A/N: I thought a look into Jacob and Rachel's future might be interesting. I hope you agree.
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November, 2037
The quiet of the evening study hall was broken as Supervisory Special Agent Ray de la Pena walked to the front of the room.
"Cadets, I'd like your attention please. As you know, tomorrow, the Deputy Director will be here to review the progress of your class. Protocol dictates that we have two cadets act as escorts; one male, one female."
A ripple of excitement ran through the room. The cadets were aware of the impending visit, but this opportunity to get up close and personal with the Deputy Director was news to them. They were coming to the end of their training and many of them were anxious about getting their first choice of postings. This would give two lucky cadets a chance to shine. More than a few hands were raised.
De la Pena gave a short bark of laughter. "I'm not here to ask for volunteers. You earn this honor." He flashed a small smile at the groan this elicited. "And luckily for me, you all made it easy. Today you had two tests, on the indoor obstacle course and the shooting range. Two of you distinguished yourselves." His grin returned as the cadets groaned a bit louder. They knew where this was heading.
"One of you had the highest overall score on the range. And while she finished second in the obstacle course, she was the first female cadet to finish. And not only did she finish first among the women, she broke the female cadet record with a time of 3 minutes, 26.7 seconds. Cadet McBride, please stand."
Amid some catcalls, Ellen McBride stood with a smirk on her face. She wasn't universally popular. She was one of the highest ranked cadets in the class and she never let anyone forget it. Many of the cadets regretted their performance that day. If they had known she would have the honor of meeting personally with the Deputy Director, if they had known what the stakes were, they would have tried that much harder in the day's exercises.
De la Pena waited until the commotion died down. "The male cadet finished in opposite order to McBride. While he aced the obstacle course in 2 minutes, 39 seconds, he finished second on the shooting range. Cadet Hood, please stand."
This time the catcalls were more good-natured. Hood was much more popular than McBride. He was as smart as she was but he never rubbed anyone's nose in the fact. And while he was athletic and did well in the physical challenges, he always made sure to extend a helping hand to his classmates.
Isaac Hood got to his feet with a grimace on his face. 'Shit, just what I don't need.' He cleared his throat. "Uh, with all due respect SSA de la Pena, does it really take two cadets to show a visiting VIP around? Surely one would be enough?"
McBride bristled. She was a tall red-head and she had the quick temper her coloring suggested. "If Cadet Hood thinks he should..." She was interrupted in her tirade by the way Hood haughtily lifted one eyebrow. It was something she couldn't do and it annoyed her that he could perform this action so effortlessly.
"What I was going to suggest, sir, was that Cadet McBride could easily handle this VIP by herself."
McBride brightened but before she could respond, SSA de la Pena cut them both off.
"It is established protocol that when the Deputy Director visits, the top female and male cadets act as escorts." He raised his eyebrows, "unless of course you're suggesting the first female deputy director of the FBI isn't entitled to this courtesy?"
"Not at all sir." Isaac said stiffly.
"Good," de la Pena replied. "The Deputy Director will begin her tour at 0900 hours. Hood, McBride, I expect to see you both at the entrance gate at 0830 hours." He glanced around, "as for the rest of you, I expect you to be at the top of your game tomorrow."
As he left the room the cadets exploded; excited chatter filled the room. They couldn't believe two of their own would get the opportunity to interact with the Deputy Director. They had figured the woman would come in, review them during some exercises, maybe make a speech, and then leave. As they were coming close to the time when their files would be reviewed with an eye to their first postings. This chance to impress someone at the top of the food chain was an enviable one.
"What's up with you?" Isaac's friend Sam wanted to know. "You'd actually throw away a break like this? I mean, shit, dude, this is a chance to shine, to get yourself noticed. Maybe you can sweet talk her into giving you a spot in the Hoover Building."
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Like that's gonna happen. I doubt any woman who got as far as her in the Bureau can be sweet-talked." He shrugged, "besides I don't want a posting in D.C. I told you, I want a field posting, somewhere in the Northwest."
"Yeah, well, if you want to hand over this gig to me," Sam grinned, "I wouldn't mind trying. Have you seen her picture? She's pretty good-looking for a woman her age, a real foxy mama. Wouldn't mind trying to get a shot at that."
"Hey, keep a civil tongue in your head!" Isaac glared at Sam. "Show some respect, she's your boss, or she will be if you get out of here."
Sam held up his hands in apology, "Hey, calm down, I was only joking ..." He trailed off as McBride walked up to them. She was still suspicious of Isaac's offer.
"What's the deal Hood, afraid I'll make you look bad?"
A few of the cadets sitting nearby snickered. They shared her disbelief that anyone would pass up the chance to butter up the Deputy Director.
Isaac shook his head in exasperation. "What the hell do you people think is gonna happen tomorrow? That she's gonna swoop in here and pick one of us to be her personal assistant or something?" He gave a small huff of impatience. "Not. Going. To. Happen. She'll make polite chit-chat and then forget us as soon as she's out the door."
"Well, maybe one of us will make an impression, get a shot at a plum job in the Hoover Building." Ellen tossed her head, "You know, some of us have some ambition."
"More power to ya," Isaac replied. "I've made it clear from the start, my dream posting would be in a field office as far away from D.C. as I can get." He checked his watch, "I'm turning in, tomorrow's gonna be a bitch."
