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 Seven: Mischief Night
10:43 am
Manderlee
October 30, 2014
Mattie pulled out her Halloween costume and grinned. She was going to be a big, fluffy grey cat. She had make-up so she could draw on whiskers and black up her nose. She couldn't wait until the party tonight so she could put it on. Another reason she couldn't wait for the party was because that signaled the arrival of Little AJ Roberts. So far, Mattie had been successful in communicating with Harm and Mac, but she wanted more than pencil and paper as their only means of conversing. She was able to speak with AJ a week ago about her dilemma and he promised he would try and research ways to help her. Mattie had been so close to seeing Harm that night Simon attacked Jason, so she knew it was possible.
She felt a chill in her room and froze for a moment. She wasn't necessarily scared anymore, just worried. After Clay literally dropped dead on their porch, she hadn't heard from either Harm nor Mac. Hopefully, that strange chill meant one of them was in the room. That's when she remembered something.
She fished in a store bag for her new dry erase board. It was something new for Harm or Mac to write on when they needed to talk. Mattie didn't always have her computer on and she didn't always have paper handy either. She tacked it to a random place on the wall, then called out, "Harm? Mac? You there?"
She waited for a moment, then sighed, "C'mon guys. You haven't written anything to anyone in nearly five days. Are you okay?"
It was times like these Mattie wondered if Harm kept silent to irk her. To purposely make her think she had been hallucinating all this time and that their ghosts were just her imagination. Then she saw the marker lift up and the cap snap off. His scribble covered the board and wrote:
Sorry, Mattie. Mac's been taking Clay's death pretty hard.
Mattie thought about that, then added, "Well, that explains what her problem is, but what about you? I doubt Clay is on your mind too..."
Harm stood there, holding the marker somewhat loosely. He was thinking about what to say, then wrote:
Actually, he is on my mind.
Mattie frowned in confusion, not knowing Harm cared that deeply for Clay. She was aware that they were "friends", but not so close that Harm would lose sleep over the guy. Harm saw her confusion and tried to elaborate. He erased his previous messages and wrote: Clay's death was a shock because he was able to move on, while she remained a ghost. We thought if Mac and Clay talked again, it would bring closure.
Mattie looked even more bewildered and asked, "He's not a ghost like you?"
Harm sadly wrote: No. He's not. Look, I'm going to find Mac. We'll talk soon.
Harm placed the marker down on the night stand before he reluctantly floated out of the bedroom. He knew Mattie was concerned, but there was absolutely nothing she could do to help, so there was no need to drag her into their problems any further. He left her room behind him, floating down the stairs and ducking to miss the numerous strands of fake cobwebs and Halloween decorations. Jenn was really going all out...and hurting Jason's wallet buying all the food, Halloween theme napkins and plates, a string of pumpkin lights and loads of candy. And now the house was covered in all these cobweb things. Harm paused and looked around. The house looked more ridiculous then it did spooky.
He found Mac sitting at the table, stringing popcorn. It surprised him he could find her so easily. Ever since Clay left this world, Harm had to search high and low for hours before he could ever find out where she was hiding. Maybe she was ready to talk to him now, so he floated over and asked, "Did Jenn want you to do that?"
She looked up startled, obviously unaware of his presence. She gave a weak grin and admitted while holding up the string, "No. I thought I would surprise her before she came back from the store."
"She went to the store again? Doesn't she have enough...stuff?" Harm laughed, waving his hands around and pointing at all the decorations. Mac laughed in agreement and he took a seat at the table next to her, finding it was safe to approach her. He gently took the string of popcorn from her hands and forced her to look at him. "I'm worried about you."
"You shouldn't be," she told him, trying to stay indifferent. Trying to look as if she were truly okay. She knew she was doing a horrible job because Harm wouldn't stop staring at her.
