Jamie was happily sitting at her desk in the JAG wing of the building when she heard NCIS was playing with one of her clients. For the love of... she grabbed her pumpkin spice latte off the desk to take with her. She went the two floors down to interrogation and was on the move rather rapidly. She was shown the way to the interrogation room. Jamie had this way about being very direct with investigators. They drove her mad and absolutely batty. Though sometimes it transferred to her clients. "Don't say anything." He hadn't waived his right to counsel and the suspect hadn't say anything. Jamie turned around to face none other than her husband. There was a smirk on her face.

"Nice to see you here." It was genuine but also sarcastic. That was Jamie always knew how to play every angle. "So what are we charging my client with today with Agent Bauer?" Okay well technically she already knew she was just going through her usual routine. It never hurt to double check against her paperwork and a way to get under Eric's skin while she was at it? Sure, all the better. Taking a seat she looked to her client.

Spinning her finger around in a circle before pointing it out the door. "Give us the room a minute." It wasn't a question. It was more of a statement. The suspect crossed his arms and looked towards Jamie. "I'm not talking until he's gone Commander" the guy reasons. "He was just leaving" she scooted her hand towards Eric. No sweet wonderful loving house wife was not about, the annoying pita of an attorney was out and she was able to separate the two. She had always been good at that.

Tag: @eric

Judging by the way his lovely wife had busted through the doors of the interrogation room, someone had managed to make the call to her office before his partner had. The words "Don't say anything." had come out of her mouth before she had even made eye contact with him or realized that it was him in the room. Realizing this he cleared his throat to draw her attention. When she turned around and smirked at him, he smirked right back...oh yeah he was going to have fun with this today.

"Likewise, it's always nice to see you." He said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "The charges haven't changed since we last spoke Commander Bauer," he said a little too sweetly, "And I was just waiting for my partner to get back from calling your office before I started talking to him. I have the distinct feeling that someone else managed to call you before she did, however I haven't asked him the first question other than how he was feeling today."

When she asked for the room for a minute he cocked his head at her smirking again, he had every intention of taking his time leaving the room until the suspect claims that he wont talk unless Jamie is the only one in the room. When his wife spoke for him and said that he was just leaving, he caught her eye and nodded before he turned and patted the doorframe on his way out the door. "I'll be right outside the door if you need me." While he wasn't happy with her for speaking for him and shooing him out the door, he wanted Jamie to know that he was right there in case the suspect tried something.

Tag: @jamie

Of course her husband would meet everything she did with sarcasm. Though at the end of the day, the two did have to go home and be amicable. Jamie was very stubborn and very much not like the woman that Eric saw at home. It was what made her such a good defense attorney. Her ability to separate things. Right murder charges, of a Navy Cadet. Though accusing an NCO of murdering a cadet? Jamie hadn't seen it yet; but she'd heard rumours that this case was on ice. An old cold case. Were they just looking for a scape goat now for their case closures?

Sometimes Eric was frustrating. She really could handle herself with her clients. She'd handled people who had their hands in all sorts of deals gone wrong. Usually they were thankful she was TRYING to get them out of it. Once Eric had left the room Jamie talked to the guy. That was after she had to explain the confusion between the names being tossed around. She did not want to deal with this right now.

The suspect crossed his arms and kicked back in his chair. "I'm not cooperating with them" he pointed out. "NCIS is the reason my wife and daughter are dead. Now they want to pin the boyfriends death on me." He explained to Jamie. "What kind of people are they?" He fumed out his frustration.

"Look at me. I know you didn't do this. Anything you tell me. I can't tell them. This stays between us." Jamie added. "I need you to be honest with me." She stated before getting the full story about where the guy had REALLY been the night of the murder. Once she'd settled the client down and they had decided she would be the one talking for him, she got up and tapped on the inside of the door to bring her husband back into the room. Jamie had a very good knack for telling when someone was lying, and she believed her client.

