TITLE: Pall
DEFINITION: PALL
Pronunciation: 'pol
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, short for appallen, to become pale
1 to lose strength or effectiveness
2 to lose in interest or attraction his humor began to pall on us
3 to become tired of something
4 to cause to become insipid
5 to deprive of pleasure in something by satiating
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, cloak, mantle, from Old English pæll, from Latin pallium
1 (a) square of linen usually stiffened with cardboard that is used to cover the chalice (b) a heavy cloth draped over a coffin; (c) a coffin especially when holding a body
2 something that covers or conceals; especially
3 an overspreading element that produces an effect of gloom a pall of thick black smoke
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
RATING: PG-13 or R. R to be safe. Mostly for language to begin with, maybe for... other things... later on.
SUMMERY: After an attack on a graduation ceremony at Annapolis the JAG office is thrown into a state of flux.
SPOILERS/TIMELINE/ALTERATIONS I'VE MADE: A little AU. Please see previous chapters for more details.
DEDICATION: To my readers. I'm writing this for you.
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
2000 (EST)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
It was several hours after they had returned to JAG headquarters before Meg and Brumby got a chance to breathe.
After splitting up Brumby called William and Marilyn at the FBI and Meg told Harm and Mac what Clay had told her. Harm had rushed out of the conference room to call the Admiral and Jennifer Coates had reluctantly barred Meg and Mac from the Admiral's office when they tried to find out why Harm had to speak to their CO so urgently. They didn't have time to worry about that, though, since William and Marilyn arrived soon after as they had already been on their way to JAG to meet everyone involved and give a thorough update on the investigation.
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
1430 (EST)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
Mac had decided that she wasn't going to get past Jennifer and, judging from the blonde's posture, Mac figured that Meg wasn't going to be able to stay mobile much longer, so she led the younger woman to her office and broke out the stash of chocolates she had in her desk. "I picked them up in Belgium when Harm and I were on an assignment a while back," Mac said, offering the box to Meg.
"Thanks," Meg said, selecting a small square and popping it in her mouth. She sank down into a chair and Mac sat down behind her desk. "I'm not gonna be the best company right now," Meg apologized.
"When was the last time you got any sleep?" Mac asked gently.
"Before leaving for Norfolk, and that was on Harm's couch. I got a few minutes of tossing and turning before Brumby started pounding on my door to let me know the stolen good had been located," Meg said. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tightly. "I don't remember being this tired when I was pulling all-nighters in law school."
"You're not in your twenties anymore," Mac pointed out.
Meg groaned.
"Why don't you go home, get some rest," Mac said. "I'm sure Harm won't mind. You gave him the files and he's already sent the list you e-mailed him off to some weapon's specialists that we know. You're no good to anyone when you can barely keep your eyes open."
"It's tempting, but I'm not looking forward to sleeping on the floor quite yet," Meg said. Mac frowned, confused. "My things haven't arrived yet. I have one of those air mattresses for camping set up where my bed should be. I've got one suitcase of clothes and one clean uniform left. My dry cleaner retired and I haven't had time to find another one. If it wasn't for Harm I would be living off of take-out."
Mac was about to respond when Tiner knocked on the doorframe. "Special Agents Reigner and Rowe are here to see you, Colonel," he said.
"Thank you, Tiner," Mac said. She felt a tiny tingle in her stomach at the thought of seeing William but she pushed it away. They were at JAG. He was there in an official capacity. "You up for this?" she asked Meg.
"Yeah," Meg said as she forced herself to get out of the comfortable chair.
They went back to the conference room and Meg gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Tiner held out for her as she sat down. Brumby had his fingers wrapped around his own much and he raised the ceramic mug in a toast. Meg smiled weakly and prayed that the meeting wouldn't take long.
A handsome man in a suit sat down next to Mac, a woman taking a seat across from him. Meg assumed that they were the FBI agents. She could see what Mac saw in the man. He was gorgeous. But her attention was pulled away from William Regnier the moment Harmon Rabb Jr came into the room.
