Author's Notes: - Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.

"Is he still not eating?"

Nathan looked up to find Kate walk over to join him at the pool, "He's not talking either."

"Now that is weird," Kate mused, leaning over she gently splashed the water, "Darwin isn't shy," she turned and looked at him thoughtfully, "You okay?"

Nathan smiled down at her, "I'm fine, kiddo just worried."

"Was that Tony I saw leaving?"

"He was trying to get Darwin to eat," Nathan chuckled slightly as he remembered the young man's attempts at tempting the dolphin with the fish.

Kate gently stroked the dolphin when he came over to her, "Hey, I wouldn't eat what Tony offered either. He has some strange ideas about what tastes good."

Tim's voice echoed through the room calling Nathan to the bridge.

"I'll stay with him for a while," Kate told him.

Drying his hands Nathan gave her shoulder a squeeze before he headed up to the bridge.

x

Kate watched Nathan leave before turning back to Darwin, "You need to tell us what's wrong. He's going to worry until you do."

The dolphin simply turned and swam away leaving her watching him. Her shift was over for the day and she had nothing pressing to do so she decided to sit with Darwin. He was part of the family she'd made with Nathan back on the island.

"Hey," Tim's voice interrupted her daydreaming making her look at her watch stunned to find how long she'd been sitting there.

"Shift over?" she asked.

He nodded trailing his hand on the water and petting Darwin when he swam over to them again.

"Anything interesting?" Kate joined him in stroking Darwin.

Tim shrugged, "Distress call from a colony which grows plants."

"Sounds deadly," Kate chuckled, "Then again, flowers," she shuddered.

Tim laughed, "Not a fan of wild outdoors?"

Kate elbowed him making him wince exaggeratedly, "I grew up in cities and colonies underwater, small town boy. There's very little foliage around there."

"What about the island?"

Kate chuckled, "I mostly stuck to the sandy beach and water."

Tim laughed splashing her when Darwin swam away from them, "We won't be there for a few hours. Want to watch a movie?"

"The Philadelphia Story would be good," she suggested as they both dried their hands.

"Arsenic and Old Lace?" Tim countered.

Kate clicked her fingers, "I know It's a Wonderful Life."

"That's a Christmas movie," Tim reminded her as they started along the corridors.

Kate rolled her eyes, "It's not just for Christmas."

x

"Well?" Kate asked when Nathan and Lucas sat with her later that day, "Is he okay?"

Nathan nodded, "We're sure that raising the light temperature will help him."

Ford walked over and joined them, "Have you seen Ortiz? He said he had to double check some readings."

"Captain?" Miguel appeared at Nathan's side.

Nathan chuckled, "Speak of the devil."

"I have to talk to you," Miguel crouched by his side.

Nathan shrugged, "Well, I have a reputation for being able to listen and eat at the same time."

Miguel smiled before reporting, "I'm getting some peculiar readings on our O2 levels. First, I thought it might be the equipment, but everything checks out. We're eighteen percent over standard levels."

"Eighteen?" Kate repeated stunned, slapping Miguel's hand away from the cake she had sitting on her tray.

"Did you check for leaks?" Nathan asked, going through options quickly.

Miguel nodded, "First thing I did. Everything's intact. I don't know how to account for it. If we dropped a lot of crew members then the consumption would be down, but that hasn't happened."

Nathan chewed his food in thought for a moment, "Well, maybe the O2 sensors are misaligned," he said before ordering, "Check them, too."

"Yes, sir," Miguel nodded before disappearing again.

Tim's voice suddenly sounded through the room, "ExO to the Bridge. ExO to the Bridge."

Ford let out a sigh, "Well, who wanted double chocolate layer fudge cake anyway, right?

Nathan and Kate both leaned over to steal some cake, their forks clashing.

"I will win," Kate told Nathan.

He gave her a mock glare, "Only if I let you."

Ford rolled his eyes and left them to find out why Tim had called him.

"Nathan," Kate's voice was filled with annoyance as she joined him on the bridge, "There are killer plants in my ducts. Tell me you have a plan to get rid of them? Because I am not sharing, I won't even have a plant in my room."

"We're working on it," Nathan told her, trying to smother an amused smile at her irritation, "Are you okay?"

Kate nodded, "They didn't get near me. What do you need me to do?"

"Take your station, kiddo," Nathan told her.

Giving him a quick nod Kate relieved Frasier who looked thankful to be getting off the bridge during a crisis. Sliding into the seat Kate did a quick scan of the systems that were currently operational and grimaced.

"They've done a lot of damage," Tim noted from his station to her right.

Kate nodded, "All because Henderson brought a flower on board."

"It's not her fault," Tim defended the other woman, "She didn't know this would happen."

"You go into a situation where everyone is missing from some unknown cause," Kate stated as she started a diagnostic, "You do not pick things off the ground and bring it onto the boat."

"Kate…"

"Its common sense," she cut him off, "Something she is obviously lacking."

Before Tim could reply Nathan joined them looking for an update ending the conversation.

x

"All right," Nathan ordered, "When this ship comes to the surface I want every view port open. I want this place flooded with sunlight."

The moment he finished speaking the plants made it onto the bridge, pushing their way through the consoles. O'Neill, who had already slid out of his seat, grabbed Kate around her waist and pulled her away before she could be caught or hurt when the thing erupted through the panel in front of her. The force he used however overbalanced them and they slammed into the ground.

Nathan and Ford helped them up just as the sunlight spilled onto the bridge destroying the 'killer plants', the strange squealing noise made everyone wince before a cheer of relief sounded. They looked around the bridge and Nathan let out a long sigh.

"What?" Kate asked bemused.

He turned to her, "You know this clean up is not going to be pleasant."

"I have ideas on that," she smirked, glancing at Henderson, "But it might not be popular."

Nathan rolled his eyes at her, "We've had this conversation once before. Don't make me repeat it."

"Considering I didn't listen the last time," Kate patted his arm, "There's definitely no point repeating it."

With a grin she headed over to her console to examine the damage with O'Neill making him shake his head. The annoying thief was always there just under the surface waiting to drive him crazy. Then again he wouldn't have her any other way.