Thank you all for your reviews!
NadaZimri: Hey there! Heehee, Sergei is fun....MON RABB, oooh, yeah....this has got to be the weirdest review response I've ever written....:D Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*140*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, ELLE!!!!!
Caroline: Thanks! I love writing the interactions between the characters. It's just so much fun trying to figure out what Mac and harm's reactions would be. And don't worry, with the ending I've already got planned out, it won't mess up the timeline. I think you will all be pleasantly surprised!!!
jagchick105: Hey there! LoL, I kind of resisted a little bit with that scene, I wasn't sure if I should put it in there, but it would be just too...real...lol. Thank you! Lieutenant Singer I knew would be brought into this eventually. I wasn't sure how far or much detail I'd have, but I think she's gonna be one of the main showdowns of this story (I think there's about 3 or so more chapters until the last one). I'm excited about the possibilities, so I just can't wait to get into it. Thank you so much, I thought I should make things a little humorous just because too much drama can make me sad :(. I'm glad you like it!!! Heehee, and there will be a few more "Harm torture moments"! Thanks again!!!
Hazel: LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was just such a classic I had to put that in there. I couldn't resist torturing our favorite guy :D. Thank you!!
AngelQueen: Hi there! Aw, thank you so much! I've been having so much fun writing this, and seeing what you guys think just makes it worth all the while!!!! I have the last chapter started, so I can work up to something, and the timeline is going to be preserved and—wait...you'll just have to see when we get there!!! Heehee, thank you so much for reading!!!
thinktink2: Hello!!! Welcome!!! LoL, you were afraid?? Oh, man, I was shakin' in my boots wondering if this was gonna come out too Mary-Suish. Thank you so much for your compliments, it really means a lot :) LoL, my you have lots of questions that, in all fairness to the other readers, I refuse to answer at the moment. The last chapter is going to be a surprise, filled with some stuff that refers to the second chapter (hint, hint). Thank you for reading! See ya next week!!!
Mac2: Eeek! Thank you! Welcome!! I've have a blast writing this, and you guys are just so nice!!!! Thank you!!!! See ya next week!!!!!
cmaf: Yay! Thank you! Now, now, cmaf, lol. I really do like having the whole week to write and prepare the chapters. It gives me a nice amount of time to tidy it up, switch or re-write stuff, and then a little extra time to proofread for typos. Please don't make me post any earlier, lol!!! Thanks again for coming back!!!
Mimmi: Hey there! Thank you!! Writing these characters is just too much fun, trying to figure out how they react to the crazy situations I put them into. Thank you so much for reading!!!!!
NavyCB: Heehee, well, I will tell you now that it's not a dream. And, to be fair to my other readers, I won't answer some of those questions. Not because I don't know (I've got half of the last chapter written out), but it is something I want you all to be surprised by! But don't worry, I think there will be about 3 or so more chapters and then the last one. Thank you for reading!
JagSister: Yay! I can't wait to write it, lol!!!! I had no idea the story would form into this, it started out as just a Halloween fic. But as stuff stirred in my head, I couldn't help but think..."Hey, this could be something." Thank you for your continuing support!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*150*~ on the review list! THANK YOU, SISTER!!!!
carby24/7: LoL, it's all good ;) Okay, I'm glad that scene didn't come off fake or anything. I had a few different ways I could have done it, but that seemed like the best. Thank you!! Ahaha, it won't be that long with Singer. She's not going to be the central of the story, but it will be one of the important things Grace will hafta deal with. I estimate about three more chapters, and then the conclusion. Just depends!! Thank you for reading!!!
Pissed Off Poet: Hey! No, I don't believe I'll have Mattie in here. In the first chapter, I said I didn't really want to include the happenings of the 9th season. Since this takes place in the middle of the 8th, Grace has already changed the outcome of some things. But...*looks around then whispers*...there will be a little jump into the future in the last chapter....*looks around again*....shhhhhh... :D
kstorm: Heehee, well, this is going to be part of the dilemma with Grace in this chapter. Should she do something? Say something? Even if she did, how would she prove it?? This is going to be a more dramatic chappy. Hope ya like it!!!! LoL, and yes, it is a jumbled up mess, lol. But it'll all be pretty and tidied up by the last chapter (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, nod, nod) :D See ya next week!
