Family Matters
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from 'JAG', 'NCIS, Those characters are the intellectual property of CBS/Paramount and DPB. We all love to take them out and play with them.
Spoiler: "Jaggle Bells" and the ensuing episodes of the series
Summary: What if it wasn't Jordan Parker, but another female waiting to be interviewed in Jaggle Bells, while Mac and Harm had a different relationship.
First of all Mac and Harm have followed the path set in canon to their present positions except for the following:
*Harm's dad was shot down in Vietnam on Christmas Eve, but when Harm was an infant, before his first birthday, not when he was five as in canon. Harm senior's body was recovered by the US Search & Rescue Teams the same day he was shot down and he was buried with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery.
*A year after Harm Senior's funeral Trish marries Frank Burnet as in canon, but they have twin girls a year after that when Harm is 3 years old.
*Mac did not grow up in Yuma and is not an alcoholic and thus did not meet and marry Chris Ragle when she was 18.
*While Mac went to law school after she served her first officer's posting in Japan, she did not have an affair with her commanding officer, Col. John Farrow.
*Matthew O'Hara is not related to Mac and did not steal the Declaration of Independence.
The rest you'll find out as we go along. (What, you want me to tell the whole story here? Read on please and all will become clear.)
Christmas Eve 1998
1345 Local Time
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
Major Sarah Mackenzie, USMC, was sitting in her office going over the case she just put through an Article 32 hearing. She looked up at the knock on her door. She smiled as she spotted her partner, Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb, USN, through the blinds and beckoned him to enter.
"What's up flyboy?" Sarah asked.
"I just looked at the weather report and this blizzard is getting worse. I called Admiral Chegwidden to alert him and he gave me permission to have the office secure for the day. He asked me to stay as the duty officer and get one more volunteer to stay with me. Interested?"
"Sure, since we're going home together today to go to mass, I don't see a problem," Sarah stated.
"Good cause that's what I told him," Harm said relieved.
"Do you think he'll be able to get a flight out to Italy and see Francesca and Mrs. Chegwidden?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know he sounds skeptical," Harm said.
"God I hope he gets out. Otherwise he's going to be a bear to live with," Sarah commented.
Harm could only shake his head in wry agreement.
Sarah then asked, "Anything pending?"
"There's just one case of suspected DUI. The defendant is waiting in the conference room," Harm answered.
"Well why don't you take care of that and I'll get all the other stuff done that we need to do so that we can secure relatively on time," Sarah suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Harm said as he got up to leave.
After Sarah finished her desk work, she got up to make the rounds of the bullpen and the offices. She ensured all the computers were shut down, put away any confidential or classified files were not left out and locked all the corresponding file cabinets and all the offices. She had just finished locking the last cabinet when she heard someone enter the bullpen.
She turned to see, "Admiral Chegwidden what happened?" She took in the fact that his overcoat shoulder were practically inundated with snow and when he took off his white cover, snow slid off and created a puddle on the floor at his feet.
Rear Admiral, upper half Albert Jethro, (AJ) Chegwidden, the Navy's JAG was not a happy man. He stated, "All flights out of Dulles have been canceled. Where is Mr. Roberts?"
Just then they heard a strange noise. When they turned to look, they saw a toy robot trundling out of one of the rear offices. Behind it came a very gleeful looking lieutenant holding a remote control. His smile disappeared when he looked up and saw Sarah and AJ standing looking at him.
"Lt. Roberts as soon as you stop playing with Robby the Robot there, I want you to get on the phone and find me a flight to Italy. I will not accept the weather as an excuse."
"Aye' aye sir," Lt. Bud Roberts said as he stood at attention. One could see the fear and anguish on his face.
As AJ walked by him he snatched the remote control out of Bud's hand, picked the robot up and strode into his office. Bud scurried off to do the admiral's bidding.
Same Time
JAG Conference Room
When Harm walked into the room he saw a dark haired female in the dark blue Navy uniform standing at the window looking out at the falling snow.
Harm looked at the folder to ensure he got her name right and announced his presence with, "Lt. Cdr. Jennifer Coates?"
