Ella strolled casually down the hallway. The one bad thing about the uneventfulness that had been covering Atlantis like the thick sheet on the bed in her room was that she had officially run out of things to do. So now she had gone from person to person on her team trying to see if anyone was free to cure her growing boredom. Teyla and Ronon were sparring, and they were so evenly matched that Ella was soon bored. Rodney was finally with Katie, so Ella didn't want to interrupt them. John was helping Colonel Carter with preparations for the president.
That left her wandering the hall looking for something to do. She had passed a few strangers in the halls and was about to turn the corner when she felt like someone was following her. She caught a glimpse of the spectacled man as she turned the corner. He was pale and lanky with short, greasy brown hair. She walked to the next intersection and turned to confirm her suspicion. Then she slowed a bit to close the distance. Once he was close enough to satisfy her, she whirled around and stopped dead in her tracks.
"Who are you?" She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, staring a hole through the weasely man's head.
He stuttered for a moment before he was able to speak. "I'm Doctor Peter Kavanugh. It's very nice to meet you."
One of Ella's eyebrows rose. She was completely unamused. "Why were you following me?" She chose to leave off the 'freak' that was echoing through her head. It was a word she had heard McKay use and had asked about. She thought it applied very nicely to this man.
"I heard about you. The Runner's sister. Also a runner, correct?"
Ella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Ronon is my brother, yes. Was that why you were following me?"
Kavanaugh's mouth slid open as he stuttered, then whirled around and power-walked away. Ella rolled her eyes and headed back down the hall to continue her search for entertainment.
Everything was eerily quiet. The Marines, standing at attention by the doorway, barely acknowledged him as he entered the dimly lit containment area. A very solemn-looking wraith in black laid on a metal bench with his eyelids shut. Daniel shoved his hands down into his pockets and approached the wall separating them. He gently cleared his throat to get Todd's attention. As the wraith's eyes snapped open, Daniel tried to manage a tentative smile. Even after facing down numerous Goa'uld, wraith intimidated him. They were different. Without Ella's compassion and understanding for Todd filling their minds he was definitively shaken. Todd stood slowly and made his way over to the large metal slats. His head tilted to the side in curiosity as a devilish smile crawled across his face.
"Why are you here?"
Daniel cleared his throat and tried to maintain his smile. "I came to visit you."
Todd snickered. "You are the one with whom Ella Dex shared her mind." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Daniel shuddered at the thought that the wraith who was inches away was really closer. Snakes with technology were one thing. Half-bugs who could crawl into his mind were something totally different.
Todd smiled in satisfaction. He wished he could feed off the humans discomfort, if so he would be a very well-fed wraith right now. He could feel the human's skin crawling.
Daniel nodded and cleared his throat again trying to maintain his calm. He had to stay calm if he wanted to properly study this wraith. "So, Todd-"
Rodney turned on his stool as a look of disgust pasted itself on his face. Peter Kavanaugh stood before him with what was supposed to look like an innocent smile, but instead resembled an arrogant, predatory smirk, and waited for an answer.
Instead of giving an answer, Rodney asked incredulously, "You want what?"
Kavanaugh slowly repeated himself, sounding decidedly pompous. "Can you get me Ella Dex's file?"
Rodney stood and crossed his arms over his chest, doing it slowly for emphasis. As his eyes narrowed his chin lifted. "Why in two galaxies would I do a single thing for you?"
Kavanaugh stuttered for a moment, trying to think of a way to convice Rodney to give him what he wanted.
Rodney stared at Kavanaugh, daring the nasty little man to convice him. He wasn't sure why he wanted Ella's file, but he didn't like it. Even Ella, with whom he had a rocky friendship at best, didn't deserve anything Peter Kavanaugh could dish out. Kavanaugh irritated him to no end, and he had thought he was finally rid of him when he had stayed on Atlantis while the Daedalus went to get the president. He had told Caldwell it was 'for old times sake', but Rodney found it suspicious that it was after Ella showed up. Creep. After letting Kavanaugh think for a little while more, he cut into the tracks of his train of thought.
"So?"
Rodney's smile dared the scrawny man to reply. Kavanaugh huffed something about 'Weir's stubbornness living on' and walked away. Rodney let out a self-satisfied grin and turned back to his work.
Daniel sat in the mess hall thoughtfully munching away on his cookie. He had a very interesting, if not occasionally one-sided, conversation with Todd. He didn't notice when Ella sat down next to him until she pulled the cookie from his hand. He jolted into a straightened sitting position and looked over at her like a five year old that had just gotten his cookie taken. Ella giggled and casually took a bite of the cookie before handing it back. Her eyes widened as she took the cookie back and gasped as well as she could with a bite of cookie in her mouth. Daniel heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes, resting his chin in his hands in an effective surrender.
"What is this?"
Daniel sighed gently as he replied, "My cookie."
Ella giggled and shook her head. "Yes, I know that. What kind of cookie is it?"
"Chocolate chip walnut."
Ella smiled and took another bite before reluctantly relinquishing the cookie. "That is the best cookie I have ever tasted."
Daniel smiled and handed back the half eaten cookie, pulling another out of a small sack beside him before Ella could protest. Ella smiled back at him and they settled into an easy silence, munching away side by side.