Title: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…
Author: TnJAGAz
Rating: G/PG [some language, violence, etc.]
Classification: An NCIS: New Orleans Character Farewell.
Spoilers: Anything from Seasons 1-2.
Summary and Author Notes: Okay, I'm a Zoe McLellan fan from way back – yes, I watched her on JAG…so it was more than a rude little shock to hear she would be leaving New Orleans. I thought she and Pride had hashed out that running away doesn't solve anything. I guess the writers don't watch their own show [sorry guys, but you deserve that]. So, here is my take on Meredith 'Merri' Brody's departure. I gleaned some insight on what might happen to her from another Harmon show [no relation] Rizzoli and Isles…. And, Sparty, for those of you who don't know it, is the Michigan State University mascot, a big foam rubber Spartan.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Gary Glasberg, Mark Harmon, Wings Productions, When Pigs Fly Incorporated, Paramount Pictures and Columbia Broadcasting Service Entertainment – this story is for non-profit entertainment of NCIS: New Orleans fans only. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.
Merri looked out her upstairs window at the creeping dawn that was beginning to filter into the yard belonging to the elegant house of Jefferson Parish Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Loretta Wade, her ersatz landlord. The apartment she was staying in was just too small, so Loretta let her move in an upstairs room in her house. Meredith was reluctant at first, but Loretta convinced her being around a family would help her with her sleeping problems, and it did for a while. Then Special Agent John Russo from Homeland Security invaded their lives. So much for sleep.
Merri was careful to tiptoe across the room to her closet, being careful not to put enough pressure on the floorboards to cause them to squeak.
Her big bag, which laid on her bed was almost packed. Funny, after all these years she could still fit her whole world into two suitcases and a suit bag.
As she mused on that she heard a gentle rap on her door. "I saw you light on under your door, and thought maybe…Good Lord, girl, what are you doing?!"
Merri spun around to see her landlord-cum confidante Loretta Wade looking with disbelief at the packed bags arranged around her bed.
Meredith looked away like a child that had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I'm leaving," she said softly as if she was trying not to hurt the woman's feelings.
Dr. Loretta Wade though wasn't hurt by this sudden action by this sometime rash thinking slip of a girl, but she was worried about her. "Meredith, you've never been a bother, you know that. Me and boys enjoyed having you with us."
Meredith Brody's smile grew watery. "I know. And I'm going to miss all of you."
Loretta looked back down at the bags, so few bags to contain a life and then back at Merri. "So where are you going?"
"I don't know yet," Meredith said with a sad sigh as she sat down on the edge of her bed. Dr. Wade could see the beginning of dark circles under the pretty woman's eyes.
"Have you told Dwayne yet, honey? Maybe he'll let you stay at Headquarters or the Bar."
Meredith looked Loretta straight in the eyes. "That won't be necessary, Loretta. I'm not staying in New Orleans. I've got family near DC with problems…" It was a little white lie, she did have family near DC, but they weren't having any problems.
The NCIS Coroner saw right through that. "Not staying…this is about Special Agent Russo and the Heritage Star, isn't it?"
Merri nodded like a convicted felon. "I messed up, Loretta, big time. My actions brought a federal investigation down on top of you, Sabastian, Pride, Chris, Sonja, Patton—I brought it down on everyone I care for."
That got Loretta Wade's dander up. "Now you listen here, missy. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders like that!" "If it hadn't been for you getting close to Russo, he might have killed us all." She sat down next to her and gave her a reassuring shoulder hug.
When Merri looked at her, Loretta gave the woman her best 'Angry Aunt' look. "And don't you worry none about me. I'm a tough old bird and can handle myself."
Merri chuckled at that. "You always make things sound better."
"That's because they aren't as bad, girl, as you think. Come on now, let's go see Dwayne and see what he thinks," Loretta slapped Merri on her knee as she got up off the bed.
But Meredith Brody didn't move. Loretta's heart tore when she saw that haunted look.
"I wish I could, Loretta, but I just can't. I'm responsible."
Dr. Wade didn't like her talking this. She had to snap her out of it. "Now you listen to me-"
But this time Merri went on the offensive. "No, you listen to me. Look, I am at fault and I should pay for what happened…and that means I can't stay here."
Loretta Wade pulled herself up to her full height and crossed her arms. "Is that your final answer?"
Merri was defiant. "Yes."
