Title : Where The Sea Meets The Sky
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye' belongs to PAX TV – and I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you.
Rating : G to PG-13
Thanks go to cbw, jtbwriter, beegirl, katydid13, ninjaturtle, capriceann, starryeyes10, kirsten, soonerfan, another tracy, tomcat-all, lori4, carol, eliv.thade, alicia5, fragmentpieces, kesh, claysmvl and chicmns for their reviews. As before, any reviewers I miss between posts will be added to the list for the next chapter!
I have started from this chapter to reply to reviews received each chapter. I realize I have been remiss in not doing this before, and hope this goes someway to apologizing for the oversight. Please, keep me going by continuing to review. Thanks.
Replies to previous chapter reviews :
ninjaturtle Thanks for the support.
katydid13 Thanks for the info. Didn't know about that.
claysmvl) Thanks for the support.
jtbwriter Thank you, as always! Hope you don't get into too much trouble at work!
chicmns Good ideas! I'll try to include them somewhere.
starryeyes10 Thanks for the support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FANTAIL
USS SEA HAWK
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Harm and Mac sat with Mattie in the open space at the fantail of the carrier. The look the two adults shared was one of some trepidation, and Mattie wasn't sure what was going on.
"Guys, what is it? You're scaring me here. Has something happened between you? Or is it the court hearing?"
"Mattie, no…," Harm put out a hand to touch Mattie's cheek. "There's nothing going wrong. In fact, it's good news."
"You could have fooled me," Mattie snorted, adding "…the two of you look like you lost something."
"Harm and I…we…Mattie, we're having a baby!" Mac blurted out, and then bit her lip anxiously as she and Harm waited for the reaction to their news.
"Oh, jeez, I know that!" Mattie surprised them with her comment.
"You do? How?" Both Harm and Mac spoke together, and then added, still together. "Jen!"
"No, it wasn't Jen. I can see for myself; Mac, you've not been eating your usual stuff, y'know…dead animal, and you've kept rubbing your stomach, a lot. And then there's the 'look'."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Harm asked, worried that Mattie might be fretting over the news, keeping her thoughts to herself. "And what look?"
"I figured Mac hadn't told you while we were still in the States, and that it wasn't my place to say anything until you guys did." Mattie answered, and then smiled at the two adults in her life. "And the look is when Mac goes all mushy."
"I do not go 'all mushy'!" Mac protested, but it was only half-hearted, and she gave in and grinned at Mattie. "Blame it on my hormones. This is going to be an interesting few months, folks," Mac added, and then spoke directly to the teenager. "You're okay with the news?" she asked cautiously, and Mattie jumped up and went to put her arms around Mac.
"I think it's great! I have first call on baby-sitting, and I hope you get to enforce proper eating habits, Mac – no rabbit food!"
Both Mac and Harm laughed at that, and then Harm's face became solemn again. Mattie went to sit between the two of them, and took a hand each in hers.
"You were worried I'd be upset at the news," she said, and Harm was surprised at her intuition. He nodded in silence. Mattie leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You made me a promise, Harm, that I'd never be alone again in this world. I never doubted that you'd keep your promise – and besides, Mac told me you always do," Mattie paused and turned to smile at Mac, including her in the conversation.
"You are something else, Mathilda Grace," Harm murmured, leaning to drop a kiss on Mattie's head. Mattie took the opportunity to snuggle into Harm's embrace and stayed there for a few minutes longer, before sitting up again. Harm tipped her chin and looked at her. "Mac's told me everything that happened at school, Mattie. Are you okay with her doing that? And with what went on? If you feel you need to talk to someone about it, we'll arrange it for you."
"Mac was there for me, Harm, and although you weren't in the DC I knew you were with me too. Sue and Jack were great; Mac took me through to see them before we left DC. I wanted to say 'thank you' to them both. It's nice to know they're looking out for me too. Between all of you, I have everything I need. Things are still going to happen, Harm, but now I know I don't have to deal with them on my own."
"You've got that right, Mattie. No matter what, you're part of us now." Harm pulled Mattie into another hug, looking at Mac as he did so.
"We have a lot to be thankful for," Mac murmured, and Harm nodded, taking her hand in his and squeezing her fingers gently.