"Admiral Chegwidden will be on the first flight back to DC. He arrives at Dulles at 2100. Tiner, Coates will be picking him up. Make sure you cover for her duties at the office while she is out," Harm said.
"Yes sir," Tiner said.
"Dismissed," Harm said before Tiner could ask if there was anything else that he needed to do for the group. Tiner stood at attention and said a quick 'Aye, sir' before turning and headed out of the conference room.
Once the door was closed Harm started speaking again. He didn't waste time with introductions or small talk.
"The group that organized the attack on Annapolis is a faction of an Italian anti-military group that has close ties to Italian mafia and terrorist cells around the world. Angelo Carletti and Ryner Oates were fairly low in the hierarchy. They probably only got the assignment because of their talent as sharp-shooters that, apparently, is renowned in many circles," Harm said. "We don't know much about Taylor Oswell other than what I got from his file. No red flags in it, nothing to indicate that this has been a long-term plan of his. His motive is still a mystery. But the big surprise is Pete Marino."
Mac tensed up. "As in Captain Marino?" she asked.
"One and the same," Harm nodded.
"Who is this guy?" William asked.
Mac answered that. "Captain Peter Marino was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam. His team and Admiral Chegwidden's were trapped by the VC for two weeks in an underground cavern before they got their chance to escape. They were heading to their extraction point when Marino turned on the teams. He slaughtered half the men there before the Admiral and two other men subdued him. Marino was sentenced to life in prison but he escaped three years ago. He didn't waste any time in finishing what he had started in Vietnam. Three more members of SEAL Team Two, Marino's team, were killed before someone caught on. The Admiral was notified that he was a potential target, especially since he was one of the men who stopped Marino from killing everyone in the first place."
"So you're thinking, that, what? This Marino guy joined up with an anti-military group so he could get help killing the rest of the SEALs?" Marilyn asked.
"It's doubtful that's his motivation," Harm said. "Marino wouldn't want help killing these men. He thinks it's his duty to take them out himself. He claimed at his trial that he was ordered to eliminate the men of SEAL Teams Two and Three. In his mind he's just obeying orders."
"So he's mentally unstable," William said.
"Very possibly, but he's not insane," Mac said. "Admiral Chegwidden will be able to tell you more when he gets back. He only told Harm and me because we were in a meeting with him when he got the call."
"How did we not know about this guy? Why wasn't he in the system?" Marilyn asked.
If there was an answer to that question no one in the room had it.
"Unfortunately that is just one of many questions that we need to answer to get to the bottom of this," Harm said reluctantly. "Another more pressing question is what the hell are they trying to make with the parts they took," he added, looking at Meg.
Meg sat up a little straighter. "Near as I can tell they're trying to build an untraceable weapon… I can't tell you much more than that right now."
"You're sure these two events are related?" William asked. "It doesn't seem to fit together."
"Our links are all circumstantial at the moment," Meg admitted. "Oswell took a day of leave to go to the graduation even though, as far as we can tell, he didn't know anyone who was graduating. He went through OCS, so he wasn't an Alumnus of Annapolis. A Commander Alice Ross, also stationed at Norfolk, was going to the ceremony because her younger brother was graduating and she said that Oswell hanging out by the shed that Ryner was in, and that Oswell disappeared just before the shooting started and she didn't see him 'til she got back to Norfolk late the next morning. We're working on getting more witnesses."
"When did you talk to Ross?" Marilyn asked.
"Early this morning," Brumby said. "She was on duty, though, and didn't have much time. Said she's taking some time off starting this weekend. We've got an appointment Saturday."
"Good. Keep us updated," Marilyn said.
Mic nodded and remained silent for the rest of the meeting.
"Any word on how your guy is doing?" William asked. "Bud Roberts, right?" he asked, checking for confirmation.
Harm nodded and then said, "Not so great. He had to go back into surgery last night and the doctors feel that this setback will make it even harder for him to come out of the coma."
