Title: Goodbyes Are Hard, Hellos Are Easier

By: Polgara Depending on where you're reading this at K+ or FR13

Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters, which is pretty much all of them. They belong to their respective creators and distributors.

Spoilers: For Atlantis the events in the beginning of Rising for sure, then lose spoilers for the rest of season one. For Charmed, anything up through the middle of the current season. For BtVS the entire series is game. For SeaQuest DSV, very very loose spoilers.

Setting: Takes place right before they leave for the Pegasus Galaxy in Atlantis. In the current season of Charmed, takes place shortly before the episode where Phoebe receives her power of premonition back.

Summary: Sheppard and McKay visit family before they leave for Atlantis.

A/N: This was written for the Changing Destiny's Ficathon. This is in response of Hannah's 1st challenge: Challenge 1: stargate-Atlantis? PG-13/NC-17 I want a fic set before they have been sent to Atlantis. it should have the relationships between one of the characters(John Sheppard or Rodney McKay) and why they choose to leave. Also, you can go far enough that the fic goes on to when the Atlantis team comes back and how their families act now that they're back. You can cross it over with anything you'd like, but try for something that isn't usually seen or read.

Goodbyes Are Hard, Hellos Are Easier

Part One

John Sheppard sat on a hill overlooking the bay. In just a few short weeks, his entire world had been turned completely upside down. He had spent his life believing that he was just an ordinary guy, but it turned out that he had some sort of special gene that allowed him to use Ancient technology - whoever they were. And now he was expected to not only leave his known life and world, but this galaxy to help a bunch of scientists learn more about these Ancients. Hopefully in the process they will discover some sort of weapon to help defend Earth against the goa'uld - a parasitical alien race. Yet another thing for him to adjust his thinking to, aliens.

This was huge. Life altering huge. World saving huge.

Granted, he had already said he would go. His gut told him to say yes. But now, during the time allotted for him to pack and say his goodbyes, his brain began to second-guess his gut. He hated having time to think things through. It gave time for all sorts of self-doubt to creep in and that was a dangerous thing.

He only knew of three people that he could talk to about the momentous change in his life and get ideas on the best way to cope. True, he couldn't tell them everything, even though they knew how to keep secrets, but they could help stabilize his worldview and give him the grounding he'd need before leaving on this expedition.

A wry smile appeared on his lips as he stood to leave. His cousins were definitely unique. The daughters of his mother's brother had inadvertently opened his eyes to another world. A world of magic and demons. It was a war of good versus evil that he was unable to participate in, but he knew the world was in good hands. His cousins were the charmed ones, who possessed the power of three and were humanities stand against the darkness. They put their lives on the line everyday for the world, but never let it go to their heads. He was hoping that they'd shed some light on how they were able to do that.

XXXXXXXXX

John shifted nervously as he waited for someone to open the door. He was forever showing up unannounced on their doorstep and he was always worried about arriving during a crisis. He just never planned his visits far enough in advance to call and warn them. His fears were allayed though, when the door swung open to reveal the oldest of his cousins.

"Oh my goodness! John, it's wonderful to see you," she cried, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Piper, it's good to see you, too. I haven't come at a bad time have I?"

"Of course not. We're entertaining another guest for a few days, but other than that things are calm," she said, letting him enter and then closing the door behind them.

He took a moment to look her over. It had been over a year since the last time he had a chance to visit and things hadn't been good back then at the Halliwell Manor. It seemed that things had improved if his cousin was any indication. Her brown hair was a long as ever and the tension that had been around her eyes was gone. He was glad to see her happy again, but also guilty that he hadn't kept up.

"Anyone else home?" He asked after hanging up his coat.

"Everyone's here," Piper answered. "They're in the sunroom."

"John!" A woman with short dark hair cried. She excitedly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "What a surprise!"

"Hey Phoebe," he said, hugging her warmly.

"When are his visits anything but?" Another brunette asked.

"Just doing my part to keep you girls on your toes," John glibly replied, releasing Phoebe and hugging the third sister. "I like the darker hair, Paige. The red didn't really suit you."

"Thanks for the advice," Paige said with a roll of her eyes.

Paige wasn't technically his cousin since she had a different father from the other two, but that didn't stop him from thinking of her as one though. She had immediately felt like family and he treated her as such. They had only known her for a little over three years, although anyone on the outside could never tell by looking.

John's eyes fell on an unfamiliar blonde sitting in one of the chairs. "You're not another cousin I knew nothing about are you?"

She smiled. "Not unless it's news to me, too," she said.

