campbell, who looked pale and drawn. Bobby gave her a comforting hug before introducing her to Sam and Dean.

"Hey," Dean said, shaking her hand warmly. "Thanks for your help."

"Glad I could," she replied. "You sure have delicate features for a hunter."

Dean snorted.

"Sorry for your loss," Sam said when she took his hand to shake.

She shook her head. "Don't be. He never did come clean about what he was after, just told me and Mark to tell you he was sorry for makin' threats. You guys have nice voices," she added, looking at Dean again. "What was with the distortion on that video call?"

Dean shrugged. "Had to shake him up somehow."

"It was Gabriel's idea," Sam added.

Gabriel scoffed but didn't even hint at the other reason: neither brother had felt confident of their ability to talk to Samuel without lighting into him for agreeing to Abaddon's deal in order to resurrect Mary. They'd all known the Tok'ra could keep the conversation on track.

"Mark's still at the hospital," Gwen said as everyone sat down. "Hated to stick him with makin' arrangements, but Dr. Lam couldn't get permission for both of us to come on base here for the autopsy results."

Bobby nodded. "And it's a cinch you'd have a hell of a time gettin' a full explanation out of 'im if he'd been the one to come."

Gwen huffed. "Yeah. Especially with this non-disclosure agreement I just had to sign."

Lam held up a hand. "I asked you to sign it because I felt your help in stopping Abaddon entitled you to a fuller explanation than the rest of your family will receive. Officially, the cause of death will be organ failure due to natural causes. That's the truth—but it's not the whole truth."

"Were we right?" Sam asked.

Lam nodded. "Partly, anyway. The necrosis was caused by cellular degradation, and in the tissue samples I studied, the telomere length was closer to what one would expect in a man over the age of 100 than in someone who'd been only in his fifties when he died."

Gwen frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It's not clear how," Sam explained, "but Abaddon apparently had access to some kind of alien technology and used it to clone Samuel."

"Clone, yes," Lam interrupted before Gwen could react with more than a dropped jaw. "But that's where things get weird. The DNA from that tissue wasn't from one of your relatives, but it was an exact match for someone else already in our database."

A beat passed before Sam and Dean chorused, "Caldwell?!"

"Got it in one."

Cas tilted his head in confusion. "Why would such an action be necessary? Zachariah was able to raise Adam Milligan from ashes a year after his death."

Raphael leaned back in his chair. "Only a year later, yes, and Zachariah was considerably more powerful than Ion, especially since he was acting with Michael's approval and with the full might of Heaven at his disposal, which Ion was not. Samuel died and was burned thirty-eight years before his return; if any of his own DNA survived, it would almost certainly be too little to use to reconstruct a working body, whether by our methods or by alien means."

"I'd say alien," Gabriel agreed. "The Winchesters are right; the pattern of breakdown's too close to another classified case to be coincidence. And in that case, the clone's creator retained a measure of psychic control over the clone, which could explain why Samuel kept working for Abaddon apart from the promise of Mary's return."

Lam nodded. "I thought the same. But that brings up a question for Gwen. In that other case, the clone had to be stabilized with a serum, and after he was rescued, he nearly died before we could get the serum recreated. He still needs a shot every week. Did Mr. Campbell take shots of any kind?"

Gwen thought for a moment, then shook her head. "If he did, he hid it damn well."

Then something dawned on Dean and Dishon at the same time. "He might not have had to," Dean said, "if Abaddon was the one keeping him alive in the first place."

Lam frowned. "How do you mean?"

"She needed an empty body, right, for Ion to plug Samuel's soul into?"

"More or less," Cas agreed.

Dean nodded. "But unless the alien tech she used was designed to build an empty body, which it probably wasn't, the clone would have formed with its own soul, shaped by a copy of Caldwell's memories and personality."

Sam leaned forward as he caught on. "The Men of Letters had a case where Abaddon was stealing souls out of living humans. So she could have done the same thing to the clone and then had Ion shove Samuel's soul into the body."

Raphael nodded. "But she would have had to bind the two together somehow, because the body wasn't Samuel's to begin with. Ion might have been able to force the possession to occur, but Abaddon would have had to be the one to force it to take. Perhaps she even used her own life force to forge the bond—after all, as a Knight of Hell, she would not have expected to die."

"And Ion wasn't a healer," Gabriel added. "He wouldn't have known how to resolve the clone's cellular instability. Tying the body to herself at that level would have given Abaddon even more leverage over Samuel, and it maintained the illusion of a normal resurrection. But even though it seems the body'd accepted the transplanted soul by the time Abaddon was defeated, the instability issue remained."

