How Mac Got Her Spark Back
Chapter 1/1
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the JAG characters. I don't own any product or label mentioned for the purposes of telling this story. Any similarities to situations or persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
Spoilers: Any JAG episode up to and including 'Dream Team.' This particular story occurs after 'Dream Team' but before 'Fair Winds and Following Seas.'
A/N: This is a challenge fic as posted on Fic Recon by Pixie for the month of July. Here goes nothing. The words for the challenge are as follows: Independent, Fireworks, Spark and Ice Cream. This will not be an Independence Day fic.
A/N: Many thanks to Aerogirl and Tracy for beta reading on a holiday weekend.
1600
Monday
April 25, 2005
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. walked through the glass doors leading to the bullpen. He had finally finished the report that General Creswell requested. An independent investigation had been ordered of the activities of Lieutenant Gregory Vukovic while he was trying a case at San Diego. The commanding officer at NLSO North Island had requested a discreet inquiry because of the nature of the charges and also because of the source of the allegations. Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, the lieutenant's mentor, had not been made aware of the situation in order to keep the investigation truly 'independent.'
Lieutenant Tali Mayfield charged that Lieutenant Vukovic tampered with evidence during the trial of a Marine who was accused of killing a Nicaraguan civilian during a humanitarian mission, turning the case in his favor. The reason for the discretion had been that it was common knowledge at NLSO North Island that Vukovic and Mayfield had been involved personally. The CO at North Island wanted to be sure that the charges were not just a means of exacting revenge in a personal matter. If the charges were true it went without saying that the case would have to be retried, even though it was clear, from other witnesses' accounts, that Corporal Duran had been innocent of all charges.
The allegations against the junior attorney had not been unfounded; Lieutenant Gregory Vukovic was in a great deal of trouble.
As Harm neared the door of his office, Petty Officer Jennifer Coates called to him.
She stood at the doorway to General Creswell's outer office.
"The general would like to see you, sir. ASAP."
"Is he available now?" Harm walked toward her, carrying the file containing his report on the Vukovic investigation.
"I think so. I'll let him know you're here."
The general instructed Coates to send him in.
Harm came to attention in front of the general's desk. "At ease, Commander, you may be seated."
"Yes, sir." Harm sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
Harm dreaded what he would have to tell the general and he knew that he had seen a 'spark' in the younger attorney. 'A fire in his belly' was what the general had said. He would certainly not like what he was about to hear about Vukovic now.
"I just spoke with Captain Stevens, the CO of NLSO North Island. I understand your investigation uncovered some irregularities in Lieutenant Vukovic's handling of the Duran case last month."
"Yes sir." His disappointment was obvious to Harm, though neither man made mention of it.
"I will continue to expect your discretion, Commander; I will discuss the situation with Colonel Mackenzie after I have made a decision about how we will proceed with Lieutenant Vukovic."
"Yes sir." He was making this very easy for him.
"I will expect your full report before you leave today."
"I have it here, sir." Harm stood and handed the report to him.
"Very well." He turned the report in his hands so that it could be read but he did not open the file.
"You are dismissed, Commander."
Harm came to attention. "Sir."
As he opened the door to leave the room, the general spoke.
"Oh, and Commander….I understand your ward has had some improvement in her condition."
"Yes sir, she is no longer in a coma and she is improving every day." He turned back to look at the general, the relief evident on his face.
"Outstanding." The general then returned his attention to the file in front of him.
"Thank you, sir."
Harm stepped out and closed the door behind him, smiling at Coates as he passed her desk.
"It's so great about Mattie, sir. She will have her old spark back before you know it."
"I think I'm already seeing it. She's demanding ice cream…or so I'm told by her speech pathologist. They tested her ability to swallow this morning and the results were good. As soon as Mattie heard the good report, she started asking for it every time a nurse came into the room."
"That sounds like the Mattie I know," Jen said laughingly, thinking of her young friend and former roommate. Not having a teenager as a roommate anymore had allowed her to be more independent, but she still missed Mattie. She had begun to view her more as a sister than a friend.
Harm nodded his agreement and started to walk out of the general's outer office.
"Oh, sir…will you be going to Blacksburg tonight?"
Harm turned to look back at Jen, standing just outside the office. "No…Mattie has given me 'orders' to go home and get some rest."
At that moment Mac passed Harm as she made her way to the break room. She had overheard Harm's part of the conversation.
"Good idea." She slowed her pace and looked at him with a smug grin on her face, remembering their conversation about how hard he had been pushing himself lately.
Harm looked back at her. "Yeah, a wise woman told me I needed to stop burning the candle at both ends."
"A very wise woman," Mac tossed over her shoulder as she continued to walk toward the break room. She had been looking forward to this all afternoon. She had a treat stashed away in the freezer and it had been calling her name all day.
Harm shook his head as he watched her walk into the break room. Mac looked like she was on a mission. He looked at his watch, thinking that it was probably close to dinner time for her. She very likely had something hidden away in the refrigerator. It was SOP at JAG that no one touched anything she put in the break room without permission. God help anyone who got between Mac and her food.
Harm went to his office, and just as he was going to sit down he remembered the rest of the conversation they had when she had told him she was worried about him. She had offered to be there for him and he had shut her out. He needed to talk to her and clarify what was going on. There was no way he wanted to push her away and he had to be sure she knew that.
At that same moment…..
Mac had worked through lunch and had very little breakfast that morning. She was famished. She had a pint of her new favorite ice cream, 'Espresso Mocha Macchiato'.