Moonlights Sundance: Heh, Grace is certainly gonna have to make some big decisions concerning what to tell her parents, and Singer, and what to do about it. Thank you for reading!
DD2: LOL, wow!!! Your enthusiasm is wonderful!!!! YAY!!! You will get more soon!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!
ArwenUndomiel: *sighs with relief* oh, good, I was hoping the Grace/Mac scene wouldn't come out too corny!! Thank you! The Harm/Mac convo about their future, was just to kind of put things in their perspective. I'm resisting bursting to tell you what the last chapter is, which is going to answer a bunch of "how" and "why" questions. But I'm holding back, because I love the element of surprise :D. I really wanted to put something with Singer in here. This is obviously before she is deployed to the Seahawk, and before the rift in Sergei and Harm's relationship. But it would certainly make things difficult for Grace now. Should she tell her parents about what is going to happen, or should she quietly try to resolve it herself? And even if she speaks up, her parents would just have to rely on her word alone. There would be no other evidence! So this is definitely going to stir things up a bit. Heh, oh, believe me, I don't want this story to ever end! Grace has been so much fun to write about and it'll be a sad day when I have to put her and the other characters away. But, who knows, with the ending that's being written, there might be some room for a small sequel, *shrug*....Anywho, thanks a lot for reading, and for your always-inspiring reviews!!!!
MarineJAG: LoL, yes it would be strange!! Now poor Grace is gonna hafta deal!! Thanks for reading!!!!
CharmedMummy: LoL! You're wonderful!!!! 1-(Mac/Grace convo): I'm glad it didn't come out too corny! I was afraid it would sound fake, but I'm glad you liked it! 2-(Harm's eyes): I do realize he still flies, but he doesn't fly Tomcats as a job anymore, so that's pretty much why I said that. But Grace, as seen in that chapter, did have to make up a few things to cover herself! 3-(Webb/Navy) Heehee, well, it's a lot better than Grace having to tell the truth! Though I'm sure she thinks it would be cool if kids knew that she had ties to the CIA, but it obviously has to be kept all hush-hush. 4-(Added agents): I figured it wouldn't make much sense if Webb were the only agent keeping an eye on her. So having agents as janitors and cafeteria ladies seemed to make sense. 5-(Sergei): That's a good point. I haven't really expanded on Grace's own skills. Speaking Russian and or Farsi would be interesting. I think Harm speaks Spanish...hm, nah, that'd be too much. But perhaps we'll see any talents Grace has with languages in the near future! 6-(Mac/Harm convo): Wow, did Harm really seem that cold? Hm, well, since Harm isn't really the type of guy (or is any guy?) who likes to show his feelings, especially in a public place, I thought it was just. But in the future (maybe this chapter, I dunno, or the next), Mac's going to sit that flyboy down and refuse to let him go until he tells her how he feels! :D 7-(Singer): I had to put this in here. Now that Grace is pretty much situated in her atmosphere, I thought we should bring some drama into the mix. And Singer's murder seemed like the perfect dilemma for Grace to deal with. Should she say anything to her parents? Should she just try to resolve it herself? It's going to be interesting to write! :) Yes, your comments are always helpful!! It really lets me see what's going through your mind!!! Thank you so much!! LoL, and yes, I hope this thing doesn't give me any more problems either! See ya next week!!!!
e-dog: Hey there! Wow, thank you!! I've been having so much fun writing this, and Grace is a character that's developed into someone I don't wanna put away when the story is finished! But, with how I'm going to end this, it'll leave open the possibility for a sequel. But I'll wait till we get to that point and see what everybody thinks! Adding Singer seemed like the right thing to do. Grace needed something in this story to affect her in a dramatic way, and it's going to be quiet a dilemma for her, as to what she should do with the information she has...Thanks again for reading and telling me what you think!!!!
