This has really been a fun and challenging story to write. I think you guys are going to like the up and coming chapters. Some are pretty intense. :) Thanks for all of the feedback! It's truly appreciated! You guys rock:)
Jackie
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 Babe, Nix, Martini, jaggurl, Laura, CoolCat, sunnysky, smithknk, mjag, FoxyWombat, carbygirl, moonlight, socgrl, NinjaTurtle, Sunny and anyone else I missed for the Feedback
PART 3 – Beyond The Pale
July 19, 2005
1310 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
"Morning, Commander." Bud wearily walked into the kitchen, finding Sturgis leaning up against the cabinets holding a cup of coffee.
Sturgis barely noticed Bud until a hand reached out in front of him, straining for the coffee pot. "Huh? Oh, hey Bud." With a sigh, he came to his feet. It took him two seconds to rethink that motion and moved back to lean against the cabinet. "I'm contemplating stretching out on the counter and going to sleep." It had been a long night for the both of them. The group had stayed with Harm and Mac until about four hours ago, when they flew out of Andrews with the Marine team.
"I say we turn the conference room into a hotel for the day and just sleep the day away in there." They heard Creswell say as he stepped into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot which Bud was holding. Neither men even bothered attempting to snap to attention. "I see you two aren't holding up any better?"
"No, sir." They said in unison.
"I am used to few hours of sleep, but I've been up all this time, thinking. . . this whole businesses. . .It's disgusting." It was a reference to everything in general, Harm's situation, Mac being attacked, the CIA meddling. It was something he was going to stop or die trying. "I can't believe that Major. . ."
"Morning!" Major Steele stepped into the kitchen wearing a bright smile. He glanced at all three men who seem a bit more 'chummy' than usual. It was then that he started to panic. They knew. They knew what had happened between him and Mac. They had to know else they wouldn't be looking at him that way. "Pardon me for saying, but you three seem tired."
Bud did his best not to throttle Chris right then in there, the idea was becoming almost pleasant. Sturgis himself had forgotten his exhaustion, his mind seemed to only bring up a mental image of the bruise on Mac's wrist. Thankfully, the General seemed to control himself better. "Commander Turner invited us to a poker game, unfortunately it lasted all night."
Chris felt a slight pang of jealousy, making it even more evident that he was the disliked one in the office. "I see. ..Who won?"
"I did." Bud said, his voice much harder than he intended. "Excuse me, sirs, I have to prepare to wipe the floor with Major Steele here." He grinned evilly at Steele, then stepped out with coffee mug in hand; court today was going to be fun.
Even if he wanted to, Chris couldn't help but seem nervous. The lawyers speaking into his ear weren't quick enough, nor were they briefed well on the UCMJ. He was going to crash and burn and Roberts was going to be too happy to be the one torching him. "So, Colonel MacKenzie is late." He decided to test the waters about Mac, trying to catch any movement from the two men that would allow him to figure out if she'd told anyone.
Like a true master and commander, the General responded with his emotional mask on. "Ah, I forgot to mention. . .The Colonel is taking some leave, apparently a relative back home is sick."
Sturgis nodded. "She'd mentioned that to me a few days ago, sir. . .I believe it was her aunt." He added to corroborate the General's story.
"Well, keep them in your prayers, gentlemen. . . Now get back to work." Creswell nodded at his two officers, then went on his way.
Chris stared at Sturgis for a moment, nope, there was nothing to pick off on. "Did she say anything else? . . The uh, Colonel I mean."
"Hmm." Sturgis rubbed his chin as he stood in 'thought' of what else Mac could have said. "Not that I recall, but she did mention that there was something important to tell us when she got back, that we should ask you about it."
Chris nodded stupidly. "Me? Well, yea we were discussing the Jennings uh. . .Article. . Thirty-uh-two. . .I assume you'll get the case now."
"Yep, I guess so. . . it's going to be fun heading to court with you, Major." Sturgis padded Major Steele HARD on his arm, causing the coffee in his cup to slosh and spill to the floor. "Clean that up, will ya?" He stepped out of the kitchen with a semi-satisfied smirk as Chris stared on with a bewildered expression.
July 20, 2005
1910 Zulu
Somewhere East Of Corner Brook
Newfoundland, Canada
It had taken much less time than expected for Harm and Mac arrive at their destination in Canada. The disguises had worked, though there had been a close call when a security agent had stopped Harm. Luckily, he was only asking for something to light his cigarette. They flew to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, a city Harm only remembered by name because he barely remembered how he'd arrived there after escaping Temir's compound. The compound was a good hundred miles north east from the city, deep in the mountains.
