Chapter 4
After settling their lives in DC, Harm, Mac, and Mattie settled on having Jen move into their house while they were away on investigation to help his brother Sergei with the various things that needed to be done, everything that could identify them as who they really were was left in DC in a vault at the CIA. They pulled up to the base in Quantico and flashed their military ID cards that were doctored to reflect their new identities.
"Lt. Colonel Marks, you are the new F/A-18 pilot. We need you to pull the U-Haul to the side so we can check through the vehicle. You know of all the precautions."
"I am aware of that Major Allen." Harm addressed him, getting his name off of the uniform. He put the U-Haul into gear and parked it off to the side and opened the back to let them inspect the contents of their U-Haul.
"The Colonel is expecting you to report in tomorrow at 0800 at the airstrip so you can show him what you can do."
"I will be there."
"Sir, your wife is looking a little sick." Major Allen said looking at Mac that was following in a car that was loaned from the CIA.
Mac was looking a little green, it seemed that the morning sickness began to hit her, "Chris, I think I am going to be sick," she screeched as she jumped out of the U-Haul and proceeded to throw up on the side of the road. Harm went over and drew circles on the back.
"Maddie, can you bring your mother the saltines; her morning sickness is kicking in."
Mattie heard her name and started rummaging around and found the saltines and jumped out of the U-Haul. "Here you go Dad."
Mattie looked sympathetically at her Mom. "Sir if you don't mind me saying so, you must have been right out of flight school when you had her." The major probed.
"My younger sister was a teenage mother. She didn't know who Maddie's real father was, but she loved her so much. She was killed in an automobile accident on I-95. We didn't want Madeline being raised by strangers so we took her in. Maddie, how old were you when you came to live with us?"
"Five Dad." Mattie said looking up from her duty station at Mac's side.
"My wife and I were newlyweds, and we had a five year old with us. Sarah gave up her commission in the corps to raise her, and we haven't looked back since."
"Is she going to high school on the base?"
"Yeah. We figured it would be the easiest way for her to make friends before the summer came."
"It's a good school, my son goes there."
"Major, everything is an all clear."
"Mrs. Marks, please accept my apologies, I hope you are feeling better. My wife knows an excellent OB if you need one."
"Thank you Major. I just want to get to our humble abode and watch my husband unload our stuff."
"I understand Mrs. Marks."
"Call me Sarah, all my friends do." She smiled at Harm while he started the engine again.
"Dad, after we get finished unpacking the house can we look at the pool hall? I think I saw it when we were coming in."
"Sure Maddie."
Mattie knew that the pool hall was going to be the perfect cover place. Clay had taken some time off to help with this case while his nephew finished up school on base. The pool hall was called Corner Pocket and had been staffed with two undercover FBI agents assigned to the case, Clay was working as the accountant, and Harm and Mac came in to help with drinks and oversee the running of the club. It would be a great way to get into contact with their friends from DC also.
They pulled up to their new home and Harm backed the U-Haul back in the driveway and he helped Mac out of the car.
"You feeling better?"
"Yeah, the baby just didn't like breakfast too much." She answered him.
He dropped to his knees, as was becoming his habit over the past month, and started speaking to Mac's still flat stomach. "Hey Son, it's Daddy. I need to listen real good to me Sailor, you are making your Mommy really sick, and you have to stop doing that."
"What makes you think she is going to be a boy?"
"A father just knows these things. Let me get you inside and then Mattie and I will begin to unload the truck."
"Bring in the dishes for the kitchen first, and I can do something useful while you guys are unloading."
"Okay Sarah."
Mattie had already started taking some of the boxes for her room inside the house. Harm went inside and put box of dishes on the counter to keep Mac from having to bend over. He then came inside with the boxes that the CIA had labeled as wardrobe. He had unloaded the truck fairly quickly because there was no furniture that they had to move. The CIA had set it up so the furniture would be arriving in about an hour and they would set it all up.
"DAD!" He heard Mattie shrieking from her room.
He sprung into action and ran down the hall to her room. "What is it Baby?"
"Big spider in the corner! Kill it!" She said standing on her window sill.
Harm smiled, "You know what I don't understand Maddie?"
"No, what?"
"How you can have so much courage, but yet be scared of spiders." He said jeering at her.
"You know what Dad, its called arachnophobia. I have had it since Uncle Tom let me stay up one night and watch that stupid movie." She said carefully sticky to their cover story.