maggie: LoL, I couldn't resist torturing him just a smidge more. Thank you so much for reading!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*160*~ on the review list! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MAGGIE!!!!!
beegirl: Haha, thank you! I think that's the most slap-happy scene in the whole story! So after a couple goofy chapters, bringing Singer in seemed like the right thing to do. Now it's a physical and moral dilemma that Grace has to deal with. Should she say anything? Do anything? Who would believe her? It's going to be interesting to write ;) Oh, and to answer your question, Agent Laux is just another CIA agent keeping an eye on Grace and what she does at school. Thanks again!!! See ya next week!!!!!
kiwi: LoL, thank you! Hope ya like this chapter! Hmmm...your questions cannot be answered at this time because I love the element of surprise, which you'll get in the last chapter. And by the last chapter, everything will be explained!!! But...*looks around*...in the last chapter, there is going to be a little jump into the future...*looks around again*...shhhhh....
emokid: Thank you so much for reading and telling me what you think! See ya next week!!!
iloveflyboy: LoL, well, I can tell ya now that the story is updated every Friday. Hehe, I loved writing that convo in the grocery store. Thank you so much for reading!!!
mia: Hey there! *waves back*. Cuttin' it kinda close, eh? :D I figured you were outta town or somethin', or just busy (gee, there is that thing other ppl do...havin' a life, right? :D). I'm glad you came back!!! Thank you. The scene with Mac and Grace, I hoped it wouldn't come out too corny. Everybody said it didn't, so i'm happy now! Thank you! Yes, the Tomcat F-14B does exist. There is also the Tomcat F-14A. I forget what's different about them. I read about them in a book, so it was just tidbits from my memory. Whoa, okay, i had to read what you just wrote, like, three times, lol. If I get what you mean, is it like having Grace confused about things during our time that we have to worry about, but Grace doesn't? Like you said with the AIDS. In Grace's time, I'm sure they have a cure for it, and it's probably not even talked about anymore, so Grace most likely doesn't even know what it is. Wow, that would be interesting. Heh, and as the relationship between everybody grows, Harm is going to have to learn what raising a teenager is all about—including those discussions that us kids can't stand. Omg, that would be funny. Harm trying as best he could to explain that sort of thing to Grace, and Grace totally freaking out! LoL, oh man, i gotta stick that in here somewhere!! Thanks for the idea! Heehee, one of my buds was begging for Sergei to be in there, and hopefully I'll be able to find a spot for him in further chapters! Heh, well, Mac is a little ticked at Harm at the moment for not answering her, so I'll probably have her jabbing at him until he speaks up! At first, I didn't think I'd bring Singer into this because I didn't want that to be the center of the story. But with how I plan to resolve it, I don't believe it'll take up too much room. LoL, oh, I don't want this story to ever end, but there are only so many ideas I can come up with! With the ending I'm starting to write though, and what I have still in my head, it leaves open room for a possible sequel, depending on how everybody feels about my ending. Believe me, these characters are so much fun to write about, and Grace feels like a big sister to me. I'll dread the day when I have to stop playing with them and put my new friends back in the toy box. Thank you for taking your time to write such great reviews!!! See ya next week!
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody (gobble, gobble!!!)!!!!!!!!!!! On with the story!!!!!
Chapter 7: Sold Out Singer2400 ZULU
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station, Washington D.C.
Grace took the dish her father had cleaned and wiped it dry. She knew he was talking to her. Saying something about the case he was working on. But Grace's mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts wafted back to when her mother had said her father had been on trial for murder. With the help of NCIS, they were able to prove he didn't commit the crime, but a Commander Lindsey who, as far as Grace knew, was serving a life sentence at Leavenworth. And for good reason. He'd murdered a woman, and an unborn child. But how far away the murder was from now, Grace didn't know.
"You're awfully quiet tonight."
Grace stirred and looked at the dish in her hand. She'd been cleaning the same spot on it for the past minute. She quickly dried the rest of it and stacked the plate with the others.
