Not Quite to Dinner...
Certain Methods
Word Count: 2,510
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Should I get back to you on that one? If I don't keep it gen, then... Dani/Nico, Harm/Mac, and a possible bit of Harriet/Bud. But Chegwidden features heavily/centrally to the story, too.
Spoilers: Although I reference something from 1x12, I'm actually going to set this after 1x10 for Necessary Roughness. For JAG? Um... season two, definitely related to that season. Specifically "Secrets" and "Ghosts," and a lot of this won't make sense if you don't know those eps. Otherwise, the spoilers/timeline from JAG is kind of... vague.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just break things.
Summary: Direct, indirect. Legal, illegal. Military, Civilian. Every person has a different method for handling situations. Some are better than others.
Author's Note: I think a legal battle with Nico in the middle of it would be... interesting, to say the least.
Maneuvered into Place
"Officially, the state department has taken over this investigation," AJ began, taking a look around his office. He didn't want to give this message, hated the words he was about to say, but he knew what was going to happen, and that gave him some measure of comfort despite the taste of what he had to say. Nico was a friend, a good man, and even the differences in their ranks hadn't meant a thing-not when they served together and not now. The higher ups were telling him to leave a good man out in the cold, and that was the last thing he felt like doing. "They're citing national security and need-to-know that we do not have. We are to cease all inquiries into Nico Careles and anyone he may or may not have served with. The matter is closed as far as the judge advocate general is concerned."
Rabb didn't like it. That much was clear on his face. AJ had expected as much, and he was counting on it. "But, sir, this was our case. Careles came to us. He was a Navy SEAL. That's our jurisdiction. No one should be pulling us off this case."
"Commander Rabb, you have been ordered to stand down," AJ insisted. His tone made everyone in the room stand at a sharper attention, tension in their every muscle. They were going to have to be on edge. This situation would require them all to be on their guard, constantly. "You will obey that order, whether you like it or not."
None of them liked it. He saw that in their faces. He approved of it, even if he couldn't say so. The politics and the higher ups had done their bests to tie his hands here, and he was going to play along-officially. He already had some ideas about getting around this thing, and he knew he had the right people to do just that.
It would depend, most of all, on Nico, but AJ already knew that man could handle his role and a hell of a lot more. The hardest part would be convincing the man to work with a team again. Nico had pulled away, isolated himself, as soon as the assassination orders had started coming, and then he'd gotten himself kicked out of the Navy. The work he did now-AJ couldn't hardly believe it, but then Nico was a loyal man. He thought he owed Pittman a debt, and that kept him trapped.
Hell, Chegwidden had half a mind to go up there, put Pittman's life in danger, and let Nico save the bastard just to help him break free of that hold. Pittman had been a useless soldier and a pathetic human being, the only thing that kept him afloat was his money-and the fact that Nico felt he owed him. If not for that, Pittman would have been done a long time ago.
AJ looked back at his staff again. "Major Mackenzie, I am sending you to New York. We have a complaint that a marine sergeant is harassing a professional football player. There will be media attention on this case, and I want this thing handled with as much... diplomacy as necessary. Lieutenant Roberts will assist."
"Aye, aye, sir," Roberts managed to agree with a bit of enthusiasm, though Mackenzie didn't pull off any at all. She was worried, and she didn't like being pulled, not now. She would understand later, but for now, she'd take her orders and follow them, like the soldier she was.
"Commander Rabb," Chegwidden turned to the one who would cause them all the most problems. "You will be going to Philadelphia. The Saratoga just put into port with allegations of a collision, and I want a neutral voice in the chaos. Dismissed."
Rabb's posture fell to at ease, but he didn't turn to leave. "Sir, if I may-"
"Absolutely not, Commander," AJ interrupted immediately. This was not a time for discussion. His office was no longer the place for that. "You have your orders. I want you on the next plane. You, too, Major."
"Yes, sir."
