Title: Just to talk Part IV
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Mac/Harm
Spoilers: Take It Like a Man
Authors Notes - Harm makes a tentative step forward. Man, these two characters are complicated!
******************************************************************
1745 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Sarah Mackenzie moved purposely across the bullpen toward her office. Her mental whiteboard was flashing. Her 'to do' list was getting longer.
"Lieutenant, did I get the witness list for the Hughes court-martial?" She glanced back at Harriet before ducking through the door.
"Yes ma'am," said Harriet. "Commander Rabb put it on your desk a few minutes ago."
Mac nodded and headed for her desk. She glanced across the messy surface and snagged the file marked "Hughes." As she started to sit down and flip open the manila cover, something caught her eye. There was a second file underneath. This folder was distinctively marked as classified but bore no case label. Curious, Mac reached over to look inside.
There was a small, unsealed envelope. Mac pulled out a card. There was a picture of the Washington skyline on the cover. Inside, a short message was written in Harm's distinctive style.
'Mac," it said simply. 'Thanks for your help with Mattie.'
It was signed 'Harm.' Mac went to put the card in her desk drawer when she realized that the envelope bulged slightly. Peering inside, she reached in and pulled out a small yellow flower. It was a dandelion.
Mac crinkled her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth turned upward. A dandelion? She shook her head. She checked her mental whiteboard again. She had fifteen minutes before her next appointment appeared. Just enough time to slip down the hall to Harm's.
"Knock, knock," she said leaning against the doorframe of Harm's cramped office. He was sitting at his desk, concentrating on a file. He looked up at the sound of her voice.
"Hi," he smiled at her. "What's up?"
"Thanks for the Hughes witness list," she said. "And the card."
"No problem. And thanks for your help with Mattie."
"What's this?" asked Mac holding up the dandelion. The wilting flower head flopped to one side.
"A dandelion," said Harm.
She smiled wickedly. "I usually get a dozen long-stem roses from men."
"I hope you do," he said. "Doesn't Webb send them?"
"And the significance of this is...?" she asked, waving the little flower.
"Nothing really. When I got out of my car today, I noticed it. Poking up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Early March and nothing is blooming except a small dandelion. It was pretty against the grey concrete."
"Harm, it's a noxious weed."
"You know, last fall they sprayed Round-Up through the JAG grounds to get rid of all the weeds. Yet here it is, back again."
"Dandelions are like that," she said.
"Sure they are. Maybe that's why I like them. They never give up."
"Like someone else I know," she said.
"I just liked it," he repeated.
"Okay," she smiled at him. She bowed slightly in his direction. "Well, thank you for my obstinate dandelion. And the card."
"Sure...Mac?"
"Yes?"
"Got any thoughts on Mattie?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for example, how do you think she is doing?"
"Good, I guess. For a girl who lost her mother; abandoned by her father, lost her business; moved to a new school where she knows no one - I'd say she's doing fantastic."
Harm just stared at her as he contemplated her words.
Mac gave him a look, "Quit doing that."
"Quit doing what?"
"That deer caught in the headlights thing. Every time you are around Mattie or we talk about Mattie, you look scared."
He leaned back in his chair and quickly tried to assume a posture of flyboy arrogance. "I'm not scared," he said.
"Okay," she agreed. "You're just terrified."
He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Why would I be scared?"
"Cause she is a fourteen year old girl and you have absolutely no idea of what you're doing?" Mac put her hands on her hips akimbo.
He narrowed his eyes and finally admitted, "Okay, so maybe I feel a little unsure."
"You think?"
"So you got any words of advice?"
"Yes. Actually I do. I have a couple."
"And they are...?"
"First," she said. "Quit expecting so much. You expect her to like school. You expect her to get good marks. You expect her to forgive her father. That's a tall order for someone who's gone through as much as she has. How long has it been? Two months? Give her a break."
"I'm not expecting too much."
"Sure you are. Homework finished, Mattie? What grade did you get, Mattie? Maybe success for Mattie is just making it through the day."
"She's tougher than that."
"You don't know that."
"Fair enough. So maybe I'm expecting too much. Second?"
"Attend Al-anon meetings," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Al-anon. Like Alateen. Support group for families of alcoholics."
He crinkled his eyebrows as he looked at her unbelievingly. "Huh? I'll make sure Mattie goes to Alateen. She's the one that needs help. But I don't have those kinds of problems."
He looked with horror at her when he realized what he had said.
One thing Mac could say about Harm, he usually knew when he put his foot in his mouth. She cut him off before he had a chance to apologize.
"'Those' kind of problems, Harm? No, you don't have 'those kind of problems,'" she said.
"That's not the way I meant it, Mac..."
"You ever think, that maybe, just maybe, you have to go to Al-anon. If you are ever going to help Mattie, you need to understand. Understand what is going on. She has a father who killed her mother just because he couldn't resist the next drink. Do you know what that's like?"
"Mac, I was wrong. I get your point. I'll go..."
Mac turned to leave. "This isn't a game, Harm. Mattie's depends on you. Imagine what might happen to her if you don't follow through?"
Harm stood up from his chair and moved his hand to reach out for her. But Mac didn't stop. She walked out of his office and didn't look back.
Later, she grabbed a heavy law tome from her bookshelves. She opened to the section on fraternization case law. She slipped the small dandelion between the pages and closed it carefully.
"Careful Harm," she whispered to no one. "I'm not a weed."