"Shit," Marilyn said softly. "How's his family doing?"
"As well as can be expected," Harm said, sharing a look with Mac.
"We… need to talk to Mrs. Roberts. Get a statement," Marilyn said gently. "It would probably be better if someone was with her, though," she added before anyone could protest. She had a feeling that no one was going to get within a hundred yards of Harriet Simms-Roberts without Harm or Mac knowing about it.
Harm nodded, the lawyer part of him warring with the protective friend part. It wasn't a pleasant war. Legally he knew that the FBI had to talk to Harriet to make sure they knew everything she knew. Emotionally, though, Harm didn't want to force Harriet to relive that day again. "I'll call; find a time that works for everyone," he said.
"Thank you," Marilyn said. "We also need to speak with the doctors that worked on and are working on Lieutenant Roberts. Unfortunately they'll probably hide behind doctor-patient confidentiality until we get a court order, and there's no probable cause to get a judge to sign off on that, so…"
"I'll draw up some forms for Harriet to sign," Mac offered. "They'll give you both access to Bud's files and allow the doctors to speak candidly with you. And, not that we don't trust you, but there will also have to be a confidentiality clause."
"Naturally," William said, not at all offended. He looked at Meg. "Where did you get the information on the shooters?"
"We have a contact at the CIA," Harm said before Meg could speak. "He used his contacts to get the intel."
For the next hour and a half they went over every detail of the case until everyone was completely caught up. Then William and Marilyn both got 911 pages from someone they worked with and they had to take off. Mac had to be in court so she went off to gather her files, and Harm locked himself in the Admiral's office making phone calls and getting the inconsequential work out of the way before Chegwidden returned.
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
2000 (EST)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
"Some day, huh?" Brumby said as he added liberal amounts of sugar to his coffee. He desperately wanted something stronger but he was still at work and didn't think leaving for a quick beer would go over too well with anyone else.
"Long day," Meg replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee and drinking half of it before realizing she hadn't added her usual cream and sugar substitute.
"Feel like getting a drink?" Brumby asked.
Meg looked up at Mic in shock. She recovered quickly, though. "No thank you. I'm going to stick around here for a little while longer and then I'm going to go get some sleep," she said. That was a lie. She was going to stay at the office until Harm left because she was afraid that now that they had tangible evidence he would pursue the people behind the shooting as doggedly as he had his father. "Maybe another time," she added before leaving the kitchen and going to her office. She hid out in there until she saw Mic leave for the day. Something about that guy bothered her, and, even though he had basically been a perfect gentleman on their trip to Norfolk, Meg didn't want to be alone with him.
After managing to get a solid half our of concentration in Meg gave up and turned off her computer. The office was more or less empty already, though the new lawyers were still hanging around, putting in a little extra work either because they didn't want to get bogged down or because they wanted to make a good first impression on Admiral Chegwidden. Possibly a little of both.
"Tiner, is the Commander still in?" Meg asked as he came to attention in front of her.
"Yes, ma'am. Would you like to see him?"
Meg nodded and Tiner picked up the phone. She didn't listen to the conversation but thanked Tiner when he told her to go right on in.
"What are you still doing here?" Harm asked as Meg went into the office and closed the door.
"Waiting for you to let poor Tiner secure for the day," Meg said. "Come on, sir. It's late. Time for you to close up shop and take me out to dinner."
Harm smiled. "I like a woman who knows what she wants," he said, closing the file he was working on and standing up. Meg went to get her things while Harm packed up his own belongings, making sure that anything he might have brought into the Admiral's office was gone.
Within ten minutes Harm had secured Tiner as well as the new lawyers and he and Meg rode down in the elevator with everyone else. They all split up in the parking lot, going to their respective cars or to the nearest transit route.
"Where to?" Harm asked.
"I'm craving something spicy," Meg said.
Grinning, Harm put the car in gear. "I know just the place."
