Parallels
AN: I guess this is loosely based on that movie where Nicholas Cage gets a 'glimpse' into what it would have been like if he'd married his college sweetheart...What was that called? 'The Family Man'? Well, I'm not sure, but I thought it would be cool if something like that happened to Harm, right? Yeah...Well, here it is.
Disclaimers: Why do we even bother doing disclaimers? Obviously we don't own the characters, or the show, or anything like that, because if we did, the current season would be about Harm and Mac and their four children...Anyway, I don't own anything in this story.
By the way, this is set sometime during that horrific time when Mac was engaged to Mic (what was she thinking?)...
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JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia 1605 EST
Slamming my office door open, I storm into the room and immediately slam the door behind me. This is one problem that I'm going to have to take care of on my own.
Maybe I'm overreacting. Probably I am. But I swear that every time I see Mac with Mic Brumby, I have the overwhelming urge to break something. Ever since he moved here, my life has been a living hell, filled with demons that I myself am the cause of.
As I plop into my chair, I let my head sink into my hands, allow myself to sigh and release some of the tension that's building in me. I roll my shoulders and neck, close my eyes, just calming down. What I did on the ferry was the right thing. I'm convinced of that. So why am I kicking myself now for what happened there?
What is it going to take for me to get over this? Mac doesn't act like she's going to break up with the ass anytime soon. So I'll just have to go on with my life as if I haven't messed things up royally with my best friend. Right, I can do that. I can, really.
A glance at my watch says that I can get out of here. Sighing, I stand up and grab my things, scooting out the door before anybody can see me. My attempts at stealth fail, however, and an annoying voice rings out behind me.
"Harm!" It's Brumby. What does he want? Turning around, I force a smile on my face.
"Hey Mic. What's up?" I ask, looking briefly at Mac, who is practically glued to Mic's side. His arm is around her and it's all I can do not to throw up. The smile on her face makes it worse. Could she possibly be happy with that guy? Mic is smiling too, big surprise. I'd be smiling too if I had...
"Sarah and I were wondering if you and Renee would like to join us for dinner tonight." He says. A quick glance at Mac tells me that it was all his idea. He probably just wants to gloat and show her off. I shake my head, trying to look disappointed.
"Thanks for the offer, but I've got an appointment tonight, and Renee's out of town. Maybe next time?" I offer, starting to back out of the bullpen and towards the elevators. Mic nods, waving.
"Next time, mate." He says, and I nod once to him before turning around and walking to the open elevator.
I can still see Mac through the windows seperating the offices from the outer hallway. Her beautiful face looks sad now, as she watches me hurry away from her and her incredibly annoying fiancee. I frown as the elevators close, but make a conscious effort not to think about it.
After all, she's not mine to think about.
-------------- Later That Night Harm's Apartment North of Union Station
Stumbling into my room, I strip down to my boxers and undershirt and fall to the bed. It's only a few minutes before I fall asleep...
A noise jolts me out of a light sleep. I sit up and look around, not seeing anything. Standing up, I walk into my livingroom, surprised to see a dark silhouette standing by the window.
"Who are you?" I call out, watching the figure turn around, still shrouded in shadow.
"I'm here to help you, Harm." The figure says, in a voice that's so familiar that I can still remember the last words that I heard from it.
"Come into the light." I shout, suddenly so angry that I can't contain myself. Whoever broke into my home is changing his voice so that he sounds exactly like my father. The figure steps into the light from the small lamp that sits on in the livingroom.
It's my father. He's wearing the bomber jacket and the dog tags and everything.
"Dad?" I ask, my voice clearly trembling. He nods.
"Yeah, it's me." He says. I frown, shaking my head.
"Dad, you're dead." I tell him, as if he wouldn't know. He nods.
"Yes, I am. I've been watching you, Harm. And I'm very proud of the man that you've grown into, the things you've accomplished." He says. Remembering his words from before, my frown deepens.
"Then what are you here to help me with?" I ask, the weirdness of what's happening suddenly not so apparent.
"Sarah." He says simply. Shaking my head and sighing, I look away from him.
"Dad, what are you going to do, make her fall in love with me? I can't be helped when it comes to her." I say, exasperated. Pursing his lips, he crosses his arms over his chest and nods.
"Well, you're probably right. But I would like to show you something." He says. I can't help but narrow my eyes.
"What?" I ask. He smiles, much like the way that I do.
"A glimpse. Do you ever wonder how your life might end up if you hadn't shut her out on the ferry?" He asks. I don't even have to think.
"Of course I do." I say, a little embarassed that he knows about that. He smiles again.
"It was good seeing you, Harm." He says, a bright light emanating from him and engulfing my vision.
------------ The Next Morning
Opening my eyes slowly, I groan. I can't believe the dream that I had...
Wait a minute...That's not my bedside table. It's not, but there's a picture of Mac and I on it. What the hell? Where am I?
"Honey, just two more minutes..." A sleepy voice groans from behind me. Frowning and turning over, I almost leap from the bed when I see Mac lying there, wearing only a tight white t-shirt and a pair of panties. I can only stare at her.
After a minute, she turns her head toward me and opens her eyes, looking more beautiful than ever with her sleep-tousled hair and scant attire.
"What is it, baby?" She asks, her voice still clogged with sleep. My eyes widen as I look at her.
"Mac, what's-how-?" I can't even speak. I'm just sounding like an idiot. She frowns a little, rolling onto her side and looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.
"Is something wrong? You haven't called me Mac in a long time." She says quietly. It's only now that I see the changes in her. Her hair is longer, her body even more beautiful than I remember it on that beach in Sydney. I'm so confused.
"I haven't?" I ask her. Now she looks concerned. Reaching up, she places a cool hand on my forehead, feeling for a fever.
