Title: Do You Believe in Surprise Endings
Author: rooster dawn
Pairing: Harm and anyone who was around at the time
Alternative Universe : Harm and Mac don't work together. They meet at pivotal times in Harm's life.
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright
infringement intended.
Summary: Harm is a Naval Aviator. With it comes a cocky attitude and the makings of an international playboy. Will his actions catch up to him?
Author's note: Harm and Mac look back on their lives that have gone in opposite directions. They meet again and come to a surprising conclusion.
Author's note 2: Many of the chapters are a reflection of what happened in the character's lives over the last ten years.
Good feedback is good for one's soul and everyone's happiness.
Part six Sarah invites Meg and Caitlin to come on over
1100 hours
31 May 2006
Mac's home
San Diego, California
It was Memorial Day. A holiday for everyone to remember family and friends who were no longer with them. Sarah thought it might be nice to have some friends over for the day. She invited Caitlin, Meg, and Harm.
She especially wanted Harm to come. He was the father of her two children, children who had waited a long time to finally meet their father. Sarah was hoping that Harm would want to be a part of her children lives once he got to meet them.
Henry was such a fine young man. He looked so much like Harm. He wanted a father so much as did her little girl Beth. All their friends had fathers who spent time teaching them the skills of life and having fun.
She wondered how Harm would react when he saw Henry. Would he be able to see that Henry was his son? Would he be willing to spend time with him and teach him how to fly? It was Henry's number one passion.
Meg was the first guest to arrive. She arrived with her young daughter, Heather. She was six years old and growing like a weed. She was already over four feet tall. She had blond hair and blue eyes. She looked like her mother.
She was a year older than Beth. She was a good friend of Beth since their mothers had been stationed together in Hawaii. Sarah sent Beth and Heather outside to play in the yard while she showed Meg around the house.
It was a three bedroom house with an eat in kitchen and large family room. Sarah had one small room down stairs as her home office. The previous owner had used it as a sewing room.
"So what do think Meg, are you happy to be back on the mainland?" smiled Sarah.
"Yeah, it's nice to be back. Heather is getting old enough to be with more children who are like her. Life was too leisurely in Hawaii. She needs more structure in her life. And besides she wants to have a pony.
I told her we would get her one when we moved back to the states. She was so happy with the idea of getting her own pony." smiled Meg.
"Do you ride?" asked Sarah.
"It's been a long time, but yeah, born and bred, I grew up on a ranch. I even raced a little until I got too tall. I used to do some rodeo riding like barrel racing and calf roping." grinned Meg as she remembered back to a simpler time in her life.
"I'm glad you decided to come with me. Beth has always loved having Heather as a friend. It should help them both acclimate to their new environment." offered Sarah.
"The chance to be your chief of staff is a welcome challenge. Thank you for having so much confidence in me." replied Meg with a smile.
"You've earned that opportunity Meg. You have so many skills that are essential for being successful in the Navy today. You are an asset to any command. This position can only help you get another stripe that you so richly deserve." assured Sarah.
"Who else is coming over today?" asked Meg.
"Caitlin Pike." replied Sarah.
"You know Kate? Kate is one of my best friends. We went to Law school together. I haven't seen her in a quite a few years. How is she?" asked Meg in surprise.
"I worked with her in Los Angeles for a few years before I was stationed in Hawaii." replied Sarah.
"Did you know she has a kid? I think he's a boy, but I don't remember how old he is or what his name is." informed Meg.
"Well at least he will give Henry someone to play with. He hates being around with or playing with girls. He says they are weird." laughed Sarah.
It wasn't long before Caitlin arrived dragging a young man who looked older than his young age. He was already well over five feet tall and a hundred pounds. He was solidly built.
He didn't look too happy to be there either. He had been living in a small town outside Los Angeles for the last seven years. All his friends were there. Now he was being told he would be moving away from all his friends. It made him a very moody child.