MIKE'S MEXICAN PALACE
WASHINGTON, DC
2140 (EST)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
Though she had been dubious about eating at Mike's Mexican Palace, Meg had immediately felt at home in the cozy restaurant. They sat down at their table and ordered drinks before looking over the menus. By the time their drinks arrived they were ready to order. After their waiter had taken their orders he left them alone.
They were seated in an intimate back corner, away from the other patrons, and both of them were enjoying the date-like quality to the evening, even if it wasn't really a date.
"So how'd you find this place?" Meg asked as she glanced around at the murals on the walls and the decorative cowboy feel that the restaurant had.
"When Harriet was in her second trimester she had the worst cravings imaginable. She found this place… god knows how. She raved about this place for weeks. Until she got to her third trimester and she couldn't even stand the sight of spicy food," Harm said. "If you want to know where to find the blandest white rice and buttered egg noodles in DC I can show you where to go, too."
Meg scrunched up her nose. "I'll pass, thanks," she said. She looked at Harm for a minute and then said, "How is it that you never got married?"
"That's out of the blue," Harm said.
"There are connections. You'd have to be in my head to understand how I got there, though," Meg said. "And you're being non-responsive, councillor."
"I'm just not seeing the relevance, councillor," Harm replied. He flashed her a smile. "I'll answer if you do the same."
"I haven't been asked ay questions," Meg said. Harm shot her a look and she nodded. "Fine. You tell me why an attractive, successful, intelligent man like yourself is living alone in a loft and I'll tell you why I'm sleeping on the couch of an attractive, successful, intelligent man instead of looking at floral arrangements and agonizing over seating charts."
Harm quirked an eyebrow at Meg's spin on things but didn't comment on it. "I just… haven't met a woman who can deal with the pressures of my job. I was seeing this woman a little while ago… she was a doctor in the Navy. I thought she would be able to understand… but the problem with dating a shrink is that they just want to analyze everything that you do and say… plus there was the Mac issue."
"The Mac issue?" Meg asked.
"Jordan… had some… problems, I guess, with how close Mac and I are. She felt that it was only a matter of time before we got together," Harm said.
"And is it?" Meg asked.
"No," Harm said, shaking his head. "Mac and I… we are destined to be friends and nothing more. And I'm good with that." He looked at Meg. "So what about you?"
Meg frowned, her mind elsewhere for the moment. "What about me?"
"Why is there no ring on this finger?" Harm said as he took her left hand in his and brushed his thumb over her ring finger.
Shrugging, Meg twisted her hand around so that her fingers were twined with Harms. "Same as you. Work is time consuming and I can't find a guy who understands that. Plus I have this habit of comparing every guy I meet to… someone else," she said, stopping herself before she revealed her biggest secret.
Harm was about to ask who when their food came. Their waiter hovered around the table for several minutes, explaining certain things and asking if they would like their drinks freshened up, and by the time he was gone Meg had decided to change the subject to something that was a little safer.
"You dated your psychiatrist?" Meg asked. "Isn't that breaking some kind of rule?"
"She wasn't my psychiatrist, she was a psychiatrist," Harm corrected. "I don't have a shrink."
"Maybe you should," Meg said.
"Ouch."
Meg rolled her eyes and picked up her fork. "I'm just saying that you might benefit from therapy. I think a lot of people would. Seeing a psychiatrist is nothing to be ashamed of."
"You ever been? And not because you were forced to?" Harm asked.
"Twice a month for the last two years," Meg said. "It helps, having someone to talk to."
"Well, just so you know, you can always talk to me," Harm said. "Without the hourly rates."
"I might just take you up on that," Meg said.
Harm smiled. "Good." He stabbed a chunk of grilled tofu with his fork. "So, you think you're up for a movie after dinner or do you just want to crash?"
"Tempting as some mindless fun sounds right now I doubt I'd make it to the opening credits," Meg admitted. "Rain check?"
"Definitely," Harm said.