Chapter 34

Thank you, once again, Guest 64 for your kind words.

The place looks deserted as they settle back temporarily before the bulk of the expedition returns to Atlantis. The systems are down and Rodney needs to run diagnostics before they consider it safe for everyone to come back. Caldwell is keeping the Daedalus in orbit and has only sent a few marines pending Elizabeth's go-ahead. Louise can't wait to get back to her kitchens. She hasn't much variety to cook meals but it's just them for now so it'll be easy-peasy. She'll even be able to help with checking the systems throughout the City.

They sit in the eerily silent mess hall and have dinner after a long day's work. They've worked in teams of two, John pairing with her.

"Why didn't you go with Elizabeth?" she reproaches him as they take the transporter to yet another part of the City.

He huffs. "Louise..."

She pouts and falls silent. "I thought, maybe..."

He glances at her as he exits the transporter. "You thought wrong. There wasn't enough time for us to connect. Besides, everyone was pretty down, ya' know. She walled herself up a lot, often refusing to join me and Rodney for drinks. Only Beckett got through her defences. He's so... I don't know, kind and genuine, she cannot refuse him anything."

He walks more briskly and she has to run to follow him. "Wait! I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry."

He turns to her and combs his hand through his hair. "Listen, Louise, you have to understand. Elizabeth is my friend and I think it best it remains that way. Look at how happy she is right now. It's obvious she'll always choose the City over anything else. We're back and we probably were not meant to be, anyway. If you want to help, stop pestering me with it."

"I'm so not pestering you!" she cries out indignantly, hands on hips.

He chuckles. "Are!" he counters with a smirk.

"Am not!" She swats his arm, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Lady, you've made a big mistake there!" he informs her, locking eyes with her.

She raises her arms in mock surrender. "Just almost died, remember," she reminds him. "You wouldn't dare!"

He sniggers. "You shouldn't have started this, Léger, and nothing you say will save your ass!" he shouts after her, seeing her bolt.

"I swear," Rodney says with a scowl, "you guys have to stop bickering all the time. I'm so tired of this!" He turns to Elizabeth: "Remind me why we came back for her?"

"Because you can't do without my cooking, Mer," Louise baits him, knowing he hates to be reminded of his childhood nickname.

He lifts a finger at her. "Watch it!"

John growls menacingly. "Rodney... Don't you dare threaten the hand that feeds you!"

Rodney sighs emphatically. "Always the same routine! They bicker, I protest and suddenly, I'm the bad guy!"

Louise wraps her arms around his neck. "Poor cry baby!" He rolls his eyes but relents. It's so good to be back and have her in one piece.

"So," he says, clapping his hands on his knees and looking round at the rest of the team, "what do we do now?"

"I gather from the diagnostics you have run, we can safely state that we can call the SGC with the good news," Elizabeth replies with a smile.

"And from then on?" Louise wonders.

"We might have to go back to Earth to rebuild our staff. The bulk of the expedition will probably be most willing to return but we'll need to make a few adjustments."

"Meaning?" Ronon asks.

"Meaning, we're the ones who single-handedly regained control of the City and I'm not letting anyone decide but us who is staying and who is not. I have a few names in mind already..."

John lifts an eyebrow expectantly. She chuckles. "Yes, John, you're getting my lead all right!"

He turns to Louise, smirking. "I think our little cook here is definitely getting rid of any pestering chef and staff she doesn't like."

Of course, it's not done without pulling a few strings and giving a few fights. John, for one, has to resort to ways he's always despised but the needs justify the end, as the saying goes, and there's no way Buckley will be allowed to return. His uncle is still very influencial and not a day passes when they do not receive news of his impatience at being given back the position he believes is rightfully his.

John ends up in General Landry's office with a storage key in hand and a murderous glint in his eyes. "I've just received word that the IOA is considering advising Homeworld Security on Buckley's renewal of his contract. I'm going to be very clear, Sir. It will be over my dead body!"

Landry chuckles. "Sit down, son. Let's explore other ways before we resort to such desperate measures!"

"Actually, Sir, I came here looking for advice," John replies, appeased.

"Good. For a moment I thought you were ready to kill me if I did not comply," the older man banters.

John's lips curl up. "Sorry, Sir. Can't help the quick temper. It's gotten me in quite a lot of trouble over the years. I should have learned my lesson by now."

