Ronon sat on the mat. After beating seventeen marines just short of a pulp, he decided to rest for a moment. He was trying not to think of Ella, but when he sat still she filled his mind. The last glimmer he had seen in her eyes, that hurt and anger, it had never before been directed at him. That tore at his heart more than anything. He tried to let go of the feelings, tried to assure himself that all that he wanted was her safety. She would be safer here, even if she was angry at him.

He stood when he heard a noise from the doorway behind him, thinking he would have another marine on which to take out his anger and grief. Instead he turned around and saw Ella standing in the doorway looking unsure. She wavered for a second more before running and burying her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. She muttered an apology as he gently stroked her head. A smile crept over his face as he bent over and whispered sorry into the top of her head. She nodded and they stood there in the middle of the room in silence. Neither of them noticed Daniel peeking around the corner with a smile on his face. He sighed, satisfied, then shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered back down the hall towards his lab.

Katie was busy watering. In the Pegasus galaxy there weren't many weeds, so she just watered. They had salvaged as much as they could, and they'd been sending out numerous botany teams since then, so now she almost had a satisfactory lab. She smiled and wandered over to her Rodneyanavalosa, stroking it gently. It had been in her quarters during the fire. The real Rodney had been there, and she had hope until she realized he wasn't just there for her. Of course, it had been the fire to draw his attention, but she had cried into his chest anyways. Her plants deserved mourning, and so did the loss of Rodney.

Rodney stood just outside the botany lab, listening to Katie's footsteps. He had been turning Ella's statement over and over in his mind.

'There is a very nice lady who is crazy for you.'

He had assumed right away it was Katie Brown, but he hadn't found the guts to approach her about it. After Jennifer had told him she just want to be friends, he hadn't thought he was ready. He tried to remember what Katie had said when they'd broken up. Had she really been willing to marry him? He sighed and stepped into the doorway before he could get a chance to walk away. Katie looked over at him and smiled. It was a good start.

"Hello, Katie. I think we need to talk."

Sam sat in her office with her head in her hands. Teyla saw her as she walked by and stopped, raising an eyebrow. Stepping inside, she cleared her throat to get Sam's attention.

"Colonel Carter, are you feeling ill?"

Sam lifted her hands and tried to smile, but it faltered and she huffed a sigh. "The president is coming to visit."

One of the confused Teyla smiles crept across her face. "Is that not a good thing?"

Sam smiled, genuinely this time. Teyla reminded her so much of Teal'c, so stoic and proper. "Well, we just need to make sure nobody steps on any toes. We've been here so long, and things have gotten loose."

Teyla nodded her understanding, once again filling Sam's mind with images of Teal'c. Even though Atlantis was amazing, filling her need for adventure, there really wasn't anywhere like home. Teyla kindly dismissed herself, leaving Sam alone again. She laid her head back in her hands, feeling rather homesick.

John and Todd stood face to face and eye to eye, staring each other down. The Marines by the door glanced at each other, then back to the pair who had been in the same position for ten minutes. Todd was calm and collected, but John was grasping at the end of his frail strand of patience.

"Tell us where the ZMPs are."

Todd smiled, very sinister-looking and full of confidence. He was sure he had the upper hand here. The humans were humane, and wouldn't kill him...probably.

"Why should I tell you, John Sheppard?"

John paced away, then back to the large metal slats that comprised Todd's 'home'. "Listen, Todd, I seem to remember having this conversation before, and we decided it was just to spite your fellow wraith. Do it so they can't get it."

Todd's sinister smile was a definite no. John grimaced and tried again. "Listen, I know you have your 'image' to uphold, wraith wrath and all that, but if we don't get them someone worse will. Don't you want them in the hands of someone whose top priority isn't killing you?"

Todd stopped for a moment, considering the human's logic. "I will contemplate your proposal, John Sheppard."
John sighed, certain he wasn't going to get anything else out of the wraith, and stalked out of the room.

Katie gasped at the sound of Rodney's voice behind her. As she whirled around he took a hesitant step closer.

"Katie, I think we need to talk."

She smiled wide and wandered over to a stool, aware he was right behind her. He seemed nervous, and Katie didn't know why. What was he here to do? Was he here for her? No, I was too good to be true. Wasn't it?

Rodney sat down on the stool beside Katie and laid his hands in his lap. The motion kept him from wringing his hands or twiddling his thumbs, and at the same time it made him seem calm and collected. Genius rule one was if you aren't smart, find ways to seem smart. He assumed that could apply to his nerves also. He exhaled slowly as he began. However, everything he had planned on saying suddenly was carried away with the gentle breeze of the air conditioner. At a loss, he began anyway.

"Katie, I'm not sure where I should start. I was wrong. Just because I rushed into proposing doesn't mean we couldn't have worked. You fluster me a little, but in a good way. You make me different, better. You throw me off of my normal track and get me to think and react a little differently. If you're willing to give us a try I would be a very happy, lucky man."

He smiled awkwardly, worried about how she would react. He didn't know why exactly he was worried. He never worried about how people reacted to him. He was himself and people who didn't like it could go jump in a ditch. But Katie, Katie affected him in a way that only one had come close to managing. And Jennifer was gone now. He looked up from his hands, still folded neatly in his lap, and saw Katie's huge smile. She was no longer in her seat, and as soon as Rodney looked up she threw herself into his arms. He heard her whisper quietly, "Yes."