Title: As It Was in the Beginning
Author: rooster dawn
Pairing: Harm and Mac
Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: What if Harm and Mac met in law school after Harm's ramp strike and Mac's return from Japan? Would their lives be the same?
Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness.
Author's note: Yeah I know Mac went to Duke, but for the purposes of this story they both went to the same school, Georgetown. Why else would Harm go directly to JAG Headquarters in DC?
part three Harm and Mac meet
Thursday
5 September 1991
Georgetown University
It was the first day of classes and Sarah was very excited. It was the beginning of a new phase in her life. She had woken up early. She decided to go for a three mile run to relieve any tension and nervousness she felt the first day.
After her run she showered and tried to wear an outfit that she was comfortable with, but she didn't want to stand out too much. She wasn't quite sure what the fashions of young college students were these days.
She had been out of the country the last two years in Japan. She was also more than a few years older than most of the other students. What might be appropriate for them, might not be for her.
She went to the student cafeteria for a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, orange juice and coffee. She looked around a little surprise to see the young girls wearing shorts and bare midriff blouses.
That was a little too risque for her, particularly in a college environment. It might be okay at a resort setting, but not here, not for her. She quickly finished her breakfast and got a large cup of coffee to go. One could never have enough coffee.
Since she didn't know anyone she decided to go to the lecture hall where her class was being held. She arrived twenty minutes early. She wanted to get a good seat up front and possibly meet some of the other students before class.
While she waited for class to begin she began to scan the first chapter of her book. If there was one thing Sarah was known for, it was being prepared. She hated to be embarrassed and made a fool of in front of others.
Harm meanwhile had slept in. He had learned a long time ago when you had the chance to get some sleep time you did. It was a lesson he learned all so well from his academy days and days of living on an aircraft carrier.
When he finally got up he put on the coffee maker before taking a hot shower. After drying off he found a pair of blue jeans and the loudest Hawaiian shirt he had in his possession.
He had gotten it a few years ago when he and Jack Keeter were in Hawaii looking for women. Jack had told him the louder the better. Even though he was a tall and good looking individual, he hadn't had a lot of experience with women.
There wasn't much time or opportunity for women at the academy. The women you met were mainly study mates. Some like Diane were a little more, but you never went past friendship.
At flight school it was a man's world, no women were allowed. Even on aircraft carriers there weren't many women available. Besides which their duty hours were usually in conflict with having a good time.
He had laughed, but he soon found out Jack was right. They never had problems finding young and beautiful women whenever they went out. He didn't know if it was the shirts since they both were good looking.
Jack had once told him women love a man who was a free spirit, smiled a lot, and listen intently to whatever dribble they were spewing out. Harm found out that was usually true, but that would only get their attention for just so long.
He usually was able to get what he wanted once he began to charm them with his good looks, smile, and stories of being a naval aviator, it never failed. They were always excited about his adventures.
When Harm finally arrived at the lecture hall he paused to take a quick look around the room. He wanted to find the best looking woman in the room and begin to smooze her with his immense personality and charm.
Then his eyes fell on a woman who he thought was Diane, but was really Sarah. She was sitting near the front on the other side of the room. He was totally taken by surprise. What was she doing here? She hadn't said anything about taking law classes or becoming a lawyer.
He thought the idea was appealing. It would give him more time to spend with her. It would help him decide whether he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her or not. It also gave him the possibility of finishing his career working with her.
Sarah had been busy talking to a small group of younger women. She had been telling them about her career in the marines and the time that she spent in Japan.
"You're in the marines Sarah?" asked Sandy in disbelief.
"Yes I am, a little over two years now. Why do you find it so hard to believe?" asked Sarah smiling.
"You're so beautiful Sarah. I think most of us picture women in the marines to be much bigger like a woman shot putter." replied Sandy as the others laughed in agreement.
"And looking as beautiful as their mascot, the English bulldog." laughed Karen.
"You could have been a model or a winner of a beauty contest." added Terri totally amazed. "But I would never have guessed you were a marine."
"Well to tell you the truth, I did do some modeling when I was in college working on my undergraduate degree to help pay for my tuition. It was a great experience. You meet some interesting people." smiled Sarah.
