SUNDAY,
24 SEPTEMBER
1710 ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN,
VIRGINIA
"Hi, Carolyn," Sydney greeted the younger woman as she opened the front door. She motioned Carolyn into the house.
"I'm not late, am I?" Carolyn asked. "I got stuck behind an accident on the American Legion bridge."
"No, we're still waiting for Jackie," Sydney assured her. "Maybe she got stuck behind the same accident."
Carolyn nodded as she followed Sydney into the living room. "Probably," she said. "I think she would have crossed the same bridge to get here."
Mac and Harriet were sitting on the couch, pointing out items in a catalog. Mac looked up as Sydney and Carolyn entered the room. "Hi, Carolyn," Mac said. "Take a seat. Can I get you anything?"
Carolyn sat on the loveseat and shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she replied. "What are you looking at?"
"Baby furniture," Harriet said. "The Commander and – sorry, Harm and Mac – went to Babies R Us a few weeks ago and decided to do some comparison shopping before they bought anything."
"Good thing, too," Mac said. "We saw this crib at Babies R Us that was almost four hundred dollars. We just found a similar one in the Exchange Catalog that's only two hundred and fifty."
"I guess I never thought about how expensive babies could be," Carolyn admitted as she leaned forward to look at the catalog in Mac's hands. "And you have to buy two of everything."
"Which is the main reason for the comparison shopping," Mac said as she flipped to another page. "Ouch, nearly four hundred dollars for a rocker and that doesn't include the ottoman."
Sydney stood at the side of the couch and looked over Mac's shoulder. "Those glider rockers are more expensive."
"That's worse than the crib we saw," Mac said, chagrined. "And with two babies, we should probably get two of those also so that Harm and I can both rock the babies at the same time." She flipped a few more pages. "No tandem strollers in here though. That's definitely on the must buy list."
"Have you thought about going to the furniture store at Andrews Air Force Base?" Harriet asked. "Bud and I bought a lot of AJ's stuff there and they have more of a selection than the Exchange catalog."
Mac set the catalog on the coffee table and sighed. "We'll have to make a trip out there when we get back from ... wherever we're going for our honeymoon."
Carolyn smiled. "He still won't tell you where you're going?"
"No," Mac said. "I've tried to get it out of him, but the witness is non-responsive."
"And is that a bad thing?" Sydney mused. "After all, you came back looking pretty ... relaxed after that surprise trip to the Eastern Shore."
Mac smiled softly as she remembered the incredible weekend at the beach a few weeks earlier. That definitely ranked as one of Harm's better ideas. She was about to reply, but the doorbell sounded.
"I'll get that," Sydney said, heading for the door again. When she returned a moment later, it was with both Rachel Carlisle, carrying an armful of garment bags, and Jackie Mattoni in tow.
"I've got all the dresses finished," Rachel announced, laying the bags over the back of a chair. "Is everyone ready to try them on?"
-----
After they had all put on their dresses and while Rachel was checking them for any minor adjustments, Carolyn turned to Jackie. "So did you get stuck behind the accident on the American Legion bridge, too?" she asked.
"I didn't realize there was an accident on the bridge," Jackie replied. "I was just running behind, that's why I was late." She blushed slightly at the last part.
"Spending time with your husband?" Sydney suggested. When Jackie blushed even more, Sydney added, "Come on. With the exception of Carolyn here, we've all got guys of our own and it's obvious that two of us have been very busy with their guys." She nodded towards Mac and Harriet, both of whom were struggling to get into dresses which had fit the week before. Fortunately, Rachel had no problems with a last minute fitting Friday morning after they arrived in Annapolis, just in case either of them put on any more weight in the next five days.
Jackie smiled as she replied, "Funny you should mention that. Alan and I have actually been talking about trying to have a baby."
"That's wonderful," Harriet said enthusiastically.
"You were probably doing more than just talking," Sydney commented knowingly, "since you were late today."
"Sydney!" Mac exclaimed.
"Oh, we're all adults here," Sydney said, shrugging, "and none of us are inexperienced. Anyway, Jackie, that is wonderful. Good luck to you and Alan."
"Yes, good luck," Mac agreed. "It is wonderful news."
"Thanks," Jackie replied, taking off her dress once Rachel was satisfied that it fit properly. "I don't know, I guess being around you and Harriet and seeing little AJ has made us wish for children of our own."
Mac noticed Carolyn had a strange look in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked. "All this talk about our guys and babies isn't bothering you, is it?"
"No, I'm fine," Carolyn assured her, not sounding entirely sure herself. "I've always been so focused on my career and now maybe I am wishing a little for a meaningful relationship with a man."
