Hey gang! Gonna try to have a next part posted over teh weekend, but that might be doubtful. Busy, busy, busy. Hopefully this will apease you hungry readers. Or not, we'll see. ;)
XBlueShadowX, LieutenantjgMegAustin , maidenpride21, froggy0319, Navy Babe, Hieros Gamos, Charmboy4, blonde-brain, Anaika Skywalker, Charmboy4, zeilfanaat, Nikki, jaggurl, achaon, cbw, Manda May, FoxyWombat, zeilfanaat, Jackia, DD2, xobabygurlxo, Kitty25, Lori, amanda cook, Cristina, & Jenny, for all the feedback. :)
Enjoy!
Jackz.
PART 12 - Episode 4: Stalking
Hawk walked into a local bar in the middle of the afternoon. His head was pounding, veins burning to have a familiar feeling within them, a feeling he'd given up long ago with the help of his Aunt Madeline. Why he cared so much, he really didn't know, but ever since he started JAG he was hoping that there would be no deaths, at least not to those he was close to. His girlfriend, a civilian Lawyer named Lauren Dalton had been murdered just one day ago. He didn't love her, he knew he didn't, but still, the overwhelming feeling was killing him and he longed to drown it out. "Give me a vodka, straight up." He glanced at the alcohol, seeming timid and unsure. But when he held the cool glass in his hands, all rational thought was over. He drank the vodka, taking a long gulp, holding the glass with both hands.
Sam was waiting for him in her office, going over testimony with their client when Hawk stumbled in. He laughed at them, slurring slightly. "Did you do the. . cross, yet?"
Their client, a Master Chief accused of rape shook his head at the scene. Hawk literally attacked him, accusing him of a crime that they were trying to prove he didn't commit. "Major, why don't you go sober up?"
Sam looked at the Master Chief and then at Hawk, this was not a good sign. "Chief, we're done for today, see you tomorrow."
"Aye, aye, ma'am." The Chief came to attention and left Sam's office, closing the door behind him.
"What happened?" She asked Hawk, who crashed into one of the chairs across from her desk. "Oh, Hawk."
"Don't 'Oh Hawk' me!" Hawk just laughed. "So I had a drink? Don't get all up tight about it. . . You drink."
"I'm not an alcoholic." Sam said, reaching over to her phone. "I'm calling you a cab."
"You know, you think you are so pure, so righteous without any weak moments. . . but I know you Sam. . .I was there when we found out about your dad . . . I know you and your obsessions, you are just as screwed up as I am!"
Sam shook her head, disgusted at her partner's behavior. "You know? You're not just a drunk. . . you're mean drunk."
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1720 Zulu
Georgetown Park Mall
Washington, DC
Unable to contain her excitement over the night was planning on spending with one Harmon Rabb Jr, Mac had headed out to the mall early. She wanted to by sexy lingerie that would match her whole black dress ensemble. Sometimes it was pointless, seeing as it wouldn't remain on her person for very long, but, it was worth it just to see the expression on her beloved's face. While she was in the area, she decided to head to the spa, have a half day treatment and get her makeup and nails done. A friend of hers from law school had suggested once to her that every woman should have a spa day at least once a month. For the most part, it was something that she had kept up. She was seated on one of the mall benches, enjoying a Cappuccino before she headed off again.
"Colonel MacKenzie? How does it feel to be famous?" Turning around, Mac was face to face with non other than Michelle Dawson (AN: I made her up.), entertainment mogul for ZNN news and a real 'bitch', or so scuttlebutt had said. The woman was known as a temptress, using her good looks to get what she wanted out of people, mostly men.
Mac sighed, ever since her run in with the entertainment community during a case, she was less than wiling to deal with any reporter. Especially when said reporter had a reputation as bad a Michelle Dawson's. "Excuse me, Ms. Dawson, that I know of, non of our cases are so high profile that you need to harass a JAG lawyer on her day off." Smiling sweetly Mac picked up her bags and readied herself to walk away from the woman.
