Always
AN: Hey everyone! Here is a new story. Takes place the Christmas that Webb brings Sergei to Washington. I have the story mostly finished and hope to post a chapter every few days. I hope you like it and I love to hear your thoughts and reviews! PS, now that this one is finally finished I have outlines to continue my other two series…if you are interested.
AN: I don't know Russian so any appearing in here is from a dictionary, sorry for any errors, I hope to learn it someday.
Chapter 1 – Going Home
DECEMBER 28, 2001
2325 ZULU
HARMON RABB'S LEXUS
I-95 N
Commander Harmon Rabb chuckled to himself as he turned to look at his two passengers. In the back seat his brother Sergei had nodded off with his face plastered against the window, leaving fog from where his breath hit the cold glass. Harm never would have imagined he would get to spend this Christmas, let alone any Christmas with his long lost brother.
In the front seat, Sarah MacKenzie was fast asleep with her face turned towards Harm. He smiled, glad that his two Sarah's were finally going to meet. After going to the Wall and being surprised by Webb and Sergei, Harm and his brother rushed home, and despite the late hour had to call two very important people. The first was to Sarah Rabb, the strong matriarch of the Rabb family. Christmases for her had often been filled with sad memories of getting the fateful phone call from her then daughter-in-law Trish saying that her son was MIA. But being roused that night by her excited grandson's voice over the telephone, she could do nothing but thank God that another Rabb had not been lost to war.
Having made plans to drive up for the weekend and stay a few days, Harm's next call was to Mac. He contemplated just showing up on her doorstep in the morning with his visitor, but thought that she and Coates might like a warning after all. His proudest moment was when Mac got on the phone with Sergei and spoke Russian with him. Words couldn't describe the admiration he felt for this woman when she welcomed his brother with open arms the next morning, making him feel right at home for his first American Christmas. It had taken some convincing, but she finally agreed to coming with them, since Chloe had gone home and Coates went back to the brig. Deep down she was dreaming of spending her first real family Christmas with the Rabb's and only pretended to be apprehensive about joining them.
As Harm pulled into the long driveway not much later, his guests began to rouse as he eased the car to a stop in front of the porch. And there standing at the door was his beloved grandmother. He swore that she refused to pave the driveway so that the tires hitting the stones would warn her that she had company. Looking at his grandmother, then in the rear-view mirror at his brother and then to the beautiful smile of the woman next to him, he knew he had finally made it home.
0130 ZULU
RABB FARM
BEALLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
Having fed her guests anything and everything she could cook with two days notice, Sarah Rabb sat back at her dining room table and looked at the smiling faces around the table. The two men (no matter how hard it was to think of your grandson…grandsons…as men, they were indeed that) had identical beaming smiles showing all their teeth. Yes, that was her son's smile and her husband's before that.
There was no denying that Harmon was Little Harm's father. She imagined that if her boy was alive at Harm's age that is exactly what he would look like. But Sergei definitely had a strong resemblance to her Henry. While both Harm's had gotten the dark hair and longer face from her family, Henry Rabb had dark blonde hair and a more round face just like Sergei. There were some things that clearly must come from Sergei's mother's heritage, but looking at old pictures, there was no denying this boy was a Rabb.
Speaking of…seeing that her company was lost in halting conversation (Mac was trying her best but translating for the two brothers proved to be challenging), Sarah Rabb gingerly got up from the table and made her way towards the parlor. Digging out the family photo album she hurried back to the table with a smile on her face.
The three still at the table watched as Grams sat back down at the table knowing that she must have something important by the twinkle in her eye. Running her arthritic hand over the front of the leather album, she slowly opened the front cover and pulled out an old legal size piece of paper.
Harm knew instantly what his grandmother had and was so excited to share this with two of the most important people in his life. On that old tattered piece of paper was the Rabb family tree. Now mind you it wasn't a normal tree, but it was a handwritten list of names and marriages and births and deaths. This list dated back to the first Rabb's in America, the first to settle in Pennsylvania and the first to run this farm.
Harm remembered being a little boy and being shown this list as he tried to comprehend who his father's cousins were. Then as he grew older he was told that someday it would be updated with his marriage and the names of his children. As a young wannabe fighter jock that sounded like something he never wanted. Something he only agreed to because his grandmother insisted. But now…
"What's this Mrs. Rabb?" Mac asked, knowing it must be important and special by the twinkle in her eye that matched Harm's when he was excited.
"Sarah, Mrs. Rabb was my mother-in-law, please call me Sarah or Grams or something, that whole "Mrs." business makes me feel old," she said with a wink.
"Yes, ma'am," she swiftly replied. Harm just chuckled remembering how hard it is for Bud and Harriet to call them by their given names, Mac was falling into the same trap with his grandmother.
With a hearty laugh at the now blushing brunette at sitting at her table, Sarah Rabb carried on, "this dear, and you too Sergei, is the family tree of sorts."
Sergei turned to Mac and said "tree?"
"Yes, it's a family history like a "происхождение."
"Ahhh" Sergei replied, glad that his brother's coworker…girlfriend...whatever, knew Russian.
"Yes, and the first order of business is to add you Sergei," Grams said as she started writing down Sergei's name.
Patting his brother on the shoulder Harm said with a smile, "there now it's finally complete."
"Well, I don't know about that, I am hoping that I can start writing in another generation, Harmon…"
"Hey, why are you picking on me? What about Sergei?"
"Yes, but you my dear are pushing 40, Sergei is barely into his 20s! You just need to find a girl that can handle you and you'll be all set."
"Handle me?!"
Mac couldn't contain it anymore; she burst out laughing as the 6'4" cocky lawyer was tamed by a 5'6" octogenarian.
"Excuse me, what are you laughing at Marine?"
"Oh, nothing, Harmon, just trying to imagine you being tamed long enough to give you grandmother great-grandchildren."
"Well, Sarah, I do happen to know this cute brunette who didn't hate the idea, something about 5 years…" he said with a knowing grin.
Speechless, all Mac could do was smack him on the shoulder. She had never told anyone about their baby deal and she doubted Harm ever had either. She couldn't believe that he would bring it up in front of his grandmother. Especially after the past year or so they have had with various obstacles in their friendship. Could he really be looking forward to this like she was?
Turning to Sarah Rabb she said, "so, what's this about a family tree?"