They were posing as a husband and wife pair of topographical analysts interested in checking on the Long Range Mountains which were part of the Appalachian Mountain ranges. With the use of their guises, they were able to find a local tour guide to take them as far as possible with a vehicle. "Would you like for me to head back at some point and pick you up?"
Mac smiled. The gentleman had been very helpful thus far, but he couldn't go further with them. "No thank you, my husband and I will probably be hiking for sometime."
Jonah chuckled. "So many miles, ma'am. . . I wouldn't want you to get tired."
"Oh, don't worry, we hike ever other weekend. . . we're used to that sort of thing." After slipping 300 Canadian dollars in Jonah's hand, Harm patted the man on the back. "We'll be fine."
They waited at least ten minutes for Jonah to get out of the area before heading off. The hike had been pleasant, though the weather was a bit cool for Mac's taste, but, after spending much of their time on the move, her body had grown accustomed to it. When the terrain permitted, they would walk side by side like the true partners that they were. Often they would joke, but, when there was nothing but silence, the wheels in her mind kept turning.
Mac kept recalling how Harm looked when he'd first arrived on her doorstep. How he'd managed to make it back, considering the terrain was beyond her. From the bits and pieces that she'd gathered, he was too drugged up to notice what was going on. It made her wonder how much his body had forced him to forget. Hopefully, those memories would never return to hurt him, for the demons to be put to rest.
"You've been awfully quiet, Mac." Harm stated as they rested against a tree, deciding to dig into one pack of MREs each. "Couldn't we have brought real food on this?"
"Real food?" Mac said with a chuckle. "You eat rabbit food half of the time. . .If anyone should be complaining about MREs it's me."
Yep, in the past he was all about the health food, but after spending so many months eating putrid gruel, healthy was not a big issue. "Mac, I've been so starved for real food that Beltway Burgers are beginning to sound like a five star meal."
That had her chuckling harder, though, regarding her own time in captivity, she could commiserate in the need of having real food. Noting, yet again, how much weight he'd lost, she would spend a good time putting more meat on his bones if they got back home. . .no, not if. . . WHEN they got back home. "I'll tell you what, when we get back home I'm taking you to dinner anywhere you want."
"That's a deal, MacKenzie and I am holding you to that and I promise, no rabbit food." He lifted his packet of MREs in a toast and smiled. "You know, I keep wondering what would happened if I'd become a field agent." That little tidbit had Mac's stomach doing unwanted flips. He turned his head slightly and glanced. "They offered you know? Back when I was still flying for them."
Mac had suddenly lost her appetite. "Well, I for one am glad you weren't. . . They'll suck your soul out Harm. . .I know they are doing good for America, but it's their tactics I don't agree with."
He took both their MRE packets and dug a hole in the dirt to bury them. "Yea, I guess. . . It was tempting, really tempting. . .sorta exciting."
"Then why didn't you take it?" She knew his heroic side had a way of just obliterating his better judgment, it had happened time and time again.
That was a question he'd asked himself so many times over and over. If he was completely truthful, there was one massive reason. He looked up at her then turned away slightly. "Ah. . .Mac, you know? It's just that. . ." With a sigh, he allowed himself to become vulnerable to her, not like there was reason to deny it any longer, she wasn't with 'him' anymore. "Honestly, I just didn't want to wind up on some goddamned mission with Webb and have him gloat about being with you." There, he said it, out loud and to the person he wanted to hide that tidbit away from the most.
"I told you that we weren't really together until Sadik. . ."
"I know that now." He interrupted. "But, back then, when I saw you two in the hospital. . .I've never felt so angry or hurt before." Harm had been lucky he was a survivor, any other heartbroken man would have done something crazy. Not that the feeling of crashing a plane into oblivion didn't cross his mind. "You know, I wanted to hurt you. . .not physically." He corrected himself, raising his hands in a show of peace. "I kept thinking of crashing whatever I'd been flying in hopes that my death would weigh on your conscience."
Reflexively, she swallowed hard at the sudden knot at her through. "Oh God." There wasn't much else for her to say, words just weren't coming to her. "That's. . .God, I don't want to even think about that. . ." She blinked back a tear, successfully bringing herself under control before it snapped. "I honestly thought that having a clean break with you was what you wanted. . .what we both wanted."
"Because I didn't fight." He knew that was the stupidest move, not fighting her on the 'never' comment. And was another thing that plagued him; the 'what ifs.' What if he'd fought her on that? What if he'd kissed her then, so passionately that any thoughts of being with Webb just vanished? "Look, it's past. . .all of it."
Mac smile spread slowly. "Yea it is." He was right about that, it was past and, as usual they wound up together again. "We have a knack of coming out of these things, don't we?"
