Author's Notes: Thank you all for the lovely reviews. I love getting them! Anyway, this is where things get very AU. I don't know how this will go over but I kinda like it. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: don't own JAG

Chapter Two: Memories of the Past

1705 EST

10 August 1996

The Mackenzie Residence

263 Sugar Hill Road

Tolland, Connecticut

As I pull the car into the driveway of my parents' mansion, I hear Harm gasp and I laugh, "It's big, isn't it?"

"Huge. You lived here?"

"Yeah. Each of us kids had a suite, which included a bedroom, head, and a sitting room." I say as I pull up in front of the massive front door. An older man steps down on the front steps, coming towards us. I stop the car, and as I shut off the engine, he opens the door for me.

"May I ask who you are, ma'am, sir?"

"Lt. Commander Sarah Mackenzie and Major Harm Rabb, John."

He smiles, "Miss Sarah, it is so good to see you! We've missed you!"

"I've missed this place and you too, John. John, this is my fiancé, Major Harmon Rabb, U.S. Marines. Harm, this is John, the butler here. John, are my parents home?"

"Nice to meet you, John." Harm says as we get out of the car.

"It is my pleasure, sir. Miss Sarah, both of your parents are home. Your mother is in the library and your father is working in his office."

"Tell Mom that a lieutenant commander and a major are here to see her. Don't mention any names, please."

"Of course, Miss Sarah. I'll have Steven take care of your car for you."

"Thanks John."

"Please, come in. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thanks." I say as Harm and I follow him into the house. I smile as I hear Harm gasp again.

"Have a seat, Miss Sarah, Major Rabb. I'll be right back."

I sit down on the couch as Harm remains standing, a look of wonder on his face, "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Just a tad. How come you aren't speaking to your parents?" he says

I lean my head back against the back of the couch, "I had always wanted to go to the Academy but my mom wouldn't let me. She told me that I couldn't go because she didn't want me to. My dad wanted to help me, so he rented me an apartment in D.C. for Abby and me and sent me down there. He also signed my admission papers, since I wasn't eighteen when I went in, and that caused a big strain in their marriage. Luckily, Matt was there and fixed everything. Neither of my parents have spoken to me in twenty years."

"Wow and I thought that I have family problems." He says and smiles at me, "Mac, don't worry. I'll be right behind you, supporting you, just like I always do. I love you, Sarah and I will always be behind you."

"Thanks Harm." I say and kiss him, "I love you, too."

"Miss Sarah?" John asks, tearing us away from our little world.

"Yeah?"

"Mrs. Nadia would like to see you in the library."

"Thanks, John." I say, standing up and taking Harm's hand. We follow him into the library where my mother is sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Ma'am, the lieutenant commander and major are here to see you."

"Thank you, John." Mom says, and continues to read her book, "What are your names, Commander, Major?"

"Mom, it's been twenty years. God, can't you let anything go?"

She looks up in surprise, her book falling to her lap, "Sarah, I'm tired of arguing with you. Who is the guy with you?"

"Look, Mom, I just want to make peace with you and Daddy. Mom, this is my fiancé, Major Harmon Rabb, U.S. Marines. Harm, this is my mother, Nadia. By the way, Mom, if you even care, you have two grandchildren."

"Sarah, you are just full of surprises today. Major, it's nice to meet you. How did you meet my daughter?"

"It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am. We met at the Academy."

"What do you do for the Marines?"
"I was a pilot and now I'm a lawyer. Before you can ask, ma'am, I am the father of your grandchildren."

"How many do you have?" Mom asks, seeming to take Harm's jobs okay.

"Twins, Lucy and David. They are not yet four."

"What are their full names?"
"Lucia Kirsten and Harmon David, the third."

"Good, solid names. Are you still flying airplanes?"

"I'm a lawyer with the JAG Corps."

"It sounds like you have made a quite a name for yourself, Sarah."

"Yeah, and without your help, Mom."

"Nadia? What's all the noise?" a voice says from behind us.

"Fred, Sarah is back and she has some news for us." Mom says.

"Hi, Daddy." I say and turn around.

"Sarah! How are you, sweetie?" he says, rushing over to give me a hug.

"Fine, Dad. Dad, there's someone here that I want you to meet. Dad, this is Major Harmon Rabb, USMC. Harm, this is my father, Fred Mackenzie."

"Nice to meet you, Major."

"The pleasure is mine, sir. Please, call me Harm."

"Sarah, how are you related to this fine young man?"

"Dad! Harm is my fiancé and the father of your grandchildren."

"Grandchildren! How many? How old?"

