Disclaimer: JAG is the property of Donald P. Bellisario, Paramount Pictures, CBS Television and Belisarius Productions. I hope I spelled all of that stuff right.

"Unfinished Business"

by e-dog

Chapter Two: The Past Ten Years

Manderlee

September 23, 2014

Night had fallen on the house known as Manderlee. The shades creaked and the floors squeaked. The paint on the walls was finally chipping away and there was so much dust, someone with allergies would probably have severe outbreaks. Of course, none of that mattered to Harm or Mac. They didn't breathe in air nor did they care for the crappy decor. They figured, since they were ghosts it only seemed fitting they live in a house that looked cold and appalling. And at night, it was definitely chilling.

It was funny, at least to them, how they ended up being ghosts. Trapped for all eternity together in a house after such a rough and trying year. A year where they mostly argued and pretended as if they hadn't been friends for over eight years. Besides officially reconciling their broken friendship, there were some things they wished they could've done before being murdered. For one, Mac never had her day with Clayton Webb. She never officially slapped him for being such an asshole, nor did she have the talk they desperately needed to have. She never had closure. As for Harm, he never fulfilled his promise to Mattie. His adoptive daughter, who was a handful at first but in time became such an important part of his life. He told her he would never abandon her. In such a short time, that promise was shattered.

At some point, they both discussed these issues, conveniently skipping over the real talk they needed to have. They discussed how they weren't given the chance to fix things. So they came up with a theory. They gave it the appropriate name of "Unfinished Business". Mac never set things right with Clay and Harm didn't fulfill his promise to Mattie. Since these things were never accomplished (and their weary souls would never be at ease until they were), they determined that they would be ghosts forever.

As for Simon....he was a totally different issue. Maybe because he killed them, his punishment was to be stuck on the same premises as them for the rest of time. To be forced to watch from a distance, always being reminded of the awful person he was. Another possibility, (which went back to the unfinished business theory), could have been his encounter with Clay. His job had been to obtain information that Clay never disclosed to him. He and Clay still needed to talk and it was quite obvious that would never happen.

It was nights like these that bugged Harm. Always thinking about the past and what should've been done.

It was finally Mac who broke the silence, "You want to light the candles?"

"Sure." Harm flew up to the ceiling and tapped one of the unlit candles in the chandelier. He glanced down and saw Mac had already struck a match which she handed up to him. He grinned and said, "If only we could float when we were alive. Do you know how much space a human being could have in their garage if they rid themselves of ladders?"

"I'm sure there would be lots of space," she agreed and watched as with each candle lit, the more illuminated the dining room became. She giggled and he looked down at her. "Remember the first time we tried to light candles?"

Harm's laugh rumbled through the house as the memory resurfaced in his memory. "Yes, I do, the whole house almost came burning down!"

October 22, 2004

It had been a month since their deaths and the sun was starting to set earlier and earlier. Even after five weeks, it was hard to come to terms with their situation and when night fell the place became even more terrifying. Even still, they knew they had to make the best of it. Mac had become very withdrawn and mostly hid in corners or stared out the window. She didn't want to talk about Webb, about their relationship, about being a ghost. She didn't want to talk about anything. This behavior resulted in more fighting, similar to the arguments they had at JAG. Harm, was just having a hard time reaching her. So whenever he felt they would yell again, he went for walks on the beach trying to remember what it was like to feel the sand between his toes. After floating around on the beach became boring, he found another project to work on.

For about a week, Harm practiced trying to lift physical objects, despite the fact his hand kept going right through them. It was frustrating, but he was determined to move something. He had seen the movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze. Surely, the producers and the writers did some actual research about ghost stories and hauntings. Ghosts could lift physical objects, right?

Of course, Mac argued that it was just a very clever movie effect and that there was no way he could actually do it. Naturally, Harm wouldn't hear it. Neither one of them even believed in ghosts until they became one, so it was worth a try. Plus, he was sick of floating and doing nothing all day and all night. He was sick of fighting with Mac. He wanted to pick up things, maybe find something as a suitable replacement to a football. He wanted to be able to turn the pages in some of the old books in the study so he could read them. Give himself something to do.

Finally, after many nights of trying he was successful in picking up a match. One single match that he wanted to use to give them light and eliminate the darkness.

"You just dropped it again," Mac pointed out to which Harm gave an annoyed sigh.

