Title: 'To our Friends - Sarah and Harm'
Author: Daenar
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius Productions, CBS and Paramount
Pictures. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating: G
Author's note: 'All good things come in threes...' - Asked for yet another
sequel, I couldn't resist. *g* Although this time, it's starting out a
little more humorous. Once again: no beta, sorry for any mistakes. Please,
read 'To Sarah - Harm' and 'To Harm - Sarah' before reading this.
*********************************
New Year's Eve 2339 EST Harm's apartment North of Union Station Washington, D.C.
Harriet wiped her hands dry and quickly checked her make-up in the mirror. As she was about to turn and leave the bathroom area of Harm's loft, she froze and stared. Something had caught her eye in a hidden corner between the small cupboard and the glass brick wall, something that the apartment's owner had obviously forgotten to take away before the arrival of his guests. Should she spare Harm the embarrassment that someone else, say, the admiral spotted it? Yes. Smirking, Harriet reached out to unhook the brown, sportive bra that hung half-hidden under a towel.
Whose could it be? She wondered. As far as she knew, the commander hadn't had any intimate relationships after Renée had left him. Well... exactly. As far as she knew. Harriet felt herself blush. Who was she to claim that she knew whom Harm spent his nights with? Sighing, Harriet shook her head. If it had been her task to chose for him, she'd known for a long time who'd have been her choice. But apparently, those two would never get there. Take tonight. Mac had been in the kitchen when Bud and she arrived, wearing Harm's apron and preparing some antipasti. But all Harriet had been able to observe was their usual easy comradeship. Nothing further. Well, if this was what they wanted, Harriet would have to content herself with it.
Harriet folded the bra to put it into her purse and silently return it later when there wouldn't be any danger that Harm's secret could be discovered. Just as she was about to zip the purse closed, she stopped short again and sucked in her breath, taking the corpus delicti out to have a closer look: inside one cup, just above the elastic, Harriet clearly read 'Mackenzie'. Maybe Mac had just had a shower in his bathroom once, after they'd been jogging. But there were no traces of sweat on it. Instead, it actually held a faint scent of Mac's favorite perfume.
Intrigued and burning with curiosity, Harriet slowly turned and let her eyes sweep over the bathroom in search for any more hints... there! Upon closer inspection, Harriet could clearly distinguish traces of a well-known burgundy lipstick on Harm's toothbrush glass. There was a long brown hair in the shower and surely, the apple-scented shampoo behind Harm's 'Fahrenheit' shower gel wasn't exactly his choice, either. But Harriet's last doubts were effectively silenced as she let her curiosity win over her scruples, opened the cupboard and found... a little etui with Mac's pill. She knew it was hers because she herself had recommended this product to the colonel once, and it wasn't one of those that were frequently prescribed.
God, what news!
Trying desperately to stay calm and wipe her triumphant grin off her face, Harriet left the bathroom and quietly moved a little closer to the dining table, desperately hoping to meet Bobbi's glance. She had to pass this on or she felt she would burst!
Luckily, the congresswoman happened to look up and managed to keep her expression guarded as she saw the lieutenant frantically gesticulate. Mumbling an indefinite excuse, she rose with a smile and quickly joined Harriet in the bathroom.
"What's up, Harriet?"
"Look at this!" Harriet hissed excitedly, showing her trophies to an aghast Bobbi.
"No!!!"
"Shhhhhh!!!!"
"Sorry..."
"Isn't this incredible?" Harriet beamed at Sturgis' girlfriend.
"I'm speechless," Bobbi replied, by now grinning widely herself.
"What do you think? For how long did they..."
"What?"
Harriet and Bobbi jumped and turned around to find Meredith standing in the doorway. Harriet conspiratorially put her finger to her lips and motioned for the professor to move closer and have a look.
Meredith's expression did not waver. Her smile only deepened. "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..." she remarked sagely, making Harriet giggle and Bobbi suppress a snort.
"Uhm, excuse me, am I interrupting something?" A slightly embarrassed Tracy Manetti had entered the bathroom, apparently surprised to find the women gathered inside. "I didn't know you were..."
