Title: Coming Together II: Introductions
Author: DayDreamer
E-mail: elizden@knology.net
Rating: PG
Category: JAG Story
Classification: Story [All of the JAG regulars and Eliz.]
Spoilers: A little of 'Exculpatory Evidence' for the introduction of Meredith Cavanaugh.
Added: 9-21-02
Summary: The new arrival is finally at JAG.
Elizabeth and the Admiral went to his office for the few minutes remaining before the officer's meeting began.
"Please, have a seat. Let me officially welcome you to JAG, and tell you that I am pleased that you accepted the position. I imagine this will be quite different from your role in Jordan."
"Thank you, sir. I'm looking forward to working here. I loved working for the King, but every lawyer wants to be in court at some time."
"I'm glad to hear you say that because you'll see plenty of the courtroom here. I wanted to briefly go over the office logistics before the meeting," explained the Admiral. "For now, you'll share an office with Col. Mackenzie. As you can see, we're in the middle of remodeling, adding three offices and enlarging the workroom and breakroom. The crew is just about finished, but it will be another week before they're done. We've knocked out a wall and added quite a bit more space to the area. You'll have the third office on the right."
"Thank you, Admiral. I'll try not to impose on the Colonel too much."
"No, impose. That's why I've placed you with her. Most of the senior officers will be available to help you become acclimated. They're a good bunch and excellent attorneys."
"I'm sure they are. You, Clayton Webb, and Secretary Morgan are all in agreement there," smiled Elizabeth.
"Yes, amazing as that seems," laughed the Admiral. "Webb and Morgan are good men, friends of mine. You know that Morgan's been boasting that you and he have something in common – Columbia law school."
Laughing, Elizabeth said yes, they had talked for quite a while.
"Webb on the other hand hasn't said much. How have you two gotten along?"
"Fine, Admiral. I haven't seen much of him since the journey home. But he's been very helpful. I didn't have much time to apartment hunt so State allowed me to stay at the Watergate. Webb did the footwork and found a nice apartment for me a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised to say the least, but after I saw the apartment, I loved it and moved in the same day. My things hadn't arrived from Jordan, so moving was merely a matter of packing a suitcase."
"Webb found the apartment?" asked the Admiral, suspiciously, thinking that if Webb was involved, the CIA was possibly involved.
"Yes," said Elizabeth, looking at the Admiral curiously. He seemed surprised, no, suspicious, when he asked. "That surprises you?"
"No, no, not really. Uh, how was the trip home, by the way?" asked the Admiral, changing the subject. He had the impression Elizabeth didn't know that Clayton Webb was CIA. "I heard that you had an extended journey, but I hope the trip wasn't too hard on you."
He changed the subject, noted Elizabeth. "No, the trip was fine. The hardest part was leaving," Elizabeth replied, smiling but with a sad look that AJ noted.
"You don't have to be brave with me, Elizabeth," AJ told her with sympathy in his voice. "I know that it was hard for you to leave. Clay told me and Cameron that you are very close to the King, his son, and the Secretary."
Elizabeth looked down at her folded hands for a moment before responding. "I'm fine, Admiral, truly," she said, finally looking up at him. "I miss them more than I can say, but I believe I'm where I need to be at this point in my life. "
"Let's talk more after the meeting, when we have more time," said AJ, rising. "I chew them out for being late, it wouldn't due for me to be even a second late. They wouldn't let me live it down," he said laughing.
They walked into the conference room where the officers waited. Elizabeth saw that three other officers, two female lieutenants and one male lieutenant, accompanied the senior officers. She took a seat at the Admiral's immediate left next to Cmdr. Rabb.
"Lieutenants, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Halliton. Ms. Halliton, Lt. Bud Roberts, Lt. Loren Singer, and Lt. Harriet Sims…Roberts."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you."
"Welcome to JAG, Ms. Halliton," said Lt. Roberts, followed by similar greetings from Lts. Sims and Singer.