"Wow!" they all said.
"Where were you stationed Sarah?" asked Sandy.
"I've just returned from Japan. I was the public affairs officer while I was there. I handled disputes between the military and the local population." smiled Sarah as she watched the younger women marvel at her story.
"Did you learn the language or any of their customs?" asked Terri.
"Yes, I did. It's a marvelous and very unique language. Japan is a beautiful land with all their customs and architecture." replied Sarah.
"Do you speak any other languages Sarah?" asked Karen.
"Yes I do in fact. I learned Farsi from my grandmother. I learned French and Spanish in high school. I picked up Russian and German in college." smile Sarah.
"Yum, yum!" exclaimed Terri as she saw Harm walking into the room.
"What are you babbling about Terri?" asked Sandy looking around.
"Eye candy alert at ten o'clock." replied Terri.
"Yeah! Yummy yum!" exclaimed Sandy and Karen as they turned around to see Harm walking into the room.
"What do you think Sarah?" asked Sandy smiling. She wondered what an older woman, a woman of the world thought about men. Did she appreciate gorgeous hunks as much as they did?
"Looks like he's military. Most likely he's in the Navy. Doesn't seem to have enough discipline to be a marine." replied Sarah shaking her head in amusement.
"How can you tell?" asked Karen.
"Well his haircut is definitely military, but it is too long and unkempt. Besides no marine would be caught dead wearing a shirt like that." replied Sarah.
"Hymm ..... but don't you think he's a real hunk Sarah?" asked Karen. "Couldn't you imagine being held in his arms, making love?"
"I've seen better." smiled Sarah. There were a lot of good looking men in the military. They all were in good shape and were quite charming.
"Uh huh." they all replied.
"Looks like he coming over here." exclaimed Sandy.
"I wonder who he's interested in?" wailed Terri dreamily.
Harm straighten up and put on one of his killer smiles to charm them. The girls all swooned when they saw it. Even Sarah was impress. Harm moaned to himself after seeing their reactions.
"I might as well go over and see Diane and find out what she's doing here." He walked over to them and stood in front of them.
"Hi ladies! Mind if I speak to this lovely young lady in private?" asked Harm referring to Sarah.
Karen leaned down to whisper into Sarah ear "I think he likes you Sarah, good luck."
"Lucky me." moaned Sarah.
There had to be something mentally wrong with him if he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt in Washington DC. It was her experience that when a man wore a shirt to get attention, his personality was usually found to be lacking.
All they usually wanted was a short, but passionate few weeks of love making. They weren't looking for anything more serious or long term. As they say "Wine them and dine them, love them and bed them, and then move on."
The other girls move to another part of the lecture hall to give them some privacy. There was still ten minutes before class was scheduled to begin. The girls whispered between them. They couldn't wait until after class to talk to Sarah about her hunk.
"Diane, what are you doing here?" asked Harm curiously.
"What? My name is not Diane." replied Sarah.
"Come on Diane, stop fooling around with me. Why are you here?" asked Harm as he began to get frustrated.
"I don't know who you think I am, or what game you're playing Navy, but my name is not Diane. My name is Sarah MacKenzie. I'm a Lieutenant in the Marine Corp." replied an annoyed Sarah.
"I'm sorry Sarah, but you look a lot like a good friend of mine, Diane Schonke. We went to the Academy together. She help me get through a ramp strike a few months ago." apologized Harm.
"And what is your name Sailor?" asked Sarah.
"It's Harmon Rabb Jr. How did you know I was in the Navy?" asked Harm. He was sitting next to her now as his confidence grew. She was so beautiful.
She looked so much like his Diane, but somehow she was different. Diane would let him get away with anything, but it seemed like Sarah wouldn't. She was going to make him earn everything he got from her.
He held out his hand to shake hers, but Sarah wasn't buying into that line that quickly. He was smooth. She had to give him that.
"That's quite an original line you have there Harmon." began Sarah.
"You can call me Harm." smiled Harm as he held Sarah's small hand in his.
