Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Teller (XO) in Teller’s Casino An Old Acquaintance

Jessica sipped her drink sitting at the bar. Two years ago her stomach was all butterflies every time Aedan showed up at her quarters with a sequined dress and the promise of an amazing night. Now she was sporting his name and had more sequined dresses than a department store. The excitement had worn off months ago with Aedan’s lavish parties but Jessica still marveled at the way Aedan could work a room. Ever since Cera was born Aedan had been giving money away to children’s programs at twice the rate he had before her birth. Tonight it was a charity gambling event for F.A.I.R which was the Federation Alliance for something or other. The acronyms blended more and more with each event.

“Another one Mrs. Teller,” the bartender said placing a refill on the bar behind her. She smiled at the man and gave him a small nod as she watched Aedan playing roulette. The game was all chance and no skill and never anything Aedan would play unless it was for a purpose. People commented that Aedan seemed at times to be the luckiest man in the universe. Jessica knew a much simpler truth about him. Aedan never got involved n anything unless it was a sure thing. Tonight’s purpose was losing large sums to the charity as gracefully and charmingly as possible to encourage others to do that same.

Holding the glass Jessica watched him. He had one woman on either side of him that were hanging on his every word and laughing at his every quip. Every once in a while they would cast a sly glance at Jessica as if daring her to try and take their spot at Aedan’s side before turning back to whisper something in his ear to make him display a devilishly grin. Jessica could not help but return a thin, tight smile as a reply. It was not caused by jealousy, however. The smile was her way of mocking them back. Jessica had nothing to fear by anyone in this room: man or woman. The woman on his right was Rei Harman. An uptight, blonde trust fund baby scheming to make the most of her name. Her mother was an athleisure designer that specialized in clothing where you looked stylish but couldn’t do pilates or spin without ripping the apparel. This is why she chose the last name Harman instead of her father’s name Denton. She wanted to make sure people knew who she was yet feign the reason why. The brunette was Airn Windborne. She was the wife of Charles Windborn and a perpetual mistress to anyone with enough power and money. The joke was she stayed with each lover as long as the wind.

The truth was Aedan hand picked everyone that had shown up this evening based on their large wallets, need to been seen as hobnobbing with the elite, and the few sprinkles of honest people that reminded him good people did still exist. Rei and Airn’s time would end next to Aedan when Jessica snapped her fingers or Aedan got tried of their magniloquent rhetoric. Soon Jessica would walk up to him and the artificial smiles Aedan was giving to the crowd would be turned to her.

Aedan locked eyes with Jessica who simply raised her glass in a mock toast. It was their way of saying everything was good. At some point, she would make her way across the room but not yet. Aedan still had a wad of credits to blow betting on red or black and she was comfortable sitting at the bar. A loud roar of cheers and moans erupted as Aedan won a double down bet on black eighteen.

“He seems thrilled to be losing,” a deep male voice said from behind Jessica. The man was so close Jessica could feel his breath on the nape of her neck as he spoke. It caused a ripple to run down her spine making her work hard to suppress a shiver. Men always knew how to elicit this reaction in a woman. How it made the woman feel was what differed in each individual encounter. “Doesn’t seem to fit his reputation. How will he take losing you,” the voice replied moving a strand of hair off her neck slowly with his index finger?

Casual flirting was fine in events like this but the physical contact was taking it farther than Jessica wanted. What made her on edge though was that Jessica knew the voice instantly. “Aedan doesn’t lose at any.....thing,” Jessica said pausing only a half a heartbeat as she spoke. Turning slowly her suspicions were confirmed. “Zachary Shaw,” she kept her voice level and her eyes locked on the man in front of her. The sounds of the casino were swallowed up as Jessica focused all her attention on the dark haired man inches from her.

“Did your husband also give you a new first name Mrs. Teller or shall I call you Lexi for old times sake,” he held out his hand. Jessica knew what he wanted and took his hand in hers as he led her to the dance floor.

“Mrs. Teller will be acceptable,” Jessica said placing her hand in his. Years of field work prevented Jessica from recoiling as his hand moved to her waist. “Your attendance at this event is not.” Her tone was icy without a hint of warmth to it. Part of her begged for Aedan to stroll up and pull her to his side at the craps table. The other part of Jessica wanted to slip from the party with Shaw and deal with it herself.

“Zachary, love,” Jessica said with the sweetest expression. “If I were you I would walk out that door, take a right then a left at the end of the hall. You will find an emergency hatch. There you can space yourself and cause me far fewer issues explaining why there is a dead body on my Outpost tomorrow morning.” Jessica’s form was as stiff as any competitive dancer. It was not that she was trying to get away from him but ready to go on the offensive at any time.