"Thank you. It's good to be here."
"Ms. Halliton, I'm going to put you on the spot and ask you to tell us a little about yourself. You don't mind, do you?" asked AJ innocently.
Elizabeth looked at the Admiral with a surprised smile, as if to say, 'dare I say yes, I mind?' And the Admiral held back a smile.
"No, sir, I don't mind, especially since I know you plan to have everyone else do the same? " The Admiral smiled and nodded his head. " Well, I don't know what to tell you, really. I'm from a small town in Oklahoma. I attended a local college and shortly after graduating, I moved to Jordan were I've lived for the past 10 years. Not long after arriving in Jordan, I enrolled in law school. I began working for the King of Jordan about a year and a half later and worked for him as a legal advisor in U.S. law for 8 1/2 years. About a year ago, I became an employee of the State Department, and today I'm still an employee of State. That's.. pretty much it."
Adm. Chegwidden looked at Elizabeth thoughtfully for a moment. He was impressed. She could have said a lot more, but she didn't. He decided then that he had made the right decision in not elaborating when his officers had questioned him about her. He turned to Cmdr. Rabb and asked them all to go down the line and tell Elizabeth a little about themselves.
Elizabeth listened to each of them closely (but not in a way that made them uncomfortable), gauging their personalities and their reactions to her. She never made snap decisions about people but she was a good judge of character and had a gift for seeing more than most. She understood right away that no one was particularly excited about her being there, but they weren't openly hostile either. Maybe just a little wary. The senior officers were polite, but reserved, a trait most lawyers shared. The junior officers were also polite. They pretty much followed the others' lead, but told a little more about themselves. No one revealed much more, though, than she could have known just by looking at his or her rank and ribbons. Lts. Roberts and Sims were married and she correctly guessed that they were the only married people in the room.
Elizabeth responded to each of them in turn with a question about something that they had shared. She questioned Rabb about his flying, Turner about being a submariner, Mackenzie about being the only Marine among so many Navy sailors, the Roberts about their son, and Lt. Singer about wanting to be the first female Navy Judge Advocate General. Elizabeth rightly surmised that Lt. Singer was ambitious and that the Lieutenant's comments were meant to warn her off.
"The first female JAG… That's quite ambitious. But what happens to other females who have the same goal… but outrank you by several stripes?" asked Elizabeth, looking the Lieutenant in the eyes without blinking.
A decided hush fell on the room with all eyes on Lt. Singer. She dropped her smile and gave Elizabeth a hard stare. Elizabeth looked back without commenting, as if she were truly expecting an answer. None came. Col. Mackenzie, whom the Lieutenant sat next to, began to speak but Singer decided to respond after all.
"I supposed we'll just have to wait and see who wants it the most."
"You mean see who the better Navy or Marine candidate is, don't you?
"No, Ma'am, I usually say what I mean. I have no doubt that I will be the better candidate," said Lt. Singer.
"Your unwavering confidence is commendable. Good luck to you, Lieutenant," Elizabeth replied in a neutral tone.
Elizabeth was curious as to why the lieutenant felt the need to challenge her since she was a civilian and would never be in the running for JAG. But then she realized that overly ambitious people generally saw everyone as a threat. After the brief histories were done, the Admiral proceeded with the items on the agenda. Everyone reported on cases that were currently open and the Admiral handed down new assignments. Adm. Chegwidden concluded the meeting and told Elizabeth and Col. Mackenzie to come with him to his office. He wanted to make sure that sharing an office would not be a problem, not that he expected either of them to say that it would. The Colonel would show Elizabeth around for the rest of the morning, and introduce her to the other JAG staff. In the afternoon the Admiral would introduce her to the judges and other key people in the building. But first he wanted to speak with Elizabeth alone.
After Col. Mackenzie left the office, the Admiral said, "Now, tell me about leaving Jordan."
"I don't know how much you know?"
"I know that someone had threatened your life, but that's all that I know."
