The Scoops were flying frequently, which meant no one would have to endure the trek to the Gardens Plateau above, or have to stagger back down after enjoying some happy hours at the Nulumn restaurant. The Scoops had been built to allow maximum view of beautiful Mount Nulumn and today, the sight was simply breathtaking. The sun shone bright and warm above in the clear blue sky, and there was thankfully no signs of any impending Dark Shift. The waterfalls of deep blue water glistened in the light, falling to become pools that spread out then meandered through pristine white channels of hard stone, between the rows and rows of well kept flower beds. The pale white trees were once again clothed in their delicate golden leaves and the plateau had quite obviously survived the Dark Shift that had almost blown it to pieces some months previous.

The Scoop, expertly piloted by non other than Bann himself, touched down close to the restaurant, coming to rest on a square clearing surrounded by blossoming flowers. The doors of the Scoop opened out onto the famed Gardens of Nulumn with all of its scents and sights and it felt good to walk in such beauty, free from worry and stress.

"Today, be we celebrating life itself. Mine friends good be safe, life return and we be forging many new happy memories." Bann said as he led them into the restaurant.

They were met by three spotless Muoan waiters who took their jackets and showed them to their seats. Those who were already seated in the restaurant, many well dressed Muoans, turned their heads to stare momentarily at the group, smiles on their furry faces and John began to wonder if this was in fact, a party being thrown for them.

"Everyone!" Bann's voice boomed clearly across the restaurant. "Great treasured friends of Atlantis be here!" He roared, confirming John's suspicions.

Everyone got to their feet, clapping their hands and cheering, nodding their heads with deep regard to the people they thought of as heroes, of having freed them from the scourge of the Nenec. To say John and the others were mortified was an understatement, but such was the flamboyant ways of the Muoan culture, and so they nodded back and smiled pleasantly in thanks for the acclaim.

Bann leaned towards John, his huge head a few inches from his ear and spoke in a low voice. "Forgive me I. Had known you, I be knowing you would not have been coming this day." He winked then stood tall, opening his arms wide as he looked out over the entire restaurant.

"Have of many things, enjoy all that you can be eating. Greatest pleasure to be treating mine friends good to their favourite meals, and that of all present also."

As everyone took their seats, finally looking away from the abashed group of Lanteans, the door to the kitchen opened wide, and a stream of waiters pushed out trolleys filled to overflowing with foods of all descriptions.

"Ah now this, this is what I'm talking about!" Rodney smiled as he licked his lips, his eyes bulging at sight of the delicacies he would soon enjoy. "I'm starving!"

"You're hardly starving, McKay. You polished off a plateful of sticky chicken less than two hours ago." Ronon growled, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, well, that was hardly a plateful. That was a canteen serving, not even enough to adequately feed a child." Rodney replied, watching as the large tureens of food as they were laid out before them. As well as many varied, steaming and mouth watering deliciousness, there was an extra large serving dish with Gnator Muo'sh and an extra large Asam Pie placed in the centre of their table.

As Rodney watched the others begin to fill their plates, he thought about how nice it was, to be able to sit and enjoy a simple meal with them all, although this meal was far from simple. Despite the fact that they were the centre of attention that day, Rodney really didn't mind. It was the first chance in quite some time that they had all been able to sit together and share a meal, and he was determined to enjoy it.

John had been off active duty until he was fully healed and while that meant no offworld missions, he spent a lot of time catching up on reports, for once. Like Rodney, he was often found slumped over said reports, drool dripping from his mouth as he snored. But then, writing reports had never really been his forte.

Lorne had not long returned from his prescribed time on Earth, and he was looking much better than he had before he left. He bore some scars, but with his fresh healthy tan and ever so slightly longer than usual hair, the scarring was not quite as obvious as had thought might be. Filled to bursting with stories of his nephew and newly born niece, time spent with Evan Lorne was always a good time, just as it always had been.

Ronon and Teyla had been continuing their missions and delegation work, and had been kept quite busy with trade and supply runs. It meant that they often missed meal times, eating while on mission and missing time with their team. But they were happy, contributing to the working of Atlantis. Knowing that the team would eventually get back together, kept them going.

As for Rodney himself, well, for a long time he kept to himself and hid away from people. He isolated himself to a small degree, mostly while he worked through what had happened to him and the repercussions of his actions. It hadn't been easy to reach the point he was currently at, the guilt and self loathing had almost consumed him. It had helped that no one ever blamed him for what happened, no one ever shunned him. Sure, at times, some were more than happy to point out that had he not meddled in things he did not fully understand, the Nenec would never have wrought the damage it had. But it was never said with any malice, just as a warning for him to slow down when he appeared to be rushing into something.

