I don't own any of the JAG people but the rest are mine. This is an idea that I got from the HBX challenge. This is just one of many ways that I see for Harm and Mac.
The Courtroom
0800
Mac was walking past one of the court rooms. On her way by she heard a young commander talking to a Captain. Mac heard the commander say, " I know this changes things Captain. That doesn't mean that one day we can't mend fences. " Mac walked on by and heard the Captain answer the commander by saying "yes it does" Mac remembered a time that Harm had said that to his old flight instructor. It was after Harm had raised doubt as to whether or not Captain Hochausen could still see well enough to fly. Captain Hochausen had asked Harm if he had ever misjudged a landing. "Yes I have and as a result I no longer fly at night. " Harm had answered with no hint of hurt in his eyes.
Mac had known Harm long enough to know that his night blindness was a touchy area for him. For his mentor to bring that up on the stand was not something that Mac thought should have happened. Harm had just gone on with what he was doing as if it were something that happened everyday. "To him I guess it does," Mac thought, but that didn't mean that Captain Hochausen had to throw it in Harm's face.
Mac came out of her thoughts as she neared the door. The Captain had said nothing else to the commander but just left. For Harm the sight of the men in the hall brought the same memory that Mac did. That may be why Harm asked the commander if he would come by his office in a few minutes. The commander watched as Harm walked towards Mac just to say good luck. As soon as Harm had said that he and the commander went to his office.
Harms office.
"Commander Black are you ok?" Harm asked as he walked in to his office. " With all due respect sir, I am fine. Is there something more that you needed from me?" Harm was watching the commanders reaction to what was going on. "No I just wanted to let you know from someone who has been in your shoes that it may hurt when someone you respect tells you that you can't help make things right. " Commander Black took a good long look at Harm "How would you know what it feels like SIR? From what I understand, you are the Navy's poster boy. Nothing bad like rejection happens to you and it never will." saying the last bit with the least bit anger that he could the command. Black left Harm standing in his office.
Harm wondered where he went wrong. I was just trying to help. How did it become about me?" Harm thought to himself. Bud happened to be walking by his office on his way back from seeing the Admiral. "Hey Bud, do you have a minute?" Bud turned around and went to Harm's office. "Sir?" "Bud, do you think of me as the Navy's poster boy?" Bud was taken aback by this question. Luckily Bud was called by the Admiral to come back to his office right then. Harm was puzzled by the way Bud just shook his head and left. Harriet heard the question and told herself that she would find out why Harm had asked it.
Mac's office
" Ma'am do you have a minute?" "Yes Harriet, what can I do for you?" Mac was puzzled. "Ma'am it's about the commander." Mac turned her head at that and told Harriet to close the door and have a seat. "What is it about Harm?" Mac asked conser for Harm all over her face. "Ma'am the commander asked Bud something today thats not like him?"Mac had seen that Harm was a little down this afternoon but thought he was just having a bad day with a case. "What was the question Harriet?" Harriet knew that she had to let Mac know it but she didn't know how to say what bothered her about it. "Ma'am he asked Bud if Bud saw him as a poster boy. I don't know ma'am, the sound of his voice made me wonder if it was something that the other Commander said to him before he stormed out of the commander's office." Mac sat there for a few minutes. "Ma'am why would he ask if he was a poster boy?" "How do I tell this to Harriet?" Mac thought. "Harriet I will talk to him. Ok, thank you for letting me know it." "Yes ma'am." Harriet then left to go home and Mac sat looking at Harm's door for a few minutes thinking of how she would ask him about it. Coming up with her game plan she sets out.
Harm's apartment
Mac had caught up with Harm on his way out and asked if he would meet her for dinner so that she could talk to him about a case. Harm had said that he didn't want to go out but Mac could come by in an hour. Harm offered to fix dinner and Mac had teased him about his meatless meatloaf. In the end, Harm had said that he would cook some fish for them. Mac took this as a good sign and let it go at that, promising that she would be there in about two hours.
