SNIP

— Cargo Bay 3 —

“There you are!” shouted Jacen as he saw Kelly and Ian walking in as a bustle of people began walking past then rushing as it was clear that the cargo bay was no longer theirs as it was now a stage with three kitchen stations with lights and cameras all over. “What part of getting down here now don’t you get?” Jacen said looking back between the two of them as he shoved the PaDD into Ian’s hands.

“That is your agenda, Aedan asked me to give it to you… if anything is broken in this place… I am blaming you.” Jacen added as he looked over at Kelly and nodded softly. “Ma’am… how you keep up with him is beyond me.”

Drayke, CE

“Thank you Mr. Drayke,” she smiled taking the PaDD before glaring at Ian. “Okay so the playboy sex pot is not giving me an agenda,” Kelly turned her attention to Ian. “He is here at my leisure. Remind me again why I can’t just take all his boxes of goodies, give them to the engieering chief, and leave him at the airlock?” Kelly had nothing against Aedan really but his charm was deadly. Before you knew it, he was asking questions and you were providing answer to things you didn’t even realize you knew. That was what made Kelly nervous.

Kelly Bordeaux

It wasn’t long before the man of the hour could feel his ears burning as he Aedan began to walk over to Kelly and Ian as he smiled the normal charming smile he always had when he was aware he needed to smooth things over. “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Schultz… or is Bordeaux now from what I hear?” Aedan said as he came to a stop as he looked Ian over then back to Kelly.

“It was Mrs. Erins but that was changed during season eight episode fourteen of the Cook Islands I believe,” she said sweetly but sarcastically. “I am pretty sure Mangaia:
18 million years old jewel of the Pacific was what created my now long-standing list of aliases.” Her tone was not hostile but there was a definite sexual tension between Kelly and Aedan. If someone did not know their history, the might make up a polar opposite story based on the way the two were looking at it each. Aedan’s gaze seemed attentive and interested as if no one else in the room existed but the Captain before him. Kelly’s eyes seemed to take him on full force but her body had a purely relaxed quality to it. The conversation between the two also made it hard to judge the relationship. Their words were playful and feisty yet had immensely personal details indicating some sort of history between them.

“It’s been such a long time, you haven’t aged a day at all…” Aedan said as he took Kelly’s hand and kissed the top of it before turning his attention to Ian as he offered his hand to shake. “Ian, I assume?”

“Yes… I see you move… fast.” Ian said as he looked around at the room. He had to admit, he wasn’t even sure Jacen could have done this all this quick. Aedan’s resources seemed to be vast, and impressive. “How long did this take your team to do?” Ian said with an almost sense of awe.

Kell y hit Ian’s arm and gave him a sharp look. It was the look letting her husband know Kelly was more annoyed at something than mad. The difference between the mad look and the look she was giving Ian now all centered around the wrinkling up of her nose. The small creases on her forehead between her eyes was a permanent feature of mad, frustrated, confused, annoyed, or shocked. What differed with the look was the facial feature that accompanied it. Mad included a death glare, frustrated involved pursed lips, confused had a tilt of the head, shocked was paired with an open mouth, while annoyed shared a scrunched up nose. “Don’t sound so surprised. The man has more people in OMAP than cadets at the academy. Manpower has never been an issue,” she stated as if Aedan wasn’t there.

“This?” Aedan said looking around as he nodded at the progress. “Well, time is money, and I don’t like to waste money… your Mr. Drayke though didn’t seem to happy when we began to build it. He claimed it was a bloody disaster and he would have no part of it… charming man, I think I like him.” Aedan said as he turned back to Kelly and Ian.

“So wah,” Kelly began with her first long list of questions. It only took a second for Aedan to regain control of the conversation.

“Before you ask any questions, we are wanting to do couples… we need three teams and I have a second… but I am hoping you have a third. Do you know of anyone on board that can fill the role?” Aedan asked the pair.

Bordeaux, Chief Diplomat

“You mean place two of my crew on your show,” Kelly looked at Aedan skeptically.

Kelly Bordeaux CO

“Well yes… or if you have some civilian couples stored away. We want to have a Valentine’s special, and I think this would be perfect for the ratings and I am hoping fun for all doing it. It’s a baking show, nothing serious… not saving lives but it keeps people entertained.” Aedan said as he took a PaDD in hand one of the aides handed him as he began signing the document they placed in front.

“Aedan you have never seemed to realize we are a Federation vessel. We can’t just bop on over to Mardellon III or throw up some panel and turn the ship into Universe vs Food because you think it will score you ten points on the Leslie Ratings,” Kelly said in a surly tone. “Also as a Captain, I can’t just force someone on my crew to volunteer for,”

“I will do it,” Darlene said walking overhearing the conversation. “Bobby Ray and I are awfully good at makin’ dinner out of what you got. Roadkill don’t seem like somethin’ you can whip up into a souffle but you ain’t been to our barbeques,” she said proudly.

“You know what…how ‘bout you whip one up and we can see,” Kelly said with her fake Captain smile. It was reserved for those situations she had no idea how to handle in the moment. It blocked her true thoughts which were a carefully bulleted list of how she was going to kill Nathan Harland. The only reason Bobby Ray and Darlene Cletus had dropped their tiger print duffle bags on her ship was that Nathan Harland asked her a favor. She had been duped by his story that the pair just needed a chance and that he needed a place where they could get a second chance after living on Cestus III. After talking with the Loki’s Captian she discovered his only choice was to transfer the pair off the Loki or get a restraining order to protect Harland. They were not bad people but the quote of being a few apples falling off the cart was penned just for them.