As Jennifer turned around at the greeting, Harm saw that she was about 32 years old with a nice figure and a very pretty face. Her eyes were the deepest brown that he had ever seen. He felt that he could fall into the dark pools and lose himself.
He coughed to clear his head as he asked, "Have a seat please."
When Jennifer sat down Harm asked, "So tell me commander, what do you do at Bethesda?"
"I'm a trauma surgeon. I've been there for about three years," Jennifer answered.
"And what brings you here?" Harm asked.
"I was coming out of Bethesda and my car slid on some black ice just outside the exit. I skidded and plowed into a nativity set. I missed Baby Jesus so Mary and Joseph won't sue me, but I did take out Balthazar and Melchior, so I think they'll file a claim" Jennifer said trying to be humorous.
Harm smiled and said, "It says in the incident report that the Marine guard who responded to your scene smelled alcohol and that you failed a breathalyzer test."
"I don't know how I failed that I only had one drink of eggnog at the office Christmas party and that was an hour before the accident," Jennifer answered just before she let out a powerful sneeze.
"Bless you," Harm said. That's when he noticed that she had been holding a pack of tissues. Jennifer reached into her bag and brought out a bottle of cold medicine.
Before she could drink it, Harm reached and took it to read the label. His eyebrows went up and he asked, "When was the last time you took this?"
"About ten minutes before the accident, why?" Jennifer answered.
"You know this contains alcohol," Harm said as he gave her bottle and pointed to the part of the label showing the contents.
Back in the Bullpen
Sarah had just walked back to her office to secure it for her own departure when Lt. jg Harriet Simms came out from the rear offices. She was Bud's wife. As she walked across the bullpen, she was stopped by a little girl's voice behind her saying, "Excuse me can you please tell me where Major Sarah Mackenzie's office is?"
When Harriet turned to address her, she saw a girl of about eight years old with blond hair sticking out from under the woolen cap she was wearing. She too had accumulated snow on her shoulders and cap.
Harriet's overly active curiosity kicked in as she asked, "Sure honey may I ask how you know the major?"
"She's my daughter," Sarah answered from behind Harriet. Harriet turned to see Sarah standing at her door wearing a watery smile and with her arms wide open.
As Sarah moved about her office she heard the exchange between Harriet and the little girl. She recognized the girl's voice immediately and with a feeling of utter joy stepped out of her office to greet her.
"Mom!" the girl cried as she ran into Sarah's arms to be pick up and engulfed in a crushing hug.
As she calmed down Sarah relaxed her hug a bit to ask, "Chloe how did you get here? Where are your father and brother?"
"They're both right here," a man's voice answered from the bullpen's double door entrance way.
When Sarah looked up she saw the source of the voice. He stood about six feet, two inches. He had on an Army green overseas cap and an overcoat with Lt. Colonel's oak leaves on the shoulders. He was holding a boy of about three years, dressed in the usual blue snow suit.
When he took off the cap, he showed crew cut blond hair. When he put the boy down, he toddled over to Sarah and she picked him up and engulfed him in the same type of hug as Chloe. In between kisses she cried, "Oh Jeremy mommy missed you so much."
After letting his wife have the reunion with their children, Lt. Colonel Frank Mackenzie, US Army went to engulf his wife in his own hug and even though Jeremy was between them, gave her a searing kiss.
After they disengaged, Sarah turned to Harriet to see a stunned expression on her face. She asked her, "What's the matter lieutenant, haven't you ever seen a family reunion before?"
"But, but I thought you and Commander Rabb were." Harriet stammered.
Before she or anyone else could say anything in response Sarah put her fingers to Frank's lips to still him and spoke up, "You know Harriet you have the annoying habit of butting into everyone's business, seeing what you want to see and jumping to the wrong conclusions. Why don't you go and help Bud find the admiral his flight to Italy so he could see his wife and daughter for Christmas."
Knowing a reprimand when she heard it Harriet snapped to attention and said, "Aye, aye ma'am." She did an about face and marched out of the bullpen to find Bud.
Sarah waited till she was out of sight and hearing before she removed her fingers from her husband's lips.
Frank took that opportunity to ask, "Speaking of Harm, where is that squid flyboy brother of yours?"