Lt Loren Singer heard the knock on the door and buried her head further
into the pillow. It occurred to her that it was around 12 pm and she had
neglected to turn up at JAG that morning. Miss Powerhungry- Ambitious was
silenced by Miss Human-Heart.
Tears slid from the corners of her closed eyes. She pulled the covers over her head, willing the sounds sights and tastes of her current situation to fade into a cloud of anonymous mist. A haze in which she could forget the pain inside her, the wounds of her soul.
She had slept nearly 14 hours but she was utterly exhausted, her spirit and motivation completely drained. She felt lost, alone and empty inside. In her world there was no one to turn to, no one who cared. She had made sure of that all these years after she made some sought of recovery from her childhood.
"Everybody has a way of coping with this world."
The words of the therapist her mother had thrust upon her. Yes, everyone had a way of dealing with the world. and hers was by shutting it out, along with all the people in it. If they don't know you, how can they hurt you? she had rationalised, all these lonely years. No one would be able to hurt her like her parents again, because no one would ever be that close again.
Crying to herself under the covers, she admitted it was not such a good method of coping. The walls she had built had come crashing down because of a single dream.
* * * * * *
Mac began to get frustrated standing at Singer's door.
"I am not going to wait around all day for that bitch," she murmured to herself, sliding her credit card and nail scissors out of her purse.
Using the nail scissors to pry the lock apart, she quickly slid the credit card between the small gap and wedged the lock open. Turning the door handle quickly, she entered the silent apartment and let the door slam shut behind her.
She took several steps across the wooden floor, the sound of her heels clicking against the ground echoing slightly in the silence. Stopping in front of the open bedroom door, she entered the room cautiously.
"Lieutenant Singer?" she called.
A human form sat upright very quickly, the covers falling away to reveal a very tired looking Singer.
"Ma'am, you scared me," she intoned shakily, her eyes red and her cheeks tearstained.
"I came to ask you why you missed the meeting with the Bentley's."
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I must've overslept."
"Don't worry about it, I cancelled it. We're doing it tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, I should've."
"It's alright, there's a lot of pressure to get them to settle, we need to formulate some sought of strategy anyway."
"Um, I agree Ma'am. If you give me half an hour I can meet you at JAG and we can work on that."
"That would be unnecessary as the Admiral has given both of us the afternoon off..."
"Ma'am, permission to speak freely?" "Denied."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Lieutenant."
"No, let's just forget we're military officers for one minute and just be human beings. What are you doing here? How did you get in? Please, I just want some answers."
"Ok, if we're just being human beings, I was worried about you."
Singer looked taken aback.
"There's something no one knows about you. You're not as cold and heartless as you seem. And I want to know why. I have your file right here," Mac held the folder up for the other woman to read.
"How did you get that? That's private information," Singer protested.
"I haven't read it," Mac assured her, "I also have mine here. How about you get dressed and we'll look through them together?"
"Why? What would that achieve? What would it prove?"
"I think it would be a benefit to both of us. After all we probably do have a long trial ahead of us. Maybe we should get to know each other better."
Singer glared the reluctantly agreed.
"Well that went well enough," Mac thought to herself.
* * * * * *
Lt Singer looked at the reflection of her face in the bathroom mirror.
"How did she do that?" she asked herself quietly, "How did she just get me to reveal my entire past to someone I barely know?"
She had promised the same of herself though.
"Yeah, I wonder what we'll find there? Who knows, maybe she didn't have a date to the formal?" Singer muttered sarcastically staring at the ugly scars on her wrist bitterly. What had she done to deserve this curse called life?
* * * * * *
A/N: I wonder what they'll find out? (Hmm.. It's a little obvious isn't it? A little too predictable I think. Oh well, I tried.)
Oh and the bit on how to pick a lock. that does actually work on some locks. He he, some things you could only learn at my school (a catholic school btw).
Tears slid from the corners of her closed eyes. She pulled the covers over her head, willing the sounds sights and tastes of her current situation to fade into a cloud of anonymous mist. A haze in which she could forget the pain inside her, the wounds of her soul.
She had slept nearly 14 hours but she was utterly exhausted, her spirit and motivation completely drained. She felt lost, alone and empty inside. In her world there was no one to turn to, no one who cared. She had made sure of that all these years after she made some sought of recovery from her childhood.
"Everybody has a way of coping with this world."
The words of the therapist her mother had thrust upon her. Yes, everyone had a way of dealing with the world. and hers was by shutting it out, along with all the people in it. If they don't know you, how can they hurt you? she had rationalised, all these lonely years. No one would be able to hurt her like her parents again, because no one would ever be that close again.
Crying to herself under the covers, she admitted it was not such a good method of coping. The walls she had built had come crashing down because of a single dream.
* * * * * *
Mac began to get frustrated standing at Singer's door.
"I am not going to wait around all day for that bitch," she murmured to herself, sliding her credit card and nail scissors out of her purse.
Using the nail scissors to pry the lock apart, she quickly slid the credit card between the small gap and wedged the lock open. Turning the door handle quickly, she entered the silent apartment and let the door slam shut behind her.
She took several steps across the wooden floor, the sound of her heels clicking against the ground echoing slightly in the silence. Stopping in front of the open bedroom door, she entered the room cautiously.
"Lieutenant Singer?" she called.
A human form sat upright very quickly, the covers falling away to reveal a very tired looking Singer.
"Ma'am, you scared me," she intoned shakily, her eyes red and her cheeks tearstained.
"I came to ask you why you missed the meeting with the Bentley's."
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I must've overslept."
"Don't worry about it, I cancelled it. We're doing it tomorrow."
"I'm sorry, I should've."
"It's alright, there's a lot of pressure to get them to settle, we need to formulate some sought of strategy anyway."
"Um, I agree Ma'am. If you give me half an hour I can meet you at JAG and we can work on that."
"That would be unnecessary as the Admiral has given both of us the afternoon off..."
"Ma'am, permission to speak freely?" "Denied."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Lieutenant."
"No, let's just forget we're military officers for one minute and just be human beings. What are you doing here? How did you get in? Please, I just want some answers."
"Ok, if we're just being human beings, I was worried about you."
Singer looked taken aback.
"There's something no one knows about you. You're not as cold and heartless as you seem. And I want to know why. I have your file right here," Mac held the folder up for the other woman to read.
"How did you get that? That's private information," Singer protested.
"I haven't read it," Mac assured her, "I also have mine here. How about you get dressed and we'll look through them together?"
"Why? What would that achieve? What would it prove?"
"I think it would be a benefit to both of us. After all we probably do have a long trial ahead of us. Maybe we should get to know each other better."
Singer glared the reluctantly agreed.
"Well that went well enough," Mac thought to herself.
* * * * * *
Lt Singer looked at the reflection of her face in the bathroom mirror.
"How did she do that?" she asked herself quietly, "How did she just get me to reveal my entire past to someone I barely know?"
She had promised the same of herself though.
"Yeah, I wonder what we'll find there? Who knows, maybe she didn't have a date to the formal?" Singer muttered sarcastically staring at the ugly scars on her wrist bitterly. What had she done to deserve this curse called life?
* * * * * *
A/N: I wonder what they'll find out? (Hmm.. It's a little obvious isn't it? A little too predictable I think. Oh well, I tried.)
Oh and the bit on how to pick a lock. that does actually work on some locks. He he, some things you could only learn at my school (a catholic school btw).