“Remind me to send Lt. Harland a souffle later tonight,” Kelly said to Ian as soon as the crewmember scurried off. Kelly had no idea where the woman was going to get some roadkill in space but that never stopped the motivated.

“See, “Kelly threw up her hands, “we got no one.”

“Just think about it, you surely got someone on here you two like they are a couple… you two think it over and get back to me,” Aedan said as he began to move off as he whistled for a nearby worker to move near him as he began barking a few orders.

~Aedan Teller

“Ian you have got to figure out a way to get me that entertainment thing and jettison that man off my ship,” Kelly gestured wildly in the direction Aedan walked. “That man is narcissistic, egotistical and never thinks of anyone but himself.” Looking back over her should she took a deep breath and sighed seeing the man holding his young daughter in his arms as she slathered him with kisses. They watched Aedan move with Cera to a small area in the corner. Aedan had set up what seemed to be a mini director’s chair next to his along with a small table covered in juice pouches and goldfish crackers. This was in stark contrast to the display he set out for the work crews which held nothing but high-end items.

“Ugh she has to love him. He is her daddy,” Kelly rolled her eyes.

Kelly Bordeaux

“Look, let’s just bring in Chris and Lexi… or Jacen and EMMA they have a weird Stepford Wives vibe at times, either way, we can probably dig something better than them… are they even members of our crew? Where did they come from? I didn’t give them a ship entrance interview did you?” Ian asked Kelly, wondering what the heck that duo even was. He somehow felt like they were some chimera creature he saw on that UneXplained show… human DNA mixed with dumbass. “We got this, we do, trust me… I never steer you wrong buttercup.” Ian said softly, it was clear he was needing to show her some affection right now. She was wound up and maybe the term could help loosen her a little.

Bordeaux, Chief Diplomat/Morale Officer

“Oh you are going to need to be a lot more smooth cowboy,” Kelly said. “I might need a nooner for this so clear your schedule.” Winking at Ian she tapped her badge. =/\= Lt. Robin and Lt. Robin please report to hangar bay one....and bring Ruth=/\= Kelly added at the end. Kelly had an idea.

Kelly walked up to the man in the chair next to the blonde little girl. She could not help but smile as she took in the man she always blamed for the downfall of her marriage. The anger was long since gone so she could not help but struggle with why she still felt so frustrated him.

“Daddy fish,” Cera stated half falling out of her chair as she leaned to the right towards Aedan. In her tiny hands was a small golden cracker she was shoving towards his mouth. The little girl didn’t care that people were surrounding her dad or that they were talking over each other. Cera Teller was slightly bored and wanted some attention.

“The sound men say this hangar is not going to work,” an assistant groaned pointing around madly as if at wits end. “The acoustics are for crap and they are having a hard time because the communications console is set up by some shuttle that keeps sending electrical arcs and shorting it out.”

“Fish Daddy,” she pushed up to her knees in the small seat next to him lunging forward with the reckless abandon all children had not caring for their safety. Her daddy would catch her if she fell. There was no other thought in her mind.

“I asked the blonde viking looking crewman to move it but he says Shuttle Odinson is has no where to go and electrical shocks have always plagued that thing whether it is on or off.” The sound manager clearly did not care who was or wasn’t going to be electrocuted as long as her sound systems weren’t affected.

Cera looked at the young woman who obviously didn’t understand her issue was more pressing. Mommy had told Cera to make sure she took care of Daddy and it was snack time so by god her daddy was going to eat some fish crackers. His tummy had to be making as many noises as hers. Moving to standing position, Cera threw caution to the wind. Her daddy always had a PaDD in one hand and there was only one way to deal with that. “Daddy fish,” she said lunging forward onto his lap with her chubby little hand still waving the cracker in proximity of his face.

“I see you have your hands full,” Kelly watched Aedan catch his kiddo with the grace and poise of a wide receiver. It only took a second for her cloudy emotions to gel into a singular distinct thought and Kelly to know unequivocally why she still harbored a grudge against Aedan Teller. For years she and Ric had waffled about having children. They both wanted them and at times more vehemently than the other but their careers always interferred. Now history was repeating itself once again. Ian was far more than just yeoman yet before the Atlantis refit, his skill set was not utilized to its fullest potential. Now that they were getting a full diplomatic wing, Ian had been beyond busy with his own departmental matters, attending conferences, and hosting meetings at all hours of the galactic day. At times they were like two ships passing in the night. Couples made it work all the time but to Kelly it seemed like a daunting task. She didn’t have children with Ric because she did not want to be a single parent. It seemed life with Ian was turning out the same. Smiling at Cera however, Kelly was happy that Aedan had found some small pleasure in life like normal person. She knew both his public and private side over the years and the family side seemed like it was the best fit.

“I found the contestants but they come with a kid. She is about the same age as Cera. Is that a problem if they hang out?” There were a thousand people on the ship she could assign to watch Ruth but there were only a few people Ruth tolerated. The little girl loved everyone except when it involved leaving her parents, especially Chris.

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Two hours later.........
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Kelly walked onto the hangar slash cooking set with a surprised expression on her face. The set wrapped around and blocked off enough of the hangar that from the correct angle you would have no idea they were on the Atlantis. She had seen sets hastily erected over her years with Ric but this did seem to take the proverbial cake. The back wall of the set held three of everything: three ovens, three cook tops, and three counters with appliances Kelly swore she had never seen before in her life. A wall of candy and other decorative items was located to the right of the set while all of fillings were to the left. The set had an old fashioned candy store fell mixed with the decor of a family kitchen.

Behind the set was barrels, shuttles, and maintenance tools but in this small corner of the world, Kelly felt like a kid.

Captain Kelly Bordeaux