The rest of the party was a trying experience for the Rangers. Summer especially was getting more and more frustrated by the constant stream of nervous smiles and polite well wishes. She still hadn't had a chance to read the full article, and so she had no idea how anyone had found out about her counselling sessions under Dr. Young. So far all she knew was that someone had photographed her leaving his office and obviously sent it to the newspaper office.
She hated being the centre of attention like that. She felt like a side-show. Even when people weren't wishing her well and talking to her in the hopes of gaining some glimpse of the crazy person, they were avoiding her, and giving her sly looks and whispering. Dillon saw the slightly pained look on her face and held her closely.
"Who cares what they think?" He asked her. "We're the ones that care about you, and we're the ones who know the truth."
"I feel like a freak show." Summer muttered under her breath. "I just know everyone's hoping to see the psycho acting crazy."
"Hey, just remember what Dr. Young said. You're not a psycho." He reminded her. "You have a couple of problems. You'd see a doctor if you were physically sick right? This is no different."
"Try telling them that." Summer replied bitterly, flashing a look to the main table that was being set up in the garden. The Winchesters were all talking with a large group of guests, showing off their 'hero' son, dressed in an immaculate dress uniform. Chas was standing with his new fiancée, Brie, shaking hands, smiling and accepting the congratulations and praise of the guests. Col. Truman arrived in his standard uniform along with Summer's parents.
"Honey, we got the newspaper before we got here." Mr. Landsdown greeted his daughter, gesturing for a hug. "We're sorry this happened. You shouldn't worry about this, we're here for you. We love you."
"This is just cruel; I can't believe anyone would do this to you." Mrs. Landsdown said angrily, also hugging her daughter. "It isn't fair. You do so much for this city."
"It's alright." Col. Truman assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I've served with you before, and you've served this city well. Don't pay this any mind, anyone who thinks less of you because of this isn't worth caring about."
"Thanks." She replied quietly. "I know I shouldn't care, but it's just so hard. I feel like everyone's watching me in case I do something crazy. It's like being in a zoo or something."
"It's not like any of them are complaining when you're saving their asses on a daily basis." Dillon reminded her. "Who would do this to her?"
"Rest assured I will be doing everything I can to find out." Col. Truman told them. "I for one do not tolerate anyone making up libellous stories about my operatives."
"I'll do what I can too." Dr. K chipped in. "Anyone questioning the suitability of any of the Ranger Operatives is questioning my judgement. That is something I won't tolerate."
"It looks like they're calling us to dinner." Scott told them, seeing the head waiter waving the guests over to the table. "Is everyone ready for some food?"
"I could go for something to eat." Col. Truman replied as they made their way over to the table. The place cards had been set in place, making sure that the Winchesters were at the top table, with Chas at the centre, in pride of place. Brie was at his right, and his mother at his left. As the other recipients of the Order of Corinth, Scott and Col. Truman were also there. Col. Truman to the left of Chas' mother, and Scott two places down on his right, beyond Brie and Mr. Landsdown. The other guests were arranged between four long tables, running downwards from the top table. Flynn and Dillon sat either side of Summer, making sure that no one would be able to sit next to her in the hopes of avoiding awkward questions. Dr. K was sitting at another table, at the end closest to Scott. She seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the top table with a look on her face that suggested she had smelt something rotten.
"Gazpacho soup to start." Flynn remarked, reading the menu. "I always thought the idea of serving soup cold was a little odd."
"Why the hell do we need so much cutlery?" Dillon asked, looking at the arrangement in front of him. "Isn't this all overkill?"
"It's just the way the Winchesters do things." Summer whispered to him. "They love people to know how rich and important they are."
"Well there's no one more important than you." He responded, taking her hand. "I wonder what they're talking about at the top table." He joked. "Scott looks about as thrilled to be here as we are."
At the top table at that moment, Col. Truman greeted the other guests at the top table, shaking hands and exchanging polite welcomes.
"I take it you came straight from the office." Mrs. Winchester commented, noting his uniform. It was a subtle slight against the fact he had not gotten dressed specifically for dinner. The Col. Just laughed.