"You don't seem to have a fever...You're acting crazy." She mutters, looking intently into my eyes. Deciding to just play along, I grin.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding, Sarah." I say, holding my breath for a second as I wait for her reaction to my using her given name. She just smiles, a dazzling, amazing smile, and leans forward to kiss me quickly on the lips. My heart is suddenly thudding in my chest and my lips are tingling from her kiss. Wow.
"You had me scared for a second there, Flyboy. I love you, but I was sure you were going nuts." She says, still smiling at me. Upon hearing her say those words, those three little words that I have always dreamed about hearing her say to me, I melt. It feels like I'm frozen, and I can only stare at her beautiful face once again.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks, her voice soft. I can't help but grin.
"You're-you're so beautiful." I tell her. I watch as she blushes a deep shade of red and looks down, smiling broadly.
"Oh, Harm..." She murmurs. I laugh.
"What?" I ask her. She looks up at me and sighs.
"It's just incredible to hear you say that I'm beautiful, even after three kids and ten years together." She says. Ten years? Three kids? Oh, my goodness...
"If it's possible, you look even more amazing now than you ever have." I mutter, still looking her over. She smiles, the expression turning quickly from soft to seductive.
Glancing at the door, she quickly moves from her spot and before I know what's going on, she's on me, straddling my hips and kissing me heatedly. I can't help but react to what she's doing, it's so hypnotic.
"MOMMY!! DADDY!! JAKE TOOK MY BAWBIE!!!" A little girl's scream echoes through the room through the closed door, and Mac-uh, um-Sarah, groans, her lips still on mine. Pulling away reluctantly, she looks down from her perch on top of me. Sighing, she leans down to kiss me one last time, then throws one leg over me and slides off the bed, pulling on some shorts.
"Come on, daddy. Time to get the troops in line." She says, patting my leg. I have no idea what's going on, but I nod anyway and get up, looking down at myself. Nothing but boxers...
Sighing, I pull on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt that happen to be lying on the floor next to the bed. Walking to the still closed door where my woman waits for me, I look down at her and kiss her again, getting a little too involved in it and ending up with her pressed between myself and the door.
"MOMMY!! DADDY!! JAKE IS FLUSHING BAWBIE DOWN THE TOILET!" The little girl again. This time, it's me groaning as I let Sarah slide to her feet. She smiles at me and opens the door, leaving me to calm down for a second before going out to see my kids.
The house is huge. There are doors everywhere, and stairs leading downward, which is where Sarah, my-Wait, are we married? Looking at my left ring finger, I have to smile when I see the platinum band there. I'm married to Sarah MacKenzie. I mean, I'm married to Sarah Rabb.
"Harm, can you come talk to your children?" My wife calls from downstairs. Nodding, I head that way.
"Coming, honey." I call, reaching the bottom floor of the house. The front door is right there, with rooms going off the the left and right.
Looking to the right, I see three kids lined up in front of a couch, their Commanding Officer (Sarah) standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. I supress a grin at seeing my Marine, standing authoritatively before her troops and looking damn sexy doing it.
"All right, what's going on here?" I ask, using my best CO voice. The kids all straighten up a little, each one of them looking like they're standing at attention. I almost smile when I see that they're lined up according to age, eldest to youngest. Turning my attention on the oldest, I move to stand next to Sarah.
"Soldier, identify yourself and state the nature of your involvement in the massacre that occurred in this house this morning." I order him, watching as he keeps his green eyes straight ahead, focused on a distant wall. He steps forward, his tall frame reminding me a lot of myself at his age. He looks to be about eight or nine.
"Recruit Austin Rabb, my involvement in what went on this morning was zero, sir." He says, as if he's at boot camp. Narrowing my eyes, I find myself getting into the 'dad' thing.
"How is that, Recruit?" I ask him. He doesn't waver.
"I was in the basement, sir. Playing video games." He says. Nodding, I glance at Sarah, who is watching with a straight face. She's so beautiful when she's being a Marine...
"All right, you're dismissed Austin." I say, watching him scamper off to some other room, no doubt to finish his video game. Turning to the next child, I see a boy of about six, standing much the same as his brother was. He looks very similar to Austin, down to the haircut and build. They look like me.
"Recruit Jake Rabb, sir." He states in a small voice. Raising an eyebrow, I look him squarely in the eye. He hasn't learned not to make eye contact with the Commanding Officer yet. It's kind of cute, though, a seven-year- old acting like a trained officer.
"What was your involvement in what happened this morning?" I ask him. He gives me an adorable look of sorrow, then lowers his head.
"I took Elena's doll." He says, sounding so sad that I almost smile.
"Why did you do that?" I ask. He shrugs.
"I don't know." He says. Nodding, I glance at Sarah.
"Any ideas for a punishment, Mom?" I ask her. Pursing her lips, she nods.
"No video camera for the rest of the day." She says, stern and serious as hell. My seven-year-old has a video camera? I must have gotten a promotion. I nod.
"All right. You're dismissed, Recruit. I don't want to see you touching that video camera for the rest of the day, understood?" I ask. He nods, saluting.
"Yes sir." He says, running out of the room after his brother. Finally, I look at the little one.
God, she looks exactly like Sarah. This kid must have me completely wrapped around her littlest little finger, and she's only about four. Her big brown eyes are shining up at me, her expression an exact duplicate of the one that Sarah gives me when she wants her way. I can only stare for a moment, then I shake my head and glance at my wife, who nods reassuringly.
"Well?" I ask the little girl, looking back down at her and trying to avoid her eyes. Are we sure that this kid isn't a clone of Sarah?
"Recwoot Elena Wabb, siw." She says, her mispronunciation of most of her words amost making me smile. Her expression gives off that same strength and stubborness that makes her mother notorious, but at the same time, she's fearful of getting in trouble.
