Brothers
Heidi McKeon

~X~X~X~X~

2032 zulu
JAG Head Quarters
Falls Church, Virginia

He pushed through the doors to the Judge Advocate General's building and clipped on his ID badge that would allow him to pass through ninety percent of the security check points unquestioned.  The other ten percent he probably wouldn't want to know why he couldn't get through, especially if he were to have a moment of weakness and actually believe Mulder's conspiracy theories.

Passing through the lobby, he headed for the bank of elevators that would lead him to the Commanding Officer's office.  He took a deep breath, it had been a long time since he'd seen AJ.  Walter wondered if AJ had even been an Admiral the last time he saw him.

A.D. Skinner walked past the glass wall that separated the hallway from what was commonly called the 'bullpen'.

Harriet nudged Bud and pointed to the tall man in the dark suit who'd just walked past, toward the Admiral's office.  "Bud, did you see him.  He really looked like the Admiral."

"Yeah..." Bud replied, as he moved around the desk to see if he could see the visitor again.

"You don't think?" Harriet contemplated.

Bud just shrugged, he really hadn't gotten a good look at the visitor and by the time he's moved to where he could see him, all he saw was the ram-rod straight back and balding head.

<<~~~<><><>~~~>

"I'd like to see Admiral Chegwidden please."

"Sir, he's in a meeting."

"If you could please tell him Assistant Director Skinner from the FBI is here to see him, please."   Skinner used his best AD voice to impress upon the petty officer that he wanted in to see the Admiral, now.

"Yes, Sir." Tiner replied and quickly buzzed the Admiral office.

   <<~~~<><><>~~~>

AJ looked up with annoyance to the interrupting buzz.  "What is it, Tiner?" he growled.  The case that he and his best two attorneys were discussing wasn't something that he wanted to be interrupted in the middle of.

"I'm sorry sir, but Assistant Director Skinner is..."  Tiner never got to finish.

"Send him in."  AJ interrupted his petty officer.  He stood and walked around his desk, waiting.

Mac and Harm looked at each other.  They both knew that the Admiral had told Tiner that he didn't want to be disturbed under any circumstances.  So why now?

"Walt!" He exclaimed as the door opened.

Harm and Mac looked at one another again as the Admiral greeted and embraced the other man, barely shorter than the Admiral, just as bulky, and the same upright carriage.

"AJ, sorry if I interrupted anything important."

"No Walt, it's nothing that can't wait.  Business or Social?"

Now Harm and Mac were really confused,  this case was one that the Admiral had been chewing on them about since it started and now that they were close to wrapping up the case, the Admiral was saying that it could wait.

"Social," Walt replied looking over AJ's shoulder to the two officers who were looking very confused.

AJ caught the glance and turned, "Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb, Major Sarah MacKenzie, this is Assistant Director Skinner, my brother."

"Brother?" Harm choked out before he regained his composure, "It's good to meet you sir."

Skinner chuckled at the Commander's obvious surprise.  Neither he nor AJ were ones to talk about their family so it came as no surprise that these two officers didn't know about their Admiral's younger brother.  Of course it wasn't as if he and AJ were all that close anyway.

"Harm, Mac, can we finish this later?"  AJ asked.  He wanted to talk to his brother and not in front of these two.

"Yes, Sir."  They chorused as they gathered their papers and stood.

"So what brings you to Virginia?"  AJ asked after Harm and Mac left.

"I got your message after I got out of the hospital, and I just wanted to touch base. It's been too long."

"Yeah, it has.  I heard about what happened, do they know what caused it your illness?"

"You won't believe me if I told you.  I think one of my agents has finally gotten to me and made me just as paranoid as he is."  Walter laughed at the mention of Mulder.

AJ grinned, yeah, he knew all about the people you work with getting to you, Sarah Mackenzie was a prime example of that, "Oh yeah, I know all about that."

Walter lifted and eyebrow at AJ's comment, he had a feeling that his older brother had some tales to tell.  They hadn't much of a relationship growing up.  It was understandable why too, considering his mother wasn't married to their father.  But now after the wake up call he'd gotten from Krycek he wanted to strengthen those bonds with AJ.

"AJ, I came really close this time, and it made me think that maybe I need to keep in touch with my family better.  So, brother, that means you."

"I'm glad Walt.  I was always sorry that we never got a chance to be brothers in the real sense of the word.  Let's have dinner tonight, we can catch up."  AJ suggested, knowing that he had a busy day, but he didn't want to let this opportunity pass.

"Dinner sounds nice."  Skinner replied.

AJ gave Skinner directions once they had decided on a time.   AJ accompanied Skinner out of his office and down to the elevator bank.  "I'll see you tonight," he said as the elevators closed.

AJ smiled then put his best 'I'm the Admiral' look on and walked back through the Bull pen,  "Rabb, Mackenzie, my office."
 

FINIS