"I know, Mac, I'm trying...unlike you," he replied, sounding very irritated with her constant pessimistic attitude. He picked up the match again and this time held it longer then 30 seconds before it slipped through his nearly transparent fingers again. It hit the floor with a soft tapping sound and Harm stared at it thoughtfully. He looked up at her and smiled like he was flying an F-14 for the first time. "All I need to do is strike it, fly up to the chandelier and light the candles."

"In less than a minute?" Mac said quietly, but she was highly doubtful. "What if you drop it? What if something catches on fire?"

"Mac, I can't go another night without light," he insisted, a twang of fear in his voice. "I never used to hate the dark until now. I have to try." Without giving it a second thought, Harm picked up the match, struck it and flew up as quickly as he could without letting the tip blow out.

Once up there, he lit one candle and just like Mac predicted he would, he dropped it. Mac instinctively shot her hand out to catch it, even though she had never practiced trying to lift physical objects before. The little fire went through her hand and hit the floor and the old fibers in the carpet immediately took to flame. She began to panic, "I knew this would happen, Harm!"

Harm didn't say anything, feeling incredibly stupid for trying to light candles so soon without enough practice. He flew back down and tried picking up a blanket to smother it out. However, he had never lifted anything heavier than the match so this was becoming quite a challenge. "Mac, help me!"

Without hesitation, she tried to concentrate and help him lift the blanket. The small fire was becoming larger and while Harm was picking up and dropping his end, Mac couldn't grab hold at all. Finally, Harm yelled in frustration and he forced the blanket off the couch and onto the flame. Mac let her jaw drop slightly at this amazing feat. The sudden force of the blanket put the fire out immediately.

Harm stared at the blanket on the floor shocked he was able to move it, then he spotted the lone candle he was able to light. He smiled, "It won't be dark tonight."

To his surprise, he heard Mac suppress a laugh on the floor and he looked down at her, "What?"

"Nothing...," she said, trying to forget it.

"Are you laughing at me?" he asked, starting to get a little upset.

She shook her head no and for the first time a wide smile spread across her face, "It just occurred to me, we're dead! Even if this place burned down, we would be okay!"

Harm smiled with her also seeing the humor in what had just happened. He mostly smiled because she was smiling. He laughed with her and sat on the floor next to her and started to tease her, "You should've seen your face! You looked so scared when that match hit the floor!"

"It wasn't just me!" she jeered at him. "You were all, "Mac help me!". You were just as scared as I was."

"Yes. Yes, I was," Harm admitted and they leaned on each other, finally calming down after that adventure. The little candle on the chandelier flickered above them providing just enough light to put them at ease. Mac then leaned into Harm more, trying to see if she would ever feel safe again. To see if she could ever feel good about herself again. For some reason, she did and it finally hit her.

"Harm. We're dead."

"We have been for a month."

"I know, it's just, I think I'm finally coming to terms with it."

"Me too, Mac. Me too."

September 23, 2014

"That was some night," Harm reminisced, while they sat on the couch, watching the candles flicker around them. "Just think how easy it is now to lift any object." He than looked at her and said more seriously, "That night, you finally gave in to our situation. You finally understood."

"Yeah," she smiled weakly and folded her arms across her chest. "Sometimes I wish it didn't take me so long to get it. Maybe that first month would've been easier for us."

"Mac...," Harm tried to console and moved closer to her.

"No, Harm," Mac stopped him. "It's taken ten years to admit this, but I didn't make it easy for you or myself. I was scared and weak..."

"And whiny," Harm grinned and was relieved when she laughed with him. He wrapped his arm around her and said, "Mac, I understood. I wasn't exactly trying to comfort you either. I wanted to do everything myself. I wanted to make things better and I finally realized after nearly burning the place down that I would need your help to make it through."

She gave him a thoughtful stare but didn't speak again. It was times like these she wished Harm had been this way when they were alive. Some would argue he had always been a gentleman and she was just too blind or too stubborn to see it. Whether they were right or wrong, there was a change in Harm that was now very noticeable and very much appreciated. Harm made a grunting noise and she looked at him worried, "What's wrong?"

"I want to cook you something," he told her, his dull green eyes suddenly looking very bright.

"Cook? Harm, don't even mention food," Mac scolded him. "I used to love to eat and now that we can't, I don't need to be reminded of something I can't have."

"Who said we can't have it?" Harm asked and stood up, heading for the kitchen. "Sure, we can't digest it but it's just taking the action of eating that I miss the most."