"You know about as much as I do. I don't believe what I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential, but it isn't common knowledge. There has been an increasing uneasiness in the Jordan government since the President's insistence that I become an employee of the State Department a year ago. Before then, not everyone in their government was pleased with the King's relying on my advice, but the fact was, they had no real reason to complain. Our governments have a very good relationship. But every government has its political foes, and once I became an employee of State, that gave them a reason to cast doubt on the King's leadership. It caused no serious harm because the people of Jordan trust King Hussain. But you'll be surprised to know that the threats against me didn't come from within the government, but from within the King's household. King Hussain and Secretary Ramir weren't sure who was behind the threats, but they had their suspicions. I wasn't told whom they suspected. Five days after they learned of the first threat, the King, Prince Raje, and Ramir talked with me and I learned that they all felt that I should return to the States. I knew then that it had to be serious; they wouldn't have insisted that I leave if they thought that they could protect me. They were as broken up about it as I was. A day and a half later, Mr. Webb arrived and I left. It wasn't announced, and I took nothing with me. As far as anyone looking on could tell, I was simply going out for a casual evening with an American visitor."
"Goodness! I didn't know that you had left so abruptly. That must have been a traumatic experience. I assumed that your leaving was planned, but it sounds like you escaped in the undercover of night."
"That's exactly how I left and I haven't been in contact with anyone since leaving. They insisted that I wait to hear from them."
"Webb never told me that. Neither did Secretary Morgan." I wonder why, thought AJ to himself. He planned to call Cameron as soon as he and Elizabeth had finished their talk.
"I've not talked about it with either of them and neither has broached the subject with me. That could be Clay's influence; he knows how upset I was. I have to say one thing about it all, the State Department couldn't have sent a better person to escort me home. It was a quiet trip and Clay seemed to understand that I needed time to digest what was happening. The first couple of days I spent pretty much in silent prayer, just trying to hold it together. But being sure that what was happening was in God's will, I didn't spend a lot of time grieving. The rest of the trip I spent being aware that Mr. Webb was on the job, and since he was on the job for me, I was on the job. We were always alert to what was happening around us, paying attention to faces and anything out of the ordinary. I wasn't worried, though. Clay seemed to have things all worked out and I trusted that he, with the Lord's hand, would get us home safely."
"I've had my share of frustrations with Clay, but he's a friend and someone you can count on. He loves this country and he's good at what he does. And I agree, State couldn't have sent a better person to get you.
"How is everything going at home and at the State Department?"
"Home, I'm still trying to get used to calling another place home. Right now, I don't really have much going on at State. I'm in the process of writing a detailed account of my legal activities while in Jordan. Secretary Morgan requested this. He said that they don't have a manual for this sort of thing, and he being anal, likes to have a blueprint to follow. Other than that, I think I've met just about everyone in the President's cabinet," Elizabeth said with a laugh. But in a more serious tone, "Admiral, speaking of State, I want to talk to you about my responsibilities here and at State."
"Yes, I wanted to go over that also. What's on your mind?"
"I know that you, the SecNav, Secretary Morgan and I are going to meet Wednesday, but I wanted to talk to you alone first since I've already talked with the Secretary. It's my understanding that my role at JAG has nothing to do with my work for the State Department. When I'm here, I'm on your time alone, just as any other lawyer in your command. State business is State business; JAG business is JAG business. I don't want you to think that I'm just cooling my heels here. I'm at JAG to serve as an attorney and I take this position seriously. If I had not come to JAG, I would have worked as an attorney somewhere else.
"I also understand that my responsibilities at the State Department come first, but Secretary Morgan and I are in agreement that 'drop everything and come running' tactics aren't acceptable. I don't see that being an attorney at JAG and a legal advisor to foreign governments for State should put me in a conflicting position, but we all know that anything can happen. I want you to know that that position is something I'll walk away from. I'm a lawyer, not a politician, and it's not my desire to become involved in the politics of either office.