Shaw was still good at his game moving Jessica easily to one spot on the dance floor. The spot obscured Aedan’s view of Jessica and Zachary behind a decorative pillar. They were still on the dance floor, in full public view, but Aedan would only see glimpses of Jessica’s deep red dress or the back of her partner’s coat as they danced. She didn’t fight Shaw moving her to this position. Aedan might not have true eyes on her but eight of the ten security officers managing the even could see her clearly. Besides Shaw was not here to kill her. He was here to talk. That was the only thing Jessica knew for a fact.

“Such unpolite manners,” Zachary said suddenly pulling her tightly to his body so that his lips brushed her ear. “Where is that sweet southern hospitality you were known for back in the day. Your tongue was always the far more dangerous and thrilling part of your weapons arsenal. I see that hasn’t been tempered by you domesticity to golden boy over there.”

Jessica let out a full-bodied laugh. The kind only people produce when they are astounded by the stupidity of others and have no other recourse but to laugh. This also allowed her to pull her body back some. Anyone watching would think the man holding Jessica was simply charming her with social pleasantries. Jessica and Shaw’s expression and tone would enhance this perspective.

“God, you could always turn every head in the room. That is why Outpost 45 took such a hit when you left,” Zachary said looking deeper into her eyes. “Now let’s get down to business. I want the data chip,” Shaw said spinning Jessica out perfectly to the beat and in rhythm with the new song. It was a rhumba and allowed for what people would notice as a more aggressive type dance than the couple was previously performing. It was full of tight spins and holds that placed Shaw’s mouth close to Jessica’s ear. Each spin out had the feeling of Jessica trying to get away and Shaw pulling her back. Jessica’s face held a stern expression that matched the pounding deep base of the song.

“People in hell want ice water and if your tongue was swelling from thirst I would let it choke the life out of you,” she shot back in a low tone as he posed the question barely above a whisper as she faced him. Her response earned and firmer spin out of his arms which she managed expertly. Several turns later she was again facing him. The room had a tension in it. The rhythm of the song combined by the crowd who had moved out the way to give Shaw and Jessica room to dance muttered softly to themselves. The murmurs ranged from whether he was a professional dancer to the sensuality of the steps indicating something more between the pair. The view of the dance floor became more and more obscured by the curious onlookers. One row, two rows deep. Anyone on the outside of the circle would have a hard seeing anything.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

As sharply as the dance had begun Jessica would hear the softest of steps come up from behind Zachary as a hand took his from Jessica, a soft bone snap heard as the wrist had pressure applied before the yell could be heard. Never give anyone a chance to react Aedan thought as he pulled the arm to the side as he followed up with a right hook across Zachary’s jaw before a swift kick went crashing down on the knee as bone and cartilage could be heard cracking and breaking as screams erupted. On his knees, Aedan followed once more with a jackhammer blow to the temple as the man came crashing down hard on the ground.

Aedan’s motions were so fluid, it took Jessica half a second to realize the hand in hers was not Shaw’s. At times, Jessica wondered about her husband. She had seen him in a brawl or two over the few years they were together but never like this. This fight was brutal but also elegant. It was as if Aedan and Zachary had choreographed part of the dance for a big-budget holomovie and not a chance encounter at the Casino. Her fingers slid off Aedan’s hand as he transferred Jessica from the scene that was occurring to the sidelines. She had no doubt the security personnel were already running crowd control and had taken up positions around her in case things took another turn for the worse. What she was concerned about was Aedan right now. Apparently, she was a bit rusty in the blend in and have a conversation skill set.

“Escort him out now....” Aedan said as he looked over at Jessica as two men came up from behind him as they pulled him away, breath barley exiting his body as he was clearly out cold. “Explain, now.” Aedan said with a cold chill to is voice. She knew he never tolerated this, nor did he tolerate anyone who tried to do this with him. She knew at parties they may flock, look or try to place arms around his elbows but every man or woman who thought they could ever take him aside and try to have anything more always got dressed down and thrown out.

~Aedan Teller

“I am not even sure where to start,” Jessica said linking her arm into his. “I guess the raffle me off for a dance package is not going to get many takers,” she said in a sweet and innocent tone. She needed to take the attention off of the situation as fast as she could.

“You know the rules… I follow them and so do you. I changed everything about me cause I love you, I don’t want to see this again. Mistake or no mistake, my reputation becomes tarnished if others think even for a second that you are humping the legs of other men.” he said, his tone calm and even as he said it.

“It was called the Rhumba love,” she said in a soft tone, “and I have never asked you to change. Besides no one would ever think I am anything but loyal to you. I mean even if they don’t know how insanely in love with you I am they have a few billion other reasons to know that.” Both of their tones were soft and low. Neither of them was displaying any outward emotion as they talked. If he hadn’t just taken out her dancing partner no one in the room would think anything of their conversation save that it was a conversation between a man and his wife.