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Mac/Harm
Spoilers: Take It Like a Man
Authors Notes - Harm makes a tentative step forward. Man, these two characters are complicated!
******************************************************************
1745 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Sarah Mackenzie moved purposely across the bullpen toward her office. Her mental whiteboard was flashing. Her 'to do' list was getting longer.
"Lieutenant, did I get the witness list for the Hughes court-martial?" She glanced back at Harriet before ducking through the door.
"Yes ma'am," said Harriet. "Commander Rabb put it on your desk a few minutes ago."
Mac nodded and headed for her desk. She glanced across the messy surface and snagged the file marked "Hughes." As she started to sit down and flip open the manila cover, something caught her eye. There was a second file underneath. This folder was distinctively marked as classified but bore no case label. Curious, Mac reached over to look inside.
There was a small, unsealed envelope. Mac pulled out a card. There was a picture of the Washington skyline on the cover. Inside, a short message was written in Harm's distinctive style.
'Mac," it said simply. 'Thanks for your help with Mattie.'
It was signed 'Harm.' Mac went to put the card in her desk drawer when she realized that the envelope bulged slightly. Peering inside, she reached in and pulled out a small yellow flower. It was a dandelion.
Mac crinkled her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth turned upward. A dandelion? She shook her head. She checked her mental whiteboard again. She had fifteen minutes before her next appointment appeared. Just enough time to slip down the hall to Harm's.
"Knock, knock," she said leaning against the doorframe of Harm's cramped office. He was sitting at his desk, concentrating on a file. He looked up at the sound of her voice.
"Hi," he smiled at her. "What's up?"
"Thanks for the Hughes witness list," she said. "And the card."
"No problem. And thanks for your help with Mattie."
"What's this?" asked Mac holding up the dandelion. The wilting flower head flopped to one side.
"A dandelion," said Harm.
She smiled wickedly. "I usually get a dozen long-stem roses from men."
"I hope you do," he said. "Doesn't Webb send them?"
"And the significance of this is...?" she asked, waving the little flower.
"Nothing really. When I got out of my car today, I noticed it. Poking up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Early March and nothing is blooming except a small dandelion. It was pretty against the grey concrete."
"Harm, it's a noxious weed."
"You know, last fall they sprayed Round-Up through the JAG grounds to get rid of all the weeds. Yet here it is, back again."
"Dandelions are like that," she said.
"Sure they are. Maybe that's why I like them. They never give up."
"Like someone else I know," she said.
"I just liked it," he repeated.
"Okay," she smiled at him. She bowed slightly in his direction. "Well, thank you for my obstinate dandelion. And the card."
"Sure...Mac?"
"Yes?"
"Got any thoughts on Mattie?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for example, how do you think she is doing?"
"Good, I guess. For a girl who lost her mother; abandoned by her father, lost her business; moved to a new school where she knows no one - I'd say she's doing fantastic."
Harm just stared at her as he contemplated her words.
Mac gave him a look, "Quit doing that."
"Quit doing what?"
"That deer caught in the headlights thing. Every time you are around Mattie or we talk about Mattie, you look scared."
He leaned back in his chair and quickly tried to assume a posture of flyboy arrogance. "I'm not scared," he said.
"Okay," she agreed. "You're just terrified."
He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Why would I be scared?"
"Cause she is a fourteen year old girl and you have absolutely no idea of what you're doing?" Mac put her hands on her hips akimbo.
He narrowed his eyes and finally admitted, "Okay, so maybe I feel a little unsure."
"You think?"
"So you got any words of advice?"
"Yes. Actually I do. I have a couple."
"And they are...?"
"First," she said. "Quit expecting so much. You expect her to like school. You expect her to get good marks. You expect her to forgive her father. That's a tall order for someone who's gone through as much as she has. How long has it been? Two months? Give her a break."
"I'm not expecting too much."
"Sure you are. Homework finished, Mattie? What grade did you get, Mattie? Maybe success for Mattie is just making it through the day."
"She's tougher than that."
"You don't know that."
"Fair enough. So maybe I'm expecting too much. Second?"
"Attend Al-anon meetings," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Al-anon. Like Alateen. Support group for families of alcoholics."
He crinkled his eyebrows as he looked at her unbelievingly. "Huh? I'll make sure Mattie goes to Alateen. She's the one that needs help. But I don't have those kinds of problems."
He looked with horror at her when he realized what he had said.
One thing Mac could say about Harm, he usually knew when he put his foot in his mouth. She cut him off before he had a chance to apologize.
"'Those' kind of problems, Harm? No, you don't have 'those kind of problems,'" she said.
"That's not the way I meant it, Mac..."
"You ever think, that maybe, just maybe, you have to go to Al-anon. If you are ever going to help Mattie, you need to understand. Understand what is going on. She has a father who killed her mother just because he couldn't resist the next drink. Do you know what that's like?"
"Mac, I was wrong. I get your point. I'll go..."
Mac turned to leave. "This isn't a game, Harm. Mattie's depends on you. Imagine what might happen to her if you don't follow through?"
Harm stood up from his chair and moved his hand to reach out for her. But Mac didn't stop. She walked out of his office and didn't look back.
Later, she grabbed a heavy law tome from her bookshelves. She opened to the section on fraternization case law. She slipped the small dandelion between the pages and closed it carefully.
"Careful Harm," she whispered to no one. "I'm not a weed."