(Standard disclaimers apply, please read and review!)
(JAG: Christmas Eve)
A light snow was falling on the Judge Advocate General's building, and every creature with in was stirring, trying to get things done before closing time. Every one was high on Christmas sprit, and so happy about celebrating the holidays; all but one.
"TINER!" AJ Chegwidden bellowed from his office.
"Yes sir!" Tiner said, appearing seconds later.
"Where are those documents I asked for?"
"I'm trying to find them sir," Tiner said hoping his grumpy CO would show some mercy.
"I asked you for them three and a half hours ago! I want them NOW!"
"Yes sir!" Tiner said, snapping two and leaving. One the way to the library he bumped into Harm and Mac.
"Slow down petty officer, where's the fire?"
"The Admiral wants the Frederickson documents and I can't find them. He is really mad."
"Why is he mad?" Mac asked truly concerned.
"I think it has something to do with his daughter ma'am. He got a call from her this morning, and a few minutes later he was yelling at her."
"Yelling at his daughter?" Harm said flabbergasted.
"Yes sir, and if you'll excuse me I had better go find those documents," he said and scurried off.
"Hey Harriet!" Harm said seeing the blonde haired woman out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes sir?" She said walking over.
"Is the Admiral coming to your Christmas party tonight?"
"No sir. He called me in his office this morning and said he was tied up with other things."
"That's not like him," Mac said shaking her head.
"I wonder what's wrong." Mac pondered.
"Well sir, what ever it is, he won't talk about it."
"Maybe he'll talk to me," Harm said heading for the Admiral's office.
"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Mac said watching Harm walk away.
"Yep; I'll pick you up at eight."
"That means eight o'clock, not eight o five."
"I'll be on time."
(In the Admiral's office)
"Sir is there anything I can do for you?"
"Like what?" He replied angrily.
"Harriet says you won't be joining us for the Christmas. Is that true sir?"
"Yes Commander it is, any other stupid questions?"
The tone in the Admiral's voice made Harm stiffen. He knew it was useless to say anything else so he just said no and was dismissed seconds later.
Fade out
By now the JAG offices had grown silent. Only one light illuminated the office. Admiral AJ Chegwidden sat at his desk still filling out paperwork. The phone call he had with his daughter still replaying in his mind.
"Papa I cannot visit you for Christmas this year."
"Why not?"
"I am spending it with mother and father."
"Who?"
"Mama remarried, and I must spend Christmas here this year."
"But-"
"I'm sorry papa," she said and hung up.
AJ was mad, not only was he not spending Christmas with his daughter, but Meredith had broken up with him this morning, but not telling him why. Ten minutes later he had packed up his brief case and headed home, ready to get the holidays over with. He didn't want to spoil everyone's Christmas with his bad mood, so he decided not to go Harriet's party. Not like he would be welcomed there anyway.
When he got home, he went straight up to bed, not bothering to fix himself anything to eat. He was almost asleep, when he heard the strangest noise. He sat straight up, but after a few minutes passed, and he didn't hear it again, he tried to go back to sleep. CLANG! Now he knew there was someone downstairs. He quietly took out his gun and headed downstairs, he creped into the kitchen where the smell of chicken soup inflamed his senses.
"Well aren't you going to come in and sit down?" a familiar asked. A voice that sent chills down AJ's spine.
Peaking around the corner he saw someone he thought he would never see again. There standing over a pot, was Laura. (A/N: Remember her? the judge that he was seeing that died?)
"How-" But he couldn't seem to finish his sentence.
"Sit down AJ, we need to talk."
Wordlessly he complied.
"I know you are miserable AJ. You think you have no family to spend the holidays with."
"That's because I don't. My daughter-"
"Your daughter isn't your only family."
"Yes she is." The Admiral said firmly not knowing where this conversation was going.
"AJ, right now your family is celebrating Christmas at the Roberts; YOUR family AJ."
"There not my family. They have their own lives, they-"
"AJ I would have never pegged you as the type of guy to make excuses."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are," she said calmly, and got up to turn off the stove. Before he could ask what she was doing, she put the lid on the pot and sat back down.
"The soup can wait for now, we have more important things to talk about."
"Like what?"
"Like how you are going to get a chance to see what you'll be missing on by shutting yourself out."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember that story, the Christmas Carol? It'll kinda be like that."
"No-no-no, this can't be happening, I have got to be dreaming."
"Believe what you want, AJ but you know what'll happen. You'll be visited by three ghosts. And see you past, the present and the future. After that you can decide what will happen." And with that she was gone.
AJ shook his head, and went back up to bed shaking his head. It must have been something he ate, he concluded. And tried to go back to sleep.
