Bob Cooper slowly ascended the small dais and sat in the witness chair. He was the first, and only, witness for the defense. The prosecution had moved quickly through what appeared to be an open-and-shut case: they showed the tape of Bob Cooper battering Jill Cooper in the lab, added in the medical reports of her injuries – including the 'conditioning' – and topped it off with some poignant rhetoric about honor and justice.
Bob looked shamefacedly at the audience, most smugly awaiting his apology, a few expecting his claim of mental defect. That bitch Carter and the oh-so-superior officer O'Neill were in the front row. At least the alien had had the decency to stay away.
He sat up straight and made eye contact with the presiding officers as he answered the basic questions: name, rank, relationship to Jill Cooper, and so on. Stared into space as he quietly admitted to everything on the tape. He wasn't claiming to be innocent, just 'not guilty' due to extenuating circumstances.
When he was asked the big question – why? -- he artfully bowed his head and lowered his voice. "She… likes it," he murmured.
A stir went through the room and the presiding officer banged his gavel and threatened to clear the area.
In the regained silence, Bob Cooper was carefully reluctant as he described how it had started out innocently enough, with his wife wanting to try something a little rougher once in a while. His voice held just a touch of a plaintive note as he explained how he had thought she just wanted to spice things up in the bedroom. No harm in that, right? His gaze swept the room as if looking for confirmation. Which, actually, he was. Confirmation that they were buying his act.
Every eye was riveted on him.
He covered a smirk by dropping his eyes as if in embarrassment. He told them that her requests became more frequent, and more intense, and he had tried to stop. When she said she'd go elsewhere for satisfaction, he knew she had a problem. Afraid to ruin her career, he did not make her get counseling, deciding instead that it was safest if he fulfilled her needs at home. Over time, it had built up to an almost daily habit, but they were handling it discreetly.
His counsel took the opportunity to point out that the medical records showed evidence of long-term abuse but the military records showed not a single complaint by Mrs. Cooper.
So what had changed?
Bob looked at O'Neill, sitting there expressionlessly as if made of stone, as he talked about the incident with Majors. Cooper wished he could laugh in the Colonel's face as he used O'Neill's own disciplinary order as evidence against Jill. It was sad, very sad. His wife's problem was clearly growing, spreading beyond what he could relieve at home, if her violent tendencies were showing up at work. The subsequent confinement had been nearly unbearable for her.
His gaze shifted to Carter. She wasn't nearly as accomplished at hiding her emotions as Colonel High-and-Mighty. He enjoyed the anger and guilt building in her expression as he explained that copious overtime had only compounded the issue for his unfortunate wife. The Coopers rarely had time off together in the days that followed, and when they did, Jill was like a crazy woman, desperate for her rough pleasures. He'd tried to satisfy her when they finally had a night off together, but after all those days of being apart, one night was simply not enough. She told him she couldn't wait, and when he could find her alone in the lab. She said that it would be extra-exciting in the lab where there was a danger of being caught. Jill had planned the whole thing, including the position under the camera where they could indulge without being recorded.
They hadn't known about the other cameras, he said, but those tapes proved his case. He was looking at Jill now, his voice mesmerizing as he continued. His wife's first reaction to his entry had been a welcoming smile; would she do that if she was afraid of him? She didn't resist, moved easily with him to the pre-planned position, and looked him in the eye as she welcomed him to her with open arms. It was her idea, her fantasy, and her husband had fulfilled it for her. She had problems, but he loved her anyway.
"Ask her, sirs," he implored the presiding officers. "But don't blame her. She's sick, she needs help. I want to be here to help her."
His counsel led him carefully through the next part, raising the obvious questions themselves instead of waiting for the Prosecution's attack. Major Braxton glanced at a paper on his table, expressing his distaste for the opposing counsel's comparison of a woman to Pavlov's dog before flipping the offending reference document away from him. He agreed that Mrs. Cooper responded in certain ways to the sound of a belt being pulled off. However, it was not the result of anything as base as animal conditioning. It was a very human anticipation of pleasure. Another ripple went through the court, and he took the opportunity to point out that what she took pleasure in was not the subject of the hearing nor up for debate.
It was, however, the motivation behind much of what had happened.
More murmuring from the audience, quieter this time; they must be buying the story. So far, so good. It was all going as Braxton said it would. Bob raised his impression of blood-sucking lawyers a notch. Just one more tricky question and he'd be headed for freedom. And revenge.