"Mac, isn't Commander Keeter single?" Harriet asked.
Mac nodded. "I could introduce you to him," she suggested. "He is a really nice guy and very polite. And he does have dress whites and gold wings."
"I suppose," Carolyn said, not sounding too enthusiastic about the idea.
"So, Mac," Sydney began, deciding a change in topic was in order, "when is everyone arriving for the wedding?"
"Harm's parents are supposed to be here later this evening," she replied. "We're picking them up at Dulles. Uncle Matt arrives Wednesday afternoon at Andrews. Gram Sarah is coming into Reagan tomorrow afternoon. Chloe and her grandparents are coming in Thursday afternoon at Dulles, just in time for the party that night. Clay still hasn't told us when Keeter is arriving, but it is supposed to be within the next couple of days. Let me think, who else. Commander Coulter is coming in at BWI Thursday morning. Tom Boone is flying into Andrews Thursday afternoon. Tuna, Skates and Boomer are coming in from the Patrick Henry Thursday morning, also at Andrews. Francesca's coming in tomorrow at BWI. Oh, and Lieutenant Rivers is coming in from San Diego Friday evening."
"Sounds like you'll be visiting every airport in the DC area this week," Harriet commented.
"Actually, Harm's parents have offered to pick up some of the guests while Harm and I are at work," Mac explained. "Harm and I have a lot of work to do to get everything at JAG squared away by Thursday. And of course, the Admiral will be picking up Francesca."
"Is this going to be the first time you've met Francesca, Sydney?" Carolyn asked, happy for the change in subject.
"Yes," she replied. "We've spoken on the phone a few times and she seems nice enough and, of course, AJ thinks the world of her. I'm just a little nervous about meeting her. At least I've already introduced AJ to my son. One less thing to worry about."
"I'm sure Francesca will like you," Mac tried to assure her. "After all, you make her father happy."
-----
2125
ZULU
MCMURPHY'S TAVERN
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
Carolyn walked into the tavern and took a seat at the bar. After a moment, the bartender noticed her and asked, "What can I get you?"
"Just a club soda with a twist of lime," she replied with a sigh. She didn't even feel up to drinking tonight. She set her purse on the bar and took a handful of peanuts from a nearby bowl.
"Is this seat taken?" a male voice asked from just behind her.
Carolyn looked over her shoulder to see a man with dark blond hair who appeared to be in his late thirties standing just behind her. She shrugged. "No, I'm here alone."
"And something tells me that bothers you," the man commented as he sat on the stool. When the bartender returned with Carolyn's drink, the man ordered a bourbon.
"Is it that obvious?" Carolyn asked, stealing a glance at the man beside her.
He shrugged, "You just look like you could use a friend."
"Oh, friends I've got," Carolyn said as she took a sip of her drink. "In a way, that's the problem."
"I wouldn't think having friends would be a problem," the man pointed out as the bartender arrived with his own drink. "Unless they're the wrong kind of friends."
"My friends definitely aren't that," she replied thoughtfully. "I couldn't ask for better friends. It's just ..." she trailed off, laughing. "This is going to sound funny."
"Try me."
"Well, it's just that they're all so happy," she explained. "Two of my friends are getting married on Saturday and they're expecting a couple of babies in February."
"And you wish that was you," he concluded.
"It's just that ... oh, I don't know," Carolyn said, waving her hands. "Last year, one of my friends had a baby and I began wishing that I could have a baby. Now, that friend is getting ready to have another baby. Another friend, as I said, is getting married and having a couple of kids. And then my partner at work, his wife tells us today that they're trying to have a baby. "
"It does seem like you're surrounded by people having babies," he commented as he sipped his bourbon.
"And then my boss," Carolyn continued, for some reason feeling comfortable talking to the stranger beside her, "who is almost old enough to be my father, is happily engaged to this really nice woman."
"So you're feeling a little down because everyone around you is happy with families," he concluded.
"Something like that," she agreed. She turned to the man beside her and smiled wanly. "You know, I've always been so focused on my career and a family didn't seem as important. But all my friends work with me and when I see them juggling a demanding career and families ..."
"You wonder why that couldn't be you," he interrupted.
"My friend," she added, "the one who's getting married, she offered to introduce me to her fiancé's college roommate. He's the only single person besides me in the wedding party."
"And is that a problem?" he asked. "I mean, if you like him, that would be good, right? If not, then you don't have to see him again."
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Maybe I'm just feeling a little pathetic that my friends have to set me up on a blind date."
"Well, do you know any men that you are interested in?" he asked her, finishing off his drink.