"It's okay, ma'am," Harriet replied happily, still speaking low. "Would you like to hear JAG's ultimate news?"
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had cleaned up the table and gotten out the sparkling cider to prepare for midnight. Harm cast Mac a quick questioning glance and she almost imperceptibly nodded. Then, she set down the tray she had been carrying. "I'm going to get the others."
As she rounded the corner of the glass brick wall, she encountered a rather peculiar scene: four nicely dressed women were gathered in a small circle, heads down, apparently examining something, whispering and suppressing their laughter.
"Ahem."
Four heads spun around, cheeks flushed.
"Mac..."
"Colonel..."
"Ma'am..."
With a slightly astonished smile, Mac eyed her friends whose expressions had taken up a decidedly guilty edge. "What's going on here?" Mac asked chuckling, at a loss.
"I was..."
"We were..."
"I just..."
"Well, actually..."
Harm saved them from having to explain. "Mac, you coming?" he called from the living-room.
Not really knowing what to make of her friends' odd behavior, Mac decided to let it pass. She bid the ladies to follow her, well aware of the giggles and snorts they tried to stifle behind her back and feeling the slightest bit uneasy.
As they joined the gentlemen who were standing in a loose semi-circle, talking, with their cider glasses in their hands, each lady joined her significant other, Tracy taking Tiner's side as they had been dinner companions for tonight. Mac supplied them with cider and then took her place at Harm's side, casting him a slightly nervous smile that he returned.
"Why so formal, Mac?" AJ asked with a slight frown. "We still have ten minutes left to New Year."
"Uhm, sir," Harm spoke up as everybody fell silent, "Mac and I have prepared a little toast tonight that we wanted to deliver before everyone's attention will be captured by the fireworks."
The ladies exchanged excited winks whereas AJ raised his eyebrows. "Go ahead, Commander."
Smiling a little embarrassedly, Harm cleared his throat and took the plunge. "Well, a few days ago, on Christmas actually, the colonel and I..."
Four ladies held their breaths...
"...kind of discovered our love..."
Harriet bit her lower lip, Bobbi clutched her glass, Meredith shifted her weight, Tracy studied her shoes...
"...for poetry."
Four astonished stares seemed to nail Harm to the wall. Slightly taken aback, Harm fought his growing uneasiness and decided to get it over with. Switching on his trademark smile, he glanced at Mac. "We think we're actually pretty good at it, don't we?"
Mac returned his sly grin. "Yeah, we do. Meredith can tell us once we're finished."
"In other words..." Harm ceremoniously took two sheets of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed one to Mac. "We wanted you to attend our first public reading. You will now hear 'Destined to love' by Sarah Mackenzie and Harmon Rabb, Jr."
Of the four very quiet women, Meredith was the first to regain her composure. "I'm intrigued," she said with a smile, starting to clap her hands. The others immediately followed suit.
When the applause had faded away, Harm began to read:
"A knight in armor, serving truth and justice, Together with his friend set off to fight. But fate was cruel: the knight was gravely wounded, And mourned his friend who, through his own fault, died."
Mac stepped in front and went on:
"A girl once suffered hardship, was neglected, Abandoned by her loved ones, saw them leave. She could have been a lady, strong and handsome, Alas, she lost the battle to her grief."
Harm took over again:
"The knight was shown another way to battle, To fight for what is true and fair and just. He walked the thorny road and changed his weapons: His voice became the sword he learned to trust."
Now it was again Mac's turn:
"The girl had grown a woman, still forsaken, Until, one day, she found the strength to stand. She fought her demons, pledged her life to honor And found her place with those who served the land."
Smiling at her, Harm again stepped in front. By now, at least two present in the congregation had an idea where this might be headed. Harm read on:
"Eventually, two roads so very different, Yet joined in one as fate brought them to touch. The fearless knight now learned to show his weakness, And came to love his princess very much."
Harriet's eyes went round and she subconsciously held her breath as Mac went on, smiling slightly:
"The princess longed for trust and understanding, For someone true who wouldn't leave her side. For many months she reveled in her fortune Of having found that someone in her knight."
