Disclaimer: See part 1: Disclosure
*Note: This story is the sequel to Disclosure. A teacher once told me to mix fact and fiction, to write what I live, if she only knew.... so that's what I'm doing. It was extremely hard to type as it hits close to home, pun intended, and I almost wanted to throw the whole thing down the drain. In fact, I think it may be the hardest thing I've ever had to write. It touches upon things like abuse and other unpleasant things so please don't read it if you'll be offended, and if you go ahead and read it, just remember you were forewarned. However dark, it does have a happy ending like I promised. BugMe-lovers be warned, you will not like this story.
***2nd Note:This is one of my most personal stories and would really appreciate feedback.Thanks.
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Savior
(To the abused and weak, may you find your savior)
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[Takes place about a year after Disclosure]
Harm and Kate had been stuck on a submarine for their investigation for a little over two weeks and when he had come home, Harm had to hear about Mac deciding to marry Brumby from the office staff. It just confirmed what he already sensed in his heart. It was over a year ago, but it seemed like it was only yesterday.
It had been about eleven months since Mac and Mic Brumby had married. Things were different now, so different. Brumby now worked at a civilian law firm, the one Dalton Lowne had been a partner in. Aidan now lived with her mother and Mic and Harm and Kate were together. The Admiral noticed his best team was not getting along and it was affecting their work so he'd done the only thing he could. So Harm was partnered with Kate while Mac was partnered with new comer Lieutenant Singer to show her the ropes. The friendship between Mac and Harm had greatly diminished. It had been a gradual thing, as Mac distanced herself further and further from Harm everyday the longer she and Brumby stayed married. He expressed his concern for her, as well as Bud Harriet and others, and she just shrugged it off, stating she was just so busy and overwhelmed.
********
Mac and Mic's Residence
Washington, D.C.
20:04 Romeo
Harm approached the door and paused before knocking. He didn't care whether that Australian parasite was there or not, he needed to talk to her. She opened the door.
"I want my best friend back." he told her softly, lightly touching her shoulder. He watched her as she winced in pain. "Mac, what's wrong?"
"Harm, I'm fine." she said. "Don't worry, I just hit my shoulder coming out of the shower. I got a little dizzy."
"You should go to the doctor."
"I will." she said. Her internal clock kicked in. "Harm, I really can't talk now. Mic will be home any minute."
"He'll just have to deal with me then."
"Please, Harm. Not now. Ok? Please go."
"Mac, your acting so oddly."
"Uh...It's just that I have a surprise planned for him." She forced a smile.
"Oh..."Harm said, not needing to hear this nor wanting to. "Alright, have a nice evening."
"Yeah, you too." she murmured as she shut the door. That had been a close call.
********
20:15 Romeo
Mic entered the apartment, looking for her. He found her in the bedroom. "Harm noticed something was wrong, Mic. You better stop...."she said, as soon as he walked into the room.
He laughed. "You think Harm, your knight in shining armor is going to save you?"
He wasn't always a violent man. She'd discovered he had a cocaine habit and it only got worse. Mic was no longer the man she thought she fell in love with, but some monster. She was helpless. She could fight back but then he went after Aidan, toying with her head. He never touched the little girl, well he hadn't yet. He'd said he'd kill Aidan and make Mac watch. Mac believed him. If she left him, he'd kill them both. She believed him. He was a monster capable of anything. The bruises and pain were worth it if it kept her daughter safe.
"Come here," he said, placing his dirty, calloused deadly hands on her. Adrenaline and fear coursed through her veins. What was he going to do to punish her for Harm coming by.
"It wasn't my fault, Mic. He just showed up. I sent him away. Please..."she stammered
"You expect me to believe that, Sarah?"
"It's the truth."
He tried to kiss her, she backed away. He became angry. " I wouldn't do that if I were you, luv." His voice then became soft. "I need you, Sarah." He pushed her onto the bed. She knew what he was going to do. Tears filled her eyes. "Please, please no Mic." she pleaded.
"Its either you or your daughter." he said, taking his hold on her once again. What he didn't know was that she was sending Aidan back to her grandmother. She was now well enough to care for the girl after her surgery. Mac had no choice but the take her daughter in, not that she minded, but she didn't want her there because of Mic.
********
"Now, that wasn't so bad, making love to your own husband now was it Sarah? Oh, don't cry, luv." he said, wiping her tears away with his coarse hands. She bit her tongue to stop her self from saying something. He rolled her and patted her belly. "Maybe we'll have a little Mic Jr., Sarah. I want a son, Sarah."
She forced herself to speak. "Yes, Mic." She got out of bed, covering herself with her red silk robe.
"Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom." She forced a smile. "I'll be right back."
********
She shut the door and wished there was a lock. He had rid of that long ago. She took the bottle of prenatal vitamins out of the cabinet and dumped them quietly onto a towel. At the bottom, she had hidden several morning after pills. She didn't want to have a child with Mic. She didn't want to subject an innocent baby to abuse. No child deserved that, no one did.
She heard the door slam. She sighed a sigh of relief. Mic had left. She filled a glass with water and swallowed the pill. She then replaced the vitamins into their plastic container and put them away.
She turned on the shower, making the water as hot as she could stand it. She sobbed uncontrollably as she scrubbed her skin raw, trying to get clean but it was never enough. She cried out in pain and she touched one of many bruises that gilded her body. She caught her reflection in the mirror and stared at herself. The bruises were black, blue, yellow and green strategically placed. It looked like some sick form of camouflage against her olive skin. Batterers knew where to hit and where not to, knowing where not to leave their mark. She'd learned that from her father.
She went into the bedroom and slipped on a silky cream nightgown and put her robe over it. The doorbell sounded. "Just a minute." she called. Whoever it was, she would get rid of them as fast as she could. She wasn't much for company anymore.
Through the peephole, she saw Harm. She quickly let him in. "Hi, Mac." he said. "I came to see how you are. I miss you, I miss my best friend."
"So do I," she said, and he hugged her. He let go as he heard her whimper and recoil like a wounded animal. That had been the second time she seemed to be in pain in over two weeks. Something was very wrong.
"Take your robe off."
"What?" she forced a smile. "Is this a strip search, Commander?"
"Take your robe off." he said concerned.
"No!"
He grabbed hold on the thin material and gently peeled in back over her shoulders. "Oh my god, Mac! Why didn't you tell me?"
She shielded her face with her hands, crying. "I couldn't..." She clung to him even though the contact hurt. "I'm so sorry, Harm."
"Jesus, Mac. Don't apologize for anything. You did nothing wrong."
"Yes, I did. I didn't listen to your warnings about him. I got the wrong idea. I pushed you away. You better leave before he gets home."
"No! You think there's anyway I'd leave you alone with him? He'll never hurt you or Aidan again. I promise. I'm taking you and Aidan home with me. Where is she?"
"He said he'd kill us both if I tried to leave him."
"I promise you, I won't let him hurt you both."
"Ok. He'll be out for awhile. He's probably meeting with his coke dealer."
"Where's Aidan?"
"She's at a sleep over at a friend's house. The bastard's considerate enough to only rape me when she's not here."
"God, Mac." He hurt for her. She was in so much pain. She was no longer herself but some shell. He wished he could erase the past year. He took a deep breath. "Go get dressed. Get some clothes for you and Aidan."
********
Mac returned with a small duffel bag and teddy bear in her arms. He took off his leather pilot's jacket and placed it over her shoulders. "Thanks." she said. They went to the parking lot and got into Harm's SUV. "We have to get Aidan now. Once he sees I'm gone, he might go there and get her himself." Mac spoke quickly.
"I know. Calm down, Mac. Everything will be okay."
********
21:20 Romeo
Mac used Harm's cell phone to call Julie's house to tell Aidan she couldn't spend the night. Aidan was a acquiescent child, and always did as she was told.
They pulled up in front of the house. Mac got out of the car. Julie and her mother stood in the doorway and watched Aidan walk to her mother. Mac waved.
"Who's car is that, Mommy?" she asked.
Mac said, "Don't you remember...." Harm got out of the SUV and walked towards them.
"Harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmm!" cried Aidan in sheer delight. She hugged Harm tightly. She had taken an instant liking to Harm the second she met him over year ago.
"What about me?" Mac said to her daughter. With that, Aidan hugged her.
The girl looked at Harm. "You came to save us?"
"We're safe now, baby. Mic won't hurt us ever again." The child smiled.
"Where are we going?"
"My house." said Harm. "Then we'll take it from there."
Mac looked up at Harm intently. For the first time in a long time she smiled, a real smile, a smile she didn't have to fake.
*******
Harm's Residence
North of Union Station
Washington, D.C.
22:37Romeo
Aidan dressed for bed and Mac and Harm tucked the small girl and teddy bear snugly into Harm's bed. She was so tiny compared to the big bed. She looked as if she were a lone ship sailing alone in the waters of the world as she drifted into a deep slumber.
Mac and Harm sat on his couch, her head resting on his chest. He was careful not to touch her and handled her like a fragile porcelain doll which could shatter at any moment. In a way, she was just that. He stroked her hair. " I should never have walked out like that, that night." he said. " If only I had stayed and let you explain. If only I had told you that I was going to San Diego with Kate....I feel like I could have stopped...."