"I did, as the head of Corinth's defence forces, office hours can be a little haphazard. Sadly Venjix has no respect for dinner arrangements." He replied. "I'm sure Chas could tell you that."
Mrs. Winchester just smiled back and gave a haughty little forced laugh. Chas had arrived home almost two hours earlier to prepare for dinner. Col. Truman had managed to slide in a stinging response to her veiled barb, though there was nothing she could do about it. Col. Truman got a satisfied little smile on his face as he saw her demeanour noticeably sour. He had as little respect for Chas as anyone. He had bought his way into a rank from day one, and into a function that would afford him the respect of an officer, while being unlikely to face any direct action. When he entered the Administrative Corp. he quickly made enemies with his lofty attitude. The Colonel couldn't simply discharge him because of his family's political power, but he had done the next best thing, ensuring he was in a job where he was in no danger of making any decisions of value. It was a situation that seemed to suit Chas, as he had never voiced any objection. He seemed content to just swan around in a uniform all day.
Before the first course arrived, champagne, white and red wines were offered to the guests. Everyone charged their glasses, as Chas rose from his chair, gently tapping his glass with a spoon to raise everyone's attention for the toast.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming here today, it really means a lot." He began, raising a small, polite applause from all the guests. "The first thing I'd like is to do is to announce my engagement to my lovely fiancée Brie. She's a beautiful and devoted woman, and I look forward to her becoming a part of the family."
"I hope this one works out for him." A woman on Dr. K's left whispered to her partner. "I always thought it was strange his last engagement ended so suddenly. I guess there are no prizes for guessing why."
Dr. K took a sip of her wine and listened on, biting her tongue. As much as she wanted to defend Summer, she wanted to hear more. The thought had occurred to her that the timing of the newspaper article was a little convenient. It was strange that it just happened to coincide with the first time Summer and Chas would be seen in public together.
"That being said, I'm afraid I have something a little more sombre to say. The second thing I must say is to ask you all to raise a glass to the one recipient of this prestigious honour who can't be here today." He continued, raising a glass. "I met Marcus Truman only once, but in that moment I knew he was a great man, and while it will not compare to what my fellow recipients feel, I have to say that I feel a great personal loss that he will not be receiving this award with me. Please all raise your glasses to Marcus Truman."
Everyone returned the gesture, taking a drink. Scott hated this, the wine tasted bitter in his mouth. He knew Chas wasn't lying when he said that he'd only met Marcus once. He had been caught bullying a young cadet back at the academy, and Marcus had made an example of him, handing him a humiliating beating in front of his friends. Chas didn't care about Marcus; it was a well known fact that they loathed each other. He just wanted to make himself look good in front of his guests and the press cameras at the party.
"Finally, I'd like to thank the people of Corinth for the honour we will receive. I can't speak for the Colonel or Scott, but I can assure you that to me, the Order of Corinth means more to me than anything I've ever earned."
As the guests all raised their glasses at the end of the toast, Summer let out a little snort that was only heard by Dillon and Flynn. Chas had never earned anything in his whole life. As the glasses came to rest, the first course was served and the conversations began.
"I noticed Summer and the Black Ranger are rather close." Mr Winchester said to Scott between mouthfuls of gazpacho. "It's good to see her happy."
"They started dating a while ago." He told the billionaire a little coldly, realising he was fishing for information. "They're happy together. I've known Summer a long time, it's good to see her happy."
"Well I guess she has been through a lot." Mr. Winchester stated, again fishing for information about her condition. "I..."
"Mr Winchester, with all due respect I don't want to talk about Summer unless she's here." He interrupted him.
"I can respect that." He replied with a shrug. "It's only natural to want to protect our friends."
Meanwhile Chas kept taking a couple of glances over to Summer's table, seeing the way she and Dillon interacted, seeing a closeness between them that he hadn't noticed before. He got a sarcastic little smile and leaned over to Brie, nudging her and gesturing to their table.
"It looks like my ex has found a new beau." He commented sarcastically.
"They arrived together." Brie told him. "I met him when they got here with your parents."
"What's he like?" He asked her.
"He seems a little brash." She informed him. "He had a real attitude. We welcomed him and he didn't seem to care. It was as though he thought he was better than us or something. Of course if you saw the rust bucket he pulled up in you'd see he was a loser."