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The next morning Isaac approached the main gates to Quantico. He grimaced as he saw that de la Pena and McBride were already there. He sighed as de la Pena held up his arm, pointing to his watch.
"You're late Hood."
"Ah come on, SSA de la Pena," he protested. "It's only 0825, you said we had to be here at 0830, I've got 5 minutes before I'm late."
"Don't you ever listen?" de le Pena asked. "What do I always tell you cadets?"
Before Isaac could reply, Ellen sang out, "If you're not 10 minutes early, you're 5 minutes late."
"With all due respect, sir," Isaac began, "the Deputy Director isn't due here until 0900 hours. Isn't it a little…." He trailed off as a shiny black SUV approached the gates. "Ah shit."
"I said the Deputy Director would begin her tour at 0900," de la Pena said. "You need to listen better."
The SUV rolled to a stop a few feet away. The cadets were surprised when de la Pena's normally stern expression vanished. He smiled and as the door of the SUV opened he stretched out a hand to assist the occupant to alight.
"Rachel, I mean, Deputy Director Young, it's good to see you again."
Deputy Director Rachel Young laughed as she took his hand. "Oh, come off it Ray, we go back to far to stand on ceremony."
Talking freely the two old friends strolled toward the FBI Academy buildings with the two cadets trailing a few steps behind. Ellen only listened with half and ear, she was intent on studying the woman in front of her.
'Yeah, she's exactly what I want to be when I grow up.' With the unconscious arrogance of youth, Ellen thought the Deputy Director looked pretty damn good for her age. Her well-tailored black pants suit displayed a figure that was still slim and the white blouse, which Ellen was willing to bet was silk, with its draped neckline showed just the right hint of cleavage. Her face had only a few faint lines around her eyes, her chin and throat were firm; if Ellen hadn't known for a fact the woman was in her late 50's, she would have sworn she was 10 years younger.
Her jewelry was tasteful and understated; pearls gleamed at her ears, around her neck and on her finger. Her hair was French-braided with the end tucked into a bun; Ellen was so absorbed in trying to figure out if the stands of silver in the blond were natural or the work of a talented stylist that she almost missed the fact the woman was addressing her.
"So you broke the obstacle course record? Pretty impressive."
Ellen decided to go for the humble-brag. "Oh, I don't know how impressive it was, the old record was almost 4 minutes." She laughed lightly. "I can't believe it stood for so long. What was it? 30 years?"
She was surprised to see a frosty look cross the Deputy Director's face. "Actually, it was set 28 years ago. And it was 3 minutes, 27.8 seconds; well short of 4 minutes. You should learn to confirm your facts before speaking."
"Ah, yes, ma'am. But, um...? Are you sure? I, uh mean, I'm pretty sure..." Ellen stuttered.
"I'm sure," Rachel interrupted and arched an eyebrow, "after all, it was my record."
Ellen turned a beet red. Adding to her discomfort was the laugh Hood tried to turn into a cough. Her only solace was the cough turned the Deputy Director's attention from her.
"So, Cadet..."
"Hood, ma'am."
"So Cadet Hood, I understand that while you finished the obstacle course ahead of Cadet McBride your score on the shooting range was behind hers." Rachel's lips curved up, "what'd you do, shoot a poodle?"
"No ma'am." Isaac answered through gritted teeth, "I shot the mom with a baby carriage."
Ellen smirked at the laughter this elicited from the Deputy Director; at least she wasn't the only one to draw the Deputy Director's scorn. She hoped she'd be able to recover the woman's approval during the remainder of her visit.
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It was nearly lunchtime and Ellen was feeling more and more discouraged. Hood had been right about this visit. The job of escort didn't allow for as much interaction with the Deputy Director as she hoped. Their main responsibility to make sure the schedule was kept and to perform introductions at each stop. And even that wasn't strictly necessary, the Deputy Director already knew several of the instructors at Quantico. Once the introductions were made, the woman focused on questioning the cadets in the various classes they visited. Ellen sourly thought she would have had a better chance at impressing the Deputy Director if she hadn't been an escort.
But she guessed she shouldn't be surprised they were basically being ignored. What with her goof about the obstacle course record and Hood's bad attitude they weren't exactly shining stars. She couldn't figure out what was bugging Hood, he was almost openly resentful of the time they had to spend trailing the Deputy Director around; he answered the few questions addressed to him practically in monosyllables. Ellen brightened when it became clear she and Hood would be having lunch with the Deputy Director and SSA de la Pena. She hoped this would be her chance to redeem the bad impression she had made when they met.
"Have you decided what you'd like to request for your first postings?" Rachel asked as the four took their seats at a table in the cafeteria. "Where would you like to end up Hood?"
"Either the Seattle or Portland field office ma'am."
"Really? Do you have family in the area?"
"No ma'am. But I've always been interested in living in part of the country."
Rachel shook her head a bit, obviously dissatisfied. "Really? Never considered a posting in the Hoover Building? In one of the units? A cadet with your record could look higher than a field office posting."
"No, ma'am."
Rachel began pushing the food around her plate with her fork, "How about you McBride? Do you also have a burning desire to be a field agent?"
"No ma'am," she replied promptly. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a field agent. But it's like the difference between being a GP or a specialist. When you're working in a unit based out of the Hoover building you're a specialist; you get to see, work on more interesting, more challenging cases." She jerked her head in Hood's direction and said dismissively, "Field agents are like GP's, they handle routine matters, if something big does come up, they call in the specialists."