AJ watched them go, the door shutting behind them. He'd moved them into place, but he didn't know how much help that would be. He was going to need a cover and a bit of flexibility-fast. He didn't want to ask, but he had a feeling he knew exactly how to get them. It wouldn't take much, just a phone call, and he knew that even as much as people might suspect something of him taking a leave of absence now, they wouldn't be able to do much about it. All he needed to do now was make the call.
Mac set the files down on the table and faced her client. This was a disaster, to say the least. The press was having a field day with it, using it to fuel anti-war sentiment. People thought they should have been out of the middle east a long time ago-or that they shouldn't have gone there in the first place. She knew that this-a case with a decorated soldier coming back from the war only to terrorize a very public figure-was not going to help the public image. She didn't want to deal with the politics, but she'd do her best. "Sergeant, you are facing charges of assault and harassment, even stalking. You do realize that the charges are no laughing matter. If you are convicted of assault, you will face hard time."
"I didn't mean to hit him, ma'am," Sergeant Peale insisted. "It was an accident."
Bud shook his head, and Mac had to agree with him. She'd read the statements on the flight to New York. "That is not what the witnesses say. They say you deliberately provoked the encounter and that you threw the first punch."
"They're lying, ma'am."
She shook her head. She wasn't about to accept that line, and Peale should have known better than to try. "That's a little hard to believe when you have had an altercation with the same man before. On that occasion, you insulted him and were held back by his security. This is not a casual act, Sergeant, not an accident. This is a pattern of behavior. Fortunately, he and his representatives are willing to meet and settle this out of court."
"Really?"
"Yes," she agreed, thinking that at least that part had gone her way in this case. She'd gotten word as soon as they landed that the other side was willing to talk. "And we are going to hear them out and most likely accept the the terms."
"Ma'am, it ain't right," Peale began. He put his hands on the table and pleaded with her to understand. "They keep calling him a hero. A role model. That man is no hero. He's not even a good example. He drinks. He's violent. He's got a bad mouth. He is not someone for kids to look up to or want to be like."
"That still doesn't give you the right to stalk him or assault him."
"Ma'am, please," the sergeant began, but then the door opened. Bud and Peale looked back at the people who came into the room. Mac finished the note she was making, and closed the file. Then she opened it back up again, putting in more about Peale's reasons. It would be ugly in the courtroom, but attacking the victim was a very familiar tactic. Not one she liked using, but if she needed to, she would. She would give Peale the best defense she could.
"Yeah, that's him," a voice announced loudly, and she sighed. This would be the man who was not a hero or role model, clearly. She could sense Peale's tension even from here. "Punk who tried to fight me. Should've known he couldn't win against TK."
"Terrence, sit down and shut up."
Mac looked up as she heard the second voice. Careles was here. What was this? Had the admiral known-of course he had. That was why she'd been sent here, wasn't it? She'd been sent because the admiral knew that the victim had a connection to Careles. He'd put her close enough to help his friend in the only way he could. She should have made the connection herself between the TK Careles had mentioned and the Terrence King she'd read about.
This though, was interesting. Hadn't Harm mentioned that Careles had made a comment about the admiral being a lawyer? "Are you Mr. King's attorney?"
"I represent his interests, and that is all you need to know."
Bud frowned. "That's not how it works."
Clearly it did in Careles' book. "Mr. King was the victim. You are here to make a deal to keep the corporal in fighting status and restore the honor of the Corps."
"What would you know of Semper Fi?"
"I don't," Careles agreed, shrugging slightly as he leaned against the wall. "Never a jarhead."
At the term, the sergeant studied him. There was some residual military bearing bleeding through despite Careles' almost casual act. It was in the way he'd positioned himself in the room and kept a watchful eye on everyone. "Squid?"
"Frog."
The sergeant looked impressed, and Mac knew that Careles had just gained a rapport with him that she and Bud didn't have. "SEAL?"
"That's complicated."
"Did you see combat?"
"That's classified."
Peale nodded. "Sir, I apologize for my behavior. I meant no disrespect to the Corps. I lost a friend over there, and I came back to people saying a football player was a hero while they called me a killer for defending my country."