"Well, Recruit? What was all that screaming about?" I ask her, my voice considerably softer than it was with the boys. She looks up at me as timidly as a mini-Sarah MacKenzie can, her eyes pleading with me to be a nice daddy.
"Jake was twying to take my Bawbie, daddy. I needed help!" She says, pleading literally now. I try to be stern.
"Next time you need mommy and daddy's help, you need to come get us. No more screaming, okay?" I say, watching her nod solemnly and keep her head bowed.
"Okay, daddy." She says, sounding so sad that I bend down and lift her chin with my finger, smiling at her a little and watching a replica of Sarah's smile spread across my daughter's adorable face.
"Okay, baby. I love you." I say to her, surprised that I really mean it with all my heart, although I've only been here for a short time. She throws herself at me and hugs me, kissing me on the cheek. I hug her back and let her go when she starts squirming, dismissing her and watching her run out of the room to go play with her dolls.
I sigh as I watch her, bowing my head a little and marveling at my great children.
"You're sure great with the recruits, Admiral." A soft voice says from behind me. Turning around, I see her standing there smiling. I smile too, then stop to wonder. I'm an Admiral?
Shrugging and stepping towards her, I watch the look on her face change again, and I can't help but grin even more at how quickly she goes from normal to seductive, even after the three kids and, what did she say? Ten years of being married. She's still madly in love with me. And I feel the exact same way for her.
"Thank you, Marine." I murmur in her ear. A sharp intake of air can be heard from my Marine.
"For what?" She breathes as I nuzzle her neck. Lifting my head for a moment to look at her face, I smile a little.
"For loving me. For having my children...For everything. I love you." I say, more serious than I've ever been in my life. Happier, too. I'm in love with her...What a revelation. A beautiful, soft smile comes to her face.
"Oh, Harm...You're welcome. And thank you." She says back, her voice heartbreakingly soft. Tilting my head slightly, I have to ask her this.
"For what? You've given me more than I could ever have dreamed for." I say, truly confused as to what she's thankful to me for.
"Thank you for fathering my children. For marrying me...For loving me. I love you so much." She whispers, tears beginning to come to her eyes. I'm almost tearing up myself, and she's so near to me that I lean in and kiss her. It begins as a soft, loving gesture but quickly gets out of my control, as things seem to be doing a lot lately.
"Sarah..." I murmur, moving to kiss her jaw softly. This may be a regular thing for her, but I've never personally experienced intimate physical contact with Sarah MacKenzie before. I need her...
"Harm..." She breathes, wrapping an arm around my neck as I kiss hers.
"Yes?" I ask between kisses. Her gasp makes me smile, but doesn't make me quit kissing her soft skin.
"Harm, the kids..." She mutters, her voice a whisper. I would shrug, but I'm a little busy right now.
"What about the kids?" Between kisses again. Despite her protests, she pulls me closer, beginning to lean into me as her knees bend.
"They're going to...see...us..." Now her voice is barely a whisper, I can hear the passion and desire seeping in, making her sound like the kids are the last thing on her mind.
"No they won't." I whisper back to her, trailing back up to her jaw then to her mouth, where I kiss her soundly, allowing myself to get a little carried away with her. She moans that way again, and I'm about to lift her leg onto my hip when I hear a gasp that isn't hers.
"Eeewww! Gross!" Sarah and I break our kiss, looking towards the source of the tiny voice. There stands our seven-year-old, his face twisted into a look that can only be described as horror. He turns tail and runs the other way, leaving Sarah and I staring at the spot that he just vacated, stunned.
After a moment, we look at each other, wide smiles on our faces. It's not really that funny, but at the same time, it is. Leaning my forehead on hers, I shake my head slightly.
"Well, at least he didn't walk in on us in bed..." She murmurs, that smile still on her face. I look at her, an eyebrow raised. Both of hers rise up too, and she looks at me pointedly.
"Come on now, don't you think that would have been much worse? I mean, come on. He's seven. Can you imagine him walking into the bedroom when you're doing to me what you were last night? Disasterous..." She says, thoroughly proving her point. I nod, blushing a little and at the same time irritated that I didn't actually get to do anything to her last night. Well, we'll see about this...
"Yeah, that would have been bad. What do you say we make tonight really special? We'll drop the kids off and come back here, have a night to ourselves..." I trail off seductively, more than ready to have her to myself right now. She doesn't look too convinced.
"Drop them off where, Harm?" She asks. I shrug.
"Wherever. Just for the night. I promise I'll make it worth your while." I say, my eyes burning into hers. I can practically feel the heat crackling between us, and it's driving me crazy. She nods, still looking at me.
"Yeah, okay. I'm sure AJ and Meredith would love to watch them for the night." She says. I nod, giving her a feather-light kiss on the lips. She nods again.
"Okay, baby." I say, releasing her. She just looks at me for a moment before smiling widely.
"I'm going to go call them right now." Happily, she hurries off through the house, leaving me feeling very satisfied with myself and looking forward very much to tonight.
Looking around, I guess that it's time to figure out some more about where- and when-I'm at. There's got to be a calendar around here somewhere...
Heaving a sigh, I wander into the next room, looking around in wonder at the pictures that hang on the walls. There are so many of all of us...
Oh God. Freezing in my spot, I stare at the big, 8x10 photo on the wall. It's surrounded by smaller ones, but that one gives me chills. The image in the frame depicts our wedding day. Sarah and I are standing in front of a large rose bush, red blooms contrasting beautifully with her white dress and my dress whites.
She looks so beautiful. More than anything right now, I wish that I had a memory of that day. A smile crosses my face as I imagine what it must have been like...
But wait a minute...It never happened. This is all a vision. What did Dad call it? A glimpse?