He gazed at her with soft, thoughtful eyes. A baffled smile tugged at his lips as he corrected her, "No, Mac. I should be worried. If I didn't worry about you, than what kind of friend would I be?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," she said slowly and pushed stray strands of her hair behind her ears.
Harm took this as an opportunity to get back at her and repeated, "Well, you said and you meant it. You can't take it back."
She paused, recognizing the words as her own. It was what she had told him on the beach the day Harm scared Jason by starting the car. She just nodding acknowledging his comment. "Okay, let's just end this now. I'm sorry I yelled at you for scaring Jason."
"And I'm sorry for what I said. About you being joined to my hip for all eternity," he apologized as well and added, "So we're okay?"
"We're okay," she nodded, looking relieved that day was finally behind them. She then looked at him and said, "I appreciate that you care. But I'm okay now. You can stop worrying."
"I highly doubt your okay, Jarhead," he chuckled while she gave him a perplexed look. He returned the look and asked, "What?"
"You called me, Jarhead," she shrugged, looking somewhat amused now. "It's just...you haven't called me that in years."
He nodded in agreement and confirmed, "You're right. I haven't...if you don't want me to..."
"No, you can call me that," she nodded, approving of the revived nickname. "Brings back good memories. It's good to feel good again."
That friendly, strong smile of his finally spread across his face in full force as he gently rubbed her shoulder in reassurance. There was just something about that expression that she couldn't help but smile back at him. For that long moment, everything was alright. It was just Harm and Mac, sitting at the table, grinning goofily at each other and the rest of the world was moving on without them. Then just as quickly as he could make everything better, he ruined it. He removed his hand from her shoulder and asked, "You know I have to ask this, so don't get mad...Are you really okay with what happened with Webb?"
She sighed. Moments of perfect euphoria have to come to an end sometime. She looked at him and gave the most convincing response she could muster, "I'm really okay."
"Just to let you know, it scared me too," he pointed out, to which she nodded in understanding. Still not convinced he continued, "The fact that Webb wasn't your ticket to peace has made me second guess my thoughts about Mattie. Now I get the feeling that we're..."
"Missing the bigger picture?" she finished for him.
He nodded with a smile and playfully threatened, "Stop finishing my sentences."
"Stop starting mine," she smiled, finishing the cliche. They laughed, trying to concentrate on finishing the strings, but the issue at hand still hung in the air. She took on a more serious tone again and commented, "If Webb wasn't my 'unfinished business', then what am I missing?"
"He told you, the answer lies within yourself," Harm shrugged, stringing more popcorn. "You just have to figure out what that is."
"I guess," she sighed and started a new string of popcorn. They sat in silence for several minutes, stringing the popcorn and pondering what could possibly be keeping them in this meaningless existence. Then a possibility entered Mac's mind that made her cringe. She reluctantly suggested to him, "What if Simon is right?"
"About forgiving him?" Harm looked up, surprised Mac would even suggest it. He shook his head no, refusing to believe that was the truth. "No way, Mac. He's just looking for a way out. He could care less about our eternal peace."
"Okay, then talk to Mattie," Mac told him. "Ask her if she hates you for abandoning her."
"What? Mac! No!" Harm immediately refused. "If that works, than I leave you behind..."
"Harm, don't make me your excuse to have what you've always wanted," she said quietly, starting to look somewhat guilty. "When Clay died, I tried to reconcile with him. And even though you suggested I talk to him, what if it had worked? Than I could've left you behind..."
It finally dawned on Harm what was really bothering Mac. It wasn't Clay dying or the fact that she never crossed over. She felt guilty for even considering leaving him here, as a ghost, by himself. He leaned forward and said softly, "Mac, you and I both know you gave it a lot of thought. If I were in your position, I would've gone too."
"Really?" she asked skeptical, but feeling slightly better Harm wasn't angry with her.
He paused, then admitted reluctantly, "Actually...no."
"You always know what to say to make me feel so much better," she sighed heavily and tried to say it with sarcasm. However, her attempt fell flat and she put down her finished popcorn string.