TEMPORARY VOQ CABIN
USS SEA HAWK
SOMEWHERE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Mattie had been invited by Louise Walters to spend some more time discussing what Mattie had to look forward to as a future naval recruit, and so Mac was alone in the cabin. At the call of 'male personnel on deck' she smiled to herself, wondering which poor male ensign had been sent onto the deck of the female quarters. At the sound of knocking, Mac jumped a little, and then went to open the hatch. Both Harm and Sturgis stood outside.
"Hey, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Mac asked, inviting the two men into the cabin. "If you're looking for Mattie, Harm, she's gone with Ensign Walters."
Harm shook his head, and at the serious look on his face Mac glanced between the two men. "I have to go up again this afternoon, Mac. There was an alert earlier that has just been stepped up."
"What's going on? Do we need to get Mattie off the carrier?"
"Mattie's fine for now. We're still clear to go to Bahrain tomorrow, so the original flight schedule stands. Mattie will be traveling back with Sturgis. I need you to do me a favor. With the time difference I'm going to be airborne when it's 0900 in DC, and so I want you to get in touch with Jack, and with Gibbs at NCIS. There's a threat of attack on the capitals of the Gulf countries. I just want to know if either of them have anything related."
Sturgis shook his head, a smile on his face. Mac caught his expression and smiled back at him.
"What's so funny, Sturgis?"
"You two. It's been a while since we've all been on a carrier together," Sturgis didn't mention that it had been a while since they had all been on speaking terms together, "…and I had forgotten just how well you work together. Not to mention the people you know these days. The last person I would have expected you to be this chummy with would be Special Agent Gibbs."
Harm grinned at Mac and then answered Sturgis.
"Gibbs isn't so bad when you get to know him, Sturg, and we worked so well before, it seems only fair to give him a chance to work with us again."
"Does Captain Johnson know about you doing this? And do I tell the Admiral?" Mac asked.
"No, and no. It's just courtesy right now. The intel had to have been generated from the Pentagon in the first place, so DC sources will have first details. Mac, one other thing, about your court martial…"
"What about it? The guy is as guilty as they come. The fact that he isn't talking only adds to his demise in the navy. It's relatively open and shut, he got posted, decided he liked shore life better, and kept one step ahead of the authorities, until he was caught."
"Send Gibbs a copy of his file photo to run on their system, and let Jack know. I hope I'm wrong, but I get the strangest feeling that he's hiding something. It won't affect the court martial outcome either way, and if there is something we can work it out after the verdict."
"You're having Mac's premonitions now?" Sturgis groaned, and both Mac and Harm turned to look at him. Shrugging his shoulders he grinned. "There's something going on with you two, other than the obvious, and I'm going to find out what it is."
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Harm asked Mac, who shrugged and grinned.
"Haven't the faintest," she replied, smiling at Sturgis. "Oh, by the way, you might be interested to hear who's on board."
"Not Dunstan?" Harm raised an eyebrow, waiting for Mac to confirm his suspicions.
"Yep. The very same. Louise – Ensign Walters – told me when she came to get Mattie. Also, there's going to be a little surprise going away party for Mattie. Louise gave me a message from Captain Johnson. It would appear she's made quite an impression in the very short time she's been here, Harm, and her apparent natural affinity to flying has only made that impression stronger. Your relationship to her is the icing on the proverbial cake."
"I had no idea…" Harm murmured, an expression of happiness and pride marking his handsome features, and a hint of smugness too. Mac caught that extra hint, and went to give him a hug, which he returned without hesitation. Sturgis dipped his head slightly, to give them the slightest privacy possible in the confines of the small cabin.
"Okay, time out." Sturgis commented, laughing, and the pair separated, laughing too. "Listen, guys, don't you think that if Gibbs is involved in getting you information, he's going to wonder why you haven't informed the Admiral?"
"Possibly." Harm nodded, admitting as much to himself. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, looking at Mac.
"What?" she asked, wondering what Harm's idea might be.
"Ask Sue to contact Gibbs instead, make out she's asking him for a favor. Gibbs is quite taken with Sue's talents, and I'm sure he'd think nothing of her asking, rather than us."
