Disclaimer: not mine, Bellisario's
London is the place to be
He was gone. He was gone for almost two months now. Yes, it was two months ago that during staff meeting the Admiral had announced that Commander Rabb was to spend the next six months on a TAD in London.
She missed him. She missed him very much. If it hadn't been so unmarinelike she would have said she was pining for him.
Luckily they kept in contact with almost daily e-mails and a chat at least once every weekend. But still she missed him. Him being around, the jokes, bouncing of a case, their regular movie nights.
Wednesday
14.00 local time
Washington, JAG office
Thoughtfully the Admiral ran his hand over his head and reread the message in front of him. It was a request from the office in London for a six to eight weeks TAD. He slowly flipped through the three personnel's files, also lying on his desk. All three would be good candidates. That from an official point of view. But there were other things to consider.
There was Bud Roberts. The young officer had matured considerable over the previous years. An extended TAD would be good for his career. On the other hand, he and his wife Harriet had just became parents to a little baby boy. A.J. Chegwidden smiled when he recalled his little namesake. Missing Bud for weeks might force her to work fewer hours and since she was a very valuable person in the office he wasn't prepared to lose more than one subordinate.
Captain Justin would be a fine choice too. Except, he was involved in two major cases and would be hard to replace at the moment.
The third one was Major MacKenzie. Her somewhat depressed mood hadn't gone unnoticed and he knew the reason why. His female insubordinate missed her male partner very much. This TAD would be just the thing to cheer her up, but he had to decide on objective grounds who was the best man or woman for the task.
Again his eyes followed the lines in the message as hoping to find an until then hidden clue whom to send. And there it was. Only a few words stating contact with the Russian embassy would be a major part of the job. Instantly Chegwidden's mind was made up. Major MacKenzie it would be. She was the only one fluent in Russian. He called for his yeoman. "Tiner, get me Major MacKenzie."
When Mac entered he ordered an "at ease." Ordering the paperwork on his desk he said "there is a new TAD coming. It will be eight weeks, mostly being a liaison between our embassy and some others, including the Russians. All in preparation of a large combined exercise at sea, in about two months. Since you speak Russian I decided to send you."
Mac nodded. It was no question; in the military you went where they sent you. But to her surprise she saw a glimmer of a smile in her CO's eyes.
Chegwidden went on "Tomorrow you assign your outstanding cases to co-workers. Flight Thursday night 23.30." Now there was definitely a smile on his face. "Your station will be London. Lodging is in one of the USA government issued apartment buildings. I even believe it will be the same one Commander Rabb is living in."
Mac couldn't believe her ears. A TAD, in London, with Harm! Her military training prevented her from punching her fists into the air and whooping out loud but the Admiral could see the happiness in her eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by her CO's voice. "That will be all. Dismissed!"
"Aye, aye, Sir." Mac came to attention, made a crisp turn around and left the room, to begin with the long list of to-do's in assigning her cases and making sure everything was in order for her TAD. But there was a spring in her step her CO hadn't seen in a long time. In fact had not seen since Commander Rabb was stationed in London.
Friday morning (Greenwich Mean Time)
Airplane over the Atlantic Ocean
Only now it dawned to Mac how busy she had been the previous one and a half day. So busy she completely had forgotten to e-mail Harm she was coming to London. No point regretting now, though. It now had to be a surprise and one she hoped he would like. She closed her eyes. Never a good sleeper in planes, she knew she probably wasn't going to sleep much but at least she would rest a bit during the seven plus hours' flight.
London
Stevenson Square
Friday, early afternoon local time
It was almost three o'clock when Mac's cab stopped in front of a building at a square in the centre of London. Mac emerged and curiously looked around at the high Victorian houses situated around a small fenced park. So this would be her home for the next two months.
Inside she was met by a representative of the embassy. He introduced her to the janitor and led her to a small apartment on the second floor. It contained a small hallway, a living, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Next he provided her with a bunch of keys and some paperwork, including a map of London and a public transport pass for two months. Cars were available if necessary but in the city public transportation was more efficient. He pointed out where to find the nearest shops and showed her the kitchen held the basic supplies like coffee, sugar, tea etc. She would have to replenish them at the end of her stay. Finally he handed over a file with her new job description. She would have to report at the office Monday morning eight o'clock. Then he bid her farewell and Mac was on her own again.
She started to familiarize herself with her temporal home, putting away her clothes and other belongings and making herself a cup of tea. She threw a longing look at the bed but knew sleeping now would mean no sleep tonight and a prolonged jetlag. She'd better go for a short walk to explore the surroundings. When she left she looked at the door opposite of hers. A tall, slim woman with a blond ponytail just emerged, closed and locked the door and greeted her with a nod. Then she walked in front of Mac down the stairs and left the building.
