John was glad when Teyla indicated that she knew where the relic holder was - he'd knew how big this city was and exploring the lower levels could have taken them days. Not to say that they might not still end up having to search, but he trusted Teyla and a feeling that she might be saving them a lot of trouble.
While Fred went to get the relics, John looked down at Alex, who was staring up at him. "What?" he asked softly as they stood up.
"I...I never knew you or Mom," she told him. "You both died here. But...you're exactly how I imagined you'd be."
Leaning down, John hugged her, picking her up. She was so slender, just like her mother. "You know I would never have let anything happen to you if I could have helped it."
"I know. Jennifer always told me that," she whispered.
He carried her out to the Gate, where he set her down before Fred returned with the relics. Teyla then took them down to where she thought the holder was, and it turned out their trust in her was well founded as soon they had the relics locked in and recharging.
Before they could ask if Alex sensed any changes, another little girl came running in and started climbing up into his arms, calling him Daddy. He looked over at Fred in amazement. Another daughter? When Alex told them her name, he heard Rodney cough behind him.
"Meredith?" he said, looking down at the other little girl.
"I wasn't going to steal it! I just wanted to sit in the seat you do!" Meredith looked at him then over at Alex. "You're right. He's not the same Daddy!"
"How do you know?" he asked.
"No grey hair! You always said Uncle Rodney gave them to you." She looked over at Rodney and waved. "Hi, Uncle Rodney!"