Harm squashed the spider with his shoe when he heard the doorbell ring and heard Mac open the door. "Maddie, Chris, one of our new neighbors are here!" She called them. They came out of Mattie's room and made their way to the front door.
Mattie introduced herself first. "Hi, Madeline Grace Marks. Maddie for short."
"Hi Maddie. I have a son who is close to your age, Jason. He works at the commissary. I'm Allie Allen."
"I just got a job there. Well, if you will excuse me, I have to get unfinished packing so I can walk around and get my bearings."
Harm smiled. "Okay Maddie."
"Mom, Dad, Mrs. Allen." Mattie said acknowledging them.
Harm watched her go to her room and shut the door and turn on the music really loud. "Lt. Colonel Christopher Marks." He said introducing himself.
"You are the new pilot everyone has been buzzing about."
"I hope you heard good things."
"We have Colonel."
"Call me Chris."
"Chris, call me Allie."
"I believe you met my wife Sarah."
"Yes. How far along are you Sarah?"
"How did you know?"
"Well, I noticed that you weren't doing any lifting."
"Oh, that is my husband for you. He thinks I should be barefooted and pregnant in the kitchen. He forgets that I can still kick his butt when needed."
"You were in the military?"
"Almost, I was in ROTC in college. That is how I met Chris, he was a senior and I was freshmen, so we didn't date. After he graduated though, that was a different story. My senior year of college, we got married. I received a commission into the Marines, but when Chris's sister died leaving us custody of Maddie, life changed. Maddie needed a full time Mom, so I quit school and decided to raise Maddie."
"I was wondering why Maddie didn't look like you."
"She is my half sister's daughter, my niece," Harm explained. "We took custody of her when she was five."
"Oh. Well, I better be going to have dinner ready in a couple of hours." She pointed to a place on the wall, "That would be a great place to do a picture wall. You could put your wedding picture in the middle and put pictures of the family all around. Sarah, you seem like you have a keen eye for decorating. I remember reading in your bios given to me by the base welcoming committee that is what you were getting your degree in."
"Yes it was."
"Well, there are a couple of wives that get together, the WCETMM, Women Crazy Enough To Marry Marines, we keep it a small group of only 6 of us. One of our members just was murdered." Allie got a sad look on her face. "I am surprised that JAG Headquarters didn't jump on this. Anyway, it was awful."
Harm looked at Mac and smiled. "Baby, I am going to call the furniture company again. I can't have you sleeping on the ground." Harm made his exit to let the women talk.
"I know you have to get going, but can I offer you some tea?"
"Sure." Mac poured her a cup.
"What happened to her?"
"She was out walking after one of our meetings and she was killed. I don't know all of the details, but that is what we were told."
"How awful!" Mac exclaimed.
"Anyway, we keep the group small group of wives who husbands have dangerous jobs. Mike, my husband, he works as the gate guard when he is needed, but he normally is force recon. With Chris being a pilot, I am sure you can understand."
"Only all to well." Mac answered the woman. "Okay, yeah, sure. Why don't you write down the time and place you meet, and I will be there."
"Great Sarah, we are looking forward to it. Well, thank you for the tea, I better leave you so you can do some unpacking."
"Great Allie, I will see you later then." Mac led her to the door and watched her new friend leave the area. Harm came from the kitchen and kissed her neck.
"So?"
"I was asked to join the wives club. Apparently it was the group that Clay's sister was part of, and she was walking home from one of the meetings when it happened. Have you seen my guard?"
"Actually I have." He smiled. "We worked on some cases together, good guy, knows how to blend in real well. Why are you started to get worried?"
"No, just playing cautious with my little one here."
He smiled and kissed her. "Get a room guys," Mattie screeched from the top of the stairs.
"We would but there is no furniture in our room yet."
"Oh yuck. I am going on a run to let you guys be. Oh, the furniture people just pulled up." Mattie winked at her parents and left the house posed to run. "Dad, don't forget to return the U-Haul, and we have to pick up the other car sometime."
"Maddie, we know, now go!"
"Yes sir."
Harm watched Mattie run down the sidewalk knowing that her bodyguard would be following at a close distance as Harm let the furniture people in. He saw her turn around, and he waved. "Be home by dinner Madeline Grace."
"I will Colonel Dad."
