Chapter 7

She's sent an email to Dr Weir on the intranet as soon as she's had her team organized and her crates roughly unpacked, telling her she's good to go. Weir calls her on her headset and tells her she's glad she's gonna be able to cook warm meals from now on. "Are you going to be able to feed that amount of people?" she worries. "With the Athosians on board, I'm afraid it's gonna be much more than you'd bargained for, Ms Léger."

Louise chuckles. "The more, the merrier, Ma'am," she says then adds on a much serious tone. "But you have to understand we were not supposed to have that many people to feed on a regular basis. You'll need to find food supplies earlier than we'd anticipated."

Weir agrees but tells her to keep the thought for a rainy day. They all have enough on their plates right now. "I'll inform Major Sheppard," she tells her, "and make sure he inquires into it whenever they gate off-world. Pending future trade negociations, though, we'll have to make do with what we have."

Louise winces at the mention of Sheppard's name but says nothing. She's sure he means trouble and knows Dr Weir will find out soon enough. It's not for her to tell the leader of the expedition what to do, though.

Weir calls her a couple of hours later. It's early afternoon but her boss seems to be extremely strained. "Ms Léger, do you have a minute?"

Louise pouts. She was getting ready to finally take a break but that will have to wait. Again. "Yes, Ma'am. What can I do for you?"

She hears Dr Weir sigh. "We're having a bit of a problem. We have successfully settled all the Athosians in temporary quarters."

"Yes, I heard," she replies. The kid she's taken care of when they arrived has been reunited with his father and come to see her with him. She's given them a tour of the kitchen.

"Well, it so appears the children seem to think they can roam freely through the whole City. To tell you the truth, they've already aggravated quite a few of our scientists, starting with Dr McKay who doesn't take too kindly to being run into. I was wondering if maybe you could..."

Louise winces and cuts her in. "Baby-sit them?"

"Yes, well. Jinto gushed about making cookies with you not an hour ago," Dr Weir mentions.

"Say no more," she tells her. "I get it. You know I was a teacher once so obviously I can handle kids and I can bake, which is a magnet for those little monsters," she replies sarcastically.

"If it's too much work," Dr Weir answers, "I'll understand."

Louise huffs. "Look, Ma'am. I can help but you need to understand there's a lot of work down here too and kitchens are dangerous places for kids."

Dr Weir agrees. "Alright, Ms Léger, what do you need?" she asks her.

Louise pouts. "Is it that obvious?"

Weir chuckles. "Yes, it is. Ms Léger, you need something. Just tell me. It'll save us time."

"Alright. I need my staff with me, not exploring the City with Major Sheppard's teams," she says bluntly. "I only have a quarter of my people here with me. He shouldn't expect me to prepare food for everyone and take care of the surplus of people with only a handful of people. I'm not Wonder Woman."

Weir smirks. Jack O'Neill had told her the little lady was outspoken. It seems he was right. "I do understand, chef. I'll inform him he needs to return what he has borrowed," she says, chuckling. "Weir out."

Louise sighs. If she'd been told she'd have to deal with a bunch of overexcited kids on her arrival, she might have reconsidered the offer. She left her job precisely for that - because she couldn't take being near kids anymore, seeing them so full of life when hers was no more. She turns to one of her preps resolutely. "You," she says, pointing at him, "are going to help me with a very delicate mission."

She sees his eyes light up and can't help smirking inwardly. Not what you expect, buddy, she reflects.

By the end of the day, the kids have learnt how to make cookies and dunk them in a glass of warm milk. She hopes it will soothe them and put them to sleep faster. Halling, Jinto's father, comes to thank her before they return to their quarters and settle for the night. "I cannot start to express how grateful we are to you for welcoming us so well, Ms Léger," he tells her with a fond smile. The man is huge, towering over her petite frame, but his demeanor is gentle and kind. She looks at him and his son wistfully. It's plain to see he loves his son and the feeling is mutual.

"You're most welcome, Halling," she replies with a smile. "And Louise will do just fine. Good night, you two," she says, ruffling the kid's hair. "Sleep tight, kid."

She's woken up a few hours later by a call from Rodney who asks her if any of the Athosian kids is with her. She sits painstakingly on the edge of her bed and rubs her hand over her face. She groans. "God, Rodney, don't tell me you woke me up for that," she protests. "I'd finally fallen asleep."

"Sorry," he says hurriedly. "So," he insists, "are they?"

"No! Why?" she asks, suddenly worried.

"Jinto and one of his friends have disappeared and we can't find them. Sheppard has sent teams all over the already secured areas but we haven't been successful so far," he tells her.

She dresses hurriedly. "I'm coming your way," she tells him. "I wanna help."

"No, no, no," he replies, "you stay where you are. If the kids finally decide to show up, they might come and see you. I want you to stay put."