Sarah and Meg shared hugs with Caitlin as they greeted her. It had been a long time and they were happy to see each other. Mike scowled in the background as he wondered why he was here. All he saw were women, three adults and two little one.
Sarah sent Beth up to get her brother while the introductions were being made.
"Kate, this is my daughter Heather. She's six." smiled Meg as she introduced them.
"She so beautiful Meg. You must be so proud of her. This moody young man is my son Michael. He likes to be called Mike. He's ten." Caitlin replied proudly.
"He kind of looks like someone I know." mused Meg as she heard Beth and Henry come stomping out the door onto the porch.
"Kate, this is my son Henry and my daughter Elizabeth. They are nine and five. Elizabeth likes to be call Beth. Henry doesn't like any nicknames, especially Hank." smiled Sarah as she gave the introductions of her two kids.
"Henry, Beth, this is my son Mike." smiled Caitlin.
Meg was a little surprised to see that Henry and Mike looked so much alike. They looked as if they could be brothers, but that would mean that a certain naval aviator turn lawyer had to be their father. And as far as she knew Sarah had never met Harm, nor had Harm slept with Kate.
She wondered how it was possible for two kids who had never met, to look like brothers. She was going to have to have a conversation with both of her friends. It was a mystery and she loved trying to solve a mystery.
Henry wasted no time in leading Mike away from the women, away from all those who would like to tell cute little embarrassing stories about them when they were babies. They went up to his room.
Meg, Sarah, and Caitlin spent the next hour getting caught up. Meg told Caitlin that she had been working with Sarah for the last few years in Hawaii. It had been a great assignment.
Caitlin told them about working in Japan before working as a NCIS agent for a few years. She spent several years in Europe fending off all the undesirable sailors before ending up in Los Angeles.
"I didn't know you had a son Kate?" observed Meg.
He's been with my mother most of his life, especially after I joined NCIS. I didn't think it was too wise taking him over seas with me. Security isn't quite up to snuff in Europe as it is here in the states.
Add the fact that terrorism is rampant in Europe, I didn't think it was a safe place for a young boy to grow up. Besides he's into baseball, basketball, and football. They aren't standard fare in Europe.
I've been fortunate to have been stationed in Los Angeles the last couple of years so I could spend more time with him. It's been great to see him grow and mature so fast." replied Caitlin.
"I wonder what the boys have been up to. They have been pretty quiet." observed Sarah.
"Do you think we should see what they're doing?" asked Caitlin.
"Sounds like a good idea. Meg can round up the girls. After we get them all together I'll start up the grill and we can cook some dead cow and doggies." smiled Sarah.
Meanwhile upstairs in Henry's room Henry and Mike had been talking about life in San Diego and sports. For some reason Henry loved the Red Sox and the Patriots even though he had never been to Massachusetts.
He had caught Red Sox fever during their World Series run a couple of years ago. He was a proud member of Red Sox Nation. Red Sox Nation had members all over the world.
His real passion though was football and watching the greatest team in the history of football, The New England Patriots. Somehow living in a military family he believed in Patriotism, therefore the Patriots.
Mike on the other hand loved the Dodgers and Rams, a former LA team now residing in Saint Louis. He was disappointed that the Rams deserted LA. It made him feel the lost of not knowing his father even more.
Mike was walking around the room checking things out. Henry had model planes hanging from the ceiling and on his bureau, and on his desk. They looked like different navy fighter jets to him.
As he continued to walk around the room he came across a picture on the nightstand by Henry's bed. The picture was of a man he knew, but then again didn't know. It was different than the one he had. In this one the man looked a few years older.
He was in a military uniform, dress whites he thought. In his picture the man was wearing a floral style looking Hawaiian shirt. He appeared to be very happy standing there with his arm around his mother.
"Who is this Henry?" asked Mike. It was time to gather some Intel as his mother like to put it.
Henry walked over and looked at the picture Mike was looking at.