"I can see why that would bother you," Careles agreed almost sympathetically, "but Terrence's safety is my concern. You attacked him. That means you have to answer to me."
"He's going to answer to the US government," Mac began, and Careles gave her an amused smile. He would take matters into his own hands if he didn't like the outcome of a formal trial-all the more reason to settle this on their terms and out of court. "Unless we can reach an agreement, that is."
"Then let us discuss terms."
"I thought we wanted to make a deal," Bud began, and Harm could hear the confusion in his voice, picturing him shaking his head. "It all seemed to be going so well, but then all of a sudden, the guy got completely unreasonable and refused to deal with us. What just happened in there?"
"Bud, in case you missed it, the admiral sent us here not just to help the sergeant but also to help his friend," Mac said, taking the phone from him. "You did see him in that room, right? We both talked to him. We're here to-"
"Wait a minute, he's there? In New York?"
"Yes, Harm, he's here, and we are having dinner with him later tonight to finish the negotiations. And, I assume, to talk about the rest of it. How is the situation in Philadelphia?"
"Better now that I know why I'm here," Harm admitted. He had been struggling to figure out why he'd been sent up there in the first place. It was a simple case; no one wanted any charges. No one even had a problem. There seemed to be no reason for him to be there, at all. "I spoke to the captain on the Saratoga, he said the collision was minor. Spoke to the other captain, he said-and I quote, 'what collision?' I was starting to think I'd made the admiral pretty damn mad, though I didn't know how I could have done that."
"Well, sir, it did seem like the admiral's friend didn't like you very much, and he did kind of run circles around us the entire time he was in Virginia," Bud began. Harm knew he didn't have the best relationship with Careles-but he suspected few people did, and the admiral was one of those few. It didn't really bother Harm, other than the fact that he would much rather have gotten the case in New York than the one in Philadelphia. He still didn't know if that was intentional or not. "And here, for that matter. I still don't understand how we went from friendly-the sergeant has a lot of respect for Careles as a former SEAL, and it looked like Careles was going to deal, like he had complete control over this guy King, but then it all changed, King made outrageous demands, and Careles didn't do anything about them. The sergeant refused to agree, and we all left."
"Sounds to me like he's arranging to keep you in town for a while. If the situation is too much for you two alone, maybe I should join you?"
Mac laughed. "I think we're more than capable of handling it on our own, but I think you were sent as close by as possible for a reason. I don't know if you'll be here in time, but you could always join us for dinner."
"Are you sure he wants all of us, ma'am? I didn't even hear him give the invitation, only when he turned back to tell you to wear something that wasn't a uniform," Bud said, and Harm had to wonder if Mac was blushing at all. For a beautiful female marine, she could be surprisingly self-conscious when someone gave her a compliment or asked her out. "And he did say that it was more of a formal place than a casual one."
"That doesn't mean he was asking me out, Bud. It just means that he wanted to talk to us without anyone else around. The case is a perfect excuse for that, if anyone is watching."
"The admiral and Careles seem to agree that someone is. In fact, we probably shouldn't even be having this conversation," Harm admitted. He looked at his watch. If he rented a car, it would be a two, three hour drive. He might still make dinner, if only the last course. "Give me the name of that restaurant. I'm going to see what kind of transportation I can dig up."
"You're not really going to try and get someone to lend you a tomcat, are you?"
"Major, you think you know me so well..." Harm shook his head. He doubted anyone would lend him a plane or that he could get a regular flight to make it there in time, but he wanted to be in New York with the others. Maybe if nothing else, he could help with the collateral damage that Careles wanted to prevent. Anything, though, was better than sitting in this hotel room overnight when he didn't need to be.
"I'll give you the name of our hotel as well," Mac said. "If you make it up here, room two-three-two is Bud's, and I'm sure you can bunk with him for the night."
"Uh, Major, I was only given a single by the hotel-"
"We can sleep in shifts, Lieutenant."
Chapter Five