"I know of one way to find out," Cas said and disappeared for a moment. When he returned, he reported, "There is an extra soul in Heaven that identifies itself as Steven Caldwell. It arrived the day of Samuel's return, delivered personally by Ion."

"Reckon that's one reason Thanksgiving was quiet," Bobby ventured. "Abaddon was tryin' to get hold of the equipment she needed to pull this off, not to mention Caldwell's DNA."

Gwen swore and slumped forward, head in hands.

Bobby rubbed her back a little. "Sorry, girl."

"I knew it was weird," she said, her voice wavering. "I didn't think..." She swore again, more violently.

"Pretty much," was all Sam said.

Everyone waited while Gwen struggled to pull herself together enough to take a deep breath and sit back again. "Okay," she said, as much to herself as to everyone else. "Natural result of an unnatural return. I... I think the rest of the family will accept that."

Sam nodded. "Give them our regards, will you?"

She huffed. "If they'll accept 'em, sure."

"And we'll tell Chuck we saw you."

"Thanks. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine."

"Good. Good." She sat for a moment, nodding slowly like a bobblehead, as if she didn't know what else to do.

"You okay to drive?" Bobby asked.

Gwen let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "No."

"I'll take you back to the hospital, then."

"All right, thanks. And from there, I'm going to make Mark drive while I get very, very drunk."

Dean couldn't help smiling. "Can't say I blame you."

Gwen took another deep breath and stood, thanked Lam, and accepted hugs from the Winchesters before taking her leave of the angels and letting Bobby steer her outside. The angels took off, too, leaving the Winchesters to thank Lam for her help and start back down to the guest quarters.

"There's only one thing that bothers me," Dean said once they'd switched elevators and were back in the SGC's part of the base. "Why Caldwell?"

Sam shrugged. "Everyone's got a double. Guess the illusion that it was Samuel's body mattered more than an actual DNA match. Or maybe there wouldn't have been a way to use another family member's DNA to reconstruct his or something. Or... maybe Abaddon was just in a hurry."

Dean suddenly remembered having once told McKay that there was no logic in magic and sighed. "Guess I was wrong."

"About what?"

"I don't get demons, either."

Sam chuckled.

They stepped off the elevator together, only to be called back to the conference room on 27. Ben and Lisa met them on that floor, and the four of them walked to the conference room together. The Nox were just wrapping up their interest meeting, so the Winchesters and Braedens waited in the hall while most of the delegates filed out. Only Landry, O'Neill, and the Tok'ra delegation remained. And suddenly Dean felt nervous again.

Let's hope this is good news, he thought to Dishon as they sat down, with Lisa beside Dean and Ben on the other side of Sam.

We'll know soon enough, Dishon replied.

This meeting got off to a pleasant enough start, as Landry introduced the Braedens to Erastus and the other Tok'ra and gave O'Neill a very positive report on how the family was getting along in Atlantis. Before Dean could wonder out loud why the meeting was even needed, O'Neill gave the floor to Erastus.

"We are still desperately short of willing hosts," Erastus reported. "So much so that the High Council has agreed that should Sam and Dean be amenable to the idea, they are to remain blended with Salim and Dishon."

"Awesome!" Dean replied before he could stop himself, and Dishon cheered.

Sam grinned. "We're definitely amenable, Master Erastus. Thank you."

Erastus held up a hand. "You may not wish to thank me quite yet. The High Council was divided on whether to allow you to remain in Atlantis."

Dean's smile faded.

O'Neill frowned. "Is there a problem with them being in Atlantis?"

"No," Erastus admitted. "But as yet, neither is there a clear benefit to the Tok'ra. So far, they have not encountered any information or technology that would be of particular use to us."

"Well, to be fair, they have been pretty busy."

"We understand, but that did not sway certain members of the High Council. However, they did agree to a compromise." He gestured toward a member of the delegation whose host was a sweet-faced old lady. "Kadena's host is nearing the end of her life. She will need a new host in only a matter of days, and we cannot locate one so soon among our other contacts. The High Council is willing to allow Salim and Dishon to remain in Atlantis if another member of the expedition will agree to host Kadena. If not, their orders are for Salim and Dishon to return to our homeworld and await reassignment somewhere in the Milky Way."

Ben gasped, and Lisa grabbed Dean's hand. He rubbed his thumb over hers.

"You can't insist on that," O'Neill stated. "These men have family here on Earth. If you stick them out there chasing what's left of the Lucian Alliance, they might never see that family again."