But Dawson didn't back down, she stood there, arms across her chest, defiant in screwing up someone's life. "I am not referring to a case, rather a show."
Sighing, Mac turned and walked away from the woman. "Whatever you getting at, I am not interested in the least." In Mac's mind flashed some sort of women in the military show that would likely wind up on Springer if Dawson had her way. She wanted no part in it.
Halting Mac's escape, Dawson took her by the arm, gently pulling her to a stop. "Don't you watch TV?"
"Barely, why?" Mac failed in her attempt not to roll her eyes. She would have shrugged her arm out of Dawson's grasp, but, sometimes, dealing with monsters head on was more productive than running away.
Smiling, Dawson motioned back to the bench. "Have you heard about the show 'ZULU'?"
2210 Zulu
Harm's Apartment
North Of Union Station
Harm had just finished showering and shaving when a knock on the door caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. He was busy mentally going over all of the groveling he was planning. Somehow the words 'I'm sorry' had lost their meaning over the past week. Harm figured it would take a bit more than just that to really get into Mac's good graces. When he opened the door, the last thing he expected happened. "Mac." Smiling brightly, he was about to open the door wider for her to come in when her right hand connected with his left cheek. The sting was amplified as it connected with a bitsy cut from shaving. "Mac?"
"You son of a bitch." She yelled at him, storming into the apartment and pacing like a mad woman. "I can NOT believe you'd do this to me. . . TO US. . ." Stopping she turned and jabbed him in the chest. "I can understand you being pissed and jealous because of Mic and I, but that did not give you the right to divulge private information to your GIRLFRIEND!"
Harm stood there stunned holding his hand to his cheek and massaging the area softly. He heard her words, but they didn't really sink in. How could they? She was running a hundred miles an hour. "Mac, would you power down and tell me what the HELL is going on?"
As her anger turned to sadness, Mac collapsed on one of his barstools, sobbing hard at the utter feeling of betrayal. At the mall Michele Dawson had literally floored her with news that the show 'ZULU' was based on Mac and Harm's relationship. Mac had laughed it off. Sure, their relationship was odd, but nothing worth of being made into a mini-series. For the most part being a JAG lawyer was, boring. But Dawson had insisted and even slipped her a VHS tape containing two episodes from the show.
Mac had shrugged it off, completely ignoring the woman until she arrived at home to shower and prepare for her evening with Harm. As she was working on chicken and Alfredo, she popped the VHS into her kitchen TV/VCR combo. The serving plate she was holding fell to the floor shattering into a zillion pieces as she witnessed her life on TV, just in reverse. Dropping everything, she had logged online, searching past fan forums and fan sites until she finally reached information on the show's executives. Under the producer line who's name appeared? Non other than Renee Peterson.
A million scenarios popped into her mind. And though Mac had tried to remain rational about things, the video tape in her position threw all rational thought down the drain. The things on the show weren't something that Renee or anyone were privy to. They were private moments that she'd shared with Harm. Angrily, her mind ran a million miles a minute formulating one plausible conclusion: Renee knew because Harm had told her, it was as simple at that.
"THIS." Mac slammed the VHS onto the kitchen island, no longer able to think anymore. She'd literally exhausted herself over the whole ordeal and it was a big deal. Here they were, dealing with trust issues only to have it crumble. He couldn't trust her, now, she couldn't trust him. Maybe she never could? Maybe she blindly fell for a man that would backstab her because his feelings had been hurt. In a nutshell, she explained what was on the VHS and the woman who had given it to her. "Renee is the producer of the show. . . she couldn't have known what had happened between you and I unless someone told her."
Defensively he brought his hand to his chest shaking his head in confusion. "Mac, she could have taken a look in our files."
