Title : Russian Honeymoon
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you.
Rating : T (I think!)
Spoilers : None really, just fluff…but maybe around the same time as Season 8, when Harriet was pregnant for the third time.
Summary : Mac wants to know Harriet's secret to a lasting marriage…
Roberts' Residence
The doorbell rang and Mac smiled as she heard little AJ's voice call out, and his father's reply.
"Hold it right there, AJ Roberts! What do you have to do first?"
"Check!" cried AJ, already opening the door, and then he was squealing in delight. "Aunt Mac! It's Aunt Mac!" As the door swung wide on its hinges a blond-haired bullet streaked out at her, and Mac only just managed to field the onslaught. In fact, she would have fallen backwards if a pair of arms and a hard chest hadn't stopped her. Mac knew who it was even before AJ called out again.
"Uncle Harm!"
Through a locked door AJ's shouting had been loud. Up close, it was deafening! Mac instinctively put up a hand to shield her ear, turning away from the noise, and looked straight up at Harm.
"Hi," she murmured, lowering her hand as she was caught up in his eyes; he was gorgeous at any time, she knew, but up close he was…indescribable.
"Hi," Harm responded, moving up a step so Mac could regain her balance. When he was sure she was stable he dropped his arms and turned to greet Bud.
"Hey, come on in!" Bud's welcome was effusive, as always and Harm, with a giggling AJ under his arm, followed Mac into the house.
o-o-o-o-o
"Harriet, what makes a good marriage?" Mac mused as she and Harriet sat in chairs on the backyard porch, watching Bud and Harm tend the barbecue while they talked and played with AJ. Harriet was taken by surprise at the question, but she hid her response and answered the question as best she could.
"Well, sex is good…" she said blithely, and Mac almost choked on her soda, then she realized the younger woman was smiling.
"Harriet Roberts, you are a born comedian!"
Harriet shrugged. "I know," she retorted, breaking into a wide smile before she gave Mac a contemplative look. "Seriously?"
Mac nodded, saying nothing.
"Okay; friendship is a very good basis, and love, of course. That sometimes get mixed up with lust, which is not a bad thing," Harriet paused and winked, and Mac grinned.
"Go on…"
"The 'in love' kind of love has to be there." Harriet tried to give Mac an example, which worked a little too well. "You love my family as friends. I love you and Harm, as friends, but I'm 'in love' with Bud. It's not easy to describe, it's just…different…" Harriet drifted off and Mac watched her eyes close, a small smile on her lips.
"Snap to, Lieutenant!" Mac gave a mock-order, and to her amusement Harriet did just that, with a sharp 'Yes, ma'am!' thrown in.
o-o-o-o-o
"What do you think they're talking about up there, Bud?" Harm asked, watching the two women laughing together. He loved both of them, but he was only 'in love' with one of them. He had told her once…on a porch…
"Probably us," Bud answered, unaware of Harm's thoughts. While turning the meat on the barbecue and the vegetable burgers that Harriet had thoughtfully made up for Harm, he took a moment to glance up at the two women. As he did, so Harriet glanced up, waved at him and then carried on with her conversation. Harm watched the unspoken exchange between husband and wife, and realized that he shared that with Mac. The times they had said so much with just a look, and yet they had never put a look into so many words.
o-o-o-o-o
"See, that's what I'm talking about," Harriet turned to look at Mac fully. "Bud and I can catch each other's eye, as if we both had the same thought at the same time…oh!" Harriet's eyes opened wide.
"Harriet? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing. Mac, do you realize what I just said?"
"That you and Bud think alike," answered Mac immediately.
"So do you and Harm," Harriet said softly, but Mac shook her head.
"We're hardly talking these days," she countered, and her eyes began to tear up.
"Mac, you saved Harm's life! You have a gift far greater than anything I have with Bud."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe everyone has a soul mate. I mean, you can be with a person all your life, be 'in love' with them even, but it may be another person you go to when you share your deepest secrets and your darkest fears. If you're lucky enough to find your soul mate is the one you want to spend your life with too, there's nothing greater."
"Not even children?" Mac asked hesitantly, but she was surprised when Harriet shook her head.
"Not even children. Don't get me wrong, I love AJ, and this baby I'm carrying, and I will never forget baby Sarah, but they don't come close to my relationship with my husband." Mac could hear the sincerity in Harriet's voice, and she nodded gently.
"Okay, I get that," she murmured, and found her gaze straying to Harm as her mind recalled events in their past.
On their very first assignment she had told him she was an alcoholic. From then there had been the case of an abusive husband. Mac had told Harm about her life as a child, and the troubled young adult she had become, living with her alcoholic and abusive father. It didn't get much deeper, or darker, than that! It suddenly occurred to Mac that she had never told Mic about her childhood.
"I never told him," she murmured, only realizing she had spoken out loud when Harriet echoed her words.
"Told him 'who'?"
