This part is a bit. . .quick, I guess you could say. I am chosing not to dwell too much on Harm's recovery. I guess it's sorta like a filler chapter. Bud and Chris' interaction though, I love absolutely and really wouldn't put it past Bud too much ;)

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babeand anyone else I missed for the Feedback..

Enjoy!

J.

PART 11 – Uncharacteristic Behaviors

July 5, 2005
1123 Zulu
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown

Mac managed to find some hours of sleep though restful they were not. The holidays were over; she had to be at her post in just a few hours, but she couldn't leave Harm. At the moment, she didn't trust him to be alone and had a horrible feeling in her stomach because of that. She figured the only way was to take some days off and to contact Dr. Bishop.

She had faith that he could clean up and be well again, but what would all of this do to his future? Would he still be able to function as a military officer after all that he'd been through? She could, but then again, she barely held it together when nightmares of Sadik Fahd and his mental torture finally broke her down. Her fight with PTSD made her learn a thing or two about the human condition. Hopefully, she'd be able to him Harm deal with his own demons.

At 0700, she put a call into headquarters, calling in sick. Then she called Dr. Bishop. "Mac." She was surprised when AJ had shown up with the doctor. Gratefully surprised, as she needed someone to lean on during all of this. As much as she loved Harm, as much as she wanted to be there for him, she realized his addiction was out of her league. "Do you know if it was mixed with anything else?" Dr. Bishop asked as he studied the vial. He found that it was a bottle from a hospital in Canada. Since they were dealing with terrorists it is likely that someone had stolen them.

Mac shrugged. "He didn't say. . .Oh God, what if something else was mixed into it?" Great, now she had another set of worries to add to her list.

"I didn't mean to worry you." He said with a frown. It wasn't easy to detox from any type of drug, but, he was familiar with morphine addictions. "This isn't going to be easy, I am sure you know that."

"I was an alcoholic, it took me some time to dry out. . .I know what it's like." And she did, but one thing was curing an alcohol craving for emotional pain. Another thing was stopping a medicine that was helping physical pain. "I want to do this on my own. . ."

"But it's good that you called someone. . .You don't know what he'll be like as he detoxes, some people become. . . well, violent."

Mac figured as much, though she didn't really want to give it much thought. From her own experience and the things that Uncle Matt said, she'd become a monster, even resulting to hurt herself if he didn't give her what she needed. She didn't want to see Harm that way, the thoughts scared her to death. "I know. . .And if he did, I wouldn't want to hurt him."

The men stayed in the living room and she headed back to check on Harm when she heard him groaning. "Harm? Harm, wake up." She shook him and was unprepared for the welcome she got. Harm sat up straight in bed, his hands came up to strangle her. "Haa. .rm." She rasped out, trying to keep her breathing to a minimum. "Harm. . .It's Mac. . . wake up please."

He was awake, but his eyes were wide and unseeing. It was like looking into the eyes of a ghost. "Give me what I need."

"No. . .I care for you too much to do that." She wrapped her arms around his wrist, trying to remove his hands gently, but all it did was cause him to tighten his hold. "Y-your. . .hurt-ing. . . mee." Mac started tearing up, this wasn't her beloved partner, he was a stranger. "Pl-ease. . ."

Thankfully, her pleas didn't fall on deaf ears. The odd look in Harm's eyes dissipated and was replaced by a look of horror. "Mac?" With disgust he removed his hands from her throat and backed himself away from her. "Oh God. . .Oh God, what have I done?"

He fell off of the bed with a loud thud which alerted AJ and Dr. Bishop that something was wrong.

"Mac? What. . ." AJ stared at his former chief of staff who was coughing and grasping her throat. He trailed his gaze to Harm. "Commander?"

Harm huddled in a corner, curing into fetal position. "No! No! Get away. . . Please, no more, please!"

As AJ approached, Harm tried to rush him, thankfully AJ's good reflexes prevented him from doing so. "Commander, snap to!" He grabbed Harm by the shoulders and pushed him back into a chair.