"There are two of them, Lucy and David. They aren't yet four." I say, reaching into my purse and pulling out pictures of the kids.

"They are so cute, Sarah!" he says, showing the pictures to Mom.

"Now, Sarah, you must have come here for a reason. What's the reason?"

"I want to make peace with you and Mom. I'm here, alive and well and I think that I have convinced Mom that I'm fine and can make my way in the Navy."

"When did you get so smart?" Mom asks.

"I've always been this smart, Mom." I say, smiling, "But really, I think that I got smart when I crashed my Tomcat." I say quietly.

"Oh my god." Mom says as she puts a hand over her mouth, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine just that I crushed my knee. I had to have surgery to reconstruct my knee. I sometimes have problems walking and I sometimes use crutches and a knee brace. Luckily, I have qualified to keep my flight status and my hours in my Tomcat."
"Are you sure that you are okay?" Mom asks.

"Yeah. Harm wasn't there to support me but my friends helped me through it."

"Well, I'm glad that you are okay. Sarah, Harm, you must be tired right now. Sarah, your old room is open if you want to use that. I'll have John bring up your bags."

"Thanks Mom. Our bags are in the back of my car. Harm and I will be up in my room." I say and take Harm by the hand and lead him upstairs to my old room. It's a huge room with a private bath attached. You can't see the blue walls because they are covered in pictures. There are pictures of Tomcats, Annapolis, Navy recruiting posters, and my special sports memories.

Harm takes one look at my room and smiles, "I can see why your office is such a mess 'cause your room looks the same way."

I smack him and head into my room, sitting down on the bed. My stuffed animals are still here and I lean back against them. Harm joins me on the bed, wrapping an arm around my waist and propping himself up by his elbow.

"I had a great time today, Mac. Who ever thought that I'd ever fall in love with the daughter of one of the richest men in America."

"And who the heck ever thought that I'd ever fall in love with the son of a U.S. Navy SEAL when the guy himself is a Marine."

"Very funny, Mac. My dad was so happy to find out that we had gotten together. He liked you already but now he likes you even more."

"And I'm sure that he hates you because you joined the Marines."

Harm burst out laughing and I start laughing too just as there is a knock at the hatch, "I'll get it." He says and gets up.

John opens the hatch with Steven behind him, both of them carrying luggage. "Miss Sarah, Mr. Harm, here are your bags."

"Thanks John. You can leave them here." I say and get off the bed. Harm and I each brought one suitcase, plus our uniform bag and I also brought my laptop.

"How long will you be staying, miss?"

"We have to be back in Washington by Monday. We'll probably leave here Sunday morning."

"Well, we'll leave you two alone. Mrs. Nadia said to tell you that dinner will be served at six o'clock in the dining room. She would like you to be there."

"Thanks, John." I say and go over to the bookshelf, "Do you want to see some pictures of me when I was younger?" I ask Harm as John and Steven leave, closing the hatch behind them.

"Of course." He says, laying down on the bed and pulling me up against his chest.

I open the photo album and start telling stories about my childhood.

Half an hour later, John comes up to tell us that dinner is served. Harm and I head down to the dinning room and I am surprised to find another guest.

He turns around when we come into the room, "Sarah, long time no see."

"Tom? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Your mother called me and invited me over to dinner."

"Well, it's great to see you, Tom," I say as Harm and I sit down, "Thomas Kinglessy, this is my fiancé, Major Harmon Rabb. Harm, this is Thomas Kinglessy, one of my good friends from high school."
"Mr. Kinglessy, it is very nice to meet you. I'm sure that you have some good stories to tell about Mac in her younger years."

Tom laughs, "I certainly do. But please, Major, call me Tom."

"Then it's Harm."

During dinner, Tom asks, "Sarah, I was wondering if I could ask you to be my date for my company's formal dance tomorrow night."

"Tom, I would be honored to be your date. But, I'm going to have to ask that my fiancé also be included."

"That's fine with me. I'll add two more to the guest list."

"Thank you Tom."

An hour later, after we have finished dinner and Dad, Tom, and Harm have gone to share a few brandies and to do whatever guys do in Dad's study. Mom and I are in the library and I'm having a hard time not yelling at her. "Mother, why did you invite Tom?"

"I thought that you would like to see him. I also know that you had feelings for him but I wasn't planning on you showing up here engaged."

"Mom, are you saying that you don't approve of Harm?" I ask her, shocked.

"I'm not saying that. I was just merely suggesting that you could give up your career and move back home."

I get up and start pacing, "Mom, I'm not going to give up a career that I worked so hard to save after I crashed. I have been in love with Harmon Rabb since the day I met him. I have two beautiful children, your grandchildren, with him. He's the one who makes me whole and the one that I come home to every night."

