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Epiphany

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"Ha!" McKay sudden outburst made everyone in the jumper startle. He had been working for nearly an hour going over the data, muttering under his breath while the others waited. He spun his chair around to face Weir, a triumphant look on his face. "The telemetry wasn't entirely gibberish. Bring up the HUD," McKay told Kai.

Kai's fingers glided over the controls and the display of the planet appeared.

McKay climbed to his feet and approached the display. "I was able to determine the location of the power source inside the field, here." He said pointing to a spot nearly in the center of the field.

"What good is that?" Beckett asked impatiently, of all of them he had been the most outwardly struggling with the wait. The fact that Sheppard could be hurt somewhere had his shifting restlessly. He hated being off-world but he also didn't trust any of the other doctors with what may have happened to the Colonel going through the time dilation field.

McKay made a noise of impatience in the back of his throat. He didn't like being questioned even if it was by his friend. "Once we know where the generator is, one way or another I should be able to turn it off."

Kai cleared her throat. She normally made it a point to keep her opinion to herself when it came to policy. Especially now, when she was leaving so soon, but she couldn't hold her tongue this time. Every minute that had passed was time slipping away for Sheppard. "Perhaps it should be me," she said in a quiet voice.

They all turned to face her in surprise, but it was Elizabeth who spoke. "Why?" She asked with a frown.

Kai lifted her chin, bracing herself. She was different, it had been a point of contention often during her time on Atlantis, but maybe just this once it could help them. "I age at a different rate than humans-"

Elizabeth flinched when Kai implied she wasn't human. If Kai noticed however, she didn't react. She had been different even among the Mortii, this was nothing new.

"-if there's a chance of being stuck for an extended length of time I will lose the least in relation to total longevity," Kai finished clinically.

Beckett was looking at her with a sort of sad understanding. He more than anyone perhaps understood the most of the differences Kai faced. McKay however, seemed to be seriously considering her offer.

When Weir noticed she shot McKay a disgruntled look and stepped forward, taking command of the operation before McKay let it all get too far out of hand. "We'll go together," Weir said firmly. "As a team."

Kai considered arguing but the determined gleam in Elizabeth's eyes made her reconsider. The leader of Atlantis had made her decision and she wouldn't be easily swayed.

Beckett exhaled a relieved sigh.

McKay shrugged as though it didn't matter to him one way or another. He reached up and touched the comm in his ear. "Teyla, Ronon we're touching down in the jumper. Meet us at the landing site."

"Understood," came Teyla's immediate reply.

Kai obediently lowered the jumper out of orbit and headed towards the planet's surface. She followed Ronon and Teyla's signals on the HUD towards their landing site.

As soon as Kai set down the jumper McKay and Weir were already moving towards the back hatch. Kai opened the hatch and climbed to her feet, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

Teyla and Ronon were waiting for them. Teyla and McKay were already hurrying away, speaking urgently. Ronon waited for her to secure the jumper before he stepped up beside her and they hurried to catch up to the others.

"You sure it was three seconds?" McKay asked as they hustled through the woods. He stumbled a little over his feet as he struggled to keep up with Teyla's long strides.

"Yes," Teyla confirmed.

"And there's twelve minutes of video?" McKay asked, breathing heavily already as the group moved through the dense forest.

"Yes," Teyla responded.

McKay hesitated. "All right so it's a ratio of about ah..."

"Two hundred and fifty to one," Kai finished for him distractedly as the gateway came into sight. She frowned at the field, it had an almost mirror like surface. Supposedly they were close to John but she couldn't feel him or their connection at all. It was as though he were in a totally different galaxy. She wished she understood more about their connection so she knew what that meant. She didn't believe he was dead, he couldn't be.

"Just out of curiosity, what does that mean for Colonel Sheppard in terms of days?" Beckett asked, setting his gear down.

"We're already talking months," McKay said grimly.