There was a knock on the door. Harm's assistant Joan Peters entered.
"The new assignment, Sir," she said, putting down a folder on his desk. Harm looked up. He had buried himself in work to push away a worrying feeling. It had been two days now since he had had contact with Mac. Normally there would be a reply to his mails within hours. Not taking into account the five hours time difference, that is.
Sensing Joan was still waiting for an answer he gave her a smile. "Thanks, Joan. Did you read who it is?"
"Yes sir," the woman answered. "I even think I already saw her when I went to pick up the paperwork at your apartment earlier this afternoon." She flipped the file open. "A major Sarah MacKenzie, from the Washington office."
Harm's head snapped up. "Mac?"
"You know her, Sir?"
"Surely I do. We are very good friends." A broad smile spread along his face.
"Slender, around 5' 10, dark lank-haired?"
"Yep, that's her."
"It looks she is staying in the same building as you, Sir. Same level, apartment across the corridor."
Now Harm was in a hurry to finish his work. With the smile still plastered on his face he dismissed his assistant, wishing her a nice weekend. Within half an hour he was ready to call it a day himself. He was going home, to Mac!
London
Stevenson Square
Friday, late afternoon
As soon Harm was home he checked the door opposite to his own. And low and behold, it listed Mac's name. He knocked but there was no answer. For a moment he stood indecisive, then he went inside his own apartment. First he took a container of frozen pasta sauce, the one he knew was Mac's favourite, out of the freezer and put it into the microwave to defrost. Next he hopped in and out of the shower and changed into civvies. Again he went to knock on Mac's door but to no avail. He stuck a post-it on it, went back inside, his eyes perked for any sound and waited.
It was only five minutes later when Mac came home. She was tired and had decided to have something delivered. She was sure the file the embassy's representative had given her included folders of a few Indian and Chinese restaurants. But she changed her mind the moment she saw the note on her door. Reading 'I'm home, H.'
A knock on the door and there she was. On his doorstep and in his arms. Had one of them thought seeing each other again after two months of separation would feel a bit awkward, he or she would have been wrong. The hug came natural and lasted for a long time. Finally Harm's grip loosened. But Mac wasn't ready yet. She stayed plastered to his chest and Harm felt her tremble. When she at last let go of him he looked at her questioningly. Mac shook her head. She was not prepared to tell him how much she had missed him or how insecure she felt about the blond woman apparently having his key.
"Blame it on jetlag," she said. Seeing the fatigue in her eyes Harm left it to that, knowing she wasn't telling him the whole truth.
To hide her confusion she looked around. He had the same government issued furniture but had already added his own personal touch. There was a pin board with funny picture postcards, a couple of pillows occupied the couch and a pile of books sat on a side table. She was also sure the kitchen contained more equipment that just government issue. She sniffed. From that same kitchen came a divine odour. Jeez, she had missed his pasta sauce. Even though he left a few containers in her freezer, it always tasted much better when he was there to serve it.
In the meantime Harm had gone to the kitchen to boil the pasta. "Make yourself at home," he yelled. Mac smiled, kicked out her shoes and curled up on the couch. She extended a hand to the books. He was always good in finding books she loved to read as well.
They had a leisurely evening together, catching up on every subject they could think of. But at ten o'clock Mac had difficulty to keep her eyes open. However much she hated to go, she really needed to sleep. Harm accompanied her to her door and to her surprise his hand caressed her cheek. "You look like an exhausted little girl," he teased. "Your cheeks and ears are red with sleep. Go to bed. I figure you don't have the supplies for breakfast yet?"
Mac shook her head.
"Then tomorrow morning, knock on my door when you are ready. I'll make you breakfast and then 'London, here we come!'"
It was a very happy Mac who fell asleep only minutes later.
Saturday
The first thing Harm had picked for them was a visit to the London Dungeons.
"What is that? Mac wanted to know.
"It's a mix between a haunted house, a museum and Madam Tussaud," Harm explained. "They took the more gruesome and bloody parts of London's history and depicted them in wax figures. There are actors, too. It's a bit like you take walk through history."