Harm's brow furrowed slightly as he went on, painful memories resurfacing:
"One day, however, shadows started rising, And darkened was their friendship's even stream, The knight was cured, his sword restored to service. He left the princess for his father's dream."
Mac's voice was very sober as she continued:
"For her, the world had yet again deceived her, In bitter tears she mourned her broken heart. One day, the tears had dried, her pride had saved her. But when her knight returned they'd grown apart."
AJ eyed Harm warily as he suspected that the following passage had to be especially hard for him to read:
"Returned to her, the knight yet needed leisure To come to terms, to learn to understand. He feared to show his heart, to take the chances. Eventually, another had her hand."
Mac swallowed as she once again took over:
"Too proud, too stubborn and to hurt to waver, The princess stilled the voices in her mind. Just when the knight was almost lost forever Her heart was heard 'cause him she had to find."
Harm cleared his throat, glad that the hardest part was over:
"Two roads of life, that, once they were united, Were never torn apart, though many tried. And yet the courage faltered to declare it, For far too long - until the Holy Night."
Blushing and feeling her heartbeat accelerate, Mac now got to the part that she had been looking forward to all evening:
"A messenger of love on Christmas morning Came by the lady's castle, leaving word From her beloved friend, completely honest. More blissful words than those she'd never heard."
Not even trying to hide his feelings, Harm now openly took Mac's hand in his and addressed her as he concluded the epic:
"A poet's language helped him find his courage, And this was just the way that she replied. No other words were needed for confessions, Their love is firm, for life they will unite."
Just as Harm said the last words, the clock on the nearby church tower struck midnight and everywhere the fireworks went up. Harm very tenderly cupped Mac's face to kiss her as the whole party erupted in cheers, clapping their hands, embarrassedly wiping away their tears.
When everyone else had wished them joy, AJ stepped up to Harm and Mac and engulfed them both in a strong bear hug, his eyes misty. "I just wanted to say that you need not worry about JAG, we'll come up with something. I could never afford to lose two lawyers who can con a jury into any finding just by using the right rhythm and rhymes on their closing arguments, now, could I?"
THE END
*********************************
New Year's Eve 2339 EST Harm's apartment North of Union Station Washington, D.C.
Harriet wiped her hands dry and quickly checked her make-up in the mirror. As she was about to turn and leave the bathroom area of Harm's loft, she froze and stared. Something had caught her eye in a hidden corner between the small cupboard and the glass brick wall, something that the apartment's owner had obviously forgotten to take away before the arrival of his guests. Should she spare Harm the embarrassment that someone else, say, the admiral spotted it? Yes. Smirking, Harriet reached out to unhook the brown, sportive bra that hung half-hidden under a towel.
Whose could it be? She wondered. As far as she knew, the commander hadn't had any intimate relationships after Renée had left him. Well... exactly. As far as she knew. Harriet felt herself blush. Who was she to claim that she knew whom Harm spent his nights with? Sighing, Harriet shook her head. If it had been her task to chose for him, she'd known for a long time who'd have been her choice. But apparently, those two would never get there. Take tonight. Mac had been in the kitchen when Bud and she arrived, wearing Harm's apron and preparing some antipasti. But all Harriet had been able to observe was their usual easy comradeship. Nothing further. Well, if this was what they wanted, Harriet would have to content herself with it.
Harriet folded the bra to put it into her purse and silently return it later when there wouldn't be any danger that Harm's secret could be discovered. Just as she was about to zip the purse closed, she stopped short again and sucked in her breath, taking the corpus delicti out to have a closer look: inside one cup, just above the elastic, Harriet clearly read 'Mackenzie'. Maybe Mac had just had a shower in his bathroom once, after they'd been jogging. But there were no traces of sweat on it. Instead, it actually held a faint scent of Mac's favorite perfume.