Landry waves a hand dismissively. "You're forgiven. You deserve to be cut some slack after your recent deeds. Tell me what you have."

John hands him the key. "This contains all the information you need to prove Buckley intended to pass strategic intel onto his uncle when he returned to Earth."

Landry sits straight but takes the time to plug the key onto his computer. "You mean he passed said intel?"

"No, Sir, I mean he meant to. He never got the chance. I, along with Ms Léger, caught him several times taking pictures of different parts of the City, including places where he didn't need to be. I let him do it, to see what he wanted to do with them. Rodney – I mean Dr McKay – cracked his password to his computer and found drafts of emails he intended to send his uncle with enough information to invade the base, should anyone ever want to do so." Landry is browsing the files Sheppard is telling him about as he speaks.

"Where are the original documents, Colonel Sheppard? Did you let him take them back to Earth?"

John sniggers. "You're kidding me, right, General? All the luggage of the returning staff were searched through minutely and his electronic equipment was confiscated "for security reasons". No need to tell you he never got it back. It had a "little accident" in the holds of the Daedalus."

Landry chuckles. "I thought so! Well, in that case, I think we have enough leverage to have him arrested for treason..."

John shakes his head. "Don't, Sir. He's not worth the effort. Keep him where you can watch him closely."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Landry quips back with a smirk.

She ends up having to return to Earth for a few days. Elizabeth has gone first with Beckett and gotten the bulk of the work done, returning with most of the expedition members. Rodney has just sent the list of people he needs, not wanting to leave the City, contending he has too much work to do. Louise goes last with John. He already knows exactly who he wants with him but Elizabeth has agreed Louise shouldn't go alone.

She makes hasty work of the interviews, Major Lawrence having narrowed the candidates to a shorter list of already trained young men and women eager to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Most of them have worked with him at the SGC. "She has even already met some of my trainees, though briefly, during her interview with the IOA," Lawrence tells Sheppard on his first visit to the SGC. "I've made sure they have proper training to double up as teams if you need them and they're already trained as prep cooks. She's had enough on her plate these recent months. She deserves to rest a little and enjoy herself more," he adds with a wink and a smile.

"And by enjoying herself, you mean..."

"Testing new recipes, going off-world to trade for new exotic, enticing food... And if her CO is a little lenient with her, fly her own jumper..." Lawrence smirks, seeing John look up in surprise.

"She told you about that?"

"Oh, yeah, Colonel. She dreams of the day you'll entrust her with her own team and jumper. In the meantime, I know for a fact she'd love nothing more than to have a certain flyboy teach her how to fly those things."

She parks the jumper in the jumper bay and beams at him. He nods. "Smooth!"

She grins at him proudly. "I can't believe I did it!"

He shakes his head, seeing her so happy about such an easy thing for him. "It's only your first session, sweetie. You'll need to train much more."

"I promise to be an A student," she announces, with her hand on her heart. He chuckles. "And when I'm done with the flying lessons, you'll give me my own jumper, yes?" She gives him a toothy grin.

"Now, wait a minute, lady! You've flown that thing for half an hour and you wanna go top gun on your own?! Uh, uh!"

She gives him her best puppy look and clasps her hands together. "Please, please, pretty please?" She bats her eyelashes. "I promise to be a good girl and do anything you say, Santa Claus, if only you give me a jumper."

He roars with laughter. "You'll be the death of me!"

"Does that mean yes?" she asks hopefully. He shakes his head, still laughing. "Please, say yes, John," she begs again.

"Yes, John," he mocks her. She swats his arm. "Wow, hey! You have to stop doing that, sweetie." She tucks her tongue at him. He reflects he's never seen her so happy.

He walks into Elizabeth's office some minutes later, Louise in toe. She's grinning from ear to ear. He points with his thumb behind him. "She wants a jumper," he says, rolling his eyes.

Elizabeth chuckles. "Well, then, give it to her!"

Louise smirks and tucks her tongue at him. "See! Told ya'!"

He rolls his eyes once more. "Elizabeth," he banters, "don't indulge the child! We'll never see the end of it!"

"You know you'll end up giving her what she wants so why fight her?" she says, lifting her eyebrows.

Louise smiles at her and turns to leave. "Thank you, Ma'am," she says then adds as she passes John: "See you tomorrow, flyboy!"

TBC