Indeed Mac enjoyed it very much. There were statues of several queens and kings, all having met a terrible end and Thomas Beckett, the archbishop/martyr. Three-D images were projected over the faces so it looked like they were talking. They walked through a kind of wooden tube, feeling the heat and smelling the smoke of the Great Fire of London. In a medieval court they were bawled out by judges and eventually sentenced to death. Harm hid a smile; he knew what was coming next. They were led towards a tunnel where they were directed to sit into little boats and were launched into the dark. Despite her military training Mac grabbed Harm's hand. Then the boat came to an abrupt halt and turned 90 degrees. The moment the light went on again they found themselves in front of a firing-squad. Guns blasted. Mac screamed. The boat shot backwards and ended at a platform where they could get off. Now Mac saw Harm's big smile and she poked him in the side. "You bastard, you know what was coming!" Harm chuckled. She was right.
The last thing was a tour through late nineteen hundred London in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper. This was a story which had always fascinated Mac making her a captive listener to their 19-century guide.
When they left the Dungeons Harm looked at his watch. "Almost twelve o'clock, he announced. "We'll take the tube at Waterloo and go to Convent Gardens. You will love it there and there are plenty of small pubs and café's to grab a bite."
At 12.30 they were sitting in a café. Harm ordered ploughman's lunch for the two of them and cups of tea. "Be sure always to order 'black tea'," he instructed Mac. "Otherwise there will be milk in it and often lots of it."
Mac screwed up her face. "Why would they ruin perfectly good tea with milk?"
Harm laughed out loud. "I don't know but they do. Maybe because they make very strong tea. Two to four bags in a pot. You have to be aware of that, too and ask for only one, maybe two bags."
When the food was brought to the table Mac was in for another culture shock. A ploughman's lunch turned out to be cheese sandwiches with a kind of dark brown gooey stuff on it. She suspiciously poked it with her fork. "What is this?"
"It's a kind of pickles," Harm explained. "Vegetables boiled with vinegar, salt and spices. Try it. It tastes better than it looks."
With a last suspicious look Mac did as he bade and indeed, the taste was indeed better than she had expected.
Most of the meal gone Harm wanted to talk about what to do next. "London is full of museums and attractions," he told her and started to tick off possibilities on his fingers. "We can go for a ride in the London Eye, the big Ferris wheel, a tourist tour on a double-decker bus, make the Jack the Ripper tour by night, visit Camden Market, or the British Library, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate's, the Transport Museum, the Museum of childhood, Pollock'sToy Museum, Sherlock Holmes Museum. We could go to the Tower, Westminster Abbey and Westminster cathedral, St. Pauls, Southwark Cathedral. Or we can take a car and make a trip outside London."
"Stop," Mac al but yelled. "We don't have to do London in one day. I'm here for two months, remember. You're acting like a cartoon character of an American. You know, doing Europe in ten days, taking pictures everywhere and when you're home you see where you have been."
Harm looked a bit crestfallen but then joined her in laughter. "You're right. What do you want to see?"
"I like to take a walk, just taste the atmosphere. Like see Trafalgar Square."
Harm nodded. "That's okay. Why don't we just take a stroll around Convent Gardens here? You will love all the small shops and I like to visit the discount bookshop downstairs. Then we can walk to Trafalgar Square and have tea in Charing Cross Road. There is a little Chinese bakery I love. They have all kinds of buns and serve a mean jasmine tea. Charing Cross Road used to be the road famous for its second hand bookstores. There is that book, also called 'Charing Cross Road', by Helene Hanff. It's about the letters exchanged between a bookshop and a young American student just after World War II. I really liked it. We can also visit Murder One. It's England's premier crime bookstore.*"
Mac's shining eyes told them how much she enjoyed herself. She didn't have eyes enough to take in all the hustle and bustle around her. Walking along Harm pointed out different things to her. After admiring Admiral Nelson on his high pedestal he pointed at a nearby church. "That is St. Martin in the Fields. 'In the fields' for once this place was just outside of London. Back then when London was a Roman city Londinium, that is, in the first centuries. For the last century or so they have been doing a lot of charity among the homeless."
Mac had to laugh. "You can change careers and become a tour guide," she teased. "How come you know so much about London?"
"The first weekends Joan and Alvin gave me a crash course London," Harm told her. "And the next weekends I spent exploring the city. But it is much more fun to do it together!" He smiled down on her and Mac couldn't agree more. The names of Joan Peters and her husband Alvin were not unfamiliar. Joan was Harm's assistant and he had mentioned her several times in an e-mail or chat.
Harm's next words interrupted her thoughts. "In fact, Joan invites us both for dinner, next Friday," he said. "You might already have seen her; she told me she saw you yesterday when she went to pick up some forgotten paperwork from my apartment."
Mac had to close her eyes and almost swooned with relief. The long legged blonde she saw the day before was his happily married assistant, not a new flame.
"Mac?" Harm sounded a bit worried.
"Sorry, I zoomed out for a moment. I guess the jetlag hasn't worn off yet."
