P.S.

"Colonel!"

"What is it Rodney?" John was worn out and trying not to admit it when McKay came bounding up with exasperating energy. He had almost made it to his bedroom doors… two more steps and he could collapse into comfortable exhaustion…

"So you gotta tell me something. How did you know about thermogenic plants? I'd never heard of them before Dr. Brown told me about them, much less that they could or did exist on Earth. I've been reading all about them today, they're surprisingly very interesting…"

"I'm feeling fine, but a little tired. Thanks for you concern Rodney. It means a lot that you asked…" John interrupted. He actually felt grumpy and a little annoyed at being badgered about plants when he really wanted to sleep. That and he was carrying a bit of a grudge against anything with leaves at the moment.

"Oh, yeah. Good to see you back on your feet. So the plants. Were you just pulling my leg? You'd really heard of them before?"

John sighed and realized that it would be easier to answer Rodney's question than fight it off. The egotistic astrophysicist had this extremely annoying habit of freaking out anytime John knew something he didn't and would pester the hell of John until he was reassured that he was, in fact, still smarter than the Air Force flyboy. "No Rodney, I wasn't pulling your leg. My crazy Great-great Aunt Alberta always went on and on about her Philodendron talking to her because it was warm blooded. Looked just like a plant to me, but she had her botany right. She'd also put all her plants outside at night because they 'came to life and started breathing up her oxygen…' Learned all about photosynthesis from that one."

He yawned and shook himself a little to stay awake, trying to remember enough to satisfy McKay. "Oh, yeah. I also saw one of those giant Corpse Plants in bloom once, they're thermogenic when they're blooming. Big ugly sucker and smelled like hell. But yes, they're pretty cool. Can I go to bed now?"

"Titan arum. Yes, I read about those too. They're still pretty rare on Earth, only a few gardens have cultivated them to bloom successfully… Were you at the one that bloomed in 2003 in Germany?"

"No."

"Were you at one of the gardens in London or UC Davis?" John just loved the way Rodney asked his questions more to reveal how much he already knew than to actually get an answer.

"No, I wasn't in any garden."

Rolling his eyes with exasperated superiority, Rodney waved his hands at John, "Well, they don't just grow in your back yard. You wouldn't see one outside a professional botanical setting unless you happened to be traipsing around the rainforests of Sumatra. Maybe you only thought…it…was…" He trailed off as John only stared pointedly. He stuttered a moment, circling his finger in the air, "So… so you were in Sumatra?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." Taking those last two steps, he smirked mysteriously at McKay… and closed the door.