Steve, who entered in after AJ was checking Mac over. "She'll be fine, AJ. . . just a little winded." He ushered Mac out of the room and sat her down on the sofa. "Colonel, I am going to get you some water." Mac only responded with a nod, she was much too shocked to do anything else.

Back in the bedroom, Harm started coming to. "I hurt her." He said softly, glancing at his hands as if he'd never realized they were there before. "I don't want to do that again. . . What's happening to me?" He was shivering, from shock, from the disgust at having hurt Mac. He hoped Temir and all of his men rotted in hell for what they did to him. "I shouldn't have come here."

"Don't beat yourself up, Harm. . . This wasn't your fault. . .We'll help you okay?"

Harm looked up. His brow furled as he realized the person speaking was AJ Chegwidden. "Sir?"

"It's just AJ, Harm. . . I'm retired, remember?" He sat at the edge of Mac's bed, realizing that he was probably going to spend a few days at her apartment. Thank God for retirement. "We're going to help you out. . .make sure you get clean."

"Thank you."

1630 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Major Chris Steele wasn't sure how it happened, but, somehow, he'd wound up having to go to court. He'd apparently missed the memo. Then again, he was so preoccupied last week with trying to become friends with Mac that his cover was suffering. He'd also made the mistake of not taking Lt. Commander Bud Roberts serious. As a result, he had to scramble in the morning, fax the paperwork on the case to Raymond Levine and hope that the CIA lawyers could help him out. There was no chance to settle.

In his office, Chris pulled out a small box which he had hidden in his desk. Inside was an ear piece which served as a listening device and microphone. He placed it in his ear and took a deep breath. "Testing. . ." A voice came over the ear piece reassuring him that it would be alright. "Thanks for the reassurance, but I'll believe you when court's over."

"Uh, Major?" A confused Bud Roberts stood just outside of Chris' office. "Who were you talking to?"

Chris glanced up at Bud paling slightly. He hardly realized that in his nervousness he didn't close the door. Damnit, it wasn't like him to miss details. Then again, he wasn't made for this crap. He was born and bread to be a killer not a damned legal weenie. "Pep talk, Commander."

Bud nodded. "You have tried a case before, haven't you?"

"Of course I have. . .it's just been a while and I am nervous." Which was pissing him off. Chris Steele was never nervous.

"It's just that you've settled nearly everything that came your way." Bud pointed out, not letting it drop. There was something. . . peculiar, about Chris, and Bud couldn't put a finger on it. No one liked him and while that wasn't overly tragic, it was odd that the only person Steele tried to be personable with was Mac.

Chris nodded. "Some things don't warrant a trial, Commander. . .No sense in wasting tax payers money." With a smile, he stood from his seat, grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door. "Do you know where the Colonel is?"

"I believe she called in sick. Is there something I could help you with?" He followed Chris through the bullpen and towards the elevators.

"Nope, just wondering where my partner is." Chris said with a smile that seemed more suggestive than anything else.

As much as people pegged Bud for being a fool, he was anything but. Through the months of Harm's disappearance, he'd made sure Mac was alright even though, inside he was falling apart as well. Harm was more than a friend, he was practically like a big brother and his loss was taken hard by all. "Major, I suggest you wipe that smirk off. I know what you are doing and it isn't going to work."

Chris snorted and punched the 'up' button. "Oh, and what is that?"

"Don't play me for a fool. You're trying to put the moves on Colonel MacKenzie!" Bud's eyes were alive with a showing of dislike that even made Chris, Mr. Hardass Marine, unnerved.

As both men stepped into the elevator, Chris couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, she is a hottie."

"And a senior officer, which I suggest you treat with nothing but RESPECT." As the doors closed, Bud shoved Chris up against one of the walls. "The Colonel is a friend, a good friend. . .If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I'll personally kick your ass."