"Harm, it's not your fault. No matter what it is, you think it's your fault. You blame yourself for everything that has gone wrong. You carry the world's burdens on your shoulders. I probably wouldn't have listened to you then, and I'd still end up this way."
"But if something had been done differently, anything... I could have saved you from this past year."
"You saved us now, that's all that counts. You didn't know. I didn't know what a monster he could be until two or three months into the marriage. I'm not stupid. I only stayed because of my daughter. I didn't want him hurting her." She told him about all of his threats and all he'd done to her. "Why do I always pick the wrong men? Chris, Dalton, Mic....Mic is the worst of them all. Why Mic at all when I had you?" She asked aloud, more of herself than Harm.
"Had? You still have me, Sarah."
"What are we going to do about Mic?"
"Personally I'd like to torture, castrate and kill him but that won't get me anywhere but into the brig. Do you have any pictures of the injuries you've sustained?"
"I did, but he found them and burnt them. Then he gave it to me worse than before. I managed to take some more. Wait...I have some he never found. They're dated."
"Good. Where are they?"
"My safety deposit box."
"We'll get them tomorrow. I have a Polaroid. We can get pictures of the injuries you have now. Don't worry, we'll nail that bastard Sarah." he said, not knowing how true his words were. It stormed loudly outside, lighting illuminating the room occasionally and thunder cracked, sending chills down their spines.
********
03:07 Romeo
Mac and Harm had fallen asleep on the couch, encompassed in each other's arms. They awoke with a start, hearing a crash at the door. Mac picked up the baseball bat leaning against the end table and Harm retrieved his gun. It could only be one person at the other side of that door. Mac picked up the phone. There was no dial tone. The storm must have knocked the power out. She had no idea where her or Harm's cell phone was and wasn't sure if they would even work.
"Saaaaaaaarrrrrraaaaaahhhhh!" yelled Mic, pounding on the door once more. He sounded stoned or drunk or both. After one more crash, simultaneous with the thunder, he was in the apartment, the door torn from it's hinges. His eyes glowed like pure inhuman evil. Harm instinctively moved in front of Mac to shield her. Adrenaline rushed through there veins, as they tried to see in the dark. Mac prayed Aidan was okay. She wanted to check on her but couldn't. Mic would surely follow her into the bedroom.
The only light that came into the apartment was from that of the lightening bolts and the emergency lights just outside the door.
"Give me my wife back!" Mic shouted. "She's mine, mate. She married meeeeeeeeee!"
"Easy, easy." Harm said. Mic lunged at him, and the gun was knocked from his hand. Mac crawled on the floor in the near darkness searching for the weapon. Her hands clasped the cold metal and she aimed it at Mic. He knocked her down, her head striking the parquet floor. The gun was sent reeling and Harm got it before Mic got the chance. He was under the influence of something, his reflexes slower than normal.
Harm pulled the trigger, missing Mic's shoulder as he moved out of the way. "Bad move, mate!" He ran into Harm like a battering ram into a door. Both men landed on the floor and struggled for the gun. Harm punched Mic in the head.
Mac got up from the floor. He head felt as if it had exploded. She couldn't see straight. She saw the bat and picked it up, smashing it into the back of Mic's skull, sending him off Harm. Mic still had the gun somewhere behind him. Before Harm could realize what was happening, Mic had his hands wrapped around Mac's neck in a choke hold. Harm then caught a glimpse of glinting silver. Glinting silver and red. The knife had blood on it, but who's blood. God was it hers? It was too risky to go for the gun now that Mac was in his clutches.
"Let her go Mic. You don't want to hurt her, Mic. You love her." he said, trying to reason with him.
"Shut up or I'm going to kill her!!!"
"It's me you want. You don't want to hurt her, you want to hurt me."
"I told you to shut up!!!"
Mac delivered a deft kick to Mic's groin, he screamed and tightened his grip. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you, Sarah." he said.
"Please Mic," she tried to speak. He loosened his grip slightly. "You don't want to hurt me. I'm having your baby, your son." she lied. A look of bewilderment formed on his face. His eyes remained fixed on Harm.
A moment later, his rage flared up once again. "You're lying, Sarah!"
"No, Mic. I wanted it to be a surprise..."
"My baby?" A smile played on his lips.
"Yes, your son. We need to go to the hospital."she tried once again.
"Nooooo!"
"Please, for the baby's sake. All this isn't good for our son."
"She's right, Mic." Harm said.
"Shut up!!!" said Mic.