Braxton continued calmly, as if discussing the weather. "Taking it as a given that Jill Cooper instigated the event, and enjoyed it" – the experienced lawyer steadfastly ignored the Prosecutor's obvious bristling and finished his question before an objection could be voiced – how did he account for the seriousness of his wife's injuries?
They had accidentally gone too far this time, Bob explained, dipping his head and looking up meekly. She had been so… so hungry for it… he had tried to keep control, but she made him crazy the way she kept defending that damned alien and –
He paused, suddenly aware that he'd strayed from the script.
Braxton recovered smoothly, asking him whether he understood his wife to be attempting to escalate the situation with her words. He quickly agreed, and Braxton finished with a brief recap of how a loving husband's desperate attempt to cover for his wife's aberration had gone sadly awry.
It was all over but the official acquittal. Bob rose to leave the stand, and was stopped by the Prosecutor. He looked to Braxton for direction, and was waved back into the witness chair.
The Prosecutor, Major Whitney, cocked his head in a show of sarcasm. "You are seriously asking us to believe that Jill Cooper wanted you to fracture her skull?"
"I told you, it was an accident. We went too far."
"Ah, yes. Because she," he looked back down at his notes, "goaded you until you lost your temper."
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean…" he trailed off, having no good way to answer the question. If he agreed that yes, he'd lost his temper, they'd claim he'd done it often. If he said no, he hadn't, they'd say he hurt her that badly on purpose. "It was an accident," he finished lamely.
"And after this 'accident'" – his tone made it clear that he thought the idea preposterous – "you ran away leaving your injured wife collapsed and helpless on the floor. And you expect us to believe that these are more actions of a loving and dedicated husband?"
Bob opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Whitney.
"No need to answer, sir, your actions speak for themselves." The prosecutor turned away and returned to his table.
oOo
They were going to let Bob Cooper off. The bastard was going to get away with it. Jack strode angrily down the hall, away from the temporarily recessed court martial.
Jill Cooper had been so affected by her husband's testimony that they had had to help her from the room. She'd been frozen, like a rabbit staring into the eyes of a snake. When they got her to talk, she babbled half-hysterically about being trapped. If she denied what her husband said, he would kill her for sure. And if she didn't, he'd be freed and she'd be at his mercy. There was no way she could take the stand in her current state. Bob Cooper had raised some doubt, enough to ensure only a small penalty, or none at all.
Well, the court might let him off easy, but Jack O'Neill wasn't about to.
He stormed through the halls, only hesitating as he reached his destination.
It was too much of a risk. Teal'c put too much stake in his honor. If he could not – or would not – control himself…
No, he decided not to go through with it. Jack turned away from the still-closed door.
A few steps away, he stopped again. Jill Cooper's voice echoed in his mind. Six months, she kept saying, over and over again, like a mantra. She was convinced her husband was going to kill her in six months. He'd told her many times that he would wait that long if she ever hurt him. Six months so there'd be no suspicion. Six months to wait and worry. Six months to live. Six months, six months, six months.
Jack turned back again. Teal'c was a grown man, a soldier. He would not take it too far.
Jack stopped again in front of the door.
Teal'c was a highly moral man, driven by anger and misplaced guilt. He had risked everything to avenge Shaun'ac's death. This was different; he had nowhere near as much attachment to Jill Cooper. But it was also different in that he had been unjustly accused and robbed of his chance to defend his name. Jack simply could not be certain of Teal'c's actions. Teal'c was his friend. Jack would not risk his friend's future, even to see justice done.
He turned away again, embarrassed to realize a pair of junior officers had turned down this corridor and seen him standing in front of a closed door. He ignored them. Or tried to. He couldn't help but hear them as he passed. They were talking about the Coopers, as almost everyone on base was. Poor Bob, going through all this for his crazy wife.
Poor Bob. Jack could hardly believe his ears. The manipulative sob actually had people on his side! He was not only going to get away with it all, he'd get sympathy to boot. Which would make it all the easier for him to abuse his wife and later terrorize someone new. Jack had no illusions that Bob would simply stop. He had to be stopped.
Jack turned back for the final time.
