Chapter 28
As always, I hope there won't be mistakes I overlooked and thanks a bunch for the reviews. They always make my day.
She comes back to Atlantis a couple of weeks later. She's heard of Michael's presence in the City and begs Elizabeth to return. Things do not pan out the way she'd expected and all she sees is John leaving for the Daedalus. He's got that intense look on his face and his eyes have gone from hazel to dark. He registers her presence at the last minute, walks to her to give her a hug and tell her not to worry. As if she could! Rodney is all wound up, leaving for the hive ship so he doesn't even see her. After that, things go from bad to worse. John's F-302 is believed missing as is McKay who was on the hive ship.
Buckley has ordered Ridgeway and Wilson back in the kitchen as soon as they'd set foot back on the City so she's left to her own ways. She can hardly return to the kitchen and cook since Dr Weir has ordered her to stand down for the time being though she knows this can't last forever. It's in the middle of that crisis that Elizabeth receives the order to meet the IOA back on Earth and bring her cook with her.
She joins Elizabeth in the gate room with a small bag containing everything she cherishes the most, fearing she might never return. She's left letters for each member of the team at their quarters.
Her evaluation is scheduled after Elizabeth's.
She's escorted to a room void of any furniture except for a couple of chairs and a table and not allowed to visit with anyone on base. Her belongings have been confiscated – for security check, she's told – and she feels like a prisoner. After several hours of doing absolutely nothing, she's on tenterhooks. She usually works from the moment she wakes up to bedtime and when she doesn't, she's always got something planned. This is what she is. Not doing anything is getting her nuts.
Someone finally knocks and opens the door. Broad shoulders, blue eyes and one of the kindest smiles she's ever seen. She jumps to her feet. "Dr Jackson," she greets him with a broad smile.
He walks to her as the door is closed behind him by a stern-looking guard.
"Louise. It's good to see you again, though not in the best of circumstances." He gives her a one-armed hug and motions for her to sit down at the table. They both do. He rests his forearms in front of him and watches her.
"You're part of the evaluation committee?" she asks hopefully.
He shakes his head, laughing. "No, I was in the area. Thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing..." he says.
She scoffs. "Not that good, Daniel. As you might have heard, problems are piling up."
He nods. "You can tell me on the way. I'm here to escort you to the conference room. It's quite a long walk. We'll have time to talk," he adds, pointing discreetly with his head towards the corner of the room, indicating she's being spied on.
She remains silent and follows him outside. The guard motions for them to go ahead and follows them at a safe distance, which allows them to converse quietly. "Jack forwarded me the file sent to him by Buckley," he tells her.
She looks surprised. "I didn't think General O'Neill would have time for such petty issues – nor yourself for that matter," she remarks.
"We like to keep an eye on our protégés." He winks at her. "Jack couldn't be here today but he asked me to come and take care of you – make sure you were not roughened up by the IOA... or you didn't roughen them up in return!" he teases her. He knows she's got quite a personality.
She flushes with embarassment. "I'm sorry you have to do this, Daniel. I never meant to annoy anyone. Trouble kind of seems to find me wherever I go..."
"That's what I wanted to warn you about. Don't let it get to you. They're gonna ask you some pretty embarassing questions in there and no one will be there to support you. You're gonna have to do it on your own." They've reached the conference room. "I know this is not the best time for you. I know you're worried about McKay and Sheppard."
She flinches. She does have her mind on other matters. "Have you heard anything yet, Daniel?" she asks hopefully.
He shakes his head and pouts. "Sorry to disappoint you, Louise. If I were you, I'd keep my hopes high, though. John Sheppard is like cats. He always knows how to fall back on his feet. I'm sure they're gonna be fine. Right now, you need to focus on your position in Atlantis. Answer their questions plain and simple. If bad comes to worse and they ask you to fill in the blanks in your file, Jack advises you to do it." He looks into her eyes to make sure she's gotten the whole meaning of it.
She nods slowly, knowing she might not be able to do it. The nightmares and guilt are quite enough. The last thing she needs is to have people she doesn't know and who do not care one bit about her judge her for who she was.
"Ms Léger, thank you for joining us," the man on the right tells her. "Please, sit," he adds curtly.
She does, sitting on the edge of her chair. She remarks silently that they have given her one that is slightly lower than theirs and it reminds her of her former headmaster. Sneaky technique to make you feel inferior. They haven't introduced themselves either so she doesn't know who's talking to her.
She waits patiently as they make a show of reading files in front of them. "Ms Léger," the same man finally says. "We imagine you know why you're here..."
They're baiting her to see if she can let on more than she already has at the conference with Buckley and Weir, she surmises. "I guess it's because of Mr Buckley's report..."
"What are you expecting our decision to be, Ms Léger?" They all look very smug. The butterflies in her stomach grow to epic proportions. She gulps but remains silent. They insist. "You're very difficult to assess, Ms Léger. We have here the list of items you brought with you." Her hopes drop to zilch. Her bag says she feels she won't be found innocent and will never return to Atlantis. Everything she really cares about is in there.
"I..." she decides to follow General O'Neill's advice and lay her cards on the table. "I was told being called to a meeting with the IOA meant most of the time you were demoted immediately."
"So you think we'll not let Dr Weir return to Atlantis?" one of the women sniggers.
She scowls. "I hope not. It would be a damn mistake if you did!"
They all have a smile. "That's what we thought, Ms Léger. You're finally showing your true personality. See, it wasn't so difficult... Now, let's be clear. We called you here because we wanted to know you – see if the portrait Mr Buckley has drawn of you is correct."
