This is For Yesterday, which Still Feels Like the Same Day Because It Just Changed...
Certain Methods
Word Count: 2,514
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Okay, definitely going down the Dani/Nico route, definitely some Harriet/Bud. Not sure about the Harm/Mac angle yet. 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: It was done before midnight. Then my internet got stupid, and I couldn't post before midnight. *grumble*
More Maneuvers
"How are the eyes now?"
"About as bad as they were before," Nico muttered as AJ helped him up off the ground. His hand instinctively went to his shoulder, and it was clear that it was bothering him as much as his head was. Chegwidden nearly went after Pittman himself. He would have liked to, but he knew that this was a part of the mission-something they had to do. It would set the next part in motion, and they needed this plan-and probably a hell of a lot more-to make sure that Osborne didn't get to anyone else. "Did you see him?"
"Osborne's here?"
"Was. Might not be there now," Nico said, putting a hand to his head and futilely scanning the crowd. AJ didn't see anything, but then again, he didn't expect to. Osborne would make sure he was out of sight. He wanted to taunt and torment his prey, wanted to play mind games. "No, no... I think he's gone. We need to move."
"You're not doing so hot, Lieutenant. Thought I told you to be careful."
"It was me we were talking about," Nico reminded him. AJ shook his head. The man was insane-in the best of ways. They'd made one hell of a mistake pulling in this one from the cold. If Nico had stayed down the path they'd wanted for him, he would have ended up worse than Osborne with double the skill. Chegwidden had learned to respect the younger man's skill even before Careles saved his life. They were even, though, because AJ had also had to haul his ass out of the fire.
"Yeah, it was," AJ nodded. They'd known this was coming, and it had to be done, but it didn't make it any easier-or in Nico's case, didn't make it hurt any less. The man would be feeling that impact for the next few days at least. "You need to realize that it doesn't always have to be you working alone. You were assigned to a SEAL team for a reason, after all."
"I did better work as an assassin. On my own."
"I disagree."
"You would."
AJ smiled at that. He knew what it was like to work alone, preferred it a lot of the time, but he'd gone beyond that. He had worked with good men, good teams, and he'd gone from taking orders to giving them. That was something in of itself. He had managed to forge a bond with men under his command that constantly surprised him. Some people assumed it was always like a father-son bond, but it wasn't. He counted men of the men-and women-under his command as family, yes, but the others, he counted them as friends.
"We have to get to Juliette. I know I put a team on her, but it's not enough," Nico insisted. He faltered, and Chegwidden forced him up again. "Have to talk to her-should have said something before."
"You really think she's yours?" AJ asked, wondering how his friend felt about that. Being a father was no easy job. Hell, AJ would take some of his worst assignments as a SEAL or most difficult calls in command over facing his daughter sometimes. He'd let her down, and he knew that. She still loved him, but he knew he'd failed her. It was one of the most important things he'd ever taken on, but he hadn't lived up to his obligation.
How Careles would feel about that? About taking on that responsibility-if it was his? AJ didn't think he could even begin to guess, not from his own experience or from how well he knew the man. It was something every man had to decide for himself.
"I don't know," Nico admitted slowly. He took a deep breath, and AJ thought he might actually want the girl to be his, but it was still difficult to say. "Gabriella wanted me to think she was. It kept me under her control. I-I took care of her like my own, did the best I could for her, especially since she had Marshall and Gabriella for parents. I didn't really make much of a difference, though. It doesn't matter. Osborne will see her as the next target, and at the very least, this will set back her rehab."
"You have another facility you want to take her to, then?"
Nico laughed. "I'm going to regret this, but I think she needs to be where Doctor Santino is."
"You're right," AJ agreed as they reached the car. "You are going to regret this."
"Nico? You look like crap."
