Title:
Surprise to See You Here
Author:
red rooster dawn
Pairing: Harm/Mac
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Harm leaves to fly. Mac leaves JAG and moves to Europe. Will tragedy bring back together again?
part one
The Patrick Henry
Naples, Italy
2001
The Patrick Henry was dock in Naples, Italy. It had been cruising the eastern Mediterranean for the last three months as part of its NATO obligations. It was time for shore duty and Naples was a favorite port for the navy personnel.
The people of Italy liked to welcome Americans as if they were one of their own. They still remembered with gratitude that it was the Americans that had freed them from the influence of Hitler and the Germans.
It was also the Americans who helped them rebuild after the great war. They also liked Americans because they liked to spend lots of money whenever they visited, loved their cuisine, and appreciated their rich culture.
"Where are we going Harm?" asked Tuna. He never knew where Harm was taking him. He never went to the same place twice.
He wanted to quench his thirst with a beer or two. They had been at sea for about three months, but hadn't had shore leave in two. While the beer they had on the Patrick Henry was drinkable, it wasn't very good. It wasn't the good stuff.
"I was thinking about this little cafe I know that overlooks the bay. Every time I've been there before there were lots of beautiful young ladies there waiting to be courted." smiled Harm.
"Sir, I thought you wanted to go some place exciting like a disco where we can eat, drink, and dance." queried Skates.
"I have to find a young lady to dance with first Skates. One meets a better class of ladies at a cafe. You have the opportunity to get to know them a little before spending too much time and money on them." smiled Harm.
"What about that marine that is in the picture you have on the night stand by your bed?" asked Tuna.
He had asked Harm about her a few times and Harm had told him that she was the most incredible woman he had ever known. They had spent many nights talking about her and why Harm hadn't done anything about it.
Harm had come up with many excuses, but Tuna had told him that was no way to live one's life. One should grab any opportunity for love for it could be fleeting. One never knew how long one was put on this earth for.
"She's in Washington Tuna. She can't very well go dancing with me if she's not here in Naples." sighed Harm.
He missed his marine more than he thought was possible. He missed her smile, the look of disbelief whenever he proved her wrong. She was so beautiful and sexy. She had an unbelievable mind that challenged him to be better than he thought was even possible.
"You just cursed him Tuna. He won't be dancing with anyone special tonight. He will be thinking about her and not the lady that he will be spending time with. Women like having a man's full attention. They don't like being ignored." replied Skates seriously.
"I don't believe in curses Skates. I assure you that I will find what I'm looking for at the cafe. There might even be a man or two for you Skates if you're not too picky." rebutted Harm. He had never met the woman who could resist his flyboy charms.
"Twenty bucks says Skates is right Harm. Tonight won't be what you expect." smiled Tuna.
"Oh, I'm sure you will find someone Sir, but I don't think it will be who you're expecting to find." challenged Skates.
"Somehow your convoluted logic makes sense Skates even though I didn't understand what it was that you said." affirmed Harm as they made their way to the cafe that overlooked the bay.
Local cafe
overlooking
the bay
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. It was too nice to be inside doing paperwork. Mac decided to take a walk down to her favorite cafe. It had an outside terrace that overlooked the bay.
It was a beautiful sight when the fleet was in. There were many ships that gave contrast to the sea. In the late afternoon one could see the setting sun as it disappeared into the Med. It made the ships in the bay look very impressive.
It was a sight she enjoyed immensely. She got herself a special ice coffee with cinnamon, nutmeg, and whipped cream. She saw that her favorite table was empty. She went over to the table and sat down.
There was a gentle breeze coming from the sea that cooled her face. It would make getting a little sun more pleasurable. She didn't like looking too pale. She liked the healthy tan look.
She noticed that there were a few new ships in the bay tied up at the docks. She wondered if Harm's ship was one of them. It had been two years since she had seen him last. She missed him so much.
She could see that an aircraft carrier had arrived in the bay sometime during the day. She didn't know which one it was, but it was one of the first things Harm had taught her after she had arrived at Jag.
He thought it was a good idea that she understood the nuances in the different ships and how they operated. It would give her more credibility with the captains and they would respect her findings.
She still couldn't tell the difference between the Seahawk and the Patrick Henry. Maybe there weren't any, but she was sure Harm knew. She was brought out of her reverie when someone's shadow appeared and block the warmth of the sun from her face.
She was a little annoyed that they would stand between her and the sun. She looked up to see who it was. Maybe it was the waiter wanting to see if she needed anything else or a young man hoping to get a better look.
"Well if I live and breathe, it's Sarah MacKenzie, the best looking marine in the entire corps. What are you doing here Ms MacKenzie." greeted Harm with one of his pattern flyboy smile.
"I was enjoying myself and drinking an ice coffee. There's a nice view of the bay. The weather is especially nice today." smiled Mac.
Her heart began to beat faster. Harm always had that effect on her. She was happy that she had decided to play hooky now. She wondered how long he was going to be in Naples.
"The MacKenzie special I assume. Sarah, this is Tuna and Skates. Tuna is my bunkmate and Skates is my RIO." introduced Harm.
"You have my condolences Tuna. Jack has told me that Harm's room mates never seem to find a woman who like them." smiled Mac.
"That's okay Ma'am, I'm married. I only go out with Harm to keep him out of trouble. May I say Ma'am, you are even more beautiful than the picture Harm has of you on his night stand." replied Tuna as Harm began to squirm.
"Thank you Tuna, keeping Harm out of trouble is an impossible assignment Tuna. No one on record has been able to keep him out of trouble. Trouble has a way of finding him. How are you doing Skates? It's been awhile." asked Mac.
"Yes Ma'am. I see congratulations are in order." replied Skates as she noticed the silver oak leaves on Mac's collar.
