<USS Avalon> "Dinner Guests"

Dinner Guests
Anna Jameson 
and 
Jayden Cross


Why would she...? Jayden's thought trailed off as she walked to her Chief's 
office. They usually only spoke when Jameson wanted something or Jayden was in 
trouble for impatiently ordering people around. Notoriously of higher rank. She 
took a quick breath, glad to have finally gotten some sleep when things calmed 
down a bit. She didn't like the thought of facing Jameson that tired again.

Once given the command to enter, Ensign Cross stood in front of her superior's 
desk, quietly, hands behind her back, trying to remain patient. 

"Sit down, please, you're giving me a neck-ache." Sighing, Anna rubbed her 
eyes. Greg had been insistent that he'd wanted to meet her friends and refused 
to believe her when she'd said she didn't have any. So she'd bitten the bullet. 
First Jayden and then at a later time, Skyler. God help me, none of the others, 
they're all barking. "My husband wants to meet my friends, so I'd like to 
invite you and your partner to dinner this evening." 

"You what?" Jayden asked, looking at her with brows raised. 

A flash of anger blazed through Anna's eyes but she bit it back. "I'm extending 
a dinner invitation for this evening, if you can make it. I know it's a little 
short notice, I fully understand if you can't make it."

"I... don't know that Elijah would let me." 

"That he would... Er... Well, bring him along too." Interesting, the Jayden 
Cross I know wouldn't have to ask permission. 

"When do you need an answer?" she asked, almost bluntly, not looking forward to 
talking to Elijah. But he was more social than she was. Jayden's only friends 
were her cousin Anthony, and Vevay Davis. 

"When you turn up. It's not going to be a formal affair. Just a simple dinner 
with wine and friends." Anna forced a smile on her face despite the internal 
flinch. 

"Friends?" That incredulous look was back. "We're hardly friends. You yell at 
me for something, I tell you to fuck off. It's why I'm still an ensign." She 
shrugged. "But it doesn't matter because I'm still doing the work I love and 
I've never cared about rank or what you think of me. And you never cared 
either. So, why now?" 

"I want to get to know you better. I think that a little socialising out of the 
labs would do wonders for our working relationship." Nice plagerising of Greg's 
words, Anna. She sighed, some of it was true too. She actually did want to get 
to know this woman better. "I would take it as a personal favour if you came." 

Jayden nodded, suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety to return to work. "I'll do my 
best." She turned and left quickly.

Then day had gone by all too fast and Jayden was surprised to find herself 
standing outside Jameson's quarters. She was even more surprised that Elijah 
was excited to go meet her supervisor and her new husband. 

"Stop acting so nervous, Jaydee," Eli scolded as he wrapped his arm around her 
waist protectively. "It makes you look like you're seven years old."

He reached over and pressed the chime to announce their presence. 

Greg layed his hands on his wife's shoulders as she glanced over at the door. 
"You look like a rabbit caught in headlights, dear."

"They're here, oh God, do I look okay? Is the place tidy enough?" She started 
to pull away but Greg held her tightly.

"Hush, everything looks just fine and you look even better." He called out for 
their guests to come in. "Welcome to our home," he grinned, still holding on to 
Anna. 

Jayden refused to meet his eyes. Her gaze was drawn to the carpet and she let 
Elijah do all the talking. He let her go and stepped forward, a large grin 
forming. Holding out his hand, he said, "Elijah Dareth. Nice to meet you." 

"And you," Greg replied as he introduced himself and his wife. "Would you like 
some wine?" 

"Please," he replied, taking it on his own to sit at the table, pulling Jayden 
along with him. 

Pouring the red he'd decanted earlier, one each for their guests, Greg guided 
Anna to the table. "I'll see to it all, you just relax with your friends."

"Er... Thank you." Smiling awkwardly, Anna played with the stem of her glass. 
"We're having lasagne verde, Greg made it. He's actually a surprisingly good 
cook." 

"Surprisingly?" Eli smiled. "Why's that?" Jayden still hadn't said a word. 

"Mostly because I've not met many scientists that are good cooks, I guess. He 
actually makes it all by hand too, only the ingredients are replicated." Anna 
shrugged at the idiocy of this.

"Ah, but only when I can't get them fresh." Greg heaved the massive dish into 
the center of the table and seated himself to serve. Four plates were stacked 
in front of him, he carved up the lasagne into quarters and dished up. As he 
handed Jayden her plate, he smiled. "I'm sorry, I've been terribly rude, my 
name's Greg, you must be Jayden, is that right?" 

She still didn't look up for more than a split second and nodded. Then she 
quickly glanced at Elijah who was watching her intently. 

Observing the exchange, Greg began to feel extremely uncomfortable. He took 
Anna's hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "So, I know 
you're a scientist and I know you love super-bugs almost as much as me, but 
what is it that you do exactly? What was your last greatest triumph?" I'll drag 
you out of your shell kicking and screaming if I have to, he thought. 