Harm had just enough time to go home, change his clothes and start dinner. In fact, the salad and rice were done. The fish was almost done when Mac got there. Mac knocked on his door and waited for Harm to let her in. "Come on in Mac" Mac came in and saw that Harm had his back to the door. "How did he know it was me?" Mac wondered for a minute, then thought, he was waiting for me. Letting it go, she turned to Harm "When's dinner ready?" Harm had to laugh at Mac for that one " Mac when are you not hungry?" Hmm, he's going to play a bit. I'll see where he goes with it. "After you feed me I'm not Harm." Harm looked at her for a minute trying to see what she meant by that. Mac was standing close to him and that was doing lots of things to him. Harm just let it go and went to get the dishes for dinner out so that they could eat. "Here, let me do that Harm. You cooked. The least I can do is help with the dishes." Harm reached for a plate the same time that Mac did. For a brief moment their hands touched. In that touch a lot of things were said. Harm was not ready to tell Mac that he loved her. Mac was not ready to tell Harm that she loved him. That single moment in time did it all for them.
Harm let Mac get the table ready while he finshed cooking. When everything was ready, they sat down to eat. Dinner was good and the silence was filled with small talk. Harm and Mac have never been good at small talk. After dinner was done, they both cleaned the table. Mac did the dishes and Harm dried them. "Mac, do you want some coffee or tea?" Mac was getting worried about Harm. All night he was nice and easy going but still Mac knew that something was bothering him. With Harm, it was easy to tell when something was wrong. I only wish he was this easy to read when it came to his feelings for me, Mac thought to herself. "Tea would be great Harm. Thanks." Harm set out to make the tea and Mac went to the head. When she came back, Harm went to the head. Mac took this time to get her thoughts in order.
"Harm why did you ask Bud about being a poster boy today?" Taken aback by her question, Harm didn't know if he wanted to run or be honest with her. Honesty won out. "Mac I just wanted to know how I was seen by some of the younger officers." Mac thought for a minute, that could be true, but there was more and Mac could see that whatever the more was, it was hurting him. "Harm, is there a problem with the way the younger officers are around you?" Harm knew by the tone of her voice that she was not buying that. There was more to this than he was seeing. Giving in a little, Harm told Mac about what the other commander had told him. "Harm that's not true and anyone who knows you knows that you have done your best to keep things going . Its not been easy for you and you have made a lot of tough calls over the years. " Although that was true, it did little to help put Harm at ease about the whole mess. "Harm why did you ask Bud? Why not Tinner or some one else?" Harm had wondered himself part of this afternoon why it was Bud he asked.The answer came to him when he walked in his door this evening. "Mac I asked Bud cause he would give me an honest answer and not tell me what he thought I wanted to hear." Mac could only agree with him on that one. Most of the time Bud still called them their ranks and not their names, but he would not lie to them.
Mac decided to let it go for right now and see how she could help Harm feel better.
"Hey Harm, do you think you could help me move some things in my apartment tomorrow after work?" Harm was wondering if this was Mac's way of showing him that he was needed or if she needed help. Ether way Harm could not say no to Mac. He told her he would be there with bells on. That got a laugh out of them both. The case that Mac had wanted help with to start out, was just a way to get him to talk to her. But as it turned out she did end up needing his help with another case. After a few more hours of going over it, Mac was getting tired and wanted to try to get a little sleep if she could tonight. Harm noticed this and suggested that they pick up the rest tomorrow when he comes to help her move things. Mac agreed and went to get her jacket. "Thanks for all your help Harm" "What are friends for Mac, if you can't bounce ideas and cases off them? The rest will come to you. All you have to do is be patient and wait for the time to be right." Harm was thinking that he couldn't wait for the time to come when he could take Mac to his bed and not let her leave. Mac was thinking along the same lines. Neither one said anything about it. Mac gave Harm a hug and Harm gave her a small kiss on her cheek. It was a nice sweet kiss. Not what you would give your grandma but not what you would give a lover either. Mac left feeling better then when she came but still just as clueless as how to help Harm.
