Chapter 16 – Meat Loaf
Unbetaed. From now on, expect the story to pick up speed. I'm trying to keep it as canon as possible so major spoilers for quite a few episodes. Also I'll try to include more recipes. Hope you're still enjoying this. So, on with the show.
She's clearing the tables as people come and go in the mess hall. It's midday's action stations as most people on duty in the city have been awake since sometimes before dawn and need a well-earned break.
She didn't use to help out in the hall before but everyone's schedule in the food service department has recently been changed by the new chef and a lot of people have complained that they couldn't find a clean table to sit at so she's helping out when she can. She's still not very comfortable with being among so many people and is looking forward to her moment of peace and quiet when there's a lull in the service right in the middle of the afternoon though she'll still need to prepare the evening meal.
Her hands are full of dirty dishes as she's trudging through the hall among the tables of chattering scientists and marines, woolgathering about everything that still needs to be done before she's finally allowed to head back to her quarters. Gosh, does she miss her former ones at the back of the kitchen area! At least, when her day was over, she would have some time alone to herself to sit at the table with one of her books, even do some stock assessment and have a hearty cup of coffee or when she felt too windy, some hot green tea brewed with fresh mint and sweetened with honey – her special treat at the end of the day when she feels she's worked too much and might have to take a supplementary dose of glucose.
She's smiling at the thought when she jumps with fright at the feel of someone grabbing her arm. She drops the metal tray holding the dishes. It clatters onto the floor making everyone yelp in fright. It's not unknown on Atlantis to be suddenly attacked and, by now, everyone is jumpy every time everything unusual happens.
The hand that grabbed hers is still on her arm but has loosened its grip. Everyone around is standing and looking at odds. She herself feels her heart skip a beat, then two, then three... Until she hears John's reassuring voice: "Alright, everyone, please sit down and relax. False alarm as you can see. If anyone can ask for some help cleaning this mess, I'd greatly appreciate it. That will be all. Thank you." His hands are up in the air in a gesture of peace, motioning to people at the nearest table to sit slowly, his eyes trained on Louise. "It's alright, sweetie. I've got you. Now, Ronon, please let go of the lady," he says in a very quiet tone, as if talking to an angry child.
The hand is still on her arm and she's afraid to look that way. If it's the new guy they've brought back with them a few days ago, she doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Rodney's vivid description was quite enough for her. She can feel the hair on her nape stand straight, indicating potential danger, so she doesn't dare move.
"I said, please," John insists, his hand resting on his side arm, eyebrows lifting threateningly. The hand releases her slowly and she finally allows herself to turn cautiously towards him. She sees a giant of a man pushing his dreadlocks away from his face and casually sitting back at the table, shrugging. "I didn't mean no harm, Sheppard. Just wanted to congratulate the cook on her food. She makes a mean meatloaf, if you ask me," he says gruffly.
John breathes in angrily. "I'm not asking you, Dex. And if you wanted to thank her, you could be civilized and introduce yourself first, damn it. You almost gave her a heart attack." He wraps his arm around Louise's shoulders as she starts breathing hard and sits her gently on his side of the table. "There, I've got you. Everything is going to be alright. He's not a threat to you – except if you turn into a Wraith or something," he adds, smirking at Ronon. "You really need to work on your manners, big guy," he tells the Satedan.
People have called for some help and a couple of dishwashers are in the process of cleaning up the mess created by the commotion. Louise tries to stand. "You don't need to do that. I'm the one who did it. I'll clean it up."
John growls and forces her to sit. "No, you did not and you certainly will not. Ronon did it, so to speak. He should be the one cleaning it up. Unfortunately, we need to settle this first."
The two privates who are finishing the cleaning nod at Sheppard. "It's OK, Sir. We were told you needed help. No foul. It's part of the job description anyway," one of them replies before standing and saluting. They head towards the back door.
"That's right, you know," John points out for Louise's benefit. "It is part of their job description – not yours," he adds, pouting.
She shrugs. "What needs to be done needs to be done, John."
He laughs humorlessly. "Very smart one," he sniggers. "I don't see why you had to do this in the first place. You never did before. What has changed?"
She shrugs, embarrassed by his question. "Don't know. Guess with the increase in population around here, there's more work to be done..."
"Well, sweetie, it might be time to tell Elizabeth to hire more people in that case," he suggests.
"Not my call anymore, remember," she replies, making a face.
He looks away, ashamed he had forgotten about that very small detail. "I'll tell her myself, then," he says, making her look up in alarm.
"Don't!" He eyes her suspiciously. She looks ashamed but knows he won't let go. "He'll say it's coming from me and will report me. I'm the under-cook now. I'm supposed to manage those things," she elaborates. He sets his jaw, feeling anger flare.
"Hey! Don't understand much about all this," Ronon barges in, "but I was in the process of trying to compliment the lady on her cooking..."