She huffs and sits back on her bed, feeling drained. She needs sleep badly but if the kids come, Rodney is right – she needs to be awake. She stands and trudges to the kitchen. The place is eerily silent but in a way, it's a nice change from the hustle and bustle of those last few days and weeks. On Cheyenne Mountain, it seemed the place never slept. There were always people moving around and noise all the time. Here, it's peaceful. She sighs with content and walks to the balcony she's just discovered last night. The cool night air welcomes her and she leans her back to the wall and watches the ocean and the stars. Tears well up in her eyes at the sudden feeling of peace she experiences. "I'm so blessed," she whispers to the wind.

She's interrupted in her woolgathering by Halling's voice calling his son on the intercom. She sighs and gets inside. They're obviously still looking for him. She looks around. If the kid comes her way, he'll need to know she's there so she switches on the lights in the whole area and decides to cook while waiting for him. She feels something behind her back, an unpleasant feeling creeping up her spine, and turns round. She recoils in fear. A vague shadow passes her, like it were looking for something, sniffing, but it soon disappears through the wall.

The lights flicker then come back on line. She schools herself to breathe, her heart beating too fast. She's not a scaredy cat but what she saw is definitely not normal. She taps her headset and informs Rodney of what she's just seen thinking He's gonna declare I'm loony. He doesn't and relays the information right away. He tells her she's not the only to have seen the shadow. There's definitely something fishy lurking around.

Rodney comes back after she's heard the news they've found the kids and they think they've found what's going on. He tells her they need to turn down all the equipments – that what she saw is an alien entity that feeds on energy.

Halling comes with some of the younger kids and Jinto. He tells her the little ones are pretty scared, especially now the power is off. She motions for them to come in and sits them all at the long table that serves as an island top then gets what she needs from the pantry – some round-shaped shortbread cookies and marzipan. She shows them how to use the almond paste as an edible substitute for play-doh and shape animals on top of the cookies.

Halling watches her as she speaks in soft tones to the kids, walking behind them and helping them. She looks up and sees him observing her. She smiles at him reassuringly. He nods his thanks and sees her look away. When the kids have had their share of sugar and finally look less scared and Weir calls to say they've lost track of the entity, Halling decides it's high time everybody gets back to bed.

She walks with them back to their quarters and sits next to the youngest ones, telling them a story about the little spider who'd made her web at the top of a teepee and how this had trapped the children's nightmares and let them only keep the good dreams. She looks up at Halling and smiles. "It's a story native people told their children in America," she explains then waves vaguely. "Ah, how shall I explain? It's a continent on our homeworld. Anyway," she adds hurriedly, seeing him nods his understanding, "those people had that very nice object called a dreamcatcher that they hung above their children's beds." She stands and smiles. "I'll be right back. I've got one in my room. I'll show you," she grins.

She ends up hanging it over the two children's bed to whom she's told the story. She bids them good night and leaves the room quietly. "That was a nice thing to do, Louise," Halling tells her. "Aren't you going to miss that object, though?" he worries.

She shakes her head and smiles. "It's just a pretty object, Halling. Unfortunately, I'm too old now to believe in those stories."

He walks with her to the end of the corridor. She's suddenly very silent. Not that she's used to talking a lot, he reflects. "You knew how to handle the children," he mentions.

She looks up at him and then looks down. "It was my job before," she confesses. "I mean, to take care of children, teach them things," she elaborates, knowing it doesn't mean much to him, their culture being very different.

"You prefered cooking," he prods.

She nods. "Yeah. Cooking is good. It's relaxing. It's also very demanding and I needed a challenge to keep me going," she replies off-handedly, hoping he won't hear the hurt and sadness she feels at the moment.

He just nods. "You like competition," he remarks.

She presses her lips together. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Major Sheppard likes it too," he says.

"I bet he does!" she sniggers.

He watches her cautiously. "You don't like him." It's not a question. He's seen the glint in her eyes.

She lifts her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry about that. I shouldn't have. I heard he helped you find Jinto."

He smiles. "He sure did. And he also told the children bedtime stories," he adds. "But don't worry. Speaking one's mind is the proof of a free spirit," he compliments her.

"And it has gotten me in heaps of trouble over the years," she adds, wincing. She frowns. "You mentioned he told the kids stories?"

"Major Sheppard? Yes, he did. I think the children didn't really understand what he was talking about, actually," he tells her. "Neither did I. He told them about a man with a hockey mask..."

She makes a double-take. "He what?" she cries out indignantly. "Moron!" she mutters.

"Sorry, what?" Halling says, surprised at the violence of her reply.

"Sorry again," she winces. "Moron means mentally retarded, someone stupid. It's meant as an insult." She shrugs self-deprecatingly. "I'm reknown for my bad language. But for my defense, he really is an idiot. You don't tell kids that kind of story if you want them to go to bed. No, scratch that," she adds, shaking her head. "You don't tell kids that kind of story. Period."