"Sarah, the man is a pilot and a Marine. Do you know how dangerous of a job that is?"

"Mom, you must be forgetting that I'm a pilot too and also a naval officer. I take risks too."

"What would happen to your children if you or Harm died? Who would raise them? Don't you want your children to grow up with a mother and a father."
"Mom, my children have a mother and a father who love them so much that they are willing to die for them. I have no romantic feelings towards Tom, because the only man that I am in love with is Harmon Rabb."

"I'm not saying that I don't like Harm but I am saying that I think you need to consider your options. I know that Tom loves you. Can't you give your children a stable home and a parent who is home all the time?"

"Mom, you don't know anything about my job. Mom, if Tom and I ever had anything, it was during high school. And high school is over. I'm engaged to be married and I want you there. One of the reasons why I came here was to seek your approval. But if you don't approve, then there is no point in me getting married."

"I love you, Sarah, and I want what is best for you."

"Mom, if you want what is best for me, you could get to know Harm for the man that I know and love."

"Alright, Sarah, I will try." She says, standing up and hugging me.

I hope so, Mom, I really hope so.

2005 EST

11 August 1996

Ballroom

The Aqua Turf

Plantsville, Connecticut

Harm and I walk into the ballroom after getting dropped off at the door by the private limo Tom sent, "Have you ever been here?" I ask him as he looks around in wonder.

"No, but I have heard of it."

Just then Tom approaches us, "Sarah! Harm! So glad that you came! Sarah, you look wonderful." He says, referring to my navy blue strapless, floor length dress. Harm is wearing his dress blues, which are now in season. I love to see him in dress blues and the gold wings that he wears make me crazy.

"Thank you, Tom."

"Harm, may I steal your lovely fiancée away for a dance?"

"Of course. I'm going to go check out the buffet table." He says as Tom leads me out to the dance floor.

We dance a few dances but then Tom takes me out to a rose garden. I smile, thinking of another person, my best friend and the man that I can see myself growing old with, having more children with, and spending the rest of our lives together.

I'm still in la-la land but am broken out of it to see that Tom has dropped down on one knee and is holding a diamond ring out for me to see, "Sarah, I know that you are already engaged but I wanted to tell you how I feel. Sarah Catherine Mackenzie. I love you. I have loved you since the day that I have first saw you in the seventh grade. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man on earth?"

"Tom, I have deep affections for you, too, but not love. The only man that I love is Harmon Rabb, the one guy who has seen me through thick and thin, laughter and tears. We have two beautiful children, both of whom I love very much and I know that Harm does too. I'm sorry, Tom, but I can't marry you." I say and kiss him on the cheek before heading back inside.

Harm is looking for me when I come back in. He hands me a plate and together, we sit down to eat. A few minutes later, my cell phone rings, "Damn," I say as I pull it out of my purse and answer it, "Mackenzie."

"Commander, this is Admiral Chegwidden."

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your leave, Commander, but I need you and Major Rabb back at JAG A.S.A.P."

"Sir, you do realize that the major and I are in Connecticut."

"I know that, Commander, but I need you. Now."

"Alright, sir, we'll leave right away and we should be there around 1000 tomorrow morning, sir." I say, glancing at my watch.

"I'll see you then, Commander. Have a safe trip."

"Thank you, sir." I say, hanging up the phone and sighing.

"What was that about?" Harm asks.

"Admiral Chegwidden wants us A.S.A.P. We've got to go." I say, getting up.

"Duty calls," Harm says, following me, "as always."

2305 EST

11 August 1996

The Mackenzie Residence

263 Sugar Hill Road

Tolland, Connecticut

I quietly open the kitchen hatch and then lead Harm upstairs. I hear the TV on in my parents' room and head down there, "Mom? Dad?"

"You're home early." Dad says as he looks up from the TV.

"We got called back to Washington. The admiral wants us back for a case."

"When do you leave?"

"As soon as we get changed and packed."

"I'm sorry that you have to go." Dad says, getting up and hugging me and then shaking Harm's hand, "It was good to see you. The next time I'm down in Washington, I'm coming to see my grandkids."

"You do that, Dad." I say as I hug him tightly.

Mom comes over and hugs me and kisses my cheek, "I approve," she whispers before hugging Harm, "It was good to meet you, Harm. Please, come see us again."

"Believe me, I will. Thank you so much, Mr. Mackenzie, Mrs. Mackenzie." He says as he leads me out and back to my room.

I smile. My mission here has been done. Now it's time to move on to a new one.

End Chapter Two.