"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."
"Anything you want to talk about?" He asked carefully as he handed her a pot.
Grace almost dropped the pot. Her father eyed her curiously. "It—it was just slippery." She stammered.
"Well?" Harm prodded.
Grace carefully put the pot down and leaned her elbows on the counter. "How well do you know Lieutenant Singer?"
Harm narrowed his eyes. "Singer? Why, did you run into her?"
Grace nodded.
He turned off the faucet and dried his hands. "Lieutenant Singer is an...office associate...another lawyer."
"I know who she is. But what does she mean to you?"
Harm sighed. "Well...I wouldn't say we were friends. She's not exactly well liked around the office. Did she say something to you?"
Grace shrugged. "Not really. She just seemed really p-oed."
Harm scoffed. "Heh, well, that sounds like Singer."
Grace bit her lip and stared down at her shoes. "Can I ask you something?"
He blinked, pleasantly surprised that she was confiding in him. "Of course."
She backed away and hoisted herself up onto the island counter. After taking a momentt o gather her thoughts, she spoke. "Hypothetically speaking...if—if I knew something was going to happen...something bad...would it be against some universal rule if I told anyone?"
Harm cocked an eyebrow. "...Is something bad going to happen?"
Grace crossed her arms and nodded once. "I—I don't think I could stand by and watch it happen..."
Harm leaned his back against the counter across from her, stress in his eyes. "Are you gonna tell me?"
"I dunno. Because I'm not sure I would be able to prevent it."
"Speak hypothetically again." He urged.
Grace cracked a small smile, but her visage became serious again. "Okay...say, in a few months, something...perilous will happen to someone. And the wrong person is then blamed for the act. Eventually, the real criminal is captured...but two people are still...fatally affected."
Harm's lips parted as things started to connect. "Singer is going to die?"
For some reason, Grace felt incredible guilt in her stomach. Like she had betrayed someone. She hopped down from the counter, but he grasped her arm. "Grace...is Singer going to be murdered?"
Why did you talk, Grace? Now he's going to want to know everything! "Harm, please. I doubt there's anything we can do—"
"What happened, Grace?" He asked again, cutting her off.
Feeling the sudden urge to want to complete her chemistry homework, she gently took his hand off her arm and went into the living room.
***
1355 ZULU
Fairfax High
Fairfax, Virginia
Next Day
Grace went over all the different scenarios that could happen when she would approach Singer that afternoon. She needed to find some way to grasp Singer's attention, and to keep it for a while. From what her parents had told her about the woman, it was very hard to get close to her. And she hardly ever confided in anyone. So Grace would have to find a way to level off with her. Perhaps a certain topic that Singer got worked up about? But no, Singer would never tell her anything about her private life—
Grace stirred and she sat up in the chair when someone kicked the leg of her desk. She looked up and saw Webb with a sour expression. Grace forced a smile, but didn't get one in return. A few giggles rose out of some of the kids.
"Sorry."
Making a grunt, Webb strode back to the blackboard. Before he could say anything else, the shrill bell went off and the squeaks of sneakers and shuffles of chairs arose throughout the room.
"All right, do the problems from lesson thirty-seven, and show your work, people!"
Grace lagged behind as the students pushed out the classroom door. Eric waited for her, but she waved him away.
"I'll see you at history."
Grace waited until the last student left, and the door closed. Webb began to erase the chalk from the board.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Webb didn't turn around and continued to erase the day's work. "Does it have to do with geometry?"
Grace sat down at the desk in the front row. "No."
"Then I'm not sure how I could help you otherwise."
"Webb—"
"That's Mr. Webb...Miss Rabb."
Grace rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Webb, they don't bug classrooms. It's not a security risk."
His frame stiffened at her comment. As he finished erasing everything, he sat down at his own desk and opened a book, thumbing to the page he wanted. Grace sighed.
"I need your help."
Webb glanced up only once, then his eyes snapped back down to the book. "Unless it has 'rhombus' or 'theorem' in the same sentence, I can't help you."
