"The long road to justice" - Ch06– "Coming out, new traditions"
AU: a speculative story, imagining the unpublished back story of Faith Coleman in the JAG supporting cast, who crossed over into the early days of NCIS. (See Ch 01 for disclaimers).
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself".
Summary: this is a fictional story, in a fictional (slightly) Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005 and its spin-off.
Canon: Linking the story into the Season eight "death of Loren Singer" episodes, then onwards to a couple of early (S1/S2) NCIS episodes as the chapters develop. Mike
A/N: Ch06 will be quite narrative-heavy, because I need to move the plotlines forward over the Independence Day weekend of 2003.
A/N published 24APR2021: because there is no "back-story" to so many of the JAG characters, I have let my imagination roam around Faith Coleman's possible back-story - and I hope you enjoy it. This will eventually circle around into the events of my story "Red Mittens and a Rose Garden". Comments and PMs and suggestions are most welcome; I shall update periodically. Grateful thanks to my wonderful beta, Syrae.
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Ch06– "Coming out; new traditions"
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Friday 4th July 2003, 10:29hrs EST
Home of RAdm AJ Chegwidden, McLean VA
A phone call at 09:00hrs had alerted the Admiral to the need for two of his attorneys to consult with him ahead of the Independence Day sports event. He had the coffee brewed ready to greet his guests, when his two young lawyers arrived and knocked at his front door. He opened the door to find Faith Coleman and Jack McBurney standing there, looking nervous.
"Good morning, Admiral."
"Commander, Major, welcome; now, then how may I help you this fine morning…"
The Admiral paused, looking at his two young attorneys.
"Do you two realise that you are holding hands?"
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Immediately – and in perfect unison – Faith and Jack each reached across with their free hand, to re-inforce the pair of hands. Smiling at each other, they then turned to face the Admiral. Guided by a quick nod from Jack, it was Faith who responded as the senior officer present, as the Admiral struggled to keep a straight face.
"Yes Admiral, we do, we are – and this is the reason for our visit with you, ahead of the sports day. You see, we are at a critical stage in our developing rel- err- friendship and we need advice, I guess…" She looked at Jack, who nodded again. "...along with your approval/consent/clearance to start dating. We need to take this further and to see where it goes" – she paused, before smiling sheepishly – "and we don't have any control over that next bit."
Jack took up the story, still maintaining the two-handed hold on Faith: "You see sir, we are at the critical point where we need to 'come out' as it were."
"Please come in and sit; this coffee is too good to waste." Chegwidden smiled once more as the two younger officers before him maintained one linked pair of hands as they moved towards his sofa.
"First question: how long has this – secret – between the two of you been developing?"
Jack nodded to Faith; Chegwidden noted that the couple were taking turn and turn about as to who acted or who spoke.
"Well Admiral, after the Harmon Rabb case, the Major and I got together for a meal because Jack – err, the Major – regarded it most sportingly as my win. In fairness, NCIS uncovered the exculpatory evidence, but I wasn't going to pass up a free meal… and then we got talking."
She sipped her coffee, nodding to Jack. He took up the story. "Faith – err, Commander Coleman – and I had a lovely evening after we had started with a run in Rock Creek Park in the morning. We spent the day together and the Commander – oh heck, I'm going to call her Faith, because she is Faith to me and we are not in the office – took me through a summary of her life story. Subsequently I updated her on mine and we have grown closer over the past two months – despite the best efforts to send us around the world simultaneously in opposite directions!" Faith briefly laid her head on his shoulder before sitting upright alongside him once more.
Chegwidden smiled. These two were finishing each other's sentences and sitting with barely a piece of rice-paper between them. They were clearly connected.
"Ok Jack and Faith – would you allow me to phrase this in terms of first names as you are in my home? By the way, my first name this morning is 'sir'!"
Jack and Faith smiled and laughed, relaxing visibly. Chegwidden continued.
"So no-one, a far as I know or have heard, has suspected that you two are moving closer. You have done very well to keep this out of the office. I understand that, with the sports day today, it is sensible – assuming you both feel confident and comfortable – for you to go public. I'll support this and I wish you well. Formally, let's book time early next week, when you are both in Falls Church, for us to look at some longer-term career counselling time and to discuss how far ahead you two see this mapping out? Miss Coleman; because this may well impact you as the female when you two decide to start a family (which I presume is a part of the long-term…)" He paused, looking at Faith's waist: "Is there anything I need to know now, in that regard?"