"There's this one guy at work," she said with a laugh. "I can't believe I'm telling you this. Anyway, he is gorgeous and I mean drop dead. His smile could make could make any woman melt. A woman would have to be blind not to be attracted to this guy. But it would never go any further than innocent attraction."
"Guys like that tend to be taken," he pointed out.
"Getting married on Saturday," she said.
"Your friend's fiancé?" he asked, smiling. Carolyn nodded.
"He's a good friend, though," she explained, "and everyone's always known that he and his fiancée are made for each other. Took them a while to figure that out though."
"So why was that?" he asked, motioning to the bartender for another drink.
"With them, who knows," she replied, nodding when the bartender looked at her empty glass, silently asking if she would like another also. "They're both really smart people in other areas, but it took them four years to admit to what everyone else knew."
"Sound like a friend of mine and his partner at work," he said. "Except that last I heard from my friend, his partner was practically engaged to another man. I only saw them together once, but the way my friend always talked about her prior to that and what I saw of them together, I thought they were crazy. They both kept insisting that they were only friends."
"So maybe she loved this other guy more," Carolyn suggested.
Her new friend shrugged. "I met the other guy once also," he said. "I can't explain it, but there just didn't seem to me to be any sparks between him and my friend's partner."
"Maybe you were just prejudiced in favor of your friend," she pointed out.
"Perhaps. But my friend lives in DC, so while I'm in town I'm planning to stop in to see him, see if maybe his partner isn't 'practically engaged' anymore," he said.
"So you're not from here," Carolyn said.
"I travel a lot for my work, so I don't really have a home," he explained. "I'm in town because this guy I work with suddenly called me to DC, no explanation given."
"So what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a pilot," he answered. "Maybe he needs me to fly somewhere for him. I don't know. Visiting him is also on the agenda for tomorrow, in addition to seeing my friend. Now, what do you do?"
"I'm a lawyer," she said. "I mostly defend murder cases, but I handle a few other cases on the side from time to time. Anyway, thank you."
"For what?"
"For distracting me," she answered. "You're easy to talk to and you helped get my mind off other things."
"A pretty woman like you shouldn't be sitting here depressed, ma'am," he teased.
"Are you flirting with me?" Carolyn teased back.
"And if I said yes?"
Carolyn smiled. For some reason she couldn't explain, she was drawn to this man. "Then I'd be flattered," she replied.
"Flattered enough to have dinner with me?" he asked, smiling back.
He does have a nice smile, she thought. What the hell? "If I'm going to have dinner with you, I think you should at least know my name," she said, her smile even wider. "It's Carolyn."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Carolyn. I'm Jack," Jack Keeter replied, holding his hand out. Without hesitation, Carolyn shook it. "So since I'm new to the DC area, what's a good place to eat around here?"
-----
MONDAY,
25 SEPTEMBER
1159 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH,
VIRGINIA
Despite nearly being late to work, Carolyn was whistling when she walked into JAG. After an enjoyable dinner with Jack, she had offered to drop him off at his hotel since he had taken a taxi to McMurphy's the night before. After talking about everything and nothing for several hours, Carolyn had said her goodbyes and prepared to leave, saying that she had an early staff meeting in the morning. She had been ready to open the door, her hand on the doorknob. Then Jack had kissed her goodnight.
And what a kiss it was, Carolyn reflected. She'd been kissed before, but never before had it felt so charged. Despite the rational, logical voice in her head reminding her that she'd only met Jack a few hours earlier, she had uncharacteristically thrown caution to the wind and had stayed the night. When morning came, she had been very reluctant to leave and had returned home with barely enough time to throw on her uniform, grab her briefcase and race across the Potomac to work.
Entering the bullpen, she saw Loren and Alfred still at their desks gathering up some files, so the staff meeting had obviously not started yet. Deciding it was probably best not to take the time to stop in her office first, Carolyn kept her briefcase with her and followed Lauren and Alfred into the conference room.
They entered the room right ahead of the Admiral. Carolyn breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn't be busted for being late. Throughout the meeting, Carolyn was preoccupied with thoughts of Jack, while keeping one ear half-tuned to what was going on around her in case the Admiral asked her something, a distinct possibility since she would be covering some of Mac's cases while Harm and Mac were on their honeymoon.
As the meeting broke up, Carolyn headed for the kitchen for her first cup of coffee of the day. All the while, she wished that she had Mac's ability with time so that she could count down the hours until she would see Jack again that evening.
-----
"Good morning, Commander," Harriet greeted Carolyn when she entered the kitchen to stash her lunch in the fridge.