Rachel paused, her fork half-way to her mouth, "Interesting, but I don't think my father would have agreed with you."
"Your father ma'am?" Ellen racked her brain, she had checked out the Deputy Director's bio online but here was nothing there about her father. Actually, there hadn't been any personal information.
"Hmm, my father was a career field agent. He worked out of the Phoenix office." She grinned, "And I seem to recall he had plenty to say about your "specialists" who would blow into town from D.C. and try to tell him how to work his cases."
Ellen turned bright red, her embarrassment compounded by the quiet laughter from the adjacent tables. Her classmates had clearly heard her faux pas. Her stammered apologies were cut short when the Deputy Director's assistant came up to the table and murmured something into her ear.
Her expression sobered as she looked over at de la Pena. "Something's come up Ray, I have to leave immediately." She motioned for the others to stay seated as she stood to leave, "You have a good group here Ray," her expression lightened momentarily as her gaze swept over the embarrassed McBride and the sullen Hood, "I'm sure we'll be able to find...appropriate postings for all of them."
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Isaac looked around the cafeteria, a frown on his face. He was disturbed that he couldn't locate McBride. The last week had been hard on her; she had been teased relentlessly by the other cadets. They had even taken to calling her Dr. McBride. It wasn't the teasing that bothered him, he figured she had it coming since she had always been so damned cocky. It was her reaction to this teasing. He expected she would shake it off, instead, she was falling apart; her performance in all of her classes was down and she had actually failed to qualify on the shooting range.
He sighed, it wasn't, shouldn't be, his problem she was reacting so badly to her run-in with the Deputy Director. It wasn't his fault she had made a fool of herself. But he knew he had it in his power to relieve her anxiety. And that was the crux of his discomfort, he didn't want to see someone, even someone he didn't particularly care for, fail when he could do something to help. Making up his mind, he left the cafeteria. After a quick phone call, he went in search of McBride. He found her in her dorm room, lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Hey McBride, how're you doing?" Isaac was surprised to see her quickly wiping tears from her face.
"How the hell do think I'm doing? I've pretty much flushed my career down the toilet before it even started."
Isaac came into the room and nudged her until she made space for him on the foot of her bed. "Oh come on, you can't really believe that? I mean, really? You think the Deputy Director is that petty?"
Ellen sat up on the bed and huddled miserably against the headboard. "It's not that she'd be petty, but come on, I made a fool out of myself in front of her. There's no way I'm gonna get the posting I wanted in Counter Terrorism."
"Not if you keep screwing up like you've done this week. Look, you've worked to hard to let a little thing like this this throw you off your game."
"Little? You've heard everyone all week? Everyone knows I've made a fool of myself."
"Ok, so everyone's been riding you a bit." At her glare, he shrugged, "ok, so it's been a lot." He lifted an eyebrow, "but it has more to do with how you've been since we all got here then what you said to the Deputy Director."
"Yeah, whatever."
Isaac took a deep breath, "you need to get some perspective, get out of here for a while. I'm going to visit my folks, have dinner, why don't you come with me?"
Ellen snorted, "You think going out on a date with you will make me feel better?"
He rolled his eyes, 'typical.' He patiently explained, "No, I'm not asking you on a date. I just think it'd do you good to get out of here for awhile." He hesitated, "and you might want to talk this over with my parents. They, uh, they give pretty good advice."
Ellen thought this over. While she had no intention of spilling her guts to a pair of total strangers, the idea of getting away from the jeers of her classmates, even if only for a few hours, was tempting.
"Yeah, ok, it will be nice to get out of here. But," her face took on a stubborn expression, "I'm not talking about what happened, so you better not either."
"Fine," Isaac glanced at his watch, "we'll leave in about a half hour; I'll meet you at the gate."
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As they drove along the back roads Isaac told Ellen a bit about his family; that his dad taught science and his mom worked for the government. He also had a sister, but she was in grad school. She was surprised to learn how close to Quantico Hood's family home was. He explained this was one of the reasons he was interested in a posting in the Northwest; he had grown up in the D.C. area, attended college in New York, then law school in the District. He simply wanted to see more of the country.
"My mom's having a fit about it though, she keeps trying to guilt trip me into staying in the area, saying how my dad's getting older so I shouldn't move so far away."
"Why? Is his health bad?"
Isaac snorted, "Nah, he's in great shape, he just turned 71 and he's probably gonna live to be 100. It's just my mom doesn't want to let her baby boy go. It's bad enough my sister moved to Boston." He shot her a grin. "Actually, that was my ulterior motive for asking you to come with me. I figure Mom won't nag at me to bad with an outsider there."
"Great." Ellen moaned. 'Just what I need, to step into the middle of a family fight.' "Look, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all. Why don't..."
"Too late, we're almost there. Just hang on a sec, I need to make a quick stop."
Ellen hadn't realized the small town they entered was their destination. Before she could protest, Hood was out of the car and through the door of the small shop. He was back in the car in minutes.
"My mom's favorite dessert," he explained as he handed her a small white bakery box. "Since I'm depriving her of the chance to nag me, I thought I should at least appease her sweet tooth."