Tag: @eric

True to his word, Eric stood just outside the door to interrogation while his very frustrating wife spoke to her client. He chuckled as he could almost imagine her explanation of their last names, and leaned back against the door. He trusted his wife, and had to admit that most of the time her perception of people was spot on. While he couldn't see or hear what was going on, he had a fairly good idea. Most suspects had the same story 'it wasn't me'.

When he heard the tapping on the inside of the door he spoke to his partner, "I've got this, I'd hate to make anyone else deal with my wife when she's like this." He chucked before adding, "Make a few phone calls and check up on those other leads...just on the off chance that Jamie's right, and this isn't our guy."

Turning the knob and heading back in the small room he pins Jamie with his eyes, because he already knows she's going to be doing all the talking. "So...Commander, has your client decided to come clean about his whereabouts on the night of the murder? Maybe if people would be honest from the start it wouldn't cause such suspicion." He went on to point out the lies and half truths that had been told by her client up until this point, "So you understand why NCIS finds it so hard to believe much that comes out of this guy's mouth. However, I'm willing to listen...to the truth. I'd like this case over as much as the next guy."

He watched Jamie closely, he knew she was good at reading people and he could tell by watching her that she believed that what her client was telling her was the truth. "Ok...so let's say I actually believe you and the Commander," he says to the suspect while looking at his wife, "I still need someone to be honest with me so that we can find the guy who actually did this. The longer I'm here dealing with you, the further away the real killer gets."

Tag: @jamie

Right... which one was it. Either Eric hadn't spoken to the guy more than to ask how his day was or he had broken the Miranda rights and her client was walking. One of the two. "Is my client about to walk because the investigator questioned my client when he invoked his Miranda Rights?" Surely her husband had more brains than that? Jamie knew exactly how to manipulate the system. Her finger tapped on the table as she stood to meet him in the eyes. This wasn't a game to her. This was her career and she was pretty sure her client was innocent.

"You know better than to get me to break the attorney client privilege laws agent." She pointed out with a stern glare. No they were not playing the come clean game. "I haven't heard a specific question. Your mouth is moving but the words aren't making sense." She narrowed eyes more. "Petty Officer Hilton was on assignment for your director in DC." She stated. "Something clearly above your pay grade" she mused. "The details of such don't concern your investigation and you have the wrong person sitting behind the table." Jamie hated interrogation rooms sometimes. She was a pacer, she would pace around a room. That just looked bad as a defense attorney.

"Your only evidence to this is circumstantial. You want to take this to court? You'll lose. You have nothing to hold my client on, so I'll be leaving with him." She stated firmly. They had yet to arrest him but she was not playing nice. "If you come near my client again, I will bury you." Well legally speaking she would make the investigation much harder than it already was. "Perhaps you should take a fresh look at the crime scene. Then get back to me on that" she mused out. She was still pretty much in his face. Not like it bothered her. She could argue all day like this. Though she doubted that Eric wanted her manipulative side. This was tame for Jamie when it came to the interrogation room.

Tag: @eric

"Easy tiger." He raised his hands in surrender and chided her with a lopsided grin, "You can ask him yourself... he's sitting right there. I have merely exchanged pleasantries with your client today. I haven't violated anything. The examples that I brought up are clearly documented in those files of yours and came from previous interrogations." Eric knew he was treading on dangerous ground here, when she stood up to face him he could see it in her eyes that she believed this guy.

"I'm not trying to get you to break anything, Commander. My question is what was he REALLY doing on the night of the murder, because he clearly wasn't where he said he was..." Just pointing out the clearly documented discrepancy between the video surveillance and his story. "So let me put this in words both of you will understand, either he comes out with the truth about his location on the night of the murder or everyone upstairs is going to be more than willing to bury him for it just to get this over with. I am honestly more than willing to work with you here, but somebody has to give me something to work with. If he was indeed on assignment in DC for the director that should be easy enough to confirm."

He rubs his temples before looking back at Jamie, "I have Scott upstairs already making some phone calls following up on some other leads, but a little bit of honesty goes a long ways. You of all people know that just because I want this case over and done doesn't mean I want to put the wrong guy away for it, all I'm asking for is a little cooperation from your client. It's not about winning or losing in court to me, it's about making sure the right person pays for the crime."

