They weren't there. Right here, where she'd stowed them. The only vent on this corridor before it forked. There was the turn where Ronon threw the Powerbar. There was the flickering light, not as scary in the day, but the same one. This was where the P-90 and the noisemakers should be.
But they weren't.
Ronon would have told her if he'd gotten the stuff. She had to sign it back in, that was protocol. That is, unless he'd lured her out here to make out again. She looked over her shoulder and considered the hallway around her.
"Hello?" She called. "Ronon, this isn't funny!"
Nothing. No whisper of movement. Lennah weighed the options: stay here and play cat and mouse or go back to her room and try to play it on her ground.
She headed back to her room, by way of the armory to report the loss. This was getting out of control.
He didn't admit to it when she asked him. He shrugged it off and made himself at home on her bed. "Maybe you got the junction mixed up."
"I was certain of it." She sighed. Loss of military property checked out to her possession was her responsibility, cost and collateral.
Ronon leaned forward and looked up at her. "I'll go back with you. We'll check it out."
"I don't need you to hold my hand!" She didn't intend to yell. It wasn't like someone could do any real damage with a tazer, blades, and some firecrackers. She put her face in her hands and almost caved.
He was there, hands pulling hers away to see the tears. "I meant we'd cover more ground." He put his arms around her and slumped to look into her face. "What's this about?"
Lennah looked over at her desk. It was there. Top drawer. A simple folder stuffed with six neatly folded letters. All were unsigned, all had been slid under her door. Except the last one. She'd found that one on her bed one afternoon.
All she had to do was cross to it and lay it out for him to see. It concerned him just as much, if not more than her. Then he'd know and he'd tell Sheppard, and Sheppard would start an investigation. Everyone would murmur and coddle her. "You poor thing. How awful! Some stranger in your room!" Shep's temper about these things would get around and the guy would go to ground.
She didn't have to tell him what was missing from her closet. No one had to know that.
"It's nothing." She shook her head and wiped her eyes.
But if she caved, she'd be unnecessarily burdening him. It was her that was getting the hate mail. It was her fault he was getting this kind of attention from some jealous moron with territorial compensation issues. She had the brains to figure it out. She could do it. Figure it out and then turn in the finished report to Shep. She just had to keep it together for a little while longer. Then there would be no self-pity involved in curling up in Ro's bed and having a good cry.
"Just stress." She managed a smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out on you."
Suspicions left unsaid, he nodded. "I can take it." She'd say when she was ready. It was the way they both handled things. "You want to eat in?"
She smiled for real this time and he melted a little. "I dunno." She rubbed her eyes. "I should get some sleep. We're all frazzled."
"Okay." He nodded again. "I'll bring you something."
She melted internally but a part of her, childish at best, wanted to yell at him again. I don't need you to take care of me!! But she knew that in many ways, she did. And that was what scared her.
"M'kay." She nodded as she crawled onto her bed and rolled into the comforter. "Something with mashed potatoes and gravy."
"And a roll?"
"And a roll."