Author's Note: Okay! Okay! I admit, Major is not a Navy rank (I actually knew that), but with all that's been going on in my life in the last few months I'm surprised that I can write at all…though its all been about torturing Harm and Mac…oops? OH! And someone wanted to know what / / these stood for and they're just there for emphasis on that word instead of capitalizing, which I'm getting used to using instead of capitalizing from a RPG I play in. And yes this chapter is short, but it felt like a good stopping point at the end...


Chapter 4 - Sydney or Sydelle?



06.24.03
2000 Zulu
Seal Beach Naval Base
Seal Beach, California

"So, what do we have?" Sturgis asked Harm and Mac so that they could go over the case aloud.

"We have to find her," Mac said quietly carefully turning through the album making sure to mentally capture every image.

"We will, Mac," Harm said and then looked at Sturgis. "No one knows anything, that's all we got out of the base staff."

"Well…it seems that we have even more of a problem then," Sturgis said remembering what Lt Commander Collins had told him. "Sydney has asthma."

"What?!" Harm exclaimed at the new information and Mac looked up at Sturgis.

"So now it's even more important we find her soon," Mac said.

"Yes," Sturgis said calmly. "And I think it's time to call the admiral and inform him of what we've found so far."

"If you do that, then he'll pull us off the investigation!" Mac said referring to her and Harm.

"There are rules for a reason, Mac."

"Sturgis, just wait…until tomorrow…then we'll have the results of the DNA test…we'll know for sure if she's really Sydney Collins or if she's really Sydelle Rabb," Harm said, his voice as calm as Sturgis.

Sturgis tilted his head slightly at the suggestion. "Look, I know this has to be extremely hard on both of you, but keeping information from the admiral isn't going to help this case and isn't going to help Sydney OR Sydelle."

"We're just asking for another day," Harm said, his eyes pleading with Sturgis.

"Please?" Mac asked, joining in with Harm.

Sturgis shook his head, "I have got to be crazy to even consider this…" He sighed, "fine, but when we get the test results we call the admiral, BEFORE they're opened."

"Why before?" Harm asked curiously.

"That way you don't run off before we talk to the admiral if they come back that it is Sydelle."

"Come on Sturgis! We wouldn't do tha…" Harm stopped mid sentence at Sturgis' look of not believing. "Okay, okay, we probably would."

"But what do you expect?! If she IS our baby girl, then these people have had her for two and a half years of her life!" Mac said.

"I understand, Mac, but in order to take any of this to court at all we need to do things by the book," Sturgis told her knowing how hard it had been on them both through the years. "If this child is yours…won't you want to go after the people who are responsible?"

"Of course…" Harm started.

"Then we do this MY way," Sturgis interrupted.


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06.25.03
1800 Zulu
Seal Beach Naval Base
Seal Beach, California


Sturgis dialed JAG Headquarters in Falls Church and waited for someone to pick up and redirect him. Finally after a few minutes he was directed to the admiral's office. "Um yes, Admiral? This is Commander Turner…yes, Sir, the investigation is going…Sir, we've run into a bit of a problem…the missing girl could be Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie's daughter…yes, Sir…yes, Sir…well Sir, we have the results and I wanted to open them while I had you on the phone…yes, Sir…" Sturgis opened the envelope and pulled out the paper that had the results. "Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. I'll let them know…Yes,Sir…understood…bye, Sir." Sturgis hung up the phone.

Harm and Mac were on the edges of their seats wanting to know the results. "Well?!" Harm prompted.

"Sydney Collins is actually Sydelle Rabb…" Sturgis said slowly.

"Really?!" Harm said weakly in shock.

"She's been on a naval base the entire time?" Mac asked tears falling down her face.

"The admiral said that you two are to be taken off the case, but with new information do not have to fly back to Falls Church until after the investigation has been conducted," Sturgis explained.

"But you'll keep us in the loop, right?" Harm asked.

"I'll tell you both what I can," Sturgis told them. "You'll need to rent a room…"

Harm sighed, "just…try to tell us as much as possible…please?"

"I can do that."

"Is the admiral sending anyone else out to help?" Mac asked curious since they were being pulled.

"He's sending Bud. He'll be here later tonight."

"We'll be out of here by then and call you with the number of where we'll be staying," Harm said.

Sturgis nodded. "Don't worry you two, we WILL find Sydelle."

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TBC…


Chloe: How come boys don't get any smarter with age?
Mac: That's one of nature's greatest mysteries.

(Yeah, Baby!)