Admiration and Love – 3/11
For disclaimer and all other important comments see part one.
Wednesday May 6
4:17 PM
JAG
Bud's Office
Chloe was in Bud's office, conducting her interview with her video camera. "What do you think about Mac?"
Bud looked at the camera with a nervous smile. "Colonel MacKenzie is a great lawyer. She's very interesting to work with. I respect her a lot."
Chloe laughed and moved the camera away from her face. "Bud, there's nothing to be scared about! The camera isn't going to bite you."
"Sorry Chloe. I just get nervous," Bud admitted with a smile and a slight blush on his cheeks.
"It's okay. Tell me how you she has affected your personal life," Chloe said, and returned to her spot behind the camera.
Bud gave Chloe a real smile. "Colonel MacKenzie is the godmother to my son AJ. She was there when he was born. Heck, if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have married Harriet. She helped me a lot when I was trying to date Harriet."
"If you could have a wish granted for her, what would it be?"
"I want her to be as happy as I am with my family." Bud gave Chloe an odd look. "What does that have to do with how she has affected me?"
Chloe smiled as she turned the camera off and closed the LCD screen. "Just something I'm working on. I think what we have now is good. If I need anything more, I'll let you know. But I do need a favor."
"Besides lying to the Colonel about the topic of the tape?" Bud frankly stated.
"Yes. I need some footage of Mac with Little AJ. Can I borrow some of your home videos?"
"Sure, no problem," Bud said making a note to bring in a video tape for Chloe. "You'll be here tomorrow afternoon?"
"Where else would I be after school?" Chloe sarcastically asked with an eye roll. "Thanks, Uncle Bud."
"No problem, Chloe," Bud said as Chloe walked out of the office.
As Chloe walked from Bud's office through the bullpen, she decided to get some more footage. She took the camera out and started taping people doing their jobs. With everyone being used to Chloe in the office, no one really paid her much attention. She walked over to Tiner's desk and taped him. "What you doing, Tiner?"
"Admiral Chegwidden needed some data entered into the computer files," Tiner responded. "What are you doing?"
"Taping," Chloe responded.
Tiner stopped typing, turned to Chloe, and lowered his voice. "Aren't you worried the colonel will find out about the project?"
"No, I've got the perfect cover story."
"Aren't you worried about getting caught when you work on it?"
Chloe held the camera in one hand, away from her face. "Not a problem. I've got Mom's old laptop. I've installed a new hard drive and memory. From there, I've installed copies of my video editing software. Plus, this video camera records onto disk, and then I take the disk and download on to the laptop. I'm going to take the footage and burn it onto DVD's by using my new CD-DVD burner. I'm able to work on the project while I'm here when Mom's in court or doing research. Plus, Harm said I could use his office to work in."
"Does everyone know about the real project?"
"Only those I'm taping," she smiled as Singer walked into the office.
"Tiner, I need to see the admiral," Singer stated in her 'I-am-god' voice.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll see if he can see you." Tiner picked up the phone to talk to the admiral.
Singer looked at Chloe and rolled her eyes. "You know, if you really wanted to tape a good lawyer, you would have chosen someone else."
Chloe looked up at her. "If I was doing a research project on the world's only living heart donor, I would see you."
Tiner's eyes grew larger than life when he heard Chloe's comment back to Singer. He could tell the lieutenant was going to say something. "Ma'am, the admiral is the middle of a meeting. He will see you when he can."
Singer looked at Chloe. "When I meet with him, I will tell him how disrespectful you were towards me." Under her breath she grumbled a few choice words which should not have been said around a child and stormed off.
Chloe looked at Tiner. "When she talks to the admiral about me, tell him that I have her comments and reaction on tape."
Tiner just smiled. "Yes, Ma'am."
Chloe walked out of Tiner's office and into Harm's. Once she got into Harm's office, she set up her laptop and video camera and started working on parts of the project.
"I need to make a list of what I have left to do," Chloe said to herself as she pulled her notebook out of her bag and went on the search of a pen. "Where did I put my pen?" She looked in her bag, and then she remembered. "It's in my math book, on the couch in Mom's office. Meeting in there - can't go in." She sat back down in the chair and looked at Harm's desk.