A few minutes later they pulled up beside a large, rambling house on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Making their way to the rear of the house, they entered through the kitchen. Ellen hung back as Hood greeted his father. She could see where he got his good looks. Father and son were both tall and lean, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. They also shared the same prominent nose, high cheekbones, and green flecked hazel eyes. The main difference was their hair. Hood's hair was cut short as befit an FBI cadet, but it still held the hint of a curl at the nape of his neck, and was black. His father had a headful of curls but they were white shot with gray. If Hood hadn't told her his father's age, she never would have guessed it.
Isaac motioned for Ellen to come forward. "Dad, this is a classmate of mine, Ellen McBride."
As Hood's father came forward to greet her, Ellen decided the other difference was in the expression in those eyes, on their faces. Hood had a wary, considering look, as if he was constantly on the alert; his father's face was gentler, kinder.
Jacob wiped his hands on the dish towel he had tucked into the waist of his jeans, before extending one to her, "Hello, Ellen, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Hood."
"Oh please, call me..." he was interrupted by Isaac who spied a pile of diced peppers, onions, and squash on the cutting board.
"Ah geez dad, you're not putting all that stuff in the sauce are you?"
Jacob smiled at Ellen. "Getting this family to eat its vegetables is a challenge." He turned to face his son, "so, yes, I am putting that stuff in my sauce."
Drawing the two into the kitchen Jacob kept up a steady conversation as he continued preparing dinner. Perched on a stool at the counter, Ellen gradually relaxed, enjoying the teasing between father and son about the contents of the meal. She smiled shyly at Hood's dad and took the glass of wine he offered. She sat in a pleasant daze; grateful neither man seemed to expect her to contribute to the conversation, even as it turned to Hood's experiences at Quantico. She was jolted out of her daydreams when she realized Mr. Hood was looking at her with a quizzical expression on his face; she had missed the question he put to her.
"Ummm, I'm sorry sir, what was that?"
Jacob's lips twitched. "I was wondering how you were finding your experience at the Academy. Living up to your dreams?"
"Uh, yeah, I mean, yes, it was an incredible experience. I loved it."
"Past tense?" Jacob titled his head. "Has something happened?"
"Ahh, no," Ellen faltered.
She wasn't sure if it was the effect of the wine on an almost empty stomach or the look of concern on Mr. Hood's face. Despite her earlier words, Ellen found herself telling him about her run-in with the Deputy Director. About how she had made a fool of herself in front of the woman and how she was sure it would affect her prospects in obtaining the posting she desired.
"I think you're worrying needlessly," Jacob told her. "I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you think."
"Yes, yes, it was." Ellen said. "I mean, look at what I did; said. First, I break her record, a record she held for sooo long, I mean, it's gotta hurt hearing it was broken. Then I act like it wasn't any big deal, like the record was nothing to be proud of."
"Well... still ..." Jacob said.
"Then" Ellen interrupted, "I go and insult her dad, implying only losers spend their time as field agents."
Jacob's lips twitched, he tried hard to suppress a smile. "I think you're overestimating how hurtful your comments were and," he cocked his head, "I think you underestimating the Deputy Director. I'm sure she wouldn't hold them against you."
"Maybe, but I'm sure I pissed her off. As everyone has been more than happy to remind me all this week." Ellen gave a sigh "I'm on her shit-list for sure."
Ellen was startled to her a low husky laugh behind her. "I think it takes more than that to get on my shit-list," Rachel said coming into the kitchen. "Just ask these two."
Ellen's mouth fell open, "uh, uh, Deputy Director Young, what..."
"Actually, it's Mrs. Hood around here." Rachel crossed the room and kissed Isaac on the cheek. "Hi, sweetie, it's good to see you."
Jacob smiled and pulled Rachel into a hug. "Sure it wasn't a command performance?" he teased her.
"Absolutely not," Rachel said. "Isaac invited himself to dinner," she lifted an eyebrow and titled her head toward Ellen, "along with a friend."
Ellen was embarrassed to think that Hood had been discussing her with his mother.
"Don't get mad," Isaac put in hastily. "I didn't say anything, just that I thought you could use some time away from the Academy."
Accepting a glass of wine from Jacob, Rachel pulled up the stool next to Ellen. "He really didn't say much," she reassured the girl. "Only that you've been having a rough week." She smiled, "your classmates giving you a hard time?"
"Deputy Director Young..." Ellen began.
"Mrs. Hood," Rachel gently corrected her. She shook her head at the look of consternation on the girl's face. "No, you didn't offend me again. Honestly, I'm not that touchy. I only want you to relax and enjoy your dinner right now. I promise though, if you'd like, you can have a talk about your future with Deputy Director Young after dessert."
She gave Jacob a mock glare, "Assuming that Mr. Health Food over there bothered to make dessert."
"No worries Mom, I stopped and got cannolis at the bakery in town." Isaac said.
"Trying to butter me up, huh," Rachel said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to nag you about your choice of postings," she smiled at the relief on Isaac's face, "at least not tonight."
Glancing at the timer on the oven, Jacob announced that dinner would be ready soon. Ellen discovered that while Mr. Hood was the cook, everyone in the Hood family was expected to pitch in to get the meal on the table. Mrs. Hood made the salad while Isaac, with her help, set the table and poured the wine. Conversation over dinner was wide-ranging, covering current events, the fortunes of the local high-school football team, and the last book everyone had read.
