As Cam tried to cool Vala off, an idea struck him. He reached over Vala and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jack."

"John. Where are you?"

"Not right now. I've got a problem."

"What's up son?"

"Vala... I mean, Aeryn's sick."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, she's hot, and weak. I wanted to know if either of us told anyone about the differences in Aeryn compared to a human."

"No. We didn't get anything about any of them. How long has she been sick?"

"Not long. It started after we had breakfast. I brought her back to the hotel, and started trying to cool her off."

"I'm sorry, son. I can't help you. Whatever you do, don't take her to a hospital."

"Yah, yah, I know. Jack, I gotta go." Vala was starting to become a little more alert, and was trying to move around on the bed.

"Wait, before you go, I've got something you may want."

"What?"

"When you arrived, you all had these tiny communication devices attached to your shirts. I've got yours."

"Is it small enough to send to me?"

"Yes."

"Kay, I'll let you know where you can send it later. I've got to go."

Cam hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He ran to the bathroom, and soaked the washcloths in cold water again. The room was starting to get too cold for his comfort, and he turned to get his sweater she had worn the previous day. As he returned to Vala's side, her eyes opened, and she focused on Cam's face.

"Hey, you feelin better?" Cam's voice was soft as he spoke to her.

"A bit. Headache's still there. Still warm." Vala raised her arm and rested it on her forehead.

"We're staying here today. I don't want to go out and you have a relapse."

"Yeah." Vala closed her eyes, and to all appearances went to sleep.


Several hours later, Vala was once again her usual self. Cam was reluctant to leave her alone, especially considering what had happened the last time. Cam eventually had to leave to get some dinner for them both, and Vala insisted on coming with him. Cam, still unsure as to what had caused her sickness, had a feeling that the only way she would stay in the room, is if he tied her to something. He grudgingly allowed her to follow him. Outside, the sun had just set, colouring the sky in many shades of yellow, red and blue. It was much warmer than in the hotel room, so Cam removed his sweater. During the short walk to a diner down the street, Cam kept a vigilant eye on Vala, watching for any signs her symptoms were re-occurring.

On the walk back, Vala looked paler, and her walking turned to stumbling.

"Vala. You feelin' alright?" Cam was worried.

"Small headache. Nothing like before."

"The hotel's just a block or two away. Keep walking, I'll get you there."

Cam took the bag of food she was carrying and placed his free arm around her waist in case she collapsed. As soon as they were back in the room, Cam helped Vala to the bed, and turned the AC on again. It had seemed to work last time, why not now?

As before, Vala recovered, only quicker this time. As they ate their dinner, they both speculated on what it could be.

"Maybe I'm supposed to take some kind of drug to keep me going, like Teal'c." Vala wondered out loud.

"Could be. But why do you keep recovering?"

"I get a headache, then I feel way too warm. After that, there's not much of a memory."

"Both times I got you in a cool place, and you felt fine with a little time."

"Maybe it's the heat?"

"The heat? It wasn't that hot today. It's going to get a lot hotter as summer approaches."

"Cam, are you cold?" Vala grinned at Cam, who had sweat pants, thick socks, t-shirt, and a sweater on, and still seemed to be shivering occasionally.

"Not freezing, but yes, cold. Aren't you?"

"No. I'm fine. Feels good in here."

"What if you're cold blooded?" The idea struck Cam out of the blue.

"Was that an insult Cam?"

"No, it's just a term for a creature that uses it's environment to control it's body temperature. Humans do to a certain extent, but we're classified as warm blooded. For example, I'm shivering to help keep my muscles warm. If you're cold-blooded, you'd have to go to a warm environment to get warm, you can't do it yourself." Cam shivered again as if to make a point.

"But I'm not cold... I get too hot."

"Then you can't be in too warm an environment."

"Didn't you say Houston was nice and warm?" Vala looked inquisitively at Cam

"It is. We can't stay here."

"Ok, then lets go." Vala stood up as if to leave that instant.

"Not right now. I want to talk to Dr. Carter, see if she comes up with anything. If we leave, there'll be no way for her to contact us."

"We can call her though."

"I'd rather do it face to face, less chance of someone tracking our conversations."

"Then when can we leave?"

"I'll talk to Dr. Carter tomorrow, tell her what's going on. If it's going to be warm tomorrow, then you'll have to stay here. As soon as I can, I'll get us a flight out of here."

"Where to?"

"Somewhere colder. We'll try to track down the others."

"Ok." Vala stifled a yawn as she picked up her plate, and cleared the table. When she was finished getting ready for bed in the bathroom, she emerged to find Cam setting up his 'bed' on the couch. She knew that he wouldn't be able to get a good sleep on the couch or the floor, considering on how cool he insisted the room be for her. She couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth.

"Cam, sleep in the bed tonight."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"In the bed."

"But you just offered it to me?" Vala rolled her eyes at Cam, who had completely missed what she had been proposing.

"Yes. The bed is big enough for two."

"But..." Cam stuttered as the thought of sharing a bed with Vala finally entered his mind.

"We're two grown adults here, Cam, I think we can share a bed to get a good nights sleep. If you sleep on the couch, you'll wake up with a sore neck, and if you try to sleep on the floor, I bet you'll be too cold."

"Good point." Cam considered Vala's idea seriously.

"Well?"

"Uh, sure. For tonight."

Vala climbed into the bed, and made herself comfortable on the right side. She pulled the sheets up to her shoulders, and faced the wall. She heard Cam as he turned off the TV, and started getting ready for bed. She heard the bathroom door open, and in a minute, felt the bed shift as he laid down next to her. Forcing her eyes closed, she tried to fall asleep quickly.