Harm frowned. He sensed there was more to it but couldn't put the finger on it, yet.
At 8.30pm they were back home. Mac was exhausted. But she didn't need an excuse. With a smile Harm directed her to her own apartment.
"Sleep well, Marine. Tomorrow, when you're awake, come to my apartment. I'll buy you a proper English breakfast."
Gratefully Mac nodded. "Goodnight, Harm."
Sunday morning
8.45 local time
Sitting in a nearby café Mac waited anxiously for the waiter to come back. She was hungry and looking forward to the famous English breakfast. And she was not disappointed. She almost drooled when the plate was placed in front of her. A poached egg, two slices of bacon, a sausage, mushrooms, a grilled tomato, baked beans and on the side grapefruit and plenty of toast with marmalade on the side. Harm laughed at her delight. He himself had a more modest version, only an egg, mushrooms, tomato and baked beans to go with his toast and a double portion of grapefruit.
"I told you you would love it," he said and Mac couldn't agree more.
"What did you plan for today?" she wanted to know, most of the food gone.
"A bit less than yesterday," Harm grinned. "I thought we could make a stroll through Hyde Park, to burn off a few calories. It's also a great place to run, but we can do that another time. Then you might like to have a look in Harrods, the famous department store. Very luxurious, very English and the architecture is amazing. "
Mac nodded. "Harriet told me about it. She would love a souvenir from Harrods."
"Then we can have lunch somewhere and do a bit more sightseeing on our way back. Sunday afternoon I usually order a car so I can do my grocery shopping. Most of the supermarkets are a bit out of the city's centre so a car comes in handy. I guess you need some stuff, too. There is a small supermarket nearby, though."
Mac nodded. "Seems like a plan. And yes, my cupboard can use some filling as well."
"And in the evening I want to take you to an Indian restaurant. Indian restaurants are very common and usually very good here. Legacy from colonial times. England once possessed India."
They finished their meal and wandered through Hyde Park, enjoying the fresh green and the nice weather. Suddenly he grabbed her arm. "Look, he pointed. Only a few yards away two grey squirrels were searching for food. Mac watched breathless. At last the two little animals decided to try their luck elsewhere and disappeared into a tree. Mac smiled; she loved squirrels. "Do you see them often here?"
"Yes," nodded Harm. "Several parks house them. They are quite used to people. When it's really quiet you can feed them. We can try one early morning, if you like."
They walked on. Now it was Mac's turn to stop and point. "What is that?"
"That's the Diana Memorial Fountain," Harm answered. "Erected in commemoration of Princess Diana."
Mac walked over to the plate telling the story of the fountain. She felt her throat tighten. She remembered well the shockwave going through the world at the death of the beloved Princess, chased by paparazzi and perished in a car crash in Paris. Children were playing and a few elderly ladies sat with their feet in the water, wiggling their toes. Harm felt her suddenly down mood and took her hand, softly squeezing it.
They walked on to Brompton Road and entered the warehouse of Harrods. Inside Mac was stunned by the architecture, especially that of the in Egyptian style decorated departments.
"There is a memorial for Princess Diana here as well," Harm said.
Mac turned around. "Isn't a department store an odd place to have a memorial?" she asked.
"It is,' Harm agreed. But du you remember the guy who was with her?"
"No," Mac shook.
"It was her lover Dodi Al-Fayed. He too was killed in the accident. His father was Mohamed Al-Fayed and he owns this store**. It's a memorial to his son as well."
They watched the memorial in silence for some moments. Then, sensing Mac started to feel down again, Harm brought her to the food hall and as expected, this cheered her up. She wandered the aisles and marvelled at the diversion of meat, seafood, vegetables and baked goods. Here too the architecture was splendid.
It was almost an hour later when they left Harrods and looked around to find a place to eat. "I want fish and chips," Mac announced.
Harm laughed. "I don't think you will find them here but we will go and eat them someday soon," he promised. "And I'm going to treat you to a high tea."
Mac settled for sandwiches for the moment and munching they continued their walk. Harm had learned his way around and to Mac's surprise they were back at Stevenson Square before she realized it.
Harm picked up the car keys at the janitor's and drove to the supermarket he frequented. "There are a several supermarket chains," he told Mac. "Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury's being the most important. Tesco is more average, Sainsbury's a bit more posh."
Half an hour later he parked the car next to a huge supermarket. Inside there turned out to be not only groceries being sold there, but also clothes, kitchen equipment, toys and many more items. They took a trolley and started wheeling it towards the vegetable section. Suddenly Mac was unsure what to buy. What did Harm have in mind? Would they spend the evenings together, was he going to cook for her? She didn't want to buy nothing, like she expected him to entertain her. She didn't want to buy for one giving him the message she wanted to be and eat alone. She didn't want to buy for two persons, indicating she expected him to come over. What was she to do?
