She didn't head right back to her quarters. There was no hurry for her to return to them – although if she'd been thinking she would have brought a cup of coffee along with her. She wasn't tired, and even though she had no intention of exploring Atlantis on her own in the dark, she had no real desire to go back to her room and sleep, either. She made her way back to the balcony that overlooked the water, and walked out to the edge, leaning against the safety rail, and looking down – even though it was too dark to see the water.

There was no moon – which didn't mean there wasn't a moon at all, although for all she knew there were four or five of them – and she stared off in the darkness, not really seeing anything, but listening to the waves crashing far below her.

Sumner was dead... She hadn't been expecting that scenario. She'd either expected them to all be gone – moved on to another place under the Colonel's careful guidance – or had expected them to be here, trying to find a way to contact Earth – again, under the watchful eye of the older Colonel. She'd never even thought that he'd fall.

They'll pay Talon promised her, aware that she was beginning to brood, which was fine for a while, but the gloomy thoughts of death were bound to turn to other losses, and that could be bad if she were to dwell on it. Better to goad her sense of vengeance – which was just as strong in her as it was in the symbiote, and they both knew it.

It didn't work, though. Not this time. When she was with other people, discussing things she'd never heard of, or when she was alone and immersed in reports describing things she'd never heard of or seen it was easier to forget the hurt. When she was alone, though, and staring into the darkness, it all came back and the loss came crashing down on her like the waves on the city below.

I'm sorry, Melony

I know

She did know, too. Talon felt her pain. He cried with her. He mourned the loss of Brad – and now Marshal – just as keenly as she did, because the two of them were so closely joined there was no hiding that pain from him.

He wouldn't want you to agonize like this

I know

It didn't make it any easier, though.

She stood there for a long time, not talking, really, although they were in constant communication through shared feelings and thoughts, and listened to the night. It wasn't anything new to either of them – they'd spent lots of time in Fugly, and then Fuglier, doing the same thing – the only difference was that they were countless millions of miles from everything they'd ever known.

And there's a new enemy to face

Yes

She decided that if she wanted to be fresh in the morning when everyone else was, she'd better get to bed. Brooding was one way to pass time, but it wasn't a good way to get rest. She turned and headed back into the hallway, but had only gone a few paces when she noticed that she had company.

"Are you supposed to be out of bed?" She asked the boy that she'd met earlier that day.

Jinto

I know

She wasn't always bad with names.

The boy shook his head.

"I snuck out."

"You'd better head back and sneak back in before someone notices you're gone and comes looking."

"What were you thinking about, standing out there? Green bay?"

Mitchell shook her head.

"I was thinking about a... friend of mine."

"Oh."

They were both quiet, looking at each other in the middle of a deserted hallway in the middle of the night in the middle of an alien settlement, both of them in a place they'd never expected to be only months before.

"Jinto!"

The boy flinched, and turned at the sound of his name. Melony turned as well, and saw a tall man walking up to them, his stride purposeful and his face set in a stern scowl.

"That's my father."

She nodded. She'd pretty much guessed that on her own.

The Athosian stopped only a few paces from Mitchell and the boy.

"What have I told you about leaving our quarters in the dark?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, Father."

Mitchell noticed he didn't promise not to do it again.

The man turned to Melony, and gave her a slight bow.

"I am sorry if he has been bothering you."

"He hasn't," she said, shaking her head. "I'm Melony Mitchell."

"Halling." The man said, introducing himself with another bow. "I've heard all about you..." he looked pointedly at Jinto, who flushed slightly.

"He's good company," she said, figuring it wouldn't hurt to say, and it might keep the kid from too much trouble.

"He asks a million questions, and every question you answer only brings forth a dozen more."

She smiled, because that was exactly what she'd thought earlier that day when she'd met him.

"Young people are like that, I'm told."

"You have no children?"

"No."

"Would you like one? You can have him..."

Mitchell grinned, because it was obvious that no matter how stern the man was trying to be, it was obvious from the way his son was looking up at him that they loved each other.

"I probably couldn't keep up with him."

"True." Halling looked at Jinto. "Off to bed, boy. Now."

"But Father-"

"Now."

Grumbling, Jinto waved farewell to Melony and turned and headed back down the hall.

"I'm sorry if he bothered you," Halling repeated. "He's far too curious for his own good, and he doesn't always know when to be quiet."

"He's fine," she said, shrugging. "I like kids."

Halling nodded. She could tell he had questions of his own – she could see them lurking in his expression – but he was more reserved than Jinto, and wasn't going to ask. Normally Melony would have just said go ahead and ask, but she didn't feel like another question and answer session – it could wait until another time – so the two of them looked at each other in silence, much the same way she and Jinto had been when Halling had interrupted.

"I should go make sure he went to our room..."

She nodded.

"It was nice to meet you."

"I'll see you again, I'm sure."

"Yeah."

He gave her another of those slight bows, and turned and followed his son, leaving Mitchell standing in the hall.

That was odd

Yes.

Ah well... she shouldn't expect the Athosians to be normal. She didn't know what normal was for them. Maybe they all stared like that.

Or maybe they just can't figure you out? Talon suggested.

Yeah, well, I can't figure me out, sometimes. Why should they be able to?

He gave a mental chuckle, and they headed off for bed, her gloomy mood somewhat abated by the interruptions.