"Oh Lord, no sir!"
Faith, once more, turned to look sideways at Jack. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, muttering "go for it, lady sailor". She turned her gaze back to the Admiral. "Sir, today we start in public. However, after almost eight years as a widow, I have now found another man with whom – in all seriousness – I could spend the rest of my life. It has been a long wait since Alan died and I am confident in Jack. If that is how things play out, then this will be a relationship in every meaning of that word. But we are nowhere near being ready to make that commitment or take that step – just yet."
She sipped her coffee and waited whilst Chegwidden processed the statements. Eventually he nodded.
"OK, proceed at caution with my blessing. Go public, but remember that, if this does not end as well as you both would hope, you will be continuing to work together until you head back to San Diego and Quantico. As you know, HQ is short-handed at present, so you may both be around Falls Church for some time to come. When we meet next week, my proposal will be to formalise what we have spoken about today – and we shall possibly need to look at the composition of the legal teams for court cases, so think about who you might want to work with."
Faith smiled and raised her head. "Sir, I can answer that right here and now. I would be happy with Carolyn or Traci or Bud. I'm also assuming that Mac – Colonel Mackenzie - will return at some time; I'd be fine working with her."
"Agreed, Faith. Jack, how about you?"
"Exactly the same, Admiral; anyone, anytime, anywhere. In short, whatever it takes to enable me to spend the time I need with this wonderful woman."
Faith's jaw dropped as she looked at the man who had just made such a lovely, romantic statement to their mutual boss. "Oh wow, Mister Marine, thank you."
The Admiral drained his coffee mug and placed it on the tray; he looked at his two juniors, noticing their relaxed posture and confident smiles.
"OK, I think that you two have all your answers. I'd suggest that you brief Harriet Simms – as a priority task - when you arrive at the sports ground; she just loves romantic stories and you may find she'll dial down any tension when you come out to everyone. Mind you, you may just decide on shock value!"
"No sir, we'll go for the gently approach. We want people to know, accept then leave us to get on with the next stage of this – whatever it may be." Jack was once again holding Faith's hand.
"Very well then: I'll see you at the sports ground later. Thanks for letting me know and I wish you the very best of luck."
"Aye-aye, sir."
"Thank you, sir."
Faith and Jack headed back to their car. As they settled in, Jack leaned across the centre console and kissed Faith, passionately but gently.
"One step down, my darling. Plenty more to go on our journey."
"Oh yes, my love. But this is a journey that I am very-much looking forward to making with you."
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Friday 4th July 2003, 12:15hrs EST
Falls Church Community College sports ground – JAG sports festival
Harriet Roberts was laying up trays of chicken legs by the barbecue, under their protective wrappings, when she saw two people walking towards her hand-in-hand.
"Oh. My. God!"
"Harriet, what is it?" Bud was instantly concerned for his wife. Momentarily dumbstruck, she just pointed towards the parking lot – and the two people strolling hand-in-hand across the outfield.
Bud, slow on the uptake as so often happened in social settings, swivelled round to follow her finger. Then he dropped the sack of charcoal – fortunately onto his prosthetic foot!
He smiled. "Yeah, the Singer case threw them together. I'm very pleased for them."
Then he moved the charcoal and went back to wrapping napkins around the plastic cutlery.
"How does he do that?" Harriet fumed about her husband to herself, as she planned on how to deal with the juiciest piece of gossip to hit JAG HQ so far this weekend, since news of Loren Singer's pregnancy had broken.
Jack and Faith walked up, made their introductions and then offered to assist Harriet and Bud in preparing the table.
Later, standing alongside the taller woman, Harriet periodically looked across at Faith Coleman. Only occasionally did she observe the raven-haired attorney stealing a glance at Jack, as the Marine helped Alan and Jackie Mattoni – with their adopted daughter Dar-Lin and their younger daughter Annabelle - laying out the markers for the softball game.
She observed that Faith seemed very calm – definitely contented – and far from the OCD pencil-sharpening obsessive who had arrived in Chegwidden's office in April.
"This could be interesting", she thought to herself.
Then the Admiral blew his whistle and announced: "Let the games begin."