Sighing he gestures towards the door, "Your client is not being held for anything at this point and is free to leave any time he wishes to do so...I was just hoping that I could convince him to voluntarily help his case."

Tag: @jamie

Narrowing her eyes more she put both hands down on the table in front of her. "Make a phone call Bauer. Don't make me do my job and yours" she threatened. She didn't play nice with anyone when it came to making her do extra work. One phone call and she wouldn't have to waste her time. She had better things to be doing like making lunch plans. Well that and she had to be in court today.

Jamie grabbed her cover off the table and tucked it under her arm. "You have as much as my client has to offer on the matter. He wasn't at your scene. You are going after the distraught boyfriend for fingerprints. My fingerprints are on the alarm clock. Doesn't mean I was there five minutes ago." She was being a smart alec as she pushed the door open and showed her client out of the building. Just to make sure any other officers didn't decide to play twenty questions. She had seen it before.

Heading back up towards her office she decided to stop back by her husband's desk to have a little chat. Setting a fresh coffee down for him she sat on the edge of his desk. She was still discussing the case, but she much preferred the edge of the desk than another chair. Grabbing her own latte she took a sip setting it down where it wouldn't spill. Dress whites were a pain in the behind most days. Setting her fingers down beside her in a sort of tepee like motion she kept her voice calmer. "You are turning over all the wrong rocks babe." Flipping through the folder he'd given her earlier on her own client she pulled something out and showed it to him. "That's not a man's footprint. Not unless he's Thumbelina" she reasoned.

If it was one thing Jamie hated was seeing her husband so stressed out over a case. Then again it's what he did. Though she got to vent most of her frustrations out on the investigators. This time she just happened to unload it all on her husband. Jamie was in the office a lot as she was the base defense attorney. She just so happened to land this particular client in this particular case. If it was one thing Jamie was good at, it was poking her nose where it didn't belong. "Start with the shoe manufacturer. With this image it should be enough for a size." Her hand came to squeeze his shoulder and his neck just near his pressure point in a manner consistent with trying to relieve his tension. "Come with me to lunch, look at this with a fresh set of eyes when you get back?" Was it so wrong to try and manipulate him to looking at this when he was less exhausted from the day?

Tag: @eric

"Well Bauer," he says emphasizing the name, "I am attempting to do my job as we speak...but there seems to be this certain JAG lawyer and her client that are making my job harder than it has to be." He said with a smirk. He can't hold it against her though, he knows that she's just doing her job. A job that she's freaking amazing at, so even though she can make his life miserable at times he can't seem to help the burst of pride he feels as he watches her do her job.

He watched his wife picking up her cover knowing that he loved those dress whites almost as much as she hated them. Seeing her storm into his interrogation room in uniform this morning had made it that much harder to focus on the job at hand. He listened to her defend her client saying that he hadn't been at the scene and all they had was a fingerprint, he couldn't argue because she was stating the truth. When she went as far as to point out that just because her fingerprint was on the alarm didn't mean she was there five minutes ago he cocked his brow and replied, "Now Darlin' you and I both know that your fingerprint would never be on the alarm clock, because your husband wakes you up every morning." He couldn't resist that one as he watched her escort her client from the building.

Picking up the coffee and taking a long swallow, he looks up at his wife when she tells him he's turning over the wrong rocks. "Don't you think I know this Jamie? I've turned over every single rock so many times that I can't remember which way they're supposed to go anymore. I have a call in to the Director to confirm his story though, for his sake I hope that this alibi pans out better than all the rest." Looking at the footprint in the picture he nods, "Yes, there was a woman there...I was hoping to get some cooperation out of your client, there's a link here between his wife and daughter's murder and this one. Everyone up here seems to think that your client is that link...me, I'm not so sure. I have to be honest with you though, him refusing to talk and dragging you over here the minute anyone so much as looks in his direction is not making him look very innocent."

