Chapter 16 - First night home, Part 2
He's dreading the interview with Elizabeth. She's told him on his headset they'll then be joined by the new chef. This can't be good. Louise will still have to work with him, but being forced to stay in the same room under the scrutiny of their leader so soon after the shock of the first encounter seems like a very bad idea. He's not in charge though and knows for a fact Elizabeth, though a great diplomat, believes that in some situations, the best response is to rip the band aid off.
He walks into the office, not letting Elizabeth bully him into leaving Louise alone with her, and sits in the other chair in front of her desk then takes hold of Louise's hand. Elizabeth is almost shocked by the gesture. He's not one for physical contact, at times even giving her the impression it makes him want to run away.
He's acting with Louise like she's his sister, considering it his duty to protect her. This can't be good, she notices inwardly. Sheppard is not the most patient of men and when put in the position of defending his "men" and she knows that includes herself and Louise, he might become rash. The new cook might as well watch his back.
"Ms Léger," she greets her with a smile only to be met by an ice-cold disdainful glare. She schools herself and chooses to ignore it. "I have asked you to join me so soon after our return because I believe some things need to be dealt with without further ado."
"I bet you do," Louise mumbles, her jaw set. Elizabeth gasps at the disrespectful remark.
John squeezes Louise's hand. "Please," he whispers beggingly in her ear, "listen to what she has to say. I can assure you she's as sad and disappointed as I am."
Louise snorts but relents. "I'm listening, Ma'am."
Elizabeth nods. "You have to understand, Ms Léger, I'm greatly upset by what has been imposed on me. The change of command in the kitchen was never my doing. I wish I could have done something..." She lifts her hand, seeing Louise ready to intervene, knowing what she's going to tell her. "I'm not finished, Ms Léger. Hear me out and only then will you be allowed to pass your own judgment. The trip back to Earth was anything but a walk in the park. You were not there so let me draw a clear picture for you," she adds more bitterly than she intended to let on, making John flinch and Louise raise her eyebrows. "Yes, Ms Léger, it was not the kind of vacations we had hoped for. See, they first started by challenging most of the decisions we had made. Then, they tried to take John away from us and replace him with Colonel Caldwell."
Louise raises her eyebrows in alarm and turns to John. "But I thought you'd been promoted?"
"I am. Because Elizabeth fought for me and told them to do so if it was the only thing keeping them from giving me the permanent position of 2IC on the City." He nods his gratitude at Elizabeth.
Louise turns to her leader. "Thank you, Ma'am. I cannot imagine Atlantis without John to protect us all."
Elizabeth nods graciously. "I couldn't win all my battles though, Ms Léger and I'm sorry to say I have lost yours."
Louise nods her understanding then looks away. Sacrifices have to be made in every war, she's aware of that.
"What is going to happen to me?" she asks, her eyes boring into her leader's.
Elizabeth squares herself. "You'll be under the direct order of the new chef. You'll manage the prep cooks. You'll still go on missions, of course. I've been very adamant about that. I still need to discuss a few things with the new chef, though, and this is why I've asked him to join us."
Louise looks away. She doesn't want to have to talk to the jerk ever again. It was already very painful the first time and she's not one to turn the other cheek, in spite of all the compassion she normally has. She tells Elizabeth so.
"You have to understand I want you here when I state my conditions, Ms Léger. He's already disobeyed my orders by rushing into the kitchen as soon as we had disembarked and gloating about who he was, then having your belongings removed so he could replace you immediately. He needs to know who's the boss here and where I stand concerning the food service." Her lips become a thin line as she taps her headset and tells Chuck they're going to the conference room.
The doors open as they reach them. He's already sitting at the table and doesn't make the effort to stand as they file into the room, not seeing John who's lagging behind, trying to keep his temper at bay. He's met the guy before and loathes him. Buckley only stands up hurriedly as he sees his commander enter the room and stands at attention. "Sir," he greets him. John glares at him so he turns to Elizabeth and nods curtly. "Ma'am."
What Louise doesn't know is that they've already had a a few run ins with him, noticeably one during their first encounter and one on the ship when he yelled at one of the ship's cooks who hadn't been fast enough to serve him what he wanted. Elizabeth dislikes him as much as John does and knows his presence here will only spell trouble. He's a conceited prick who treats everyone around him with disrespect and disdain but contrary to Rodney, he's not even a genius, just a guy whose uncle happens to be very influential.
"Standing when someone enters a room, Mr Buckley," Elizabeth chides him, "be they the military commander, the leader of the expedition," she insists on her title, making him flinch, "or a lady who also happens to be older than you, is a lesson you'd better learn quickly."
He narrows his eyes at her, silently daring her "or what?" but answers instead: "Yes, Ma'am. Of course, Ma'am." His insistence is bordering on disrespect.
She sits and he starts sitting too but stands abruptly when she remarks: "I haven't given you permission to sit... yet, Mr Buckley." He sees John and Louise are respectfully waiting for Elizabeth's go ahead to do so themselves, making him flush with resentment.
She exchanges a silent glance with John then motions for the three of them to take their seats. John remains close to Louise as expected. Elizabeth regards Buckley coolly for a long time. "I have ordered you to come here," she says, choosing to be authoritative, "to be introduced to Ms Léger properly. You might as well, since you too need to work together. I cannot emphasize how important it is to our expedition that we may not have to worry about the food service on top of everything else."
He looks unhappy. "If I may be so bold as to suggest something, Ma'am, I thought she might realize her time here was done and she'd go back to Earth with her own staff. Most of them are leaving, which is a good thing anyway as they're being made redundant by the arrival of my own staff. I'm sure she'll be allowed to apply to a cooking position in government services somewhere. If that can help, I can ask my uncle to make a few phone calls," he adds arrogantly.