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Friday 4th July 2003, 18:12hrs EST
Faith Coleman's apartment block, Chevy Chase MD, 20815
"Oh wow, what a wonderful day. Thank you Faith for making me a very proud man."
"Same here, Jack; I think everyone approved?"
"Oh yeah – once they had recovered from the shock! Oh brother, Bud Roberts looked totally shocked at first."
"Well, that may have been because he dropped the sack of charcoal on his foot when he saw us! I thought you did very well, helping him to recover, then encouraging him to doing 'manly things' with the barbecue." She smiled: "I was very proud of my Marine, helping out the Navy!"
He leaned in and kissed her upturned lips. The day had been enjoyable, although several of their colleagues had been somewhat surprised when they arrived together, walking across the park arm-in-arm. During the day, several of their colleagues – particularly Traci Manetti, Carolyn Imes and Alan Mattoni – had spent time with them, encouraging them to make a go of it. The day had been a good one and the JAG team had carried the day against all opponents.
"Do you need anything in the spare room?
"Nope, everything is perfect. Now, in the principle of reciprocity: do you have any spare capacity this evening, for me to take you out and treat you to a meal, by way of thanks for the accommodation this weekend?"
"I definitely have space for cake and ice cream; how about we go out for that, then after the ice cream let's eat in for the rest of the weekend?"
"You mean a weekend of domestic harmony? Oh yes please." Jack was very happy with the idea.
Faith sobered for a moment. "Then Jack, with ice cream on board, it will be time for me to give you a further reveal about my past life."
He took her hands, gently brought them together and kissed them. "Only if you are sure and only if you are ready, my darling Faith."
"Jack, it is past time. Yes, I am ready and comfortable, to tell you more of my story."
"OK then; will you direct and I'll drive us to get the ice cream and cakes?"
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Saturday 5th July 2003, 19:50hrs EST
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, 7315 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
"OK, welcome to our first, official, Admiral-endorsed and JAG-blessed out-in-the-open, honest-to-goodness Jack-and-Faith date".
Faith's eyes focussed on Jack as he held open the door of the restaurant. She stepped through, to meet the greeter and confirm the reservation. Once they were seated at their table, she turned to look at Jack.
"I am *so* sorry about falling asleep after the ice cream last night. I really had wanted to tell you the rest of my story."
He smiled. "No problem, it can wait; I guess that the fresh air, the early call on the Admiral, the exercise plus being on show to our colleagues on our first official date would wear any girl out. Plus, you are worth waiting for, Faith."
"Hey, less of the 'girl' – you have a fully-grown woman sitting here, enjoying being out with her man."
"Fair point, Faith: so let me state, for the record counsellor, that I am truly grateful to be with, and appreciative of, my woman." He leaned forward, reached for her hand and then kissed her knuckles once again. This was becoming their personal sign of affection and she loved him for it.
"OK, food first – I still owe you the final part of my tragic history."
He waved a dismissive hand across his face. "Faith, we will get to that at some point - and I do not care how long I have to wait. It is history and it happened more than half your lifetime ago. Let's leave it for now. I want to plan a summer with my lady and maybe prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas, skiing in Breckenridge, water-skiing in Nassau – everything about *now* in 2003, which is far more important than 1985."
He took both her hands this time, gazing directly into her eyes as he continued.
"It is in the past; let it stay there until the guilty man is found – we'll have enough time then to consider the crime, hopefully after a few more years of building the robust, bomb-proof relationship which I certainly want for us. But I want you to concentrate on the here-and-now. Deal, Lady Sailor?"
She nodded. "Deal, Mister Marine. Now, after all the exercise yesterday, would you fancy sharing a chateaubriand?"
"Hell yeah!"
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Saturday 5th July 2003, 22:22hrs EST
Faith Coleman's apartment block, Chevy Chase MD, 20815
Arm-in-arm, Faith and Jack walked into her apartment. The Saturday evening had gone very well and they were both completely relaxed. Their decision to use a taxi both ways had made sense in view of the wine – and the cognac with which they had each finished the meal. Jack rejoiced that they were completely and utterly comfortable in each other's company.
Jack watched as Faith locked the outer door, took off her shoes and wiped them before placing them in the cupboard which he now knew was the "to be polished" cupboard. He didn't find Faith's little "quirks" to be annoying – he just regarded her little "rituals" as endearing. He knew that he had already fallen – head-over-heels, hook-line-and-sinker - for the raven-haired lawyer.