"You're devious, Rabb, but I like it. I'll direct the call to Sue; she'll let Jack know the details after." Harm nodded as Mac spoke, winking at her comment on his deviousness.
"Okay. I'm going to have to make a move."
"Be safe," Mac murmured, and Harm nodded, watching as she made the familiar sign for 'I Love You', which Harm returned. If Sturgis saw anything, he didn't say. Mac turned and looked at Sturgis, her voice holding just a hint of a wobble as she spoke. "I'll come to the JAG office with you. I can make the call to Sue from there."
"I'll enjoy the company. Glennan is okay, but not very talkative."
"He's going through a bad patch, Sturgis. His mother has cancer and she had a scare recently. He gave me the impression he could be a fun guy otherwise."
"That's why he requested a delay in deployment?" Sturgis enquired, and Mac nodded in assent. "It explains a lot," Sturgis added.
The three of them left the cabin and walked towards the JAG office, with Harm leaving them for the briefing room on the way.
OFFICER'S MESS
USS SEA HAWK
SAME TIME
Stuart Dunstan looked up as the two young women entered the mess hall. Louise poured two cups of tea for herself and Mattie, and they took seats at a nearby table.
Mattie was cautious, aware that Dunstan was looking at her with open curiosity, and Louise caught her sudden wariness.
"Mattie, if you want, we can go to my quarters to talk."
"No. I'm okay." Mattie looked across at Dunstan. "Excuse me, sir, but would you mind not staring at me?" Others present in the room turned to look as Mattie spoke.
Dunstan smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind in the least. If you don't mind, the last I heard, the US Navy didn't send kids for active duty on board carriers."
Mattie and Louise together turned away from the reporter's gaze. As Dunstan rose from his seat to go across to them, a familiar figure entered the room.
"Mattie! Glad I found you…" Harm started to speak, and then realized just who was approaching Mattie and Louise. "Dunstan!" he muttered, and scowled darkly.
"Hiya, Commander. Good to see you too." Dunstan looked between Mattie and Harm, and grinned. "I feel a story coming on," he added. "Care to comment?"
Mattie got to her feet and both she and Harm faced Dunstan. "No!" they said loudly together.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye' belongs to PAX TV – and I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you.
Rating : G to PG-13
Thanks go to cbw, jtbwriter, beegirl, katydid13, ninjaturtle, capriceann, starryeyes10, kirsten, soonerfan, another tracy, tomcat-all, lori4, carol, eliv.thade, alicia5, fragmentpieces, kesh, claysmvl and chicmns for their reviews. As before, any reviewers I miss between posts will be added to the list for the next chapter!
I have started from this chapter to reply to reviews received each chapter. I realize I have been remiss in not doing this before, and hope this goes someway to apologizing for the oversight. Please, keep me going by continuing to review. Thanks.
Replies to previous chapter reviews :
ninjaturtle Thanks for the support.
katydid13 Thanks for the info. Didn't know about that.
claysmvl) Thanks for the support.
jtbwriter Thank you, as always! Hope you don't get into too much trouble at work!
chicmns Good ideas! I'll try to include them somewhere.
starryeyes10 Thanks for the support.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FANTAIL
USS SEA HAWK
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Harm and Mac sat with Mattie in the open space at the fantail of the carrier. The look the two adults shared was one of some trepidation, and Mattie wasn't sure what was going on.
"Guys, what is it? You're scaring me here. Has something happened between you? Or is it the court hearing?"
"Mattie, no…," Harm put out a hand to touch Mattie's cheek. "There's nothing going wrong. In fact, it's good news."
"You could have fooled me," Mattie snorted, adding "…the two of you look like you lost something."
"Harm and I…we…Mattie, we're having a baby!" Mac blurted out, and then bit her lip anxiously as she and Harm waited for the reaction to their news.
"Oh, jeez, I know that!" Mattie surprised them with her comment.
"You do? How?" Both Harm and Mac spoke together, and then added, still together. "Jen!"
"No, it wasn't Jen. I can see for myself; Mac, you've not been eating your usual stuff, y'know…dead animal, and you've kept rubbing your stomach, a lot. And then there's the 'look'."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Harm asked, worried that Mattie might be fretting over the news, keeping her thoughts to herself. "And what look?"
