Author's note: Once again, this chapter contains segments which some may find offensive. They do not reflect the author's opinions.
Second Author's note: On the first revision of this chapter, a reviewer made a comment that made a lot of sense about the ending… and thus, its been revised. I think I found a much better way to progress with this storyline anyway…
Episode 5:
Having an Off Day
JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA- 0844, September 3
Admiral Chegwidden looked down at the paperwork in front of him, the report that Harrington had turned into him the moment they had returned from California. "It took a lot of savvy in investigating and working out a deal that saved every party involved from a messy trial. You both did a very sound job, and I'll admit to say that I am impressed."
"Thank you, sir." Harrington answered, "It was definitely a team effort."
Chegwidden regarded that statement carefully. "That's what I had heard." The Admiral had decided to do some follow-up in the case after receiving Harrington's report, and had discovered that the Major had not embellished the report at all. He worked well with Lt. Singer, someone who, judging from her co-workers behind-the-scenes complaints, did not necessarily play nice with others. "If you two keep working like this, I may not ever separate you."
Then again, the Admiral was certain he was not the only one to have noticed a slightly different mood about Lt. Singer since Major Harrington had transferred. It was as if the rough edge that made Singer almost impossible to deal with had been sanded away. The Lieutenant was still a handful, make no mistake, but it seemed to be a somewhat manageable handful...
Harrington had mentioned that he had known Lt. Singer at Dartmouth, but Chegwidden couldn't believe that they just shared classes. There was a level of comfort between the two that went beyond classmates. Just how far beyond was up for debate, something that the Admiral didn't feel was any of his business. As long as Harrington managed to keep Singer at least marginally docile, they could almost be armed bank-robbers in their spare time for all he cared.
"You two might as well stick around, it's almost 0900." Chegwidden noted, and minutes later, the rest of his merry band filtered into the office. After the customary salutes, the group got down to business.
"Commander Turner, Major Harrington, this one is for you." Handing over the case file to the two, the Admiral carefully gauged Lt. Singer's reaction, which didn't change... at the moment. "I would have liked to see you prosecute this case, but the Chiefs of Staff selected his own prosecutor."
Turner opened the file, and after looking over it, handed it to Harrington. The Admiral was in the process of handing a case over to Commander Rabb, so he almost didn't see Harrington grimace like he had been punched in the gut.
"Is something wrong, Major?"
Harrington jerked like the Admiral had slapped him in the face. "Oh, no, sir."
Chegwidden wasn't sure he believed his new officer, but was too busy at the moment to give it much further thought. "Very well, Major Harrington." The Admiral then returned to his task of handing out case files.
Bullpen- 0935"Well, we might as well get started." Sturgis commented as they strode through the bullpen. "Good job on the Clive case, by the way. I'll admit that I was concerned that it would be too much for you and Lt. Singer to handle."
"It was a concern I shared for a moment myself." Harrington admitted. "I just had this feeling right from the get-go that it wasn't going to be pretty."
Sturgis couldn't help but notice that Harrington seemed distracted while answering the question. "I'm just amazed that you were able to keep Lt. Singer on her leash through the debacle."
Harrington did not take that comment very well. "There was no leash needed, Commander. We work smoothly together, sir."
Sturgis raised his hand, taken aback by the veiled hostility in Harrington's tone. "Listen, I'm not trying to insult anybody here. However, I'm not going to step around the issue like some others around here seem to want to." Sturgis continued in a voice that bordered on threatening, "My experience with Lt. Singer has been one of lies and mean-spirited behavior."
"Permission to speak freely, Commander." Harrington sniped.
"Granted."
"I don't think I am the one you should be talking to about this. This conversation borders on petty gossip. Let me assure you that I am already familiar with the way Lt. Singer behaves. I was on the receiving end of her venom for a good many years." Then with a narrow glare, Harrington added, "I could say that my first few meetings with you haven't given me a much better picture of you than the one you painted of Lt. Singer. You seem cold, mean-spirited, and somewhat backstabbing considering the fact that you are calling her a liar and a bitch to my face."