"Good morning, Harriet," Carolyn said brightly, leaning against the counter with her mug of coffee in hand.
As Harriet stored her lunch, she looked over her shoulder at Carolyn. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning, Commander," she commented.
"I am, Harriet," Carolyn replied, smiling widely. "It's a very good morning, don't you think?"
"Ma'am, it's Monday," Harriet said, puzzled. She couldn't remember Carolyn coming into work quite this chipper. She wondered at the cause of her friend's good cheer.
"Well, sometimes even Monday can surprise you and be a good day," Carolyn said.
"And if you don't mind my asking, Commander," Harriet began, wildly curious, "is there a reason for your good mood? I mean, I was a little worried after yesterday's dress fitting that you felt a little left out when the rest of us were talking about our guys and babies and all that stuff."
"Don't worry about it, Harriet," Carolyn said with a laugh, marveling at the thought of meeting the man who could possibly be the man of her dreams while she was depressed about being the only unattached female in her circle of friends. "After all, I can understand about wanting to brag about having wonderful relationships such as you, Jackie, Mac and Sydney have. As for the other, actually there is a reason."
"And?" Harriet asked, momentarily forgetting about propriety. She was just too curious.
"I met someone," Carolyn confided, nearly jumping with excitement. "His name's Jack, he's a pilot, I met him at McMurphy's, we had dinner and a long talk. He is so sweet and easy to talk to. Eventually, one thing led to another ..." she trailed off, knowing Harriet would be able to connect the dots on the last part.
"Ma'am, this is so exciting," Harriet exclaimed. She was a hopeless romantic and when her friends were happy and in love, she was happy. "Why don't you ask him to accompany you to the wedding? I'm sure the Colonel and the Commander won't mind adding someone to the guest list."
"If they don't mind," Carolyn replied, excited about the idea, "I'd love to ask him. Harriet, I think I'm in love." The last sentence came out in a rush of excitement.
"Well, I think it's just wonderful, Ma'am," Harriet replied. Even if it did seem kind of sudden, Carolyn was so excited that Harriet couldn't help being excited for her.
-----
"Commander Keeter," Bud called out, catching sight of Jack, dressed in his summer whites complete with gold wings, exiting the elevator as Bud headed for his office, "it's good to see you again."
"Good to see you too, Lieutenant," Jack greeted. "Is Harm around? I just got into town yesterday and I thought I'd stop by and say hello before I head off to meet Webb to find out just why he called me here."
Bud was puzzled. "You mean Mr. Webb didn't tell you why he was bringing you here?" he asked.
"No, I just assumed he wanted to brief me in person on a new mission," Jack explained. "You almost sound like you know why he called me here."
"Well, Sir," Bud began, wondering if he should just take Jack to Harm and let him explain. He stole a quick glance in the direction of Harm's office and saw that the door was open, but Harm wasn't at his desk. As he started to turn back to Jack, he spotted his wife and Carolyn coming out of the kitchen heading for the bullpen. He motioned them over. "Harriet, Commander, have either of you seen Commander Rabb?"
Carolyn was about to reply when she caught sight of the man standing next to Bud. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Jack," she stammered out, her heart beating wildly, "when you told me you were a pilot, you didn't tell me you were a Navy pilot."
Jack smiled widely at the woman whom he had been thinking about ever since she had left his hotel room that morning. "Carolyn," he countered, his eyes twinkling merrily, "when you told me you were a lawyer, you didn't tell me you were a Navy lawyer."
"Touché," Carolyn replied, smothering a laugh. But nothing could displace the huge grin on her face.
"Commander Imes," Bud said, "I didn't realize that you were acquainted with Commander Keeter."
Carolyn's mouth dropped open in surprise for the second time in a minute and this time she couldn't control the laughter. How was that for irony, she thought. "I should have realized last night," she exclaimed, "when you said that you had a friend you thought was in love with his partner from work and that the last time you had spoken to your friend, the partner was practically engaged to another man."
"That story sounds very familiar," Harriet pointed out, smiling while Bud looked everyone in confusion. So this was Carolyn's Jack, Harriet thought. And if Harriet was any judge of character and the way Jack was looking at Carolyn, he felt the same thing about Carolyn that she did about him. Being the hopeless romantic, she wondered if there could be another JAG wedding sometime in the not to distant future.
"Uh, excuse me, Commander Imes," Bud interrupted, "about Commander Rabb?" Carolyn and Jack both turned to look at him, slightly embarrassed that they had been just standing there staring at each other.