"Someone's going to die." The silence that ensued was agonizing. Webb's eyes stopped moving across the words, and he simply stared at the book.
"Someone's always going to die, Grace. Fact of life."
"I think it can be prevented."
Webb huffed a sigh and dropped the book. "What, is it some kid with emotional problems that's been carrying a razor around?"
"It's a lawyer with emotional problems that's going to be carrying a baby in a few months."
Webb blinked. "Sarah?"
"No."
The CIA agent thought for a moment more. "Lieutenant Sims?"
"No!" She said frustratingly, "Quit trying to guess, I don't want you to know who it is. I didn't even say she was a military attorney!"
"So she's not a member of the military?"
"I neither confirm nor deny."
Webb shrugged. "Then what do you want me to do about it?"
"Look, she's going to die. And I think I should stop it, but I need more time in the day than I have."
Webb let out a wry chuckle. "Ohh, so that's what this is about. You want a cut back on homework!"
"Just for this class. Your homework takes up a lot of time that I could use."
Webb picked up the book again. "How do I know that this precious time isn't going to be used with you at some club?"
Grace stood, resting her palms against the edge of Webb's desk. "You're going to have to trust me."
Scoffing, Webb sharply turned a page of the book. "I don't know you enough to trust you."
"But I know you." Grace shot back.
Realizing the depth of what Grace said, Webb calmly closed the book and set it aside. "I don't want to hear anything about my future."
"Well, maybe you should," she hissed, "You're certainly much different fifteen years from now."
Webb looked like he wanted to cover his ears and sing loudly, but he sat still. "Now that you're a part of this world, anything you tell me can change the future."
"I'm not that damaging, Clay. Please...trust me when I say it's a matter of life and death!"
"Grace—"
"Damn you, Clay, you're just like your son!"
His eyes enlarged and Grace clamped her mouth shut when she realized what had tumbled off her tongue. The CIA operative who usually always had an answer could only say one thing.
"S—son?"
Grace swallowed whatever saliva was left in her mouth. She'd really done it now. Just how many more futures was she going to ruin?
***
2103 ZULU
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
She'd lucked out. After her slip that morning, Webb had excused her from bringing in the homework, and didn't ask for any more information. Now she had to work out her master plan.
Grace slipped out of the bullpen and past the elevators to the back offices. Coming upon Lieutenant Singer's office, Grace walked up to it silently. The door was ajar, and she could hear what was going on inside. Singer was on the phone, finishing a conversation. When she hung up, her beeper went off and she sighed. Grace waited, listening. She heard the squeak of a chair and footsteps. Grace all but dove into the office across the hall, luckily unoccupied at the moment. She closed the door enough so she could peek out, and watched as Singer exited her office with briefcase in hand. Once she was certain she was gone, Grace inched out from behind the door, and slid into Singer's office.
The room was plainly decorated, and quite boring. Her father's office, in her own time, greatly reflected what meant most to him. His family, the law, and flying. But there wasn't one picture containing the lieutenant and a friend or boyfriend, or any indication of what she loved most. It was like she didn't have any personality. Or she simply kept it well hidden and away from her work.
Knowing that time was an issue, Grace went to work. She subtly went through the papers on Singer's desk until she found the lieutenant's personal datebook in a drawer. Grace hated sifting through other people's things, but it was for Singer's own good. Grace flipped to the month of November as she sat down in the desk chair. She shook her head. It was all work. Meet with this witness, study up on that. Didn't she have any social life? Grace paused when she came to November 5th, the current date.
She read it aloud softly. "Ted—1900 hours—my place." Grace cocked an eyebrow. "Who's Ted?" Grace blinked. "Or could he be..."
She put the calendar down and accessed the computer, which had been left open at a Word document. Putting the window at the toolbar, she went to work accessing JAG records from a site she'd seen her dad open. She clicked around searching for names of previous JAG officers that served in the D.C. area in the last ten years. Grace found the name at the bottom of the list.