Over dessert, Mr. Hood entertained them with an account of one of his student's mishap in the lab. Ellen's eyes widened as it became clear from his account of what they were working on that Hood's dad didn't teach high school science as she assumed. A quick question confirmed that he held a chaired professorship in biophysics at George Washington University. Her mouth fell open as the penny dropped.
"You're Dr. Hood, Dr. Jacob Hood."
Jacob looked at her curiously. "Uh, yes?"
"I mean, you're the Dr. Hood, the very first Special Science Advisor."
"Well, yes, but that was a long time ago."
Jacob began gathering the dirty plates but Rachel firmly shook her head. "Nuh-uh, you know the deal, you cooked so I clean. Isaac and I will take care of the dishes, why don't you take Ellen into the family room; entertain her."
Isaac looked up apprehensively, "Ah, geez, Dad, don't drag out any old pictures, ok?"
"Believe it or not young man, I think we can find something more interesting to talk about than you." With that Jacob swept Ellen from the room. Halfway down the hall, he paused, and nipping in his lower lip, he cocked his head and looked at her, "so, wanna see Isaac's baby pictures?"
Ellen laughed at the look of mischief on the older man's face. They settled down in the family room with a digital frame between them as Jacob narrated the ever changing display. She didn't even realize how, as the pictures scrolled by, Jacob gently drew her out about her past, asking her opinion, framing his questions as if he was only interested in how her experiences might have differed from those of his son.
While Ellen enjoyed the show, she grew thoughtful as the pictures scrolled by. She paused at one, not because she was fascinated by the infant Isaac, but because she thought she recognized the man holding him.
"Yeah, that's Frank Fuller, he's Isaac's godfather." Jacob explained absently. "I don't really believe in that stuff, but it was important to Rachel. And since Frank made me stand up for his oldest, I thought it only right to return the favor."
By her count there were pictures of Isaac not only with former Director, now Senator Fuller, but also with two Executive Assistant Directors, another former Special Science Advisor, and one of their instructors at the Academy. It was clear to her that the Hood family history was closely entwined with that of the FBI.
They had reached Isaac's college graduation pictures when he came into the family room. He reached between the two of them and grabbed the picture frame from his father's hands. "I'm so glad you found something more interesting than me to talk about." He glared at his father, "honestly, you're impossible." He turned his to Ellen, "Uh, my mom wants to talk to you."
Ellen nodded apprehensively and left the room. Jacob watched her leave, "she seems nice. I enjoyed talking to her."
Isaac's glare intensified, "Don't start, I only asked to bring her over for dinner 'cause I felt sorry for her."
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"You wanted to see me," Ellen swallowed nervously not sure if she should call the woman carefully wiping down the counter Mrs. Hood or Deputy Director Young. She compromised, "uh, ma'am?"
Rachel bit back a smile and gestured to the table, "Um, hmm. I promised you a talk with the Deputy Director."
Ellen took a seat and nodded, "Thank you. I'd really like to apologize for my remarks, they were out of line. I..."
Rachel leaned back against the counter and held up her hand. "Whoa, stop right there. Why exactly are you apologizing?" She looked at the girl through narrowed eyes, "and I want the truth. Are you sorry for what you said? Or are you sorry you might have pissed me off?"
Ellen thought for a while, wondering how honest she should be. Since she had nothing to lose she decided to be totally candid. "Both. Pissing off your superior is fine if you're in the right, standing up for yourself or some principle; but to do it for no good reason is stupid. What I said," Ellen shrugged, "Was stupid. About the obstacle course record? I was building myself up by putting someone else down. It doesn't even matter it was your record, it was a childish thing to do."
Rachel kept a straight face, but she was tempted to smile. The younger woman's rationale sounded like something she would have said herself at that age.
Ellen continued, "I also know full well the field offices are the front lines; they get wind of problems before anyone else. But you seemed kind of dismissive of Hood's, I mean Isaac's choice, so I tried to suck up. I should have been honest, said I wanted, a spot in Counter-Terrorism. I was trying to impress you but all I did was give you the impression I'm some kind of arrogant jerk, not the kind of person who should be in C-T."
"I guess I do share some of the blame," Rachel said. "I couldn't resist nagging him a bit about wanting to be posted across the country. You should know though," she turned serious, "what you said didn't offend me, and even if it did, I'd never let personal feelings get in the way of what's best for the Bureau. What really concerns me is your attitude this past week. You screwing up in your classwork and training. As if you had given up, didn't care about your position in the class or within the Bureau." She shook her head at the expression on Ellen's face. "Don't blame Isaac; but after overhearing what you said about your classmates rubbing it in, I grilled him a bit for the details."
"He...he… promised..." Ellen stuttered.
"Oh honey," Rachel laughed outright. "You may be able to keep secrets from your mother, but I was getting intel from hardened criminals and terrorists before you were born. Shit, I still guest lecture on interrogation techniques at the Academy. Getting what I wanted out of Isaac was child's play."
Ellen gaped, then she burst out laughing. As a teenager she had considered her mother nosy; she could only imagine what it had been like to grow up with a mother who was, literally, a trained interrogator. "Ok, I guess I did over-react, let the others riding me get me down."
"Absolutely. Everyone makes mistakes," Rachel smiled faintly. "I once heard a very wise man say that you can tell the caliber of a man by how he handles his mistakes. And you didn't handle your mistakes very well. You let what others thought, said, derail your mission."
Ellen could only nod miserably. She knew she had screwed up the past week.