"Well here's my final answer-and I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer either. You're coming with me to see Dwayne."
Dr. Wade's tone indicated she wasn't going to tolerate any more foolish ideas or actions.
"Right now."
NCIS Headquarters
SSA Dwayne Pride looked over the top of his newspaper at the approaching doctor. "Loretta! You're up early this morning-" Dwayne paused when he saw Meredith Brody was with her. Did you bring Brody in with you today?"
Pride could tell that before she even opened her mouth, that Loretta was worked up about something. She had that look. "Dwayne, you need to talk some sense into this girl. She's talking about leaving New Orleans for good," she practically spit out and then looked back at Merri.
The former Jefferson Parish deputy sheriff looked from one woman to the other. Loretta was tense and Brody looked perturbed. Something was indeed up. "Come on in the kitchen, ladies. I was just gonna start making some breakfast."
Merri and Loretta followed the Head of the NCIS New Orleans branch into the office kitchen. Pots and pans were already arranged near the stove, as were all the ingredients an unopened package of blueberries, a small bottle of nutmeg, and a small can of sugar.
"Brody would you get the cream and eggs out the refrigerator, please?"
Meredith look at him and then over at the refrigerator, as if unsure what to do, then after a moment she nodded. "Um yeah, sure."
As Merri headed over to the refrigerator, Pride turned to Dr. Wade. "Loretta will you check sausage in that pan while I check this rice?"
Loretta wasn't sure what the Head of the NCIS Branch office was up to. "Sure Dwayne," But if it got Merri to drop the idea of leaving New Orleans then it was worth it.
Merri brought a jar of cream and a bowl of eggs over to Pride.
"Thanks," he said with a brief smile as he stirred the rice. He separated the rice and berries into two waiting bowls. "So are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to drag it out of you like you were Laurel?" Pride said referring to his daughter as he opened the jar of cream.
Meredith wasn't expecting to be asked about her dilemma this way, but she quickly recovered. "My actions brought a federal investigation down on top of you and everyone on the team. I'm responsible."
"She just keeps saying that -'she's responsible'" muttered Loretta as she turned over the simmering meat with a pair of tongs.
"How's that sausage look, Loretta?"
"You let it sit just long enough, Dwayne," Loretta said with hint of admiration at his cooking skills. She took a sniff of the cooking sausage. "Umm, hmmm, is that your secret Pride spices I smell that have been added in?"
"Yes ma'am," he said as he added sugar and nutmeg to the rice and berries and then added the cream Merri had brought to him. When he finished with that he looked back at Meredith again. "So why do you say that?"
This time Meredith was right with him. "Because I am."
Pride nodded, digesting this and looked back over at Dr. Wade. "Loretta, dump in the rest of this rice and mix in those eggs for me, please."
Dr. Wade gave her friend and quasi-boss a stern look. "You don't have to give me directions for this, Dwayne. I know my way around a kitchen."
Dwayne chuckled and shook his head. "You're right, Loretta, my apologies." Then the Head of the New Orleans office gave Merri a sharp look in response to her last statement. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Dwayne-"
He silenced Loretta with a look and then turned back to Meredith. "So your solution is to just leave?" he asked pointedly.
Merri cleared her throat before speaking. He always knew how to rattle her cage. "Yes, I have family in the DC area…" Again, the little white lie.
Dwayne though, wasn't buying it. He shook his head as if he had smelled something bad. He sighed heavily and gave her a stony look. "We talked about this before. Are you just going to run away again now that things get tough?"
The words hurt. Especially because they came from him, of all people. But she had to let him know the real reason she was doing this this. "Pride, things are way beyond tough and I caused it! If I hadn't fallen for John Russo, none of this would have ever happened."
He turned his back to her and started to pick up the bowls. Loretta was putting the finishing touches on Opelousas Rice and Eggs and was spooning it out onto a plate. He stopped in mid action and gave her a grave look. "You know, you're right." It was as if it had just dawned on him that she was right after all. Merri felt her shoulders slump slightly. She hadn't expected him to agree with her so quickly, but maybe this time things were bad enough that he couldn't do anything.
"Russo would still be alive and we'd all be dead." Meredith looked at him for moment. She couldn't believe what he was saying.
Dwayne Pride knew what was spinning through her brain. "You heard me. If it hadn't been for your suspicions, we'd all be dead," Dwayne Pride repeated for her.
"So what do you want me to do?" she asked quietly.