"John, this is our guest, Buffy Summers. She's here to work through some things. Buffy, this is our wayward cousin John Sheppard. He breezes in and out of here and we never know when he's going to show up," Phoebe said with a grin.

"I'm hurt. I don't breeze," John protested. Looking around he realized that there were a few people missing. "Where's Leo and Chris? And how's Wyatt?" He didn't miss the looks that crossed over the three sister's faces. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. It's just a long, long story," Paige said, glancing nervously over at Buffy.

"And I think that's my cue to head back to the hotel and let you guys catch up," Buffy said, rising up from her chair. "We can finish this up tomorrow. If that's alright with you guys?"

"Sure thing," Phoebe said, walking her to the door. "If you're not, umm, doing anything tonight, feel free to swing by Piper's club."

"P3, right?"

"That's the one."

"Maybe. See you guys later," Buffy said as she closed the door.

"So what happened?" John asked, a little concerned.

XXXXXXXXX

"Where are you being shipped to next?" Piper asked the next morning as she easily moved about the kitchen fixing breakfast. It was a ritual for the two of them that went back to his first visit to the sisters.

"What do you mean?" John asked as he leaned against the island.

"You only visit in between shift in stations. Like last time - in between Afghanistan and Antarctica. And I can't believe you actually spent eleven months there."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I liked it there."

Piper arched an eyebrow. "Really? You must have been busy. You barely called or wrote."

"I warned you that I was horrible at that correspondence stuff," he protested. "I only wish I could have been there for you when everything went down with Gideon and the boys."

"We managed as always," she said with a sad little smile. "And you're avoiding the question."

"Me?"

"Yes you, now fess up."

"What was the question again?" He innocently asked.

"Where are they sending you next?" She asked, placing a mug of coffee in front of him.

"It's classified," he said, taking a sip.

"That's different," Piper said, stopping to look at him closely. "I didn't realize you had such a high security clearance."

"I normally don't," he admitted. "But they need people with 'special' abilities."

"What kind of 'special' abilities?"

"Also classified," he said, his eyes firmly on his coffee.

"John, is this going to affect... us?"

He looked up and saw the tension in her small frame. He was fully aware that us meant the sisters and their world of magic. "No! This is worlds different," he assured her. "Worlds different."

She relaxed and went back to cooking. "I'm guessing we won't hear from you for a while," she said softly.

"Pretty much. I won't even have access to email," he replied just as softly.

Silence descended over the kitchen as John drank his coffee and Piper busied herself at the stove. They were taking time to swallow the lumps in their throats. They hadn't been close for most of their lives, but they had more than made up for it over the past six years. They had been there to support each other during some of the darkest moments of their lives.

"Piper, can I ask you something?" John asked after a few minutes.

"Sure," she said setting two omelet's on the table. They both sat down at the small table to eat.

"Back when you guys first found out you were witches and learned about your destiny, was it... did you... I mean..." he faltered at finding the correct words.

"Was it scary? Did we wish it hadn't happened to us but to someone else?"

"Well, yeah," he replied, running a hand through his short dark hair. "I know it came as a shock, but how did you deal?"

"It was hard at first. Demons and warlocks just popped out at us at odd times and we were suddenly fighting for our lives and for the innocents. Plus, we had to learn control. It was a lot to adjust to at first," Piper said thoughtfully.

"But then..."

"We learned, we adjusted, and we finally accepted," she explained with a smile. "Sure there are times when I've wished for the ability to have a normal life, but I think about what magic has given me. I've grown close to Phoebe, I met Leo and we now have two beautiful sons, and found a long lost sister."

"What about the bad stuff - losing Pru, older Chris, Cole..."

"I won't say it doesn't hurt, but the good far outweighs the bad. Besides someone has to fight evil and..."

"And it might as well be you," he finished for her.

"We're not as alone as what we thought now either, which is a good thing. But why ask about all of this now?"

"Just wondering," he replied vaguely.

"Does this have anything to do with where they're sending you?" She shrewdly asked.

"It's..."

"Classified, I know," she said with a sigh. "I hear movement upstairs. We should prepare to be bombarded by the grumpy ones in search of coffee."

XXXXXXXXX

That night John restlessly roamed the bottom floor of the Halliwell Manor. His cousins, along with Leo, were in the attic meeting with Buffy. They were forming some sort of alliance or coalition from what he could tell, even though Buffy wasn't a witch. He wasn't sure what her role was in the world of demons, but he did know that she approached the sisters with the proposition.

Buffy Summers. Now there was an enigma. She had continually pulled his gaze the previous night at the club and again that evening. There was something... off about her and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

She was likeable enough, he supposed. She was a natural beauty but didn't flaunt it, just let her sparkling personality speak for her. There was an effortless grace in her movements that seemed almost catlike at times. But her eyes held something darker than what her sunny disposition showed, and that was the part that confused him.