TBC
(JAG: Christmas Eve)
A light snow was falling on the Judge Advocate General's building, and every creature with in was stirring, trying to get things done before closing time. Every one was high on Christmas sprit, and so happy about celebrating the holidays; all but one.
"TINER!" AJ Chegwidden bellowed from his office.
"Yes sir!" Tiner said, appearing seconds later.
"Where are those documents I asked for?"
"I'm trying to find them sir," Tiner said hoping his grumpy CO would show some mercy.
"I asked you for them three and a half hours ago! I want them NOW!"
"Yes sir!" Tiner said, snapping two and leaving. One the way to the library he bumped into Harm and Mac.
"Slow down petty officer, where's the fire?"
"The Admiral wants the Frederickson documents and I can't find them. He is really mad."
"Why is he mad?" Mac asked truly concerned.
"I think it has something to do with his daughter ma'am. He got a call from her this morning, and a few minutes later he was yelling at her."
"Yelling at his daughter?" Harm said flabbergasted.
"Yes sir, and if you'll excuse me I had better go find those documents," he said and scurried off.
"Hey Harriet!" Harm said seeing the blonde haired woman out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes sir?" She said walking over.
"Is the Admiral coming to your Christmas party tonight?"
"No sir. He called me in his office this morning and said he was tied up with other things."
"That's not like him," Mac said shaking her head.
"I wonder what's wrong." Mac pondered.
"Well sir, what ever it is, he won't talk about it."
"Maybe he'll talk to me," Harm said heading for the Admiral's office.
"Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Mac said watching Harm walk away.
"Yep; I'll pick you up at eight."
"That means eight o'clock, not eight o five."
"I'll be on time."
(In the Admiral's office)
"Sir is there anything I can do for you?"
"Like what?" He replied angrily.
"Harriet says you won't be joining us for the Christmas. Is that true sir?"
"Yes Commander it is, any other stupid questions?"
The tone in the Admiral's voice made Harm stiffen. He knew it was useless to say anything else so he just said no and was dismissed seconds later.
Fade out
By now the JAG offices had grown silent. Only one light illuminated the office. Admiral AJ Chegwidden sat at his desk still filling out paperwork. The phone call he had with his daughter still replaying in his mind.
"Papa I cannot visit you for Christmas this year."
"Why not?"
"I am spending it with mother and father."
"Who?"
"Mama remarried, and I must spend Christmas here this year."
"But-"
"I'm sorry papa," she said and hung up.
AJ was mad, not only was he not spending Christmas with his daughter, but Meredith had broken up with him this morning, but not telling him why. Ten minutes later he had packed up his brief case and headed home, ready to get the holidays over with. He didn't want to spoil everyone's Christmas with his bad mood, so he decided not to go Harriet's party. Not like he would be welcomed there anyway.
When he got home, he went straight up to bed, not bothering to fix himself anything to eat. He was almost asleep, when he heard the strangest noise. He sat straight up, but after a few minutes passed, and he didn't hear it again, he tried to go back to sleep. CLANG! Now he knew there was someone downstairs. He quietly took out his gun and headed downstairs, he creped into the kitchen where the smell of chicken soup inflamed his senses.
"Well aren't you going to come in and sit down?" a familiar asked. A voice that sent chills down AJ's spine.
Peaking around the corner he saw someone he thought he would never see again. There standing over a pot, was Laura. (A/N: Remember her? the judge that he was seeing that died?)
"How-" But he couldn't seem to finish his sentence.
"Sit down AJ, we need to talk."
Wordlessly he complied.
"I know you are miserable AJ. You think you have no family to spend the holidays with."
"That's because I don't. My daughter-"
"Your daughter isn't your only family."
"Yes she is." The Admiral said firmly not knowing where this conversation was going.
"AJ, right now your family is celebrating Christmas at the Roberts; YOUR family AJ."
"There not my family. They have their own lives, they-"
"AJ I would have never pegged you as the type of guy to make excuses."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are," she said calmly, and got up to turn off the stove. Before he could ask what she was doing, she put the lid on the pot and sat back down.
"The soup can wait for now, we have more important things to talk about."
"Like what?"
"Like how you are going to get a chance to see what you'll be missing on by shutting yourself out."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember that story, the Christmas Carol? It'll kinda be like that."
"No-no-no, this can't be happening, I have got to be dreaming."
"Believe what you want, AJ but you know what'll happen. You'll be visited by three ghosts. And see you past, the present and the future. After that you can decide what will happen." And with that she was gone.
AJ shook his head, and went back up to bed shaking his head. It must have been something he ate, he concluded. And tried to go back to sleep.
TBC