They both turn to him, amazed. He's created this mess and now sounds hurt no one is paying attention to his feelings! "Ronon, really! I mean..." John is caught between the need to yell at him for Louise's sake and the almost unbearable hitch to start laughing his head off. The guy is unbelievable! He's in the process of choosing the first and only acceptable option when he sees Louise's eyes. They're crinkling in a very tell-tale sign though the rest of her face remains expressionless for the moment so he chooses the second instead. She soon joins him in the merriment, to Ronon's utter amazement. From what he had surmised the few times he had glanced at her from afar and from this more recent and apparently disastrous encounter, he had not pinned her for the merry kind. She looks like a little mouse, always afraid to join in the hustle and bustle of the city – not the kind who will laugh at your expense. He's intrigued, which is one of the wonders he's discovered in this city – not taking his emotions for granted anymore, not judging by the book cover either.
"So..." Louise says, trying not to laugh. "You like my meatloaf?" He nods enthusiastically. She chuckles. "Which one?" she prods nastily, knowing she has only served the oatmeal one recently, seeing as the new chef hates everything remotely French, even Cajun food, because as he remarked disdainfully the day she offered to make her spicy one, "Isn't that food invented by those damn French migrants from the Bayou? I'll not have that kind of food served while I'm here. Understood?" he'd yelled at her, making her recoil from the violence of the tone and the implied contempt – for her, her ancestry and probably anyone different from him. For the moment and as long as no one has cried out for it, she's not ready to fight over it, knowing by now how he can make her life a living hell.
"I don't know the name of it, lady, but I can assure you I'll know how to eat anything you put in my plate!" he replies with a satisfied grin and tucks at the heap of food in front of him to prove his point.
She and John cringe, seeing the way he uses his fork. "It was even worse before," John mouthes to her. "He gets better as days go by..." He smirks and winks at her, making her giggle. John sits upright, feeling proud for making her laugh like a girl, not smile at him sadly as she used to most of the time when they first met.
"Heard ya," Ronon says, his mouth full, his head still down as he concentrates on finishing his plate as if his life depended on it.
John chuckles and pats Louise's hand. "We'll turn the caveman into a civilized gentleman someday," he banters, ignoring him. "And when we do, he might even have his seat at our Friday night table..." he adds, waggling his eyebrows, making her giggle some more.
"Party?" Ronon suggests, suddenly forgetting about the food in his plate. He gulps down his goblet of water in one go, making Louise flinch, afraid he might choke, but he doesn't and looks really pleased with himself for scaring her.
John peers at him. "We'll see..." Ronon look at him expectantly. "If you try to behave, we might accept you... But only if Louise does, OK?" John exchanges a look with her and winks. Ronon makes a mental note of asking his new friend when the time comes for swapping little secrets, what's between them two that makes them so close.
"Léger? What the hell are you doing here, lounging on a chair when there's so much left to do?" The question and her name are barked from the other side of the room, making heads turn towards the back door. Louise winces and tears well up instantly in her eyes. She stands abruptly, shrugging off John's arm who's trying to make her stay where she is. It's bad enough that the guy is bullying her all the time but having people witness the way he treats her is too much. Turning the other cheek for the sake of not being sent back to Earth is one thing. Turning it in front of strangers and friends alike is more than she can bear.
She chooses to ignore John's plea to return to her seat and walks past Buckley, her fists at her sides, not stopping as he continues abusing her. She pushes past the back door and disappears through the kitchen and then heads straight for the walk-in fridges, rummaging through them to give herself countenance.
When John drops by that night at her quarters – something he always does when he comes home from an off-world mission, which is not the case this time, making her uncomfortable, out of her comfort zone – she lets him in, knowing he's too stubborn to let go of the subject.
He's brought her green tea he's requisitioned from the kitchen – using his pull as 2IC to get it from the last prep-cook remaining in the area at that time of night – and some dark chocolate he's brought back from Earth and was waiting for a special occasion to give her.
She graces him with a smile and sits with him on the edge of her bed, nibbling at the chocolate, but her mind is somewhere else and she clearly doesn't want to talk about the incident – only insisting it's an isolated occurrence, making his ears prick and his anger flare.
TBC
Extract from Louise's Cookbook
I usually make the Oat-Meat Loaf rather than this one. It's much easier and less time-consuming. But this meatloaf was Aiden's favorite and I'm sure Mr Dex would love it as well.
Cajun Meat loaf
(for one meatloaf)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp nutmeg
4 Tbs butter
1 onion
1 celery stalk diced
1 green pepper diced
1 garlic diced
2 tsp Tabasco
½ cup milk
½ cup ketchup
Melt the butter, add the vegetables and spices and cook in frying pan for ten minutes then add the milk and ketchup and cook for an additional five minutes. Cool and remove the bay leaves then add the following ingredients.
1 ½ pound chopped beef
½ pound chopped pork
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
Cook in the oven (350°F) for an hour.