Handing the photograph over to Agent Scott he asked, "Can you make sure that this photo gets to the appropriate people so that we can figure something else out about this footprint please?" Relaxing into her skilled ministrations on his shoulder, he heard her suggest lunch and reexamining everything with a fresh perspective when he returns. "Commander Bauer, has this been an elaborate ruse to get your devastatingly handsome husband to have lunch with you? Because if it has...it's worked. Feel free to get all dressed up and boss me around any time you want to," he says gesturing to her uniform, "It works for me." he says with a smirk.

Looking at his partner, who was still tied up on the phone. "The wife is taking me to lunch, you know how to get ahold of me if you need to. Do you want me to bring you anything back when I come?" He watched as Agent Scott shook her head and pointed to a bag of something on her desk. He followed his wife out of the building and into the sunshine outside.

Jamie just tilted her head and gave him the 'you know you love me anyway' smile as he started saying that she was making his job harder. No she was just standing as a road block to the wrong path. He was just too caught up in his own whatever to see it. Her husband's southern hospitality at times was... spectacularly southern. She gave him he sweetest yankee smile that she could muster. She had much better things to be doing than wasting her client's time as much as she loved her husband, there was a line.

"Eric, what have I always told you about lawyering up the minute someone asks you anything about any investigation?" She gave him a look. "Not everyone who protects their rights is guilty." They had this discussion so many times in the past. She'd always told him to lawyer up the minute anyone started snooping around. People grieved in different ways, Jamie had been a defense attorney long enough to know that some of them just didn't want to talk to investigators and used the lawyer to get the leo's to go away.

Jamie shook her head. "Flattery gets you no where Agent Bauer." She pointed out. Well that was partially true. Jamie was spoiled. "You just got lucky. I wasn't planning on seeing you until you walked in the door tonight" she reminded him. The nine to five wasn't so bad. She got home in time to cook and help the boys with their homework and do the things mothers and wives do. Though it was exhausting she wouldn't trade it for anything. She took a sip of her latte and set it back down that hand twisting around the lid. Her other still on his shoulder.

Nineteen years was a long time to be married to someone and they managed to make it that far. Jamie looked over to him. "I've known you twenty three years; you are doing that thing again where you try so hard you confuse yourself." She wrapped an arm around his back. "Dylan's soccer game is tomorrow night and Mason won't be home tonight he's got that boyscout something" Jamie was changing the subject. They were on their time right now. Not work time. It was as easy for her as flipping a switch. She put her cover on her head as they went outside. While on her break she was STILL in uniform and technically uniform rules still applied. The Tennessee sun felt refreshing. It beat being cooped up in the office any day of the week.

Tag: @eric

"Ok...I'll give you that much, just because the guy lawyers up anytime someone looks at him the wrong way doesn't necessarily make him guilty...it makes him appear guilty. But on that same note, just because an investigator wants to ask a few questions doesn't mean he is trying to pin anything on the guy either, maybe said investigator was only trying to see if the guy knew anything that could help point him in the right direction to possibly solve two cases at once. Then the investigator's wife had to walk in looking all hot...and get all bossy and turn a friendly conversation into anything but. I'm telling you Jamie there's a connection between the two cases, and I'm trying really hard to put the pieces together but half of them are missing...I have a feeling your guy knows more than he's telling me, and what I had planned to do today was talk to him about his wife's murder and see if he could help me with any of the missing pieces." He said before leaning back in his chair eyeing his wife up and down while taking a drink of his coffee.

He grinned at her when she mentioned that flattery got him nowhere, "Oh babe even you know that's not true..." He said cocking his head and winking at her with a lopsided grin, "I'm lucky anytime I get to see you, however for the record I think that tonight when I walk through the door would be a great time to get lucky." He absolutely loved having her home at night when he got home from work, it made for a nice change from all those years that he had been the one at home. Not that he minded, those were some of the best years of his life. He'd gotten a chance to get really close with his boys and watch them grow up which was something he would always treasure, besides Jamie was pursuing her career at that point and he was proud of her so he did whatever it took to make things easier for her.

