Notice Anything?

Title: Within Your Arms
Author: perspi
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~6000
Pairing: None
Summary: The best family is the one you make, and if it has three fathers, how is that not wonderful?
Relates to Episodes: Season 4
Disclaimer: Me, I own nothing.
Notes: Companion to Beneath Your Heart, which was a sequel to ladycat777's lovely Inside Your Hands. As it is a close companion piece, I recommend reading those first.

Comments and concrit always welcome.


Within Your Arms

"News spreads fast," Ronon growled as he settled himself on the couch. Rodney reached for the popcorn and Ronon slapped his hand away. "Three people asked me today if I was the baby's father."

"And what did you say?" John asked, handing another bowl of popcorn to a pouting Rodney before sitting next to Teyla, who arranged herself and her blankets to accommodate him.

Ronon shrugged and stuffed more popcorn in his mouth. "Guess they wanted to know how they should bet."

"Bet?" John frowned.

"Oh, please, like you don't know," Rodney said dismissively. At John's blank look, Rodney's eyes went wide and he pointed. "You don't know. How could you not know? Even I know, and I'm oblivious."

John's jaw tightened. "Rodney," he warned.

"The 'who's Teyla sleeping with' pool is now the 'who's Teyla's baby-daddy' pool."

"What?"

"Apparently it began not long after I joined your team," Teyla told him. When she had learned of it, the pool had amused her more than anything; the Marines had quickly learned not to get too curious.

"You and me are even odds." Ronon smirked as he swallowed his Coke, and John's frown darkened into a full-on scowl.

"Oh, we are going to shut that shit down right now," John growled and started to disentangle himself from Teyla's feet and the blanket draped across his lap.

Teyla quickly grabbed his wrist, not least because John's exit would disturb her hard-won comfort. "What is wrong? Surely it is harmless."

John didn't relax, but he didn't get up, either. "It's not harmless, Teyla. It's..." he rubbed at his eyebrow with his free hand, "...it's disrespectful. Of you, of me, of Ronon. The fact that I didn't know about it means they know it, too."

"So do it in the morning," Ronon suggested.

John fidgeted briefly before finally agreeing, "Yeah, okay," and relaxing back into the couch cushions. "It'll give me time to think of the appropriate punishment for the ringleaders."

"We could confiscate the pot," Rodney suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." John turned and grabbed some popcorn from Teyla's bowl.

"Of course it isn't," Rodney said smugly. "I just don't understand why no one thinks it could be me. It could just as easily have been me, right?"

He looked so forlorn that Teyla had to suppress a fresh surge of irritation at the women who had given him such insecurity. She gave him a warm smile instead. "Of course, Rodney—as easily as John or Ronon."

"Meaning, never," John added.

"Ha very ha," Rodney huffed. "Hey, what are we watching, anyway?"

"These were in my mailbox," Teyla said and pulled a pair of DVD-Rs from under her blanket. "Rosemary's Baby sounds appropriate, does it not?"

John sat forward again, his whole body suddenly thrumming with agitation. "Who gave those to you?" Rodney asked quietly.

Teyla looked back and forth between them. "They had no note. Why? Rodney?"

But Rodney wasn't looking at her. "That is not fucking funny, Sheppard."

"Tell me about it. Who woul—"

"It's gotta be somebody new; no one who's been here long would ever—"

"Can you find them?"

"Absolutely. It's a simple matter of getting into personal c— Twenty-four hours, tops."

"Will someone explain?" Teyla asked loudly.

Rodney looked profoundly uncomfortable, but he explained, "It's a...a horror movie. About a woman who's pregnant with a demon child."

By the time Rodney finished, Ronon had leaned forward too, his body radiating as much tension as John's. "You're right, McKay," he growled, "that is not fucking funny."

Teyla tossed her blankets aside and stood up, pacing behind the couches. "I had thought the betting pool was merely entertainment, but to imply that my child is..." She pointed at Rodney. "I want their names. I want them on the next mining mission to that planet you call Hell. I want them scrubbing the waste recycling units with very small brushes. I want—"

"I want them in training sessions for a week," Ronon interrupted.