"You didn't let me finish," Harm pushed and continued. "Even though reconciliation with Mattie is something I've always wanted...
Before he could say another word, some ruckus at the front door stopped his efforts. Within seconds, Harm watched Jenn rush in with more bags and was setting them on the kitchen island. Harm returned his attention to Mac to finish, but she was gone. He rose from the table and decided to head out to the beach. Mac wanted space and now he wanted some alone time too.
He left just as Jenn turned around to call Jason. She than spotted the finished popcorn strings on the table. Mattie bounded in, looking for food and started searching the new grocery bags.
"Mattie?" Jenn asked and lifted up the strings. "Did you do this?"
"I've been asleep all morning..." she replied, not paying attention and opened a bag of cookies.
"Oh," Jenn said quietly and looked around, wondering if Harm and Mac were around. If Mattie was asleep and they were gone all morning...one of them had to do it. She shivered at the thought of ghosts again and tried to tell herself it was okay. They were good ghosts. They were Harm and Mac. Nothing to worry about.
"Mattie!" Jason snatched the bag of cookies away and looked very annoyed. Shopping with Jenn just wasn't his favorite activity and all he wanted now was to sleep. He closed up the bag and continued to scold, "I bought these for the party...not just for you."
"But I'll be at the party, so I'll eat them anyway!" she argued, but gave up rather easily as Jason glared at her really hard. She cautiously walked by him and mumbled, "I guess someone crossed paths with a black cat today....sheesh..."
Jason grabbed at his hair and said to himself, "Why did I think living in a house with two other women was a good idea?"
He started unpacking more groceries and yelped in pain when Jenn smacked the back of his head. He whined as she smiled sweetly and reminded him, "You are married to one of those women, remember?"
"I also forgot she has amazing hearing," he joked and rubbed the back of his head.
6:30 p.m.
Manderlee
October 30, 2014
Harm lost track of time and when he arrived back at the house, numerous cars had already littered the front yard and driveway. The party had started without him. He could hear all the noise and wished he wasn't just going to observe. He entered the house and immediately came face to face with a large Pooh Bear...With Former Gunnery Sgt. Victor Galindez's head sticking out the front. Harm stifled a laugh at the sight of his old friend, covered in bright yellow, a little red shirt and carrying a fake jar of honey. Mac approached with the hugest grin and explained, "He lost a bet to Jason. The loser had to dress up as Pooh Bear while the winner was able to wear whatever costume he chose."
"Oh," Harm laughed harder as Gunny walked past them, looking very embarrassed/disappointed. Harm shook his head and exclaimed, "I can't believe those two are still competing!"
"Some things never change," Mac commented, as she tugged on his arm to follow her. "C'mon, you should see who else is here."
They walked past Jason who was calling out to Gunny, "Hey, Gunny! Harriet was making some tea and was wondering where all the honey went!"
The crowd laughed and Gunny put on a mock face of anger and pointed at Jason, "I'm going to kill you Tiner! You think you're so funny!"
Jason (who had dressed as a mobster from Goodfellas), pulled his fake gun out and threatened, "You think I'm funny? Funny how?"
More people laughed at his bad impression of Joe Pesci's character and the two ghosts couldn't help but laugh right along with them. After that display was over, Mac led Harm into the family room, where the couch had been pushed out of the way making the floor much more spacious. Harm stared on in a daze, as he saw old faces and new. Granted, most of them had on make-up, but he could still make out who they were. He pointed as he laughed, "It's Chegwidden! He's dressed as one of the Boston Red Sox!"
"Yeah, I asked Mattie about that," Mac grinned. "Apparently, they beat that 80 year old curse and won the World Series about a month after we died. They've been a hard team to beat ever since."
"You're kidding?" Harm said, looking very unbelieving of the whole idea. He didn't follow too many sports, but he knew the Sox hadn't won a championship in quite a long time. Harm folded his arms across his chest and whistled, "Our old boss is showing his age."
