"Are you supposed to be out of bed?"

Mitchell looked up and smiled at Ford, who had walked into the commissary and joined her without her really noticing.

"There's no one around to tell me not to be," she admitted.

She'd checked. According to the medical staff, Carson was asleep, Fraiser hadn't been seen in a while, and when Melony had checked, Jack was softly snoring in the bed next to her own. Those were the only three people on Atlantis with the authority to keep her in bed – especially since Talon had suggested she get out and get some fresh air. She was healthy enough to – as long as she didn't do anything too strenuous – and the symbiote figured it would ease her depression over Tao a bit if she had a chance to move around and not brood about it.

Of course, she wasn't completely fit, and her walk had lasted as far as the commissary, where she and Talon had decided a late dinner was definitely in order – and maybe a quiet place to sit and consider what she and Teal'c had discussed – although Mitchell wouldn't make any decisions on that without Jack's approval. Teal'c was his own man, of course, but Melony wasn't going to steal him from the SGC, no matter how much she was beginning to like the idea of having him at her side. So she'd been sitting there, munching on a plate of crackers (there wasn't a lot of other things to choose from just then) and thinking about the future instead of the past.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked Ford, motioning for him to have a seat if he wanted to. He sat down with a grin.

"Late night patrol."

"Ah."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm a lot better than I was," she said, pushing her plate of crackers towards him. "Not a hundred percent, yet – maybe – but close."

"You look a lot better."

She smiled.

"So how was the patrol? Anything exciting?"

Ford snorted.

"Are you kidding? With three hundred Jaffa in the city? Who'd do anything out of line?"

Melony smiled, and felt Talon's amusement as well.

"Good point."

"Kavanaugh's being a pain in the ass – but that's something Doctor Weir has to take care of. Not that he listens to her."

"What's he doing?"

Melony was only vaguely aware of who Ford was talking about. Like a lot of the scientists, Kavanaugh had been in on the lessons that she'd forced them all to take from the security forces in the city, and he'd complained bitterly about the waste of time – right up until Melony herself had commented that there might be a practical exam on the subject of self-defense and those found lacking would probably end up with something broken. Accidentally, of course.

Of course.

Ford hesitated. It wasn't really a military matter, and Mitchell didn't have anything to do with the civilian scientists – especially now that the Wraith crisis appeared to be over. For another… it was extremely personal to Weir, and Ford had only heard it because he had overheard a couple of the scientists discussing it – and whether or not they should warn Doctor Weir.

Melony scowled.

"Aiden."

Ford looked around to make sure they were alone.

"You knew Weir is engaged?"

"Yeah."

"Apparently Kavanaugh does, too. He's talking about going to see her fiancé – and telling him what's going on between her and Kale…"

"What's going on between her and Kale is none of his business."

"I know. But he's a dick, Colonel. He's going to do it – I don't doubt it. It'll just be one more way he can stab her in the back, you know?"

She nodded. It was the kind of guy he was.

"Weir's done a lot for Atlantis," Ford said.

"I know."

She stood up.

"Where are you going?" He asked, curiously.

"To give a little back."

OOOOOOOO

Most of the scientists had their own quarters. Those few lucky enough to have hooked up with someone else – and there weren't many – shared quarters with that significant other. Kavanaugh wasn't one of those – and it didn't surprise Melony a bit. She made two stops once she left the commissary. One was to the control room to check the housing chart – which told what room each member of the expedition was quartered in. Without talking to anyone else, she simply walked in and looked. No one was about to challenge her, after all. Then she left, and headed for the large auditorium that housed her Jaffa, took two volunteers (who had already been awake and were just hanging out) and headed for the scientists' sector with the Jaffa striding purposefully behind her.

At least they know you're alive, Talon noted as they walked.

True.

OOOOOOOO

The doors to all the rooms on Atlantis were solidly built. They moved freely when opened, but when they were locked, they were secure, and impervious to everything from flames to who knew what kind of alien attacks. But they weren't Jaffa-proof, and Kavanaugh fell out of his bed in mute terror when the door to his quarters imploded with a terrible crashing sound. The result of a staff weapon blast and a single blow from a heavily booted foot.

Wide-eyed and wearing only a pair of boxers, with his long hair wildly arrayed all around his face, he picked himself up off the floor as Melony walked in, flanked by the two Jaffa.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, his voice high-pitched. "Don't you know how to knock?"

She didn't say anything. Not to him, anyways. Instead, she looked at the Jaffa.

"Bring him."

Then she turned away and headed for the door once more.

"Hey!"

The sanctimonious cry was cut off before it even began as the Jaffa advanced, and as Melony walked out into the corridor, she could hear muffled noises as the Jaffa bound and gagged him. Amazingly enough, no one came to investigate the staff blast – which might have had something to do with the sound-proofing of the quarters. Whatever it was, when the Jaffa emerged a few minutes later – with Kavanaugh slung over one of their shoulders – no one even noticed.

Mitchell nodded her approval, and led the Jaffa down the hall. This was going to be fun.