Chris chuckled. "You're a gimp, Roberts. I am a Marine who can have you permanently living through life in a wheelchair with just one strategically placed punch."

"I might be a gimp, but I'll be damned if I am going to allow slime like you to threaten me." Bud slammed the Major into the wall once then let him go as the elevator doors opened. Chris was surprised at Bud's uncharacteristic behavior and decided, it was best to leave him alone. He would deal with Mac on his own terms.

1710 Zulu
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown

Mac was in the living room sitting next to AJ and sipping the herbal tea that he'd made for her. Dr. Bishop had left some time earlier, but promised that the medication he'd given Harm to help him through detox, would probably have him down for at least eight hours. "Steve said that, uh, the anti-opiate should cleanse him within 72 hours. . . Of course, he needs to keep taking it."

"I know." Mac said before taking another long sip of the tea. "You don't have to stay here. . .I can take it from here." But, as usual, that was a lie told because she was a Marine, capable of controlling anything.

"Bullshit, Mac. If that were true, you wouldn't have called me in the first place. . . Besides, Harm would probably kill me if he knew I'd left you alone." AJ said with a snort, though it possibly would be true. They weren't his subordinates anymore and knowing Harm's emotional side, he wouldn't be surprised if he were upset at someone not taking care of Mac. "Why don't you get some rest?"

Mac shook her head, she wouldn't be able to rest knowing what was going on under her roof. The few times she'd swung by the room to check on him, she could tell the sleep was restless. God, how she wanted to take that pain away, but she knew it was impossible. It would heal within time, but it was all that time between then that worried her.

"I'll go and stay with Harm, you can spread out here on the sofa." Knowing Mac was going to object, he stood up, grabbed the afghan and placed it over her. "I can still make than an order." He added with a smirk.

Mac chuckled slightly and decided to concede. She made herself comfortable on the sofa and pulled the afghan up to her chest. Hopefully, she'd be able to get a little rest before she came crashing down. It was a miracle she'd survived as is, the last few days had been hell. Thankfully, she finally got the rest that she needed.

In the morning, AJ had woken her up early to make sure she headed to work. Mac protested, of course, she didn't want to leave Harm. But, she knew AJ would help watch over him. AJ did have a very valid point: she couldn't just sit around at home, eventually people would get suspicious. As she headed into JAG ops, she found the General waiting on the elevator. "Colonel, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Better, thanks." She walked into the elevator and leaned heavily against the back wall, something that Creswell noted, but didn't comment on. "Anything I missed, sir?"

Taking a deep breath, he turned to her with a grimace. "What do you think about Major Steele's lawyering skills? And be honest with me."

Mac fished around for an appropriate word to censor the slew of curse words she wanted to use as adjectives to describe the Major. "Well, sir, I'd categorize the Major's lawyering abilities as mediocre."

Creswell gave her a pointed look of disbelief then stepped out of the elevator as it reached their floor. "You're holding back, Colonel. . . I can tell."

"Thank you." She said as he held open the glass doors for her. He motioned for her to follow him through to his office. When they arrived she was told to sit down. "Without holding back, sir, I can tell you the Major has no concept of law. He operates like a made man on a hit." Mac sat there patiently biting her tongue. All she wanted to do was lash out at Creswell, considering that she'd brought up Steele's unorthodox methods before to no avail. Why was he listening now?

The General tried not to chuckle at her description of Steele's techniques. He shook his head in confusion then slid into his chair. "Yesterday was a massacre in court. It looked like someone had coached him on what to say. Admiral Morris is furious at his actions."

"Let me guess, did he attack a witness?" Mac wouldn't be surprised; Chris did seem like the type to have a short fuse.

Creswell seemed very displeased. "He basically turned badgering into harassment."

"Would you like me to talk to him, sir? See if maybe there is something . . .off?" She offered.

"Please. . . Dismissed." Before Mac had a chance to head out, he stopped her. "Colonel, that's not an order. It's. . . more of a favor."

