Chapter 8A

Saturday, 12 July 03
2200 EDT
Chegwidden Residence
McLean, VA

"Don't you think we ought to either get dressed or at least go to bed?" Jules asked.

She and AJ were under a light blanket on the recliner in the living room. They'd spent the evening making love in that chair and were now cuddling and talking.

"Don't worry. Francesca won't be home for a while yet, and even if she were, we have a blanket over us." AJ cuddled Jules closer and continued stroking her silky back under the covers.

"Well in that case," Jules lifted her head from AJ's shoulder and looked at him. "AJ, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What's that, Darlin'?" He looked down into her sincere face.

"I was thinking, do you have any ideas about what we should do with my house?" Jules waited for his answer.

"No, not really. It's your house, Darlin'. The beach house in Hilton Head is better for me because the boat is right there on the ocean, not a river. But if you want to keep the house..."

Jules ventured, "Actually, AJ, I was thinking of giving Crash a chance to take over the Mortagage." She twirled a lock of his chest hair around her fingers while waiting for a reaction.

"Crash?" AJ asked, intrigued.

"Yes. I was thinking earlier about what made me buy the house. When I bought it I was in need of a stable environment so to speak. Something that was mine and not something that was the Corps', some place I could go and be me, be Jules. Not JC." Jules sighed deeply. "I think, after this last mission, that Crash could use that very same thing. That place gave me such peace, serenity. I think it could do the same for Crash."

AJ considered her idea and agreed that it was really probably a great solution to both of their situations. "I think you're right, Darlin'. That would give Crash some stability, like you said, help him with keeping a bit of himself out of the Navy's hands and that way the house is taken care of from our perspective."

"I'll talk to him on Monday, see what he says." Jules offered.

"Speaking of Monday. What are you doing next week?" AJ asked.

"As far as I know I'm still on the curriculum unless something else comes up." Jules answered while idly stroking a nipple.

"How about you take a break around lunch and come to the office." AJ suggested.

"You want to have lunch together?" Jules asked. "I think that would be great." She grinned, saying, "I'll probably be already in your general area. The boss will probably call me first thing and want to know about the fax."

"Lunch was part of why I wanted you to come." He tugged gently on the ends of Jules hair before wrapping his hand in it.

"What's the other part?" Jules wondered and reached up to play with her rings around his neck.

"I was thinking maybe we could tell Mac, Harm, Harriet, and Bud that we were getting married." AJ ventured.

"Do you just want to tell them or were you thinking of making an announcement in the bull pen?" Jules wondered.

"Well I wasn't sure what you would be comfortable with, Darlin'? The last time told people I was getting married, it didn't work out the way I planned."

"Meredith was a little peeved with you?" Jules surmised.

"Something like that." AJ admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I don't mind. If you want to tell the entire building over the intercom I wouldn't mind. Just let me be right beside you when you announce it." Jules requested.

"You got it." AJ kissed her deeply. He heard a car pull up outside and quickly lifted Jules into his arms and carried her, blanket and all, into their bedroom before his daughter caught them in the chair.

Monday, 14 July 03
1135 EDT
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA

Jules had spent the weekend arranging her things around the house. AJ disappeared into the den for a few hours with the door closed. Jules had assumed he'd been doing some work while Francesca helped her hang things in the closet. He finally reappeared to make lunch for them, but then he took the Escalade and disappeared again.

Francesca, while pointing to an unmarked box, had just asked her, "Jules, what are you going to do with this box?"

When Jules looked in the box and saw what the contents were, said, "I don't know, that was the stuff that was on my vanity. I suppose I'll find a place to put it in the bathroom."

"Why did you not bring the vanity?" Francesca asked while taking a few items from the box and setting them on the bed. Maybe they could clear a shelf in the bathroom.

"Because the vanity was built into the bathroom counter, it was part of the cabinetry. I bought a stool to go with it, but the vanity was part of the woodwork." Jules explained while putting a few things in her nightstand drawer.

"Well, maybe you can see about getting a vanity for the bedroom. There is plenty of room." Francesca mused while looking around the bedroom.

