Author's Warning Notes for Inevitability Redux
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I don't usually put extensive paragraphs of notes on any story, and though I have been known to post a warning or two here and there, I don't usually go to any great lengths to warn readers of potential squick factors. Mainly because I don't usually write stories that fall into the usual squick categories. However, this story has two main warnings:

Angst:    There is a level of angst in this one that is quite a bit more extensive than in other things I've written. Hey, Ed is shot and then, per canon, five days later he is "fighting for his life." Enough said.

Religious content:    This is really the topic I thought I might need to address. I know that religion is a big button for many people, and Catholicism in particular has a large set of baggage that comes along with it. I have picked up the scent, in the L&O fandom, of any number of people who don't believe that Jack McCoy, per canon, is a religious person. I disagree with them. He may no longer be a practicing Catholic, going to Mass every week, or even align himself with one particular parish church or another, but there are numerous references in canon to his feelings about God, Catholicism, the religious concepts of good and evil, the Devil, and yes, even exorcism. Though I am a person who has a limited religious background with strong (negative) opinions about any number of aspects of organized religion, etc., I also try to be a writer who does not discount what is given to us in canon in terms of characterization.

I would refer people to the following episodes--by no means a complete list--for some insights into Jack as a lapsed Catholic who still believes in God and certain tenets of Catholicism:

Disciple (1998)
This entire episode is about religion, with the main subplot being Jack's renewed belief in some of the Catholic teachings of his youth. An ex-nun, Sister Rosa Hallasy, performs an exorcism in which a young girl dies. Rosa Hallasy believes Saint Michael speaks to her, and through her, that he told her the girl was possessed by the Devil. In the course of the case Jack comes to the realization that he cannot discount her belief, nor does he want to, as he struggles with prosecuting the woman without attacking those beliefs. There are conversations between him and Abbie, and them and Adam, in which Jack speaks of his belief in the Devil, and evil, and the possibility that Rosa Hallasy is a holy person. "Nobody's more surprised than me," Jack says to Abbie when she questions his struggle. There is a fascinating cross-examination Jack does, walking this fine line between attack and respect, and it appears that by the end of it Jack's belief in Rosa Hallasy's belief comes to the fore. After they've convicted her, and Jack is found reading letters pleading lenience from her neighbors, Abbie tells him that the DA's office did the right thing convicting a child killer. They shouldn't feel guilty, or have any issues with it at all, like Jack is obviously still having. Jack's response: "I'm not sure who we convicted." Cut to credits.

Amends (2000)
In which, near the end, Jack makes a deeply resonant reference to the ultimate judgment that will be passed on all of the people (including himself) involved in a twenty year coverup of a young woman's murder. The RFTH Martha Moxley case. There is no way to read his sentiment other than in a religious context.

The Collar (2002)
This episode again centers around Jack and his Catholic beliefs. In it, a priest has heard the confession of a man, admitting to a murder and asking for absolution. The cops can find very little evidence other than learning about this supposed confession. Jack and the DA make the very tough decision to force the priest to take the stand and tell what happened in the confession. Jack talks, alone, to the priest, who tells him that if he has to testify he will have to give up his calling because without established trust between confessor and God through the priest, a priest is no longer a priest. Again, we have Jack struggling over the right thing to do. Jack goes to see a Bishop, who greets him by his first name, saying something to the effect that he hasn't seen Jack around in a while. The obvious implication being that Jack had attended this church, outside of which the two of them are sitting, at some point in his NY life, so at some point in his adult life. Long enough for the Bishop to get to know Jack, and just as obviously, like him. They have a heart-to-heart as Jack asks for counsel. At the end of the episode, after the DA has forced the priest to testify, therefore forcing the priest (by his belief) to relinquish his priesthood, Jack watches the man throw his collar in the trash. It is clear from Serena's attempt to reassure him that they did the right thing that Jack doesn't necessarily agree, or at the very least feels a measure of guilt about the decision.

Tombstone (2005)
Yes, I will mention this, because it was so startling. And yes, it is the canonical basis for the religious content in Inevitability Redux. Five days after Ed was shot he is deathly ill. Arthur Branch says to Jack, "If you have any faith in the man upstairs ... it might be time to call in a chit." Jack replies, "Already did." To state the obvious, a person who doesn't believe in God doesn't pray for someone's recovery.

I have been told that there is another episode in the seasons between The Collar and Tombstone, in which the prosecution of a priest for conspiracy to murder was the main plot. I've been told that there is a closing argument in which Jack rails on organized religion. I've been told by other people that it didn't seem, to them, that this ep made sense, canonically, given what we've been told about Jack's feelings, outlined by example directly above. I haven't seen the episode. I can see that Jack could feel strongly negative about the Catholic Church as an institution, or at least strongly ambivalent, and still feel that he is a Catholic, still believe in God, and still believe in some of the spiritual teachings.

At the same time, given the writing quagmire that L&O fell into during so much of the 2002-2004+ seasons, I wouldn't be surprised if the religious context of that episode didn't make sense in terms of Jack's prior characterizations. That's all I can say about it.

As previously stated, the episodes I've listed are but a few, and Jack and his faith popped up in others. My feeling is that so much of fanfiction is skewed to fit our own personal perceptions, beliefs, and viewpoints--my stories as well--and so much of how we see these characters can be just as skewed. I've heard a number of things from a number of people which surprised me, for example: "Ed is just an asshole," "Jack is amoral," "Ed is an idiot," "Jack is a bastard," etc.

So. Warning: For those people who are firm in their stance that Jack is completely non-religious, period, you will not agree with the characterization of Jack as presented in Inevitability Redux.

For those people who are practicing Catholics: I hope that what I've written rings at least partially true; and please remember that even though I had the assistance and advice of people of your faith, all mistakes in the depictions herein are mine and mine alone.

Sincerely,
Cassatt

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