"I assure you, Louise. Major Sheppard did not scare the children at all," Halling remarks.

"Well, that won't get him points," she retorts. "Look, I gotta go," she says. "I'll see you all tomorrow morning. Take care."

When the whole thing ends, she's cooped up in her kitchen, trying to cook with the semblance of a staff Sheppard has left her – again – and what she can prepare without using any of the electrical devices. She opts for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids and turkey ones for the adults.

Rodney drops by some time later to recount her what happened and beg for a warm meal. She listens to him as he tells her about the Ancient gene therapy – that makes her prick her ears, though she doesn't say anything for the moment – and the shield device he's used on himself that in the end allowed them to get rid of the entity.

No sooner has she set a plate heaped with food in front of him and a tall mug of coffee that he endeavors to wolf it down, talking at the same time. "Wait, wait, wait," she tells him, "slow down. I didn't get that last part." She winces, seeing him gulp down a huge mouthful with scalding coffee. "He what?!"

He cocks his head and rolls his eyes. "You heard me, Louise. He pushed me off the balcony to see if it really worked. Shot me in the leg too," he adds. "Hum! It was an interesting experiment. Actually, we had fun," he adds wistfully.

She narrows her eyes at him. "And you let him?! I mean, really! You guys are so immature. He, I can understand," she scoffs disdainfully, "but you, Rodney McKay, should know better than that! You could have died!" she chides him, hands on hips.

He snorts. "Yes, Mom," he sing-songs. She glares at him. "Oh, come on! I was fine."

She huffs. "He's rubbing off on you, Rodney. Don't let him. He'll get yourself killed."

He rolls his eyes. "Alright. I'll tell him the cook doesn't want me to take risks," he baits her.

She looks apprehensive. "No, don't do that, Rodney. I don't want to have him show up in my kitchen and demand explanations. Told you. Don't want to have anything to do with him."

He pouts. "Might have to, anyway, honey. Dr Weir says sooner or later, we need to focus on the food supplies and she intends to have you join the team." Louise looks away, flushing. "Hey, what's so wrong with spending time with him? He's not the jerk you think he is," he tries to reason with her.

She trains her eyes on him. "I will not spend time with him. Period. Please, Rodney, I'm begging you. Ask Dr Weir to send me with another team. Better yet. Ask her to do without me. I'll give her lists of what we need. They don't need me with them."

He raises his eyebrows. "Louise, I thought you liked going through the gate," he points out.

She winces. "I did. It's just with all you're telling me, I'm not sure I want to leave the comfort of my kitchen. And I'm not comfortable with all those military guys running around the City as it is. I don't need to spend time with them on top of it all."

He pouts. Daniel has talked to him before they left. He's said she's a slow walker. She needs time to adjust to new situations and new people. "Don't let her wall herself up again," the archeologist has advised him. "She's pretty good at that. We're entrusting her to you." He hadn't thought much at the time, only sniggering inwardly that Jackson was a mother hen. Now, he's starting to have a pretty good idea of what he meant.

"Look. We don't need to do this now. We've got plenty left and it's not our top priority for the moment. Think about it. We'll talk about it later," he tells her and makes a mental note of telling Dr Weir about it.

"Oh, and one more thing," he says as he stands to leave, having finished his meal. "Jinto accidentally discovered that we had transporters throughout the City."

She looks nonplussed. "Small chambers. Look like broom closets. They're used to get to other parts of the City and to other levels too," he elaborates. "Won't have to walk up and down the stairs that much," he adds with a grin.

Her eyes light up. "I think I have one at the back of the kitchen. Could you take a look at it?" she asks him.

He activates it easily and shows her how it works. "You won't need the gene to use it. See, we're here and the Control Room is there," he points at the screen. "Ah," he scoffs, peering at the screen. "I think you have a room below that is directly connected to here," he says, pressing the screen. The doors whoosh close, scaring her. They whoosh open after merely a few seconds. Rodney steps out and motions for her to follow him. He turns to her, beaming. "Louise, I think I found your own personal storage room," he tells her.

TBC

Extract from Louise's Cookbook

Kids need their sugar fix. Granted! But they also need healthy treats so I made those with the Athosian kids. Sally's Baking Addiction inspired those. The dough was so good, it almost never made it to the oven!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (2 dozen)

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup vanilla-flavored granulated sugar

(just fill a mason jar with regular granulated sugar and vanilla pods and leave it for a few days. You'll always have vanilla for your baking and it's totally natural)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp molasses

1 and 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 mn

Whisk the butter and sugars until light and fluffy then add the rest of the ingredients in the right order. Do not overmix.

Chill for one hour or overnight.

Make Tbsps of dough and rolls them then bake them on a baking sheet for 10 mn, 350°F.

Let cool 5 mn before transferring to a wire rack.

You can bake the frozen dough without thawing it by adding 1 extra minute to the baking time.