"Sorry, Bud," Carolyn said, flushing slightly. "I believe he's in the Admiral's office. I think it has something to do with his transfer."
"Transfer?" Jack asked, puzzled. "He's not going back to flying again, is he? From what he has said, he's happier back at JAG."
"No, he's going to be a military liaison on the Hill," Carolyn informed him, then she remembered a bit of their conversation the night before. "That's right, you said last night you didn't know why you had been called to DC."
"Sounds like you do," Jack commented, puzzled at what that had to do with Harm's transfer.
"Well, do you remember last night when I said my friend who was getting married was trying to set me up with her fiancé's college roommate?" Carolyn asked.
"Yeah, but what does that ..." Jack trailed off as understanding dawned. "You mean Harm is getting married?" Bud, Harriet and Carolyn all nodded, smiling. "And that would make me the college roommate."
Carolyn nodded again, trying to smother a laugh. "I'm sorry," she said, "but you do have to admit that it's pretty ironic."
"I guess it is," Jack replied with a laugh. "So, who is Harm marrying?" Suddenly, his conversation with Carolyn at McMurphy's played in his mind. "You said that everyone knew that your friends who are getting married were made for each other, but it took them a while – four years, to be exact – to figure it out. He's marrying Mac, isn't he?"
"At the Academy chapel Saturday morning at ten hundred hours," Carolyn confirmed. "I hope Mr. Webb at least told you that you would need your dress whites."
"They're back at my hotel room," Jack replied.
"Good, then you won't look out of place ..." Carolyn trailed off when she caught sight of Mac walking in their direction. "Colonel, look who just arrived."
Mac smiled when she saw Jack standing with Carolyn, Bud and Harriet. When she reached them, she greeted him, "It's good to see you again, Keeter. I know Harm will be relieved that Clay was able to get you here."
"Permission to hug the bride-to-be?" he asked, holding out his arms.
"Permission granted," Mac replied as she stepped into his outstretched arms.
"Congratulations, Mac," he whispered to her. "I'm sure you and Harm will be very happy."
"Not trying to steal my Marine, are you?"
Jack stepped away from Mac and saw Harm walking towards them accompanied by the Admiral. He just grinned at his old friend. "Hey, I tried to talk her into running away with me back in the desert, but she turned me down," he joked, a mock frown on his face. "It's good to see you, buddy. Congratulations."
"It's about time you got here," Harm said. "Admiral AJ Chegwidden, this is my Academy roommate, Commander Jack Keeter. Keeter, this is Admiral Chegwidden."
"So you're the one my people have to keep rescuing from hostile countries," AJ commented dryly, folding his arms across his chest.
"Yes, Sir," Jack replied, not quite sure what to make of the Admiral's statement, however true it might be.
"It's good to finally meet you, Commander," AJ said. "Try not to get into any trouble while you're here."
"I'll try, Sir," Jack said, breaking into a smile.
"So, Keeter, did you just get here?" Harm asked. "Have you met everyone? Of course, you already know Sarah and Bud."
"Actually, Carolyn and I met last night," he replied, smiling at Carolyn. "But no one's introduced me to the pretty Lieutenant j.g. here."
Harriet blushed. Being eight months pregnant, it wasn't often that she heard compliments like that. Bud took care of the introductions. "Harriet, this is Commander Jack Keeter. Commander, this is my wife, Lieutenant Harriet Sims."
Jack and Harriet shook hands. "Your husband's a very lucky man, Harriet," he complimented her.
Harriet turned to Carolyn and smiled. "You were right, Commander," she said. "He is sweet."
Jack looked back at Carolyn and smiled while everyone looked from one to the other, puzzled. Noticing everyone's scrutiny, Carolyn decided to offer a brief explanation. "I went to McMurphy's last night after the dress fitting," she explained, her eyes never leaving Jack's. "Jack and I sat next to each other at the bar and got to talking. We didn't realize, though, that we have friends in common."
"As fascinating as this is," AJ said, "let's get back to work. Some people have until seventeen hundred hours on Thursday to clear their desks or they will be spending their honeymoon right here."
He was answered with a chorus of "Yes, Sir". He turned and headed back for his office, Bud headed for his and Harriet went to her desk in the bullpen.
"Boy, you move fast," Harm teased Jack. "Just got here and already have a girl in port."
"What can I say," he shot back, winking at Carolyn. "She knew a good thing when she saw it."
"Word of warning," Mac said to Carolyn, throwing a glance at the men. "Watch out for the flyboy ego."
"Hey, you know what they say about dress whites and gold wings," Jack teased.
Mac shrugged, pretending disinterest. "Highly overrated," she said indifferently.
