Prosecution Briefing
Sep. 18th, 2008 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bringonthewonderAngela slips into the conference room at the last possible second and takes the seat next to Zach. She gets a short glace from Caroline Julian -- the prosecutor does not tolerate tardiness, but since the briefing hasn't actually started yet, she can't really call Angela late.
Angela pushes her chair a little further back from the head of the table and waits.
"I'm gonna say to you what I always say to you before a trial because this one is no different than any other trial," Caroline says.
"You've never said that before," Zach says, and Angela doesn't need to see Zach's face to know the slightly perplexed frown he's almost assuredly wearing.
"What?" Caroline asks.
"You've never told us that a trial is no different from any other trial," Jack elaborates.
"Which suggests that this one is different," Zach continues. Logically speaking.
Caroline turns to Cam. "Have you no control over these people?"
Cam gives her head a slight shake. "None whatsoever."
Booth has not yet taken the seat to Caroline's right. Angela's not sure if he's standing for a reason or if he just wants to be able to loom over the proceedings. "Look, Caroline," he says. "It's Bones. It's different. Let's just admit that."
Caroline all but harrumphs. "Here's what's not different. Lose the 'Cocky' belt buckle," she orders Booth. "No badges saying 'Resist Authority' or 'The Truth is Out There,'" she tells Jack, who makes a slight defensive gesture with his hand, possibly to protect the Ask Me About The Conspiracy button pinned to his jacket today.
"Do not cut your own hair the day before a trial," Caroline tells Zach, still working her way around the table. (This, honestly, is good advice whether it's the day before a trial or not.) "Ugly up a little. The plain women on the jury hate you," she tells Angela and most of the responses Angela can think of are uncharitable at best, downright rude at worst, and so she doesn't say anything.
Caroline moves on to the young psychiatrist across the table. "Use your fully grown-up words," she tells Sweets, whose who me? gesture is overdone and melodramatic. "Eat, " she orders Cam. "Last time, your stomach was growling louder than your testimony."
"Then don't put me on first thing in the morning," Cam tells her.
"I assure you I will be totally, awesomely mature on the stand," Sweets adds, and that's it, that's all Angela can take.
In some ways, Dean was right. She did have to figure out which part of the clusterfuck is gonna keep her from sleeping until she's seventy or senile, whichever comes first.
And other ways, he was wrong. Because when Angela is being 100% honest, there was never any other way this was going to go down, and therefore nothing much to figure out.
"Ms. Julian, I'm not taking the stand."
Angela's said and done things that brought a room full of people up short before, but not quite like this. Booth, getting coffee from the credenza behind Caroline sets the pot down quickly, turning. Caroline gapes. Jack and Zach turn to face her.
"You have to," Cam says.
"Look, I'm not gonna tell anybody else what to do here," Angela says, looking over at her fiance for a second and then back to her boss, "but I'm not testifying."
And since there's nothing else to say after that, Angela gets up and walks out of the briefing.
Angela pushes her chair a little further back from the head of the table and waits.
"I'm gonna say to you what I always say to you before a trial because this one is no different than any other trial," Caroline says.
"You've never said that before," Zach says, and Angela doesn't need to see Zach's face to know the slightly perplexed frown he's almost assuredly wearing.
"What?" Caroline asks.
"You've never told us that a trial is no different from any other trial," Jack elaborates.
"Which suggests that this one is different," Zach continues. Logically speaking.
Caroline turns to Cam. "Have you no control over these people?"
Cam gives her head a slight shake. "None whatsoever."
Booth has not yet taken the seat to Caroline's right. Angela's not sure if he's standing for a reason or if he just wants to be able to loom over the proceedings. "Look, Caroline," he says. "It's Bones. It's different. Let's just admit that."
Caroline all but harrumphs. "Here's what's not different. Lose the 'Cocky' belt buckle," she orders Booth. "No badges saying 'Resist Authority' or 'The Truth is Out There,'" she tells Jack, who makes a slight defensive gesture with his hand, possibly to protect the Ask Me About The Conspiracy button pinned to his jacket today.
"Do not cut your own hair the day before a trial," Caroline tells Zach, still working her way around the table. (This, honestly, is good advice whether it's the day before a trial or not.) "Ugly up a little. The plain women on the jury hate you," she tells Angela and most of the responses Angela can think of are uncharitable at best, downright rude at worst, and so she doesn't say anything.
Caroline moves on to the young psychiatrist across the table. "Use your fully grown-up words," she tells Sweets, whose who me? gesture is overdone and melodramatic. "Eat, " she orders Cam. "Last time, your stomach was growling louder than your testimony."
"Then don't put me on first thing in the morning," Cam tells her.
"I assure you I will be totally, awesomely mature on the stand," Sweets adds, and that's it, that's all Angela can take.
In some ways, Dean was right. She did have to figure out which part of the clusterfuck is gonna keep her from sleeping until she's seventy or senile, whichever comes first.
And other ways, he was wrong. Because when Angela is being 100% honest, there was never any other way this was going to go down, and therefore nothing much to figure out.
"Ms. Julian, I'm not taking the stand."
Angela's said and done things that brought a room full of people up short before, but not quite like this. Booth, getting coffee from the credenza behind Caroline sets the pot down quickly, turning. Caroline gapes. Jack and Zach turn to face her.
"You have to," Cam says.
"Look, I'm not gonna tell anybody else what to do here," Angela says, looking over at her fiance for a second and then back to her boss, "but I'm not testifying."
And since there's nothing else to say after that, Angela gets up and walks out of the briefing.
