disclaimer: JAG and all its characters still belong to DPB. I am just borrowing them for this little fanfic and to play with them. I will give them back in one piece, ok, maybe I keep Harm.
thanx: thanks to my wonderful betareader Sabrina.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Bud and Harriet's Apartment
Rosslyn/Virginia
1900 ZULU
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way" Harriet sang while she decorated the tree with christmas ornaments.
Christmas was her favourite time of the year - the house was decorated with ornaments, lights and mistletoes. She loved christmas everything was so calm and peaceful.
When she was a child her mother had celebrated a real fancy christmas but Harriet was more the type for the traditional christmas with bells, bows and mistletoes.
This year every tradition was going to be shared, every heart would warm with the adoration and awe of Christmas seen through their son's eyes.
Harriet had always hoped and prayed that after Baby Sarahs death God would grant them another child but he had denied them this wish but maybe next year it would come true. Harriet would never stop hoping for another child.
Russ' Coffeeshop
Washington D.C.
Same time
In Washington a lone figure sat at a table sipping a cup of espresso macchiatto.
The holiday season wasn't her favourite time of year. It brought back bad memories.
Memories of a childhood she would rather forget.
Like every other she would spend this year's christmas all on her own in her dark apartment. Sure she had a friend but she wouldn't make the commitment. She had been hurt a lot in the past and she wasn't ready for a new relationship.
She envied Harriet Sims-Roberts for her childhood or even Harmon Rabb.
She had a real family - father, mother, grandparents, brother and sister - but she never made her parents proud. She had been the little-one in the family, she still was.
Her mother had never accepted that she grew older and made her own decisions.
Now she could be thankful when she would receive a christmascard from her parents on christmas. She hadn't talked to them since she joined the NAVY.
She placed a bill on the table and got up, it was time for work.
Loren Singer brushed a strand of hair out of her face and started towards the door.
The next day
The Mall
Washington D.C.
1500 ZULU
Harm and his brother Sergei were in the Mall. Sergei had insisted on buying christmas presents.
Sergei didn't really know the meaning of christmas which was why Harm wanted his little brother to have a real christmas together with his family and friends.
After his father's shotdown on christmas in Vietnam Harm hadn't had any fun on celebrating christmas but for his brother, his father's son, he would make an exception.
"I never had a real christmas, in Russia we don't celebrate Christmas" Sergei told him.
"But this year you will get one, a real christmas, presents, a tree. We will go to church" Harm told his brother.
"Will there be kissing under the mistletoe too?" Sergei asked.
Harm chuckled. He knew that Harriet had told him about this tradition and Sergei was eager to try out, kissing under the mistletoe.
"Maybe" Harm answered.
Harriet had taught Sergei christmas carols. When Sergei sang JINGLE BELLS for the first time Harm had had a hard time not to laugh.
The next day
JAG-HQ
Mac's office
0000 ZULU
It was getting late as Harm walked in Mac's office.
She was gazing out her window, he was left with facing her back. Her arms were wrapped around her.
Harm walked towards her and standing behind her, just an inch away, he asked.
"Are you cold?"
"Harm" Mac nearly jumped at hearing his voice.
"Sorry" he said.
"Why are you here and not on your way home?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same."
"Just waiting for a call. Chloe said she would call as soon she is home. And you?"
"Waiting for Sergei. He became friends with Lieutenant witch, now they are anywhere, I guess she dragged him to a place he should better not be." Harm said.
"Harm, he is young" Mac started.
"Sergei is my little brother, I am responsible for him" Harm interrupted her.
"Would you let me finish. . . . Harm, Sergei is your brother, not your son. I can picture you as the typical overprotective father but please don't try it on Sergei. He has to learn that most people aren't as good as he is. Let him make his own experience. Maybe Singer isn't that bad afterall."
"Is it the holiday spirit or why are you so wise?" he asked.
"I am a Marine, Harm, we are wise, that's what we become in boot camp" Mac answered smiling.
"Funny Marine" Harm said.
"Harm, a guy and girl can be just friends but at one point or another one of them will fall for the other, maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late or maybe, just maybe...forever."
Harm was a bit worried. His brother going out on a date with Loren Singer wasn't his favourite choice of entertainment for the kid at all.
Outside JAG-HQ
parkinglot
At the same time
Sergei was smiling at Loren Singer while brushing some hair out of her face.
"Loren, I lo"
"No" she silenced him with a finger on his lips.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't say it when you don't mean it. You won't hurt me when you say: Ok baby we had a good night but bye bye. Sergei when you say that you love me and then don't mean it you hurt me much more" she told him.
Sergei was silent. What should he say?
"There is a story about it, right?" he finally asked.
Sergei had sensed that something was wrong with her. He had this feeling the moment he laid eyes on her. They had been seeing each other for weeks and all the time he had hardly seen any emotion from her.
Loren just nodded. She didn't want to talk about it, not right now.
Admiral Chegwidden's office
JAG-HQ
Falls Church/ Virginia
With a tired sigh the Admiral closed the laptop before him and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on something different than work. Removing his glasses which had been perched on the end of his nose, he glanced out of the window to the darkness below.
With a sigh he turned back around. It had been snowing, it would be difficult driving home in this weather, maybe he would have to stay at JAG all night. Enough time to finish what he had started hours ago.
He was now looking at the framed photos on his desk. Every picture told a story and all of them told his life. His mind drifted back to all the wonderful memories the photos brought back up again.
He remembered all of the Christmases he had missed when his daughter had been growing up and he would always live with regretting he hadn't been there.
This year his daughter had called and invited him for Christmas. A blessing he could have only hoped for before, now coming true.
Two days before Christmas
Admiral Chegwiddens House
McLean/Virginia
0100 ZULU
Everyone was gathered in Admiral Chegwidden's house. There was a private christmasparty, just the JAG-staff and their respective others.
"ATTENTION ON DECK!" Tiner called out.
Admiral Chegwidden was about to say some words.
"This year I want to make it short" he started.
Some of the JAG-Staff started to laugh but the laughter immediatly died down when the Admiral glared at them.
"It's christmas time, and we are here together as a family. We should be thankful for that. Not everyone is able to spend this christmas or another one with his beloved ones, with his or her family" he looked around the room, at everyone.
Harm was thinking of his fathers, the one he barely knew and the one whose life he had made terrible. Harm made a mental note to call Frank and thank him for being the father he had always wanted. Every
year it tore at his heart to have lost his father. There was no gift that Santa could bring that could ever ease the dull ache of losing his father when he had been so far away from home.
Sergei envied his brother, Harm had had the time to spend 6 years with his father, a father he never knew.
"Life in the military is never easy, we never know what the next days held for us. Every sunrise could be our last one. We should be thankful for what we have. I am thankful to spend this christmas with my daughter and I hope for many christmases to come. Now let us have a moment of silence to remember our beloved ones who can't be with us, because they are in another town, country or dead."
Together, after a moment of silence they started singing:
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY!
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH!
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY!
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH!
Christmas eve
The Wall
Washington D.C.
Midnight
The night was cold, their breaths creating little clouds of chilly air.
Harm and Sergei walked towards the Wall. It was christmas eve, and it was time to spend it with their father. He was dead but not forgotten.
Silently they stood in front of it, looking at their father's name, Lieutenant Harmon Rabb senior.
Even when Harmon Rabb senior was buried in Russia, here was the place where they felt near him. It was like his soul was at this place.
"Merry Christmas Dad" Harm whispered and saluted.
Sergei did the same.
This year christmas had been wonderful for both of them, now they were together and Sergei had even kissed beneath the mistletoe.
THE END