"Then I suppose you won't mind if we skip the military ceremony and go with plain tuxedos," Harm suggested with a shrug.
"Don't you dare!" Mac exclaimed, laughing.
Carolyn looked at Jack speculatively, imagining him in his dress whites and gold wings. "I agree," she added. "I think you should stick with the dress whites."
"Someone's got it bad," Mac whispered, leaning towards Carolyn.
"Like Jack said," she whispered back. "I knew a good thing when I saw it."
-----
2215
ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA
"Harm, what's wrong?" Mac asked as they changed out of their uniforms, looking at the folder in his hand. "You've been very quiet most of the day."
Harm, sitting on their bed, patted the comforter next to him. "Sit down for a minute," he said. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
Mystified, she did as he asked, looking at him expectantly. After a moment, Harm sighed and handed her the folder he had carried upstairs with him. "A few weeks ago, I asked Gunny to get some information for me. This is what he found." He watched her, waiting patiently while she perused the information Gunny had given him.
"Why?" she asked, afraid that if she said any more that she would end up blowing up at him.
Harm sensed the anger behind the question and wondered for not the first time if he'd done the right thing. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "I thought you might want to invite her to the wedding."
"Have you already contacted her?" she continued, her voice tight.
"No," he replied, keeping his voice steady. "I wanted to leave the decision up to you. I just asked Gunny to find out where she is."
"Why would I want to contact her?"
"Sarah, she is your mother," he reminded her. "I thought ..."
"She gave up the right to be called my mother when she walked out on my fifteenth birthday," she retorted, her voice rising in anger.
"Weren't you the one who said running into her at your father's deathbed was a 'growing experience'?" he asked, keeping his voice level in the face of her anger.
"That doesn't mean it's an experience that I'd like to repeat," she cried. "She didn't even care enough about me to keep track of me all those years. She didn't even know that her own brother was in Leavenworth. Anyway, if she wanted to be a part of my life, she's had a year and a half since my father died to contact me, but she hasn't. Doesn't that tell you anything?"
"Maybe she's afraid that you wouldn't want anything to do with her," Harm said quietly. "Maybe she didn't think she'd be able to take it if she contacted you and you rejected her."
"Why shouldn't I reject her?" she demanded. "She rejected me first when she walked out."
"Sarah," he said, deciding to try a different tack, "maybe she'd like the chance to get to know her grandchildren. They could bring you two together."
Mac was quiet for a long moment. The question of what to tell the twins about her parents had bothered her on and off since she had found out she was pregnant. Her father was the easy one – all she would have to say is that he was dead, which was the truth. Her mother was trickier. She could lie and say she was dead also, but what if the truth eventually came out? She didn't like the idea of lying to her own children. But how do you explain to young children that their Mommy's mother didn't care enough to be a part of her family's lives?
"Look, I said before that this was your decision," Harm assured her. "And I meant that."
"But you want me to contact her," she said quietly, staring down at the folder laying open in her hands without really seeing it through the tears forming in her eyes.
"I won't think any less of you if you don't," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. But instead of leaning into his embrace as she normally would, she sat there still and unyielding. "Sarah ..."
"Harm, don't," she said, her voice breaking. She pulled away from him and stood. "I don't need this right now." She turned and fled from the room, dropping the folder on the bed before she left.
Damn, he thought. He had hoped that this would be a good thing, trying to bring mother and daughter together. Instead, all he had done was get Mac mad at him with less than five days to go before the wedding. Just great.
"Do you want to talk about it?" a voice asked from the doorway. Harm looked up from studying the floor to find Frank standing there.
"How did you know?" Harm asked.
Frank walked into the room and sat down a few feet from Harm on the bed. "Your mother was walking by and heard you two," he explained. "She's talking to Mac downstairs right now."
"I thought I was doing the right thing," Harm said, frustrated. "Mac has been talking about this being a new beginning. I just thought ... I don't know, that maybe becoming a mother herself would make her want to open up the lines of communication with her own mother. I thought that our children should have the chance to get to know their other grandmother."
"I don't pretend to know everything about Mac's relationship with her mother," Frank said. "But from her point of view, she thinks she has valid reasons for not wanting to see or talk to her mother. Whether those reasons are right or wrong is not the point and it's not up to you to get her to do something she's not ready for."
"And I wasn't trying to make her contact her mother," Harm said quietly. "I just had Gunny find out where she is and then I turned the information over to Mac. I wanted to leave the decision up to her."
"But did it occur to you that even though you said the decision was up to her," Frank suggested, "that she unconsciously took the fact that you had gone to the trouble of getting the information as a sign that you did want her to contact her mother?"