"I don't like to judge too quickly." He replied, gesturing over a butler. "I'd like to size him up myself. Jeffrey, could you have some fencing equipment prepared in the main hall? I think I'd like to work off some of my dinner later."
"Of course sir." The butler replied, before heading off to comply with the request.
"Let's just see what this defender of Corinth is made of." He told her with a little smirk. "Let's see what the cyborg has to offer."
Meanwhile, Dr. K was busy listening to the other guests continuing to gossip about Chas, and more accurately Summer. One of the guests next to her held the article just under the table where it couldn't be seen she was reading at the table.
"It says here she's been seeing a psychiatrist." She told the other nosey guests. "Listen to this, 'Dr. Young refused to comment citing patient/doctor confidentiality'."
"Well that just proves she's a patient." One of the male guests stated. "I always thought there was something odd about that one. Don't you remember that whole business at the court case?"
"It mentions that here." The female guest continued, quoting the article. "Summer Landsdown, otherwise known as Ranger Yellow was last in the news when she was sentenced to life imprisonment following a murder conviction. During the trial it was claimed that she was attacked as a teenager in military academy by training officer Ronan Wells. She was later released from prison after Mr. Wells, by then a respected prison warden, was tricked into admitting to framing her in revenge over the allegations on the public announce system. He took his own life before he could be apprehended."
"Before he could be questioned more likely," another guest commented, taking a re-fill of her wine glass, "it all seems rather convenient doesn't it?"
"Given her mental state it makes you wonder if she was crying rape or crying wolf." The male guest chipped in. "She wouldn't be the first girl to go a little further than she wanted to and started claiming assault."
"I wonder what really happened in that apartment." The guest with the newspaper mused. "Maybe Wells was innocent after all. It's not like her friends couldn't have forced a confession out of him."
"No wonder Chas cut his losses and kicked her to the curb. He must have been a saint to put up with it for so long." The male guest chuckled. "I'm just glad he found Brie. That Landsdown girl sounds like more trouble than she's worth."
Dr. K got up from the table and left without another word. She made her way to Scott's table.
"Excuse me Ran...Scott." She began. "I'm going back to the Garage now."
"Dinner isn't even finished." He remarked. "The main course is poached salmon."
Dr. K looked back to her table, seeing the other guests still gossiping and rolled her eyes.
"I suddenly lost my appetite." She told him.
"Would you like me to take you?" He asked her.
"It'll be fine Scott; you just stay and enjoy your night." She stated, waving him off. "There's no reason for all of us to miss out."
Scott watched her go, and saw the guests at the table still discussing something. He caught a momentary glimpse of the newspaper under the table and could guess what it was about. Obviously Dr. K had heard enough and opted to leave rather than risk making a scene and making things worse. He wanted to go too, and was starting to wonder about the wisdom of their decision to stay.
It was only because Summer was with Flynn and Dillon she seemed to be oblivious to the worst of it, but she was obviously aware of the fact she was the hot topic of conversation. As his main course arrived, he had to wonder how his dad was faring. Glancing over, he saw him eating without saying a word. He had to admire that about his father, the way he had the strength to know when to ignore idle gossip. He was almost as close to Summer as Scott was, and if his own anger was anything to go by, this thing had to be killing him. He was hiding it well. Anyone that hadn't known the Colonel their whole life wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him, to anyone else; he was just enjoying a nice fish dinner.
"I think we should wait a little while before dessert." Chas announced. "I don't know about all of you, but I could do with letting some of that go down a little."
With that, most of the plates and cutlery were cleared, and the guests were invited to mingle for a little while. Colonel Truman was talking with Scott when Chas came over along with another soldier in dress uniform.
"Colonel Truman, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you in person." The stranger announced, saluting him. The Colonel returned the gesture. "It really will be a pleasure to see the Hero of Corinth being acknowledged in public."
"Thank you, but you know I don't like to make a fuss." Colonel Truman said in return, shaking the stranger's hand. "Scott, this is Captain Iain Gates, he and your brother served together many times."