Ok, maybe that darkness was the product of her being involved in his cousins' world. He'd seen a similar look in Piper and Phoebe and the start of one in Paige. Buffy's, however, spoke of deeper pain, loss, and regret. If only he cou...

John stopped that thought before it could finish. He admitted that he did find the blonde attractive and under normal circumstances he's pursue her. But he was leaving for Colorado Springs tomorrow and the Pegasus Galaxy two days after that with the distinct possibility of it being a one way trip. Now was not the time to get a new girlfriend.

A loud crash from upstairs brought him out of his thoughts. He took the stairs two at a time and quickly got to the attic. Without thinking, he shoved Buffy out of the way of an energy ball.

"Problem guys," Piper called out, flicking her hands. "He's shrugging my powers off!"

Paige gestured with her right hand. "Potion!" Blue orbs circled a potion's bottle on the other side of the room and flew to her hand. She quickly threw the vial at the demon, causing an explosion. The demon however, appeared unaffected and continued to throw energy balls at anything that moved.

John found himself desperately wishing for a gun as he hid behind an overturned table. He knew it wouldn't stop the demon, but at least he would feel like he was contributing. He hated feeling helpless. Buffy began moving away and he grabbed her arm to pull her back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To do my job," she hissed back, jerking her arm out of his grasp.

Before he could stop her, she stood and yelled, "Paige, a sword would be nice right about now."

He popped his head up in time to see two things happen at once - a sword appearing in Buffy's hand in a swirl of blue orbs and Phoebe being knocked across the room. With an expert swing of the sword, Buffy charged the still unharmed demon. John could scarcely believe his eyes as he watched her skillfully dodge all the energy balls thrown at her. Within moments she was face to face with the demon before running her sword through it.

John ducked his head as the demon exploded. When the shockwave passed, he once again came out of hiding. "Well that was fun," he dryly commented. He looked over at Buffy. "How'd you do that?"

"She's the slayer," Paige said absently, as she surveyed the damage the demon had caused.

"Does secret identity mean anything to you?" Buffy protested.

"He won't say anything," Phoebe assured her. "He's known about us for years."

"Which reminds me," Piper said, turning to stare at John. "What did you think you were doing running up here like that? You could've gotten hurt."

"I bounce," he said with a shrug. "But you didn't really think I'd stand down there and do nothing did you?"

"Is everyone alright?" Leo asked, orbing in with a crying Wyatt in his arms. He had gone to guard his two sons the moment the demon had appeared.

"We're peachy," Piper replied, taking Wyatt. "Buffy vanquished him for us. It's kind of handy having a slayer around."

"What exactly is a slayer?" John asked.

XXXXXXXXX

The next morning, John sadly smiled at his cousins as he set his bag down next to the front door. This was the moment he had been dreading - saying goodbye for what could possibly be forever. It wasn't fair to him or to them. But just as he had kept their secret over the years, so would he keep the government's secret. Besides, the three women had enough worries, they didn't need more.

He bent down to pick Wyatt up. "You be a good boy, you hear? None of this turning evil stuff," he told the two-year-old. He kissed the blond toddler on top of the head before putting him down.

"Be careful out there," Leo said, as he hugged him.

"I'll try. You take care of the girls and those two boys of yours."

"I always do," Leo said with a smile.

Piper handed him a small bag after she hugged him. "It's just some cookies for the road," she said, her eyes shining bright with tears.

Paige gave him a handmade bracelet. "It's got a small protection charm on it. I just hope it won't be necessary."

"Thanks," he said, slipping it on.

"Don't worry, I didn't get you anything," Phoebe said. She reached up to hug him and froze when she touched him.

"Phoebe, did you get a premonition?" Piper asked. Until then, there had been no indication that Phoebe had received any of her stripped powers back.

"Yeah, I saw..."

"I don't want to know," John said. "If I know, I might not go through with this."

"Through with what?" Paige asked.

"I can't tell you, it's classified. I wish I could, but I can't so please don't ask," he pleaded. "Please."

Phoebe nodded her head before hugging him tightly. "I don't know where you're going, but be careful and trust your instincts."

"Thanks, Phoebe." He released her and picked up his bag. "I'll call as soon as I can," he promised. Then he turned and walked out the door.

John didn't know what his future had in store, but he knew he could handle it, if only to ensure the safety of his family - people who had already sacrificed enough. For them, he could do this. It helped that this sort of behavior ran in the family.

tbc