He continued to live his life and love it for what it was. He had long decided that life was too short to mope over, and so enjoyed it the best he could. Having forgotten his initial recovery, he was still filled with the joy of being able to walk again, and this helped carry him through his darker times. The two years of chair bound disablement had almost been forgotten as he had pushed it to the back of his mind with all the other memories of his most vulnerable times. On the days that he felt nostalgic, he might contemplate his fortune at having survived two life changing occurrences in his time, but most days he just carried on and lived his life for the present and occasionally, the future. On the rare days in which he just could not hold back the thoughts, he would brood over what had happened, but days like that never ended well. They usually ended with him drunk on a pier with John Sheppard. Sometimes the pilot laughed with him to cheer him up, some times he consoled him when he cried tears of regret, but no matter what, John was always there for him.

In the time since the Nenec and Rodney's DNA were unraveled in the ascension machine, a curious Carson Beckett, had continued to delve into the files on the Nenec and had made some important discoveries. Not only had the Ancients sought a way to destroy the Nenec, they had also managed to use its DNA to further medicine in ways no one ever thought possible. After a great amount of research and careful testing, Carson found treatments for several complaints and illnesses that before have gone untreated. The more astounding findings included a cure for Brinki fever, a common, deadly virus in the Pegasus galaxy, and had already saved the lives of two Atlantis crew members. The discoveries would always be tinged with the loss of those who died at that dark time, but, moving forward was the key.

When the team had got back together again a week or so ago, it was with a new appreciation for the lives of others, as well as their own. In time, the memories of what happened and the Nenec, faded, soon forgotten under the weight of newer, happier memories. But the incident was never completely forgotten, it served as a reminder of how fragile life was, and how the actions of one, might have major ramifications for others. It made them much more careful when dealing with new discoveries, and a little less hurried to dive into them without first doing their research, very thoroughly.

Rodney himself became the most cautious of all, fearing that he might unleash something as deadly as the Nenec upon the galaxy again. Of course, this meant working at the same pace as the others, but he didn't really mind. In fact, Rodney didn't mind a lot of things these days, deciding that life, was just too short to throw away with worry, petty squabbles, and stressing. It didn't stop him being his usual snarky self, but he was far more at peace with himself than he had ever been. The only unknown variable that might change the equilibrium, would be the sudden return of the memories he had lost. But as the weeks passed by, it seemed increasingly unlikely that they would ever return. This made him happy as he knew what he needed to know, and that was as much as he wanted.

The sound of cutlery hitting off glass drew everyone's attention towards Bann. The large Muoan raised his glass of Alfashan ale, and held it towards the table the Lanteans were seated at.

"It been has, mine honor, to have Atlantis dwellers as friends mine. Trusted, beloved friends great. Hard days seen we all, and on this day fine, beautiful sun day filled, we honoring these friends be. Raising glasses all please, to appreciate all love that be ours. To acknowledge the lives been that be taken gone. But especially high raise glasses, in to honor these friends good. Ever welcomed, ever trusted, ever great."

There sounded the clinking of glasses, the passionate Muoan roar of celebration and extended applause that made the tips of John's ears turn red. Then Rodney, completely out of character and perhaps a little more tipsy on the ale he rarely drank than he cared to admit, shouted over the noise.

"And God bless us, everyone!"

The applause grew louder at this while John stared hard at Rodney, a lopsided grin on is face. "I can't believe you just quoted Dickens."

Rodney grinned back as he took another sip of his ale. "Well, it seemed fitting."

John nodded and took a sip of his own ale, as Teyla raised her glass towards everyone seated at the table.

"To all of us. May we always be happy in each others company and let us never be strangers. Love to you all, much love to you all." She said with a wide, happy smile.

"Here here!" Lorne cried, raising his own glass to clink against Teyla's, the action followed by the others.

"Right!" Rodney put his glass down, clapped once, then rubbed his hands together. "Now that all the pleasantries are over, Gimme a huge plateful of that steaming pile of deliciousness!" He said, pointing at the Gnator Muo'sh.

If anything good had come out of the situation involving the Nenec, it was to bring these people closer to one and other. It was clear to anyone looking on, that everyone sat at the Lantean table were more than just friends, more than just colleges. They might once have been strangers, but some time ago, without any of them really noticing, they became, family.

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The End... A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to comment and read Unforeseen! I can only apologize for the time between updates, but I said I would finish it, and I did. Perhaps next time, I will write it all up front and post it over a period of time instead as when real life gets busy, it gets BUSY! I really battled with myself about whether or not to add a final twist like I usually do. In the end, I decided that, for once, they all should be happy. I hope you agree :) Anyway, thanks for sticking around, I really hope that you enjoyed it! Let me know by feeding my Dragony soul some cookie comments! For now, peace to all and ciao! x

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A bright green light flashed in the darkness. Once, twice, and then a third time before the occupant of the dark room opened its eyes to look towards it. The eyes shone in the darkness, an eerie white light held behind yellow sclera and slitted pupils. It grunted, shuffled towards the green light, then grunted again. Pressing the homemade console before it, a message was played through the single speaker, sounding tinny and loud in the quiet room.

"My name is Daraal S'unu't of T'ny'k, and I call on all Nenec, to hear my words..."

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MUAHAHAHAHAHA!