"He sure is," Mac agreed as they viewed the hunched form of their lanky CO. It seemed that smile he had plastered on his face at his retirement was still there though. And his voice hadn't changed. They listened to him speak, his hands doing a lot of the talking. If he barked an order right now, they both would stand to attention and pray for their lives. They shifted their eyes and found another familiar face. "Look, it's Sturgis and Varise!"
"Well, if their still together after all this time, they must be married," Harm concluded, viewing their Halloween costumes. Sturgis, not being very creative, was an old Western Cowboy. He had on a ridiculously large ten gallon hat on his head and shiny star on his chest. He had either grown a mustache or was wearing a fake one, they couldn't tell. It was really too dark to make out the details. He also wore a belt that had a holster on the side and a fake gun resting in it. Varise on the other hand dressed as an Egyptian Queen. The dark make-up accented her eyes, making them look very narrow and long. Her dress was gold and blue and she wore a small headdress. It was obvious more planning went into her costume.
A large, grey cat bounded by them followed by a vampire. Harm knew the cat was Mattie and eventually discovered the vampire was Little AJ. Jimmy was hot on their tails, dressed as...you guessed it. Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise and he didn't look overly thrilled to be wearing it. Somehow, Harm figured that Bud convinced his son to wear the costume. Jimmy's hair was even combed in the same way. Simultaneously Harm and Mac muttered, "Poor Jimmy..."
They looked at each other and laughed. Judging by the costumes, decorations, food and good company, tonight was already proving to be very interesting. Little did they know just how interesting the night would turn out...
10:30 pm
October 30, 2014
The "Monster Mash" played on the stereo and there was still so much food left, people couldn't help but try to put a dent in it. As much as Mattie wanted to stuff her face, it was time to get down to business. It was after all, Mischief Night. She had a feeling her antics with Little AJ would draw some attention, so she would do her best to keep them as private as possible. The vampire she was looking for stood at the punch bowl, his long, black and red cape wrapped around him and his spiky, dark hair sticking straight up. He had dyed his hair black, much to the dismay of his mother.
"AJ," she called and he immediately turned around grinning his bloody, pointy teeth at her. She knew it would be good to call him AJ and not Little AJ. She wanted him to know she was taking him seriously.
He grinned his pointy teeth at her and asked excitedly, "Is it time?"
"Yeah, c'mon, we'll go out back. Where I saw them fighting," she suggested as they wove their way through the party goers. Unbeknownst to them, they brushed by Harm who had been watching the poker match between his old buddies, Gunny, Sturgis, AJ and Bud. So far, AJ was having the upper hand...probably because he used to be the boss of everyone at the table. At one point, Bud (who had dressed as a werewolf) folded even though he could have clearly beaten everyone at the table. Harm watched the two younger people leave the room and nobody noticed but him. Suddenly,Mattie and Little AJseemed more interesting then this one-sided poker game and he followed them out.
"Right here?" AJ asked, standing in the exact same spot Harm and Simon fought nearly a month ago.
"Yep, right there. That's where I saw them," Mattie confirmed, taking off her cat mask and setting it on the porch. She didn't need to be in costume for this. "There's something else too. I never told Harm this, but when I was watching them, he told me to get inside."
Little AJ stared at her in disbelief and removed his pointy vampire teeth in surprise. He gasped and repeated, "You could hear him say, Get inside?"
She nodded and watched as his face illuminated with excitement. He jumped up and down, did some weird dance and ran up to her and exclaimed, "Mattie! You're a medium!"
"A what?" she asked, stepping backwards in surprise at his enthusiasm. "What's a medium?"
"You don't know?" he looked at her like she had two heads.
"No, I'm not a paranormal-ologist," she scoffed.