Since they had moved to Tierney their roles had reversed some, he was the one working late hours and facing possible deployments with the joint task force. He loved his job, and he loved his family lucky for him up to this point he had been able to find a relatively decent balance between the two. "What time is Dylan's game tomorrow? I'd like to make it if I can. Oh yeah...boy scout thing...remind me to catch up with the troop leader this weekend and find out when they were planning the camp outs this year. I promised I'd help if I could."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they stepped out into the sunshine, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaning back and asking, "So Commander? Where are you taking me for lunch?"

Tag: @jamie

Jamie could only shake her head. "Has anyone ever told you that your mouth will get you into trouble?" She smirked. "You are blabbering again" she loved to hear him ramble but sometimes there was a place and a time for things. "Your flattery is well noted" sometimes she wondered about her husband's passes while they were in the public eye. It wasn't exactly professionalism and it was something that Jamison liked to keep so it went acknowledged but not returned. At home, she would have played right into it.

Then there was talk about the boys. They were either flirting or talking about the boys. "Nineteen Hundred. I know it's pushing it. I told him you would try." The kids understood that Eric sometimes got caught up at work. But the family of four was especially close. Right. Jamie was the one who had to do all the reminding of things. Grabbing his phone out of his back pocket she made a note in it for both the game and the boy scout thing. Before shoving it back into his jeans.

Feeling his arm scrap across what was now a bruise on her arm. Oh great... she tried not to shrink back at the pain. Too late she moved her shoulder out of his reach but leaned into the kiss to her forehead. Quickly swapping to the other side of him so it wouldn't happen again she went on like things were perfectly normal. "Where do you want to go babe?" she replied back. Keeping him in a good mood right now would be nice, given when she knew.

Tag: @eric

Eric smirked, "No...I've never had any complaints about my mouth before, and it's certainly never gotten me into trouble." He knew very well he was pushing it, truthfully he's only doing it to get under Jamie's skin and he can tell it's worked. Eric would never treat Jamie with anything but the respect she deserves, but he has a hard time feeling the need to remain professional around his partner. Scott knew they were married and had even been to their house with her husband before, so he tended to let the lines blur a little in front of her.

"Barring any major incidents...I should be able to be there a little after the start. Maybe we can all go out for pizza afterwards." He said feeling her grab his phone from his back pocket, "Remind me to put my phone there more often..." he chuckles as he watches her put the reminders in his phone and shove it back in his pocket. "Have I told you lately how much I love you? I don't know what I'd do without you."

Eric felt her tense and shrink back from him when he pulled her close, she had even gone as far as to switch to his other side. "Whoa...what was that?" he asked stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. He stepped in front of her and looked her in the eyes when he asked, "Jamison Bauer, what's going on? You acted like I just hurt you, and you know I would never hurt you...are you hurt?" Eric was worried now, Jamie had never pulled away from him like that before. She had tried to act like nothing happened and had it been anyone else she probably would have gotten away with it, but after being married for 19 years he knew his wife and how she normally reacted to things.

When she asked him where he wanted to eat he shook his head called her on it, "Nuh uh...Darlin' you might as well come clean and tell me what happened, because something obviously happened and the fact that you're avoiding it tells me that it was something bad."

Jamie enjoyed playing into her husband's flattery but still, she was the stickler of the two when it came to flattery. Partner or no partner, it didn't matter to her. If she got lax and then it became a habit well.. that was never good for anyone and she liked to keep her husband out of trouble. However well that worked some days she was pretty sure was debatable as evidenced by his current behavior.

There was a smile as he said that he should be able to make it to the game. There was a small nod. Jamie didn't eat Pizza but the boys loved it and she was very familiar with the pizza outings they had afterwards. Inevitably it meant a really good salad for her and time with everyone able to enjoy themselves. "Sounds like a plan" she agreed. Cue comment about the phone. "Pft as if you needed the phone there for that attention" she reminded him. Now that they were not on duty, all bets were off as to what she may or may not return with sarcasm. "Not since this morning" okay so she was being a brat a little. "I love you too" she replied with a smile.