"That's my father." he replied a little sadly.
"What's his name?" asked Mike. He needed to know if it was the same name as his father's.
"Harmon Rabb, I don't really know him except for what my mother has told me about him. She said he's been a lawyer and a fighter pilot." explained Henry.
"I think he might be my father too. I have a picture of him in my room at home. He looks like your father. He was a pilot too before he became a lawyer. My mother said his name is Harmon." replied Mike for edification.
"Really Mike! That's great! That might explain why we look so much alike. We could be brothers!" exclaimed Henry excitedly. He had always wanted a brother. As much as he loved his little sister, she was a pain.
"We would be half brothers Henry, what about Beth? Who is her father?" corrected Mike before asking an important question.
"Mom says she has the same father as I do. I have no reason to doubt her other than I've never seen my mother with my father. Besides, Beth looks like Mom except she has blue eyes like I do." replied Henry.
"I think we ought to get her up here Henry. She has the right to know." ordered Mike.
Henry looked out the window and saw Beth over by the swings playing with Heather. They were playing with the puppy that his mom had gotten them last week. He yelled down to her to come up to his room. Beth and Heather quickly made their way up to his room.
"What is it Henry? You don't usually like me in your room." asked Beth quizzically.
"Do you think Mike and I look alike?" he asked her.
Beth stood there looking at him and then Mike. She rubbed her cute little button nose as she thought about it. She turned to Heather and whispered to her. They exchanged whispers a few times before Beth replied.
"Maybe, why do you ask Henry?" asked Beth, her curiosity had been heighten.
"You know the picture of Dad." began Henry not expecting an answer. Beth nodded her head.
"Can I see your Dad?" asked Heather. She didn't want to feel left out. She wanted to know everything that Henry, Mike, and Beth did.
Henry handed the picture to her before continuing.
"Mike says his father looks just like our dad. He even has the same name. Mike could be our half brother." explained Henry.
"Really! That's great!" exclaimed Beth as she ran over to Mike and gave him a big hug. Mike was quite surprise by her reaction.
"This is your father?" asked Heather.
"Yes." beamed Beth.
"He looks like my father too. Is his name Harmon Rabb Jr.?" she asked.
"Yes it is, why?" asked Henry.
"He's my father too." replied Heather a bit confused. She didn't understand how Henry and Beth could have the same father as she did never mind that Mike had the same father too.
She didn't know whether to be happy or cry. She wanted to ask Henry what it all meant.
Mike could see the confusion on her face. He understood why she was confused because he was quite confused too. He was wondering if he really did want to know his father. What kind of father had children with three different women?
"I can see that you're confuse Heather." began Mike as Heather nodded her head in agreement. "I'm confused too. I think this means we're all related, half brothers and half sisters."
Heather's face began to lighten up. She always wanted a brother or sister. Now she had two brothers and a sister.
Meg looked around the back yard, but she didn't see the girls anywhere. She figured they must have gone into the house and were probably up in Beth's room. She caught up to Sarah and Caitlin as they were getting ready to walk into Henry's room.
"I didn't see the girls anywhere outside, they must be up here." Meg informed Caitlin and Sarah.
"They're all up here in Henry's room, I can hear them talking. They must be up to something, they look like they might be plotting something." smiled Sarah.
"What are they doing?" asked Meg.
"I don't know, but I think we better find out." smiled Sarah.
They walked into the room. The kids were all on the other side of the room looking at something. Sarah walked over to see what it was.
"What do you have there Henry?" asked Sarah.
"A picture of our father." replied Henry emphasizing the word 'our' and not 'my'.
"He's coming here today." smiled Sarah. "You'll get to meet him."
"Mom, do you think Mike and I look alike?" asked Henry.
Sarah looked puzzled. Why was he asking her this strange question? She watched as Mike stood next to Henry. She was surprised at what she saw. She looked over at Caitlin who had noticed the same thing.