Mac pointed at the VHS tape. "THOSE. . . THINGS are NOT on our FILES, Harm.. . .Major Rapp, on the show, the character that represents ME is an alcoholic. This week's episode he fell off the wagon when his girlfriend died . . She knew I was an alcoholic, how the hell else would she have known if YOU didn't tell her!" Calming down, she jumped off the stool and took a few steps away from him and turned around. "Please, tell me I just yelled at you for no reason. . . Please tell me that you never told her anything about us. . ." Turning around, he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please."
Harm sighed. Truth be told he had spoken to Renee about Mac, mainly because the woman would not stop questioning him. He realized now Renee was trying to see how deep his relationship with Mac really ran, back then, he thought she was just interested in his friends. "I CAN'T." He yelled back at her through gritted teeth. "I CAN'T tell you. . .there are things I don't remember, okay."
Mac closed her eyes and swallowed hard. He'd told her that everything was going to be okay with Harm after the ejection over the ocean. But, maybe they'd missed something. "Since we ejected?"
Harm nodded slowly. "There are things. . . some things still missing. . . . But, I. . . I don't think I told her, Mac."
Walking to his sofa, she sat on the edge and brought her head into her hands. "But you don't know either." She watched him shake his head and couldn't help the fresh stream of tears. "How else would she know I was an alcoholic?"
"Mac, we go out, every time we go out, you never drink, ever. . ." He pointed out trying for some sort of explanation that was anything but a smart move.
"And that has people thinking I am an alcoholic?" She stared at him for a moment and snorted. "You resent it that I don't drink don't you?. . . You're used to having a glass of wine with a woman. . . champagne, all of that. . . with me you don't and I know you miss it." Her reasoning made sense to her. Harm had been accustomed to a type of lifestyle, one that she noticed had stopped ever since they were an item. Alcohol was pretty much gone from Harm's life. He'd stopped buying beer, only drank soda or sparkling water during dinner. When they had gone out with friends, Bud had offered him a bourbon and he stared at Mac thoughtfully before declining. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact, she was touched, but it wasn't Harm. And she didn't want him to change that drastically for her, because eventually he'd resent her.
"To be honest, yes, I miss not being able to have a drink with the woman I am with. . ." Feeling like he'd gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson, Harm walked over to his kitchen island and hoped on one of the stools. "I rather enjoy that slight haze you get. . . so yes, I think it sucks that I can't enjoy that with you. . . I wish I could fix things so that you could enjoy that part of living. . but I can't. . . And I am sorry if that offends you."
Mac sighed deeply. This wasn't happening, not like this. Not when they had such a horrible argument that they were getting over. "I'm not offended, Harm. . .Just hurt, and tired and heartbroken." She bit her lower lip and stood, walking over to him. "Tell me you didn't tell her about us and I'll believe you. . . I'll believe you." She bit back another round of tears and brought her hand to his cheek. "Please."
He was going to swear on his father's grave that he did nothing wrong if only to appease Mac. "I can't, Mac. . . I don't remember." But again, that deep nasty feeling that he did divulge information to Renee was nagging him. "I swear we'll look into it. . . we'll find out." He stood up and attempted to reach for her, but Mac moved away from him as if his touch would burn her.
"Don't. . .just don't." Shoulders slumped she left, closing the door behind her as she headed out. Mac needed to think about things, she couldn't be at his place nor hers to do so. Taking to the road she drove and drove and drove.
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NavyBabe - Yea, Mac's good line for the chapter. LOL! "Is singer INSANE?" Hmmm.. ;)
Maiden & Froggy - Sorry for the no seduction scene/Mac plan, but there is still mucho story yet, ;)
Hieros - Knives?! I got some as well. And swords. So, yes I am protecting myself from you!!! ;)
Amanda - Glad you like how I set up the "show" it was, honestly a pain in the arse! :)
XBlue - Deep breaths, a lot of them. Or Alcohol and lots of it. ;)
Cristina - I had Mac slap Harm about three times in this story and about a month ago I figured it was a bit much. LOL!!