"Mic." Mac let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "I never told Mic about my childhood. He found out about my being an alcoholic in Australia. He bought a bottle of champagne when he gave me the ring, and he got angry when I wouldn't drink it to toast with him."
"That's unfair," Harriet observed, and put her hand on Mac's. "Did he apologize?" Mac shook her head.
Mic had taken her to bed, but he had never apologized in words, and he had continued to drink in her company. He had even left bottles in her apartment, until the time she had poured a glass for herself and then promptly slung it down the drain, with the contents of the bottle after it. Mic had received the sharp end of her tongue that night, and he had taken to drinking at his own place. More, Mac suspected, to avoid losing any other bottles to the drain than actually respecting her sobriety. In that respect, Harm was so very different. He still drank, but not in her direct company. If he came round to her apartment he would either bring non-alcoholic bottles, or have coffee instead. Even though she knew he was drinking beer right now with Bud, he would change to a soda at the table when it was time to eat. Harriet and Bud did the same, and for that alone Mac loved them.
"Mac, you okay?"
"Yeah," Mac nodded. "I'm doing great. It's good to have a talk with you, Harriet. You help me put my life in perspective. You and Bud are so solid together. You 'only have eyes' for him, as the song goes."
"Says who?" retorted Harriet, and Mac sat up sharply.
"You haven't…" Mac began, astounded.
"Cheated? No, never. But just because I'm married doesn't mean I'm dead, Mac! Take Harm, for instance…" Harriet looked at the man in question swinging her son around in the air, pretending to be an airplane. At Mac's continued silence Harriet laughed softly. "Oh, Mac, you've got it bad…!"
o-o-o-o-o
Bud turned over the food on the grill once more and then called up to the porch.
"Honey, we're almost done here!"
Harm watched as Harriet tried to get to her feet, and smiled as Mac got up instead, going into the kitchen alone. Taking a chance that Bud hadn't seen Mac get up, he asked him if he wanted another beer. Bud shook his head, lifting his half-full bottle. Harm grinned, waved his empty bottle, and turned to jog up the yard to the porch. Behind him Bud smiled, shook his head, and gave Harriet a wave.
o-o-o-o-o
"Hi." Harm walked into the cooler interior of the kitchen, watching as Mac set out the cold food Harriet had prepared.
"You said that already," Mac answered, but tempered the response with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess…so, how are you?"
"Okay. Starving…" At that they both laughed. Mac paused first, at a loss what to say next. It was the first thing that entered her head when she spoke again. "How's Sergei?"
"Fine. Back in Russia."
"Oh…" Mac faltered. "Problems with his residency application?"
"Sort of. I couldn't get the DNA we needed to prove his paternity. My mom…I couldn't pressure her…you know…?" Mac nodded, her sympathy showing in her expression.
Harm's mother, Trish, had made another life for herself with her second husband, Frank Burnett. A happy life. However, it was a given that if Harm's father had returned from Vietnam, he and Trish would have remained together, very much a loving couple. Soul mates.
Harm was speaking again and Mac tried to focus on his words even though she was distracted by his hands, and his mouth. The way his lips moved…
"Mac?"
"Huh?" It was an inelegant response, and Harm had managed to catch her ogling him while she daydreamed! Mac hid her blush by diving back into the refrigerator on the pretext of looking for something. It was enough to cool her down, and she reappeared looking more like a Marine and less like a schoolgirl on her first date. "Sorry, you were saying…?"
"I was telling you that Sergei got engaged, to a flight attendant."
"He did? That's great!" Mac's response was genuine; she liked Sergei Zhukov, and had enjoyed watching the dynamics of the developing relationship between the two very different sons of the late Harmon Rabb.
"Yeah. He asked me to be his best man."
"Harm, that's wonderful!" Mac was honestly pleased and it was without conscious thought that she reached up to kiss his cheek. As Harm moved to ask if she'd consider an invitation to join him their lips met, and clung. When they parted, both gave a shy smile.
"That was…" began Harm, shaken by the warmth Mac had shown him in the moment before she tried to kiss his cheek.
"…nice," finished Mac. Her eyes were bright, and Harm only just managed to stop himself from kissing her again. Instead, he nodded.
"Yeah…very nice." Then he added the rest. "Um…Mac? If you wanted to…I'd like to invite you…to go with me…"
"Go where?" Mac looked up from the salad dish she had suddenly been studying closely.
"Russia. For the wedding."
"Me! Why?" It was a blunt question, and Mac saw a myriad of expressions cross Harm's face before he smiled.
"Because I want you there, with me. Sergei would love to have you there too."
"He would, huh?" Mac smiled at a sudden thought. "You wouldn't just be angling for an interpreter would you, Sailor?" she asked, and laughed when Harm snapped his fingers as though remembering.
"I knew there was something else…" he began, and Mac threw the dish towel at him, still laughing.
"What's her name?" she asked as she retrieved the towel from him.
"Who?" asked Harm, reaching to take a carrot slice before Mac could bat his hand away.