"It's nice, isn't it, Son?" My father's voice breaks into my consciousness, and I look in the direction of the voice. There he stands, tall and proud, just like I remember him. I nod.
"Yeah. I forgot that it wasn't real. None of this ever happened." I say, choosing purposely to ignore the fact that my deceased father is standing six feet from me. He shakes his head, a grim smile on his face.
"Actually it did." He says. I must look puzzled, because he grins at me. "This is a parallel universe, Harm. In this universe, you did things a little differently on that ferry in Sydney."
"What did I do differently? What could I have possibly done that could cause all of this to happen?" I ask him, thoroughly confused now. I'm in a parallel universe? Am I going crazy? My father grins, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, when she approached you, you listened to what your heart was screaming at you. I know you remember what it was saying. Anyway, in this dimension, you kissed her, admitted to her you were in love with her, and you got married a year later. Brumby never stood a chance. Not here." He trails off sadly, as if this is causing him as much anguish as it has me.
"Is there any way that I can stay here? I really like it." I tell him. He smiles again, sadly.
"Harm, I know it's hard for you to understand. But the woman in the next room isn't your Sarah. And the kids downstairs aren't yours. They belong to the you that is supposed to be living in this dimension." He says. "You've been kissing another man's wife all morning."
"Well I wish I had known that before I kissed her." I grumble, starting to dislike this whole situation. My father smiles.
"But would that have made you want her less?" He asks knowingly. I shake my head.
"No, probably not." It's the truth. Sighing and shifting uneasily on my feet, I look up at him. He cuts me off before I can speak.
"I know what you're thinking Harm. You want to go back so you can fix things." He says. Nodding, I glance at the picture on the wall.
"I really love her, dad. Is there any way that I can fix things between the two of us in my dimension?" I ask him. He chuckles, surprising me.
"Son, all you've ever had to do is tell her how you feel. She won't marry Brumby if you finally admit to her that you love her." He says, telling me this like I'm stupid.
"How do you know that?" I ask him suspiciously. He looks at me pointedly.
"Harm, I had the power to transport you to another dimension. How would I not know?" He asks. Nodding and accepting the weirdness of the situation, I take a deep breath.
"I want to go back, dad." I say. He smiles again, looking proud.
"All right son. I'm keeping my eye on you." Everything fades to black, and the last thing I see is that picture on the wall, a symbol of everything that I want and everything that I'm striving for.
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Light flashes in front of my eyes and suddenly I'm standing in front of Sarah MacKenzie's door. Shaking my head and blinking rapidly, I attempt to clear my vision. When I'm reasonably better, I raise my hand and rap three times on the door in front of me.
It only takes her six seconds to answer the door, and when she does, I'm taken at once. I've never felt such clarity before. Knowing what she and I could be like together, knowing what our kids could be like, and then seeing her now...
"Harm, what are you doing here?" She asks, sounding pleasantly surprised to see me. I grin at her.
"I-uh, I wanted to talk to you." I say. Nodding, and opens the door wider and welcomes me in. Once I'm standing in her living room, I look around and see a picture of the two of us on her wall. This is it.
"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" She asks. Suddenly I'm nervous, my palms start sweating and my heart is racing. Panicking, I say the first thing that comes to my mind...
"Marry me." I breathe out, watching the expression on her face change just as rapidly as when I was about to...
"Harm, that's not funny." She says, serious suddenly, and walks around me to her kitchen, where she stands at the sink and stares out the window. I follow her after a second, a little fazed from what's happening.
"Sarah, I'm completely serious. Marry me." I say it again, watching as she turns towards me.
"I don't understand why you're doing this. I'm already engaged." She says, her voice wrought with emotion.
"I know that you're already engaged. But I'm in love with you." I blurt out, my heart doing a little flip-flop as I realize what I just said to her. Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open, and she stands there looking like she's just seen a ghost.
"What did you just say?" She breathes, barely audibly. Taking a deep breath, I continue.
"I said that I'm in love with you. And I want you to marry me, because I know that you love me too." I feel so bold now, so stupid. The last thing that I should be doing is being presumptuous. She looks taken aback.
"I-You-Uh, oh man..." She stutters, sliding down to sit on the linolium floor, leaning her back against the cabinets. I kneel down, eye level with her.
"Come on, Sarah. Please don't freak out on me. This can be perfectly normal and perfectly amazing if we just let it. I'm ready for there to be an 'us'. Are you?" I ask her. She looks at me finally, instead of staring into space. She nods a little, barely noticable.
"Yes. I'm ready." She whispers, not looking away from me. Smiling at her and reaching up, I touch her face gently, just feeling her soft skin.
"I love you so much. I always will. You understand?" She nods again.
"I do." She whispers again. I nod, then scoop her up in my arms and just hold her for a moment, my heart leaping when she leans her head against my shoulder and wraps her arms around my neck. Walking to her couch, I sit down carefully, still holding her.
After a few minutes she lifts her head and looks at me.
"Harm?" She asks.
"Yeah?" I answer.
"Can I ask you something?" She says carefully. I nod.
"Of course. Anything, sweetie." I say.
"You still want kids, right?" I nod.
"Yep. Three, at least." I say. She looks confused.
"Why three?" She asks. I grin at her.
"I don't know. I just like that number." I say. She nods, smiling widely.
"I like it too."
Everything seems to be okay now, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I guess I owe it all to my dad, who is still looking out for me today. Thanks, dad, for helping me pull my life together.
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AN/2: Well, that's it, but there's a sequel in the works. It will feature such thrilling isues as:
What is Mic's reaction to his fiancee being swiped from under his nose? Will Harm tell Mac about his glimpse? Will the sequel be in Mac's POV?
Find out in the sequel, "A Love Unparalleled".
