Title: Meeting of Minds

Author: Jedi Buttercup

Disclaimer: All your Stargates are belong to SciFi & etc.

Rating: PG-15

Summary: SGA/SG-1. She didn't need to see his cocky grin to know he'd been successful. 1000 words.

Spoilers: Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, post-S10/S3 future AU

Notes: For xfirefly9x, who requested "Shep/Weir & Sam/Jack, psychic." Not to be taken seriously.

"Incoming wormhole," the technician announced, fingers moving over the controls as Atlantis' shield snapped into place over the event horizon. "Receiving IDC. Ma'am--"

She cut him off with a smile. "It's Colonel Sheppard, I know." She needed no mechanical assistance to know he was on his way back to her; every nerve in her body was awake to his mental touch, thrumming in anticipation of his return.

"You know it's creepy when you do that, right?" Rodney asked, looking up from the console where he'd been waiting out the strike team's mission.

Elizabeth chose not to respond, merely raising her eyebrows at him as she approached the Stargate dais. She knew it was only a pro forma objection; she hadn't missed the fact that the entire senior staff, Rodney included, had been keeping a close eye on her mood ever since John's departure in an effort to glean a hint of his fate through that very same 'creepy' connection. Still, she had no doubt that it really did unnerve those who weren't a part of the phenomenon. How could a blind man truly appreciate the sight of the sun setting over Atlantis' ocean, or a deaf man the sound of perfect voices raised in chorus?

Why, Elizabeth, a dry voice drawled in the back of her mind, All that poetry for little ol' me? You must have missed me while I was gone.

The shield snapped down, and her grin widened as the standing wave within the 'gate rippled and Atlantis' military commander stepped back into the city.

Don't flatter yourself. You've only been gone four hours, she told him, basking in the sheer force of his presence as the connection between them opened back up to its normal strength. It was like turning her face up to the spring sun after a winter of darkness; a sense of warmth and well-being flooded her, buoying her spirits further. She didn't need to see his cocky grin, nor the faces of those who walked through the wormhole after him, to know he'd been successful.

She could feel his presence, just barely, virtually anywhere within the known galaxies as long as he was within a few miles of a Stargate; through an open wormhole, the untraceable transmission that carried his thoughts to her was strong enough to convey words. In person, it allowed sharing right down to the sensory level, though they didn't often indulge it that deeply. The ability that allowed that melding was part Wraith telepathy, part advanced Ancient mental technique, and all John; they still didn't understand exactly how his various misadventures with both species had triggered it, nor how it worked, nor why Elizabeth's anchoring presence seemed necessary for him to wield it properly, but it had become one of their best tools in the on-going war against the combined Wraith/Asuran faction that had decided to exterminate all human life in Pegasus.

Not to mention its galvanizing effect on the interpersonal relations between Atlantis' civilian and military leadership. There had been talk lately of replacing one or the other of them as the depth of their new reliance on one another had become obvious, but given recent developments she didn't think they'd have to worry about that much longer.

Four hours, three minutes, fourteen seconds, John scolded her, green eyes twinkling as he stood before her.

She basked in welcoming communion with him for a moment more, not bothering to reply in words, until a familiar blonde figure stepped up at John's shoulder.

Worry lines bracketed Colonel Carter's intelligent blue eyes, and one hand curved slightly over the gentle swell of her stomach. "Dr. Weir?" she asked, her voice concerned.

Elizabeth blinked, then took a mental step away from John to focus on their guests. "Welcome, Colonel," she said. "We were hoping you'd survived the destruction of the SGC, but we couldn't be certain; when we retrieved SG-1, all they knew was that you were still at the mountain when they 'gated out for their last mission."

Sam shot a glance over her shoulder at the graying man hovering just behind her; the retired general looked a bit more abstracted than even his usual, probably readjusting to the considerable weight of Atlantis on his mind after several years away, but his reflexes were still sharp. It only took him a second to refocus on his wife and give her a reassuring smile.

"Landry had the 'gate open for the weekly resupply to the Alpha site when it happened," O'Neill said, wrapping an arm around Sam as he answered Elizabeth's unspoken questions. "I was on-site for a consult on some shiny new piece of Ancient tech Daniel'd got his hands on. When we realized we couldn't raise anyone outside the SGC, Landry sent through all the essential personnel and supplies he could, including us. No one's heard from him since, and when we tried a redial the 'gate wouldn't engage."

Elizabeth nodded. That tallied with what the Asgaard had told them. "I'm afraid Earth is gone," she said, gently. "For the time being, at least. The four surviving Ba'al clones had access to some of Anubis' technology, and we believe they used it to shift the planet somehow out of phase. Your wormhole was still linked to the outside reality, but the moment it shut down there was no way to reestablish a connection."

Sam nodded, sighing. "We guessed it was something like that. We spotted some of Ba'al's ships in orbit at the Alpha site, too, just before Colonel Sheppard's team came through. With their help, we were able to evacuate everyone into the 'gate bridge network and through to Midway Station; then we locked down the Milky Way end. Ba'al won't be able to use it to follow us."

"Good thinking," Elizabeth said, and reached out to clasp Sam's hand. "Don't worry, we won't allow Earth to remain in Ba'al's hands long. And in the meantime..." She allowed her smile to widen again. "Welcome to Atlantis."

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