"It's good to see you, too, Juliette," Nico said with a slight smile, focusing on the sound of her voice because he was still having intermittent problems with his vision. He hadn't wanted to go from nearly getting blown up to letting Marshall take a swing at him, but it was necessary. He couldn't allow anyone else in Pittman's organization to be used to get to him. The security details were different, and he'd done everything he could to prepare them for the real threat. It wouldn't be enough if Osborne were really determined to cut his way through them, but he wouldn't want that. It wasn't about that.
"I missed you," she said, and he was surprised to feel her arms wrap around him in a hug. He heard Chegwidden laughing behind him. "What's with the visit? One of those things to keep me on my toes? Make sure I'm walking the sober line?"
Nico shook his head. "If I had to check up on you, that would mean that you weren't doing this for you. You were doing it for me, and it wouldn't last."
"You were the only one that never gave up on me-and then you did and it was what I needed to see what I was really doing. But if you tell anyone that, I'll deny it. This therapy thing is total crap. I can't believe the stuff they keep thinking we need to do around here. And I guess it must help some people, but that serenity prayer? Spare me, okay?"
"Yet you're still here."
"I am. It's kind of working-not all of it, some of it I'd like to throw out a window like I did that time we were in Milan-do you remember that? I can't remember half of it, but I do remember throwing all the new clothes Mom bought me out the window because I was pissed at her for taking off with some lothario when we were supposed to be having a girl trip, and there was Nico to the rescue."
Chegwidden coughed. Nico looked back at him. "It wasn't me."
"Wasn't you what?"
"That was your mother's lothario. At least not that time."
Juliette frowned at him. "Wait. What are you saying?"
"Damn, Nico, if that's your idea of breaking it to her gently, I'm not sure I want to know what your other approach would have been," AJ muttered, shaking his head as he stepped forward, attempting to diffuse the situation a little. Nico should apologize. That wasn't the way he meant that to come out, not at all. It just sort of... slipped. He was going to blame it on the concussion. "I don't think you remember me, either."
"Uncle AJ?" Juliette asked, laughing a little. "How could I forget you? You still have the shiniest head I've ever seen. You up here-oh, great, what are you two into now? That's why he looks like crap right now, isn't it?"
"You're a pretty smart girl," Chegwidden said, running a hand over his head before she attacked him with the same kind of hug she'd just given Nico.
"Who doesn't usually apply that to anything."
"Nico," Juliette said, annoyed. She gave him a smack on the arm. "That's for that comment. And now you'd better explain about you and my mom and what you're here for because this isn't about my rehab and you do look like crap. What's going on?"
"We'll explain in the car," Nico told her, resisting the impulse to rub at his arm. "On the way. Right now, for your own safety, we need to move you out of here."
"Where am I going? Another place like this?"
"No, not like this," Nico told her. He was not going to tell her about Santino right away. Let the doctor make her own introductions. She was better at that-and she would handle Juliette and anything the girl was capable of throwing at her. Hopefully, it would help distract her from what was going on-from being separated from her children and the threat to her own life-keeping Juliette on the path of sobriety. Though it might just make her angry that Nico had decided that Juliette could stay with her when her children couldn't.
He would have to fix that somehow, but he didn't know how just yet. He felt that moving the Santino kids at this point would be a mistake. He couldn't say for sure why-but he had learned to trust his instincts when it came to situations like this. They could not afford the risk.
For now, she could have Juliette.
And yes, he knew that was a dangerous combination. The two of them together was not something he was likely to survive. He should never let them meet. It was a bad idea-for him. He had no doubt that Santino's influence would help Juliette, but he knew the cost to himself would be high.
He knew he would regret it.
He already did.
"Give Bud a phone," Dani began the minute that Nico walked back into the safe house. She had caught that press conference on television, and she didn't even know how to react to it. Horror, mostly, at what was said and what had happened. She shook her head. She'd figure that out later. All that mattered now was getting Bud his call to Harriet before the man died of heartsickness. He was so devoted to her. It was sweet and undeniable beautiful. "Now."