Then Harrington's expression turned melancholy, "However, from what others have told me, I know that you are anything but. We all have different personality projections depending on the person we are interacting with, Commander, and to judge a person based on one aspect of that personality seems rather unfair. I'll admit that Lt. Singer can be very difficult most of the time, but she does have her gentle side if you are patient enough to find it."
As Harrington prepared to return to his office, Sturgis asked, "How long did it take you to find the softer side of the porcupine?"
Expecting one of Harrington's smiles, Sturgis was somewhat surprised when the Major replied flatly, "About three years..."
Sturgis smiled back, but couldn't help but think that something was bothering his current case partner. "You know, if you would like to be partnered with Lt. Singer for the majority of cases from here on, you can just say so... I'm certain no one would complain."
"What do you mean?"
"I noticed that you seemed... a little disappointed when Admiral Chegwidden handed us this file." Sturgis concluded, "I figured that it had to do with the fact that you weren't working with the Lieutenant."
Harrington waved off the suggestion. "No, that's not it at all. I... just have some other things on my mind, that's all."
"What sort of things, Major?"
"With all due respect, sir, they are of a personal nature." Without giving Sturgis a chance to respond, Harrington disappeared into his office.
Singer just about leaped on him as he went to take his seat. "What was that about?" She asked, her voice carrying a hint of accusation.
"Commander Turner wanted to set up times for us to meet and plan our strategy."
"What did he say about me?"
Harrington then whirled around to face her, growling, "I do not have the patience to deal with your paranoia today, Lieutenant. Everyone is not always talking about how much of a bitch you are... although you might very well deserve it!"
Had she gotten that tirade from anyone else, Singer probably would have boiled over in anger, and hellfire would have rained down upon her unsuspecting victim. But as she watched Harrington just about fall into his chair, dropping his head into his hands dejectedly, the only emotion that flooded her was concern. Steve did not normally blow up on people, and on the rare occasion that he had, it meant something was pretty seriously wrong.
"All right, spill it... what's eating at you?"
"It's this case I've been given..." Harrington began, motioning at the copy of the case file that Sturgis had made for him.
Taking the hint, Singer picked up the file, and opened it. "Marine Gunny Sergeant William McDowell... oh my God..." She muttered, "Is this the same...?"
"You know as well as I do that it is." Harrington muttered.
"You can't possibly take this case, Steve. You have to tell the Admiral about this."
"What, and tell him I can't do my job? I can't just pick and choose who I argue for."
"There are certain situations in which withdrawing from a case is perfectly understandable, and this easily qualifies as one of those situations." Singer argued. "This man..."
"I know what he did, Loren. I was there." Harrington interrupted.
"If you won't tell the Admiral about this, I will."
Harrington stood, glaring at his officemate, "You most certainly will not. I can handle this just fine."
"But..."
"Now you are going to promise me that you will not tell the Admiral about this."
Singer relented. "All right... I won't report this to Admiral Chegwidden."
"Thank you, Loren." With that, Harrington retrieved the folder from Singer's hands, and began working.
Lt. Singer also took her seat, as she did so thinking, "However, there might be someone else I can report this to."
Commander Rabb's office- 1300"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Harm asked warily. Lt. Singer was not one to just drop by for a chat. She wanted something.
"I was just wondering if you could deliver a message along to Commander Turner for me, sir." Singer asked, trying very hard not to appear nervous.
"Why can't you just deliver the message to him yourself, Lieutenant?"
"Because I'm sure you realize that Commander Turner and I really do not have the best of working relationships, sir. He'd be considerably more likely to listen to you than to me."
Harm regarded Lt. Singer carefully. "Just what message are you asking me to deliver?"
"I would like Commander Turner to remove Major Harrington from the McDowell case." Singer said, then immediately cringed. That was not the way she wanted to word that request.
"Why? Are you hoping to be assigned in his place?" Harm accused. That sounded a lot like the old Lt. Singer.
"Actually, sir... I don't want that case, either." She replied.
"I bet you don't..." Harm replied, not in the least bit convinced.
Singer inhaled, "I can see that you don't believe me, sir. Fine. I won't waste your time any longer." She purposefully strode out the door of Harm's office, leaving the Commander to ponder the sort of friend who would try to stab her friend in the back.
