<USS Avalon> "Busy Body"

Busy Body
Anna Jameson, Jayden Cross, 
and Anthony Manson


His arms around her made Anna feel safe but her skin still crawled with the 
mere thought of the way Eli had treated Jayden. She shifted in Greg's cuddle 
and it made him stir.

"Hey you," he whispered into her hair.

"Hey you." She stared ahead, not wanting him to see the fear in her eyes.

He knew that sound. He'd only heard it a few times before, and even then only 
when she'd talked about some of her superiors. Taking hold of Anna's chin, he 
turned her to face him. "What's wrong, love?" 

"Nothing... It's just... He treated her like shit, Greg." Her voice quivered a 
little and she could feel stupid tears in her eyes. Why was that bloody man 
affecting her like this? His arrogance and self-assurance when he'd talked to 
Jayden, it made her so angry. "I've gotta do something. I've got to."

"I know. Talk to her, tell her what you think, how you feel." He ached for the 
woman. If Anna didn't do anything, Greg knew that he would. 

The Science labs were fairly empty when Anna finally got there. Jayden was 
working away at some unknown problem as Anna passed her. "Ensign, my office 
please." 

Now what? she thought, not really wanting to go once again. Work. She got lost 
in her work and that was all she needed. Reluctantly Jayden stood and followed 
Jameson through the door, hearing it close behind her. This time she shoved her 
hands into the pocket of her lab coat and fiddled with the contents thereof. 

"Does he treat you like that all the time?" Anna looked deeply into Jayden's 
eyes. 

Anger fueled from embarrassment flashed in them. "No," she said, grinding her 
teeth together. It was true, Eli hadn't always treated her like that. He had 
been wonderfully sweet and attentive for the first six months of their 
marriage. She figured he must've gotten tired of her because that's when he 
started cheating on her. Not that she would ever confront him... And he still 
had his moments of sweetness. 

"How often does he..." Anna swallowed hard. The thought of what some men were 
capable of made her sick. "How often does he beat you?" 

"Never," she replied, just as coldly. Elijah never 'beat' her, never raised a 
hand to strike her. He always lashed out in small painful ways that most people 
would never notice. 

"But he is willing to humiliate you in front of perfect strangers?" 

"May I be excused, sir? I need to return to my work." 

"I... I'm trying to help you, Jayden. He's not good for you." How hollow and 
foolish her words sounded. "Have you ever thought of leaving him?" 

Confusion crossed Jayden's features, "He's my husband why would I leave him?" 

"He's destroying you from the inside out! His words eat away at your 
self-esteem and your strength. I have never seen such a meek and pathetic 
excuse for a woman in my life!" Anna stormed to her feet, dashing round the 
table. "Where was the arrogant, self-assured, strong-willed woman I've come to 
rely on? Did you leave her in your quarters? Or do you leave her at the door to 
the Science labs every evening?" 

Jayden could feel the bile at the back of her throat and it was everything she 
could do not to lash back at her superior. What right did she have to 
interfere? "Does my home life effect my work performance?" she asked coldly. 

With a sigh of frustration, Anna shook her head. "No." 

"Then it's none of your fucking business," Jayden said, turning and storming 
out the door. 

Anna watched with sadness as she left. "There must be something I can do..." 
She knew very little about the Ensign, except who her husband was and that she 
had a cousin on board. Maybe... Asking the computer for Jayden's record, she 
saw that her cousin was Anthony Manson. She'd go and talk to the man, maybe he 
would help her.

Striding quickly, Anna entered sick bay and glanced around for Anthony. He was 
just finishing up with a patient so she waited. "Can I have a word with you, 
Ensign, when you have a spare moment?" 

Anthony looked at her, dropping the dermal regenerator and waving his patient 
away. "You're fine," he said flatly and moved away from the biobed. Staring at 
Anna, "What do you need?"

"It's about Jayden. Is there somewhere more private that we can go to talk?" 

Anthony gestured to Skyler's office, presently unoccupied. He followed her, 
"What about her?" 

"Do you have any idea what kind of a man she's married?" Anna took a seat and 
watched him intently. 

Anthony folded his arms impatiently, "You're about to tell me."

"You know that he has undermined her self-image so much that she's practically 
a mouse when he's around her?" 

"And since when did you care about what happens to Jayden? Last I checked, you 
two couldn?t stay in the same room to save your lives." 

"I care because I cannot stand to see a strong woman reduced to a quivering 
wreck by a mere man." Glaring at him, Anna fisted her hands. "Why don't you 
care? Family is all we have."

Anthony smirked, "I've got my own problems. And it's not that I don't care. 
It's more of the fact that it's up to Jayden to realise her own mistakes. I've 
already expressed by intense dislike of that bastard. She won't hear me out." 
Anthony moved away and leaned against the wall.

"Then you won't help me? You're going to let her rot?" The disgust on her face 
and in her voice reflected in her eyes. 

"All you had to do as ask instead of running the perimeter with me," Anthony 
said flatly.

"What the fuck..." Bloody men! "Will you help me then?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to her. One condition; stay out of my way. I don?t need 
or want your help." Anthony said coldly. He detested Anna right now for prying 
into Jayden's business. It reminded him of Alder. 

With a curt nod, Anna stood and left the office. Silly little man. But if he 
helped Jayden, she didn't much care what he thought of her.

"Next time you gonna say something, say it out loud," Anthony replied to her 
thoughts just before she stepped out of sickbay. 


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