"What do you think is the single most important quality for an agent?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as Ellen looked at her with a politely inquiring face. "That was not a rhetorical question."
"Uh, um, well," Ellen hesitated a bit, hating herself for getting caught wrong-footed once again by a woman she desperately wanted to impress. She took a deep breath, 'use your head you idiot, think about your training, what you've been taught.' "Perseverance."
"Good," Rachel nodded approvingly. "I would say resilience, but perseverance is pretty close. Learning to roll with the punches, to take what comes at you," she shrugged, "as corny as it sounds, learning to take the lemons and make lemonade." She smiled at the doubtful look on Ellen's face.
"I know, like I said, it sounds corny, but it's the truth." Rachel tilted her head, "you know, my career path didn't follow a straight line to the Deputy Director's office. Early on, I got a transfer I resented, got assigned to a detail I thought was beneath me, my capabilities."
Ellen frowned in concentration, trying to recall what she had read about the Deputy Director's career. "You mean," she said slowly, "the transfer to the EPD? You didn't request that?"
"Hardly," Rachel sniffed. "I was like you, wanted a posting in C-T, which I got. But after a year or so, I pissed off my supervisor" she winked at Ellen, "I was totally in the right but he took the opportunity to transfer me to the EPD." She shook her head reminiscently, "god, did I resent that. But I eventually realized I needed to work hard at that posting, make my mark there, and then, maybe, other good things would happen." She smiled "which they did."
Ellen's eyes widened as another penny dropped. "The EPD, you were Dr. Hood's protection detail? And you and he..."
"Accumulated one of the best case closing records in Bureau history," Rachel interjected smoothly. She smiled mischievously, "and yes, that helped tremendously when the Bureau found out we were married. But I won't lie to you, after I got transferred back to C-T, I had to prove myself every day and not only because of my marriage to Jacob." Her jaw tightened. "The Bureau was very much a boys club back in the day."
"Is that why you think resilience is so important? Because of the way you were treated?"
"Resilience is important for any agent. You need to be able to take what seems to be a defeat, a setback and make it into something you can be proud of. You can't let the opinions, the put-downs of others color your thinking." Rachel shrugged again, "I had to put up with plenty of shit in my time; if I had let it get to me, I wouldn't be the Deputy Director today."
Rachel began questioning Ellen on her aspirations, her background, what she wanted out of the FBI. She was impressed by the amount of thought and hard work that the girl had put into her plans. Ellen was obviously committed to being a special agent. She was struck again by how much Ellen reminded her of herself. The two women discussed possible postings, career paths Ellen might want to consider to achieve her goals.
Ellen sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what she had been told, what had been implied.
"The crap you took because of being a woman? That's why there's no personal info in your biography online isn't it?"
Rachel nodded, "At first, I didn't want to give anyone any extra ammunition to suggest my personal life, being married, having children, was interfering with my duties. Like I said, the Bureau was a boys club back then. I was one of the few women in a position of authority. After Jacob left the Bureau and our kids were getting older, I wanted to protect their privacy." She turned and picked up her ring from the dish by the sink and held it out to Ellen, "lots of people don't even realize this is my wedding ring; they assume I'm single."
Ellen took the ring, it was a cream colored pearl, surrounded by brilliants in a gold setting. She examined it admiringly, "it really is lovely."
Rachel titled her head, a look of speculation on her face, "Would you like to try it on?"
"No, she doesn't want to try your ring on." Isaac plucked the ring from Ellen's hand. He scowled at his mother. "What the fuck is it with you women? Always having to try on, wear each other's stuff?"
Ellen looked at him in astonishment. Before she could say anything, his father entered the kitchen frowning.
"I don't care if you are almost 26 years old and an FBI agent, you watch your language." Jacob's frown deepened. "That remark was vulgar as well as sexist, apologize to your mother and our guest."
Isaac rolled his eyes, Apologize? Yeah right, Mom, McBride, sorry I freaked about my mom asking you to try on the family engagement slash wedding ring.' "Ok, I'm sorry. Look, we have to leave anyway, we need to get back to Quantico before curfew." He held the ring out to his mother.
Jacob took the ring from him. "Allow me." Picking up Rachel's hand, he kissed the back of it before sliding the ring on her finger.
Still holding her hand, he turned back to Isaac, "It's early; surely you don't have to leave yet?" He smiled at Ellen, "we've barely had a chance to talk to the two of you."
Isaac snorted. "You've both had plenty to say all night. No, we need to get back, now."
Following the two cadets out the door they both hugged their son goodbye. Rachel stood leaning back against Jacob, his arms around her as they watched the taillights grow fainter.
Jacob pulled Rachel closer against his body. "So," he asked as he nuzzled her neck, "did you give Ellen the pep talk Isaac thought she needed?"
"Ummhm," Rachel stood, lost in thought.
His hand slipped under her sweater and his thumb stroked her stomach. He gave a small growl of protest as her hand closed over his wrist. "What?"
"Don't you think it's interesting he even bothered? I mean, he must think a lot of her, bringing her to dinner. You know how paranoid he's been about people finding out I'm his mother. If he's willing to risk her..."
Jacob's gust of laughter tickled her ear. "Don't you go there. I asked; he said he brought her over because he felt sorry for her. Plus, I'm sure he's betting she's smart enough to know she'd really be on your shit-list if she outed him." He nuzzled her neck again, "but I have to say I did like her. She's smart, gutsy, and just a little bit cocky." His arms tightened around her. "She reminds me of you."