"Maybe with the extra room we could put in a dresser." Jules said in frustration as she surveyed the room.

"Yes. Papa isn't used to a woman living here. For Meredith all he did was empty a drawer for her."

Jules laughed and said, "Well he'll have to do more than that for me. I've got a whole wardrobe to fit in here, not just enough clothes for the weekend."

Just then AJ had walked into the bedroom. "Ladies, why don't you see about making some supper?"

Jules noticed the secretive gleam in his eyes and had said, "We spent the whole day working while you spent the day locked in your den and then out of the house. Why don't Francesca and I go into town and pick something up?"

Francesca giggled and watched as her Papa said, "Fine, but take your time. I need a while to set this up."

Jules had sighed while AJ had nearly pushed her and Francesca to the door. When they'd gotten home with supper nearly forty-five minutes later, AJ had called them into the bedroom. Pushed against one wall was a women's dresser that matched AJ's bedroom furniture perfectly and in the corner, in perfect view of AJ's side of the bed, was a women's vanity and chair. It had a three way mirror and also a jewelry box built into it. Jules had noticed that AJ had placed a lacy runner on the surface and also her crystal butterfly bowl, filled with dried rose petal potpourri, and her crystal jewelry box next to it with the dried Casablanca lily still inside.

She thought, on her way up the JAG elevator to see AJ for lunch, how she'd gotten teary over what AJ had done for her. It was the sweetest and most romantic gesture she'd ever received. That he'd thought to do this, spent the morning on line looking for the right vanity and then asked a sales person if it had enough drawers and space just touched her heart and made her melt.

AJ was probably walking funny today, Jules mused, after the way she'd thanked him last night.

When the elevator door opened Jules, dressed in her Class B's, emerged and made her way to the bullpen. AJ was in for a surprise when he saw her today. Underneath her uniform she had on some pretty risqué lingerie, definitely not regulation, her very skimpy garter belt was holding up a pair of silk nylons, fully fashioned, with seams running up the back. The author asks the reader to remember earlier in the story when Jules mentions that a perk of her job is that she can wear whatever she wants under her uniforms. It's not believable, but that's why this is FICTION!

Jules couldn't wait to see his face.

"Good morning, Ma'am, is there something I can do for you?" Petty Officer Coates asked when she spotted the Colonel entering the bullpen.

"Morning, Coates. Actually, I'm here to see the Admiral." Jules remarked. AJ told her that after her initial visit to JAG last month, Tiner had confided to him that Coates was scared of her. Jules tried to get Coates to warm up to her at the barbecue this month and she tried again today.

"I just saw him go into the break room. He should still be in there. Commander Rabb walked in just after the Admiral." Coates confided.

Jules rolled her eyes and injected a petulant tone into her voice as she said, "Now I'll never get to talk to him."

Coates giggled as she said, "Once the Admiral sees you, Ma'am, he'll forget all about Commander Rabb." Coates excused herself when she heard Tiner call her name.

Jules made her way to the break room and entered in time to hear AJ giving Rabb a ribbing over being tired on a Monday morning. She heard Rabb mention a date with someone she didn't know and how late they were out last night.

Jules grinned and walked in, "Give the guy a break, AJ. You didn't exactly get me home early the night of our first date."

AJ grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He handed her his cup of coffee and watched her take a sip. "True."

Rabb smiled gratefully and said, "Thanks, Colonel," before he escaped from the break room.

"Why do you give him such a hard time, AJ?" Jules asked as she passed back his coffee cup.

"Because, though he's a good man and a fine officer, he's also a player." AJ though of the young officer he took out. She worked in the SecNav's office and she wasn't the sort Rabb usually went for. She was far too smart and she seemed to be the settling down sort of woman.

"Like you weren't a rounder when you were his age?" Jules goosed his ribs.

"You've reformed me Darlin'." AJ admitted with a playful tone.

Jules pulled from his arms and with a huge grin and a twinkle in her eye she said, "Yeah, but not too reformed. I get to reap the rewards of your days as a player."