"That is the High Council's decision," Erastus returned flatly.

"No!" Ben cried, but Sam cut him off with a hand on his shoulder.

"What about us?" Lisa asked. "We moved to Atlantis specifically to be with Sam and Dean."

Landry sighed. "Unfortunately, Ms. Braeden, if the Winchesters leave Atlantis, we won't be able to justify your remaining there to the IOA. You'd be required to return to Earth."

Lisa's mouth fell open.

But Kadena raised a hand. "I may have a solution. Lisa, you care for Dean, do you not?"

"Of course I do," Lisa returned, squeezing Dean's hand.

"And Dishon?"

Lisa looked at Dean and nodded. "We're friends."

"I, too, am friends with Dishon. And though we had not seen each other since the death of his last mate, I had hoped that perhaps we might become more than friends when we met again."

Dean gulped but gave way when Dishon nudged him. "Kadena... I had no idea," Dishon said.

"It may be too soon to ask for your love, Dishon, but... would you be willing to be joined? For their sake?"

Joined? Dean asked. Like—married?

In a sense, Dishon answered him before sighing and looking at Lisa. "I can't answer that, old friend," he said aloud. "It's up to Lisa."

Lisa laughed incredulously. "This is my choice? Accept a Tok'ra or lose my job, my home, my son's father, everything?!"

"You can't force this on her, Erastus," O'Neill insisted.

Erastus tilted his head. "I have not done so. Another member of the expedition would be acceptable."

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, but knowing that Kadena's got a crush on Dishon, if her host develops a crush on Dean..."

"Dean will not be unfaithful to Lisa," Dishon insisted.

"I know that. I'm just saying, it could get really awkward."

Landry cleared his throat. "Why don't we give Ms. Braeden some time to think it over?"

Erastus looked at Kadena, who nodded, and sighed. "She may have twenty-four hours, no more. Hilda's condition does not permit me to grant a longer delay."

Kadena's head bobbed. "I am sorry, Lisa," Hilda said. "Age takes its toll on all of us eventually. But Kadena and I are at your disposal should you wish to talk with us before you decide."

Lisa nodded. "Okay. Thank you. I, um... I might do that."

Landry officially dismissed the meeting, but only he and the Tok'ra delegates left the room. The Winchesters and Braedens stayed where they were, and so did O'Neill.

After a moment of silence, O'Neill sighed. "Look, Ms. Braeden, I understand your position."

Lisa huffed. "Do you?"

"Yes, I do. The first time we met the Tok'ra, they took my team prisoner and wouldn't agree to help us or release us until one of us agreed to become a host for one of their elders. Finally, Carter offered to talk her dad into doing it—he was dying of cancer. But that was... it was a tough spot. So was the time I had to become a temporary host because I got hit with a disease that didn't have any other cure. Actually had to go live with the Tok'ra for a while," he added, looking at the Winchesters, "so I know what you two are facing, too. Not like it's quite fair for Salim and Dishon to be stuck in Atlantis, but..."

Dishon shook his head. "Don't worry about us, General. We had difficulty returning to life as usual after the Apocalypse—we shared our memories, but the other Tok'ra could not understand them. Perhaps we've become more Winchesters than we should."

"Damn straight," Salim agreed, which made Ben chuckle in spite of himself.

O'Neill nodded. "I see what you mean. Anyway, Ms. Braeden, my point is, I'm on your side. And if your answer is no, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the Tok'ra change their minds."

Lisa smiled a little. "Thank you, General."

O'Neill nodded again and left.

Lisa did find herself needing to talk—with Sam, Salim, Dean, Dishon, and Ben; with Bobby, Henry, and Josie; just with Ben; for a couple of hours just with Dean and Dishon; and for a long time with Kadena and Hilda, with and without Dean and Dishon being present. She walked the halls for a while, first by herself, then with Dean. When they'd walked-and-talked themselves out, they sat on the couch in the guest quarters just holding each other, and even when Lisa fell asleep, Dean didn't try to move her to the bed.

"It's quite a commitment to make," she finally said when he brought her coffee the next morning.

"Yeah," he said. "I know."

"I, um... y-you can veto this, of course, but I think I might have an easier time dealing with it if... if you and I were married."

His heart stuttered. "Lis, I..."

"I know, it's sudden, but—"

"No. No, it's not that. I just..." He blew out a breath and let Dishon take over, since he was having trouble putting the thought into words. "Dean has feared losing you for some time now," Dishon confessed. "He never dared hope that you would even consider marriage."

"It's not exactly a grand romance," she admitted with a wry smile.

