Disclaimer: See Part 1: Into the Night. Oh yeah, June, Lily Rose and Adrian are my own creation and belong to me.
Inspired by Season 1's episode Déjà Vu.
Spoilers: To Russia With Love
*Note: This was based on Harm running off to Vietnam when he was I think 16 to look for his father....I should have cleared that up before.
~Family~
(Dedicated to my sister Shanny)
Harm's Office
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
15:56 Romeo, November 9
Harm looked up from his file once more. He got another look at the girl that passed the outside of his office. She ignited a flare in his memory. She had long raven hair and oval eyes and was clearly of Vietnamese descent. The woman stood in the open door way.
Harm eyes widened in recognition. June. No, it couldn't be. June was dead. Even if she wasn't, she would be around the same age as himself. He heard of people aging gracefully, but this girl was clearly just out of her teens or in her early twenties. Hell, this wasn't the first time he had mistaken someone for that of a ghost from the past. Mac was no more Diane than June was this girl.
She spoke. "Knock, knock. Are you going to invite me in, or would you rather I continue standing here so you can look at me as if I'm some science experiment?" She smiled. She spoke English well, with no trace of an accent. She had either been raised in the U.S., or she had grown up abroad but was well educated.
"Sorry, you just look like someone I used to know." He motioned for her to enter and sit down. "Can I help you, Miss....?"
"Just call me Lily Rose."
"Alright, Lily Rose."
"I'll be terse. Harmon Rabb, Jr., you are my father." Surprise and shock became etched on his face. Of all things, that wasn't what he expected her to say. He didn't know what to say. It certainly was possible. He and June had been little more than children themselves in war torn Vietnam, but they were certainly old enough to conceive a child. "Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do, father." she said.
********
Lily Rose confirmed Harm's thoughts. June was her mother. She had found out she was pregnant after Harm had left. After giving birth, June gave Lily Rose was to her mother, Lily Rose's grandmother. Then June had committed suicide, forcing the soldiers to shoot and kill her.
"I blamed you and my mother for my rotten life for so long. My grandmother originally told me that my mother had been murdered by Americans. She convinced me that you abandoned me, not wanting to deal with your bastard child. A year ago, the truth finally came out when she was on her death bed. That is when she told me who you were. She didn't want to die with her lies. She told me she did it for my sake, to protect me. After she died, I began to search for you. It was relatively easy to accomplish. It took the longest to gain the courage to come here. I had done so well in school at home, that I was granted a scholarship to take part in an exchange program at Georgetown Law last year."
"I'm sorry,"he said sincerely, "I never knew of your existence, until now."
"I know you'll want a DNA test done to be sure. I know you'll want it done as soon as possible. That's fine with me. Let me know when it's convenient for you. I should be going. I know you have work to do."
"That's a good idea." He wrenched his hands. "I'll check my schedule later. Where can I get in touch with you?"
"I'm staying at the Holiday Inn, Room 318, on the corner of Constitution and...."
He smiled, a million emotions surging through him. "I know where it is."
********
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station
Washington, D.C.
17:42 Romeo
Jazz flooded the apartment, pouring out of strategically placed speakers. Harm sat on the couch poring over case files, unable to give them his full unadulterated attention. He was anxiously awaiting for Mac to come home. She had left work early for a doctor's appointment.
He heard her key enter the lock. He got up to greet her. He planted a kiss on her cheek and took her coat. "How did the appointment go? What did the doctor say?"
"Well, there's nothing wrong with my plumbing. He suggested that we test for your sperm count, in case your guys are not the virile men they used to be." she said with a smile. "He said we also could not be conceiving because of too much stress. He said to let nature take its course and not concentrate so hard, and we should be pregnant within six months."
Harm wrapped his hands around Mac's slender waist. She gave him his best flyboy grin. "But concentrating is fun."
********
18:52 Romeo
"I'm thinking we should have pizza tonight." she said.
"That'll be great. I have to talk to you about something."
"We have to get pepperoni on at least half. It's non negotiable, sailor."
"I'd never even try to talk you out of that, jarhead. I learned something today."
"What?"
"Sit down."he said and she did so. "I have a daughter." Her jaw fell to the floor.
********
19:22 Romeo
Harm explained about June and how Lily Rose had come to his office, and he told Mac what Lily Rose had told him.
"Jeez Harm, for all you know she's playing you for a fool. She could be deceiving you about everything. You have no proof that she is really your daughter."
"She looks just like June."
"And I look like Diane. That doesn't mean she's my twin sister."
"I have a feeling she's telling the truth. Why do find it so hard to believe that I have a daughter?"