"Aw, Harm. What's the point in eating if you can't taste it?" Mac whined and followed him. Once she was in the kitchen she saw Harm rummaging through the cabinets looking at the same tired food that had been in there ten years before. It was old, dusty and probably not worth cooking. She made a disgusted face and said, "Harm, don't even..."

"Remember hamburger, Mac?" he asked, opening more drawers and even the refrigerator. "That nasty, red meat that you love oh so much?"

"Oh, yes....," Mac closed her eyes, already regretting this nostalgic feeling growing inside her. "I could even go for your Meatless Meatloaf right now."

Harm looked over his shoulder and gave a proud smile, "I always knew you liked it! I always knew it was better than toxic waste!"

"No one said I liked it, Harm," she corrected, opening her eyes and shaking her head. "Okay, let's stop this. No more talk about food."

He whimpered a little and shut the doors. He turned to look at her, now quite sad that his quest to cook was at a standstill. He went to say something then saw him again. The enigmatic shadow of Simon went by the kitchen window and over the back porch. Harm and Mac watched him as he hovered, paused for a moment to look inside. Instinctively, Mac moved closer to Harm, keeping a close eye on Simon.

"Let me in," he spoke for the first time in years. His British accent still intact, but it had lost it's appeal. It sounded so passionless. "I'm cold, Sarah. Let me in."

"You're not welcome here, Tanveer," Harm told him with anger seeping into his voice. "Leave."

Simon just gave his trademark grin and vanished on the spot. Mac wanted to feel her heart racing in fear or feel the force of her short breathing, but that didn't come. She could understand her fear of Simon, just couldn't let it translate physically. Harm hugged her tightly, wanting to feel warm. Wanting to feel real comfort. He wanted Simon to go away forever.

She finally spoke up, "He actually said something this time."

"He's a haunted soul, Mac," Harm told her as he pulled the curtains closed on the patio door. "When he does speak, he knows there isn't much to say."

"Why is that?" she asked, feeling she knew the answer already.

"Because no matter what he says, nothing will change," Harm finished and floated up next to her again. "All he's good for now is bugging us."

With that said, Harm left her in the kitchen and he went up the stairs. It was getting late and he wanted to rest. However, that was the one thing he hated most about being a ghost. He was endlessly tired and there was no way to sleep it off. He quickly walked past the bedroom where they were laid to die. They hadn't been back in there since then and neither one of them had any intention of going back in that room. Instead, he went into another room which was fully decorated with fine furniture and a huge king size bed.

He levitated over the bed for a moment then slowly came down on what he assumed were soft pillows and sheets. He closed his eyes knowing sleep wouldn't come, but it was always worth the try. He closed his eyes then heard his name called. For a moment, it sounded like a voice from long ago. His eyes flew open and he called out, "Mattie?"

"No, it's me," Mac chuckled a little, but it was a confused laugh as well. "Who else would it be?"

"Sorry," Harm muttered to himself and made room for her on the bed as well. She laid down next to him and he asked, "What do you want to do for tomorrow?"

"I dunno," she sighed and turned so her back was to him. "I don't want to talk about tomorrow..."

"Understood." He stared at her back wishing she would turn around and talk to him. He had always imagined celebrating a 10th anniversary with Mac....he just never expected it to be of their deaths.

The next morning

September 24, 2014

That morning was sunny and a strong breeze came through a broken window in the back room. It was a beautiful day. Harm wanted to breathe in the salty sea air, but knew better than to try and disappoint himself. He peeked out the window and saw no sign of Tanveer which relieved him. On the anniversary of their death, the last thing he wanted to worry about was Simon.

"So Mac, want to venture out to the beach?" he asked her as he found her sitting on the couch.

"I don't know, Harm. What if Simon decides to show up?" she asked with obvious worry.

"I don't care anymore. I'm sick of avoiding him," Harm shrugged, his cockiness and flyboy style radiating from him. She couldn't help but laugh and decided why not? If things got rough, they could always run back to the house. Simon couldn't come after them inside.

It was mere seconds and they were out on the beach, romping through the sand. To a bystander, it would look like the sand was kicking up by itself. A small, localized sandstorm mimicking the movements of two people dancing. Mac finally stopped and pulled away from Harm, "Okay, why are we celebrating?"

"It's our anniversary!" he shouted and gently grabbed her arm again. "C'mon, Mac. We've been depressed for ten years. Let's change that."

"Harm," Mac sighed and looked out at the endless ocean. "You act like we've been married for the last ten years..."