Mac nodded. "Understood, sir."

1520 Zulu
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia

Major Chris Steele was supposed to be on his way to Norfolk to interview a client. Instead he was sitting in Raymond Levine's office. "The Colonel is a force to be reckoned with. I walk into the office this morning and she wailed on me over not acting properly in court." To say that he was upset, was calling it lightly. He was an inch away from grabbing Mac and doing some damage. The fact that he was in JAG ops was the only thing stopping him from doing so.

Raymond was finding the whole thing to be comical. He'd never known Chris to fail at anything, especially when it came to women. "She not succumbing to your charms?"

"It's not funny!" He spat out angrily as he stood up to pace. "Look, whatever the hell we're supposed to be doing, won't work. MacKenzie doesn't have Rabb at her place."

That turned the whole conversation serious. "How can you tell?"

"She went to work today! To be honest, if he was in as bad a shape as your people said he was, she wouldn't be leaving him alone." Chris went back to his chair, sitting on the edge. "From what I was able to dig out of people at JAG ops, they were close. Not intimate, but very damned close. . . I don't believe she'd leave him alone."

"And what did you turn up in Webb's apartment?"

Chris grinned. "He's one sick puppy. The man is obsessed with Sarah MacKenzie. . . I found a diary on his computer. Every entry had something to do with her. . . from what I can tell, he's been doing his job, I don't think you'll have a problem with him."

Raymond leaned back into his chair and rubbed his chin in thought. "Kershaw has been snooping around." He glanced at Chris and in no uncertain terms made a request. "See what he knows and if it's too much. . .make it look like an accident."

"Finally, some action." Chris leaned into his chair and chuckled malevolently.

--

Jagnut – I've received a few of those messages. My view, is on crack or overloaded.

NavyBabe – Glad you found the story! Hopefully I'm doing well with this one. As for Steele, join the I Hate Chris Steele club. ;) I might make shirts! LOL!

NK – I'll make up for the dark parts in the next story, there's a lot more Harm and Mac interaction. Yes cliffhangers are my fav! I might make shirts! "I love Cliffhangers"

Nikki – Not at all, I figured by 8, 10 chappies tops everything would be figured out and copasetic. Originally Chris wasn't bad, just the jagoff that the General put in the office because they were down one lawyer. As the story started to unfold I decided I needed a better reason for people to hate him. ;) Temir I see well dressed and well mannered with a penchant to cause pain because he can. He's like Sadik on crack.

Carby – Glad to help with the info! Even the day I posted it I was still adding things to it to make it flow. 

Claire – Glad I haven't lost you. I was worried about too many flashbacks, but it's the only good way, methinks, to tell the story without someone (Harm) narrating it.

LtJgMeg – You kill Webb? SURE! And I'll hand over Temir and Steele for good measure. :)

Jtbwriter – Yep, very intense, a bit of a headache to write all of the torture scenes. Harm's going to have a bit of trouble before he gets cleared. ;)

Harmfan – It's nice to respond back, see what wavelength everyone is on. 

Temir will not suffer lots of pain at the end of THIS story, but story 2 – very possible! We have a few weasels to umm hurt. ;)

Tina Frank – Mac's gonna whip someone alright, but he's definitely going to have it coming. Let's say. . . Steele oversteps his boundaries. ;)

Froggy – Hey, Harm in Mac's tub all day. . .How about Harm in MY tub all day? I'll consider it. ;)

Xblue – There's an amendment to the contract – ebil writer/reader contracts can not be tampered with in anyway. Shall the reader attempt to destroy the document, he/she shall be forced to read Harm/Renee and Mac/Mic stories forever. ::cringes:: Wow, talk about penalties! ;)

Charmboy – Sorry! It'll be soonish, maybe not soonish enough, but soonish.

Remember boys, girls, squirrels and germs, THIS story will end with a bang! Not THAT king of Bang, get your heads out of the gutter! Muahahaaaaa!!