"A little worse for wear, but yea. . .Butch and Sundance tend to come out on top." He picked up her pack and motioned for Mac to turn around. "This kinda reminds me of that first time I took you flying." He slipped the pack on her, then grabbed his own.
"As long as there are no psychotic poachers, I'll be fine." She mused, reaching over to buckle his pack in the front. "That's not something I want to live through again."
Harm chuckled. "Oh, it wasn't all bad."
"Wasn't all good either. . .Now, let's get going flyboy, we have to find a decent place to camp."
2010 Zulu
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
Tentatively the Major walked into Raymond Levine's office. "There was a note on my desk, you wanted to see speak to me privately?" The past day and a half had been pure murder for him. Bud not only wiped the floor with his six, but he had the Major thrown out of court when an outburst turned a bit too violent. As a result, Judge Helfman and General Creswell decided that the best bet was to take the man off of the case.
Since then, he'd been buried with file after file that seemed to reproduce on his desk. Some he'd managed to finish, others were in the briefcase he was holding. There was also a different temperament in the office. He could tell that something had happened, but whether or not it had to do with his attack on the Colonel remained to be seen.
To say that Raymond Levine was angry was one hell of an understatement. Shit had finally hit the proverbial fan in regards to all of his scheming with Harm and Webb. The agent had woken up earlier in the day and informed Porter Webb who passed the information onto the SECNAV and General Creswell that Harm was not an enemy of the State. If anything, he was a hero. News was traveling up the grapevine at a speed so fast that it almost had a chance to change things. Almost, but not quite and there was a fine reason for that. "Kershaw is dead."
Chris sat down, a smug look on his face appeared. "Well, then I should say congratulations." He studied Levine for another moment, maybe it was the pressure, but Levine didn't seem so chipper. "This is good news, but you don't look pleased."
Ray drank down the cognac he had set on the desk then angrily set the glass down. "I'm not."
"Okay, look, you're acting very melodramatic here. What's up?"
"Webb's woken up. . . he also sang like a canary to, of all people, the SECNAV who just so happened to be in Bethesda. He told them that someone in the CIA was responsible for what happened to Rabb and Watson. . . It got to me and I denied those statements, but there's only so long I can keep us out of it. . .I intend to pay him a visit and quash any further statements." For the first time, he noticed Chris seemed to tense slightly, there was something else. "What is it?"
"It's MacKenzie. . . The General said she was visiting relatives and, at the moment, I don't think that is the case." Chris was certain now why things were odd in the office. Why Mac hadn't checked in nor returned calls. "She's with Rabb."
Ray shook his head, then threw it back in laughter. "You are slow, Christopher." He reached for a file on his desk and tossed it over to Chris who couldn't catch it. The papers inside spilled out including several pictures of Harm and Mac. Recent pictures of them together in Corner Brook. "Those were taken today and e-mailed over. . . They're going after the planes and that can't happen." Refilling his glass of cognac, he let Chris digest the information. "Rabb has intimate details of the Aurora. He'll try to take them back and all of our plans will be worthless." Standing, he came around and pointed to a GPS coordinate not that far away from the planes. "Intercept them and make sure Rabb doesn't get anywhere near the planes."
Chris nodded, relief evident in his eyes as he tasted the freedom away from JAG. He was going out into the real world to do real work. "And what about MacKenzie?"
"Entirely up to you. She's expendable."
-
Moonlight – Glad you found the stories, hope you stick along for the ride. Harm might meet Temir again. We'll see :) - As for news on DJE – I'm not commenting on here, you can e-mail me privately I can point you to places to find more info.
Socgrl – LOL! Thre we go! It'll be a spin off - The JAGfather! ;) – Mess with them and you'll sleep with the fishies! LOL! I laughed for a while when I read this review. Actually, I am still laughing:P
NK – The fake names are great huh? You can tell I wasn't being creative that day LOL! In any case, I think, at some point I cut it down to Cathy and Dave LOL! How about we move them over to Wisteria Lane along with the Desperate Housewives crew? Cathy and Dave, the topographical analysts! How cute LOL!
Jagnut – No clue why that happens, save to say that Ffnet is on some nasty crack.
Harmfan – LOL! I love how everyone is ganging up on Chris. He is just misunderstood. . . Okay, no, he's an ass! He must die!
LtJgMeg – Dunno, Webb may be useful if I go for a third story. ;)
Ninjaturte – Oh yes! BODY HEAT!
Froggy – On the kiss, there will be more. ;) If you guys behave definitely more:)
Jtb – But I might need Mr. Weasle. ;)
Xblue – I love Full Engagement, it's my fav of all. As for the box set :waves 300.00: Helloooooo we'll buy it! A bunch of people signing a petition can't be wrong!
