Decisions
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. If I did, JAG would still be making more new episodes, not spending my time writing something that nobody's going to read.
A/N: Full credit is given to SMKLegacy for the position Mac is offered in this story. It's from the story "Tails" which can be read here, on
A/N (again): This is my first JAG fic. It takes place right where the series finale ended off. Please let me know what you think…and BE HONEST! Oh…and I couldn't remember which side of the coin was for which location, so I just decided that heads is going to be London, and tales is going to be San Diego. Read and Review, people! Anyway…on with the show!
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
HARM'S POV:
Everyone in the small group of military officers at McMurphy's, consisting of myself, Mac, Sturgis, Jen, Bud, the Admiral, and General Creswell, held their breaths as the coin did somersaults in the air and landed on the floor with a ringing 'clank'. My breath caught in my throat as we all stood around nervously, wondering how the coin landed. Secretly, I hoped with all my might that it would land heads up. This is a position that I really didn't want to pass up. But, Mac and I did agree that we would follow what the coin said, regardless.
For several seconds afterwards, everyone just looked at each other, silently asking with their eyes who was going to look at the small piece of metal that would decide the fate of the two JAG officers. Mac was the first to regain her voice in the lot.
"Okay, are we all just going to stand here, or is someone going to see how it landed?" Once again, the love of my life stepped in and saved the day…even if it was just from an awkward silence.
Admiral Chegwedden straightened his back, reminding everyone, once again, that you can take the man out of the Navy, but you can't take the Navy out of the man.
"Right…well, I'll do it. It is, after all, my coin."
This brought a slight chuckle from everyone in the group, myself included. However, it did not help to release any of the tension that hung in the air. General Creswell was getting impatient, and urged the admiral on.
"Well, AJ, come on…what does it say? Where are these two going?"
"Heads…the coin landed heads up. So, I guess that means congratulations are in order here, Captain."
I smiled at the use of my new title actually being said out loud. But when I looked over at my fiancée, I saw that despite the smile on her face, there was a bit of disappointment in her eyes. Then again, I guess I would feel the same way if the coin had landed tails up instead. When our eyes me, I could see that she really was happy for me, even though she was also sad for herself at the same time. Suddenly, I felt a little guilty. I mean, JAG means so much more to Mac than it does to me. Don't get me wrong, I love working at JAG, but I was only there in the first place because I couldn't fly. JAG is Mac's passion. Maybe she should be the one to take her job. Besides…the best rehabilitation center for Mattie's recovery is in San Diego. I was about to voice all my thoughts, when the General started to speak again.
"So, Colonel, now that this matter has been resolved, I have something for you."
Mac took the envelope with the JAG insignia from the General's hand and eyed it skeptically. She turned to me, looking up at me for encouragement. I nodded to her, telling her to just trust our CO and open it. I watched her with intense curiosity as her beautiful almond eyes scanned the contents of the envelope, growing wider with each passing moment. When she looked up at me again, I saw a spark in her eyes that I didn't expect to see at that moment. She just found out that we would be moving to London, and that she would have to give up her military career to do so. Happiness should be the last thing I saw in her eyes right now. But, that's what I saw. Without saying a word, she handed me the paper that she had just read, and motioned for me to read it. What I saw shocked me even more than it did her.
"Orders to go to London? This is incredible! What do you think, Mac?"
"What do I think? I want to do it. I mean, of course I want to do it. But what I want to know is…how? My orders were to go to San Diego. What changed?"
Knowing that the answer 'that's not your orders anymore' would not only be unquestionably obvious, but definitely wouldn't suffice with the pair in front of him, the General began to explain.
"Well, Colonel, your true orders were never to go to San Diego. You see, I had a discussion with AJ before I became the JAG. You know, just to familiarize myself with my new staff and job in general. Let me tell you, some of the things he had to say about the two of you, well, surprised me, to say the least. In fact, a good portion of it I wouldn't have believed at all had I not seen some of the hair-brained schemes the two of you have concocted since I became the JAG. I'll tell you now that since I came here, I've been doing some concocting of my own, with a little help from AJ and some other friends that are also high-up in the chain of command. Colonel, your orders were always going to be to go to London with the Comm—er…Captain. But we all knew that to make the both of you admit your feelings, we were going to have to give you a deadline. So, we did, and thankfully, after months of agonizing over these plans, we pulled it off. Now, the orders that Captain Rabb is holding in his hand are orders to go to London as a representative for the USMC, and the military in general. I received a request from Colonel Wickers, the Military Attaché in England, asking me if I'd be willing to find him someone who could assist him in London. And, if you're willing, the job is yours. One more thing…the job also comes with a promotion should you choose to accept it. You'll be a full-bird Colonel. So, what do you say?"
I could tell that by the end of General Creswell's little speech, Mac was completely flabbergasted. Hell, so was I. I didn't know whether I was more surprised at the fact that she and I had been set up by both our current and former CO, or that she was getting the chance of a lifetime here. I was brought back into reality when I realized that Mac was talking to me.
"Sorry…I spaced out for a second, there. What did you say, Mac?"
"Maybe you should learn to pay more attention, there, Flyboy. I asked you what you thought about this."
"About being set up, or about this position?"
"Umm…let's start with the position. We'll get to the part about us being set up in a minute," Mac emphasized the words 'set up', looking at the Admiral and the General to make sure they knew that they weren't out of the woods with us yet.
"I think it's a great opportunity to you. In all honesty, I don't see any logical reason why you should say 'no'. But it's up to you. Is it something that you want to do?"
"Sure I do. It's just that this wouldn't end up being a real 9-5 job, Harm. I could end up having some crazy hours here. What about Mattie? With both of us working like this, how would we work out everything with her? I mean, she has school, for starters. Plus, there's her rehabilitation to think about. How are we going to do our jobs and still have time with her as a family?"
"Mac, don't worry about it. We'll talk to Mattie about all of this, and we'll come up with a solution to all of this together. Besides, I was talking with Jen earlier, and she already agreed to go to London with me. She can help handle things going on with Mattie when we can't do them. You are still planning on coming now, right Jen?"
I turned the attention to Petty Officer Jennifer Coates for a moment, waiting for her reply.
"Of course, sir, I had no intentions of backing out."
"See, Mac, we can work this out."
"Okay, I get it. General, in all your explanations, there's one thing you didn't tell us."
"And what would that be, Colonel?"
"What do I need to do to prepare for this position? I mean, I don't think it would be something I can just accept than show up for Monday morning."
Mac's question made sense. It didn't even occur to me in all the excitement to even think about that. Didn't she have to take some sort of classes or something before she could officially accept this position? I looked to the General, waiting for his answer.
"Well, you would have to remain here in DC for a few weeks and attend classes that would prepare you for this step in your career. It would also prepare you for any promotions you would definitely receive while you remain there."
"What kind of promotions are we talking here, sir?"
"First you would be promoted to Defense Attaché when Colonel Wickers retires, then possibly Commandant of the Marines, etc. What do you say, Colonel?"
For the second time since we got to McMurphy's, I held my breath and waited for Mac to say something.
"Well, sir, I guess all I can say is, I accept, and, well, thank you, General."
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
A/N: So, what did you think? Should I continue, or quit wasting my time with this story? Let me know! Updates will depend on reviews!