"It doesn't need to be. He loves you. And... I suppose I love you, too, in my own way."

Her smile turned warm. "Thanks, Dishon. And you and Kadena?"

"We are old friends. I've known her... three hundred years, I think. I don't know whether she and I can ever have what Henry and Josie have, but there isn't time to find out before you must choose. As Torren says, we are the guests. I won't tell you what to do."

Her smile grew. "That just proves it."

"Proves what?"

"You do love me."

Dishon chuckled.

"Can you let me talk to Dean?"

"Sure." Dishon gave control back to Dean, who rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. So."

"So that's a yes?"

"If that's what you want to do, then yeah, let's do it."

She nodded. "Okay."

"You call Bobby. I'll set things up with Landry."

She reached for her phone. He reached for his radio.

And so, after some bureaucratic wrangling but well before the Tok'ra's deadline, Dean and Lisa found themselves in a little chapel just off the base, standing in front of an Air Force chaplain. Bobby gave the bride away; Sam was best man, Josie matron of honor, and Ben the ring bearer; and Henry and the Winchesters' few available friends were there to witness, as were the very bemused Tok'ra. A small reception followed in the SGC mess hall, with a cherry pie instead of wedding cake. And after Lisa finished her pie, she steeled herself and walked over to where Kadena was sitting—in a wheelchair, for Hilda's benefit.

"Are you ready, then, Lisa?" Kadena asked.

"No," Lisa admitted. "But I don't know if I'd ever be ready, really, so... I guess it's time."

"You may kiss the bride," Salim deadpanned.

All the humans (and one Jaffa) laughed, and Lisa bent down to give the kiss that would allow Kadena to jump from Hilda to her. Once the transfer was complete, Lisa's eyes flashed, and Hilda slumped back in her chair.

"Goodbye, old friend," Kadena whispered.

"Goodbye, dear," Hilda whispered back. "Enjoy Atlantis. And Lisa, may your life be long and prosperous."

Lisa's head bobbed. "Didn't know they got Star Trek on other planets."

Everyone laughed again, and the Tok'ra delegation said their farewells and wheeled Hilda down to the Gateroom. The generals left, too, but the rest of the group stayed to chat a while longer.

Finally, though, Josie put her hand on her belly with a wry chuckle. "Well, boys, I hate to break this up, but your uncle has decided it's time for gymnastics, so we'd better head home."

"I'll be getting back to the Janus project in the next day or two," Henry added. "And Landry said there's a possibility that you'll need to come back a few times a year to help us coordinate what we find in the bunker with what's in Atlantis—Dean, especially, if it calls for an engineer."

The brothers nodded and chorused, "Awesome."

"And you are coming home for Christmas, right?" Bobby prompted.

"If it is humanly possible," Dean promised. "Just don't start any more wars on us."

Everyone laughed again, and after a round of hugs and farewells, Henry, Josie, and Bobby left. Then Walter came in to alert the Winchesters that the Gate was ready to dial Atlantis, so they bade everyone else goodbye and followed Walter to the Gateroom. Seconds later, they were home and being swept into another celebration, likewise small but no less heartfelt (and with a different kind of pie brought by Halling). And when that wound down, Woolsey informed Dean and Lisa that Teyla, Keller, and Banks had set up a room on the East Pier as a honeymoon suite for them. The Lantean sun had already set by that point, so the newlyweds thanked Woolsey, asked Ben to stay with Sam for the night, and took off.

The room had a great view out over the ocean and up toward the sky, and Lisa went over to the window as Dean put out the giant Do Not Disturb sign that had been left on their bed. When he'd finished, he walked over to her and rubbed her back, finding the sensation of the naquadah in her blood both odd and oddly comforting.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded a little. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just... still getting used to the enormity of it all."

And it finally truly registered for Dean what they'd done. They'd taken the plunge, all right, vowed to stay together for life... for a life that could last two hundred years for both of them.

A hell of a lot could change in two hundred years. A hell of a lot had already changed in just one. He'd be outliving almost everyone he knew, nearly every member of the family outside the angels. And there was no telling what the universe would throw at them next.

But he would have Cas and Gabe, and Salim and Dishon, and he'd get to know Kadena soon enough. He'd still have Lantea. He'd still have Lisa.

And most important of all, he'd still have Sam.

She turned to him. "You?"

"Hell, yeah," he breathed and kissed her.

.

A/N: And here it is, finished at long last! Many, many thanks to jennytork for being such an awesome beta and to everyone who's read, reviewed, and waited patiently between updates.