TITLE: Nobody's Fool
AUTHOR: Clairisant
CLASSIFICATION: AJ/Other
FEEDBACK: Would love to hear both good and bad feedback, but please try to be kind and constructive. Clairisant
CREDITS: A special thank you to my beta reader Qupeydoll.
Friday, March 29, 2004
1700 EST
Falls Church Conference Center
Falls Church, Virginia
Chapter 1
The 'rubber chicken' dinner hadn't been quite as bad as he'd been expecting it to be, however, the speakers seemed to drone on forever. Finally the speeches were over, so people got up and started milling around, as the band tuned up.
Admiral AJ Chegwidden was one of those that had gotten to his feet, but instead of standing around to talk, he headed for the French doors at the end of the room to get some fresh air. The night was crisp, but not so much so that a coat was needed.
He was standing at the railing on the terrace enjoying the quiet when he sensed he was no longer alone. Turning from the view, he saw a lovely Navy Captain approaching him. Offering a slight smile, she held out her hand while asking, "Admiral Chegwidden?"
"Yes," he replied, wondering what she wanted.
"I'm sorry to disturb your privacy, but I wanted to introduce myself and tell you how thrilled I am to be working at JAG HQ. I've admired you for some time and it will be an honor working in the same building as you. I'm your new Judge, Captain Kirk."
He did a mental double take and then burst out laughing! After a few moments she gave him a puzzled glance over his amusement. Getting himself under control, AJ explained, "I'm sorry for the laughter, but one of the attorneys on my staff is a HUGE Star Trek fan. I was just imagining the reaction he will have when he finds out he will be trying cases in front of Captain Kirk."
Even before he finished speaking, the woman before him started digging in her purse. It
was now his turn to have an inquiring expression. She enlightened him as she flipped open
her wallet and showed him her driver's license. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't believe the rest of my name without proof after that. My full name is Jamie Theresa Kirk."
AJ wasn't sure if the 'Theresa' had any significance, but he was aware that the Star Trek Captain's first name was James because of the uproar when Bud had named his second son after his hero.
He shook his head with a delighted smile, and told her, "I can't wait until Monday to tell Bud…Lieutenant Roberts' about this."
"I hope it won't distract him too badly when we are in the same courtroom," she said, returning his smile.
"I'm sure he'll conduct himself in an appropriate manner," AJ chuckled.
In the lull after his comment, the band struck up a new tune. Jamie exclaimed, "Oh! I love this song!"
"It sounds familiar," AJ answered, "But I can't quite place it."
"It's 'More', by Andy Williams," she told him, swaying to the music.
With a smile he held out his arms and asked, "Would you care to dance to it?"
"Here?" she questioned, startled by the idea.
"Why not? We can hear the music and it's certainly less crowded out here than on the dance floor in there," he nodded towards the room behind them.
"Alright!" she agreed enthusiastically and stepped into his arms.
As it turned out they danced together until the band announced that they were done for the evening. Jamie sighed and said, "Well, I guess that means it's time to go home."
"Will you allow me to walk you to your car?" AJ inquired gallantly.
She gave him a rueful shake of her head and replied, "I don't know the city well yet and didn't want to get lost in the dark, so I took a cab here this evening. I'll just call for another one to take me home."
"Jamie, if you wouldn't think it too presumptuous, I would be happy to drive you home."
"Thank you, AJ, I would appreciate that. I think I'm going to have to invest in one of those GPS systems to help me get around."
They walked together towards the exit as AJ offered, "Well if you don't have any plans for the weekend, I'd be glad to be your guide."
She thought for a moment of all the boxes she'd planned to unpack over the next two days and quickly assured herself they could be done in the evenings when she got home from work. Spending time with AJ was much more desirable than unpacking! "That sounds wonderful to me," she answered.
Arriving at her apartment building AJ walked her to the door and saw her safely inside. He would pick her up for lunch then he would show her around town. No mention was made of plans for dinner, but both of them were secretly hoping the day would not end early.
To be continued…..