"Commander Theodore Lindsey...Ted" She murmured. The girl then smiled to herself, proud of her detective work. "Gotcha, you murdering s-o-b."
The phone rang making the girl jump. Out of pure habit, Grace picked it up. "Hello?"
"Lauren?"
Grace silently swore to herself. "Uh, Guten tag. Erbärmlich sind, wir aus Pizza." With that, she hung up the phone and tried to contain herself from bursting into laughter.
***
2115 ZULU
Grace peeked out the blinds on her father's office door while explaining what she needed to Eric over the phone. He sighed on the other line.
"So lemme get this straight. You want me to drive halfway across town to pick you up, then drive halfway across town again to bring you to some coffee shop so you can spy on someone?"
Grace scowled. "Stop making it sound so imprudent!"
"I don't even know what that means, Grace."
"Look, are you gonna pick me up or not?"
A pause on the other line. "Fine. But you're buying."
"Great, be here at 1800."
"Translation?"
"6 PM."
Grace hung up the phone when the office door opened. Her father eyed the phone that he'd seen her hang up.
"Who were you talking to?" He asked, and then creased his brow, "And why are all the blinds closed?" He went to work opening them.
"That was a friend from school. Is it okay if he picks me up in a couple hours and we go out for coffee?"
Harm dropped a couple folders on his desk. "Hm, and who is this 'friend'?"
"You know, that guy you wouldn't stop asking me about a few days ago?"
"Does this 'guy' have a name?"
"Eric."
Harm thought for a moment, but the name didn't ring a bell.
"You haven't met him." Grace concluded for him. "So can I go?" She half expected him to say, "let me talk to your mother first," but he seemed to think the decision was for him alone to make.
"I don't think so—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look on his daughter's face. Grace knew this tactic would work, because Harm hadn't had the practice of ignoring the desperate pleas of his children when they wanted something. So she made her saddest face, widening her big brown eyes to give that sad, puppy dog effect. She could see the struggle of his emotions as he tore between the concept of keeping her safe and letting her have a little fun. He sighed leaning against the desk.
"Fine."
Grace made a short squeal of glee and wrapped her arms around him. Before he knew what was going on, she let go and sprinted out of his office.
"Hey, be back no later than eight!" He yelled after her.
***
2345 ZULU
Charlotte's Cafe
Washington D.C.
"What are we doing?" Eric asked for the umpteenth time.
"Just park—no, over there." Grace ordered.
Eric parked the Corolla outside the little cafe, which rested across the street from Singer's apartment. The lieutenant would be there in a few minutes. The two got out of the car, and entered the cafe, sitting at a table facing a big window. A waitress in her late teens came up to them. When she saw Eric, she straightened her spine and her expression was mischievous.
"What can I get ya?" She said to Eric, not bothering to acknowledge Grace.
"We will have two coffees." Grace answered. Eric hid his smile and looked down at the table. The waitress bit her lip.
"Coming right up." She said as she turned on her heel.
Eric cocked an eyebrow. "Meow." He said jokingly.
Grace lightly kicked him and returned her attention to the apartment across the street.
"So are you gonna tell me now why you're spying on your dad's office associate?"
She told him the half-truth. "I think she's having an affair with a senior officer."
"So?"
"So, that's against the law."
At that moment, Singer's car pulled up and Grace took the camera out of her backpack and took a few pictures.
"Where'd you get the camera?" Eric inquired.
"Joined yearbook club. It's the teacher's."
"You stole it?"
"I borrowed it."
Grace put the camera down when Singer went into the apartment.
"Now what?"
"Now we wait for him to get here. Look for an older guy...he'll probably be in civilian dress."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Like that really narrows it down."
The waitress came back a minute later carrying a tray with the two cups of coffee. She avoided eye contact with Grace as she set the mugs down. "Anything else?"
"Not at the moment."
The waitress left without another word. Grace almost spilled the coffee on herself when she saw Lindsey pull up behind Singer's car.
"There he is. Right on time," She murmured as she took the camera out again, "Thaaat's it, look around like you're doin' something wrong allll you like."