Breakroom- 1320Lt. Singer looked down at the lunch she had brought with her as it came out of the microwave. It was a small Tupperware container filled with Cheese ravioli in a meat sauce that Harrington had made when the pair had returned to Washington. But rather than eat it, she stared at the dish vacantly, her mind working furiously for any possible solution to her friend's dilemma.
"A penny for your thoughts, Lieutenant." A woman's voice asked. Singer looked up to see Colonel MacKenzie looking down at the sitting Lieutenant. "Commander Rabb told me about the little meeting you had with him."
"I'm sure..." Singer muttered.
"Why would you try to remove your own supposed friend from his case?"
"It's complicated, ma'am."
Mac sat down in the chair across from Lt. Singer, and couldn't help but state, "Try me."
"The person the Major is defending... well, they've met before."
"And?"
Singer shook her head. "I'm not very comfortable talking about this... I just wanted someone to deliver my message to Commander Turner."
"Consider it delivered, then." Sturgis commented dryly as he entered the break room. "Commander Rabb did indeed talk to me, Lieutenant, and like the Colonel here, I am curious as to why you made your request."
"Isn't it enough that Major Harrington is bothered by working this case, sir?"
"I'll admit, his behavior upon receiving notice of the McDowell case has been unlike what he has shown since coming here, but I didn't think it was serious enough to warrant asking for his removal. I figured if it was a serious issue, he would tell me himself."
Singer sighed, "He doesn't want to seem like he can't handle the job, sir. He's a lot like me in that respect."
"Regardless, if I make a motion to remove a partner from a case, I need a pretty good reason to do so. His behavior just isn't enough for me." Sturgis declared.
"Thus emerges my dilemma..." Singer mumbled to herself. She really didn't want to talk about her past to people she wasn't sure she fully trusted, but at the same time, she couldn't let Harrington continue with defending a man that had done the sort of things he had done...
Finally, the Lieutenant moaned softly in defeat. "All right... but can we go someplace private to discuss this?"
Mac motioned across the bullpen, "We can go to my office."
Sturgis cut in, and said, "No offense, Colonel, but I believe this issue is between Lieutenant Singer and myself. I appreciate the offer, however."
Mac looked somewhat disappointed, but she realized the validity to Sturgis's point. As much as she wanted to dig a little deeper into Singer's psyche, this discussion really didn't have much to do with her.
Commander Turner's office- 1350"All right, Lieutenant, what is this all about?" Sturgis asked warily. He still wasn't totally convinced that Singer wasn't just pulling another one of her power-play stunts, however, he couldn't help but get a feeling that something was up.
"As you may have heard, Gunny Sergeant McDowell and Major Harrington have a bit of a past, one that will make the Major's defense of this case extremely difficult." Singer explained, rubbing her hands together. She really didn't want to have to talk about this, but it had become necessary.
"How so?"
"Well... it has to do with..."
Flashback Sequence"You are not going to that... whore's funeral!" Marcia Singer demanded of her daughter from over the telephone.
"That whore, as you call her, was my friend's aunt." Loren replied. "And to be a whore, you need to sleep around, not be a lesbian."
"That's another thing we need to talk about, young lady. That woman has probably made your friend queer too."
"I cannot believe you are saying this." Loren said venomously. A woman had just been drug from the back of a Mercedes for three miles, then hung and beaten, and the only thing Loren's mother was worried about was Steve's sexual orientation.
"I will not allow my daughter to be seen with a bunch of fags!"
"I dare you to try and stop me!" With that, Loren slammed the phone down onto the receiver, and continued to apply her make-up. In the last week since Steve's aunt, Nina, had been murdered, Loren had been arguing frequently with her mother about Loren's association with "queers", "fags", and "dirty devil-worshippers".
"Another talk with your mother?" Steve asked wryly as he waited for his friend to finish. Despite what must have obviously been a troubling time, Steve kept his smile on his face... while his eyes told an entirely different story.
"Don't worry about my mother. She's just ignorant and doesn't know any better. I'm worried about you." Loren sighed.
"I'm not the one who was murdered." Steve commented.
"That's true... but I'm not the one who has to listen to people spout hatefully about a woman who had to fight to keep me in the family, and selflessly devote most of her life to raise me."