He put the bowls down and put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to fight this," he said in that no-nonsense manner of his.
Meredith looked at him as if he had just asked her to scale the Eiffel Tower, naked. "Pride."
He gave her the two bowls. "I didn't say it will be easy, Brody, but you let me handle the Homeland investigation. I protect *the members* of *my team* and *you* are part of *my team*. Do you read me?"
Before she could complete her argument, Chris LaSalle and Sonja Percy made their way into the kitchen area. For moment the group looked at each other in silence.
The former ATF agent gave Merri a hard stare. It didn't look friendly at first.
Then she spoke while continuing to look at Merri. "You're right, Pride. She's one of us. And anyone who wants to tear her apart will have to come through me."
Chris nodded his agreement. "And me. 'Bama don't let bureaucrats ruin good agents, Brody. And you're as good as they come."
Meredith was about to argue with them as well, not wanting to see her friends messed up by her mistake, when Sabastian Lund tumbled into the room. "I just heard. Patton and I can throw a monkey-wrench-"
"Sabastian!" Loretta said harshly indicating whatever his plan was that he'd better scrap it right now.
"Hey, Lady, let the man speak. He's finally making some sense for a change." Patton Plame rolled into the area, exchanging dueling glances with the NCIS Forensic Specialist and his verbal sparring partner.
"Patton," Loretta said warningly to him as well.
But the wheelchair bound computer wizard wasn't about to be stopped by her. He turned his wheeled chair toward her. "Sorry doc, but Merri's one of the good ones. We can't let this happen to her. Not after all we've been through together."
Sabastian gave Patton a piercing look. "What do you mean I'm making sense for a change?"
"You're always going off on wild tangents," Patton said dismissively.
That did it. Sebastian's eyes opened wide in shock. "I'm going off-"
"Guys!"
Pride had heard enough. "Sabastian, Patton, I've got this," he said to them. Then he looked at the rest of the group. "We can discuss this some more over breakfast."
xxixx
Sonja gave the Washington suits a dour look as she stopped typing and looked up at the two women approaching her desk. "May I help you?" she said in a biting tone.
But the younger woman wasn't fazed by this display. "FBI Special Agent Tammy Gregorio," She said flipping out her badge and showing it to her. "I've been assigned to the Heritage Star Incident. This is Department of Justice Special Investigator Justine Quinton who will be overseeing the investigation into what happened and the actions of this office."
"It's Queenton, Special Agent Gregorio," the older woman said, correcting her, none too gently, just to let her know her place. Then she turned back to Sonja and gave her a piercing look. "I need to see Special Agent Brody. Immediately."
xxixx
Justine Queenton stalked away from the table in the interrogation room. "She's a liability to you and your team!" It was the only room for privacy that the Head of the New Orleans office said he had.
"It's your investigation, and I may I add, Homeland's. That made her into a liability in the first place, not her or her actions!" Dwayne Pride shot back with equal venom. Maybe it was the wrong response, but this lady, if she could be called that, pushed all his buttons.
She turned back toward him. "How can you sit there and defend her? She has had such a spectacular record for failure it's wonder she's lasted this long-!"
"You don't have any idea what an asset Special Agent Brody has been to this team!" he fired back.
Justine threw up her hands in exasperation as she walked away from him flipping through some typed sheets she had picked up from the table. "Asset, some asset! First, before she even starts working in this office, she hesitates and lets a suicide bomber rip a hole in USS Moultrie when she was a Special Agent Afloat and all because the guy has eyes like her dead twin sister. Then she lets a fellow NCIS agent be shot and killed while she's on protective duty right here in New Orleans and now this!"
"She was cleared in both of those incidents and she stopped Special Agent Russo," Dwayne said calmly and evenly. Histrionics were getting them nowhere, maybe if he acted as if he was unruffled by her remarks she'd get the point.
That only seemed to infuriate the Justice Department investigator even more. "You don't get it, do you, Special Agent Pride? She's done and you're lucky the President doesn't order the SECNAV to shut down this office over this!"
SSA Pride gave the investigator a cold look he usually reserved for thugs. "Special Agent Quinton,"
Pride could almost see her grinding her teeth in aggravation as she turned back. "It's Special Agent Queeton. Queen-ton! And you're typical of the backwoods rednecks that should be drummed out of this agency! Your bungling that almost blew the Heritage Star to kingdom come!"