Intrigued and burning with curiosity, Harriet slowly turned and let her eyes sweep over the bathroom in search for any more hints... there! Upon closer inspection, Harriet could clearly distinguish traces of a well-known burgundy lipstick on Harm's toothbrush glass. There was a long brown hair in the shower and surely, the apple-scented shampoo behind Harm's 'Fahrenheit' shower gel wasn't exactly his choice, either. But Harriet's last doubts were effectively silenced as she let her curiosity win over her scruples, opened the cupboard and found... a little etui with Mac's pill. She knew it was hers because she herself had recommended this product to the colonel once, and it wasn't one of those that were frequently prescribed.
God, what news!
Trying desperately to stay calm and wipe her triumphant grin off her face, Harriet left the bathroom and quietly moved a little closer to the dining table, desperately hoping to meet Bobbi's glance. She had to pass this on or she felt she would burst!
Luckily, the congresswoman happened to look up and managed to keep her expression guarded as she saw the lieutenant frantically gesticulate. Mumbling an indefinite excuse, she rose with a smile and quickly joined Harriet in the bathroom.
"What's up, Harriet?"
"Look at this!" Harriet hissed excitedly, showing her trophies to an aghast Bobbi.
"No!!!"
"Shhhhhh!!!!"
"Sorry..."
"Isn't this incredible?" Harriet beamed at Sturgis' girlfriend.
"I'm speechless," Bobbi replied, by now grinning widely herself.
"What do you think? For how long did they..."
"What?"
Harriet and Bobbi jumped and turned around to find Meredith standing in the doorway. Harriet conspiratorially put her finger to her lips and motioned for the professor to move closer and have a look.
Meredith's expression did not waver. Her smile only deepened. "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..." she remarked sagely, making Harriet giggle and Bobbi suppress a snort.
"Uhm, excuse me, am I interrupting something?" A slightly embarrassed Tracy Manetti had entered the bathroom, apparently surprised to find the women gathered inside. "I didn't know you were..."
"It's okay, ma'am," Harriet replied happily, still speaking low. "Would you like to hear JAG's ultimate news?"
Meanwhile, the rest of the party had cleaned up the table and gotten out the sparkling cider to prepare for midnight. Harm cast Mac a quick questioning glance and she almost imperceptibly nodded. Then, she set down the tray she had been carrying. "I'm going to get the others."
As she rounded the corner of the glass brick wall, she encountered a rather peculiar scene: four nicely dressed women were gathered in a small circle, heads down, apparently examining something, whispering and suppressing their laughter.
"Ahem."
Four heads spun around, cheeks flushed.
"Mac..."
"Colonel..."
"Ma'am..."
With a slightly astonished smile, Mac eyed her friends whose expressions had taken up a decidedly guilty edge. "What's going on here?" Mac asked chuckling, at a loss.
"I was..."
"We were..."
"I just..."
"Well, actually..."
Harm saved them from having to explain. "Mac, you coming?" he called from the living-room.
Not really knowing what to make of her friends' odd behavior, Mac decided to let it pass. She bid the ladies to follow her, well aware of the giggles and snorts they tried to stifle behind her back and feeling the slightest bit uneasy.
As they joined the gentlemen who were standing in a loose semi-circle, talking, with their cider glasses in their hands, each lady joined her significant other, Tracy taking Tiner's side as they had been dinner companions for tonight. Mac supplied them with cider and then took her place at Harm's side, casting him a slightly nervous smile that he returned.
"Why so formal, Mac?" AJ asked with a slight frown. "We still have ten minutes left to New Year."
"Uhm, sir," Harm spoke up as everybody fell silent, "Mac and I have prepared a little toast tonight that we wanted to deliver before everyone's attention will be captured by the fireworks."
The ladies exchanged excited winks whereas AJ raised his eyebrows. "Go ahead, Commander."
Smiling a little embarrassedly, Harm cleared his throat and took the plunge. "Well, a few days ago, on Christmas actually, the colonel and I..."
Four ladies held their breaths...
"...kind of discovered our love..."
Harriet bit her lower lip, Bobbi clutched her glass, Meredith shifted her weight, Tracy studied her shoes...