Unknown to her Harm was struggling with the same questions. What to buy, how much to buy? He loved to spend time with Mac but he didn't want her to feel pressured.
"What about a cup of tea first?" he asked pointing upstairs where there was a cafeteria. Maybe they could discuss it.
Mac readily agreed. She would fancy something to drink, too. Both nursing a cup of tea, Harm decided to grasp the nettle. "Mac, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes," Mac nodded, a bit surprised and apprehensive.
"I love to spend time with you while you're in London. As much as possible. But I don't want to hog your time or make you feel like you have to be with me. I was thinking about what to buy. Cooking for two or not?" He shrugged bit helpless. "What do you think?"
Mac was grateful he brought up the subject. "I was thinking about that, too. I love to spend time with you, Harm. I missed you." She didn't add 'very much'; she didn't want to push him. "I would love to eat together. You don't have to take me out each time. We can take turns in cooking."
Harm took her hand in his. "Humour me and let me pamper you a bit, this weekend. I missed you, too. I prefer to eat together, too, but there will be days I have obligations and can't be home. Same will go for you, I'm sure." He tilted his head. "So, dinner together unless otherwise occupied? We can work out logistics later."
Mac let out a breath. "Sounds like a plan." Her eyes shone at the mere thought.
"As I said, I have obligations sometimes. Tomorrow I have to attend a dinner meeting at the German embassy. And sometimes I play ball with a couple of guys,' he said almost apologetically.
Mac laughed. "Harm, you don't have to apologize for having a life!"
Tea finished they headed for the groceries again. Mac suddenly stopped walking.
"What are those?" she asked pointing at some racks with children's clothing. "It looks like little uniforms."
"It is," Harm confirmed. "Children wear school uniforms here. Even the pre-schoolers often wear all the same jogging suits. You will see. There is a day-care just one block from where we live."
"I clearly have a lot to learn about England," Mac mused.
It was almost ten o'clock when they were back in their street after a tasty Indian meal. Harm loved Indian food, not in the last place because they had a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Since the restaurant he frequented was only a few blocks away they had decided to walk home. The evening air was fresh and cool.
"What is this for a garden?" Mac asked curiously, tilting her head towards the park in the middle of the square.
"This is a communal park for the residents of Stevenson Square," Harm explained. "We have a key for it as well." He dug in his pocket and opened the gate. They walked the pathways. It was quiet and peaceful and the sweet fragrance of roses and honeysuckle hung in the air. In the middle was a small pond with a statue of a dancer in the centre.
Harm took Mac's hand. "There is something I noticed when I got your personnel file Friday afternoon," he said.
Mac looked surprised. "Surely there is nothing in it you didn't know already."
Harm stopped walking and lightly placed his hands on her hips, turning her towards him.
"No, there wasn't. But I noticed that even though you're on a TAD, you're still under the command of Chegwidden."
"Yes," Mac answered a bit flabbergasted. She didn't see where he was heading and to be honest, she was too distracted by his hands around her waist to think about it.
"So there is no fraternity rule kicking in when I do this," Harm said, pulling her in and leaning in to kiss her. Softly his lips landed on hers.
When he pulled back Mac wasn't ready to let him go, yet. She placed her hands on either side of his face, keeping his head in place and now it were her lips firmly on his.
Eight weeks later
13.30 (Greenwich Time)
Harm's office, London
"Joan, can you connect me with JAG Washington? "
Moments later Harriet's voice sounded through the line. "Judge Advocate General Office, Lieutenant Simms, what can I do for you?"
"Morning Harriet, can you get me through to the Admiral?"
"Sir! Yes, Sir. One moment. Are you alright, Sir? And the Major?"
"I'm fine. Mac is on her way back to the States. She can fill you in this weekend," Harm laughed, knowing Mac would be in for a serious grilling. Especially when Harriet saw …
"One moment, Sir."
A second later the gruff voice of Admiral Chegwidden sounded. "Good morning, or better, good afternoon, Commander. What's the matter? Something wrong?"
"No Sir. I'm fine, there are no problems at the office and the Major is en route to Washington again. But there is one personal thing I thought I should fill you in on right away."
"And that is?"
"Yesterday I proposed to the Major and she said yes."
The end
* Sadly closed in 2009 due to the business pressures on independents
** Harrods is now owned by Qatar holding, the investments fund of the royal family of Qatar.