“Mr. Teller, they are looking for you to give the evening toast,” the public relations representative approached Aedan with a PaDD. The woman wasn’t sure this was the best time but it was on the schedule Aedan approved and the last thing she wanted to do was deviate from something that he had told her was set in stone. Since the arrival of their child, Aedan was far more of a stickler during formal functions. If it was not a party he was throwing for his enjoyment, the evening always ended by 2300 hours like clockwork. This allowed him to perpetuate the image of the happy family man. The truth was his employees had seen a change in him since Jessica and Cera had arrived into his life. Aedan didn’t want to perpetuate an image. He wanted his girls as he called him.

“By all means… ” Aedan said as he looked at the PR woman, then back to Jessica. “Shall we?” he said softly to her as he offered his hand. He was gentle in his own way but he always expected people to follow his commands, this was one of those moments.

~Aedan Teller

“Of course,” she intertwined her fingers in his. Jessica held Aedan’s hand as he turned to address the crowd. She remembered the first time she did this. It was only a month or two after they had started dating. She was so nervous in front of the snapping cameras. Aedan just about had to drag her up with him. By now it was something she barely noticed but he still held her hand when he could giving these speeches and she loved him doing it. Tonight however her mind was not on Aedan but on Zachary Shaw. Why he showed up here of all places had her on edge. Not for her safety but because she didn’t know why.

Shaw had worked with her on Outpost 45. While Starfleet intelligence wasn’t after Aedan the man was on their radar. Mainly because at times he had better insider information than they did about certain groups. This again begged the question of why Shaw would even chance coming here. He knew the rumors and innuendos about Teller. Tomorrow she would look into it with greater detail.

The round of happy applause and Aedan squeezing her hand signaled Jessica the speech was about to end if he was about to say something important. Snapping out of her analytical daydream Jessica caught the end and couldn’t help but glow. Cera’s house was what he called it but it was simply an orphanage or the first in what would be a safe haven for women and children in need. Not caring if the universe saw it Jessica kissed him softly and gently. Looking into his eyes Jessica saw the man she loved more than she thought possible. Aedan was a good man and this was just one in a hundred gestures that showed he was not the playboy the universe painted him at times. He was a solid hardworking father that just wanted to make the universe a little better than how he found it.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO

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Next day at the Teller Residence
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Jessica woke up and reached over to the side of Aedan’s bed. It was cold and the blankets were left in a heap as he had thrown them off getting up. Stretching she laid back for a moment thinking about the past twelve hours. A lot had happened both at the party and when they had arrived home. It was like a week happened in that time frame. Laying in bed all day, however, was not going to fix things. Jessica swung her feet over the side of the bed the finding her dress in a puddle on the floor. The room was a disaster. Aedan’s jacket was the only thing folded neatly over a chair. Her pantyhose were draped over a stool along with his tie. The room was a virtual minefield.
Stepping over the clothes strewn about the room, Jessica moved to the bathroom to shower and dress.

As the hot water cascaded down her body, Jessica took a long moment to reflect her current choices. Steam from the water beaded on the shower surface sending dancing rivulets that meandered like a stream down the glass. No path was straight or predictable just like in life. At times the beads merged with others increasing the speed to which they moved down the glass. Other times the water droplet hung as if frozen in time. That is where Jessica was now: frozen in time. Whether to pursue something from the past or let secrets lie Jessica ran her fingers through her wet hair and blew some water from her lips as the stream slapped at her face.

Brushing the water from her face Jessica rationalized her options. Aedan’s secrets had secrets. He allowed Jessica to be privy to much yet at times she chose not to ask questions. It wasn’t that she was scared of the answer but more she liked the life she had chosen with him. Life was all about choices. No one knew the inner workings of a marriage except the two involved in it. Many people speculated about the strength of Aedan and Jessica as a couple. They commented on his playboy nature even though that was a thing largely in the past. Rarely did he make public appearances without her by his side now. When he was without her they were brief in and out encounters yet the rumors always touted this as the beginning of the end for Mr. and Mrs. Teller. How could he love her or she him? How long would he be faithful? Where was the line in the sand that Jessica drew realizing enough was enough? How long until they bored of each other?

Jessica shifted positions resting her forehead on the glass smearing the droplets. Part of her didn’t want the day to start. Jessica had no desire to replay the discussion she had with Aedan last night even though it ended with her curled up in his arms and her head on his chest. Aedan was not going to like her course of action in fact he would be furious. The question was to mention it or not. Turning off the water she made her way downstairs after dressing.

Lt. Commander Jessica Teller XO