"...for poetry."
Four astonished stares seemed to nail Harm to the wall. Slightly taken aback, Harm fought his growing uneasiness and decided to get it over with. Switching on his trademark smile, he glanced at Mac. "We think we're actually pretty good at it, don't we?"
Mac returned his sly grin. "Yeah, we do. Meredith can tell us once we're finished."
"In other words..." Harm ceremoniously took two sheets of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed one to Mac. "We wanted you to attend our first public reading. You will now hear 'Destined to love' by Sarah Mackenzie and Harmon Rabb, Jr."
Of the four very quiet women, Meredith was the first to regain her composure. "I'm intrigued," she said with a smile, starting to clap her hands. The others immediately followed suit.
When the applause had faded away, Harm began to read:
"A knight in armor, serving truth and justice, Together with his friend set off to fight. But fate was cruel: the knight was gravely wounded, And mourned his friend who, through his own fault, died."
Mac stepped in front and went on:
"A girl once suffered hardship, was neglected, Abandoned by her loved ones, saw them leave. She could have been a lady, strong and handsome, Alas, she lost the battle to her grief."
Harm took over again:
"The knight was shown another way to battle, To fight for what is true and fair and just. He walked the thorny road and changed his weapons: His voice became the sword he learned to trust."
Now it was again Mac's turn:
"The girl had grown a woman, still forsaken, Until, one day, she found the strength to stand. She fought her demons, pledged her life to honor And found her place with those who served the land."
Smiling at her, Harm again stepped in front. By now, at least two present in the congregation had an idea where this might be headed. Harm read on:
"Eventually, two roads so very different, Yet joined in one as fate brought them to touch. The fearless knight now learned to show his weakness, And came to love his princess very much."
Harriet's eyes went round and she subconsciously held her breath as Mac went on, smiling slightly:
"The princess longed for trust and understanding, For someone true who wouldn't leave her side. For many months she reveled in her fortune Of having found that someone in her knight."
Harm's brow furrowed slightly as he went on, painful memories resurfacing:
"One day, however, shadows started rising, And darkened was their friendship's even stream, The knight was cured, his sword restored to service. He left the princess for his father's dream."
Mac's voice was very sober as she continued:
"For her, the world had yet again deceived her, In bitter tears she mourned her broken heart. One day, the tears had dried, her pride had saved her. But when her knight returned they'd grown apart."
AJ eyed Harm warily as he suspected that the following passage had to be especially hard for him to read:
"Returned to her, the knight yet needed leisure To come to terms, to learn to understand. He feared to show his heart, to take the chances. Eventually, another had her hand."
Mac swallowed as she once again took over:
"Too proud, too stubborn and to hurt to waver, The princess stilled the voices in her mind. Just when the knight was almost lost forever Her heart was heard 'cause him she had to find."
Harm cleared his throat, glad that the hardest part was over:
"Two roads of life, that, once they were united, Were never torn apart, though many tried. And yet the courage faltered to declare it, For far too long - until the Holy Night."
Blushing and feeling her heartbeat accelerate, Mac now got to the part that she had been looking forward to all evening:
"A messenger of love on Christmas morning Came by the lady's castle, leaving word From her beloved friend, completely honest. More blissful words than those she'd never heard."
Not even trying to hide his feelings, Harm now openly took Mac's hand in his and addressed her as he concluded the epic:
"A poet's language helped him find his courage, And this was just the way that she replied. No other words were needed for confessions, Their love is firm, for life they will unite."
Just as Harm said the last words, the clock on the nearby church tower struck midnight and everywhere the fireworks went up. Harm very tenderly cupped Mac's face to kiss her as the whole party erupted in cheers, clapping their hands, embarrassedly wiping away their tears.
When everyone else had wished them joy, AJ stepped up to Harm and Mac and engulfed them both in a strong bear hug, his eyes misty. "I just wanted to say that you need not worry about JAG, we'll come up with something. I could never afford to lose two lawyers who can con a jury into any finding just by using the right rhythm and rhymes on their closing arguments, now, could I?"
THE END