Title: The Price That Life Exacts by Cathalin
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard
Categories: angst, hurt/comfort, kid, action
Length: Epic (~63,000 words)
Warnings: dub-con/non-con (depending on your sensitivity), that occurs pre-story and isn't described in much detail

Author on LJ: cathalin 
Website: n/a

Review:
A year after John disappears from a routine piloting mission, an Atlantis team finds a baby who is near death (and with three adults who don't survive). The baby, to everyone's surprise, proves to be John's, giving them hope that John might still be alive.

This is one heck of an angst-fest. You've got Atlantis as a whole, which is struggling to hold itself together without much support from the SGC and with ever-decreasing supplies. You have Rodney, who fought with John before his disappearance and who has been living a life of regret ever since, even while taking care of John's daughter. And you have John (because we all known I'm never going to rec a story where John disappears and is never seen again), who is a wreck when he returns and can barely look at Rodney or Amelia (his daughter).

Yet, despite all of this angst, this story never gets too dark or grim. Amelia helps with that, providing a continual, much-appreciated spot of brightness without ever making the story All About Her as is often the case with baby!fic. You also have Teyla and Ronon, who are both excellent: supportive and sensitive and also willing to kick Rodney in the ass when necessary. Finally you have Woolsey, a character who rarely gets a fair shake, but who is wonderful in this fic: pedantic and sometimes annoying, but inherently a good man.

Ideal for someone seeking a long, meaty fic, full of difficult (but ultimately fulfilling) relationships and challenges.

The Price That Life Extracts