"I'm sure that line and smile works wonders with all the weak minded soft bellied squidlets you try to charm, but it doesn't work on a Marine." replied Sarah as she tried to put him in his place.
She sighed a little as Harm played with the palm of her hand. He was good, she had to admit that. Harm then brought her hand to his lips and kissed her hand. Sarah was a little surprised and stunned.
The other girls watching from another part of the room sighed and almost swooned when they saw Harm kiss Sarah's hand.
"An officer and a gentleman." sighed Terri. They all wish they were in Sarah's place right now.
"You don't know that Terri." argued Sandy.
"Sarah said he was in the military. No rube would have that much class." argued Karen.
"I have to admit that was so beautiful." sighed Sandy.
"Well Sarah is a beautiful woman. It's only fair that she would have a hunk for a boyfriend." smiled Terri.
"Maybe he has a few friends he can introduce us to." chirped Karen.
Sarah didn't know what to do. She blushed as she looked around. Harm was quickly overwhelming her senses.
"You don't believe me, do you Sarah?" asked Harm as he pulled out his wallet.
He was amazed that Sarah was so shy about her beauty. She was so different from Diane. Diane knew she was beautiful and relished the attention it brought with it. She could light up a room whenever she entered one.
"I don't know what you mean Harmon." replied Sarah feigning ignorance.
"You don't think I have a girl friend that looks as beautiful as you?" stated Harm challenging her to disagree. He loved this little game they were playing.
"I wouldn't know what you have Harmon, though I'm sure you must have many lady friends, though I wonder what kind of ladies you could possibly attract with that shirt." replied Sarah coyly.
Harm reached into his wallet and pulled out Diane's photo and gave it to Sarah. Sarah looked at Harm and then at the photo. She wasn't sure if he was trying to pull a fast one on her. But when she saw the woman in the photo she started to wonder.
The woman did look like her, but she looked somehow different. Her hair was styled differently and color was lighter as though it had been bleached by the sun. The lipstick was all wrong, too glossy. And finally Diane looked very happy, something Sarah couldn't even imagine ever being.
"Who is she? How is this possible?" asked a confused Sarah.
"Her name is Diane Schonke. She's a lieutenant in the Navy. She went to the Naval Academy with me." replied Harm.
"So who is this Diane to you Harmon?" asked Sarah.
"She's one of my best friends. I don't think I would have been able to get through the academy without her help." replied Harm a little frustrated that she was still calling him Harmon.
"She also helped me with my recovery after I crash last winter. I was severely hurt. It was with her encouragement and help that I was able to get better. She help me make the decision to come here and become a lawyer." replied Harm.
"Do you love her Harmon?" asked Sarah. It sounded as though they were really close to her.
"Huh?" replied Harm as came out of his dreamlike state. He was completely absorbed in Sarah. She was so easy to talk to.
"Do you Harmon Rabb Jr., love Diane Schonke? You're carrying a photo of her in your wallet." asked Sarah explaining her question in a manner so Harm could understand.
"I don't really know Sarah. We graduated the Academy together five years ago. We have gotten together a couple times a year for a few weeks at a time. We really haven't been together long enough to know one way or another. Though we did spend a lot more time together last month." replied Harm.
"Why was that Harmon?" asked Sarah.
"It's a long story and we don't have time now. I'll tell you tonight over dinner." smiled Harm as he sunk the hook into the prize.
"I don't know Harmon. I don't know you." replied Sarah hesitantly.
"Please Sarah. I just moved into a nice place off campus. I'll even cook dinner for you." smiled Harm as he began reeling in the line.
"Sounds tempting. What would you be feeding me? I am a Marine. Marines like to eat meat, lots of red meat." flirted Sarah.
"A smile from the lady, a very nice one at that." thought Harm.
"I'm sure I can come up with something that you will like." smiled Harm.
"Are you sure? I like to eat like a Marine too." replied Sarah with a teasing smile.
Terri, Karen, and Sandy sat there amazed as Sarah reeled in her prize catch. They wondered how she did it. It didn't appear that she made much of an effort. A smile here, a smile there, a little conversation, and she had her man.