Kai pressed her lips together as she stepped up to the stone writing on the wall next to the gateway. She smoothed a hand over it, clearing the dirt and vines away from it.

"It's an odd dialect," Kai muttered after a moment. "It's some kind of sanctuary from the wraith. A place the last of the ancients could travel to and ascend without fear of attack."

McKay nodded. "Of course, the ancients could essentially spend entire lifetimes in the field before the Wraith even discovered the place."

"And if they attacked their ships would get torn apart like the probe did," Kai finished.

"So it has remained for 10,000 years," Teyla said in awe as she gazed at the threshold.

"This," Kai said smoothing her fingers over the grooves of the letters. "This is a warning as well as a welcome to anyone who wanted to seek the path to Ascension on their own."

Ronon shifted his weight. "What's the warning?" he asked warily. He was resting his hand on the butt of his gun as though he expected enemies to jump out of the trees at any moment.

Kai swallowed and turned to face him. "Once you cross the threshold, there's no return," she said grimly.

McKay snorted confidently. "That is unless you have the exact location of the power source and the expertice to turn it off." He turned to Ronon. "Hey we may even get a ZPM out of the deal."

"Now you're talking," Ronon said with a grin.

"All right, let's do this," McKay said motioning to the field.

Kai walked through first. She went fast, but the extreme pressure as she passed through left her breathless and shaking on the other side. The cave was dark, but she could see well enough. There was evidence that The Colonel had been there, and there was no sign of the supplies Teyla had put through. She hoped it meant Sheppard had moved on to a more secure location with better resources.

As soon as she was through the connection returned to her in an overwhelming rush. He was alive, although she couldn't tell anything beyond that. She was anxious to get moving, but she knew better than to go off on her own. Once the others were through they would find him.

McKay came through ten minutes later. "Ow!" He exclaimed with a disgruntled frown. He looked up to find Kai pacing restlessly. "How long?" he asked, glancing back at the field behind him.

"Ten minutes or so," Kai replied tightly.

McKay nodded and pulled out his tablet, getting comfortable on a boulder to wait for the others.

It was another ten minutes before Beckett and then Weir came through. "Wow, you were just-" she started to say, motioning behind her.

"Weird huh?" McKay asked. "You might as well get comfortable, it'll take at least another twenty minutes to get Conan and Xena through, and judging by the location of the power source we have a long walk ahead of us."

"We need to see if Sheppard is here," Weir interrupted. "Can you pull up his signal?"

McKay's grunted an affirmative and his fingers began to fly across the tablet. Kai cut her eyes to Beckett and she nodded. He was the only one who knew about the Bond. His eyes widened a little and she could see all the questions he wanted to ask, but he pressed his lips together and they waited.

Teyla appeared a little out of breath, but the most composed out of all of them.

"I think so..." McKay dragged off.

"What do you mean you think so?" Weir asked suspiciously.

"There's some kind of strange interference-"

"I feel something as well," Teyla confirmed. "A powerful psychic presence."

Beckett snuck a glance at Kai, raising his eyebrows. Kai shook her head and shrugged. She had no idea what Teyla was talking about.

As soon as Ronon was through Kai led the way out of the cave. Ronon was beside her but the trail of tracks in the soft sand was easy enough for her to follow without effort.

"Ronon can you tell how long ago he came this way?" Weir asked as they navigated a steep decline away from the cliffs and into an open valley.

"No," Ronon replied gruffly. Once they hit the tall grass of the valley they immediately lost the trail. "Wasn't in the last few days," he replied looking out over the huge field.

"Well," McKay responded briskly. "The power source is this way," he said looking up from his tablet and pointing across the open field.

Technically Weir was in charge of the op, but it was clearly a military situation and she differed to the others. Teyla was happy to follow along as well, which left Ronon and Kai. It was strange, neither one of them said a word but they worked together seamlessly. The two of them took point with McKay right behind them with the map on his tablet. Beckett and Weir walked together with Teyla acting as rear guard.