"I liked her too. I think she has... possibilities."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three weeks later...
Sitting on the stage in the auditorium at Quantico, Isaac Hood sat back with a sigh of contentment. His fingers bushed the brand-new badge which, along with his credentials, he had just received from the Director. Instead of paying attention to the speaker, he let his mind wander. He congratulated himself on his performance over the last twenty weeks; he had managed to fly under the radar his entire time at Quantico. Even today was working out exactly as he wanted. He knew his parents were pissed when he requested they not attend his graduation. But that demand allowed him to negotiate for what he really wanted; an agreement from his mom that she and his dad would slip in to the ceremony after it had started and then they would all skip the reception afterward. With a little bit of luck, no one would see him with them; he would keep his cherished anonymity. He was satisfied he could begin his new posting in the Portland, Oregon field office without any taint of nepotism, without any whispers that he only got where he was due to his mother's influence. Now, all he had to do was to get through this speech and the awards; then he could collect his weapon and prepare himself for the move to the west coast.
He snapped back to attention when he realized the speaker was launching into what were obviously her concluding remarks. He gave a small smile as he watched McBride up at the podium. There had been a flurry of gossip when their fellow cadets discovered he had taken her to dinner. But it died out pretty quickly when neither showed any further interest in the other. She was a different woman since the talk with his mom and her classmates had noted and appreciated the change in her attitude. That, along with some quiet campaigning on his part, resulted in her selection as class speaker. He had heard through the grapevine she had received her coveted slot in Counter-Terrorism. But not in the Hoover Building, she being sent to Boston.
As the Director handed out the final awards, there was a stirring among the newly minted special agents. They were anxious to join their families and celebrate their new status. There was a slight groan as the Director, rather than concluding the program as they expected, launched into a speech about the proud history of the Bureau and the agents who had served in it.
"There one other cadet I would like to recognize today; a cadet who is following his family's tradition of service in the Bureau. He is a third generation special agent following, not only in the footsteps of his grandfather, Jonathan Young, a long-time field agent, but also in the footsteps of his mother, Deputy Director Rachel Young. Cadet, I mean, Special Agent Isaac Hood, would you please stand?"
Isaac got to his feet to the enthusiastic applause of the audience and the shocked reaction of his classmates. As he sat down he could see people twisting in their seats to get a look at him. His friend Sam, who was seated at the end of the row, leaned forward and mouthed 'what the fuck?' As soon as they were dismissed, several of his former classmates cornered Isaac backstage, pelting him with questions.
"Dude, I don't get it," Sam complained. "Why didn't you say something? What? You didn't trust us or something?"
"Maybe he didn't say anything," a voice cut across the chatter of the crowd surrounding Isaac, "because he didn't want to put up with shit like this."
Ellen stood with her arms crossed beneath her breasts, a disdainful look on her face. "Having to put up with a bunch of ass-kissers hoping to get in good with his mother." Several of the graduates turned red and slipped away. She looked pointedly at Sam. "Or having to wonder if his friends had an ulterior motive for hanging out with him."
The rest of the crowd disappeared leaving Ellen, Sam, and Isaac alone.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Sam began awkwardly. "I didn't mean…"
"It's ok," Isaac said. "It's not that I didn't trust you, but…" he shrugged. "I didn't want anyone saying I was riding my mom's coattails. Shit, even most of the instructors didn't know."
"For real? I mean do you honestly think people would have…"
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Hutchinson how naïve can you be? Didn't you see the pack that surrounded Hood once the Director spilled the beans?" She shook her head in disgust. "Most of them hadn't given him the time of day since we've been here."
Sam nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked at Isaac, a hurt look on his face. "But I notice McBride here isn't surprised by the news; you told her and not me?"
Ellen and Isaac exchanged glances. At Isaac's almost imperceptible shrug, she explained. "He only let me know 'cause I made such a jackass out of myself after I screwed up during his mother's visit. That dinner? It was so she could give me a talking-to, get me back on track."
Sam was silent for a minute, digesting what he had just heard, learned. Suddenly he grinned at Isaac. "Ok, dude, it's all good. So you gonna introduce me to your mom? I could use the intro, I've been posted to White Collar Crimes in the Hoover Building."
Isaac gave a small sigh as, over Sam and Ellen's heads he spotted two men bearing down on them. "Tell you what Sam, I'll do ya one better, how about an intro to your new boss?"
Before Sam could respond, he found himself being swept aside by a large black man who enveloped Isaac is a bear hug.
"I can't believe it, our little boy is all grown up."
"Ah, geez, Uncle Felix," Isaac protested disentangling himself from the big man, "Really?"
"That's Uncle EAD Lee to you now," Felix beamed. "I am just so proud of you." He hugged Isaac again.
"Honestly Felix, do you have to embarrass the boy in front of his friends?" asked EAD Terrance Mason. "But I have to admit," he said with a grin, "we are proud of you."
Sam's eyes widened and he mouthed 'Uncle?' to Ellen. She shrugged and nodded.
With an arm still slung over Isaac's shoulder's Felix beamed at Ellen and Sam. "So, gonna introduce us to your friends?"
"Executive Assistant Directors Felix Lee and Terrance Mason, these are my, uh, friends, Sam Hutchinson and Ellen McBride. Uh, Sam's going to be working for you Felix in White Collar Crimes and Ellen's been assigned to Counter-Terrorism under …"
"Actually," Felix interrupted, "she's gonna be working for both of us."
"Yep," Terrance said with satisfaction. "We finally convinced your mom to greenlight the new unit we've been wanting to form for the last few years."
"New unit?" Isaac asked faintly.
"Umhm, your mom, she's old school," Terrance explained. "She still thinks of terrorists as jihadists with explosives. I've had a hell of a time convincing her the real threat to this country today isn't from the Middle East, it's from the Far East, from China. And it's not bombs we have to worry about, it's the threat to our computer infrastructure. We need a presence on the west coast to monitor their activity."
"That's right," Felix chimed in, "my people in the Cyber Division aren't equipped to deal with terrorists; they don't have the skill set. So we're setting up a new unit that will have agents who have training in both areas." He beamed at Ellen, "and Agent McBride here is one of our first recruits."
Isaac was puzzled. "I thought you were basing this new unit on the west coast?" He turned to Ellen. "I heard you were posted to Boston?"
"Just for a training session," Felix said. "Your dad pull a few strings and got her into a special class at M.I.T. dealing with cyber security issues. She'll be moving out west when it's finished."
"I'm looking forward to the move," Ellen said. "I've heard lots of good things about the Northwest."
Isaac looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Northwest?" His expression relaxed. "Oh, yeah, of course, the unit will be based in Seattle, right?'
"Nope, Portland." Terrance informed him cheerfully.
"Portland?" Isaac's voice scaled up a notch.
"I was pushing for either Palo Alto or Seattle since they're the big tech centers," Terrance explained, "but your mom convinced me Portland made more sense."
Isaac looked at Felix and Terrance in shock. Surely his mother wasn't abusing her position in the Bureau just too …. His mind boggled; he realized she took a shine to McBride, but this, this was …
"There you are,"
Isaac spun around to face his mother. "Mom, uh, Uncle Terrance, uh, I mean EAD Mason just told me about the new unit." He scowled at her, "and how McBride will be joining me in Portland soon."
"Yes, I thought Portland made the most sense. It's halfway between the two major tech centers on the west coast; that'll make it easier to bring in consultants when we need 'em." She smiled at Ellen, "and we were lucky to find a cadet with the right credentials for this new unit." At Isaac's look of skepticism Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Were you not aware that Agent McBride spent much of her childhood in Hong Kong? She has a working knowledge of both Cantonese and Mandarin."
Isaac and Sam looked at Ellen with their mouths hanging open.
"My dad's an investment banker, we lived in Hong Kong for almost seven years." She shrugged, "You know how it is, kids pick up languages easier and I kept up with them."
"So it's a win-win situation," Rachel continued. "Felix and Terrance get their new unit and McBride gets her shot at a spot in Counter-Terrorism."
She smiled at the look of suspicion on Isaac's face. "I know you wanted to skip the reception but since James blew your cover, why don't we stop by? I'd love to meet some of your friends." She extended her hand to Sam, "like Sam here, I've heard so much about you, I was disappointed to think we wouldn't get a chance to meet."
Isaac rolled his eyes as Sam stuttered a greeting. Remembering the rather salacious comments Sam had made about his mom he cynically thought since Sam was going to be working in the Hoover Building he better get used to seeing her up close and personal.
"What's taking you so long?" Jacob poked his head backstage. "James is looking for you Rachel. He expects you to help him charm the families of the new agents." He looked pointedly at Felix and Terrance. "I believe he was wondering where you two got to as well."
With a laugh, Rachel hooked her arm through Ellen's and drew the girl along with her as she headed to the reception. Isaac blanched as her overhead his mom expressing an interest in meeting Ellen's parents. Sam was swept out between Terrance and Felix. Isaac gave a small huff of amusement as he overheard Felix telling Sam that if his skill set hadn't been needed so desperately by the Special Science Advisor, he too would have wanted to start out in White Collar.
Alone with his father Isaac decided to vent his frustration. "Really? She really thinks it's ok to do shit like this?"
Jacob opened his eyes wide and spread out his hands, the picture of innocence. "What? You're accusing your mother, no, the Deputy Director, of making personnel decisions based on personal desires?"
"What else should I think? She just now greenlights a new unit Felix and Terrance have supposedly wanted for years? Then she decides the perfect place to base the unit is Portland? And to top it off, she finds, with your help, the perfect new agent to help get it started?"
Jacob worked hard to keep the amusement off his face. While Isaac resembled him physically, seeing him standing there, hands on hips, with one eyebrow cocked and a skeptical look on his face, he was definitely channeling his mother. Jacob felt as if the years had fallen away and he was once again facing an irate Special Agent Young.
"What can I say," Jacob shrugged. "It's merely a series of coincidences."
"Coincidences?" Isaac snapped. "We don't believe in coincidences in this family, remember?" His eyes narrowed, "what did you use to say? Once was a coincidence, twice was happenstance, and a third time enemy action."
Jacob burst out laughing, putting his arm around his son's shoulders, he began to draw him to the doorway. "I'd hardly call it enemy action."
"Yeah?" Isaac was disgruntled, "what would you call it?"
"Honestly?" Jacob replied cheerfully, "I'd say you mother is giving you the opportunity to really follow in her footsteps."