Jayden glanced at Eli and he gave her a slight nod. She looked up, but still 
refused to meet Greg's eyes. "I - I figured out how t-to make the virus 
dissipate." Her words were almost a whisper.

"Speak up and speak out, Jayden," Eli told her. "You're acting like a spoiled 
child again." 

Greg's colour instantly rose. He glared at Anna. Was this how they normally 
behaved? From the look of consternation on her face, he could tell that it 
wasn't. "Speak however you want, but your husband is right, be proud of your 
achievements, even the small ones."

"This one wasn't small, we've been working on it for months. Jayden worked it 
out." The pride in Anna's voice was evident. Science departments all over the 
fleet had been struggling with the dissipation factor issues, and it was hers 
that had solved it. 

"That's because my Jaydee is brilliant, isn't it?" She looked at Eli and 
flashed a brief smile until he continued, "When she's not acting like she's 
five, or seven, or twelve years old, anyway." 

Taking a very deep sip of his wine, Greg leaned back, a speculative look on his 
face. "You're an interesting men, Elijah. Tell me, what is that you do?" 

"He-" Jayden immediately realised what she was doing, and bit her lip, but not 
before Elijah's hand clamped down around her thigh under the table. Jayden 
swallowed and blinked back the tears as his fingers dug into her flesh.

His face remained impassive as he explained, "I'm a writer, actually. I hired 
on the Avalon for some psychological research. Right now, I'm observing the 
effects of extended war time conditions on crew." 

"A fellow observer of the human condition. It's always nice to meet another 
such as myself." He'd seen the change in Jayden and a small spark ignited in 
his gut. "So, tell me, what exactly do you observe in this room tonight?" 

"You're uncomfortable and so is your wife. She never really was happy with the 
thought of guests, but she loves you enough to oblige. And considering how 
little you two have known each other, that's quite normal at this stage of 
infatuation." 

"I see." Steepling his fingers over his rapidly cooling dinner, Greg smiled 
thinly. "Would you like to know what I observe?" 

"What is it that you do again?" 

Jayden had stopped eating and stared at her hands in her lap. She knew she 
should've just said no to the invitation. 

"I am a scientist." Well, it was true. That fact that he was the quadrant's 
leading expert in pathogen research was irrelevant. 

"That really narrowed it down," Elijah said a bit condescendingly, finally 
letting go of Jayden's leg to steeple his hands, mimicking Greg's pose 
intentionally. 

"I dabble a little in pathogens." Greg continued to smile, almost sensing his 
wife's annoyance. "Doing my bit for the war and all that." 

"I see," Eli smiled in return. "So you only fancy yourself an observer of the 
human condition. Just wanted to know where we stood. By all means, your 
observations please." Everyone else had stopped eating and drinking. The air 
was still, but full of tension. The only one seeming to enjoy this discussion 
was Elijah. 

"I would say that you're an arrogant man, Elijah, who likes to be in control of 
all things at all times. You treat your wife with a lack of respect even in 
front of perfect strangers. That tells me that you resent and even fear her 
intellectual prowess. You feel the need to prove how much better at everything 
you are compared with everyone else. Do stop me if I'm wrong." Greg narrowed 
his eyes, his dislike of this man was growing. 

Elijah smirked. "How polite of you to invite me to dinner and insult me. Is 
this an insecurity issue, you think?" 

"Perhaps. But then it's quite nice to have one?s guests come and abuse each 
other at the dinner table. Would you like to leave or shall we try to eat our 
food in relative peace?" 

Elijah snapped his head to glare at Jayden. "You've offended your hosts, what 
do you say?"

Jayden's lower lip quivered in great heaps of embarrassment and it took her a 
moment before she could speak. "I- I- I'm sorry." 

Slamming his fist down on the table, everyone's glasses bounced so hard they 
sloshed wine over the cloth. "You, sir, have insulted us. You're a rude, 
ignorant, coward of a man and I will not have you at my table any longer. 
Jayden, you are welcome to stay, but that moron must go!"

In silence, Anna watched her husband's fury wash over Elijah and Jayden. Oh 
dear God, what had she done? "Greg, sweetheart, calm down."

"I will not. He must leave or I will remove him." 



Jayden blushed five different shades of red as Elijah quietly folded his napkin 
and stood. "Jaydee."

On cue, she stood, wanting to apologise, but knowing the consequences. 

"Obviously, you do not know how to maintain emotional distance during 
interesting dinner conversation. We will take our leave." He turned to walk out 
the door, Jayden on his heels. 

"Please tell me she's got more of a backbone at work." Greg groaned as the door 
slid shut. He stood and stepped behind Anna's chair, kneeding her shoulders.

"She's got a bloody will of iron at work, I've no idea who that woman was, but 
it wasn't Jayden Cross. Promise me that we don't have to invite them back."

"I promise that that man will never set foot over our threshold ever again." He 
kissed her crown and slipped her hands down her arms, pulling her tight against 
him. "The next one will be better, I'm sure."

With the thought of a night spent with Skyler, Anna flinched. More unknown 
people, more 'friends' for Greg to meet. "I'm sure."


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