Ch01 of "Having Faith to break rules 12 & 13." "Rule 13"
A/N: AU. This is a fictional story, in a fictional Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. Mike. Characters borrowed with love and appreciation for the great team who brought us "JAG"; may your following careers blossom.
A/N: AU: "they aren't mine: I'm just playing with them - apart from any fictional character created by myself". See Ch00 of this story for the whole disclaimer A/N. Feel free to PM me if you spot any typos - my goal is 100% error-free. Feedback and comments are also welcome. Your opinions, critiques (and requests as PMs) are always helpful.
A/N: Publication date: 21-FEB-2024: AU: AU: Having just watched "Call of Silence" again on a UK TV channel, I was struck by a "what-if?" thought. This story, therefore, involves our very own LtCdr Faith Coleman (USN JAGC) with NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Don't shoot the messenger!
A/N: This first chapter sets the scene. I'm stitching several snippets of scenes from several episodes together, to enable me to get to my eventually destination, technically.
A/N: Technically a JAG/NCIS crossover, but the story will be written largely from Faith Coleman's PoV – hence a JAG FFN story. Also my own small tribute to the excellent body of work bequeathed to us by David McCallum – RiP. The recent NCIS episode was perfectly done, IMHO.
A/N: Canon episodes: "UnSEALed" – NCIS S01Ep18, first airdate 04-APR-2004:"Call of Silence" – NCIS S02Ep07, first airdate 23-NOV-2004: "Hometown Hero" – S02Ep21, first airdate 03-MAY-2005. Plus the JAG S8 episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" from April 2003.
Characters from FFNET – (JAG) Faith Coleman: (NCIS) Leroy Jethro Gibbs: (NCIS) Dr Donald "Ducky" Mallard
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Ch01 of "Having Faith" – "Re-writing Rule 13" (*updated 25-FEB-2024)
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Tuesday 23rd November 2004: 20:01hrs EDT
Nippon Teppanyaki Japanese Restaurant, G Street, Washington DC, U.S.A.
"You served in Iwo Jima?"
The Japanese chef, working the meat on the hot-plate, looked Ernie Yost in the eye, shook his head and replied:
"Iwo Jima? No: Guadalcanal!"
Ernie Jost's surprised face was a picture. The two old soldiers faced each other, lost in admiration and mutual respect.
The tapping of heels, approaching from behind him, announced the arrival of Jethro's guest.
Gibbs smelled her scent before she materialised into his field of view, placing her handbag on the table top alongside him. He reached out and they intertwined fingers: this was the furthest exchange of affection that she had permitted so far and he was content to wait.
"Sorry Jethro: taxi arrived beyond my ten-minute contingency margin."
"No problem Faith; just good to have you here."
The next round of sake was poured: she nodded to Yost and Yoshida, looked Gibbs in the eye, winked at him then tossed the sake back in one smooth movement. She savoured the warm alcohol then swallowed, returning the container to the table top and steadying it with her bare left hand.
"Wow, I needed that!"
"Well Faith, you are two behind me and four behind the Corporal."
"Not a problem, Jethro: this is not a pissing contest but I packed my party bladder!"
They both laughed – "you can take the woman out of the Navy, but you cannot take the Navy out of the woman"; his affection continued to grow for this intriguing, highly-intelligent dark-haired lawyer.
She continued, looking at the hot steel plate: "But this girl needs feeding; what's good?"
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Previously on NCIS (and JAG):
He had switched to using her first name some months ago, a few months after the investigation which had first caused her to accept his invitation.
Their initial meeting, around the "Harmon Rabb Loren Singer Murder SNAFU", had not ended well. After the Curtin case a year later, she had seemed more approachable and so Gibbs had made a very gentle move – their coffee tastes turned out to be exactly aligned.
From mutual respect and coffee orders through the late spring and summer of 2004, they had steadily graduated into Saturday lunch after a morning running in Rock Creek Park, then she had taken to assisting him with his boat-building in his basement. Always, she would head off to her home in Chevy Chase at the end of Saturday evening.
So far, he was content to let this arrangement run. This was one intriguing woman, once she deigned to allow you to see past the uniform and the seemingly-obsessive little routines and issues. Although the Rabb trial had been somewhat shambolic, he had heard good things about her in response to his enquiries; in short, she was a better lawyer than she had appeared in Rabb's trial. He also considered his previous interactions with Rabb, who had not made Faith's job any easier – at all. The fact that her client had seemingly tried too darned hard to sink his own case may have been responsible for the initial impressions.
