A Confluence of Events
The bullpen noticed three things at once. The most obvious one was that the Commander and the Colonel were uncomfortable around each other. If asked, no one would be able to say exactly what was wrong. Just as obviously, they were not fighting with each other. They talked - sort of. They spent time with each other - kind of. If one of them entered a room where the other one was, the person already in the room would linger for a few minutes and then leave, citing work, phone calls, and court appearances as excuses.
The next thing they noticed was that the Commander was dating and the Colonel was not. Although smart money said this was the source of the tension, it still baffled the staff. Some of the more romantic employees were disappointed. They had been convinced that the Commander and the Colonel were finally going to start dating after Paraguay. It appeared they were only half right.
Finally, a journalist arrived at JAG. He was doing a slice of life piece on military families during wartime. Surprisingly, when he expressed a desire to interview the JAG staff, the Admiral agreed. Some of the scuttlebutt said that the Admiral actually respected the writer. Other rumors whispered that it was direct order. No one, not even Tiner, knew the truth, but it made for great gossip.
Adam Jefferson was likable. Years of interviewing reluctant subjects had given him a smooth delivery and easy style. People found themselves drifting closer to him to hear his stories and were surprised to find themselves sharing their own. After a few days, they were hard pressed to remember JAG without him.
There were two people who resisted talking to him. The Commander had no interest in him. The Colonel would give him shy, half-smiles from across the bullpen before disappearing into her office.
Enter Harriet. She considered herself one of the Colonel's best friends and she was determined to give the Colonel a happy life. For a while, she was convinced that Mac's path to happiness was with the Commander. Apparently, she had been wrong. At first, she had been indignant on behalf of her friend. But her heart was too big to begrudge the Commander his happiness for too long. And, more importantly, she began to watch. And the more she watched, the more she saw. She saw the shy smiles. She saw Adam's small waves and the darting glances.
It was only a matter of manipulation. Being pregnant worked to her advantage and she wasn't afraid to use it. Mac would do almost anything, forgive almost as much, to make her friend comfortable in her last trimester. So Harriet began to plot. The more elaborate the schemes grew, the faster she realized it was just a matter of inviting them both to lunch and then conveniently forgetting to go with them. It was risky. Mac and she were good friends, bound together by happiness and heartache, but Mac was still the ranking officer.
The day of the lunch date, Harriet was so jumpy she could barely sit still. Only her sore legs kept her in her seat and watching the clock. The minute hand circled it once. It was beginning to make a second journey around when Mac and Adam entered the bullpen. The Colonel was laughing softly and Adam was gesturing, pantomiming, badly, ducking. Mac's eyes found Harriet, who smiled sheepishly. She was caught. Mac smiled at her and shook her head before turning back to her conversation. Harriet spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to gloat. It took a little work, and a great deal of anxiety, but now the Colonel was dating, too.
The bullpen noticed three things at once. The most obvious one was that the Commander and the Colonel were uncomfortable around each other. If asked, no one would be able to say exactly what was wrong. Just as obviously, they were not fighting with each other. They talked - sort of. They spent time with each other - kind of. If one of them entered a room where the other one was, the person already in the room would linger for a few minutes and then leave, citing work, phone calls, and court appearances as excuses.
The next thing they noticed was that the Commander was dating and the Colonel was not. Although smart money said this was the source of the tension, it still baffled the staff. Some of the more romantic employees were disappointed. They had been convinced that the Commander and the Colonel were finally going to start dating after Paraguay. It appeared they were only half right.
Finally, a journalist arrived at JAG. He was doing a slice of life piece on military families during wartime. Surprisingly, when he expressed a desire to interview the JAG staff, the Admiral agreed. Some of the scuttlebutt said that the Admiral actually respected the writer. Other rumors whispered that it was direct order. No one, not even Tiner, knew the truth, but it made for great gossip.
Adam Jefferson was likable. Years of interviewing reluctant subjects had given him a smooth delivery and easy style. People found themselves drifting closer to him to hear his stories and were surprised to find themselves sharing their own. After a few days, they were hard pressed to remember JAG without him.
There were two people who resisted talking to him. The Commander had no interest in him. The Colonel would give him shy, half-smiles from across the bullpen before disappearing into her office.
Enter Harriet. She considered herself one of the Colonel's best friends and she was determined to give the Colonel a happy life. For a while, she was convinced that Mac's path to happiness was with the Commander. Apparently, she had been wrong. At first, she had been indignant on behalf of her friend. But her heart was too big to begrudge the Commander his happiness for too long. And, more importantly, she began to watch. And the more she watched, the more she saw. She saw the shy smiles. She saw Adam's small waves and the darting glances.
It was only a matter of manipulation. Being pregnant worked to her advantage and she wasn't afraid to use it. Mac would do almost anything, forgive almost as much, to make her friend comfortable in her last trimester. So Harriet began to plot. The more elaborate the schemes grew, the faster she realized it was just a matter of inviting them both to lunch and then conveniently forgetting to go with them. It was risky. Mac and she were good friends, bound together by happiness and heartache, but Mac was still the ranking officer.
The day of the lunch date, Harriet was so jumpy she could barely sit still. Only her sore legs kept her in her seat and watching the clock. The minute hand circled it once. It was beginning to make a second journey around when Mac and Adam entered the bullpen. The Colonel was laughing softly and Adam was gesturing, pantomiming, badly, ducking. Mac's eyes found Harriet, who smiled sheepishly. She was caught. Mac smiled at her and shook her head before turning back to her conversation. Harriet spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to gloat. It took a little work, and a great deal of anxiety, but now the Colonel was dating, too.
