SGA – Seasoned with love
At first, I was looking for a universe where my OC could come to life and Atlantis seemed indeed perfect. I started with a one-shot, borrowing characters from the show to serve as background. It soon appeared I had plenty of stories to tell and my OC was offering me a different POV on the show – a sort of behind the scenes story. I always wondered what it would be like for the characters to live on a daily basis on Atlantis, not just perform some extraordinary missions.
This is of course only for entertainment purposes. No infringment intended. There will be spoilers from different seasons and I'll try as much as possible to keep the stories in the chronological order. I hope this character and story will be to the readers' liking. I'm sure having fun writing it.
Chapter 1 – First Encounter
The lights of the mess hall have all been switched off but he can still see light filtering from the kitchens. It really is very late at night and he doesn't want to bother whoever is still there but it's worth a shot so he tentatively cracks open the door and looks inside.
There's only one person sitting at the long table that is probably used, he reflects, by the cooks' assistants. The kitchen is spick and span at this late hour. She is pouring over a book, writing in it, while checking lists to her right.
He's never seen her before. At least, he doesn't remember seeing her. He feels he's intruding but he is intent on getting what he needs so he plods on, knocking softly on the door. She startles and yelps, turning in alarm. "Oh, wow, Sir," she says hurriedly, clammering to her feet, "you scared me."
He rubs his hand through his already unruly hair and pouts. "Sorry, Ma'am, didn't mean to. I was looking for something to eat for Dr Weir. She's working late again and has skipped dinner and probably lunch too," he elaborates.
She leaves her pen in her book and closes it then heads for the fridge. "No problem, Sir. I understand. We always have more than needed so you're bound to find leftovers anytime you drop by. I'll let you browse the contents and if you don't find something to her liking, I can whip something up for her," she offers, motioning for him to come closer.
He thanks her and retrieves a sandwish, a yoghurt and an apple. "This will do," he says. "Do you still have coffee? From what I saw, she's far from being finished," he says, motioning in the direction of the control room.
"Nope, but I can make a fresh pot if you give me ten minutes," she offers, already setting to work.
"That's awfully nice of you. I never drop by so late at night. I'm sorry if I'm making you pull extra time. You must have finished your shift and want to get back to your quarters," he apologizes.
She turns to him and smiles, crossing her arms on her apron. "No big deal, Sir. I'm used to it and I really don't mind."
He shakes his head. "I'm not Sir to you. You're a civilian. Only military need to address me that way." He holds out his hand. "I'm John.".
She relunctantly shakes his hand. "I'm aware of who you are, Major Sheppard. I'm Louise," she says before hastily retrieving her hand and hiding it behind her back.
He sees her unease and puts it down to his uniform and the sidearm hanging from his leg. He knows quite a few civvies here who are uncomfortable with the sight of military running around the city. He nods. "Nice to meet you, Louise. You new here?" he asks. He tells her he's never seen her before. Her eyes crinkle. "I've been here from the start, Major. I just spend most of my time down here." Her voice trails off. He watches her from the corner of his eye as she goes to check on the pot of coffee and prepares the tray for Elizabeth. She looks like a little mouse, he reflects with a fond smile. The kind you don't notice in a room full of people but here in the empty kitchen, she exudes gentleness and efficiency and he makes a mental note of taking time to meet all the people of the expedition who like her might not have a lofty position but make everybody's life easier.
She fills a tall mug of coffee, adds two sugar cubes and a small pot of milk on the side of the tray and holds it out to him. "There," she says with a smile, "all done."
He tilts his head to the side, curious. "How do you know how Dr Weir takes her coffee?"
She shrugs it off. "I know about everyone in the expedition and the Athosians too. I know who likes what. I'm rarely wrong. That's my job, you know," she adds before opening the door for him. "Good evening, Major," she says, nodding respectfully.
He looks taken aback. "When I have the time, you'll need to tell me more about that."
She just smiles and closes the door after him.
He drops the tray on Elizabeth's desk. "Thought you might want something to eat," he says off-handedly. He really wants to chide her for repeatedly skipping meals but he holds his tongue in check and opts for looking his own casual self.
She smiles at him and motions for him to sit. He takes the chair in front of her. "Thank you, Major, for being such a mother hen to me," she teases him before grabbing the sandwish and biting into it. He rolls his eyes. She takes a sip of coffee and voices her appreciation. "That's good coffee. It's most welcomed at this time of day – night," she adds, seeing his look of reproach.
"Yeah, about that," he says. "I went to the kitchen to get it. Do you happen to know a person there who goes by the name of Louise? In her early 40s most likely, 5ft 1 or 2 inches, pixie short chesnut brown hair, light brown eyes and soft features, a slender body, creamy pale skin?"
She nods, taking another sip. "I know everyone, John. It's my job. You're pretty observant, by the way."
He quips back. "That's my job." She laughs.
"You know, actually, this is what she said too." She raises an eyebrow so he elaborates. "She said it was her job to know what everyone liked. Did you ever happen to go down to the kitchen to get your coffee? Because she knew exactly how you liked it, apparently. Does she have some uncanny ability like an edeitic memory? There are more than two hundred people on this expedition and she seems to know all about Teyla's people as well..."
"Are you worried, John?" she wonders. "She's just the cook. She's no threat to anyone here. We checked."
He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Didn't say that, Elizabeth. So, she's the cook, uh? You mean like the one in charge or one of the assistants?"
"No, she is in charge, John. Actually, you might get to know her better sooner than you imagine. I happen to have discussed a mission with Teyla. She has faithful allies with whom her people have traded for generations and who might be willing to sell us a part of their crops. They have vegetable patches and orchads and I'd like Louise to go with your team and pick what she thinks might be of use to her. Do you think that would be possible?" She sees his hesitation. "What? Is something the matter? You know I trust your judgement in most matters, civilian and military alike. Do you distrust her?" she worries.
He stands. "It's not that. She doesn't seem to be a people person. I wouldn't want her to be spooked by an off-world mission. Hell, if I had not dropped by tonight to get you dinner, I wouldn't even know she existed and we've been here for quite a while now! Anyway, I'll leave you to your dessert and work. Don't be too long. You need to sleep, Dr Weir, like every one of us," he remarks pointedly.
She smirks. "Yes, mom! And, John, don't judge a book by its cover. Take time to get to know her. Believe me. She's a valuable addition to our expedition, especially if we have to depend on her ability to cook meals from scratch and not be dependent on Earth's supplies anymore."
He nods his assent before leaving the room. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."
"Goodnight, John."
TBC