That first impression had long been corrected – and the recent Yost case had placed her firmly in his table of "Exceptions to Rule 13".
Standing almost toe to toe (he had, guiltily, already checked out her heels, dancer's legs and trim figure) proved her spirit to him. Faith Coleman was not someone to back down in a fight, when she believed in the rightness of her case. He also knew that any woman in a USN winter uniform was at a disadvantage ("yeah, sexism alert, gotcha!"), yet he had found himself wondering once more – what were the chances?
He knew about her thigh-high stockings from their previous encounter back in April (and their subsequent "mutual debrief over dinner"), but realised that there were many layers still to peel off "his" JAG officer - and he was ready to proceed at her pace. This had, clearly, meant "keep it out of the office".
His distraction nearly led him to slip up in front of Tony, Kate and Tim during the pressured "discussions" with Faith over the Corporal Yost case..
*Flashback#2: he played back the dialogue:
GIBBS: Lieutenant Commander Coleman. Toshi Yoshida. Former lieutenant, Japanese Imperial Army.
COLEMAN: You were in the Imperial Army, Lieutenant?
YOSHIDA: Army... emperor... lieutenant.
COLEMAN: Taken prisoner by Marines on Iwo Jima.
YOSHIDA: Marine. Two...
GIBBS: English isn't his thing.
COLEMAN: Gibbs... I don't know what you're trying to do.
GIBBS: Trying to get to the truth, Faith.
COLEMAN: You're only delaying the inevitable.
GIBBS: All we have to lose is a little time.
COLEMAN: Okay. I will give you a little time.
*end Flashbacks.
She had missed his slip – addressing her by her first name.
It looked like Tony, Kate and McGee were so invested in protecting old Ernie Yost that they missed the form of address.
In the evening, relaxing at the Japanese restaurant, it was definitely a first-names gig.
By the end of the evening, all three of them were not feeling much pain. She had paced her drinking, but had slipped off her heels and swapped them for flat (yet smartly-polished) loafers.
"OK boys, home time."
"Faith? How did you get over here?" Jethro had forgotten her opening comments on arrival: mind you, he and Ernie were supporting each other, leaning against each other for stability. Faith hid her smile - almost completely!
"Taxi – something told me that a session involving retired Marines, Navy personnel and alcohol would not end in sobriety, so I reckon I'll be using the spare clothes in that extra drawer in your bedroom tonight: then I'll do a walk of shame back home before I head out to JAG in the morning."
She patted his free arm – Ernie was hanging onto the other for support. "Look Jethro, I have a full change of uniform in my locker at Falls Church."
"Yeah, of course you do" – the thought suddenly seemed unworthy of him, so me smiled at her.
"Sounds good – we'll need to drop off Ernie first."
She smiled – the lop-sided Faith Coleman smile that reassured him that life was OK; it was a smile that he had finally surrendered to, earlier in the year after their initial meeting on the Curtin case.
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Flashback #3:
· Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Uncuff him so he can say hello to an old friend.
Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman: I prefer him in cuffs!
Diego Clare: Wish I'd have known when we were at JAG.
· Diego Clare: Afraid you put an innocent man in Leavenworth, Faith?
Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman: Yes. But innocent or not, I still kicked your ass.
End flashback #3.
It had taken a few weeks, until the Curtin after-action case review, for them to meet up again. During the intervening months, something had changed. Something was - better. Faith Coleman had loosened up – and seemed to seek him out on a regular basis - with his enthusiastic consent, naturally!
Jethro had to admit that, despite a slight age gap, he actually liked the attention. Also, JAG LtCdr Faith Coleman clearly wasn't going to take any crap from NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs – even though she wasn't a red-head, her temperament and determination was perfectly pitched to stand up for what she believed in…
He also had a growing feeling that this younger (and, from her emotional reserve, obviously damaged) woman might one day open up to him. Frankly, he was now certain that such a day could not come soon enough.
With Ernie Yost safely dropped off (Jethro had walked him into his house, switched on the lights and left him safe) Jethro walked back to the taxi.
"OK my lady. Yours or mine?"
Don't blow it, this is when she decides…
Faith unlatched her seat-belt, settled briefly into Jethro's arms and looked up at him, then sighed and muttered one word:
"Yours."
Rule 13 was heading for the trashcan…
End of Ch01 of "Having Faith" – "Re-writing Rule 13"
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*A/N added 25-FEB-2024: For Faith's background story in my AU universe. Please read my Faith Coleman story "The Long Road to Justice".
Mike: UK, 21-FEB-2024.