"Kate, do you know what is going on?" asked Sarah looking for some clarification of her own.
Mike and Henry were looking at her too. They wanted answers, answers that only their mothers could give them. It was up to Caitlin to start since Mike was the oldest.
"Do you remember Meg the time you and Harm came out to investigate the dead missile technician?" asked Caitlin.
Meg nodded her head to demonstrate that she remembered.
"Well after the case was solved Harm and I took a vacation to Hawaii for five days. I never could resist his smile and charms. Since we were no longer working together, one thing led to another.
We had a very nice time together. Nine months later Mike was born. I haven't seen Harm since our Hawaiian vacation." finished Caitlin sadly. She always liked Harm. She wished she could have had more with him.
"He is amazing and quite charming. I remembered when I met him for the first time." sighed Sarah. "It was in the White House Rose Garden. He was in his dress whites and gold wings. I had to catch my breath when I saw him smile."
"You've met Harm? You never told me that." interrupted Meg. She was quite surprised to hear this. First Kate had slept with Harm and she learned that Harm had slept with Sarah too.
"Twice actually, the Admiral had just introduced us. I raised my hand to shake his, but he just stood there looking at me, looking deeply into my eyes as if he was searching for my soul. And then he smiled. I felt my knees grow weak.
After a meeting in the Admiral's office we went back to his apartment and made love before leaving on an investigation the next day. Nine months later Henry was born. I guess that explains why Henry and Mike look so much alike." reasoned Sarah.
"That means we're brothers, right Mom?" asked Henry looking for confirmation of what he heard and believed to be true.
"You're half brothers Henry. And as you know Harm is Beth's father too. I saw him again four years later. He was back with the fleet flying tomcats then. I was kind of surprised since he told me he had night blindness." continued Sarah.
"He had his vision corrected in ninety-nine. It seemed he didn't have night blindness after all, he actually had retinal scarring. He had laser surgery to fix his eyes." added Meg.
"How do you know this Meg?" asked Caitlin.
"I worked with him until he left Jag to return to the fleet and fly. Did you know that he was married? He married Annie Pendry in ninety-seven. She was the widow of his best friend Luke. She had a young boy name Josh. They waited almost two years after Luke died before they got married.
When Harm decided to go back to flying, Annie divorced him taking Josh with her. Harm was devastated when she left. I'm a little ashamed to say I took the opportunity to console him." confessed Meg.
It didn't take long for Sarah and Caitlin to do the math in their head. That meant Heather must be Harm's child too if what she had implied was true.
It was mind-blowing news to them. They had always felt that Harm was an honorable man. That he didn't have sexual relations indiscriminately. Unfortunately that didn't turn out to be true to them anymore.
He had four children with three different women. He had been married to another woman with a family. He had thrown it all away, family, friends, a great law career just to fly tomcats. Sarah felt that she had made the right decision years ago about not telling Harm about Henry.
Meanwhile the kids were sitting there quietly listening to what their moms were saying. They were a little confused about some of the things like what kind of man was their father? He didn't sound very nice.
They wondered if their father was capable of loving them. Maybe that was why none of them had ever seen their father, he was more concerned about his career than having a family, than loving them.
"Do you know anything more about Harm?" asked Caitlin to Sarah and Meg.
"The only thing I know is, Harm is back at Jag and that he will be helping us set up the new command here." replied Sarah.
"I heard that he suffered another life threatening crash a few years ago. It took him a long time to rehab physically and mentally. In fact he married a Lieutenant Commander Jordan Parker, his psychotherapist." answered Meg.
"Well I guess that makes us all one large dysfunctional family." laughed Caitlin as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Well what do you think Harm is going to say when he finds out that he has four kids?" added Meg.
"I don't know, but I think it's time we all go downstairs and get ready to eat lunch." ordered Sarah. She was disappointed. She had hoped for something more from Harm, but if he was married ... well ...