Nico gave her a look, but he passed a phone to Bud anyway. The young man took it and immediately started pushing buttons and numbers. Relief washed over his face as the call connected. "Harriet? Oh, I'm so glad I can finally talk to you! You won't believe what's going on, and I know that's no excuse, but I hope you'll forgive me for that. I didn't mean not to tell you about any of this. Let me try and explain. Please? Oh, I love you."
Dani smiled in triumph, enjoying that thoroughly. She turned around and then frowned as she saw the girl that had come in with Nico and Chegwidden. "Oh. We have... guests."
"Danielle Santino," Nico gestured to her and then to the girl. "Juliette Pittman."
"Possibly Juliette Careles, actually," the girl corrected, walking around the room. She dropped a bag on the floor and curved her lips into a smile as she turned back to Nico. "Xeno picked this place out, didn't he? You would never allow this many windows."
"That's what I thought. Nico's too paranoid for windows, right?" Dani asked, though what she really wanted to do was ask about the possibility that this was Nico's daughter. She thought she might see a bit of resemblance there, but it was hard to be sure.
"Yep. Big time paranoid, Nico. Almost as bad as Uncle AJ," Juliette agreed, grinning back at Chegwidden. Now that took Dani by surprise, more than the idea of Juliette being Nico's daughter. "He's not really my uncle, but they used to be together all the time when I was younger. Then Dad-well, Marshall Pittman, who might not be my dad-got involved and screwed up everything. That's what he does best, really. I'm proof of that."
"Juliette." Nico's tone was a warning, and she looked over at him, sighing. She went and sat down on the couch, folding her arms over her chest. "By raising certain questions at the press conference, I compromised her safety. I've decided to relocate her here temporarily until other arrangements can be made-"
"Until he finds a new rehab center to shuffle me off to, he means," Juliette grumbled. Dani looked at her and then back at Nico. He nodded, taking one of the other chairs. He sat down stiffly, and she rolled her eyes. He'd gotten himself injured again. Great. "Yes, I am an addict. So's my mother-alcoholic-but she doesn't admit it. Still, it runs in the family."
On both sides, maybe, Dani couldn't help thinking of the comment that Nico had made at dinner, that exchange between him and Major Mackenzie. Perhaps Juliette got it from not one but both parents.
Dani whirled around, her hand on her hip as she glared at the instigator of all of this. She couldn't believe it. She just didn't. She should, because it was him, and he was capable of almost anything, but at the same time, she didn't. "Nico, you didn't tell her, did you?"
Nico gave Dani what he must have thought was an innocent look. It was not innocent by any means. She didn't think he would ever know the meaning of the word. It didn't make him the monster that he kept insisting that he was, but he was not innocent, either. "Tell her what?"
"My name is Dani, yes, but what he usually mentions is my title. Doctor Santino. I'm a licensed psychologist specializing in behavioral therapy. In other words, I've helped people with addictions before," she explained, giving Nico a look. He didn't react. Bastard.
"Sneaky," Juliette muttered, sticking her tongue out at her possible father. She turned back to Dani and shrugged. "I bet he thinks you can help me. Well, you're welcome to try. Just don't try any serenity prayers on me. I'm going to go pick out a room and watch some tv."
Dani watched her go off down the hallway, figuring that she was about to lose the room she'd more or less settled on, and then turned to Nico. "You never planned on taking her anywhere else, did you?"
He gave her a smile. "Why should I? You are the best therapist I know."
That flattery would get him nowhere. "You didn't bring Juliette to me the first time."
"You could have lost your job with the Hawks," Nico told her. She frowned at him.
Chegwidden shook his head. "Pittman cut his daughter off a couple years ago. Told everyone in his organization not to have anything to do with her. Officially, Nico never did, but Nico is good at being unofficial. If he'd approached you with assisting Juliette, Pittman would have fired you like the bastard that he is."
"Lovely," Dani muttered. She shook her head. "I do think I can probably help her, but this was rather underhanded and low, even for you, Nico."
Nico shrugged. "You have a higher opinion of me than I have ever had, Danielle. And I have no idea why, either."
Chapter Twelve