"Please, both of you, call me Mac or Sarah." ordered Mac.
"Congratulations Mac, when? What are you doing here?" asked a confused Harm. While he was happy for her, he was also disappointed that she got promoted before he did. He did have three years on her.
Mac sensed that Harm's demeanor had changed. If she had to guess it had to be that Harm hadn't been promoted since his return to the fleet. He must be feeling a bit envious. She had told him that his future was with Jag and not with the fleet.
"She's been waiting for you Harm. I mean you do have a picture of her on the night stand by your bed. Didn't you tell me that you also carry a picture of her in your flight pocket over your heart." smirked Tuna causing Harm's face to turn red.
"Harmon." challenged Mac. Harm sighed as he pulled the photo from his jacket pocket. He held it up for Tuna and Skates to see.
"Which one Mac?" asked Harm. It was his way of showing them that Mac knew him better than he knew himself.
Mac smiled. There were two types of photos it could be. The first type would entail her wearing a long sexy evening gown showing all her ample curves. The second type would have to be of her in some kind of attractive civilian attire.
She didn't think he would show a bunch of horny young fighter pilots a picture of her in a formal evening gown, even if he could never keep his eyes or hands off her whenever she was in one. It would be too elitist.
That left civilian attire. Their time in Russia came to mind. She remembered dressing in gypsy clothing and was pleased with the effect it had on him. They had gotten very close during the time they were there.
"Since I know Harm better than he knows himself it not hard to know which one he would keep with him. It was during a time when we were very close and he was at his emotional worse. ..... It was three years ago when we were in Russia searching for his father. We were traveling with some gypsies." smiled Mac.
"That's amazing Mac. How did you know?" asked Skates in amazement.
"It had to be a picture he could show his friends. While he might show a picture to you of me wearing a gown, he's not going to show it to them. It had to be a candid shot in which I looked very nice, but not too formal.
That leaves suits, shorts, or a gypsy outfit. Besides I know first hand the effect that outfit had on him. He wouldn't leave my side when I was wearing it." smiled Mac.
"So why are you here in Naples Mac and not in Washington?" asked Harm.
While he was happy to see her, he was puzzled as to what she was doing here. He hadn't heard of anything that would require a senior Jag officer's presence in Naples.
"I'm stationed here now Harm. Shortly after you left I got promoted. Since you weren't in Washington anymore I saw no reason for me to stay. I had been there three years already.
It was the longest that I had been stationed anywhere. It was time for me to move on and utilize my language skills. Europe is the best place for me to do that." replied Mac.
"Didn't the Admiral object?" asked Harm.
"Yes. He even came up with some good arguments on why I should stay at headquarters. I was finally out of your shadow, there were many important political and military connections to be made, and I would handle all the important cases. I could show them I wasn't your sidekick, but your equal.
In the end I told him it was time for me to move on. I had already been there three years, longer than any other duty assignment that I had had. There wasn't anything keeping me there. You were gone and weren't coming back anytime soon." answered Mac.
"With your permission Mac, Tuna and I need to get going. There are some things we need to pick up in port." said Skates.
"What about Harm?" asked Mac. They had arrived here together.
"We can see that you both want to be alone. I'm sure that you both have a lot of catching up to do." replied Tuna.
"That would be nice, but I need to get back to work. I have some paperwork to finish up. But before you leave I have some paperwork for all of you to sign." ordered Mac.
They were all puzzled. What paperwork was Mac talking about? They had been joking about Mac waiting there for Harm to show up.
"What are you talking about Mac?" asked Harm.
Mac opened up her briefcase and pulled out some papers. She handed them to Harm.
"What is this Mac?" asked Harm.
"Sign your name below mine. Tuna and Skates, I will need you to sign as witnesses." ordered Mac.
"Witness to what Mac? What am I supposed to be witnessing?" asked a perplexed Skates.
"It's an application for a marriage license Skates." replied Harm noticing their stunned looks.
"Who's getting married Harm?" asked Tuna. He wondered if he knew the lucky sailor.
"When Harm left Washington two years ago to fly he promised me that when we got back together again in the future we would get marry." Mac began to explain.
Once again Tuna and Skates looked confused to what was happening. On one level they understood. They knew that Harm loved the Colonel, but on the other hand that didn't mean that he had any intentions of getting married anytime soon. Their guess would be it would happen after he stopped flying.
"I don't understand Colonel." replied Skates.
"You don't have to Skates. I'll see you both at 2000 hours tonight at the Naval Chapel. Don't be late." ordered Mac.
They looked over at Harm for some kind of response. Harm just nodded his head. He didn't exactly understand what was going on either, but he would find out and tell them later. He needed to talk with Mac. He waited until they were alone to begin.
"What's this all about Mac?" asked Harm.
"We had an agreement Harm. The next time we saw each other we would get married." replied Mac. She handed him the signed agreement.
"That was a very emotional night for both of us Mac. I believe that the intent of the agreement referred to when I returned to Washington after I stopped flying and if you weren't involved with someone at which point in time we would consider getting marry, that is if we still loved each other." argued Harm.
While he enjoyed arguing case law with Mac, he knew he had to tread lightly here. He didn't want to upset her and damage their relationship.
"Show me where in the agreement that you wrote that we were going to wait until you stopped flying or returned to Washington." ordered Mac.
"Mac!" whined Harm.
"What is the first thing you wrote in the agreement Harm?" asked Mac.
"You know what it says Mac." whined Harm. He knew he was losing this argument very quickly.
"Yes I do, It says you promise to marry me, Sarah MacKenzie, the next time we are together." replied Mac.
"I'm not going to win this discussion am I?" responded Harm in resignation.
"No you're not. I expect to see you tonight at the Chapel. Wear your dress whites and don't be late." smiled Mac.