AN: I guess this is loosely based on that movie where Nicholas Cage gets a 'glimpse' into what it would have been like if he'd married his college sweetheart...What was that called? 'The Family Man'? Well, I'm not sure, but I thought it would be cool if something like that happened to Harm, right? Yeah...Well, here it is.
Disclaimers: Why do we even bother doing disclaimers? Obviously we don't own the characters, or the show, or anything like that, because if we did, the current season would be about Harm and Mac and their four children...Anyway, I don't own anything in this story.
By the way, this is set sometime during that horrific time when Mac was engaged to Mic (what was she thinking?)...
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JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia 1605 EST
Slamming my office door open, I storm into the room and immediately slam the door behind me. This is one problem that I'm going to have to take care of on my own.
Maybe I'm overreacting. Probably I am. But I swear that every time I see Mac with Mic Brumby, I have the overwhelming urge to break something. Ever since he moved here, my life has been a living hell, filled with demons that I myself am the cause of.
As I plop into my chair, I let my head sink into my hands, allow myself to sigh and release some of the tension that's building in me. I roll my shoulders and neck, close my eyes, just calming down. What I did on the ferry was the right thing. I'm convinced of that. So why am I kicking myself now for what happened there?
What is it going to take for me to get over this? Mac doesn't act like she's going to break up with the ass anytime soon. So I'll just have to go on with my life as if I haven't messed things up royally with my best friend. Right, I can do that. I can, really.
A glance at my watch says that I can get out of here. Sighing, I stand up and grab my things, scooting out the door before anybody can see me. My attempts at stealth fail, however, and an annoying voice rings out behind me.
"Harm!" It's Brumby. What does he want? Turning around, I force a smile on my face.
"Hey Mic. What's up?" I ask, looking briefly at Mac, who is practically glued to Mic's side. His arm is around her and it's all I can do not to throw up. The smile on her face makes it worse. Could she possibly be happy with that guy? Mic is smiling too, big surprise. I'd be smiling too if I had...
"Sarah and I were wondering if you and Renee would like to join us for dinner tonight." He says. A quick glance at Mac tells me that it was all his idea. He probably just wants to gloat and show her off. I shake my head, trying to look disappointed.
"Thanks for the offer, but I've got an appointment tonight, and Renee's out of town. Maybe next time?" I offer, starting to back out of the bullpen and towards the elevators. Mic nods, waving.
"Next time, mate." He says, and I nod once to him before turning around and walking to the open elevator.
I can still see Mac through the windows seperating the offices from the outer hallway. Her beautiful face looks sad now, as she watches me hurry away from her and her incredibly annoying fiancee. I frown as the elevators close, but make a conscious effort not to think about it.
After all, she's not mine to think about.
-------------- Later That Night Harm's Apartment North of Union Station
Stumbling into my room, I strip down to my boxers and undershirt and fall to the bed. It's only a few minutes before I fall asleep...
A noise jolts me out of a light sleep. I sit up and look around, not seeing anything. Standing up, I walk into my livingroom, surprised to see a dark silhouette standing by the window.
"Who are you?" I call out, watching the figure turn around, still shrouded in shadow.
"I'm here to help you, Harm." The figure says, in a voice that's so familiar that I can still remember the last words that I heard from it.
"Come into the light." I shout, suddenly so angry that I can't contain myself. Whoever broke into my home is changing his voice so that he sounds exactly like my father. The figure steps into the light from the small lamp that sits on in the livingroom.
It's my father. He's wearing the bomber jacket and the dog tags and everything.
"Dad?" I ask, my voice clearly trembling. He nods.
"Yeah, it's me." He says. I frown, shaking my head.
"Dad, you're dead." I tell him, as if he wouldn't know. He nods.
"Yes, I am. I've been watching you, Harm. And I'm very proud of the man that you've grown into, the things you've accomplished." He says. Remembering his words from before, my frown deepens.
"Then what are you here to help me with?" I ask, the weirdness of what's happening suddenly not so apparent.
"Sarah." He says simply. Shaking my head and sighing, I look away from him.
"Dad, what are you going to do, make her fall in love with me? I can't be helped when it comes to her." I say, exasperated. Pursing his lips, he crosses his arms over his chest and nods.
"Well, you're probably right. But I would like to show you something." He says. I can't help but narrow my eyes.
"What?" I ask. He smiles, much like the way that I do.
"A glimpse. Do you ever wonder how your life might end up if you hadn't shut her out on the ferry?" He asks. I don't even have to think.
"Of course I do." I say, a little embarassed that he knows about that. He smiles again.
"It was good seeing you, Harm." He says, a bright light emanating from him and engulfing my vision.
------------ The Next Morning
Opening my eyes slowly, I groan. I can't believe the dream that I had...
Wait a minute...That's not my bedside table. It's not, but there's a picture of Mac and I on it. What the hell? Where am I?
"Honey, just two more minutes..." A sleepy voice groans from behind me. Frowning and turning over, I almost leap from the bed when I see Mac lying there, wearing only a tight white t-shirt and a pair of panties. I can only stare at her.
After a minute, she turns her head toward me and opens her eyes, looking more beautiful than ever with her sleep-tousled hair and scant attire.
"What is it, baby?" She asks, her voice still clogged with sleep. My eyes widen as I look at her.
"Mac, what's-how-?" I can't even speak. I'm just sounding like an idiot. She frowns a little, rolling onto her side and looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.
"Is something wrong? You haven't called me Mac in a long time." She says quietly. It's only now that I see the changes in her. Her hair is longer, her body even more beautiful than I remember it on that beach in Sydney. I'm so confused.
"I haven't?" I ask her. Now she looks concerned. Reaching up, she places a cool hand on my forehead, feeling for a fever.