The Justice Department bureaucrat couldn't tell whether or not her rebuke had worked, so she tried an attempt at being friend. After all, they worked in sister agencies. "Now, despite all that, at least you have the good sense to employ a good, if somewhat rough around the edges, ATF Agent, and an excellent computer expert on your staff."
Pride looked up at her, arms crossed. Her clumsy attempt to butter him up had fallen flat. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way, Special Agent Queenton, because they, like Special Agent Brody, are part of *my team*."
Chief Investigator Queenton walked over to the table and got right in his face. "Despite whatever power you might think you have, Special Agent Pride, you don't have any choice in this matter. She. Is. Done."
Pride watched her as she gathered the rest of her papers and left the room. "The *hell* I do. And *the hell* she is," He muttered darkly.
xxixx
Chris and Sonja were busy working on reports when Justine Queenton came down the steps from the upstairs interrogation room. She motion to the FBI agent. "Come, Special Agent Gregorio, let's go over your new assignment. Oversight of the NCIS New Orleans office." She looked over at the two NCIS agents to see if they had any reaction to her verbal 'slip'. There was none.
Tammy Gregorio, though, was floored by this announcement, especially in front of these two branch office agents. "Oversight…of this office?"
Queenton nodded, continuing her verbal pricking. "Yes, precisely. And if they slip up even once, I want to know. I want to personally pin Dwayne Cassius Pride's hide to the wall at Justice as a lesson to all those Neanderthals still employed by NCIS that their time has passed. It is a new day."
Special Agent Gregorio wasn't sure how she felt about this 'new job' but decided to make it look good for her boss. "Yes ma'am."
xxixx
Despite Special Investigator Queenton's brutal grilling, Merri survived. But she knew with Queenton deciding that 'this branch office needs some special oversight' that this was far from over. As she mulled that glum thought, her phone suddenly rang. "NCIS….Yes, this is Meredith Brody. Yes, Special Agent Fornell, I do remember you…I hope you are feeling better…. …oh…well…I don't know what to say…. Okay…yes, thank you very much…good-bye."
Sonja was staring at her as she hung up the phone. "Now what was that all about?"
Merri looked as if she could hardly believe what had just taken place during that call. "That was Special Agent in Charge Fornell. He says they want me in Washington to be a part of Special FBI Task Force with oversight on Homeland Security in light of the Heritage Star Incident."
Before Sonja could say anything in reply to this news, Dwayne Pride walked in from outside. Apparently he had heard her too. "I told you I take care of my own," He said with conviction.
xxixx
Meredith Brody had pulled her SUV into the back lot of the branch office. She was making good time getting the boxes she would need in Washington into the cargo area of her utility vehicle. Her bags were already stowed in the back seat and covered with a blanket. She would have been here sooner but Dr. Wade, Danny and C.J. had insisted on giving her a going-away party that didn't break up until sometime after midnight.
As she came out the back entrance with yet another couple of boxes, she wondered to herself if she could have just had Chris or Sonja ship the boxes to her. But then she'd be that much more behind-
"So you're just going to leave without so much as good-bye, Special Agent Brody? After I went to bat for you?"
She turned and her eyes flared in surprise. "Chris! No, I wouldn't do that to you-" Truthfully, she was embarrassed that he had caught her flatfooted. And she wasn't trying to leave without saying goodbye. She just wanted to get this done before everyone came into the office.
Chris LaSalle gave her a mischievous grin. "Good, 'cause I haven't finished with you yet, Sparty."
"Sparty?" she said putting both boxes down beside her SUV.
He gave her a questioning look. "You are a Michigan State University grad, aren't you?"
Merri chuckled wearily and shook her head. "That, was a long time ago," as she put one of the boxes in the almost full cargo area.
That mischievous smile came back again. "And besides I kinda like callin' you Sparty. It fits you. You're gruff and tough when you need to be, but you're soft and squishy too."
She turned around to face him, arms akimbo. "Are you saying I'm fat?"
Chris held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to think you're fat," he replied.
She turned back to her work. "Good, for a moment I thought I was going to have to pound you." She picked up the second box and set it in the back cargo of her SUV with a thump for emphasis.
The former NOPD detective took the hint. "Easy there, Sparty. See? You're livin' up to your name-"
She stopped and they both laughed. Then she smiled at him. "You always knew how to make me laugh," she said honestly. They hadn't talked like this in a while.