"If you kill Harm, you'll go away to prison for murder and never see your son. Do you want that? Please, please let us go. This can all be over now."
He considered this. He moved over by the couch. He must've forgotten about the gun, Harm thought. He let Mac go. "Stand over there." he ordered. "I'm taking you to the hospital." Harm noticed blood on her arm and on her stomach.
She couldn't leave now, she couldn't run. There was no way she was leaving Aidan and Harm alone with that madman. Oh god, Aidan. She was safe for now. Mic never went into the bedroom. The small girl must have been petrified. She needed to create a diversion to get Mic's attention away from Harm so Harm could get the gun. "Mic, I'm bleeding badly. We have to go now." He turned towards her. "One minute. I'm sorry Sarah, he has to go." Mic turned around to find Harm with the Ruger aimed at him. Mic lunged at him with the knife as Harm fired a single bullet into his chest. This did not stop him. Harm fired and fired, pumping lead into his body until he landed on the floor in a lifeless bloody heap.
"Mac, are you alright? You're bleeding."
"I'll be ok. Just get help." she said.
Harm ran into the hall and took the elevator to find a neighbor.
Mac ran past her husband's corpse into the bedroom. "Aidan!!!" she screamed, not seeing the girl. "It's ok, baby. Where are you?"
The small child crawled out from under the bed sobbing. Mac held her daughter close. "Thank god, you're alright sweetie." The child panicked.
"Mommy! Mommy! You're bleeding."
"I know. I'm ok, baby. I'm ok. Harm's getting help." She heard sirens in the distance.
********
Harm went back to his apartment. The only neighbor was an elderly deaf woman, explaining why help didn't arrive sooner. He found Mac and Aidan in the bedroom.
The police and ambulances arrived. Mac and Harm were briefly questioned. Officers stood in front of the corpse, blocking it from Aidan's view as the paramedics escorted them out to take them to the hospital. Shortly after, the Medical Examiner whisked Brumby's body to the same hospital, only he was going to the hospital's morgue and he could not hurt anyone ever again.
********
07:01 Romeo
Mac was treated for a concussion, fracture in her right ulna and slice in her mid-section, as well as minor scrapes and broken ribs which she had sustained before the attack that night. Harm had a shallow stab wound in the chest from when Brumby had lunged at him just before he fired. He had two broken ribs and required stitches on his hand and head. Aidan emerged physically unscathed.
Kate went to the hospital to see Harm as soon as she heard what happened. "Go be with her, now that you have the chance." she told him, surprising him with her words. "We were settling for second best. You know it, I know it. You're in love with Mac and I'm in love with Jarod." That was the first time she had ever mention his name to him. "You have a second chance. Please take it. I hope we can still be friends."
"Thank you, Kate." he kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck."
"You too, Harm."
********
Kate walked down the hospital corridor. Her cell phone sprang to life. She smiled before hitting the talk button. Only a select few had her cell phone number. "What?!" she said, her tone becoming austere.
"Hello, Miss Parker. Where have you been? What happened to my second shadow?"
"I've been on a little vacation of sorts. I see those idiots haven't been able to capture you."
"Are you calling yourself an idiot? You haven't been able to either."
"Believe me, Jarod, when I want you, I will get you." She hit the end button and strolled down the hall smiling to herself.
********
Rock Creek Park
Washington, D.C.
13:09 Romeo-A few days later
There was an investigation into Mic's death. It was deemed justifiable homicide. Harm had shot and kill Mic in self defense. Everyone had been shocked to learn what kind of man the true Mic Brumby was. The time came for Mic's funeral. It would start in a few hours.
"Harm, I have to go. I need to go. I need closure."
"Seeing him shot to death isn't enough?"
"I need an ending. Seeing him lowered into the grave will be my ending. Then I can start over." She thought she had once loved him, maybe she had. It was so hard to remember what he had been like before morphing into a brutal abuser. She realized she had been in love with the idea of love and settling down and getting married. Part of her married Mic to hurt Harm. Mic hadn't loved her. Perhaps he did in the beginning he did, but once his reign of terror began she knew he didn't. No one could do that to someone they loved. She was no longer his wife, she was his punching bag. "I need to know I didn't waste a year of my life. If anything good came out of this whole mess, its that it brought us together. I realized I never want to lose you again."
"You never lost me, Sarah." he put his arms around her.
"Yes, I did. I lost everything. For awhile, I lost myself."
"I found you, didn't I?"
She smiled. "I love you, Harm."
"I love you, Sarah." he said, kissing her passionately.
********
(See, I promised there would be a happy ending. I might bring back Aidan in some other stories. I'll see. Please leave feedback!! Thanks.)