Grace felt Eric's stare and she glanced over at him. "What?"
"Why does this mean so much to you? It's really none of your business, anyway!"
Grace put the camera away and opened the little pack of creamer, pouring it into the coffee. "It's just something I have to do." That's when it hit her. She looked out the window and her jaw dropped. "Oh, crap."
Eric followed her gaze. "What?"
Grace sighed and slumped down in the chair, realizing her mistake. "I can't prove it! If he, you know, stays all night, I can't be here to take pictures of him leaving the apartment!"
Eric looked sympathetic at first, but the expression disappeared and he shrugged. "Oh well," he said quickly as he stood, "Nice try, let's go."
Grace shook her head as she sifted through her purse for the coffee money.
***
0049 ZULU
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station, Washington D.C.
Harm thought about what Grace said to him the night before. Lieutenant Singer was going to die. She never specified how, but she did mention there being a criminal. And she didn't dispute when asked if she was murdered. Who would murder Singer anyway? An angry client? Or perhaps a lover? Singer never let anyone in on her personal life. Hell, she could be married and the office would be oblivious.
Harm realized he'd read the same sentence three times and sighed, dropping the pen and leaning back in his desk chair. Singer wasn't the only person on his mind at the moment. Who was this Eric kid that Grace had gone out with? Harm checked his watch again. 1951. She was cutting it close. It amazed Harm how whatever parental instincts he had seemed to kick into gear all of a sudden. Sure when he dated Annie, he'd loved being with Josh. But it wasn't really a fatherly bond. Truthfully, he felt more like a big brother to Josh than anything else. But he was a younger man too. The boy was still in him at the time. Harm cringed at the thought. Was he really getting that old? Had he changed that much in the last four or so years? Harm tried to imagine himself seventeen years from now. Grace hadn't really told him much about his future self, except that he turned into an all-business-no-fun-two-star. Did he really turn out like Admiral Chegwidden? Not that that was a bad thing, it just wasn't a delightful concept and certainly not what he was striving for. The family photograph popped into his mind as well. Harm had spent about a half hour just studying each of those faces before Grace had interrupted. The face he'd concentrated most on was Mac's. She was still gorgeous. Her hair had hints of gray, but it made her look wiser. Her big brown eyes, something Grace had obviously inherited, were warm and inviting. And her smile. Her lips curved perfectly and crinkled the little lines by her eyes.
Harm was almost afraid to look at himself, but it was hard to miss since he was standing right next to Mac. Luckily, he'd barely lost any of his hair, but the receding hairline he could have done with out. Gray had filled in a good portion of his brown hair as well. He apparently was still a runner. He was in shape, which is how he always wanted to stay.
The door opened from his right and he straightened in the chair. Grace entered the apartment looking tired and disappointed.
"Hey."
Grace mumbled some kind of response as she took off her coat and hat.
"How was your date?"
Grace shot him a killer look, much like the one Mac had given him at the grocery store. "It was not a date." She explained, biting off each word. With that, she flopped onto the pullout bed, burying her face into a pillow. The next moment was awkward. Something had obviously happened on the "date." How would he approach this?
"You gonna be all right?"
The pillow muffled her grunt. Harm sighed, deciding to start a discussion he didn't want to get into, but was certain it was something every parent had to discuss with their child. Harm got up from behind the desk, and sat in the leather chair next to the bed. He tried to get into a comfortable position, but gave up and just sat back in the chair.
"Grace...the world is filled with a lot of...bad things. Unfortunately, you'll discover a lot of those...things...in your teenage years. I mean, I know, Grace, I went through the same—okay, not the exact same, but along the lines of the same things you're going through."
Grace slowly turned her head in his direction, the pillow still covering half of her face. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Harm blinked. Great. She wasn't catching on. Start over again. "Grace...the world is filled with a lot of...evil things—temptations. I'm not saying you would give into temptation, but peer pressure is, heh, quite strong and—"
"My God, Harm, are you trying to give me the 'talk'?," Grace rolled over and sat up in the bed, her face twisted in anger, "it wasn't a date, okay?!" She practically yelled. The girl then looked around the room frantically.
