Two Conversations
Part Two: Rabb vs. Chegwidden
by Celli Lane
Story information at the beginning of part 1.
***
15 FEB 2002
1356 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VA
Harm swallowed hard as the elevator doors closed. "Remind me again why I'm doing this?" he asked quietly, even though he and Mac were alone on the elevator.
"Because," Mac said, "we both agreed that Harriet would figure it out within ten minutes *anyway,* so we'd better get to the Admiral while we can."
"Yes, but why am *I* doing this?"
"Because you insisted. It's a guy thing, you said. It's more appropriate, you said. The Admiral's used to me making a fool of myself, you--"
"Thanks," he said hastily.
"You're not chickening out now, are you, Commander?" Mac asked. The doors began to open.
"I'd like to. You can stop snickering any time now."
She patted him on the back as they stepped out. "Just close your eyes and think of England."
"Gee, thanks," he said. But there was a faint smile on his face as he made his way across the bullpen.
***
"At ease, Commander," Admiral Chegwidden said. "Have a seat."
"Thank you, sir."
"Is this about the Fulton court-martial?"
"Ah, no." Harm stared fixedly at his clasped hands. "I'm afraid it's personal, sir."
He heard the Admiral settle into his chair with a sigh. "Wonderful. What is it this time, Rabb?"
Harm realized that his fingers had gone numb. He relaxed his grip a little. "I need to bring a fraternization issue to your attention, sir."
"Fraternization between--?"
"Myself and Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." Harm braced himself for the blast of temper, but after a long silence, all he heard was, "Huh."
Harm dared to look up. "Sir?"
The Admiral was wearing his most neutral expression. "How long has this been going on?"
"Just...I...uh...last night. Sir." His fingers were getting numb again.
"Huh," the Admiral said again.
"We understand that regulations require the immediate transfer of at least one of us. Of course, we're both prepared to comply with whatever orders you--"
"Rabb. Shut up."
"Yes, sir."
The two men stared at each other for another small eternity. Finally, Admiral Chegwidden stood and walked over to his window. "Do you think about your career much, Commander?"
Harm managed a half-smile. "Mostly when I'm trying not to torpedo it, Admiral."
"I imagine that takes quite a bit of your time," the older man said dryly. Harm's smile faded.
"Rabb," Chegwidden said after another silence, "I think that you spend a lot of time thinking about your *job.* The case you're arguing, the plane you're flying...that sort of thing."
Caught off guard, Harm nodded.
"But where is your career going?" The Admiral waved a hand around him. "Do you want this office? Do you want to be the Judge Advocate General of the Navy one day?"
"I--" He swallowed as the truth of it hit him between the eyes. It seemed this was the day for revelations. "Yes, sir, I do. Very much."
"I see."
Harm leaned forward. "But, Admiral--I'm not going to sacrifice my relationship with Colonel MacKenzie for my career. I can't."
Admiral Chegwidden fixed him with another unreadable look. Then, for the first time since Harm had entered the room, he smiled. "Very good, Commander."
Harm quite nearly stopped breathing. "Sir?"
Chegwidden stepped to his desk and hit his intercom. "Tiner!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Send Colonel MacKenzie in."
Mac entered with a speed that implied she'd been standing next to Tiner the entire time. "You asked to see me, sir?"
The Admiral drew himself up to his full height. "Lt. Colonel MacKenzie. Commander Rabb."
Harm jumped to his feet and joined Mac at attention. "Yes, sir!" they said in unison.
"For some time now, the Inspector General and I have been discussing how to improve cooperation between our two offices. We have decided to transfer one lawyer into his chain of command. Colonel MacKenzie--"
Harm bit back an automatic protest under the Admiral's glare.
"You will be taking on additional responsibility in investigations and cases that fall under the OIG's jurisdiction."
"Yes, sir!" she said quickly.
"However, you will remain based out of this office, and you will continue to take cases here whenever possible, as long as they do not come into conflict with your OIG work or with Commander Rabb's cases. Is that acceptable to you, Colonel?"
Harm stole a glance at her and saw the smile she couldn't quite keep off her face. "Absolutely, sir."
"However, if this relationship interferes with your work, both of you will deal with me. Is that understood?" He didn't even wait for an answer before snapping, "Dismissed!"
Harm was almost to the door, trying not to look at Mac for fear he'd start laughing with glee at the least appropriate time, when he heard the Admiral's voice again. "Harm? Mac?"
They turned around.
The Admiral grinned at them. "It's about damn time."
---the end---
Author's Notes: Whew! Now I know why they don't resolve this stuff on the show. It's *hard*!
I'd like to thank everyone who sent feedback all the way through and encouraged me to keep writing. You know what they say--if a writer posts a story and there's no feedback, did the tree really fall...? *g* Or something like that, anyway.
And as always, I have to thank my beta readers par excellence, AeroGirl--who writes such good stuff, I'm always extra thrilled when she likes something of mine--and Jen, my partner in crime, who reads everything I write even when she doesn't follow the fandom, and always listens to me complain about the talkative military lawyers in my head. You guys are the *best*!
Thanks as well (again) to the JAG Writers Workshop list, because they're always there when I have random trivia questions at two in the morning, and they don't shoot me when the trivia decides it doesn't belong in the story after all. :)
Oh, a random comment--"Close your eyes and think of England" is an old joke--they used to tell upper-class British wives to close their eyes and think of England during sex. It's the equivalent of "suck it up, Marine." *g*
Part Two: Rabb vs. Chegwidden
by Celli Lane
Story information at the beginning of part 1.