Steve shrugged, and replied, "I can't change what people say. I know the sort of person my aunt was, and it wasn't anything like what they pretend to know." Finally, he asked, "Are we ready to go now?"
Loren nodded, and smiled as Steve held open the door for her. "Still the gentlemen through it all."
The funeral itself was a small one. There were only 10 people in attendance, including Loren and Steve. Of the remaining eight, only four were of Steve's extended family. The other four she could only assume were friends of Steve's aunt, Nina Toretto.
It was hard to hear the reverend making the final prayer, mostly due to the small demonstration outside the cemetery, picketing the funeral. They had been shouting for about an hour, since the funeral started, and had refused to even let the funeral procession enter the cemetery until the police arrived.
"GOD HATES FAGS!" The mob shouted repeatedly, thrusting signs into the air that bore messages like, "GOD DID NOT SAY, THOU SHALT EAT CARPET", "WHAT DO YOU CALL A FAG-KILLER? A HERO", or "ALL QUEERS GO TO HELL". It had started as a small gathering outside, but at the end of the service, had grown to almost a hundred, and had become so loud in their protest that they were actually yelling over the funeral.
Through it all, Loren found it ironic that all the cameras from the various news crews were on the demonstrators, and not the woman who had been brutally murdered just days before. Steve simply looked at the closed casket (it had to be after what had happened to her) as if the protestors didn't exist, blinking repeatedly to fight back tears.
"With this, oh Lord, we commit Nina Toretto to the dust. May your will forgive her for her sins. Amen." The reverend concluded.
Loren just couldn't find it in herself to repeat the refrain. These last few days had destroyed much of the faith she had once held. To see how supposedly good people could have such hate for another simply because of a preference... it was too much for Loren to believe. What God would allow such hatred to plague his people?
Steve didn't actually watch his aunt be buried, as if he couldn't bear to see something so final. He turned away, and Loren followed to try and console him as best she could. Thus, the pair never saw the four unknown visitors until one of them spoke.
"It's unfortunate that you lost someone close to you." The man in front stated simply, "But it was for the best."
"How was it for the best?" Loren demanded.
The man sneered, and whispered just loud enough for Steve and Loren to hear, "That's one less fag corrupting this earth. I made sure that the devil accepted her."
"What?" Loren gaped. "You aren't speaking any sense."
"How can I make it clearer?" The man replied, "I killed the lesbo. I sent the little carpet-muncher on her one-way trip to the hot place in a hand basket."
Loren's eyes bulged, and she was about to call out to one of the officers guarding the entrance. "Go ahead, call the pigs. On what grounds am I going to be arrested? I never said anything." The man's smirk made Loren physically ill.
The four began to walk away, but not before their leader said cockily, "The cops will never find out it was me. They don't want to find out it was me."
Through all this, she had totally forgotten about her friend, who had said nothing during the entire exchange. "Steve... I... the man's just sick... we have no idea..."
Steve shook his head. "They were the ones who killed Aunt Nina."
"Don't listen to them... how could they..."
Steve interrupted her by lifting a small gold locket in front of her face. "One of that man's little friends handed this to me while you were arguing with him. There was only one way they could have gotten a hold of this locket. It never left my Aunt Nina's chest."
Commander Turner's office- 1408"And when you saw Gunny Sergeant McDowell's face... you knew it was the same guy." Sturgis concluded, "The charge that McDowell was facing was also a pretty good clue, wasn't it?"
"I'll never forget that face, sir... and I can guarantee you Major Harrington never has forgotten it either." Singer confirmed.
Sturgis rubbed his upper lip with his index finger. "Well, no offense, Lieutenant, but I would like to confirm this story. If it is indeed as you say, then I think there is sufficient grounds for me to ask for Major Harrington's removal from this case."
Sturgis stood to leave his office, and noted, "I almost wish there were sufficient grounds for me to ask for my removal from this case..."
"Commander, remember when I told you I wasn't a practicing Methodist?" Singer asked.
"Certainly." Sturgis replied... the revelation that Singer had pretty much lied her way through an entire trial had never set well with him.