Elizabeth gave the Admiral a direct look and continued, "Secretary Morgan has assured me that you did not offer the position at JAG to appease me, but that this would be a 'real' job. He also indicated that I wouldn't spend my time just counting paperclips. But I don't work for Cameron Morgan when I'm here; I work for you. So, Admiral, I would rather have my assurances come from you. Why am I here and what exactly do you expect from me at JAG?"
AJ liked Elizabeth. He liked the way she came right out and said what was on her mind without being offensive or arrogant. She spoke quietly, and yes, with humility. That probably came from living in a vastly different, male dominated culture for so long. But the Admiral noticed that she spoke to everyone with the same humility, not just men. And she had handled herself well with the other attorneys. He almost smiled just remembering how she adroitly handled Lt. Singer's not so subtle warning. She brought it right out into the open and faced her challenge; but she was wise enough to compliment the Lieutenant and move on. The look on Singer's face had been priceless. Elizabeth's reaction said a lot about her character. She obviously didn't like to play games, but needless conflict wasn't her habit either.
AJ leaned forward and threaded his fingers together and said, "Elizabeth, JAG isn't just a job. It's a commitment to the Navy and Marine Corps, and ultimately to our country that we serve. You're here because I believe you can live up to that commitment. As for what I expect of you at JAG, I expect you to be the best attorney that you're capable of being. I expect no less of you that I expect of the highest ranking officers in my command. And I may as well say this now; if I feel that you aren't the person that I believed you to be or see that you are just cooling your heels here, you won't be here long. I hired a lawyer, not window dressing. And I already have an office manager."
Elizabeth looked at the Admiral for a few moments, then said "Thank you, Admiral, for having me."
She liked AJ Chegwidden. She had from the very beginning, but now she knew why. He was the man that she had been led to believe he was. Secretary Morgan and Clayton Webb had both spoken highly of him, but they were his friends. Now, after having spent time with him, she knew for herself that he was a man of good character and she respected him.
"So, are we on the same ship?" asked AJ.
"Yes, Admiral, we are," Elizabeth replied with a smile.
"Good. Now, let's talk about work," AJ said, leaning back in his chair. "Tell me, how do you want to get started?"
Elizabeth knew she was talking to a lawyer. He was careful not to give her a choice, but let her state a decision in her own words. "I would like to dive right in, Admiral. It shouldn't take long to learn my way around, so I would like to work on cases right away, if that's okay with you."
"Ok," said AJ, pulling a stack of nine folders from his desk drawer. He pressed the intercom and spoke to his Yeoman, PO Tiner. "Tiner, ask Mackenzie, Rabb, Turner, and Roberts to come to my office."
They all arrived in a few seconds, almost as if they had been in the outer office.
"Grab a seat," the Admiral told them, flipping through the folders.
He finally looked up and addressed them, "Cmdr. Rabb, you're working on the Johnson case, right? Elizabeth will second chair that court martial with you. Take some time and go over the case with her. Cmdr. Turner, the Angler case goes to trial in two days. Bring Elizabeth up to speed and she's going to chair that one with you. Col. Mackenzie, instead of taking her on the grand tour, I'll leave that up to each of you as you work together. I want you to introduce her to the judges for me this morning. Your drug case goes to trial tomorrow afternoon. Take time today to go over that case with Elizabeth and she'll assist you. Lt. Roberts, the Spelling rape case that I gave you this morning, Elizabeth will work that one with you. Rabb, have you spoken with the defendant? No, then you'll prosecute that case instead of defending with Roberts. Any questions?"
They sat gaping at him in surprised silence, Elizabeth included, then began to speak all at once.
"None, sir."
"No, sir."
"No, Admiral."
"None, Admiral."
"Fine, then, dismissed."
They rose to leave and Elizabeth followed their lead and rose also. But the Admiral stopped her before anyone had left the office.
"Ms. Halliton, these are yours."
"Sir?" she asked, taking the nine folders.