"You don't seem to have a fever...You're acting crazy." She mutters, looking intently into my eyes. Deciding to just play along, I grin.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding, Sarah." I say, holding my breath for a second as I wait for her reaction to my using her given name. She just smiles, a dazzling, amazing smile, and leans forward to kiss me quickly on the lips. My heart is suddenly thudding in my chest and my lips are tingling from her kiss. Wow.
"You had me scared for a second there, Flyboy. I love you, but I was sure you were going nuts." She says, still smiling at me. Upon hearing her say those words, those three little words that I have always dreamed about hearing her say to me, I melt. It feels like I'm frozen, and I can only stare at her beautiful face once again.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks, her voice soft. I can't help but grin.
"You're-you're so beautiful." I tell her. I watch as she blushes a deep shade of red and looks down, smiling broadly.
"Oh, Harm..." She murmurs. I laugh.
"What?" I ask her. She looks up at me and sighs.
"It's just incredible to hear you say that I'm beautiful, even after three kids and ten years together." She says. Ten years? Three kids? Oh, my goodness...
"If it's possible, you look even more amazing now than you ever have." I mutter, still looking her over. She smiles, the expression turning quickly from soft to seductive.
Glancing at the door, she quickly moves from her spot and before I know what's going on, she's on me, straddling my hips and kissing me heatedly. I can't help but react to what she's doing, it's so hypnotic.
"MOMMY!! DADDY!! JAKE TOOK MY BAWBIE!!!" A little girl's scream echoes through the room through the closed door, and Mac-uh, um-Sarah, groans, her lips still on mine. Pulling away reluctantly, she looks down from her perch on top of me. Sighing, she leans down to kiss me one last time, then throws one leg over me and slides off the bed, pulling on some shorts.
"Come on, daddy. Time to get the troops in line." She says, patting my leg. I have no idea what's going on, but I nod anyway and get up, looking down at myself. Nothing but boxers...
Sighing, I pull on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt that happen to be lying on the floor next to the bed. Walking to the still closed door where my woman waits for me, I look down at her and kiss her again, getting a little too involved in it and ending up with her pressed between myself and the door.
"MOMMY!! DADDY!! JAKE IS FLUSHING BAWBIE DOWN THE TOILET!" The little girl again. This time, it's me groaning as I let Sarah slide to her feet. She smiles at me and opens the door, leaving me to calm down for a second before going out to see my kids.
The house is huge. There are doors everywhere, and stairs leading downward, which is where Sarah, my-Wait, are we married? Looking at my left ring finger, I have to smile when I see the platinum band there. I'm married to Sarah MacKenzie. I mean, I'm married to Sarah Rabb.
"Harm, can you come talk to your children?" My wife calls from downstairs. Nodding, I head that way.
"Coming, honey." I call, reaching the bottom floor of the house. The front door is right there, with rooms going off the the left and right.
Looking to the right, I see three kids lined up in front of a couch, their Commanding Officer (Sarah) standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. I supress a grin at seeing my Marine, standing authoritatively before her troops and looking damn sexy doing it.
"All right, what's going on here?" I ask, using my best CO voice. The kids all straighten up a little, each one of them looking like they're standing at attention. I almost smile when I see that they're lined up according to age, eldest to youngest. Turning my attention on the oldest, I move to stand next to Sarah.
"Soldier, identify yourself and state the nature of your involvement in the massacre that occurred in this house this morning." I order him, watching as he keeps his green eyes straight ahead, focused on a distant wall. He steps forward, his tall frame reminding me a lot of myself at his age. He looks to be about eight or nine.
"Recruit Austin Rabb, my involvement in what went on this morning was zero, sir." He says, as if he's at boot camp. Narrowing my eyes, I find myself getting into the 'dad' thing.
"How is that, Recruit?" I ask him. He doesn't waver.
"I was in the basement, sir. Playing video games." He says. Nodding, I glance at Sarah, who is watching with a straight face. She's so beautiful when she's being a Marine...
"All right, you're dismissed Austin." I say, watching him scamper off to some other room, no doubt to finish his video game. Turning to the next child, I see a boy of about six, standing much the same as his brother was. He looks very similar to Austin, down to the haircut and build. They look like me.
"Recruit Jake Rabb, sir." He states in a small voice. Raising an eyebrow, I look him squarely in the eye. He hasn't learned not to make eye contact with the Commanding Officer yet. It's kind of cute, though, a seven-year- old acting like a trained officer.
"What was your involvement in what happened this morning?" I ask him. He gives me an adorable look of sorrow, then lowers his head.
"I took Elena's doll." He says, sounding so sad that I almost smile.
"Why did you do that?" I ask. He shrugs.
"I don't know." He says. Nodding, I glance at Sarah.
"Any ideas for a punishment, Mom?" I ask her. Pursing her lips, she nods.
"No video camera for the rest of the day." She says, stern and serious as hell. My seven-year-old has a video camera? I must have gotten a promotion. I nod.
"All right. You're dismissed, Recruit. I don't want to see you touching that video camera for the rest of the day, understood?" I ask. He nods, saluting.
"Yes sir." He says, running out of the room after his brother. Finally, I look at the little one.
God, she looks exactly like Sarah. This kid must have me completely wrapped around her littlest little finger, and she's only about four. Her big brown eyes are shining up at me, her expression an exact duplicate of the one that Sarah gives me when she wants her way. I can only stare for a moment, then I shake my head and glance at my wife, who nods reassuringly.
"Well?" I ask the little girl, looking back down at her and trying to avoid her eyes. Are we sure that this kid isn't a clone of Sarah?
"Recwoot Elena Wabb, siw." She says, her mispronunciation of most of her words amost making me smile. Her expression gives off that same strength and stubborness that makes her mother notorious, but at the same time, she's fearful of getting in trouble.
