<USS Avalon> "Partners"

Partners
By Lieutenant Second Class Bryce Quinn
and Lieuteanan First Class Jayden Cross


"Two hours, my ass," Jayden said with disgust as she pulled another PADD out of 
the box Alexander had left on her desk. "Closer to four. And now I?m behind. 
But it doesn?t exactly matter, does it?" She was muttering to herself in 
sarcasm, throwing files all around, "Because I don?t have any quarters. That?s 
okay, who needs quarters when I have a freshly repaired office?" She continued 
her tirade, stepping around a pile of rubble in the floor. "Unbelievable!" 
Jayden yelled in frustration, not even noticing the person standing in the 
doorway.

"You know, you could just sweep that under the desk and no one would ever 
notice," the man said, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms folded and a 
smile plastered across his face. "I understand the need to be clean and tidy, 
but sometimes you just have to let go. It doesn't look that bad. How long you 
in for? Tour of duty, I mean." 

Jayden stopped and stared down the man in front of her. "And just who are you?" 

"Lieutenant, Second Class Bryce Quinn," he paused and looked her up and down. 
She was a fine female specimen that had lots of potential. Taking a gingerly 
step into the room, he picked up a stack of PADDs off the floor next to the 
desk and placed them on the table. Admiring her complexity a little more, Bryce 
smiled and offered his hand. "And yours?"

Squinting her eyes, she grudgingly reciprocated the handshake. "Lieutenant, 
First Class Jayden Cross, Judge Advocate General. Now, if you don?t mind, I 
have an office to clean since it doesn?t seem Support Services are going to 
make it tonight." 

"Judge Advocate General, huh?" Bryce smiled, "Well, I appreciate you cleaning 
my office for me, but I think that I can manage it from here. I'll make sure to 
schedule a meeting between you and I to discuss how we're going to go about 
investigating and prosecuting this situation - if need be. Sound good?" He 
picked up the PADD with the general information outline on it and glanced 
through it quickly. Nothing he hadn't already seen or heard about. 

Her motion stopped, a cold sense of dread filling her. "I beg your pardon?" 

"Didn't they tell you?" Bryce said, an almost false sense of caring coming over 
him, "They assigned me to be the lead on this investigation team. You're sort 
of like my errand girl. If I need an interview done that I don't feel like 
doing, that's your job. And, if I need coffee, you get to the be the one to go 
to the replicator." He smiled again, this time blatant spite emanating from it. 

"Oh hell no. I am the lead investigator for this issue. My orders came from 
Captain Scott, whose came from Admiral Valdez, whose came from Vice-Admiral 
Grey. This is my office and my assistant will be fetching my coffee. I believe 
you are mistaken." Oh, god, no, she thought. Michael, if this is true, I?ll 
kill you myself.

Bryce placed the PADD on the desk and slid it over, the peasant sound of metal 
on metal accompanying it. "Admiral Valdez was told by the Judge Advocate 
General, Vice Admiral Grey, that he wanted two people involved on this mission. 
More specifically someone that had been into the fray more. According to my own 
research this is the first time you've been off Station 51 in eight years for 
official duty." He smiled, "I like my coffee just black." He sat down in his 
chair and put his feet up on the desk. 

"And where the hell have you been? You certainly weren?t stationed on 51 with 
me. And I would like to see your orders after you kindly get your feet off my 
desk and your ass out of my chair!" Cold fire burned in her dark blue eyes. 
Someone... anyone... was going to pay for this. There was no way she was going 
to be stuck on a starship as someone?s lackey.

"The PADD," Bryce said, motioning to the device on the table. "I've been on the 
Rhazgriz, the Wellington, the Potomac, as well as serving aboard Starbase 
Aurora and Starbase 111. I'm seventy-one and two in criminal procedures and 
flawless in those two appeals. And, if you talk to me that way again, I'll be 
sure to have you court-martialed for insubordination. I don't like working with 
loud-mouthed assistants any more than you like being one. So, let's just do the 
job and get done, OK?" 

Her brow furrowed and she stuck her lip out in a bit of a pout. "They didn't 
tell me you were coming." 

He looked at her, mildly amused, "Shame, now, are we working together or do I 
need them to reassign you?" 

"Reassignment would be preferable." 

"That'll look good on the Starfleet record, won't it?" Bryce said, not looking 
up from his PADD. After a moment of silence, he sighed and looked at her, 
"Listen, reassigning an assistant doesn't look good for me either. Why don't we 
muddle through this - together - and we'll just take it one little step at a 
time. Sound good?" For the first time since they had met, he was being genuine. 

Promotion, promotion... it'll be good for promotion, she reminded herself. "I'm 
not getting you coffee."

"Funny thing is, I don't drink coffee anyway." Bryce offered his hand across 
the desk table and smiled, "To a good partnership?"

Offering her sweetest, charming smile reserved only for those who can offer her 
power or promotion, Jayden held out her hand. Besides, he was incredibly 
handsome. "To a beautiful partnership."


                
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