Harm was quiet for a moment, finally admitting, "I never thought of it like that."
"One of the hardest things in a relationship is to make yourself see things from the other person's point of view," Frank pointed out. "Now, you told me what you were thinking when you did this. Before you started this, did you stop to think about what she might think about it? I know that you would like to see Mac reconcile with her mother and for everyone to be one big, happy family. But if Mac feels that she's been forced into it, is everyone really going to be better off?"
"I don't know," Harm admitted, sighing. "When her father was dying, I talked her into going out to California to see him. Later, when she thanked me, I said that I couldn't have talked her into it if she didn't really want to be talked into it. I guess I was hoping the same thing would apply here. So I guess in a way, I was unconsciously putting pressure on her to contact her mother."
"It's good that you realize that," Frank said, patting Harm's shoulder, "but I'm not the one you need to tell it to."
Harm turned his head and smiled at Frank. "Thanks, Frank."
"Come on," Frank suggested, standing. "Let's go find your mother and Mac."
-----
"Darling, do you want to talk about it?" Trish asked as Mac entered the living room.
Mac sat down on the couch next to Trish and sighed. "How did you know?" she asked.
"I was upstairs getting something," she explained. "When I was getting ready to head back downstairs, I passed by your room and heard most of what was said."
"I can't believe he did this," Mac exclaimed. "He knows how I feel about my mother. Why would he think that I would even want to contact her?"
"I don't know," Trish said, patting Mac's hand comfortingly. "Maybe now that he's accepted Frank's presence in my life, in his life, he wants to see you make peace with your mother. Maybe he wants your children to have a chance to know their other grandmother."
"My relationship with my mother is not the same as his with Frank," Mac pointed out. "Even when he wouldn't admit it, Harm always knew that Frank was there for him. My mother walked out on me when I was fifteen and has never bothered to contact me in all that time. Even after she saw me when my father died, she still didn't try to keep in touch with me. As for the other, if she doesn't care for me, why should I expect that she would care about my children?"
"I don't pretend to understand why she has done the things she has. But let me ask you this. If she was to reach out on her own and contact you, would you want to talk to her?" Trish asked.
Mac was thoughtful for a moment, then softly replied, "Honestly, I don't know."
"Maybe she's afraid that you wouldn't want anything to do with her," Trish suggested. "And is it possible that the reverse is true, that you're afraid that if you do contact her, she won't want anything to do with you?"
"I supposed," Mac admitted.
"But if you do contact her and she doesn't want anything to do with you, would you be any worse off than you are now?" Trish asked.
"I suppose not."
"But if you contact her and she does want a relationship with you, then you'll probably be better off, correct?" she continued.
"I guess."
"Now, I'm not trying to influence you one way or the other," Trish assured her. "As a mother, I can't imagine anything that would make me abandon my child the way she did. On the other hand, I haven't lived the life that she has and can't honestly say that I wouldn't have done the same thing under the same circumstances.
"Now, my point with all this is that maybe that's what Harm was thinking. If you and your mother do reconcile, than that's wonderful for everyone. If you don't contact her, then you're really no worse off. Maybe he just wanted you to have the option."
"I don't know," Mac said sadly. "It just felt like he was trying to influence me to contact her, otherwise, why go through all the trouble of tracking her down? After all, he's the one who talked me into going to California when my father was dying."
"And do you feel that you are better off for having seen him one last time?"
"I was able to forgive him and let go of my anger towards him," she admitted.
"Maybe Harm just wanted you to have that same chance with your mother," Trish suggested gently. "After all, he did say that it was your decision."
"I know," she said softly.
"I'm not taking sides here," Trish said. "To be honest, I think in a way you're both right and you're both wrong. But you need to sit down and talk about it. Tell each other what you're thinking and feeling."
"That sounds like our cue," Harm said as he and Frank entered the living room. Harm sat down on Mac's other side on the couch. Trish got up and motioned to Frank.
"Why don't we leave these two alone?" she suggested, leading him out of the living room. "They have some things to talk about."
"I'm sorry," they both began, breaking off with shaky laughs.
"Please let me," Harm insisted, picking up her left hand and studying the diamond on her third finger, "since I probably owe you the bigger apology."
"An apology from Harmon Rabb," Mac said flatly, trying to smile.
"I've been working on myself," he said, his own smile equally lifeless. "I should have talked to you before I asked Gunny to locate your mother. I know what you went through during your childhood and I should have known better than to spring this on you without thinking this through more."