"Guys," John said loudly, and Teyla stopped pacing. "We'll find 'em. Don't worry."

"And we'll show them how funny we find their jokes," Ronon added darkly.

---

Teyla was surprised to find Major Lorne on the other side of her door. "Major Lorne. Is something wrong?"

Lorne shook his head quickly. "No, no, nothing's wrong. Um," he dropped his voice to a near-whisper and pulled something from beneath his arm. "I know you've been getting a lot of congratulations and you totally deserve them, and I'm really sorry about the—" and he waved his hands to encompass the whole DVD debacle and upstart sergeants on stupid dares, "—um. Just, here." He pushed the bundle at Teyla.

She couldn't help the surprised look on her face when the bundle unfurled into a very soft pair of gray sweatpants.

"I thought I'd bring you something you might find useful," he said quickly. "My sister swore she loved her husband's sweats while she was pregnant and I just figured, you know, the Colonel's real skinny and McKay would never part with something comfortable and Ronon probably doesn't even own any and—"

Teyla finally stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Thank you, Major. It was very thoughtful of you."

Lorne looked at her a long moment. "You're welcome." He smiled and turned to go, but turned back after a step. "I just— I wanted you to know we're your people, too, you know. On Atlantis."

He left Teyla standing in the doorway, hugging the soft fleece to her chest.

---

"Everything looks fine," Keller said reassuringly as she and Teyla settled into chairs in her office. "Your weight gain is good—I take it the morning sickness is gone?"

"I am most thankful," Teyla answered emphatically, causing Jennifer to smile. "It was getting...inconvenient."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Jennifer agreed. She shuffled a few papers in her lap, then looked back at Teyla. "I was wondering, what...how was childbirth handled on Athos? Did you have midwives or...?"

Teyla sat back and settled her hands over her belly as a wave of homesickness washed through her. "Women were usually attended by other mothers. I confess I was never particularly interested in what went on in the birthing tent."

"Have you thought about what you want?" Jennifer asked. "For your—" she waved her hand in a little circle, "—for when you give birth?"

Teyla frowned. "I had not considered it. Surely there are—"

"There's not," Jennifer interrupted. "Teyla, there isn't even anyone who can talk you through this; no one on this expedition has children. None of our doctors specialized in obstetrics, which isn't surprising given the nature of what we do."

"But you have delivered children, as part of your training, yes?"

"Well, yeah, but I haven't done it in a while," Jennifer said with a nervous tremble. "I just want you to think about what you want to happen, who you want to be there. If you need us to bring an obstetrician or a midwife from Earth, we can do that but I need some time to get clearances."

Teyla leaned over and covered Jennifer's hands with her own. "I do not wish for a stranger, Jennifer. I want you to be there."

"Well," Jennifer said softly and curled one hand over Teyla's. "That means a lot. But you wouldn't mind if I brought in a specialist?"

Teyla smiled. "It would make me happy if you were comfortable."

"I know just the person; you'll love her." Jennifer sat forward, all excited energy. "I'll see if she could bring along some books for you, or maybe videos would be better?" She trailed off when Teyla held up a hand.

"I believe Rodney already has some materials on order," she said, and they both dissolved into giggles.

---

The deliveries from the latest Daedalus run had mostly gone to Rodney's or Teyla's quarters, as they were clothes and other items ordered by Rodney or sent by Jeannie, so John was surprised to find the small shipping container on his bed. It was addressed to all four of them, though; John shrugged and flipped the latches, figuring that the delivery guys felt bad that McKay got all the packages and John deserved one, too.

As soon as he saw what was inside, though, he tapped his radio. "Rodney, what the hell is this?"

"I could maybe tell you, if I could somehow connect with your visual cortex and see what you're seeing," Rodney replied immediately.