Kai was painfully aware that if they were attacked they had three people to protect. Ronon was an incredible fighter, but he thought almost entirely offensively. It would be up to her and Teyla to make sure the others were protected.

"You know," McKay said after they had been walking almost an hour. "I was just thinking this entire field, not the field-field," he said gesturing to the open field they were walking across. "But the field must generate it's own day and night cycle as well as its own artificial climate. I mean it's incredible when you think about it-"

"You wanna pick up the pace McKay?" Ronon snapped. The Satedan had become increasingly more agitated as they searched. Kai glanced towards him, wondering if he was picking up something she was missing. Her senses were stronger, but he had good instincts.

"He's waited for months," McKay snapped irritably. "Another half an hour isn't going to kill him."

"We don't know how long it's going to take to find him," Weir soothed from the back. Ronon and McKay both eased back when Elizabeth spoke.

"And besides that I have a date planned with Lieutenant Cadman for tomorrow night," Beckett added.

"Oh no," McKay snapped sarcastically. "so we've only got twelve years in here to-"

Kai held up her fist to stop the group.

"What is it?" McKay asked, his voice rising in fear.

Kai closed her eyes and strained her senses. She stiffened when she heard the roar a second time. She glanced back at the group. None of them seemed to be able to hear it. "It's a creature, roaring," she reported. It came again. "It's coming closer."

"I'm not detecting anything," McKay whispered loudly as his fingers flew over his tablet.

The roar sounded a third time, this time the others flinched. Teyla lifted her gun to her shoulder and began sweeping their flank to ensure the creature wasn't coming up behind them.

"Doesn't mean it isn't there," Ronon growled, his gun was already in his hand. He paced a tight line, his eyes locked on the horizon but he couldn't see it. "Can you see anything?" he asked in a low tone.

Kai shook her head. "No, but I can hear it moving now. It's close."

"I'm sensing something," Teyla called, a frown pinching her face. "something..." she dragged off.

"Maybe we should try another way," Weir said quickly.

The roar was louder now and Kai could feel a subtle vibration in the ground beneath her feet.

"It won't make any difference," Ronon said powering up his gun. "It's stalking us."

"What is stalking us?" McKay asked, his hand gripping his gun tightly. There was a slight tremble to his hand but Kai gave the man a lot of credit for standing toe to toe with them.

"I don't know," Kai said with a shake of her head. "I-"

The air shimmered in front of her suddenly and something well over two feet taller than her appeared.

"It's invisible!" Beckett yelled.

Ronon fired immediately and it swiped at him, sending him flying through the air. He landed in a crumbled heap ten feet away. The others opened up fire but the thing only roared angrily.

Kai pulled both her blades from the X shaped sheath on her low back, twirling them through her fingers. Bullets were doing nothing but enraging it. They couldn't stop it.

"Teyla get them out of here!" She called and she charged it. She swiped and stabbed but it continuously appeared and disappeared just out of reach.

Suddenly, it appeared beside her and slammed a powerful fist into her stomach. The air rushed out of her lungs and she was thrown ten feet through the air before she hit the ground. Her head snapped to the side and she lay there stunned.

More gunfire erupted and she realized Teyla must not have listened. The roaring was cut off sharply and the creature retreated.

"What the hell took you so long?!" a shouting voice cut through the fogginess in Kai's mind. She fought to push herself up, but black clouded her vision and she dropped once more.

"Believe it or not, you were only gone a couple of hours," Weir soothed.

"Try six months," John growled. He was happy to see his team, but they had sure left him to cool his heels while they took their sweet time mounting a rescue mission.

"You don't understand," McKay said quickly. "You've been trapped in a time-dilation field."

"What?" John asked sharply looking over the group.

"What was that bloody thing?" Beckett asked as he helped pull Ronon to his feet.

"I don't know," John replied. "What's a time-dilation field?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Weir asked hopefully.

