After a Break...
Certain Methods
Word Count: 2,504
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: I had a rough couple of days, and this was delayed, but it's finally ready. I think.
Change in Play
"Did you get anything from Webb?"
"A fairly interesting personnel file," Mac said, looking over at Careles. He smiled a little, reaching for his water. He was maybe an even bigger mystery now with some of the pieces filled in. The file had only raised more questions-especially since it was hard to know how much of it could be trusted. "With that legend, I'm not surprised that you people were afraid of you."
"Ah, but how much of what they showed you is really my work?" Careles asked, smiling a little as he took a bite of his food. "That's the real question now, isn't it? I don't know what they showed you, though I suppose you could start asking. I can say yes, no, or no comment."
"Well, according to Webb, none of us have the clearance we'd need to look at your file. So you'd have a lot of no comments, right? Or would those be a no that really means yes?"
"Classified has little meaning when you're talking about ending this thing. He has hidden behind that for far too long already," Careles shook his head. "Osborne could argue anything under need-to-know, but that's not what it really is or what it was ever about. It wasn't national security. It was his agenda, pure and simple."
"Or not so simple. He had connections-why not a puppet master?" the admiral asked, and Careles looked over at him, shrugging. "You've thought about this some already, haven't you? The man who might be behind what Osborne was doing."
"Who hasn't, at this point? We know that he had someone above him to save him from the fate he should have had after he killed the judge and tried to kill the admiral," Harm began. He shook his head. "Webb said he had no idea who the higher level was, and I don't want to believe him, but I think he's telling the truth. We have no idea where to start looking for this man."
"Connect the dots."
"That, or let Osborne lead us to him."
"I thought we were trying to bait Osborne into our trap, not use him to find anyone."
"Can do both," Careles said. He smiled as everyone looked at him. "We're baiting the trap. So he'll be looking for it, trying to isolate and harass me until he's ready to make his move and attempt to kill me-he won't be able to, but he will try. While he's doing this, he will be looking for the trap, evading it. He won't be looking for surveillance back to the man who sent him into this. Even the CIA's efforts seem concentrated on capturing him, not finding the reason why he's free. Of course, they probably know that reason-some of them, at least."
"Tricky running a double game like that."
"Agreed, but there is little alternative."
"Before this gets completely swept under the rug and forgotten, what about Sergeant Peale?" Mac interrupted. Harm frowned at her, not recognizing the name. She wasn't sure if she should address the admiral or Careles. So far, the admiral had let Careles call a lot of the shots, and that was mostly working, but then again, it wasn't like the admiral, either. "His case might have been an excuse to get me and Bud to New York, but he deserves a real defense and real representation. We're not going to abandon him or let him be shoved under the bus while we take care of more important things. That is his life we're talking about."
"I can get Terrence to drop the charges."
"And the press?"
"They can smile for the cameras, TK will give him an autographed photograph and Hawks football plus a couple of fifty yard line tickets," Careles said. "If Peale agrees, of course."
"You're sure King will agree to this? He didn't seem all that cooperative before."
"If I can't get him to do it, then you can ask Doctor Santino. Terrence is mostly just talk, and when it comes right down to it, calling his bluff works nine times out of ten. Not to mention that the team fears me and will still do what I tell them regardless of my employment status," Careles smiled again. "I am certain that I can fulfill my part. It is up to you to speak to Peale and discuss options. The only reason there wasn't an immediate settlement was because you needed to remain in New York for longer."
"And now?" Mac asked, this time addressing the admiral. "If I don't have a reason to be here as a cover."
"Nico believes you might all be a part of this thing, cover or no cover. My people may be targets because Osborne can't touch me, either."
"If that's the case, sir, shouldn't we bring Harriet here? Bud will never be the same if something happens to her."
"She can join Roberts with the detail with Santino and Juliette," Careles agreed. He looked at his watch and picked up his coat as he got to his feet. "If you'll excuse me, I have another meeting."
"Wait, don't you need protection or... something?"
The admiral laughed. "Thought you said you saw his file."
Bud wasn't sure he should open the door, but he knew that someone had to answer the knock. He'd figured out that no one else was on this floor, no one but Careles' security staff pretending to be residents-they were way too guarded and armed to be regular people, but it was a nice touch, he thought. So really, if someone was knocking on the door, it almost had to be one of the people in his organization, didn't it?
He took a deep breath before he opened the door. If anything happened to Doctor Santino or Juliette because he did this, he knew he'd never survive the day, but he had to figure that it was as safe as it could be here.
He opened the door and stared. He had to reach down and see if he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. There, standing in front of him was the one thing he wanted. He should say-the one person that he wanted to see. "Harriet? How did you...?"
She shrugged, giving him a warm grin before throwing her arms around him. "I am so glad to see you. I was getting really worried before, and I didn't know what I was going to do, but then the admiral called me and told me that I had a plane waiting for me. I didn't believe it at first, but there was a taxi outside my door and everything. Someone arranged it all. I got a flight, was met by a driver-admittedly, he was kind of scary. Big man, dreadlocks. I thought I'd gotten over being intimidated by people after all these years in the navy, but I was still a little concerned. Then he gave me a phone, the admiral told me to trust him, and here I am."
Bud hugged her close, unable to help the smile on his face. He didn't know why they'd brought her here, but he couldn't help feeling glad and grateful and everything. He didn't like being separated from her, and being separated while all of this craziness was going on-that was even harder. "I am so glad you're here."