Little AJ rolled his eyes and said, "You're not a Parapsychologist. Parapsychology is real, just so you know." He stepped away from her, back to the designated spot and pointed at it, "If you saw and heard Harm right here, it means you can really contact the dead. You're a medium. An individual who can 'see', 'hear', and 'communicate' with the dead. Wow, this is great."
"Freaky," Mattie mumbled, unaware of this ability she had. Then another question arose, "If I can do that, why can't I do it all the time?"
"Well, that I don't know," Little AJ shrugged, which received a look of disappointment from Mattie.
"You don't know? You're supposed to be an expert on this!" Mattie pointed at him and he held up his hands in defense.
"Wait! There are just some things that can't be explained!" he told her. "I can give you definitions, I can tell the difference between this and that. I can even find different tools to contact the dead, but I can't explain the connection between a medium and other ghosts! That is just something completely beyond human comprehension!"
"Well, that helps me a lot, thanks," Mattie huffed, throughly disappointed but knew Little AJ could help her no more. Her ears perked up however when she heard an eerie tune. Harm who had been watching, could hear it too and he immediately recognized it.
"But the swagman, he up and he jumped in the waterhole...," sang the dark ghost from a distance. The voice was chilling and uninviting. Harm hugged himself, not ready for another fight with Simon. The last quarrel really drained him. He wasn't sure he could protect Mattie this time around.
Mattie looked around frightened and pulled on Little AJ's arm. "We should go inside..."
"Why?" AJ asked as they rushed back to the house. "Is it a ghost? What is it Mattie?"
"Not so fast, love!" Simon stood in front of her suddenly, blocking her path. He watched in amusement as she dropped her jaw in shock. She could see him. His entire form. His worn out suit and shoes, his scruffy hair. The blood stains on his dress shirt that never washed away. And then that dark look in his eyes.
He smiled wickedly at her and asked, "Don't you want to know the secret?"
"What secret?" Mattie asked, but Little AJ had no idea what was she was talking about or who she was seeing. He hid behind her, his eyes searching for whatever was out there with them. He had always had a little doubt that ghosts existed...that was until Mattie mentioned Aunty Mac. Now this...if this was a joke on her part...he would kill her.
"The secret behind why you can see me," he told her and moved closer to her, forcing her and Little AJ to back up. "Don't you want to know?"
"Simon!" Harm warned as he floated towards them. "I told you to leave them alone."
"Here we go," Simon mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes. He whirled around to face Harm and said, "I told you unless you forgive me, there could be some accidents."
"You're either my friend or my enemy," Harm narrowed his eyes. "Make up your mind."
"Mattie!" AJ whispered harshly, shaking her. "Do you see them? Do you see Harm and Mac?"
"I see Harm," Mattie confirmed, but left out the fact she could see Simon too. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but Simon seemed to be darkening. Becoming more solid, his face expressing more anger and frustration.
Simon disappeared for whatever reason and Harm quickly flew up to her and asked, "You're okay?"
"Yeah, I guess...," she squeaked. Than Simon returned with the reason why he disappeared. He was holding a rope he found in the shed. Before Harm could stop him, he quickly bumpedhim out of the way. Harm's ghostly form was pushed backwards so hard, he flew through the windshield of a park car, landing in the backseat.
Simon laughed wickedly and then rapidly flew around behind Mattie. He whipped Little AJ with the rope to make him back away. The young boy whimpered in pain, holding his arm. He was also terrified, unaware of where the attack had come from. Simon than finally wrapped the rope around Mattie's neck and pulled. She gasped for air and pulled at the rope trying to free herself.
"Simon!" Harm bellowed, after making it out of the car. He made his way towards the dark ghost.
"Any closer, Harmon and I hang her by her neck!" Simon threatened.
Little AJ stood there shocked at first, watching the rope tighten around Mattie's neck. He then quickly scampered back to the house and yelled, "Help! Mom! Dad! Someone help!"