"I figured Mac hadn't told you while we were still in the States, and that it wasn't my place to say anything until you guys did." Mattie answered, and then smiled at the two adults in her life. "And the look is when Mac goes all mushy."
"I do not go 'all mushy'!" Mac protested, but it was only half-hearted, and she gave in and grinned at Mattie. "Blame it on my hormones. This is going to be an interesting few months, folks," Mac added, and then spoke directly to the teenager. "You're okay with the news?" she asked cautiously, and Mattie jumped up and went to put her arms around Mac.
"I think it's great! I have first call on baby-sitting, and I hope you get to enforce proper eating habits, Mac – no rabbit food!"
Both Mac and Harm laughed at that, and then Harm's face became solemn again. Mattie went to sit between the two of them, and took a hand each in hers.
"You were worried I'd be upset at the news," she said, and Harm was surprised at her intuition. He nodded in silence. Mattie leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You made me a promise, Harm, that I'd never be alone again in this world. I never doubted that you'd keep your promise – and besides, Mac told me you always do," Mattie paused and turned to smile at Mac, including her in the conversation.
"You are something else, Mathilda Grace," Harm murmured, leaning to drop a kiss on Mattie's head. Mattie took the opportunity to snuggle into Harm's embrace and stayed there for a few minutes longer, before sitting up again. Harm tipped her chin and looked at her. "Mac's told me everything that happened at school, Mattie. Are you okay with her doing that? And with what went on? If you feel you need to talk to someone about it, we'll arrange it for you."
"Mac was there for me, Harm, and although you weren't in the DC I knew you were with me too. Sue and Jack were great; Mac took me through to see them before we left DC. I wanted to say 'thank you' to them both. It's nice to know they're looking out for me too. Between all of you, I have everything I need. Things are still going to happen, Harm, but now I know I don't have to deal with them on my own."
"You've got that right, Mattie. No matter what, you're part of us now." Harm pulled Mattie into another hug, looking at Mac as he did so.
"We have a lot to be thankful for," Mac murmured, and Harm nodded, taking her hand in his and squeezing her fingers gently.
TEMPORARY VOQ CABIN
USS SEA HAWK
SOMEWHERE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Mattie had been invited by Louise Walters to spend some more time discussing what Mattie had to look forward to as a future naval recruit, and so Mac was alone in the cabin. At the call of 'male personnel on deck' she smiled to herself, wondering which poor male ensign had been sent onto the deck of the female quarters. At the sound of knocking, Mac jumped a little, and then went to open the hatch. Both Harm and Sturgis stood outside.
"Hey, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Mac asked, inviting the two men into the cabin. "If you're looking for Mattie, Harm, she's gone with Ensign Walters."
Harm shook his head, and at the serious look on his face Mac glanced between the two men. "I have to go up again this afternoon, Mac. There was an alert earlier that has just been stepped up."
"What's going on? Do we need to get Mattie off the carrier?"
"Mattie's fine for now. We're still clear to go to Bahrain tomorrow, so the original flight schedule stands. Mattie will be traveling back with Sturgis. I need you to do me a favor. With the time difference I'm going to be airborne when it's 0900 in DC, and so I want you to get in touch with Jack, and with Gibbs at NCIS. There's a threat of attack on the capitals of the Gulf countries. I just want to know if either of them have anything related."
Sturgis shook his head, a smile on his face. Mac caught his expression and smiled back at him.
"What's so funny, Sturgis?"
"You two. It's been a while since we've all been on a carrier together," Sturgis didn't mention that it had been a while since they had all been on speaking terms together, "…and I had forgotten just how well you work together. Not to mention the people you know these days. The last person I would have expected you to be this chummy with would be Special Agent Gibbs."
Harm grinned at Mac and then answered Sturgis.
"Gibbs isn't so bad when you get to know him, Sturg, and we worked so well before, it seems only fair to give him a chance to work with us again."
"Does Captain Johnson know about you doing this? And do I tell the Admiral?" Mac asked.
"No, and no. It's just courtesy right now. The intel had to have been generated from the Pentagon in the first place, so DC sources will have first details. Mac, one other thing, about your court martial…"
"What about it? The guy is as guilty as they come. The fact that he isn't talking only adds to his demise in the navy. It's relatively open and shut, he got posted, decided he liked shore life better, and kept one step ahead of the authorities, until he was caught."