"Well, Recruit? What was all that screaming about?" I ask her, my voice considerably softer than it was with the boys. She looks up at me as timidly as a mini-Sarah MacKenzie can, her eyes pleading with me to be a nice daddy.
"Jake was twying to take my Bawbie, daddy. I needed help!" She says, pleading literally now. I try to be stern.
"Next time you need mommy and daddy's help, you need to come get us. No more screaming, okay?" I say, watching her nod solemnly and keep her head bowed.
"Okay, daddy." She says, sounding so sad that I bend down and lift her chin with my finger, smiling at her a little and watching a replica of Sarah's smile spread across my daughter's adorable face.
"Okay, baby. I love you." I say to her, surprised that I really mean it with all my heart, although I've only been here for a short time. She throws herself at me and hugs me, kissing me on the cheek. I hug her back and let her go when she starts squirming, dismissing her and watching her run out of the room to go play with her dolls.
I sigh as I watch her, bowing my head a little and marveling at my great children.
"You're sure great with the recruits, Admiral." A soft voice says from behind me. Turning around, I see her standing there smiling. I smile too, then stop to wonder. I'm an Admiral?
Shrugging and stepping towards her, I watch the look on her face change again, and I can't help but grin even more at how quickly she goes from normal to seductive, even after the three kids and, what did she say? Ten years of being married. She's still madly in love with me. And I feel the exact same way for her.
"Thank you, Marine." I murmur in her ear. A sharp intake of air can be heard from my Marine.
"For what?" She breathes as I nuzzle her neck. Lifting my head for a moment to look at her face, I smile a little.
"For loving me. For having my children...For everything. I love you." I say, more serious than I've ever been in my life. Happier, too. I'm in love with her...What a revelation. A beautiful, soft smile comes to her face.
"Oh, Harm...You're welcome. And thank you." She says back, her voice heartbreakingly soft. Tilting my head slightly, I have to ask her this.
"For what? You've given me more than I could ever have dreamed for." I say, truly confused as to what she's thankful to me for.
"Thank you for fathering my children. For marrying me...For loving me. I love you so much." She whispers, tears beginning to come to her eyes. I'm almost tearing up myself, and she's so near to me that I lean in and kiss her. It begins as a soft, loving gesture but quickly gets out of my control, as things seem to be doing a lot lately.
"Sarah..." I murmur, moving to kiss her jaw softly. This may be a regular thing for her, but I've never personally experienced intimate physical contact with Sarah MacKenzie before. I need her...
"Harm..." She breathes, wrapping an arm around my neck as I kiss hers.
"Yes?" I ask between kisses. Her gasp makes me smile, but doesn't make me quit kissing her soft skin.
"Harm, the kids..." She mutters, her voice a whisper. I would shrug, but I'm a little busy right now.
"What about the kids?" Between kisses again. Despite her protests, she pulls me closer, beginning to lean into me as her knees bend.
"They're going to...see...us..." Now her voice is barely a whisper, I can hear the passion and desire seeping in, making her sound like the kids are the last thing on her mind.
"No they won't." I whisper back to her, trailing back up to her jaw then to her mouth, where I kiss her soundly, allowing myself to get a little carried away with her. She moans that way again, and I'm about to lift her leg onto my hip when I hear a gasp that isn't hers.
"Eeewww! Gross!" Sarah and I break our kiss, looking towards the source of the tiny voice. There stands our seven-year-old, his face twisted into a look that can only be described as horror. He turns tail and runs the other way, leaving Sarah and I staring at the spot that he just vacated, stunned.
After a moment, we look at each other, wide smiles on our faces. It's not really that funny, but at the same time, it is. Leaning my forehead on hers, I shake my head slightly.
"Well, at least he didn't walk in on us in bed..." She murmurs, that smile still on her face. I look at her, an eyebrow raised. Both of hers rise up too, and she looks at me pointedly.
"Come on now, don't you think that would have been much worse? I mean, come on. He's seven. Can you imagine him walking into the bedroom when you're doing to me what you were last night? Disasterous..." She says, thoroughly proving her point. I nod, blushing a little and at the same time irritated that I didn't actually get to do anything to her last night. Well, we'll see about this...
"Yeah, that would have been bad. What do you say we make tonight really special? We'll drop the kids off and come back here, have a night to ourselves..." I trail off seductively, more than ready to have her to myself right now. She doesn't look too convinced.
"Drop them off where, Harm?" She asks. I shrug.
"Wherever. Just for the night. I promise I'll make it worth your while." I say, my eyes burning into hers. I can practically feel the heat crackling between us, and it's driving me crazy. She nods, still looking at me.
"Yeah, okay. I'm sure AJ and Meredith would love to watch them for the night." She says. I nod, giving her a feather-light kiss on the lips. She nods again.
"Okay, baby." I say, releasing her. She just looks at me for a moment before smiling widely.
"I'm going to go call them right now." Happily, she hurries off through the house, leaving me feeling very satisfied with myself and looking forward very much to tonight.
Looking around, I guess that it's time to figure out some more about where- and when-I'm at. There's got to be a calendar around here somewhere...
Heaving a sigh, I wander into the next room, looking around in wonder at the pictures that hang on the walls. There are so many of all of us...
Oh God. Freezing in my spot, I stare at the big, 8x10 photo on the wall. It's surrounded by smaller ones, but that one gives me chills. The image in the frame depicts our wedding day. Sarah and I are standing in front of a large rose bush, red blooms contrasting beautifully with her white dress and my dress whites.
She looks so beautiful. More than anything right now, I wish that I had a memory of that day. A smile crosses my face as I imagine what it must have been like...
But wait a minute...It never happened. This is all a vision. What did Dad call it? A glimpse?