***
15 FEB 2002
1356 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VA
Harm swallowed hard as the elevator doors closed. "Remind me again why I'm doing this?" he asked quietly, even though he and Mac were alone on the elevator.
"Because," Mac said, "we both agreed that Harriet would figure it out within ten minutes *anyway,* so we'd better get to the Admiral while we can."
"Yes, but why am *I* doing this?"
"Because you insisted. It's a guy thing, you said. It's more appropriate, you said. The Admiral's used to me making a fool of myself, you--"
"Thanks," he said hastily.
"You're not chickening out now, are you, Commander?" Mac asked. The doors began to open.
"I'd like to. You can stop snickering any time now."
She patted him on the back as they stepped out. "Just close your eyes and think of England."
"Gee, thanks," he said. But there was a faint smile on his face as he made his way across the bullpen.
***
"At ease, Commander," Admiral Chegwidden said. "Have a seat."
"Thank you, sir."
"Is this about the Fulton court-martial?"
"Ah, no." Harm stared fixedly at his clasped hands. "I'm afraid it's personal, sir."
He heard the Admiral settle into his chair with a sigh. "Wonderful. What is it this time, Rabb?"
Harm realized that his fingers had gone numb. He relaxed his grip a little. "I need to bring a fraternization issue to your attention, sir."
"Fraternization between--?"
"Myself and Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." Harm braced himself for the blast of temper, but after a long silence, all he heard was, "Huh."
Harm dared to look up. "Sir?"
The Admiral was wearing his most neutral expression. "How long has this been going on?"
"Just...I...uh...last night. Sir." His fingers were getting numb again.
"Huh," the Admiral said again.
"We understand that regulations require the immediate transfer of at least one of us. Of course, we're both prepared to comply with whatever orders you--"
"Rabb. Shut up."
"Yes, sir."
The two men stared at each other for another small eternity. Finally, Admiral Chegwidden stood and walked over to his window. "Do you think about your career much, Commander?"
Harm managed a half-smile. "Mostly when I'm trying not to torpedo it, Admiral."
"I imagine that takes quite a bit of your time," the older man said dryly. Harm's smile faded.
"Rabb," Chegwidden said after another silence, "I think that you spend a lot of time thinking about your *job.* The case you're arguing, the plane you're flying...that sort of thing."
Caught off guard, Harm nodded.
"But where is your career going?" The Admiral waved a hand around him. "Do you want this office? Do you want to be the Judge Advocate General of the Navy one day?"
"I--" He swallowed as the truth of it hit him between the eyes. It seemed this was the day for revelations. "Yes, sir, I do. Very much."
"I see."
Harm leaned forward. "But, Admiral--I'm not going to sacrifice my relationship with Colonel MacKenzie for my career. I can't."
Admiral Chegwidden fixed him with another unreadable look. Then, for the first time since Harm had entered the room, he smiled. "Very good, Commander."
Harm quite nearly stopped breathing. "Sir?"
Chegwidden stepped to his desk and hit his intercom. "Tiner!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Send Colonel MacKenzie in."
Mac entered with a speed that implied she'd been standing next to Tiner the entire time. "You asked to see me, sir?"
The Admiral drew himself up to his full height. "Lt. Colonel MacKenzie. Commander Rabb."
Harm jumped to his feet and joined Mac at attention. "Yes, sir!" they said in unison.
"For some time now, the Inspector General and I have been discussing how to improve cooperation between our two offices. We have decided to transfer one lawyer into his chain of command. Colonel MacKenzie--"
Harm bit back an automatic protest under the Admiral's glare.
"You will be taking on additional responsibility in investigations and cases that fall under the OIG's jurisdiction."
"Yes, sir!" she said quickly.
"However, you will remain based out of this office, and you will continue to take cases here whenever possible, as long as they do not come into conflict with your OIG work or with Commander Rabb's cases. Is that acceptable to you, Colonel?"
Harm stole a glance at her and saw the smile she couldn't quite keep off her face. "Absolutely, sir."
"However, if this relationship interferes with your work, both of you will deal with me. Is that understood?" He didn't even wait for an answer before snapping, "Dismissed!"
Harm was almost to the door, trying not to look at Mac for fear he'd start laughing with glee at the least appropriate time, when he heard the Admiral's voice again. "Harm? Mac?"
They turned around.
The Admiral grinned at them. "It's about damn time."
---the end---
Author's Notes: Whew! Now I know why they don't resolve this stuff on the show. It's *hard*!
I'd like to thank everyone who sent feedback all the way through and encouraged me to keep writing. You know what they say--if a writer posts a story and there's no feedback, did the tree really fall...? *g* Or something like that, anyway.
And as always, I have to thank my beta readers par excellence, AeroGirl--who writes such good stuff, I'm always extra thrilled when she likes something of mine--and Jen, my partner in crime, who reads everything I write even when she doesn't follow the fandom, and always listens to me complain about the talkative military lawyers in my head. You guys are the *best*!
Thanks as well (again) to the JAG Writers Workshop list, because they're always there when I have random trivia questions at two in the morning, and they don't shoot me when the trivia decides it doesn't belong in the story after all. :)
Oh, a random comment--"Close your eyes and think of England" is an old joke--they used to tell upper-class British wives to close their eyes and think of England during sex. It's the equivalent of "suck it up, Marine." *g*