Harm had been caught off guard with her outburst and he didn't move, like she was some rabid animal that could easily be set off. "What are you, uh, looking for?"
Grace slid off the bed and crossed her arms. "This is usually the point where I run to my room and stay there until dinner," She let her eyes wander to the floor, "there isn't any place for me to run to."
Harm nodded. "Yeah, not too many enclosed spaces around here."
An idea came to her, but she seemed to be embarrassed for asking. "Instead of me leaving...could you? I mean...just go your bedroom...I'd like some time to myself..."
***
0239 ZULU
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown, Virginia
Mac mashed a spoon onto the ice cream in the bowl. As soon as she got home, she knew she wanted something chock-full of sugar, but now the dessert didn't seem that appealing anymore. Her brain was still racked with the things she'd told Harm at the store yesterday. How could he just shove her off like that? She'd shared justified concerns about their future, and he acted like she was talking about clothes or something. Did he really have nothing to say? Or was it he simply didn't know how to say it? The marine mashed the ice cream with more force as her anger spilled out.
The phone rang, and Mac reached over from the couch to the end table to pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mac."
She smiled curiously. "Boy, you sound like someone just insulted your meatless meatloaf."
A short chuckle came from the other line. "Cute, jarhead."
Mac went through the possibilities of what was causing Harm to feel so down. "Something happen between you and Grace?"
He didn't say anything for a second, and Mac guessed that he was nodding. "She went on an...outing with a guy. I tried having the, you know, the 'talk' with her, and she exploded."
Mac cringed. "Ouch. Where is she now?"
"Oh, she's here. But I've been banned from the living room."
The marine put the bowl of ice cream down and rested a pillow on her lap. "I don't blame her. I'd never want my father to have the 'talk' with me, setting aside the fact that he was the way he was."
"Yeah, I realize that now. So will you talk to her?"
Mac frame stirred. "Me?"
"Why not? You are her mother after all."
"Well, yeah, I am, but—"
"Thanks, Mac, you're the best. 'Night."
Mac still held the phone to her ear, listening to the hum of the dial-tone.
***
0245 ZULU
Harm's Apartment
Grace listened to the loud bass of a stereo from a car somewhere in town. The beat had been constant for the past four minutes and kept the girl awake. A light was still on in her father's bedroom. He was probably working. He'd crept into the living room a few minutes ago, and Grace pretended she was asleep. He'd gone to his desk, and Grace heard a shuffle of papers, then his soft footsteps back to the other side of the apartment. Then she'd heard him talking quietly on the phone. His words were too muffled for Grace to make out what he said, but she got the feeling he was talking about her.
Grace felt guilty for getting angry with him. He had no experience raising a child, and she'd gone into full teenager-resistance mode. Just as she would if she were in her own time. It wasn't fair to him.
In a way, Grace was sort of glad that Harm had mistakened her anger as a problem with her "date." Granted she was still mad that he'd tried to push the "talk" on her. But she was actually angrier at the thought that she knew a woman was going to die, and there might be nothing she could do about it. The way she saw it, she had two choices. One, she could try to physically prevent the murder herself. She really didn't want to do that, and risk harm not only to herself, but to Singer as well. Two, she could do this lawfully. Get evidence that Singer was having an affair with a senior officer, and have them both in jail. Though it would crucify Singer's career, she wouldn't be dead, and that's what was important. Only problem was, she needed the evidence to back up her claims. The photographs could only work to an extent. She needed cold, hard proof. Singer and Lindsey's statement for instance. But it was also something impossible for her to get. When did things become so complicated?
Grace rolled over in the bed and brought the comforter to her chin, listening as the sound of the bass slowly dissipated.
***
TBC
***
Omg, am I full. Just finished turkey dinner and...oy vay! I don't even wanna think about food. Hope ya liked the chappy! See ya next week!!
~sancti