A/N – I wanted not only to focus on Harm and Mac in this story, but put a little Cresswell on the side. I thought it would be interesting to see his interaction with the characters, because Chegwidden's absence is just huge (I'm already missing him and his "The hell you will, Commander!" ). I wanted to portray the General as something a little less demonic than what "This Just In From Baghdad" set up.
And I hope I'm not making Mac seem like a total harpy. It's just I believed this is how she would react, without a cliched 'confession of love' type thing.
It's just I believe Mac was previously portrayed as the one who was worried and cared about Harm excessively (prior to season 9) and made it quite clear how she felt through her actions. He, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to anything that did not have to do with his obsessions (Harm Sr., etc.) Until now, Mac seemed to be the only one attempting to pursue a relationship between them, and no one saw Harm in any negative light when he missed all his opportunities to develop their friendship further.
I am still one of those cemented Mac-supporters, and believe her actions (except for the whole let's run off with Clay thing) were quite justified. Regardless of what happens, I won't like Mac any less. Although, I must agree that she does seem to be extremely unsympathetic now. We need a moderation.
It's a bit hard to explain my rational for this whole thing, so if it seems that I'm full of it, you're probably right. :)
Sorry for the babbling. Anyway, on to the story (and thank you very much for the reviews), I'll try to avoid such lengthy A/N's in the future.
"Hold it please," Mac called as she blinked back the increasingly familiar lethargy. Her voice seemed to echo for a moment down the ever-immaculate hallways of the JAG office, a place where she had called home for a long time. She simply couldn't imagine working anywhere else for the rest of her military career.
A hand popped out of the elevator car and kept the doors from sliding shut as she edged in.
"Thank you," she sighed. After a moment, she realized who was standing next to her. "Sir?"
"Colonel," came her CO's rigid, but surprisingly unthreatening voice.
Major General Gordon Cresswell had done nothing but scare the living hell out of her every day at JAG. She didn't know if he was ready to whip out a pen and sign the transfer papers to send her to Antarctica. So far, she had managed to avoid all but necessary contact with the new JAG, but couldn't help but feel apprehensive when in his presence.
Even if Cresswell and Chegwidden were miles apart in how they ran the office, they were much the same in their sometimes curt demeanor. But the Admiral has an indescribable warmth about him, regardless of what he did or did not say. Perhaps she just needed do some adjusting with the General.
"How was your investigation?" he asked. The conversation was strained, but she decided it was much more bearable than spending thirty-seconds of silence alone with the man.
Mac eyed the elevator's status as it slowly and painfully approached their floor. "Well, Sir, I believe it went rather well. Both Seaman Jones and Petty Officer Sinclair admitted to their thefts. They've agreed to skipping all proceedings and accept forfeiture of two months pay, each."
He nodded and thankfully stepped out of the elevator as the doors opened. Mac forced a smile and started to her office.
She nearly collided with Bud, who managed to dodge her as he carried a stack of books. However, as the recently promoted Lieutenant Commander bustled past her, he ran directly into Sturgis, sending a slew of tomes to the floor. Mac turned around to help her friends, and laughed gently as she saw they had already recovered most of the fallen items while they apologized to each other profusely.
"Back so soon?" came a voice that made her squeeze her eyes shut. She was trying to avoid him, even though she knew he didn't deserve it.
Mac shuffled through her briefcase to pull out her keys. She managed to unlock the door to her office after a moment of trying, and flew in without turning back. After throwing her things on the desk, she flopped down on her chair and sighed with relief.
"That was the worst investigation I have ever had."
Harm arched an eyebrow and shot her a pointed expression. "Really? I seem to recall the USS Watertown having a psychotic member of their medical personnel out to get us. You went temporarily blind?"
She tilted her head with a sigh. "Those two kids were so…"
"Stupid?" he suggested.
She continued without comment. "And I couldn't sleep at all."
"Why's that?"
She stared at him with disbelief. He knew very well that their less-than-comforting showdowns would leave them both unnerved and restless. "I trust there were no problems with my case?"
"It was fine." Harm closed the door to her office and smiled. "Did you hear about the incident at Andrews?"
"No, why?" she leaned forward with interest.
"Apparently after hours, two Lieutenants went to a bar and revealed themselves after winning a scuffle with one of the civilians. The guys were even on ZNN for a little bit."
"ZNN covered that?" she fell back into the seat again.
"Guess they had nothing better to do?" Harm shrugged. "It was only for about one minute. Something like the Navy not being able to control its officers."
Mac buried her head in her hands and sighed. "Who's Cresswell sending?"
"Probably the new Lieutenant who transferred here. I think his name was…Troy. He just passed the bar, so he's fresh meat for all those DDO cases."