John didn't dare touch any of it, so he couldn't see what the second layer contained. "Books, McKay. There's a box on my bed that's full of books."

"Great!" Rodney's excited shout sounded shrill over the connection. "I was wondering where those were. Bring them over to Teyla's, would you? We're opening everything else; it's like Christmas."

"Am I correct in assuming these books are for you and me and Ronon to read?"

"Um, yeah, some of them, and some are for Teyla. I'm a firm believer in doing your research, you know. Just how many births have you attended, Colonel?"

"I'm not planning on attending this one!"

"Just one second." Rodney's voice went quiet as he covered his mic with his hand and asked Teyla to excuse him. A rustle and a door swish, and Rodney was back on the line, hissing, "Oh yes you are. Neither you nor Ronon are leaving me to experience the terror that will be Teyla in labor by myself."

"I didn't sign up for this! I don't want to watch a baby come out of Teyla's..." John groped for something, anything, "...lady bits! Don't you remember that traumatic health class video?"

"God, yes," Rodney confessed quietly, and it made John feel just a little less panicked.

"Okay, then," John said, feeling like something had been resolved, only he wasn't sure what. "She probably won't want us there, anyway."

"Oh, I think she will," Rodney said ruefully, and John's stomach dropped again. "Which is why we need those books."

John looked back down at the books on the top of the pile and barely resisted the urge to start tossing them on the floor. "The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion?"

"That's for Ronon," Rodney cut in.

"Naturally," John answered. "You do realize he doesn't read much English yet, right?"

"Then it'll give him practice."

"What the— My Boys Can Swim!? They weren't any of our boys, Rodney!"

"It came highly recommended!" Rodney shouted into the radio.

"By who? Who could you possibly have asked for advice about this?"

"Kaleb," came the reply, quiet and a little embarrassed.

That brought John up short. "Oh," he said.

Rodney sounded defensive. "He's a good dad, you know, otherwise Jeannie wouldn't be with him, so he's the best resource I have, and I—"

"It's okay, Rodney," John said. Rodney went silent with a little huff, and John had to loudly shuffle the books so Rodney could hear them. John cleared his throat and went back to looking at book titles. "The Expectant Father: Advice for Dads-to-Be. Okay, that looks like..." All the air left him in a rush, and John had to turn and sit down—no, more like collapse—on the bed. "Holy shit, Rodney, that's us. We're the dads-to-be."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Rodney screeched. "It's about damn time you freaked out about this! Seriously, Sheppard, I was starting to think you'd taken one too many blows to the head; I've been freaking out about this for weeks."

"Yeah, well, you've been hiding it well," John said, glad Rodney couldn't see his smile.

"Really, you think so?"

"No." John enjoyed Rodney's splutter for a moment, then said, "You win, Rodney, I'll read a book. One book, and you can give me the highlights of the rest."

"That sounds fair," Rodney conceded, "given how fast you read."

John snorted into the mic, which he knew Rodney found intensely annoying, and reached over to pull another book out of the box. "I draw the line at My Boys Can Swim, though."

---

Rodney was busy brushing his teeth when somebody knocked on his door. He stopped brushing and waited, sure that he was imagining things—it was nearly three in the morning; nobody else got up this early. Which was precisely why Rodney liked his schedule. Well, that and he could be on his second breakfast when everybody else woke up.

So he was surprised when the knock came again, firm but quiet, nothing like Sheppard's usual pounding. He almost dropped his toothbrush when he opened the door to find Teyla, standing in the hall and looking beautifully rumpled and frustrated, blankets and pillows in her arms.

"Teyla?" he squeaked through a mouthful of toothpaste froth. "You okay?"

Teyla brushed past him with a sighed, "Rodney," and she headed straight for the bed. For his bed.

Rodney was frozen in place by the door, watching as Teyla pulled the blankets back and arranged his pillows and the two she had brought into a nest. It wasn't until he saw one of his pillows shoved unceremoniously under her belly that he kicked himself back into gear to protest.