One minute she was walking the next Eric was standing in her way. "I bruised my shoulder. I'm good babe" she replied before standing on her tiptoes so that she could be his eye level. She wasn't quite there though. "You just caught the existing bruise. I'm alright" Well she wasn't made of glass but like anyone else she got bruises. Only she didn't want to explain WHERE the bruise had come from that meant explaining well a lot.

"I stumbled and banged it" she replied simply. Well in theory TECHNICALLY she had stumbled after being pushed and it did get banged up, she just didn't say what banged it. A hand hitting it was technically something banging it. Oh she was playing every card she had to not come entirely clean but still not lie. Jamie didn't like to lie to Eric, she trusted him but not with this. She wanted her husband to stay out of jail and telling him the full story of what happened? No she would be bailing him out by nightfall. Jamie gently took him by the side of the arm and pushed to the side. Not putting much force behind it but asking him in her own way to stop standing right in front of her.

Tag: @eric

Jamie was right, he didn't need to keep his phone in his back pocket for her to touch him. He smiled when she said he hadn't told her he loved her since this morning, and smiled even bigger when she returned the sentiment. When they weren't on the clock Jamie had no trouble returning his flirtations with those of her own, and when they were together they were quite often touching in some way. Jamie liked to be held and Eric liked to oblige her, which is why it came as such a surprise to him when she had pulled away.

He was looking her in the eyes when she said that she had bruised her shoulder, that she was good. Not quiet sure what to make of it he cocked his head to the side and studied her expression. "Uh Huh..Ok." When she went on to explain that she had stumbled and banged it, he knew there was more to the story but he wasn't going to push her for it standing on the sidewalk outside of work. When she shoved him he leaned down and kissed her gently before assuring her "This isn't over Jamie, there's something you're not telling me."

He assumed that one of her clients had gotten a little out of hand, it wouldn't be the first time that it had happened but what he couldn't understand was why she was trying to keep it from him. He moved back to her side wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him he nuzzled his nose into her hair before kissing her on the top of the head, "You know you can tell me what really happened right? I promise to not go all caveman and kill the client who did this...however I am going to insist that they start following the rules, well my rules, about leaving you alone with a suspect a little better. I know that my guys know better than to even think about taking a step away from that door when you're in an interrogation room with a suspect, maybe I need to go have a chat with the local PD and remind them of proper procedures."

With that he started walking again, "So...I'm thinking maybe that Deli on the corner, they have really good subs for me and you seem to enjoy their salads."

@jamie

The thing was that Jamie didn't want to admit anything to set Eric off. She wanted to keep her husband out of jail; that was the last thing the family needed. "Yeah. There is." She confirmed. "I like my husband OUT of jail" she added. "It's not really that big of a deal." She was used to bangs and bruises. Jamie had always been the rough and tumble type in general. The woman could turn heads and dress to the nine's like a woman but then go out and get muddy and not have a care in the world. She kissed him back and went silent as they walked.

Then he was jumping to conclusions. "I wish it was a client. That's an easy fix" she grumbled out. "Hell even if it were an irate agent or something, I'd be okay okay with that." She stopped walking again. Though she answered his question about the Deli around the corner. "Yeah well they are the only place in town that has that Asian blend lettuce." She paused. "Which reminds me that Claudette said she would order me some of their lettuce so I can make the stuff at the house" Jamie mused.

"You should also know that your brother is in town" She added in a very bitter tone. Jamie hated David. "That's how this happened" she said finally coming clean on it's entirety. Though Jamie knew coming clean was going to set off Eric. Wonderful, she had probably just started a fight. Jamie hated the subject of his brother.

Jamie picked up a brisk pace after she spoke. Right put her focus somewhere else, so she didn't have to face the discussion. That was Jamie; she hated facing anything and right now getting drunk and forgetting anything were off the table. So there was exercising and not facing what she had just said. Maybe Eric would just let the subject go? Yeah. Fat chance.

Tag: @eric