"Better him than me."
There was a knock at the door. Harm sidestepped out of the way as Mac allowed entry into the office.
Petty Officer Coates stepped in. "Ma'am, the General wants to see-" she spotted Harm and smiled. "Actually, he wants to see you both."
"Thank you Petty Officer," Harm said. He studied Mac as she got up lethargically and sauntered to the door before making a beeline in silence to the office.
Just as Mac was about to see herself in, Coates stopped her. "Ma'am? I suggest that you knock."
Although she didn't understand why it was necessary, Mac obliged and rapped her knuckles against the sturdy oak door.
"Enter!" came Cresswell's muffled voice.
Both she and Harm stepped in hesitantly, and the General motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk.
After they seated themselves, he started, "Colonel Mackenzie, I am assigning you and Lieutenant Troy to Andrews for the indecent exposure case. You can read up on the files if you aren't acquainted with our two flamboyant Lieutenants."
She could not believe his nerve. Mac's mouth opened in protest, but Harm shot her a warning look and she snapped her jaw shut, settling for a much more neutral, "Of course, Sir," instead.
"Commander, you and Lieutenant Commander Roberts can handle prosecution for the Major Stothers case."
"The alleged rape, Sir?"
Cresswell nodded and handed him a file from across the massive desk. "Commander Turner will be defense counsel. I trust you can get past your apparent hostility towards each other."
"Yes, Sir."
The General turned back to his paperwork and slid the spectacles onto his nose. "Dismissed."
Both officers snapped up in attention. Mac twirled around to leave, but Harm stood straight up, not making a move. At the door, she wondered what his intentions were, but shook her head and continued out.
"Is there something else?" Cresswell sighed without looking up from his files.
"It's about Colonel Mackenzie, Sir," Harm started. "She's a great lawyer."
Cresswell leaned back in his chair and furrowed his brow. "I am aware of the praise Admiral Chegwidden has given to the Colonel. You weren't so far down on the list yourself, except your departure from the military service for those few months tarnished your record considerably."
Cresswell was being incredibly straightforward and he was not one to take circumvented routes to get to the point of discussion.
He cleared his throat and continued, attempting to use tact. "Don't you think her talents may be wasted on such minor cases? I mean, Commander Turner is overloaded already. Perhaps the Colonel could help him a bit, and take the Stothers case off his hands."
Cresswell peered at Harm over his eyeglasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose. "Did the Colonel tell you to do this?"
Tact just flew down the toilet. "No, Sir."
"She must have said something."
"No, Sir," Harm repeated, determined not to give Mac up to their new boss.
"Do you believe she is too good for such cases?" Cresswell asked coolly.
Harm was reminded of a short phase Chegwidden once went through, in which he punished both he and Mac for believing they were too 'high-and-mighty' for working with DDOs. But this was different, he knew.
"I get the feeling sometimes that the Colonel does not entirely welcome my presence," Cresswell began, closing the folder in front of him and concentrated all his focus on Harm. That was not a good sign.
Harm shifted his gaze to the floor. "That isn't true. But like all of us, it just takes some time for her to get adjusted to a new CO."
"Okinawa."
"Sir?" Harm swallowed, not really wanting to tread in such uncharted waters.
Cresswell laughed softly, as if indulging in a personal joke. "The Colonel is thinking back to when I was Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, back in Okinawa, isn't she? I almost forgot that it was her. First Lieutenant Sarah Mackenzie then, I believe."
"I don't follow," Harm lied, "I was merely trying to suggest that the Colonel's skills should be focused elsewhere, if her work is to truly benefit JAG."
"You believe that I am being biased against her?"
"I do not."
Cresswell nodded thoughtfully, not entirely believing Harm's words. "The Colonel remains on the case, Commander. Tell her I'll send Petty Officer Coates with travel information within the hour."
"Yes, Sir," Harm said behind clenched teeth. He almost scuttled his own place at JAG with Cresswell. "Can I ask one last thing?" The General nodded brusquely. "Perhaps I could take Lieutenant Troy's place for the indecent exposure incident. I'm sure Commander Mattoni could take my spot on the Stothers case, if he isn't needed for anything else."
"Commander," the General admonished, his tone providing no room for argument. He was slightly taken aback by Harm's behaviour. No JAG lawyer in their right mind would give up a high profile case for a run-of-the-mill DDO, and he knew that the Commander's incentives weren't out of complete modesty, or to avoid the limelight. "Dismissed."
Harm nodded and spun on his heel as he left the office. Cresswell had a feeling those two were going to be interesting; they were quite an odd pair.
TBC