"It's nice, isn't it, Son?" My father's voice breaks into my consciousness, and I look in the direction of the voice. There he stands, tall and proud, just like I remember him. I nod.
"Yeah. I forgot that it wasn't real. None of this ever happened." I say, choosing purposely to ignore the fact that my deceased father is standing six feet from me. He shakes his head, a grim smile on his face.
"Actually it did." He says. I must look puzzled, because he grins at me. "This is a parallel universe, Harm. In this universe, you did things a little differently on that ferry in Sydney."
"What did I do differently? What could I have possibly done that could cause all of this to happen?" I ask him, thoroughly confused now. I'm in a parallel universe? Am I going crazy? My father grins, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, when she approached you, you listened to what your heart was screaming at you. I know you remember what it was saying. Anyway, in this dimension, you kissed her, admitted to her you were in love with her, and you got married a year later. Brumby never stood a chance. Not here." He trails off sadly, as if this is causing him as much anguish as it has me.
"Is there any way that I can stay here? I really like it." I tell him. He smiles again, sadly.
"Harm, I know it's hard for you to understand. But the woman in the next room isn't your Sarah. And the kids downstairs aren't yours. They belong to the you that is supposed to be living in this dimension." He says. "You've been kissing another man's wife all morning."
"Well I wish I had known that before I kissed her." I grumble, starting to dislike this whole situation. My father smiles.
"But would that have made you want her less?" He asks knowingly. I shake my head.
"No, probably not." It's the truth. Sighing and shifting uneasily on my feet, I look up at him. He cuts me off before I can speak.
"I know what you're thinking Harm. You want to go back so you can fix things." He says. Nodding, I glance at the picture on the wall.
"I really love her, dad. Is there any way that I can fix things between the two of us in my dimension?" I ask him. He chuckles, surprising me.
"Son, all you've ever had to do is tell her how you feel. She won't marry Brumby if you finally admit to her that you love her." He says, telling me this like I'm stupid.
"How do you know that?" I ask him suspiciously. He looks at me pointedly.
"Harm, I had the power to transport you to another dimension. How would I not know?" He asks. Nodding and accepting the weirdness of the situation, I take a deep breath.
"I want to go back, dad." I say. He smiles again, looking proud.
"All right son. I'm keeping my eye on you." Everything fades to black, and the last thing I see is that picture on the wall, a symbol of everything that I want and everything that I'm striving for.
-----------
Light flashes in front of my eyes and suddenly I'm standing in front of Sarah MacKenzie's door. Shaking my head and blinking rapidly, I attempt to clear my vision. When I'm reasonably better, I raise my hand and rap three times on the door in front of me.
It only takes her six seconds to answer the door, and when she does, I'm taken at once. I've never felt such clarity before. Knowing what she and I could be like together, knowing what our kids could be like, and then seeing her now...
"Harm, what are you doing here?" She asks, sounding pleasantly surprised to see me. I grin at her.
"I-uh, I wanted to talk to you." I say. Nodding, and opens the door wider and welcomes me in. Once I'm standing in her living room, I look around and see a picture of the two of us on her wall. This is it.
"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" She asks. Suddenly I'm nervous, my palms start sweating and my heart is racing. Panicking, I say the first thing that comes to my mind...
"Marry me." I breathe out, watching the expression on her face change just as rapidly as when I was about to...
"Harm, that's not funny." She says, serious suddenly, and walks around me to her kitchen, where she stands at the sink and stares out the window. I follow her after a second, a little fazed from what's happening.
"Sarah, I'm completely serious. Marry me." I say it again, watching as she turns towards me.
"I don't understand why you're doing this. I'm already engaged." She says, her voice wrought with emotion.
"I know that you're already engaged. But I'm in love with you." I blurt out, my heart doing a little flip-flop as I realize what I just said to her. Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open, and she stands there looking like she's just seen a ghost.
"What did you just say?" She breathes, barely audibly. Taking a deep breath, I continue.
"I said that I'm in love with you. And I want you to marry me, because I know that you love me too." I feel so bold now, so stupid. The last thing that I should be doing is being presumptuous. She looks taken aback.
"I-You-Uh, oh man..." She stutters, sliding down to sit on the linolium floor, leaning her back against the cabinets. I kneel down, eye level with her.
"Come on, Sarah. Please don't freak out on me. This can be perfectly normal and perfectly amazing if we just let it. I'm ready for there to be an 'us'. Are you?" I ask her. She looks at me finally, instead of staring into space. She nods a little, barely noticable.
"Yes. I'm ready." She whispers, not looking away from me. Smiling at her and reaching up, I touch her face gently, just feeling her soft skin.
"I love you so much. I always will. You understand?" She nods again.
"I do." She whispers again. I nod, then scoop her up in my arms and just hold her for a moment, my heart leaping when she leans her head against my shoulder and wraps her arms around my neck. Walking to her couch, I sit down carefully, still holding her.
After a few minutes she lifts her head and looks at me.
"Harm?" She asks.
"Yeah?" I answer.
"Can I ask you something?" She says carefully. I nod.
"Of course. Anything, sweetie." I say.
"You still want kids, right?" I nod.
"Yep. Three, at least." I say. She looks confused.
"Why three?" She asks. I grin at her.
"I don't know. I just like that number." I say. She nods, smiling widely.
"I like it too."
Everything seems to be okay now, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I guess I owe it all to my dad, who is still looking out for me today. Thanks, dad, for helping me pull my life together.
---------------
AN/2: Well, that's it, but there's a sequel in the works. It will feature such thrilling isues as:
What is Mic's reaction to his fiancee being swiped from under his nose? Will Harm tell Mac about his glimpse? Will the sequel be in Mac's POV?
Find out in the sequel, "A Love Unparalleled".