JAG Court room
2 weeks later
Harm was questioning a witness in his case against Lt Iamms. When moments later a loud sound was heard from down the hall. Harm had a bad feeling as soon as he heard it. Judge Morris was worried about it cause out of all the people that had been before him, Harm and Mac were somehow connected. Judge Morris could not explain how he knew this, but he did. Harm was visibly pale when the sound came through again. This time Harm could hear Bud scream his name. Without asking permission first, Harm left the courtroom to see what was going on.
Bud didn't hear Harm coming up behind him till Harm asked him"What is it Bud?" Harm had a really bad gut-feeling that Mac was in trouble and it was his fault. "Sir, a few minutes ago some men came in to the court room, then just looked around as if they were looking for someone. They were looking for you." Harm knew now that his feelings were right. Mac was in trouble. She was the one that was up against Bud in this case. "Bud, if they were hunting me, why did they come in here and what was that loud noise a few minutes ago?" Bud looked at Harm for a few seconds. "Sir while they were standing at the back door, Judge Hopkins asked them if they needed something. " Bud knew that this next part would hurt Harm but he didn't know how else to say it but straight out. So that's what he did."Bud, what did they tell Judge Hopkins?" Harm was getting more worried by the second. He could see that no one was going in the court room and no one was coming out. "Sir they said they were looking for Mrs. Rabb and they were told that she was in here. " Bud let his words sink in. "Bud, you said they were out for me, why ask for my wife? I'm not even married?" Then it hit him. They must mean Mac. "They were talking about Mac weren't they Bud?" At this point Harm was getting really worried and fearing for the safety of all, but mostly Mac. "Yes sir it was her that they went to. When Mac turned around, they said, "There you are Mrs. Rabb. We need to talk to you and you will listen to us." Mac had tried to tell them to come back later and she would then talk to them sir. She didn't correct the Mrs. Rabb part, she just let it go. The moment she saw one of them, it was like she knew him. That makes no sense to me sir. Why would they call her your wife and why would she know one of them?" Harm was trying to listen to Bud and see as much of the door area at the entrance to the court room. "Bud, it must be a case that Mac and I worked and they think that we are married." Bud said something else "Sir right before they pushed me and the rest out, she told me to give this to you. I don't think they saw her hand it to me."
Harm took the paper from Bud and read it.The paper only said two words "Poster boy". "Sir what does it mean?" Harm looked at Bud then went to the office. The men still had Mac in the court room. Bud went right behind Harm. "Bud go to the office and pull a case that happened about 2 weeks ago for me please." Bud knew that something was worng just by the way Harm held himself, but didn't call him on it right now. He knew how much Mac meant to ever one and most of all to Harm even if he wouldnt admit to it. "What case would that be sir?" Harm had to think about it for a minute."The Captain H one Bud, and please tell the Admiral that I am sorry about all this. " Bud wanted to ask him more but being the good officer that he was, he went to get the file. When Bud got to ops he was jumped at by the Admiral and told to stay in ops, not to go back up there till this was all done. Bud walked in to Harm's office and pulled the file. Then went to the Admirals office, "Sir, Commander Rabb asked me to pull this file for him. Mac gave me a note to give to Harm. The note said Poster boy and after he read it he asked me to come pull this file. Also to tell you that he is sorry for this mess." Admiral Aj sat there wondering what Poster boy meant. When he saw the name on the file, Aj knew what Poster boy meant. Aj had been walking by Harm's office when the other commander had said that to Harm a few weeks ago. If Mac had said that to him then this must be related to the case file that Bud had in his hands. "Can I see that Bud?" Bud for his part was looking at the file wondering why he remembered some of it. Then it hit Bud. That was the day that Harm had looked so down after Harm had asked Bud if he thought of Harm as a poster boy. "Oh sorry sir, here" Aj didn't have to look far in the file to see that this case was where Harm had to make a Commander rat out his Captain on a murder charge. It turned out that there was not enough to put the Captain in prison. But it looked like he did kill the younger Commander to set an example for the rest of his men. Aj didn't think that it would have gone to trial at all if he had not put Rabb on the case to start with so in a way he was at fault for what was going on.
End of part 1 the rest will be posted shortly. Please let me know how you like this one.