"Please Simon," Harm begged and Mac flew out of the house wondering what was wrong. She spotted Simon and Mattie and gasped. Harm was holding out his hand towards Mattie, wanting to help. "Simon, let her go!"
"Forgive me!" he howled at them, tightening the rope. Mattie was beginning to give up. Her eyes were rolling up and her movements slowing.
"Harm...," Mac warned him, letting him know this was no time to be stubborn. "We're going to lose her!"
"Alright, Simon! I forgive you!" Harm cried out, his lips quivering at the thought of her dying. She didn't deserve that. She deserved to live on and fulfill her dreams.
"I forgive you too," Mac added reluctantly, but with conviction. She knew she was doing this to save Mattie's life, but a small part of her still didn't want to say it. They were forgiving him for the unforgivable act that he committed ten years ago and no matter the circumstances it would never sit right with them.
"You forgive me for what?" Simon pushed, not relinquishing his hold.
"I forgive you for our murders. I forgive you, Simon Tanveer," Harm repeated and put on a face of relief as he finally released Mattie. She collapsed into a heap on the ground. Both Harm and Mac rushed over to her to make sure she was okay, just as Little AJ ran out with an entourage of people behind him.
"Mattie?" Jenn called out and ran up to her, lifting up her head. Her eyes had closed now and Jenn checked for a pulse. She sighed deeply and looked up, "She's breathing. AJ, what happened out here?"
"I don't think you would believe me if I told you," the young man said as he knelt down next to Mattie as well.
"Try me," Jenn said as she noticed Mattie was coming to. "Mattie? Are you okay?"
She mumble something incoherently, but then saw Harm and Mac kneeling down next to her as well. She gave them inquisitive stares as she saw a weird light around them. They began to show confusion, wondering what she was looking at. "Guys? What's going on? Why are you glowing?"
Harm and Mac looked at each other and couldn't see this glow that she was describing. Then they turned around and found the real source of the light. It was Simon standing next to a similar portal Clay had walked through only a week ago. However, Harm knew it wasn't for them. That light was meant for Simon alone. He had lied. Their forgiving him only brought closure for him. Mac looked at Ham sadly, also realizing that Simon had lied to them.
"What the hell?" Simon yelled. "Get away from me! Help me!"
Harm's eyes widened as the bright portal suddenly turned dark, lightning flashed within it and for the first time in a long time, he could feel warmth. An insane heat was waving off of it, smacking them in the face. Making it's presence know. Mac whispered, "Do you feel that?"
"Yeah, I do," Harm replied, watching as the dark hole began to engulf Simon. Then the screaming started. Simon was in pain and his wails sent off vibes of anguish. He screamed as if he were literally burning to death. He was dying all over again. Harm turned away and hugged Mac to block her vision at what was happening. He didn't want to watch anymore and mumbled, "Oh God..."
Meanwhile, Jenn and Bud had managed to lift Mattie up off the ground, carrying her back to the house. Most of the party guests, seeing that the young girl was okay had started to slowly filter back inside. When Mattie could hear the screams, she loosened herself from their grip and turned around to see what was happening. Harm and Mac were huddled together on the ground, leaning away from the dark hole. Simon was desperately trying to get out of it.
"Whoa," Mattie whispered just as the hole completely took him away. The dust settled and the air suddenly became refreshingly cool. The cool air washed over everyone and Bud commented, "Wow, do you feel that breeze?"
Mattie felt a tug on her arm. It was Jenn, pleading with her to get inside so they could check out the bruises on her neck. Mattie nodded and stole one last look at Harm and Mac, still sitting on the ground. Then, a cloud drifted in the sky, covering the moonlight...and their forms disappeared. Mattie finally turned to Jenn and croaked, "I just want to lay down now."
"Okay," Jenn complied and hugged her around her shoulders. She wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but she knew one thing. Someone or something attacked Mattie and now this party was officially over. It was time for everyone to go home.
To be continued...