"Coffee?"
"Actually, I think I'll go for hot chocolate – but please feel free to help yourself to coffee."
"Nah, let's start a new Saturday evening tradition; I'll start warming milk if you could show me where you keep the hot chocolate."
Faith obliged with her knowledge of her kitchen and, ten minutes later, the two lovebirds were relaxing and snuggling on the sofa. Once more, she felt entirely comfortable with the man upon whom she was resting.
There was just another inevitable step in their relationship which she wasn't ready to take - yet. She knew that she would have to face physical intimacy at some point, but it was clear that Jack was waiting for her to set the pace – and she loved him for his restraint. He didn't even know all the details of the event that had made her the way that she was – but she knew that she wanted to tell him. He had also re-assured her that he *would* wait for her to be ready – and she loved him for it.
She thought again – did she mean love? Rapidly, Faith reached the conclusion that yes, she definitely *did* love this man. He knew about Hope and he knew about Alan. She now just needed to take him through that terrible night in Allentown, 18 years earlier.
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Sunday 6th July 2003, 09:17hrs EST
Faith Coleman's apartment, Chevy Chase MD, 20815
Jack knocked on the door of Faith's bedroom and announced "Coffee, my lady?"
"Yes please – come in Jack."
She scooted across the bed, leaving him a space to perch which she patted with her hand.
Jack settled and handed her a cup of coffee. He noted that her nightdress came up to her throat and he presumed that it wasn't a short "baby-doll" version either. This was something for exploration at a later time and date. For now, he was pleased to drink in the sight of Faith's face, framed in her dark hair, recently-awoken after what had definitely been a refreshingly solid night of sleep.
"Faith, I'd like to propose a new tradition for Sunday."
"Oh yes, propose away Mister Marine." Her eyes were sparkling and he realised how little makeup she normally wore. Her freckled face glowed in the morning sunshine.
"Well, we – all being well – go running every Saturday that one or both of us is in DC; the Rock Creek Park tradition is well-established and I am grateful that you've included me in it."
"It was an easy tradition to expand and I am glad of your company. So, what's the new suggestion?"
"Well, we could either go running on Sundays as well through the summer, or get out on bicycles to explore and continue our fitness programmes."
"You know, I like the idea of cycling; there are some great cycling routes around DC and this area. Let's explore the options after breakfast. Shall I make a start on breakfast while you shower and get ready for the day?"
He reached out, taking her coffee cup momentarily to avoid spillage. "Faith, I think I would like to establish another Sunday morning tradition."
Her eyes flashed momentarily with alarm, so he rapidly continued his suggestion: "No, not that (well, not yet anyway!): but how about we cook breakfast together?"
She relaxed and stretched, reached out for her coffee cup which she drained, then nodded.
"Agreed; let's meet up in the kitchen after we are showered and I'll dig out an extra apron. Good idea, Jack."
She hesitated before looking him in the eye, as she settled back onto her pillow, biting her lip; she was getting closer to making a decision, but it clearly wasn't easy for her. She played with her coffee cup and saucer, her body stiff with indecision. Jack just sat quietly on the side of the bed, waiting for his lady to come to her own decision..
"Jack, don't leave just yet. I feel warm and comfortable, so this is probably the best time to tell you about what happened on my 17th birthday."
Jack sat quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding Faith's hands. "I'm here, darling; if you want, we can do this another day, another year even. What matters is that we do this together and in your timing."
She smiled nervously at him, then nodded decisively and took his hand. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Well, I was walking back from cheerleading practice, to meet up with my parents to celebrate my 17th birthday…"
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And thus it was that, after her explanation of that night in history, Faith and Jack initiated another tradition – cooking Sunday breakfast together. This tradition would survive multiple postings, marriage, children and eventually the appointment of Captain Faith McBurney-Coleman as XO to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, supporting the newly-appointed Superintendent, Admiral Harmon Rabb Jr as he built his team in the mid-2010s (*A/N: I need to line this up with the timeline of "Red Mittens and a Rose Garden)*
But many more experiences and adventures would lie ahead before Annapolis loomed on the horizon - along with two more painful episodes in their lives.
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End of "The long road to Justice" Ch06– "Coming out, new traditions".
Mike, United Kingdom, 24-04-2021