Now it was Chris's turn. "Merri, I hate to see you leave the Big Easy. You are a good agent…and a good friend."
Merri Brody nodded. "I'll never forget how all of you, especially you, Chris, made me feel like I had found a home."
"But duty calls, huh?" he replied jutting his chin at the boxes in her cargo area.
She turned, looked at them briefly and then back at him and sighed. "Yep, duty calls."
"Well then, I guess there won't be any harm in doing this."
Before she knew it, he had leaned in and was giving a very 'un-friend' like kiss on her surprised lips. But she didn't pull back.
Chris pulled away, obviously pleased that she hadn't objected. He gave her a shy smile. "Take care, Cher, and remember, Roll Tide."
As he sauntered back into the office, Merri let out a surprised laugh and then saw that someone else had been watching.
"Huh, and when were you going to let me in on that *little secret*, girlfriend?" the former ATF agent said to her friend. She was trying to act jealous, but it was only a half-hearted effort.
Still, Meredith was flustered for the second time. Some detective she was. Two people had snuck up upon her in less than ten minutes. "Sonja! I swear I didn't even know about that one. I didn't know he even felt that way about me, I swear!"
Sonja came over to the SUV with a half grin on her face. "Uh huh. You best be careful, Pinocchio, your nose might start to grow…" she teased.
Merri shook her head at that statement and then became serious. "You know I'm gonna miss you, right?"
"Don't you start with that stuff, Miss Special FBI Agent, or you'll start me crying again," Sonja warned, then grabbed her in a bear hug which Meredith gratefully returned.
"Take care of yourself, Sonja," Merri whispered to her.
Sonja swiped at a tear running down her cheek and sniffed. "You too, girlfriend. You give Homeland and Justice hell. And don't be surprised if I make it up there to your fancy new office one day."
Merri gave her a teary smile. "I'm counting on it." They both sniffed and laughed at the same time.
"Maybe I'll drag Chris along with me. Hell, I'd probably have to lock the doors to keep him from jumping in the car with me."
They both laughed hard at that one. Not because it wouldn't happen but because it probably would.
Merri swatted playfully at her. "G'wan, git. Now you're really gonna make me cry."
As Sonja went inside, two more coworkers appeared.
Sabastian looked at the packed SUV. "So, I guess you're just about ready to hit the ole road," he said stating the obvious. It was a lame conversation opener and it was pure Sabastian.
Merri gave both of them a bright cheery smile. She wanted to. "Sabstian! Patton! I can't thank you two enough for what you did for me helping me with finding out what happened to my sister." It was true that Sabastian did most of the work but 'Triple P' as he called himself couldn't resist a good puzzle when he heard Sabastian talking about it.
"Well, I can't take all the credit…well, then again, maybe I can – we were some team…weren't we?" Sabastian said proudly.
Patton wasn't about to let him get away with this. "Hey, I did all the computer tracking-"
"Only after I convinced you-" Sabastian shot back.
"Yes, you both were," she said stopping the argument. She gave both a chaste kiss on the cheek.
It was obvious that Sabastian was turning a shade of pink. "Well, um, goodbye, gotta go, lab stuff to do, you know…."
He quickly left, leaving Patton Plame sitting in front of her. He reached over and hugged her.
"Take care, girl, see you in Cyberspace."
And with that, turned and rolled back inside.
"So are you ready?"
Meredith turned toward the sound of the voice and saw her boss standing there. "Pride."
"Now, Fornell won't be in the office for months, but he expects you to give him daily reports on your progress," the Head of the Branch office warned.
Merri nodded. "I won't let him, or you, down, Pride."
Pride gave her that famous faint smile of his. The one that said, I know you won't. "And remember, we're just a phone call away if you need anything."
She walked over to him. "Pride, I can't-" she began.
He held up a hand to stop her. "You don't have to say it. Just remember, I make occasional visits to DC and I expect to see some of that southern hospitality you learned while you were with us."
Meredith Merri Brody began grinning at this 'heads-up'. "You can count it," she replied.
Then she did something uncharacteristic for her. She reached out and hugged Pride. "Thank you," she said quietly as they continued hugging, "for everything and for believing in me."
Pride pulled back so he could see her face. "It was never an issue, Cher. Now, you best be getting on the road. You've got miles to go, sister."
'Laissez les bon temps rouler' he whispered to her as they parted and she got into her utility vehicle.
'Let the good times roll'
-Finis