"Me, too. So, now that I'm here, where is here? Why are we here?"
"Well, it's a protection detail, and I'm kind of in over my head," he admitted. "I don't know what I'm doing. So... maybe with you here, I can do better."
"Did I hear the door?" Santino asked, coming into the room. "Oh. Hi. You must be Harriet."
"I am," Harriet agreed. She gave Bud a look, and he shrugged helplessly. She'd probably have a another look for him when she saw Juliette. At least with Santino, he could explain that he thought there was something between her and Careles.
"Doctor Danielle Santino," the other woman said. "Nico left Bud in charge of protecting me while we're here. Are you going to be a part of that as well?"
"I think that might be the case, ma'am."
"Oh, it's Dani. I'm still getting Bud to do that, but really, you don't need to call me by anything formal. I'm just Dani," the other woman said, trying to make Harriet feel comfortable with the situation. "Really, I'm probably the least of your worries. The real test of anyone's abilities-even mine-will be your other charge."
"Oh?" Harriet asked, looking a bit nervous now. "Why is that?"
"Because I'm a spoiled little rich girl who ended up as an addict and just got yanked out of rehab by a man who may or may not be my father because I'm some kind of target and I'm a bit of a handful on a good day?" Juliette suggested, and Bud frowned, trying to figure out where she'd gotten the bag of candy from. "The doctor is good at what she does, though. Haven't managed to trick her yet."
"She got me, though. A few times," Bud said sheepishly.
Harriet smiled at him. He had to smile back. He was just so glad that she was here. He was still kind of in shock about it, too. This was too good to be true.
"It'll be nice to have another woman on this protection detail. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Major Mackenzie, but you know-there are things that men just don't think about for women, no matter how good they are at strategy."
"Oh, yes, ma'am, I know what you mean," Harriet agreed, and Bud frowned again. Maybe this wasn't as good of an idea as he first thought. If Harriet took the women's side, no matter what the issue was, he was going to be in big trouble. Very big trouble.
Nico walked along the street, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to ignore the chill that was seeping in with the night. He had gotten used to the weather in the city after so many years in residence, but coming back from the jungle had been an adjustment. Times like now, with his paranoia in full force, the memories of the jungle at the front of his mind, and Osborne out there, hunting him, he would have expected nothing less than the feeling he had now. The cold was a warning. He knew what it was, what it felt like, what that message within it was. It had layers, not just a simple chill, and he knew that if he turned a corner, found a dark alley, he would find himself alone with his pursuer.
He was not ready for that confrontation yet. Soon.
It would be soon. He did not want to delay it any longer than he had to, but these were not ideal conditions. If he pushed too soon, the whole thing would fall apart. As it was, the plan was lousy and he felt close to that, but there was little alternative. This was what they had to do.
He walked into the shop. Osborne would not follow him inside. He could do what he needed to do, and then he would face off with the monster again.
"Ah, Nikolai. So long, no see. You neglect the family."
Nico shook his head. "You know better. I left the family a long time ago."
"There is no leaving the family. You know this."
Nico forced a smile. So many times he'd heard that, and it never changed. They still thought he'd go back into the fold someday, but they were wrong. His father had been one of them, but Nico had never become what he was. There had been a Careles that was feared within the ranks, but it was never him. He was feared in other circles. He had tried to leave one life of killing behind and found another-one that was, in many ways, worse. In some ways, better. The past twenty years had been free of all of that, and yet it would not ever go away. He was, as they had told him years ago, a born killer. He would always be one.
"I am not here to make amends. I came for the information you promised."
"It is out of respect for your father that I came at all. I owe you nothing."
Nico nodded. "I know. I have been cooperative in the past-you know this. I am just not looking to take up my father's role."
"It is a shame. He was one of the better dons."
"Convenient that you forget how many people he had to kill to get to that point," Nico muttered. The in-fighting and wars had gotten his mother killed, and that was not something he'd ever been able to forget. His father's need for revenge had made him rise to the top. It had been a lot of blood, blood that Nico had wanted no part of. He had thought that he'd gotten lucky when the judge offered him a choice between enlistment and jail, and he'd taken enlistment. He'd thought he had something better-yes, he was trained to kill, he was expected to do so in defense of his country, but there had been a nobility there that he'd fallen for as a young man.
That shine had quickly worn off, and while he had learned to appreciate the teams he served with and the opportunity he'd been given to become a SEAL. He had learned a lot-he had forged bonds with people that he would never have known otherwise, and he had traveled to many places he would never have seen.
Still, every path seemed to point back to one inevitable conclusion.
Death.
Not his-though he'd come close a few times. This death was usually something that happened at his hands. He had plenty of blood on them, and by the time this was done, there would be more.
"Here. These are the names you were interested in. Few of them are supposed to be dead."
"So am I."
"I would like to see the man that manages that, Nikolai. He would have to be something special indeed. You are like your father. Impossible to kill."
"Papa has been dead for years."
"Ah, but perhaps that is just what he wants us all to think," the older man said, walking to the back of the shop. Nico shook his head as he turn to the front door, the bell jingling as he pushed it open to walk outside.
His eyes were immediately drawn to a figure in the shadows. Anyone else might have missed it, but Nico had been expecting it. "How long are you going to wait there, Osborne? Even the shadows are too good for you."
"True," Osborne agreed as he stepped forward. "They were always your territory, weren't they?"
"No one can own the darkness. It owns them."
Chapter Thirteen