"Well, the reason for that came right after the funeral. After everything that had happened inside the cemetery, I happened to see my parents right at the front of the protesting mob, leading the demonstration." Singer explained. "That's why they didn't want me to go... they didn't want to explain what their daughter was doing at a lesbian's funeral."
Bullpen- 1413Sturgis strode quickly through the bullpen, Lt. Singer right behind him. If what Singer had told him was true, there was no way that Major Harrington should continue on the case... simply for his sake.
On their way to meet Major Harrington, Colonel MacKenzie met them. "I take it you are here to confirm Lt. Singer's explanation?"
"Indeed, Colonel." Sturgis affirmed.
"Well, if it involves Gunny Sergeant McDowell admitting to the murder of Nina Torreto, then you can save yourself a lot of time. While you two were talking it over, I decided to squeeze the same out of our Major friend."
"Well then, what now?" Singer asked.
"I ask for Major Harrington to be removed as counsel. I'll need you two to back me up on this."
Chegwidden's Office- 1540"Why didn't you address this issue with me, Major Harrington?" The Admiral asked. Much of the workday had been wasted trying to piece together something that should have been disclosed right from the beginning.
"I didn't want you to think that I was making excuses not to do my duty." Harrington explained.
Chegwidden sighed in disgust. "Major, I may ask for a lot of things out of my officers, but one thing I try to make clear is for everyone to know their own limits. I want to help my officers any way I can, but I can't do that if they aren't telling me when something is wrong."
"I understand, sir."
"Major Harrington, I almost can't believe I am saying this, but I think you owe Lt. Singer quite the debt of gratitude. Had I not learned of this issue until after the trial had started... you would not still be standing here. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Chegwidden waved his hand at the door, and said, "Dismissed, Major."
One final salute, and Harrington quickly made his way out of the office. Once outside, he allowed himself to exhale. He didn't have long before Lt. Commander Roberts approached him.
"Major, I need your McDowell case file." Bud stated.
"Yeah, of course." Harrington dug into his briefcase, and pulling out the folder in question. "I'd say I envy you... but I'd be lying."
"If half of what I heard about this man is true, I'm not looking forward to helping defend him. But I can only do my best."
'You have no idea...' Harrington thought to himself, smirking.
"It's good to see the old Major Harrington back." Bud commented. "We all had missed him."
"It's good to be back, Lt. Commander."
Outside JAG Headquarters- 1707Singer waited uncertainly for the downpour outside to at least let up somewhat so that she could make a quick dash for her car. "I wish I had watched the Weather Channel this morning…"
"Going my way?" A familiar voice asked. Turning to see Harrington approach behind her, she looked up to see a large black umbrella over her head.
Singer chuckled softly, and replied, "I am now."
As Harrington escorted her out to her car, he commented, "You know… the Admiral says I owe you… and I think I agree. Thanks for watching out for me."
"After all the times you've saved my six, I'm still considerably in your debt."
"37 times… to be exact." Harrington answered with a sly expression. "Not that anyone's counting or anything…"
"No… of course not…" Singer commented wryly.
"I'm just impressed that you were willing to talk about yourself to help me. I know how hard it is to discuss all that's happened to you." Harrington admitted.
"As you like to say, what are friends for?" Singer replied, "Besides, there is an upside to it all. Commander Turner has promised not to bother me about my religious inclinations anymore."
Finally, Singer changed the topic, "It still bothers you… your aunt's death, I mean."
"Of course it bothers me." Harrington answered, "The man who killed her has been walking free for the last 5 years, and with Commander Turner and Lt. Commander Roberts defending him, just might walk away again."
"Perhaps…" Singer sung sweetly, "But the Admiral and I had a bit of a talk about this issue, and we convinced the Chiefs of Staff to allow Admiral Chegwidden the choice of prosecutor. Commander Turner and Lt. Commander Roberts are going to have their hands full with Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie running the prosecution's case."
"That's good to hear." Harrington replied.
"That's not all the news I have to relay, either. The Admiral has decided that we should return to our old stomping grounds in New England."
"Why?"
"We're being sent to investigate a certain case that happened 5 years ago… with the hopes of being able to add premeditated first degree murder to Gunny Sergeant McDowell's list of charges…"
End Episode 5