"Because you obviously believe it and want it to be true so badly. I can see it in your eyes. After some 19 odd years she suddenly decides to go find Daddy dearest?!"
"She didn't know who I was until a year ago. She thought I abandoned her. I told you her grandmother lied to her."
"A year? All too convenient. She's been in D.C. all this time? What took her so long to track you down?" She crossed her arms across her chest. "A year is plenty of time to research and concoct a story to play you for a sucker."
"She didn't have the courage to come see me. She enrolled at Georgetown because she wants to become a lawyer."
"Well, from what you told me, she sure wasn't nervous when she make her entrance. She made jokes."
"People react to different situations in different ways. You of all people should know that. She's also probably busy with law school."
"Now you're making excuses. I'd hate to break this to you, but her wanting to be a lawyer doesn't mean you are genetically related, if anything, it's a genetic flaw." she said with a smile. She almost laughed.
"I know that. I was just stating."
"I wonder how willing she would be once you mention a DNA test. See how fast she changes the subject or runs."
"She actually brought it up. She wants to prove herself, and wants it done as quickly as possible.
"Just make sure you're willing to except whatever may be the outcome. You have to open yourself to the possible disappointment that may lay ahead."
"I know, Mac."
"I'm starving, Harm. It's time for pizza." They had more disappointment these past few months than most could take. She hoped to God that she was wrong about Lily Rose.
********
Commander Angelique Avari's Office
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland
18:36 Romeo, December 20
The DNA result were in. They all waited anxiously in the hall. Mac and Lily Rose had not met prior to this occasion.
"Lily Rose, this is..." What? Who? Girlfriend sounded juvenile and trivialized what they had, and lover or best friend couldn't do justice for what they meant to one another. Woman was possessive and chauvinistic and he'd be kicked if he addressed her that way. She was an excellent kickboxer. They weren't quite engaged yet so fiancée wouldn't work either. "This is my, Sarah." The girl and Mac quickly embraced. Mac instantly liked Lily Rose.
Harm, Mac and Lily Rose sat in front of the doctor's desk. Dr. Avari sat down and opened a manila file. Mac squeezed Harm's hand.
"There is a 99.7% chance that you are Lily Rose's father." announce the doctor. They all stood.
"Thank you" said Harm. Lily Rose and Harm embraced. Mac hugged Harm. "Congratulations. Do you think it'll a little late to get one of those signs with a stork and pink bundle declaring, 'It's a Girl!'?" Mac asked with a grin. They all laughed. Mac hid behind her smiling façade.
It was so weird that her best friend and lover had a daughter not much older, two years to be exact, than her little sister. She had only learned of Adrian a little over two years ago herself. Hell, Adrian was only two years older than she and Eddie's baby would have been had it lived. She wondered what she and Harm's baby would have been like. The baby would have been due on February 21st which wasn't too far away. She wondered why she had been so adamant when she insisted Lily Rose wasn't Harm's daughter. She reasoned that she had acted that way because she was still in pain and felt pangs of jealously because another woman had borne Harm the child he so desperately wanted. Shut up and be happy for him, she told herself.
********
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station
Washington, D.C.
19:34 Romeo, December 27
Harm had cooked a large meal and he and Mac invited Lily Rose over. They had celebrated Christmas and Christmas Eve together just days earlier here. Trisha, Harm's mother; Frank, Harm's stepfather and Sarah, Harm's grandmother had come and had finally met their granddaughter. Mac had finally met the other Sarah. The six of them went to the Vietnam Memorial War on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of when he went MIA. They told her all about her paternal grandfather and Harm's relentless search for him; and about Harm and Mac's trip to Russia where they finally learned the truth. Harmon Rabb, Sr. was dead.
"Do I have any half siblings?" Lily Rose asked innocently. Mac froze and her expression became grim.
Harm answered, drawing attention away from Mac. "Not yet." He forced a smile. "Do I have any grandchildren?"
"No way. Not for a long time. Call them potential grandchildren."
Harm wanted to get off the subject of children as quickly as possible. "How are you enjoying the law program at Georgetown?"
********
The past seven months or so had been so hard on both of them. They had been trying for another baby since August. Month after month, it was still just the two of them.
Now there were three, but the apartment lacked the pitter patter of tiny feet. The footsteps of three adults echoed. Lily Rose would be moving into her own apartment soon, and then it would just be the two of them again.
********
(I originally intended for this to be one long story, with two stories in one. I decided to make the "2nd story" into Part 5. Part 5 is called Entwined. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW:o) THANKS:o)~