"Send Gibbs a copy of his file photo to run on their system, and let Jack know. I hope I'm wrong, but I get the strangest feeling that he's hiding something. It won't affect the court martial outcome either way, and if there is something we can work it out after the verdict."
"You're having Mac's premonitions now?" Sturgis groaned, and both Mac and Harm turned to look at him. Shrugging his shoulders he grinned. "There's something going on with you two, other than the obvious, and I'm going to find out what it is."
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Harm asked Mac, who shrugged and grinned.
"Haven't the faintest," she replied, smiling at Sturgis. "Oh, by the way, you might be interested to hear who's on board."
"Not Dunstan?" Harm raised an eyebrow, waiting for Mac to confirm his suspicions.
"Yep. The very same. Louise – Ensign Walters – told me when she came to get Mattie. Also, there's going to be a little surprise going away party for Mattie. Louise gave me a message from Captain Johnson. It would appear she's made quite an impression in the very short time she's been here, Harm, and her apparent natural affinity to flying has only made that impression stronger. Your relationship to her is the icing on the proverbial cake."
"I had no idea…" Harm murmured, an expression of happiness and pride marking his handsome features, and a hint of smugness too. Mac caught that extra hint, and went to give him a hug, which he returned without hesitation. Sturgis dipped his head slightly, to give them the slightest privacy possible in the confines of the small cabin.
"Okay, time out." Sturgis commented, laughing, and the pair separated, laughing too. "Listen, guys, don't you think that if Gibbs is involved in getting you information, he's going to wonder why you haven't informed the Admiral?"
"Possibly." Harm nodded, admitting as much to himself. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, looking at Mac.
"What?" she asked, wondering what Harm's idea might be.
"Ask Sue to contact Gibbs instead, make out she's asking him for a favor. Gibbs is quite taken with Sue's talents, and I'm sure he'd think nothing of her asking, rather than us."
"You're devious, Rabb, but I like it. I'll direct the call to Sue; she'll let Jack know the details after." Harm nodded as Mac spoke, winking at her comment on his deviousness.
"Okay. I'm going to have to make a move."
"Be safe," Mac murmured, and Harm nodded, watching as she made the familiar sign for 'I Love You', which Harm returned. If Sturgis saw anything, he didn't say. Mac turned and looked at Sturgis, her voice holding just a hint of a wobble as she spoke. "I'll come to the JAG office with you. I can make the call to Sue from there."
"I'll enjoy the company. Glennan is okay, but not very talkative."
"He's going through a bad patch, Sturgis. His mother has cancer and she had a scare recently. He gave me the impression he could be a fun guy otherwise."
"That's why he requested a delay in deployment?" Sturgis enquired, and Mac nodded in assent. "It explains a lot," Sturgis added.
The three of them left the cabin and walked towards the JAG office, with Harm leaving them for the briefing room on the way.
OFFICER'S MESS
USS SEA HAWK
SAME TIME
Stuart Dunstan looked up as the two young women entered the mess hall. Louise poured two cups of tea for herself and Mattie, and they took seats at a nearby table.
Mattie was cautious, aware that Dunstan was looking at her with open curiosity, and Louise caught her sudden wariness.
"Mattie, if you want, we can go to my quarters to talk."
"No. I'm okay." Mattie looked across at Dunstan. "Excuse me, sir, but would you mind not staring at me?" Others present in the room turned to look as Mattie spoke.
Dunstan smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind in the least. If you don't mind, the last I heard, the US Navy didn't send kids for active duty on board carriers."
Mattie and Louise together turned away from the reporter's gaze. As Dunstan rose from his seat to go across to them, a familiar figure entered the room.
"Mattie! Glad I found you…" Harm started to speak, and then realized just who was approaching Mattie and Louise. "Dunstan!" he muttered, and scowled darkly.
"Hiya, Commander. Good to see you too." Dunstan looked between Mattie and Harm, and grinned. "I feel a story coming on," he added. "Care to comment?"
Mattie got to her feet and both she and Harm faced Dunstan. "No!" they said loudly together.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued