Ronon strode purposefully down the hallway. He had to get to the bottom of whatever was going on between Ella and Doctor Jackson. To his surprise and relative relief, Ella was nowhere to be seen. Daniel looked up at him and smiled, but Ronon could tell the man began to get uncomfortable when he didn't return the smile.
"May I help you, Ronon?" Daniel's voice wavered slightly as he addressed the large man who, believe it or not, was more intimidating than usual.
"Yeah. What's going on with you and my sister?" Ronon's voice was gruff and level. He was glad Daniel shrank back a hair, because if he hadn't done it on his own Ronon would've felt obliged to assist him.
"Nothing, that I'm aware of. Why?" Daniel drug the last word out warily, curious, but not wanting to upset the large warrior.
Instead of answering Ronon turned and left the room. Daniel wanted to let him go, but his morals triumphed again. He stood and began following the man down the hall.
"Listen, Ronon, your sister loves you a lot. She would do anything for you and knows you'd do the same. I don't know what you think is going on between us but-"
Ronon stopped abruptly an cut him off. "You've gotten between us. She's spending more time with you, laughing with you, happy with you. When she's with me she just seems distracted."
Daniel's jaw loosened slightly. "You mean all this is just jealousy?" Daniel regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Ronon took an angry swing at Daniel's head, and he barely ducked in time. He held up his hands in the hope of getting the time to try and placate Ronon.
"Listen, I think that might have come out wr-" He was interrupted by another angry swing at his head, then another. By then they had attracted the attention of a few of the scientist in the area, who were timidly sticking their heads into the hallway to watch the excitement. Daniel had left his headset in his office and was now wondering why these stupid 'geniuses' didn't possess the good sense to call Sheppard or some of the other marines. He dodged another blind, angry swing and took a step backwards. As he opened his mouth to speak, one of Ronon's blows finally connected. He was sent sliding across the smooth floor and hit his head on someone's feet. He looked up with one eye, the other currently caught under a trickle of blood, to see Ella. She was scowling fiercely at Ronon, whose fists were still clenched. Then without a word she bent down to pull Daniel into a standing position, gliding under his arm in one smooth motion. Daniel's head was pounding, and he barely registered how coldly Ella brushed past her brother. He sighed, hoping he hadn't ruined their relationship.
Once they arrived in the infirmary, Ella slipped off Daniel's glasses and dabbed at the gash on his forehead while she waited for a nurse. She couldn't believe Ronon had done this. As she was beginning to fume, she suddenly stopped herself. Why had she jumped to the conclusion that this had been Ronon's fault? She used to always take her brother's side no matter how stacked the odds were. Now she had sided with a man, mind sharing aside, she had really only known for a little more than a week. Why had she done that?
Because she knew Daniel. She knew everything about him and knew he wouldn't start this. She stepped back from the bed when the nurse finally came over to treat Daniel. One look into his eyes told her he knew the same thing she did. She and Ronon needed to talk.
Sam walked down the corridors of Atlantis, looking for an empty balcony. She wanted to enjoy the view and take a breather. She did not take enough breathers. She always told herself she would rest tomorrow. It was always tomorrow. Finally she found a seemingly empty balcony and stepped out into the warm sunshine. The cool, salty ocean air greeted her, making her smile. She was silent a moment before she sensed someone staring at the back of her head. She turned around to see a very downcast Ronon leaning against the wall.
"I'm sorry, Ronon, I didn't realize you were here." She paused for a moment before venturing to ask the question on her tongue. "Are you okay?"
Ronon simply nodded, but Sam folded her arms over her chest and replied, "Liar."
Ronon looked up from his feet to stare at her, and to Sam it seemed like he was surprised she had called his bluff. A smile crept over her face. He was so much like Teal'c, even though the two were so different. She just had to get past the warrior's armor that guarded his soul. She thought she had gotten past it last time she was here, but it must've slipped back into place while she was gone.
"What going on, Ronon?"
He sighed and pushed off the wall, joining Sam at the railing. "I think I lost her."
Sam saw the expression on his face and knew who he was talking about. "How?"
Ronon sighed again. "By trying not to lose her."
Sam was amazed how effectively the man could convey his baseline for his feelings with so few words. She was restraining an eye-roll as she asked, "Do you want to share?"
Ronon shook his head, so Sam just stood next to him in silence. She wondered what the large man thought about. It was so hard to see behind those hazel eyes. She had just glanced in his direction when a blast rumbled through the city. Immediately Rodney's voice crackled in her ear.
"Sam, get down here!"
Sam grimaced as she pushed off of the railing and ran for the general direction of the blast as she shouted into her headset, "Rodney, where is here?"
"The blast came from the botany lab."
Sam nodded even though she knew Rodney couldn't see the gesture and ran towards the botany lab.
When she arrived the lab was ablaze. Her eyes widened, then she flinched as the sprinklers activated. Stepping outside the door where it was dry, Sam almost ran into Rodney.
"Rodney, was anyone in there?"
Rodney pulled out a data pad and shook his head. "I checked the feedback from just before the explosion and there wasn't anyone in there, but-"
He was interrupted by a very distraught Katie, who tried to run into the lab. He caught her around the waist, but she was beating on his hands. "No! My plants! Rodney, let me go!"
Sam picked up the data pad Rodney had dropped in his hurry to stop Katie and double checked his readings. She sighed in relief when she saw that he was right. She looked over at Rodney, who had a pained frown on his face.
She just seem so upset. He couldn't help his sympathy. Although half the pain was from the throbbing in his hands. Katie was surprisingly strong for a botanist. He gasped when she pivoted in his arms and began sobbing into his chest. He looked with stunned awe in his eyes and an agape mouth over at Sam, who was smiling at him with an eyebrow raised. She shrugged and smiled again, then nonchalantly walked away, leaving Rodney and Katie standing next to the dying fire.