It had been a frustrating day in what had been a frustrating month. She was dealing with Lieutenant Vukovic on a daily basis and he seemed to be getting more insubordinate by the day. The general seemed to think she was the person to mentor him, and while she was flattered at his confidence in her, she was frustrated with the general's opinion of what she saw as a person who had no business in uniform, never mind practicing law.
She had taken out her pint of ice cream and gotten a spoon from the supply drawer. She couldn't wait to take a bite of that little bit of heaven in the form of ice cream. This was just what the doctor ordered, just what she needed to pull her out of the doldrums and get her spark back.
She smiled as she lifted the lid of the container. Maybe she was developing a dependency on the rich and wonderful treat but she only shrugged her shoulders, easily shaking off the worry. She would become independent of Espresso Mocha Macchiato ice cream when she was independent of Lieutenant Gregory Vukovic.
Mac dug into the frosty treat, scooping a heaping spoonful and placing it in her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring its cool, sweet flavor, with the distinct and smoky taste of espresso. She swallowed her first bite and licked her upper lip, heedless of any type of decorum, not wanting to miss a drop.
"Mmmm….God, I love this," she said aloud as she took another heaping spoonful.
Unbeknownst to her, Harm was standing at the entrance to the break room, totally entranced by Mac's unabashed enjoyment of her favorite ice cream treat.
She sensed him in the room then and looked in his direction, her mouth still full of ice cream. Slightly discomfited, she tried to speak.
"Hmmm...Hrm…" She held up her index finger, silently requesting that he wait a minute.
She swallowed and Harm took one involuntary step further into the break room.
"Hi," she finally greeted him, flushing slightly pink with embarrassment.
Harm took another step in and managed to answer. "Hi." His voice was deep and just above a whisper.
"I didn't eat lunch today and I'm starving, so I keep this in the freezer for just this kind of day." Was she babbling? Mac hadn't seen that look in Harm's eyes in a long time, and she found that she wanted to see more of it.
"It's been a long and frustrating day and this is just perfect for it. The ice cream satisfies my hunger and the mocha takes care of my frustration…and the espresso gets me through the rest of …the afternoon."
Mac noticed Harm looking intently at her mouth and stepping slowly closer as she spoke.
"Oh."
This was all Harm seemed able to say at that particular moment. 'Say something, you idiot,' he admonished himself.
She took another huge scoop of ice cream and placed it ever so slowly into her mouth.
He could feel sparks shooting all the way down his spine. If he didn't know better he would swear she was doing that on purpose. He finally found his voice.
"I just wanted…to tell you…I'm sorry for not talking…to you…" Harm came closer until he was standing directly in front of her. "About what was going on …with Mattie. I..."
Mac decided she would help him. The eloquent and sometimes sharp-witted Harmon Rabb was tongue tied; after all, she hadn't had this much of this type of attention in some time. He was still having difficulty looking anywhere but at her mouth. She swallowed once again and slipped the tip of her now cool tongue out to lick her upper lip again. After all, this was a treat she didn't want to waste; and if she didn't know before, she knew now that she had his full attention.
"I think I know, Harm. It's okay. I'm just glad to hear that she's improving."
He looked into her eyes now, still unable to construct a coherent sentence and genuinely grateful that she had taken over the conversation. This was the Mac he remembered, the one who was sincerely interested in his life but also, God help him, the one who was driving him insane with a spoonful of Espresso Mocha Macchiato ice cream.
Mac decided it was time for another bite.
Harm's eyes followed her spoon from the pint of ice cream to Mac's lips. His mouth opened slightly and he leaned in closer to her, resting his hand on the counter behind her. Their bodies were not touching but were close enough to feel the heat radiating with every breath they were taking…together.
"Do you want a bite?" Her eyes had begun to sparkle with mischief.
Harm nodded wordlessly.
She scooped another spoonful and Harm parted his lips to allow her to place the spoon inside his mouth. She had involuntarily opened her mouth slightly as he did, as though she were showing Harm just what he should do.
As he closed his lips on the spoon, the flavor of the ice cream melted into his mouth. It was good…no… it was great. Harm could not help thinking that her lips would taste the same way right about now.
Mac raised her eyebrows. "Good?"
Harm managed, "Hmmm." His eyes becoming heavy lidded from pure pleasure.
Mac laughed in spite of herself. "Does that mean yes?" She slipped the spoon out of his mouth, her eyes lingering there a heartbeat longer than they should have.
Harm swallowed his ice cream, feeling its coolness all the way down his throat. "Yeah." The cool sensation seemed to help him focus.
"Want another bite?"
Harm nodded as Mac scooped up another heaping spoonful and without realizing it she leaned toward him as she placed the spoon in his mouth, watching very closely. As she fed him his spoonful of ice cream, he looked directly into her eyes. His dazed expression changed to one of determined and focused passion.
Mac got the unspoken message loud and clear. "Are you finished for the day?"
Harm swallowed his ice cream, "Yeah, I'm finished…here." A knowing smile spread slowly across his face. She understood just what he meant.
Mac returned his smile and a thought came to her at that moment. This wonderful ice cream just might have sparked some major fireworks, even though July was three months away.
She had come into the break room looking for a 'spark' of some kind to get her through the afternoon, and she found another kind of 'spark' entirely.
FIN
A/N: I don't know if there is an ice cream named 'Espresso Mocha Macchiato.' It just sounded rich and wonderful so that's what I named it.
A/N: This is a Harm and Mac story so I will only say this about Vukovic's fate in my story. Later that afternoon the results of the independent investigation caused some fireworks in the general's office. Vic thought he was cooler than ice cream but it turned out that he had very little spark after all. (Smile)
And that's all I have to say about that.