Gates was a huge man, towering over even the Colonel, with a slightly gaunt appearance. His chiselled jaw and cheekbones were almost skeletal in appearance, as though only a small amount of skin had been forcibly drawn over a skull that was much too large for it. His flesh was pale, almost as pale as Dr K's, and his eyes were dark, with a fierce intensity in them that was a little unnerving. He looked to be a few years younger than Colonel Truman, and still had thick, dark hair, though it was steadily beginning to turn grey.
"Scott Truman." Scott introduced himself, saluting the man. He looked down at Scott as though he had somehow offended him. They stood for a second in awkward silence as he Scott waited for the return salute, though it never came. He looked nervously between his dad and Gates trying to gauge the reaction. Chas nudged him with his elbow.
"He used to be Eagle 2." Chas reminded him. "He's being awarded too."
"Oh, right, I'm sorry." Gates replied quietly, saluting Scott quickly. "I'm sorry, I guess without the uniform I didn't recognise you, we were both on Eagle Squad during the battle of Corinth. You'd be amazed how many civilians salute me."
"Well I'm not military now." Scott informed him, glossing over the slight show of disrespect to avoid a scene. "I left when I joined Project Ranger."
"You're one of the Rangers! Of course, I should have remembered that." He replied. "I've seen all the news clippings."
"Yeah, I get that a lot too." Scott said, extending a hand. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you."
Gates looked down at his hand as though it was diseased, and gave a quick glance between Chas and Colonel Truman before taking his hand and shaking it with a firm grip.
"Well I look forward to seeing you at the ceremony too." He replied.
"Thanks, I need to go and see my friends about something. I'll catch you later." Scott said, excusing himself and leaving. His father followed, leaving Chas alone with Gates.
"That guy is a serious jerk." Scott whispered to his dad. "Did you see the way he looked at me?"
"Trust me; I'm not happy about it." Colonel Truman assured him. "He's in the same alumni as Chas. They both attended officer training at the same academy, of course several years apart. That's how he knows the Winchesters."
"So what's his problem?" Scott asked him.
"He has the same problem as Chas." Colonel Truman replied sadly. "He's an arrogant snob who believes he's better than everyone."
"He's in the infantry now, just like you right?" Scott asked him.
"He is." Colonel Truman stated. "He's a damn good soldier and officer too. If it wasn't for his attitude he'd probably have my job."
"Well he seems to like you." Scott commented, taking a look back to where Gates and Chas seemed to be talking about something.
"Don't mistake subordination for liking someone." Colonel Truman replied. "He tolerates me; some would even say kisses my ass, because he has to. I outrank him, but don't think for one second that means he likes or respects me. We were both up for the same promotion and I got it, that's why I'm a Colonel."
"Wait, so he doesn't like you because he thinks he should have your job?" Scott asked him.
"It's just one of many reasons." Colonel Truman said, putting an arm around his son. "Now, let's not ruin anymore of the night with this kind of talk. Tell me, how are things going at the Garage?"
Meanwhile, Chas pulled Gates aside, handing him a glass of champagne.
"What was that all about?" Chas asked him in a pointed tone. "You know better than to anger the Colonel."
"He dared to salute me like an equal." Gates spat angrily, taking a long gulp, thinking about Scott. "Sorry, you know how much it galls me to play nice and bow and scrape to Truman."
"Believe me, I'm not happy about it either, but you have to lie low for now. You know better than anyone what happens if the political game turns against you." Chas reminded him.
"I guess that's true." He muttered, taking another gulp.
"In the meantime, just enjoy the after-dinner entertainment I have planned." Chas said with a smirk. Gates smiled as he realised Chas had something in mind.
"Are you going to mess with your ex some more?" He asked him. "I would have thought releasing that story to the press would have embarrassed her enough. No one thinks the wedding breaking down was your fault, they all think she's a psycho. If anything they think you're a saint for putting up with her for so long."
"She embarrassed me." Chas reminded him. "It might not have happened in public, but no one ditches a Winchester."
"So what do you have in mind?" Gates asked him.
"I was thinking of a little light fencing with the new man in her life." Chas informed him, casually drinking some more. "By the time I'm finished, both of them will be too humiliated to show their faces in public."