"Your future sister-in-law." Mac was amused. Harm tended to lose track of social conversation topics, which was in contrast to his courtroom skills. He could pounce on the slightest clue and turn it to his client's advantage with the mere use of words.
"Oh…Galina. Not sure about her surname," Harm answered, back on track.
"O…kay," Mac began, and Harm pounced on her hesitation, hoping to turn that to his advantage.
"So, you'll go with me? Please?" It was the 'please' that did it, along with the smile that made her knees go weak every time.
Over the years, especially at work, she had used sheer will power to stand ramrod straight when he smiled at her. Even when she was angry and upset at him, he could still make her weak at the knees.
Mac found herself accepting, and Harm was hugging her when Harriet came into the kitchen.
"Oops, excuse me…" she called out as she walked by them. Considering Mac's earlier admission that she and Harm were 'hardly talking', the sight of them in each other's arms was a big step forward! Huge, even! Harriet smiled, pleased for whatever had brought them together.
"It's okay, Harriet. Harm was just telling me about Sergei getting married."
"Really? That's so nice! Will he be getting married here?" Harriet asked the question as she inspected Mac's handiwork in getting the cold food arranged. Truth be told, she had begun to wonder what was going on inside her kitchen, and against Bud's advice she had got up to investigate!
"No, Russia," Harm answered, and although he and Mac had released one another, their eyes were still locked on each other. If Harriet noticed, she wasn't saying! "I'm Best Man," Harm carried on, adding "I've asked Mac to come with me."
"You did? What did she say?" Harriet fixed her gaze on Harm, who grinned.
"Hey! Yoohoo!" Mac waved a hand between Harriet and Harm, a mixture of amusement and annoyance in her voice, but a smile on her face. "I'm still here, remember!" Harriet turned around fast, as fast as she could with an 8-month pregnant stomach in the way!
"So? What did you say?"
"So, I accepted," Mac answered, and Harriet squealed, her obvious delight in the situation more than evident! At that moment Bud and AJ appeared at the back door.
"Dinner's ready. How're things in here?"
o-o-o-o-o
Dinner was a fun-filled affair, in the backyard, through the late afternoon. When it was over, Bud and Harm were again playing with AJ before the bedtime routine began, and both Mac and Harriet were on the porch once more, enjoying a warm drink each.
"So," Harriet murmured. "A quick recap on what makes a good marriage?"
Mac nodded, and Harriet began.
"Friendship. Understanding. Loving. Being 'in love'. Wanting and needing just one person for the rest of your life. Never trying to make that person change, to become what they're not." Harriet paused as she noticed Mac's attention drift slightly.
Chris had tried to make her into a slut, letting his friends paw her when she, and they, were drunk…Dalton had succeeded in tempting her away from JAG with promises of high profile cases in court that would make her name; all he had given her in reality was an office, her name on the door, and a bad taste in her mouth. Especially later, when he had used her information against her. That had hurt…Mic had struck at a weak moment. Having practically propositioned Harm on the ferry, and then been told 'not yet', she had accepted Mic's ring. When she had finally agreed to a date for their wedding, Mic had begun his campaign to have her leave JAG to work with him – Brumby and Brumby, he had named his business – but it became evident that he had the same mindset as Dalton, and even Chris. All three of them had resented her determination to succeed, and all three had only wanted to control her. Even John Farrow had taken advantage of her youth and insecurity in the early years of her career. The one person who had accepted her for who she was, who praised her for what she had overcome, and who only wanted happiness for her – even at the cost of his own emotions – was Harm. Throughout the ups and downs of the past seven years they were still together…
'Mac, you have someone who'll always love you.'
'And you have someone who will always love you.'
Mac came to with a start. It wasn't that long ago, on the Admiral's porch, that she and Harm had spoken those words. Yes, they could have meant Mic and Renee, but both of them knew – deep down – they were talking about each other. About loving each other. About being in love.
Harriet picked up from where Mac drifted off, and told of how time and circumstance had changed herself and Bud, made them stronger, but they were essentially the same people who had met and fallen in love. They were living the life they had made for themselves, and that's what made them happy. Harriet grinned impishly as she told Mac of how her mother had tried desperately to make Bud look more like Harm.
"It just wouldn't have worked! Harm and Bud, apart from the obvious visual differences, are poles apart and yet they are so alike when it comes to what they are passionate about. They're good men, Mac, and I love them both, but I'm 'in love' with Bud. You understand?"
Mac nodded, a knowing smile settling on her lips. Yes, she understood.
"In fact, if you see the funny side of all this, you and Harm have been 'together' longer than Bud and I! Certainly longer than most marriages these days. Through it all, you've been there for each other when it really counted."
"It is funny, isn't it?" Mac mused, and at that moment Harm looked across at her and smiled.
"Harriet?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think Harm would say to a Russian honeymoon?"
Later…
Harriet looked at the departing couple walking hand in hand to their cars.
"We did good, Bud."
"Yeah, honey, we did good."
The End