"Harm won't mind." She opened Harm's center desk drawer for a pen. As she reached into the drawer, she grabbed a pen, but her fingers also felt a picture, so she decided to pull that out as well. She carefully looked at the photo and noticed that it was of Harm and Mac standing in front of his plane. Harm was standing behind Mac with his arms wrapped around her waist, her arms on top of his. They both were smiling and they looked very much in love. Chloe turned the picture over and Harm read the writing on the back, 'Two month anniversary. Two down, forever to go.'
"When were they dating?" Chloe asked the picture. She looked up and saw Harm across the bullpen. She quickly placed the picture away and started writing her 'to do' list.
Harm smiled at Chloe. "Hey, Kiddo."
"Hi, Harm." Chloe smiled. "I'll move in a minute."
"Oh, you don't have to. I just need to get a pen and a file. I've got to meet with Sturgis about my client," Harm said as he grabbed the file from the desk. "Can you get me a pen?"
"Sure." Chloe opened the drawer again and handed him one. "Hope you don't mind. I borrowed one of your pens."
"No problem. How's the project coming?"
"Pretty good. I want to get some more footage of you. I've come up with some more questions," Chloe said, thinking about the picture.
"Okay. Get with me later," Harm said as he walked out of the office.
"Trust me, I will." Once Harm was in the bullpen, she reopened the drawer and pulled out the picture. She looked out the door and placed the photo in her bag. "I'll need you later."
6:30 PM
Harm's Office
Chloe had completed a large amount of work on her project when Tiner walked into the office, "Chloe, Admiral Chegwidden would like to see you."
"About Singer?"
"Yeah." Chloe unhooked the video camera from the laptop and saved her files. She then stood up with the camera in hand and walked with Tiner to the Admiral's office. "Just a warning… Colonel MacKenzie is in there too."
"Tiner, if she kills me, tell Hannah and Harry they have to split my CD collection," Chloe whispered as she stood outside the Admiral's office door.
Tiner looked at her and knocked at the door, "Enter."
"Sir, Miss Madison is here," Tiner said as Chloe peeked her head through the door and waved at the admiral.
AJ looked at her and tried not to smile. 'That girl is too cute for her own good.' He looked at Tiner, "Send her in."
"Yes, Sir." Tiner looked at Chloe and whispered, "Go with God." Once in the office, Tiner shut the door.
Chloe walked over to his desk. "Have a seat, Miss Madison," AJ instructed.
"Hi Admiral, Mom, Lieutenant," Chloe said to the three adults as she sat in the chair next to Mac.
AJ looked at Chloe. "Chloe, the reason why you're here is because Lieutenant Singer has said you said something disrespectful towards her. Is that true?"
Chloe looked at AJ, who had his 'I-don't-want-to-do-this' look on his face. Then she looked at Mac who had a look on her face that Chloe did not know, but she thought it was 'big-time-in-trouble' look. Then to Singer, who had a very proud and arrogant look on her face. "Sir, before I give my statement, can I show a piece of evidence?"
"Evidence?" Mac said to her daughter.
"Yes, you see I was taping the bullpen and then Tiner. That's when Lieutenant Singer came in." Chloe turned her camera on to the play mode and placed it between the adults so they could see the LCD screen. "If it will please the court."
"Go ahead," AJ instructed.
"This is right when Lieutenant Singer walked in," Chloe said as the tape played. The tape showed the incident between Chloe and Singer and how Tinder interjected to save face.
What the adults found more shocking than Chloe's comment was the one that Singer said: "She should be the poster child for reasons to use birth control. I guess the Colonel not having a mother makes her think it's fine for her kid to be a pain in the ass."
Chloe turned the camera off. "I was only defending myself and my mother against unjust and rude comments."
Mac looked at Chloe and took a deep breath. "Admiral, may I?" He nodded his head. "Chloe, you should not have said that to Lieutenant Singer."
"But, Mom! She…" Chloe began, trying to defend herself.
"You know we have talked about not sinking to someone else's level. And you will not act like a two-year old. You owe the Lieutenant an apology," Mac ordered in her best mom voice.
Chloe took a deep breath and gulped her pride, knowing Mac was right. "I'm sorry for what I said, Lieutenant"
"Apology accepted." Singer smiled.