"The rest of your cases. If you need assistance, I'm sure any one your co-workers will be glad to help. Is there anything else you need from me?"
Elizabeth was still realing from his assigning her to second-chari the other cases, but managed to say "No, sir, I don't believe so."
"Good, dismissed."
They all filed out of the Admirals office and closed the door. AJ sat with a grin on his face. He had counted on her wanting to dive right in and had already made up his mind to have her second-chair several established cases before the officers meeting that morning, though he held off telling them; not to mention the nine cases he had held back in his desk drawer. About half of them he expected she would resolve quickly, the other four would go to trial.
AJ looked at his watch. 1030 hours. He picked up the phone to dial Meredith Cavanaugh to see if she was free for lunch, but thought better of it. They had been dating for months, and he enjoyed her company. He chuckled to himself, remembering how he had insulted Meredith when he thought that Mac had tried to set him up with her. They had a lot of common interests, but he didn't know. He had the feeling she was more serious about the relationship than he. It was a comfortable relationship, but he didn't think that it would develop into anything deeper for him. He decided to lunch alone.
Col. Mackenzie and Elizabeth went to her office where Mac had cleared off half of her desk for Elizabeth's use. They dropped off Elizabeth's purse and then left the bullpen to see which judges were in their chambers. Mac pointed out different offices, rooms, and directions along the way and introduced her to many of the office staff. When they returned from meeting three of the resident judges, Mac offered to take her to the supply room for a note tablet and other accessories.
"Do you mind if we wait on that? I have a small tablet that I keep in my purse, and I can use that for now."
At that moment Mac's office became filled with Harm, Sturgis, and Bud, all ready to discuss their respective cases. They were talking back and forth with Mac, each trying to work out a schedule for Elizabeth, when Elizabeth interrupted them.
"Actually, Commanders, Lieutenant, I thought that it would probably be best if I spend the rest of the morning going over the other cases that the Admiral gave me. After lunch I should be ready for you, Col. Mackenzie, since your case is the more immediate one, tomorrow afternoon. I would like to reserve the hours between 7am to 9am for meeting with clients, as well as the hours between 7pm to 8:30pm. I'll know by 1:00 today how much time I really need. I'll be happy to work late with any of you this week in order to get caught up. I don't see how I will otherwise."
"Uh, I can manage that," said Harm with surprise. The others also agreed, so Elizabeth continued.
"Thanks, Commander. Cmdr. Turner, the Admiral said that your case goes to trial in two days, so maybe we can get together tomorrow morning after 9:00 or later this afternoon when Col. Mackenzie and I are done?"
"Late this afternoon would be best. I'm meeting with the client tomorrow morning at 9:30 and you'll want to be there as well."
"Alright. How much time will we spend with the client?"
"Probably all morning, until lunch."
"Okay. Cmdr. Rabb, your case is set for Thursday. Can we meet sometime tomorrow afternoon to discuss the Johnson court martial after Col. Mackenzie and I are out of court?"
"Yes, that's fine. I'm trial counsel, so anytime in the afternoon is good."
"Thanks, let's say, 17:30?"
"17:30 it is."
"Lt. Roberts, I don't see where I'll have time to investigate the Spelling case with you before Wednesday afternoon, but I should have time to do some preliminary research like background checks and case histories before then. If you'll leave the file with me tonight, I'll go over it and be prepared to discuss the case with you Wednesday. I'll return the folder tomorrow morning, if that's okay?"
"Uh, sure, that's fine."
"Okay, well, I'd better get started on this stack. Colonel, I'll see you at 1:00?"
"Right."
Elizabeth grabbed her stack of cases and set out for the library to review them. Everyone looked after her and then looked at each other.
"I guess she's anxious to get started," remarked Harm.
"I don't see how she's going to make all of the trials, but she seems to have a plan," said Sturgis.
"Yes, she does seem to have a plan," from Mac.
Bud noted, "The Admiral and she must have discussed the cases before we went to the office."
The End – Part II