"Teyla, what?" He held up a finger and headed for the bathroom to spit. By the time he got back, Teyla was fully snuggled in under the blankets with a serene expression on the half of her face that was visible. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I am sleeping, Rodney," came the soft reply.

"But. In my bed?"

"It is very comfortable."

"Teyla!"

She finally opened her eyes to level a sleepy glare at him. "You are going to the labs, are you not?"

"Yes, but that's hardly the point—"

"Then you will not be needing this bed." Teyla deliberately closed her eyes and pulled the covers over her head.

"It's my bed!" Rodney tried to keep his screeching masculine and intimidating, but he had a suspicion he was failing when the lump on his bed didn't move. "What's wrong with your bed?"

Teyla's voice from under the blankets was muffled, but still clearly understandable and sounding like she was explaining to a four year old. "The books recommend I sleep on my side, which makes my hip and thigh go numb, which keeps me from sleeping. Your bed is the most comfortable in the city. Therefore, I'm sleeping here."

Okay, Rodney was almost willing to let it go at that; he hated the pins-and-needles associated with numb appendages. "Did you just use a contraction?"

He never did figure out how Teyla had such deadly accuracy with his alarm clock while she was buried under a pile of blankets.

---

It was a 40-minute 'jumper ride to the Koliat encampment from the Gate, which to John spelled perfect opportunity. "So I've been thinking—"

"Oh, here we go," Rodney muttered loudly.

John resolutely talked over him. "We pool our ranks and we could finagle the biggest apartment in the Tower."

"Finagle? Where are we, again?"

"I just figure, I'm CMO, you're CS—"

"It's a good idea," Ronon agreed, surprising John with his quickness.

Ronon must have shared a look with Teyla, because she gave a soft "Oh, John."

"'Oh, John,' what?" Rodney asked sharply, and John could peripherally see Rodney's fingers stabbing the air just before it almost audibly clicked. "You want us to—"

"We should move in together," John said casually and shrugged.

"All of us?" Rodney sputtered. "All four of us? You can't be serious!"

"I have already appropriated your bed, Rodney," Teyla said gently, amusement dancing in her voice.

"And I want it back!"

"We can take turns with the baby," Ronon rumbled.

Rodney didn't turn to look at Ronon; he just yelled in his general direction, "I am very particular about my—"

"I call anti-dibs on diapers with number twos," John added loudly, hoping to distract Rodney into agreeing with his proposal.

"What's anti-dibs?" Ronon asked just as Rodney said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can't do that; there's no such thing."

John ignored Rodney and glanced over his shoulder at Ronon. He noticed Teyla was leaning comfortably back in her chair, her hands crossed over her belly and a fond half-smile on her face that said she was perfectly content to let John and Ronon do the negotiating this time. "There is now," he told Rodney, who looked ready to roast him over a slow fire. He gave Rodney a teasing grin. "You're just mad 'cause I called it first. I'm not changing any crappy diapers," he added for Ronon's benefit.

"And just what is the US military going to think of their base commander living with his team? Nobody does that. SG-1 couldn't even get away with that," Rodney pointed out, complete with a pointy finger in John's direction.

"The US military is a galaxy away, and SG-1 doesn't have a baby," John countered. "We're all three of us the fathers, here. How did you think this was going to work, McKay?"

"Well, obviously I figured we'd all keep our quarters! And the baby would live with Teyla and...we'd all...take...turns?" Rodney trailed off hopefully.

Ronon snorted.

John shook his head. "See, that I have a problem with, McKay. Buying books isn't going to cut it—" he ignored Rodney's indignant huff, "—and Teyla deserves better. The last thing I want to be is a part-time father; I won't do that to my kid." John cleared his throat to cover his surprise at his vehement admission. He stared out the windshield, trying not to feel the three sets of eyes watching him.

"Oh," Rodney said softly, managing to roll an 'I get it' and an 'I'm sorry' and a 'yes, let's move in together' into that single syllable.

---

After Teyla's rescue and the silent 'jumper ride home, Ronon dragged Rodney and John out of the infirmary so Teyla could rest. They all needed to work off some of their anger before they would be fit company for her again, so he was tempted to pull them to the gym. But John was sporting a darkening bruise across one side of his face and Rodney was holding himself more like an old man than usual, so Ronon decided they could do something useful.

Neither man protested as Ronon shoved them into the transporter and crowded in behind them. Rodney barely blinked until they were walking down an unfamiliar corridor. "Where are we?" he asked.

"Picking out our new place," Ronon grumbled in answer, then pointed at the first door.

---

Teyla didn't bother to hide her tears when her men showed her the new apartment that John called 'The Penthouse.' It took up nearly a quarter of the level, wrapping around the tower with plenty of room for their growing family—bedrooms, bathrooms, balconies, several gathering areas, and at least two rooms that would serve Rodney as office space. She linked arms between Ronon and John as Rodney bounced from room to room, showing off all his upgrades and how they'd combined all their things to make it home.

---

Two weeks after the ambush that injured Ronon, Teyla felt her first contractions before breakfast. Ronon was stumping around the main room with his cane and Rodney was in the kitchen griping about the coffeemaker when Teyla called out. She hadn't heard John awaken, but he was by her bedside first.

"Teyla? You okay?" he asked, kneeling so he could look her in the eye.

"Is it a contraction?" Rodney asked breathlessly, landing hard on his knees next to John. "Oh my god, is it time? It's time, isn't it?" He bounced back up and headed back out into the main room, asking the air where he'd left his radio.

Teyla breathed out slowly as the pain eased. "I believe they are contractions," she confirmed, "but they are merely uncomfortable."

"How often are you having them?" Ronon asked from where he leaned against the wall.

"They are erratic," she replied, allowing herself a small smile when John started unconsciously rubbing across the front of her belly. "But the last three have been fifteen minutes apart."

John swallowed audibly and pulled his hand back. "Okay," he said with forced brightness, "that's good, yeah? Three's a pattern. We'll just get you down to the infir—"

"I am giving birth here," Teyla reminded him firmly.

"We'll just get Keller to come here, then." John switched conversational paths quickly, then stood up, his knees popping like gunshots.

"She's on her way," Rodney announced, hands waving as he came barreling back into the room. "If only we had a midwife, or an obstetrician, but oh, wait, we don't, because somebody blew up the gate bridge and the Daedalus had engine trouble!"

"Not helping, McKay," Ronon growled and poked him with the end of his cane. Ronon's reach was truly impressive, and Rodney sputtered, grabbing at the cane.

"And somebody else doesn't trust any of the—"

"I believe I would enjoy a shower," Teyla said loudly, bringing the nascent argument to a halt as she pushed herself into a sitting position. John and Rodney were immediately at her side; by the time they got to the bathroom she had to remind them, repeatedly, that she was perfectly capable of showering by herself.

---

"What do you mean, false alarm?" Rodney half-shouted. "You said Teyla was in labor!"

Jennifer looked ready to punch Rodney herself. "Sometimes it happens, Rodney. She is in very early labor; everything's getting ready for the main event, she's just not there yet. Everything's fine."

Rodney drew in a long, shuddering breath and collapsed on the couch, head in his hands. "I'm not!" he said querulously. "I can't take this."

Teyla patted Rodney's shoulder as she headed to the kitchen for some ice cream.

---

"It's time? Is it time, this time? Should I call Keller?"

"Every ten minutes, like clockwork."

"How many?"

Teyla panted a little. "This is number seven."

"Oh my god, this is it!"

---

"They stopped again? What the hell, Teyla?"

"I assure you, Rodney, I am not doing this on purpose."

---

After a long morning trying to teach scientists how not to get killed, John popped back to the Penthouse for a quick shower before the afternoon's briefings. He stopped short in the doorway when confronted by the sight of Ronon and Teyla on the couch, watching TV.

They were sprawled together like lazy college students, complete with blank faces, Ronon's injured leg stretched out onto the coffee table. Teyla leaned back into Ronon, and he had one arm curled around her belly. On a second look, John noticed that Teyla was sound asleep. Ronon glanced up, then went back to watching the screen.

John came around behind the couch to see what had Ronon so entranced. A perpetual-motion toy was swinging back and forth, then a plastic solar system slowly rotated, then it switched to a bubble toy John hadn't seen in decades, all accompanied by classical music. It was strangely compelling, and John couldn't tear his eyes away.

It was almost two full minutes before John asked, "Is this that Baby Einstein thing?" Ronon simply held up the DVD case in answer.

John was late to his briefing, and if Carter thought it odd that he wouldn't say why, well. At least she kept quiet about it.

---

"This is exciting and everything, and don't get me wrong, it's way better than playing 'how would you like your doom today?', but I'm getting really sick of this. OW!"

"You're not the only one, buddy. And I only hit you because Teyla's too far away."

---

"I am going for a walk," Teyla announced as she threaded her way around the furniture of the main room.

Ronon picked up his cane and shoved himself out of his chair. "I'm coming with you. Good for the leg."

They paused at the doorway, looking expectantly back at John, who huffed, but grabbed his trainers anyway.

John lasted halfway out the East Pier before he couldn't handle their pace and took off running, Teyla and Ronon's laughter following behind him.

---

They spent the rest of the afternoon puttering around the Penthouse. Teyla was perched on one of the balance balls from the gym, focused on her (lopsided) crocheting, so Ronon took the opportunity to watch her. He would never cease to marvel that a woman so pregnant could have such grace, but his sister had had it, too, in the last months of her pregnancy.

At least, she was graceful when sitting; pushing herself to a stand looked...awkward. Until Teyla's eyes went wide and she grabbed her belly with both hands. "Oh," she said softly.

"Teyla?" Ronon asked, not waiting for her answer before levering himself up—not exactly a graceful process, either, even though he'd finally mastered smooth. "What is it?'

John picked up the sudden change in tension from across the room. "Everything okay?"

"I believe my water has just broken," Teyla told them, and John sprang to his feet so quickly he nearly overbalanced.

"Okay," Ronon said just as John asked, "What does that mean?"

Teyla leveled a look at John that stopped him in his tracks. "Right now it means I am very uncomfortable," she snipped and disappeared into the bathroom.

Ronon looked over at John, who looked back with a dumbstruck expression. He could see the nervous energy creep back in when John's hand started twitching. It was only a matter of time before he started twitching all over.

Ronon tossed John a radio, which he fumbled and scrambled after. "You call Keller, I'll tell Rodney."

"Why can't I call Rodney?"

"You think he'll believe you?" Two days before, Rodney had come running to a panicked radio call from John, only to be greeted by the sight of Teyla and Ronon sacked out napping on the couch.

"Oh, right," John said, obviously remembering his prank. "Fine, okay, you call Rodney."

Ronon lurched into the kitchen before keying the radio. "McKay."

"Yes, what do you w—" Rodney snipped, then paused. "Ronon?"

"It's time."

Rodney's voice over the radio was tinny with annoyance. "Oh, right, ha ha, very funny. Whatever Sheppard's paying you, it's not worth it. I have had enough with the false alarms and false labors and I am not going to come running again just so you can hide around the corner and la—"

"Have I ever radioed you before?" Ronon interrupted. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he scuffed the end of the cane against the floor—Rodney had been working up to a truly spectacular rant.

"Ah. Well, no," Rodney admitted. "I suppose that could mean that something's really happening, but then again, maybe Sheppard's just taking advantage of your natur—"

"Teyla's water broke."

"Oh." Rodney took a deep breath, audible even over the connection. "Um. Then, I guess I'll...be right there?"

"Yeah," Ronon said. He was stopped from tapping his radio off by Rodney's voice, almost whispered in his ear.

"She's going to kill us, isn't she? Women in labor can be vicious; Jeannie said she nearly broke Kaleb's hand."

"Relax, McKay," Ronon assured him, although he secretly agreed; the idea of Teyla in labor was terrifying. "We'll give her Sheppard first."

---

Rodney arrived twenty minutes later with a flurry of hands and kinetic energy to find all three of them sitting in the living room. He pointed at Ronon as soon as he'd processed the sight. "You. You told me it was for real this time."

"I am glad you are here, Rodney," Teyla soothed with a broad smile. "Ronon did not lie to you."

"Wha—" Rodney had opened his mouth to continue, but he shut it and cocked his head, giving Teyla a baffled little smile. "Really?"

"Truly," Teyla affirmed, and Rodney settled on the chair closest to where she'd perched back on the balance ball. She took both his hands in hers. "Dr. Keller has already come and gone; she assures me that labor is indeed progressing, although I am only feeling mild contractions."

"She's three centimeters already," John added proudly, like he had anything to do with it.

"Why did Keller leave, if you're—"

"She has two critical patients, and this could take some time," she reminded him.

Rodney sat back a little. "Oh. Well. Can I—can I get you anything?"

"Perhaps now would be a good time to finish your chronometer," Teyla suggested, sending her gaze to the side table Rodney had covered in electronic components. She had been quite taken with the idea, seen first in an Earth birthing video, of timing both between and within contractions, so of course Rodney had volunteered for the job.

It was only Teyla's hold on him that kept Rodney from bouncing out of his seat, saying, "It's practically done; give me a half-hour."

---

John could tell the contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable—Teyla shifted positions in between each one and went frighteningly silent during them. Ronon and Rodney had both looked at John the first time Teyla ignored them all in favor of a contraction. John had looked back, sure their terror was reflected on his own face.

They were all waiting for the yelling to start.

"John."

He couldn't help it; John was at Teyla's side before the rest of him could protest the idea. "I would like to try something for the next one," she said, and without waiting for his permission, she turned and buried her face in his chest, her arms winding around his neck in an odd parody of a high-school dance.

John stiffened up just as Teyla did; Rodney was only paying attention to her and started the countdown. This close, John could feel Teyla panting, "No, no, no, no, no."

He forced himself to relax and pat at her shoulder. "You're doing fine, Teyla."

She eased back and dropped her arms, but to John's dismay she didn't step back. "That position is off the list," she announced crisply.

"So we can—" John started to shift his shoulders away but stopped when Teyla's eyebrows twitched. "Or not, whatever you want."

The next contraction saw Teyla in a similar position, only this time she leaned forward more, digging her nose into John's ribs and holding onto his hips. There was nowhere to put his hands but on her shoulders, nothing for him to do but stand there and let her lean on him.

Fortunately, Rodney's reminders to breathe worked for him, too.

---

Apparently they'd found the magic position, and John didn't know how long he played Teyla's totem pole. Sometimes she sat against the arm of the couch, sometimes she stood, but always she leaned on him. After a while he even kind of liked it, that Teyla wanted him right where he was.

At some point Teyla decided she wanted counterpressure, or maybe that Ronon shouldn't feel left out, so she drafted him into pushing against her lower back. She kept demanding more until Ronon looked like an odd stork, standing on his good leg and leaning heavily onto Teyla. John was functionally holding them both up, and if he had been his normal self, he would have invited Rodney to hang on his back and complete the team.

---

The mess sent up sandwiches and an oversized card that said "Happy Labor Day!" signed by almost everybody on the base. Teyla didn't notice when John snuck a bite over her head and dropped crumbs in her hair.

---

It wasn't long after the sandwiches that Teyla decided she wanted to be in the bath, and John had never before been so appreciative of the speed of Ancient plumbing. The relief on her face as she lowered herself into the warm churning water was beautiful—and John was distantly aware of how he and Ronon and Rodney all sighed in relief, too.

It took almost a full minute before John realized Teyla was completely naked. Fortunately a contraction distracted everyone from his blush.

---

 
When Teyla began whimpering that she couldn't do it (and Rodney suspected it surprised everybody in the room, including Teyla), Rodney signaled to Ronon to call Jennifer while he and John helped Teyla out of the tub.

"You can do this, you're almost done," he reassured her, mind racing to try and remember everything he'd read in the past four months. "I think you're in transition; just, just hang in there."

John draped her with towels and they made their way to the bed. She crawled on, holding herself up on her knees, and she draped her arms around John's shoulders. John looked only slightly more comfortable with it than he had before the bathtub. He patted at her shoulder and said, "Okay, you just...do what you need to do."

Ronon gimped in and sat alongside Teyla, where he resumed his counterpressure. Teyla murmured, "Just rub, please, Ronon," and she sighed contentedly when he followed her orders.

Rodney counted them through three more contractions when he noticed how completely Teyla was relaxing between each one. John had apparently noticed, too, because just then he asked, "Is she asleep?"

Rodney peered around John's shoulder to where Teyla had hidden her face in his neck, then he gently pulled a bit of hair away from her eyes. "I think she is," he stage-whispered, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

---

Teyla wasn't sure how long she'd knelt on the bed, but it had been long enough for John to get tired and trade places with Rodney, who was considerably more comfortable. She made a mental note to have Rodney close by if she ever did this again.

Finally, finally Jennifer agreed it was time to push and rearranged everybody. Teyla sat back against Ronon's solid chest, John and Rodney at her knees and Jennifer between her legs.

Teyla thought pushing felt far better than it had a right to, considering.

---

"Teyla, open your eyes and meet your son," Jennifer cried, and suddenly her arms were filled with the wettest, most beautiful creature she'd ever seen.

"Welcome, Sennot," Teyla breathed as Sennot wailed in tiny anger.

"Hey, buddy," John soothed as Sennot waved his fists.

"Benedic ti, Sennot," Ronon rumbled as Sennot kicked his legs.

"Oh, thank God you're here," Rodney sighed and tucked Teyla's hair behind her ear.

---

Much later, after cleanup and nursing and a huge meal, with Teyla finally sleeping, John found Rodney and the baby on the balcony. The early morning starlight softened the city spires, the sound of the sea soothing Sennot in his sleep. Rodney nodded when John stood next to him, not breaking his slight swaying rhythm. Finally, eventually, John mused, "You ever think about what will happen when they recall us back to Earth?"

"What?" Rodney asked sharply, but not loudly enough to disturb the child cradled against his chest. "You're just thinking about this now?"

"No, no," John answered quickly, "I've thought about it before. Just, I didn't ask— Look, just answer the damn question, would you?"

Rodney shifted, and John could feel his irritation subside. "Yeah, I think about it. Pretty regularly, in fact."

John waited, one breath, two breaths. It didn't look like Rodney was going to offer any more, so he prodded, "And?"

"And what?" Rodney lifted his chin and glared at John, his peevish look completely at odds with the way his whole body gently moved. "I'm not leaving."

"They're going to want to retire us sometime, McKay," John pointed out. "The SGC is going to want us back on Earth."

"I'm not leaving," Rodney repeated. "We're not leaving Teyla and Sennot alone out here, and don't you dare tell me that they'll have Ronon because we both know that's not good enough. This is our family now, Sheppard, and if the SGC wants me back on Earth without them they can suck it."

"What about Jeannie?"

"Of anyone on Earth, Jeannie would understand this," Rodney said, his chin set. "I'm not leaving our son."

Because John had long ago learned to follow where Rodney led, because Rodney's vow loosened something in John that he'd been worrying at for weeks, because the family he'd found was so much more than the family he'd left, John cupped a hand around Sennot's head. "Yeah," he whispered, "I'm not leaving, either."



Also in this 'verse: #5 in Five Ways Ronon Loses His Dreads