AJ's eyes widened when he realized what she meant and was about to pull her to him for a kiss and a goosing of his own when Harriet and Mac walked into the break room. He settled for pulling her back to his side and laying a hand on her tush in warning to behave.

"Colonel, I didn't know you were here." Harriet smiled at the senior officer, genuinely glad to see her.

"Come to take the Boss to lunch?" Mac asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee and debated whether to take an early lunch herself. Maybe she could convince Coates to go with her to Beltway Burgers.

"He mentioned he might feed me if I came for a visit." Jules sassed.

"I did not." AJ protested.

Jules started pouting for effect and said, "So you won't feed me then? But I came all the way down here."

Harriet and Mac roared when they saw the Admiral's face. They laughed all the more when he goosed her fanny and didn't even try to hide it.

Just as Harriet had regained her breath from laughing and was going to say something she noticed the Colonel take the Admiral's coffee cup and take a sip. Her eyes widened and she let out a breathless squeal when she saw the ring on her hand.

"You ok, Harriet?" Mac asked.

Just then Tiner came running into the break room. "Admiral, Admiral Morris wants to know if you approved the appeal he put to you last week."

Jules was refilling their coffee mug when AJ started out of the break room. She followed him to give him the coffee mug, but hung back while he talked quickly with the other Admiral.

Mac watched them go and followed Harriet when she, too, left the break room. She asked Harriet again, "Harriet, what's wrong?" When she just turned her huge eyes to Mac and motioned for her to look Mac turned to look at the Admiral and Colonel.

Admiral Morris had just finished speaking with Admiral Chegwidden and she saw Jules walk up to AJ and hand him the coffee cup. She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with them sharing a cup of coffee like that until she noticed the sparkles on Jules hand and then she saw the engagement ring on her hand.

"Sir?" Harriet asked after finding her voice.

"Yes?" AJ asked, innocently.

"Are you two..." Mac tried to find a tactful way of asking her CO a really personal question that was none of her business.

Harriet to the rescue! "Sir, are you two engaged?" She forgot in the heat of her bouncing excitement that she wasn't supposed to ask her CO a question like that.

AJ watched Harriet; she was bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. He looked at Jules, a question in her eyes and when she just smiled he turned to his two officers and said, "Yes. Jules agreed to be my wife on Friday night. You're the first to know."

"Besides Francesca. And Crash." Jules qualified before taking AJ's coffee cup back for another sip.

Both were wondering who Crash was but neither asked, instead Harriet asked the question that was on both their minds. "Were you going to tell everyone, Sir? Is that why the Colonel came to JAG?"

"That's why she came, yes. But I think we will go to lunch." AJ released Jules to wash out the coffee mug and put it in the drain board. "Especially since everyone in the bullpen heard you ask the question, and now knows the answer."

Jules looked around and saw everyone standing near them, interested but trying not to look it. She nudged AJ and he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "You all know Colonel Merriweather. On Friday evening I asked her to marry me. This is the only time in history that the Navy and Marine Corps will be willingly working together."

Jules smacked AJ's arm and said, "Listen Sailor, this is a marriage, not a mission!"

"A SeAL and a Marine?" Harm asked, "Sounds like a mission to me."

"Can't be too bad." Mac said, "The Colonel wears a Trident too."

Everyone laughed, the tension broken, and came forward to congratulate the couple and the women admired the ring. Jules refused to explain the significance of the heart shaped diamond. That was too personal to her and AJ.

Jules waited for AJ in the bullpen while he collected his cover for lunch. She was standing with Mac and talking to Harriet about a recipe for pound cake when she saw AJ come back from his office without his cover.

"No lunch today, Honey?" Jules asked, he looked like a man going to his doom.

"SecNav's on his way. New case, high priority." AJ heaved a sigh. He was looking forward to taking Jules to Callisto's for lunch.

"So, want me to bring you something and put it in the fridge?" She knew he'd not get away for lunch anytime soon.

"I'll grab something from the cafeteria later." AJ turned when Tiner called his name.

"Sir, a huge fax just came in for you, Sir. The cover sheet said it was confidential."