He'd let Teal'c decide.
oOo
Bob Cooper tried not to look too confident as he strolled into the room beside his legal counsel. He was sure they had established reasonable doubt, despite the prosecution's damning cross-examination of him. Still, it was best not to look smug about it until after it was over. The only real question in his mind was whether or not the Air Force would – or even could – take steps to keep him apart from his lawful wife. Not that that mattered, either. He could play either the grieving divorce or the reconciling husband until everyone was sure he really was the innocent party. He needed the time to plan the perfect revenge anyway. Then, when everything was right, he'd punish her.
His gaze swept the room, gauging people's reaction to him. If they were any measure, the sympathetic and the reasonable-doubters out-numbered the condemning. Jill was noticeably absent, the prosecutors' table populated only by legal counsel. He sat quietly next to his own counsel at their table as they waited for the presiding officers to enter.
The back door opened before the front one did, and he turned to see if it was Jill. He hoped it was; he wanted to watch her face as they read the verdict that set him free.
It wasn't his wife.
It was the big alien from SG-1.
They made eye contact. With deliberate slowness, Teal'c raised a strip of black cloth and fastened it horizontally around his head, covering his tattoo. A Jaffa's declaration that he was acting in his own name, without or against orders.
The big man looked feral as a tiger, poised to take its prey.
Bob's attention was taken momentarily as the front door opened and the presiding officers entered. They were going to acquit him; he could tell just by their expressions.
He rose when ordered, waiting to hear the official verdict.
The lecture started, not in stern 'you're going to jail' tones but in the expected regretful "no good way to clean up this mess" reproach. Bob glanced away from them to the Jaffa in the doorway. Teal'c looked positively eager, the tiger about to be released from its chain. The big man was toying with several short lengths of pipe connected by a thick cable. Some sort of weird alien weapon?
"Lieutenant Cooper!"
Bob's attention was snatched back to a very annoyed superior officer. "Sir?"
"I asked…" the General exaggerated the word, emphasizing his displeasure at having to repeat himself, "if there was anything you wanted to say to the court before we give the verdict."
"Sir, I…" Bob glanced back once more. The big alien's lips crooked into a tiny smile as his fingers showed off a nasty looking hook at one end of the cable. All sorts of horrible possibilities about the device flew through his mind as he recalled all the things that Teal'c considered himself entitled to do. Bob turned back, his gaze passing over O'Neill in the process, reminding him that the Colonel had promised the alien an opportunity if Bob were not convicted. "I want to confess!"
oOo
"Um, Teal'c?"
It only took a moment to realize what his teammate was asking for. Teal'c handed over the 'weapon.'
Daniel accepted it, showing off as he flipped it around 'dangerously' before converting it back to its usual form and hanging his jacket on it. The archaeologist received a lot of gifts related to the Indiana Jones movies. This travel coat hanger, used in one of the movies to appear to threaten Indiana's love interest, was one of the more useful items.
It had served its purpose today, and O'Neill's. Bob Cooper was going away for a long time. Teal'c had reluctantly agreed to content himself with this Earth form of justice, though it rankled that he could not avenge himself with a direct physical challenge. O'Neill clapped him on the shoulder, giving his shoulder a bit of a squeeze. His human friend tried to understand, and had had a good point about the trouble killing Bob Cooper would have caused on this planet, but the solution still left him wanting more.
"T."
Teal'c met his friend's gaze, not sure he wanted to hear the placating words that were likely to follow.
O'Neill gave him a meaningful look. "I had to tell them about Bob Cooper's threat against you, T."
Teal'c felt his eyebrow rising in curiosity. If only there had been such a threat! He could have killed the man with relative impunity even here.
O'Neill squeezed his shoulder again. "They'll inform you when Cooper's released. So you'll be able to defend yourself if you need to."
Teal'c's other eyebrow joined the first, an expression of pleasant surprise now. He would have his chance at vengeance if he wanted it. He would just have to wait a while.
oOo Details, part 9: Eternal Vigilance
Jack walked into the office, saw the fair hair bent over the computer. "Morning."
The head snapped up, but not as abruptly. And, he was again a bit pleased to see, there was welcome in the blue-eyed gaze that met his.
"Hi, Jack."
"Hi, Daniel." He looked at his friend closely, determined that never again would someone else have to tell him one of his team was in pain. He looked fine. As had Carter and Teal'c when he saw them.
"Coffee?" Daniel kept a pot in his office to save trips down the hall. Jack nodded and the other man rose smoothly to get a cup. Daniel turned to find Jack smiling at him. "What's up?"
Jack took the proffered cup. "Nothing. Nothing at all."