She shakes her head. "What do you want me to tell you? Accuse my superior of lying and get a slap on the wrist for it? Well, I won't! And you know what? I couldn't care less about what you decide because right now, I'm worried sick for our people," she says angrily.
The first man smiles sweetly. "You care a lot about Colonel Sheppard, don't you, Ms Léger?"
She scowls. "And about all the members of the team as well, yes."
"Mr Buckley contends otherwise..."
"Really?"She loses her temper. "And what if I did? What would be so wrong with that? Have we not already established in the preliminary interview this was totally irrelevant?"
"And we have as well. Actually, we're rather pleased to see you have connected to quite a few people in the City. It was rather our concern you seemed so apart at first. As for Colonel Sheppard, we can assure you we are well aware you two can only be friends, seeing his reputation..." She lifts her eyebrows. "It's no secret he likes them alien, tall and preferably much younger than you are..." he adds, making a show of flipping through the file in front of him, not looking at her. She turns beet red and tears of frustration and shame well up in her eyes. The two men snigger while the two women in front of her smirk.
She schools herself not to fly into a rage. Most people including Rodney have no idea who John is and more than the insinuation that he would never be interested in her, it's that which angers her the most. "Sure," she says with a fake smile. "Are we done yet or are you going to feel the need to humiliate me further?"
"Actually, Ms Léger, we have a few more things to settle. For one, we'd like to make one thing clear. We do not trust Mr Buckley any more than you do but we have no choice but to keep him on the job – at least for the moment."
She lifts an eyebrow. He covers the microphone with his hand and leans towards her. "Off the record, Ms Léger, Mr Buckley's uncle is quite powerful. We do not want to cross him while he rules the show on the SASC."
He removes his hand and sits straight. "In the light of the recent events with your superior, Ms Léger, we have a recommendation." She nods, not knowing what to make of this sudden and unexpected development. "We believe your refusal to stand up to your superior is partly responsible for your precarious situation. If we let you return to Atlantis, you will have to act upon it and not let him bully you. We have the intention to send Mr Woolsey to assess the situation there. He'll inform us about your change of behavior or lack of it thereof. If so, you'll be ordered back to Earth."
Her hopes return if only flimsy. "But we have one more condition if you intend to remain on Atlantis..." They let it hang in there. She watches them one after the other, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "You will fill in the gaps of your past for us."
She gasps and stands abruptly, knocking the chair down. "I already told my story once and was allowed to keep it off my file. It's not relevant to my job on base."
"On the contrary, Ms Léger. We are weary of people who might be a threat to the expedition."
She snorts disdainfully. "Have I not proven my valor until now? Have I not taken good care of the people on our expedition? Helped with the missions? Killed a Wraith?" Her fists are clenched at her sides.
They watch her carefully but do not answer. She has no choice so she motions impatiently for them to hand her the file and a pen. She grabs the chair and sits. She starts writing, her hand holding the pen tightly, her rage barely contained. She slides it back to them after a few minutes having given all the information they wanted – her former job, her marital status, the names of her parents, her real name... Everything. "Here," she says through clenched teeth. "Now, can I go?" They browse the file and nod. She holds her head high and leaves the room, feeling utterly humiliated. Now everyone will know who she really is and what she's tried so hard to hide.
Daniel is waiting for her outside. His smile is so bright she cannot remained upset. He tells her Major Lawrence is waiting for her in the commissary for a well-earned meal.
Said Major wraps his hands around hers and welcomes her, offering her and Daniel to sit and have lunch with him before service is in full swing. She pushes her food around as she listens to them more than she participates in the conversation. Major Lawrence takes pity on her. "I asked to be informed if they hear from Colonel Sheppard." She nods in agreement and resumes her woolgathering. He chuckles. "Ms Léger, I think I know what you need. Follow me," he says, winking at Daniel.
He ushers her in the kitchen she knows so well, having trained there before leaving for Atlantis. "Now, young lady, what would you like to help us with? We've got our hands full and could use some extra help..." She knows he's baiting her. Things seem to be pretty much covered but she doesn't mind keeping her hands and mind busy. She dons an apron and sets to work. They're making Salisbury steak today. She could make it in her sleep, having learned its recipe the first day she'd been welcomed in this same kitchen. She grounds the beef then adds chopped and fried onions, eggs, breadcrumbs and various spices then prepares the gravy and mashed potatoes. It's really not what she prefers but men around base as well as on Atlantis are partial to it so she's learned to make it right with quality ingredients.
Daniel peeks in and smiles, seeing her relax finally. He waits for her to finish, seeing how focused she is then walks to her and nods with a toothy grin, making her yelp. Major Lawrence grins and motions for her to go ahead. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Ms Léger. Give my regards to Doctor McKay and Colonel Sheppard."
She's already running towards the exit but skids to a halt and gives him a hug before leaving at a run.
He shakes his head and chuckles. "Atlantis has done wonders to her wounded soul."
Woolsey joins her on her way back. She feels uneasy around him, knowing he's there to spy on them – on her too. But when she sets foot on the City again, all she thinks about is seeing her friends, not caring to make small talk or ask how he expects to evaluate her. She just makes a mental note of complying with the IOA's orders. Now she's back and her friends are safe, she commits to doing anything in her power to stay. She might have put on a brave front when challenged by the delegates but it was all show off. She belongs right here and nowhere else.
TBC