"Lieutenant, you also owe Chloe and Colonel MacKenzie an apology," AJ instructed.
"I will do no such thing!" Singer exclaimed.
"Excuse me?" The Admiral said, mildly shocked at her outburst.
"Colonel MacKenzie was nowhere near the scene and I will not defend my actions against a ten year old," Singer explained.
"I'm thirteen." Chloe chimed in as she received a dirty look from Singer.
"Admiral," Mac said, getting his attention. "My daughter and I do not need an apology from Lieutenant Singer. The tape clearly shows that they both were in the wrong. Chloe has apologized for her actions and she and I will have a conversation about this later. As for Lieutenant Singer, I would just like to make a suggestion." Mac turned to face Singer. "If you feel the need to argue with a thirteen-year old to feel like an adult, please see me. And to make my life easier, if my daughter is here, stay away from her."
AJ sat there for a moment and listened to Mac, knowing if Singer would say something, Mac would slip into mother mode, which was far worse than Marine mode. He cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, I would take the Colonel's advice."
"Yes, Sir," Singer said.
"You are on thin ice again, Lieutenant. This does not help you in any quest of yours. Dismissed," AJ informed the young woman.
"Yes, Sir." Singer snapped to attention and walked out of the office.
Chloe looked at AJ and Mac. "Can I say something?"
"Yes." AJ rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I'm sorry I had to waste your valuable time. I also apologize for anything else I've done, in case there was something else brought up," Chloe said.
"You're not going to do it again, are you?" AJ asked.
Chloe looked at Mac. "No, I have a feeling Mom and I are going to have a nice conversation about watching my mouth."
"Good feeling."
"Can I go now?" Chloe asked, turning the camera off.
"Go," AJ said.
"Yes, Sir," Chloe said, standing at attention before she exited the office.
"Did your daughter do that, Sir?" Mac asked, with a sigh.
"I'm pretty sure that Francesca didn't. Chloe is a handful, but she's going to make a good JAG lawyer when she's older."
Mac laughed at that comment. "That's what I'm scared of, Sir."
"If she picks up your habits, I think JAG will be fine. But if she turns into Rabb, I will be worried."
"Sir, I promise there won't be anymore Chloe and Singer problems."
"I know there won't. Dismissed."
"Yes, Sir." Mac stood at attention and moved towards the door.
"Mac."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Don't worry about Singer. She'll get hers soon enough," AJ smiled.
"Yes Sir." Mac walked out of the office.
Walking through the bullpen, Mac knocked on Harm's door. "Enter," Harm responded.
"Hi. Do you know where she is?" Mac asked, pointing to the laptop and camera on Harm's desk.
"Restroom," Harm whispered. "What did she do?"
"Talked back to Singer, who told the admiral, who told me, causing the four of us had to have a meeting." Mac rolled her neck as she felt her muscle tense up.
"Stiff neck again?" Harm asked, his fingers itching to touch her.
"Nothing that a nice long soak in the tub won't cure," Mac said with her eyes closed.
Harm had a mild daydream about Mac in the tub. He quickly snapped out of it. "Sergei and I were going to get together tonight for pizza. Would you and Chloe like to join us?"
"We'd love to," Chloe said as she stood next Mac.
Mac looked at her daughter. "We can't."
"Why not? We haven't see Sergei in a long time," Chloe whined to her mother.
Mac looked down at Chloe with mild annoyance. "Because there is a little girl who is on punishment tonight."
"Oh."
"Heard what you did," Harm told Chloe.
Chloe smiled slightly at Harm. "Want to see the tape?"
"Chloe Anne Madison," Mac started as Chloe's smile quickly faded. "Why don't you get your things together so we can go home."
"Yes, Ma'am," Chloe said.
Chloe walked over to Harm's desk and started to gather her things as Harm began talking. "Mac, how about tomorrow night we do something? Dinner and a movie, the three of us?"
"Chloe has Girl Scouts tomorrow night." Mac looked at Chloe, who had a sad expression on her face. "How about Friday night?"
"It's a date." Harm smiled as he stared into Mac's eyes. Chloe stood next to Harm, also smiling at the idea of a movie night with her two favorite adults.
Mac smiled back at the both of them. "Five minutes, young lady."
End Part 3/11