Chapter Two
1900 EST
Rabb Household
Rosslyn, VA
It was an unseasonably warm March night, so Harm decided to take advantage of it. After dinner, Harm sat on his porch staring at the stars, and that is how Mac found him when she woke up from her nap.
"Did Baby let you sleep?" He asked knowing that the pregnancy was tiring her out, her weird behavior of sleeping after dinner for 15 minutes was now explained fairly easy.
"Yeah."
"Mac, I'm just not to sure if this is such a good idea. You weren't there, you didn't see what that monster did to these women. I mean, they had the rest of their lives to look forward to when someone just ceremoniously cut them open and take everything that was so important to them, leaving their husband and children alone. Honey, if anything were to happen to you, I don't think I could live through it."
"I feel the same way about you too Honey. You haven't said much about the baby, how do you feel about that?"
He smiled at her. He put his hand on her stomach. "I can't believe that with us just having a four percent chance of conceiving we actually pulled off our little miracle. I can't wait to see this little one."
"Are you sure you aren't mad?"
"Baby, why would I be mad? It's not like you went out and did this on your own, if I remember biology correctly it takes two to have a baby."
"I want to put off the wedding until after the baby is born. Dr. Collins said it would be for the best that way. Stress early on can cause miscarriages, and I am playing it safe."
"Mac, we can't go on this mission. It is going to be stressful enough."
"Harm, we have a month until we go off and save the world. All I have to do is play the part of a PX associate and part pool hall owner, with the guard on me, it will be a whole lost less stressful than day to day JAG comings and goings."
He started kissing her neck, running his hand down to her stomach, he stopped in awe. "We are really going to have a baby!" He yelled into the air, spinning her around in their driveway.
"Scream a little louder Harm, I don't think Bud and Harriet heard you two doors down."
"Mac, I don't care about who hears me, I am going to be a Daddy for the second time." He said smiling. Mac knew that they would always love Mattie, she was the light of their life and a great daughter, but a miracle child of their own, one with her looks and his brains just blew her mind away.
"We will have to sit down and talk to Mattie about all these changes. I also want her to train at CIA headquarters, the same training course I had to take, in fact I will probably take it again to refresh my skills, it has been over a year."
"Harm, is that really necessary? I want for her to stay a teenager for as long as possible."
"Mac, I want for her to be safe, we know about going undercover. I just want Mattie to be safe and to be able to defend herself." He said in a deadly tone.
"I agree Rabb," Clay said walking up from behind.
"Damn it Clay! Don't you know you could give a person a heart attack sneaking up on them?" Mac told him.
"I doubt it, Retread probably heard me coming a mile away." Clay said. Harm nodded his head.
"You came around from the back end of the house, parking the car about two houses away sneaking in through the backyard. I heard the sound of the Jag cut off around five minutes ago."
"Harm, what is he talking about?"
"When I was in the CIA I got the nickname of Retread. They all found out about my recon marines day and the fiasco with Lt. Rivers, so I found these training courses fairly easy. I could sneak up on anyone, and could hear almost anything come my way. It was pretty handy on the op I had to work."
"You know, Mattie is a natural," Clay said showing them the target that she used for target practice.
"Clay, you know as well as I do that it is one thing to hit a stationary target, it is another thing to hit a moving target." Harm said.
Clay pulled out more targets, "These are her moving targets, she hit them all except one, not fatally but she made contact."
Harm looked, "Is there such a thing as a natural with a gun?"
"Well, both of us are," Mac said pointing it out to him. "So it isn't too hard to assume that Mattie could do the same thing."
"Harm, we want to run her through the training course."
Mattie came out and sat on the front porch with them. "Dad, Mac, I want to run the training course. Clay is going to pick me up everyday after school and then run the through the training course with me. I need to be prepared to protect this family."
"Mattie, that isn't your job Honey," Harm said pulling her close.
"But you shouldn't have to shoulder all of it, you are the primary protector, and I get that, but Dad, I have to be prepared in case anything were to happen. Mac needs your protection more, after all she is going to be the target, not me. In case anything happens to either of you, I can be prepared to help out. Besides, that creep will probably go after my little sibling. We are a family, we have to learn to protect one another."
"You have your mind made up," Harm said.
"And Dad, you have helped raise me. I won't do anything stupid, and I am too stubborn to die."
"Don't talk about dying Mattie, just survive," Clay said. It was a mantra that keep Harm and Clay going while working for the CIA.
"Do you agree Dad?"
"Well Mattie, Mac and I were discussing this, and we were going to suggest it anyway. Talking about this, what are you doing to call us on this mission, Chris and Sarah or Mom and Dad."
"Probably Mom and Dad. It's easier, and that is how I think of you guys anyway."
Mac smiled at her. "Good, because we think of you as our daughter, and we don't care what DNA says, you are as much a part of this family as the new baby will be, and I have a feeling that you are going to be a great older sister."
Clay cleared his throat. "Harm, I scheduled some times for you to refresh your skills if you wanted. I better get going, I have dinner with Mother in 30 minutes." Harm nodded his head and watched his former colleague leave.
"Thanks Mom and Dad. I think I am going to go upstairs and finish my mock trial homework."
"What case are you debating?"
"It is not a case, it is a historical piece. A Captain in the 1800's invited some Native American's onboard his ship underneath the guise of smoothing over settler relations. While on board, the ship sailed away from the mainland, and as a result, there was a hunger strike, and many died. I decided to prosecute."
"What did you charge the Captain with?" Harm asked his daughter.
"I charged him with 9 charges of murder, 30 charges of kidnapping, and 39 charges of assault. I know that the charges of kidnapping will stick. It wasn't my call on the charge of murder and assault."
"Well Matts, you just never know. Now go upstairs and research your case." They watched her turn and go upstairs.
"I could be telling you the same thing Harm. Don't you have a case going to trial in a couple of days?"
"Dereliction of duty against a petty officer aboard the Stennis, she wanted to plea bargain out, and I am waiting for her defense attorney to get back to me about the offer I laid on the table during lunch. After that all I have are administration cases left over for me to deal with."
"All I have are wills and administration cases also. This is going to be a long month of paperwork while you get to go do training in the afternoons. I wish I was joining you."
"Mac, that training course is dangerous and no place for a pregnant woman."
"Just where is the pregnant woman's place?"
Harm got up, and looked at her seriously. "Well, barefooted and in the kitchen." He said smiling at her, and then took off running.
Mac was up in second flying after him, she jumped on his back, and he gave her a piggy back ride around the backyard, and she was giggling uncontrollably when he started tickling her feet.
"I love you Marine."
"I love you too Harm. But if you make one more crack about me being barefooted and pregnant in the kitchen, after I give birth, I will kick your six."
Mattie got off her bed and watched her parents play in their backyard. 'Good for them,' she thought to herself.
"Hey Mattie come down and play!" Harm shouted as he pushed Mac on the tire swing he hung for them.
"Come on Dad, I have homework to do."
"Do it later, and come play with us." Harm insisted trying to get that last couple of good memories in before they had to leave in a month for the mission. Mattie disappeared from the window and a minute later was rushing out the door. Harm caught her and swung her around in the air. Life was definitely perfect at the Rabb household.
