You've just mended my heart, just to break it again. Beautiful, beautiful story. Painful to read, especially second time over, when everything is completely clear.
He walked through the city and she lit up around him. But not welcoming, he realized now: she was frightened, terrified. Cowering. This? This broke me. John realizing Atlantis has never welcomed him, that the feeling of belonging, of home, was fake. Artificial.
And I'm left thinking: what now? What about John's future? What will happen, when it's decided he's not needed anymore? What will he do? What will Rodney do?