"Haven't we?" he asked, getting face to face with her again. Forcing her to look at him. "I mean, we've haunted that house together. We've lit candles and learned to pick up objects together. We've fought and played and we even share the same bedroom...."

"That's because neither one of us will set foot in the other bedroom," she smiled at him, looking amused by his logic. His ghostly hand cupped her cheek with care. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, feeling the pressure of his vaporous hand against her airy skin.

She opened her eyes and he said, "If we spend the rest of eternity together, let's make them the happiest years of our lives....well,..." He faltered, feeling embarrassed he couldn't let that come out smooth and suave.

She suppressed a laugh, knowing he was trying his best at being romantic, so she helped him, "How about the best years of our afterlives."

"That works," he smiled.

Mac's face took on a look of consideration and she gave him a soft smile, "I think I would like that."

She thought about what she was going to do, frankly, because she didn't know if it would be possible. Once she made her decision, she slowly walked up to him, leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Once she pulled back, he smiled even more warmly at her. She continued to stare at him as he couldn't stop staring at her and asked, "What?"

"Why do I feel like I waited an eternity for that?" he questioned curiously, but also said jokingly.

"Because you have," she replied with a smile, then added thoughtfully. "We both have."

They stood their a moment, contemplating what had happened. It was hard to believe, but that was the first outright display of affection they had displayed since they died. It was also a strange feeling, kissing someone and not really experiencing it. Harm could feel the pressure of their lips pressing together, but it would never match the true essence of a real kiss. Well, it was better than nothing, of course.

The surf rolled up on the beach and washed over their feet. They looked down watching the water swirl around underneath them. For the first time since dying, they felt calm and refreshed. They were starting anew, sort of. Moving on and trying to make the rest of their timeless existence more bearable. Harm glanced over her shoulder and his eyes widened, "Mac...we should go..."

"Simon?" she asked, looking over her shoulder, but it was too late. Simon was on them quickly, flying over their heads, causing them to duck out of the way. "Let's go, Harm!"

"You pathetic fools," Simon sneered and blocked their paths. "Just let me in the house!"

"Never, Tanveer," Harm almost growled. Simon came at them again, trying to scare them. They both took to the air, heading for the house, but it seemed Simon had grown faster in the past few years and he was quickly on them again. He forced them back down to the sand, where he pinned Harm by shoulders.

"Don't you see? Forgive me for killing you and all will be as it should!" Simon yelled at them. "Aren't you sick of this pointless existence?"

Harm's anger got the best of him as he pushed Simon off with such a force, the dark being was catapulted into the sky. Mac watched as Simon disappeared for a second, but was quickly making a round trip back to them. Harm pulled Mac back towards the house. Simon landed and remained on the beach watching them with frustration on his face. "It's the only way! Forgive me!"

Harm stopped suddenly and turned around, "I will never forgive you for hurting Mac!" Harm then took to the air and flew towards the house and Mac hesitated in following. She watched Simon's expression. She had never noticed it before, but he appeared to be tormented. As if he were truly sorry for his actions, but there was nothing he could do to make them forgive him. She turned away from him and flew to the house after Harm. Even if she considered forgiving him, Simon could be acting and she didn't want to take the chance on trusting him again.

Before she could go through the back door, she heard movement at the gate. She turned around and saw the gate open! Those doors hadn't opened in nearly eight years! Not since the last visit by Mrs. Webb. She had periodically come out with a gardener and housekeeper, trying to keep the place neat. When she had stopped coming, they both assumed she had passed on and that Clay couldn't bear to come back.

Harm also heard the creaking sound of the gate. He rushed out and exclaimed, "Mac! We have company!"

Two young women slowly made their way inside and Harm recognized them instantly, "Jenn and Mattie..."

Mac smiled, "Why are they here? How did they know to come here?"

Harm smiled, "If I know Mattie, she never gave up. She must've pushed for answers...found her way here and brought Jenn along. Do you know what this means?"

"Harm, don't do this...," Mac warned him with a bleak expression. "You know they won't be able to see us."

"How do we know for sure?" Harm tried to convince her. "It's been ten years! Maybe people can see us now!"

"Harm, stop it," Mac grabbed his shoulders. "You just told me we were going to make this experience more enjoyable and now you want to attempt the impossible! We're stuck here...please, don't make this harder."

Harm wanted to try to convince her again, but while they had been arguing, the girls were already at the back door and heading inside.

To be continued....