"No," Teyla replied. "It is still close."

John turned and saw Kai's crumpled form on the ground. He stepped towards her, shocked she was still there. All the months of waiting to be rescued, he was certain she had left them. Left him.

Beckett was helping Teyla get to her feet and he crouched beside Kai. Her hair was covered in her scarf and a small trickle of blood came from the corner of her lips. He rolled her over and she groaned. She slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Hey stranger," he said in a low voice. His blood was still up and he was pissed, but it was impossible to be mad staring down at Kai. "Thought you were leaving?" He said in a low voice.

"Heard you needed rescuing," she teased despite the pounding in her head. There was the familiar hard nudge and John's look softened. She let her eyes run over him. He didn't look injured, though he wore the soft spun clothing of a pre-technological agricultural society. He had grown a beard in the time he had been here, she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

John noticed her attention and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Her heart was racing now as she remembered the kiss the night before. Of course for him, it had been six months since they kissed.

The beast roared again and they both snapped towards the sound. "Let's get you on your feet," he said suddenly all business, and he lifted her by her elbow, easily supporting most of her weight. He forgot how small she was. It had been so long.

The beast roared again and it appeared behind them, nearly double its original size.

"You've fought this thing before?" Kai asked, her eyes locked on the shimmering outline of the invisible beast. She adjusted her grip on her knives as she tried to think of a method of attack she hadn't considered. Ronon stepped up to her other side. Truth be told there weren't two other people in the Galaxy she would rather face an invisible monster with.

"Twice," John responded tightly.

"How did you beat it?" Ronon asked.

"Still haven't figured that out yet," he confessed with a wry grin.

"Now would be a good time," Kai said tightly.

"Well, what do you say we just fight it and see how it goes?" John said grimly.

Ronon twirled his sword and tensed as they prepared to charge.

"John," came Weir's worried voice behind them. "Friends of yours?"

Kai heard the approach of the villagers, but she hadn't pulled her focus off of the beast in front of them. Dozens of people in soft spun clothing stepped up to their group. "We have come to stand with you, whatever happens," a man who seemed to be the leader said.

"No," a beautiful woman stepped up next to John. "We have come to fight, and we are not afraid of you," she said glaring at the creature as though it were an ill behaving child. "The beast is of our own creation and it is long past time we sent it away."

The villagers walked together into the field, surrounding the monster. Kai tensed but John caught her arm, stopping her from helping them. They encircled the creature and raised their hands up into the air, palms facing it. The creature roared like it was pain and the air rippled around it one last time before it disappeared.

"That's it?" John asked. "That's all it took?"

The beautiful woman turned back to face John. She smiled at him sort of dreamily. "You were right John, we were afraid. The beast was the final burden we had to shed, manifesed from our own fears. You gave us the courage to face it," she explained as the others around them began to glow. "Come with us," she said holding her hand out to him.

John glanced out of the corner of his eye to where Kai stood between him and Ronon. Kai was covered in dirt and there was a small trail of blood in the corner of her lips, but she was still so beautiful to him. "I'm not ready for that Teer," he said with a shake of his head.

Teer turned and looked at Kai with interest. "I couldn't see it before," she said thoughtfully. "The Sanctuary blocked it somehow. But now I understand what was holding you back all this time." She stepped forward and kissed John on the cheek.

Kai tensed and Ronon grinned down at her. She shot Ronon a scowl and his smile widened.

"I am sorry. I did not realize," Teer said in a low voice that only John and Kai could hear. "She is a warrior...One would need to be to be Bonded to you," she added a little wryly. "She is worthy of your strength and goodness," she said and she bowed her head respectfully.

"Oh," John started to protest. "We're not-" but Teer had already moved on, not needing to hear his excuses.

She stepped back and turned to look at McKay. "There will be no need to destroy the sanctuary Doctor McKay. We will keep the portal open for you until you are gone."

McKay looked at all of the Ascending people around bewilderedly. "Well, at which point the ZPM, which undoubtly powers this beautiful place will-"

"This sanctuary was left by those who came before us to power this place for those who might seek the path-" Teer explained.

"Yeah but-" McKay began to argue.

Weir shot him a severe look.

"Right, of course," McKay grumbled.

All the others turned into beams of light the shimmered and disappeared. Teer was the last to go. She stared at Sheppard, a sad kind of smile on her face than she too disappeared.

McKay stepped up to Sheppard, completely oblivious to Teer's words about Kai. "What is it with you and Ascended women?"

John shrugged and slid his knife back into his belt.

Weir stepped up next to him and cocked her head to the side. "Well," she said. "The beard is interesting."

"First thing to go when we get home," John said. "Never thought I would see any of you again. Kind of even missed you a little," he added uncomfortably.

Ronon shrugged. "Yeah well, it was only a couple of hours for us so..."

"Ronon," Teyla admonished. Ronon shrugged unapologetically and Kai grinned up at him. "We were all very worried about you," Teyla quickly assured John rolling her eyes at Kai and Ronon's antics.

"Of course we were," Weir agreed. "We're just sorry we didn't get here sooner."

"Let's get out of here," John said and he led the way back to the cave.

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By the time every one was back and settled it was late. Kai stepped into the jumper bay to get some work done, but Zelenka had already gone to bed. She stared at the Mortii fighter. The work on the sensors still needed to be done, but it had been almost forty-eight hours since she slept.

She scrubbed a hand over her face and let out a tired sigh. She needed to leave, the longer she stayed the harder it was going to be to go. Things were serious and the danger her friends were in because of her grew with every passing day. She had to get this done.

She moved towards the work bench when the door slid open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Doctor Beckett.

She exhaled. She wondered how long it was going to be before he came to pay her a visit. She studied her tool belt as he approached and leaned against the work bench.

"John checked out fine," he said casually when she didn't start. "In case you were wondering. No long term effects from the dilation field."

Kai nodded but didn't say anything. She had been curious, but John had seemed fine so she wasn't going to ask. She was leaving, it wasn't her business.

"Does anyone else know?" Beckett finally asked after a long beat of silence.

Kai glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and he blew out an exasperated breath. "You haven't even discussed it with him have you?"

She nodded and picked up her belt, wrapping it around her waist. She wouldn't meet Beckett's eye, she already knew what she would see there.

"Well, you're going to have to discuss it eventually," Carson said gently.

Kai shook her head and finally faced him. "No, I don't."

Carson blew out an exasperated breath and rested his hands on top of his head. He cared very much for Kai, but sometimes he wanted to shake the Mortii stubbornness right out of her.

"Can you feel him all the time?" He asked gently.

"Not all the time. I don't know the range exactly, but so far it appears we have to be on the same planet."

"Interesting," Beckett replied.

"Not really," Kai snapped a little too sharply. "It doesn't matter and I don't want to discuss it anymore."

Beckett looked at her with sympathy but nodded. He knew better than to push Kai any harder. He glanced around the bay and then down at her work belt. "What are you doing here?"

Kai pressed her lips together. She hadn't told anyone else that she was leaving yet and she didn't want to make a big deal of it. "I'm a little behind on some work."

Beckett snort and shook his head. "It'll be there in the morning, go to bed, doctors orders," he said affectionately.

Kai looked like she wanted to argue but she yawned instead.

Carson smiler. "Even you need sleep my dear," he said and he left her alone.

Kai nodded. He was right. The work on the sensors could wait until the morning. One more day wouldn't hurt anything.

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Hi all! I hope you enjoyed the update! It wasn't exactly the direction I was going to take with it at first but it felt like it fit the story arc better!

Might skip an episode or two coming up. I'm really looking forward to writing The Long Goodbye!!! Thank you as always for your incredible support!