John growls, making him jump. "What the hell?"
Elizabeth lifts her hand to stop him. "Colonel Sheppard, if I may..."
He crosses his arms defensively on his chest, his jaw set, but relents.
Louise looks at Elizabeth in disbelief. "My staff is leaving?" Buckley sniggers but doesn't dare talk.
Elizabeth nods. "Yes, Louise. You have to understand they need a reprieve. There is going to be quite a turnover here. Most of them have asked to be stationed back on Earth. They have families and the separation was more difficult than they had anticipated. The thrill of discovering Atlantis has been replaced for most of them by homesickness. Having the opportunity to secure a position in a safer environment coupled with seeing their loved ones again did the rest. Only Private Ridgeway and Private Wilson have asked to remain with you. I'm of course very grateful for their presence," she says, looking pointedly at Buckley, making him understand it's non-negotiable. "as they'll be much needed for the position you three will hold from now on."
"Namely?" Buckley cuts her off, ignoring Louise as well who hasn't been allowed to put her two cents in though it's her future that is at stake.
Elizabeth stares him down. "First of all, let's make this clear. You will not talk about Ms Léger as if she were not in the room. She's not a she but a person of flesh and blood who deserves to be treated with respect. Louise might have arrived here as a cook but she's soon become much more than the provider of our daily meals," she says, making him understand he's just that and nothing else. "You have thought wrongly by barging in the kitchens ahead of time that the place was all yours. Let me rephrase the job description for you. As much as it pains me to have to move Ms Léger out of the quarters she's called hers for so long, I agree that I cannot deny you the accommodation that goes with your job's description. This being said, Mr Buckley, the job itself does not allow you to hold full possession of the whole kitchen and storage area. Right now, we're lucky enough the Daedalus is replenishing our food supplies with Earth-produced staples but we've learnt the hard way things might not always be that simple. This expedition was at first designed to become self-sufficient in every sense, food included, and I'll make sure it remains that way. Ms Léger will need to experiment on new food brought in by our expeditions. She has more experience on that than you obviously so I expect you'll learn along with her."
He glares at her only to look away when he hears John clear his throat menacingly. "Since we're discussing the job description, Ma'am," he answers cockily, "the former cook was described as my under-cook if I recall properly..." He's baiting her, daring her to say otherwise so he'll be able to complain to his oh-so important uncle.
"If I may answer that one, Dr Weir," Louise offers shyly. Elizabeth motions for her to go on. "As you'll soon discover, we all multi-task here, pulling long hours, so it won't be a problem for me to work on three different jobs."
He blanches at the mention of overtime but recovers quickly. She's met so many people like him on her former job, she knows they're in for difficult times.
"Of course," he nods disdainfully. "And yet, adjustments will have to be made. Quality food service requires the staff to be disciplined but also well-rested if one doesn't want to have accidents in the kitchen area. Of course, you're not a professional so you don't see things like us. I was told you had only recently joined the trade..."
"Well, Buckley," John doesn't let Louise answer him, "you'll have to understand you yourself will have to adjust as well. You're on Atlantis here, not some random canteen on Earth. Food is served round the clock if need be. We have people working night and day, teams coming back at the oddest hours and needing to be fed, emergency situations, you name it. Office hours do not apply here as I'm sure you must have been informed. If you're smart, you'll allow Louise to guide you through the maze of your new life here. It might save your ass quite a few times." He sees Louise's lips turn up just a bit. Touché! He's quite proud of himself as he sees the other man's facial expression – a mixture of worry, disappointment and anger.
John glances nonchalantly at his watch. "Wow, now, it's already quite late. Ma'am, I need to have my new crew settled. Do you mind if I leave you to it?" She motions for him to go. He stands and turns towards the new cook. "What's for dinner?"
The guy blanches once more as he peers at his watch too. "Well, I dunno..." he stutters. "I didn't have time to settle."
Elizabeth stares him down once more. "Come on, chef. You've taken the time to kick out Ms Léger and her staff and unpack your own personal belongings, I was told. You surely must have had time to prepare something for dinner!" she mocks him.
He opens and closes his mouth.
"I'll prepare dinner, Ma'am, if you allow me. I mean if the new cook allows me and my crew back in his kitchen," Louise adds mockingly, knowing he might not have any say in the matter if he doesn't want to have a mutiny in the mess hall on his very first day.
Elizabeth and Buckley just nod but she sees Elizabeth wink at her. "What will you treat us to, Ms Léger? I must say I've missed both yourself and your cooking."
Louise smiles at her, her heart warmed by the words of kindness and praise. She makes a quick decision, appraising the stocks in her mind. "I don't have much time left. Would one of my omelets with bacon, herbs and potatoes plus a green salad with crumbled goat cheese and a red berries and orange crumble do? I know it's probably not what you had in mind but at least it will be ready on time," she offers.
Elizabeth's eyes crinkle with mirth. "Yes, Ms Léger, I think we can very well make do with that!"
TBC
Extract from Louise's Cookbook
for 4 people you need about 4 cups of any berries you have, preferably with different types
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp of cornstarch
one orange (zest and juice)
topping:
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of all purpose flour and ½ cup almonds
½ cup of Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into chunks
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss together the berries, orange juice, orange zest, and cornstarch. Pour the berries in a casserole dish.
Combine the flour, brown sugar, almonds, then add the butter and mix the butter in the flour mixture with your fingers. Scatter on top of the berries and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom is bubbly.