"I probably shouldn't have reacted as badly as I did," she admitted. "I know that you had only the best intentions and would never intentionally do anything to hurt me."
"But I seem to be unable to help myself when it comes to unintentionally hurting you," he pointed out.
Mac was silent for a moment, studying their hands. "I guess we're doing better if we can talk about it instead of pushing each other away," she said.
"I guess."
"Harm, I don't know if I'm going to contact her," she said, lifting her eyes to meet his. "I don't even know if I want to contact her. It may be too late, but I know you meant well and I do thank you for that."
"I won't push the issue," he said, pulling her into his arms. "The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable by forcing you to do something you don't want to do."
"I love you," she said softly, tears filling her eyes.
-----
Just outside the living room, Trish breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't wanted to eavesdrop, but she was concerned. From what little she had heard about Mac's mother, she knew that was a sore spot for Mac and Trish was determined to be there for her future daughter-in-law.
"I can't believe anyone could treat their child as badly as Mac was apparently treated," she said sadly as she let Frank lead her to the kitchen.
"I know," Frank replied. "You have to admire her, though, for being able to rise about that to become the strong person that she is."
"But even the strongest person needs someone to take care of them sometimes," she pointed out. She smiled at him. "I know I did and I had you."
"And she has Harm," he said.
-----
THURSDAY,
28 SEPTEMBER
2335 ZULU
MCMURPHY'S TAVERN
FALLS CHURCH,
VIRGINIA
Mac reached to open the door to enter the tavern, rented out just for the party, colliding with someone else reaching for the door at the same time.
"Excuse me, I should have been ..." Mac began, but stopped when she got a good look at the person she had just bumped into. "Keeter, sorry about that." She looked around, but didn't see Carolyn. "Carolyn didn't come with you?"
"I had a meeting with some people at Naval Intelligence," he explained, "and she had to finish up an interview for a case, so we agreed to meet each other here."
"You two have gotten very close the last few days," Mac pointed out.
"There's just something about her," he said, smiling. "I don't know how to explain it."
"I don't think love can be explained," Mac said, leaning against the door.
"True," Jack admitted. "Maybe that's what makes it so interesting. So where's Harm? I was expecting him to come with you."
"My back is bothering me, so he went to pick up my sister Chloe at the airport instead of me," she explained. "We didn't think I'd be able to take being in the stuck in the car for the amount of time it would take to get there and back."
"He really takes care of you," Jack stated. "I noticed that in the desert. It was really difficult for him to leave you behind. It just amazes me after what I saw in the desert that it took you two so long to admit your feelings."
"Do you know how many times I've heard that one?" she teased, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I can imagine," he replied. "I've known Harm for almost twenty years and I haven't seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you since ... well, in a long time." His voice trailed off hesitantly as he realized his mistake. He really liked Mac and thought she was perfect for Harm. He didn't want to risk upsetting her by bringing up the ghosts of past girlfriends.
"Since when?" she asked quietly. She then realized what, or rather who, he was talking about. "This is ... about her, isn't it?"
"Her?" he repeated nervously. "I don't know who ..."
"Diane," Mac said. "You were thinking about Diane Schonke. You haven't seen Harm look at a woman that way since her – that's what you were going to say, isn't it?"
"Mac ..." he began, shrugging. "I didn't mean to bring it up. I wasn't sure if you knew about her and ... well, I don't want you to think that I believe that Harm's love for you is based on the fact that you look like her."
"I've known about her for several years," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "From the moment we met, I knew that I reminded Harm of someone. He admitted as much himself. It was more than a year later, after I saw a picture of her at his apartment, that he told me about who she was and how she died. I'm sure you noticed the resemblance yourself the first time you saw me in Iran."
"Yeah," he admitted, "but you were wearing that scarf around your head, so I wasn't entirely sure. Then you took the head piece off and I realized that I wasn't seeing things, but I didn't want to bring up the subject. I'm sure you can understand why."
Mac looked down at the ground. Diane was a subject she and Harm had made their peace with already, but at a time like this, it stung just a bit to be reminded of the woman who had held Harm's heart for so long. "Yes, I do," she finally said, lifting her gaze to his. "Bud said pretty much the same thing when I asked him why he never mentioned the resemblance between us."
"Look, Mac, I'm really sorry that I opened this can of worms," Jack said. "Why don't we just forget about it and join the party? I'm sure your fiancé is missing you." When Mac made no move to go inside, he repeated, "I'm sorry I brought it up, I really am. I didn't mean to upset you less than two days before your wedding about something that's in the past."
"Apology accepted," Mac said softly. "I guess it would be natural for you – for anyone who knew Diane – to wonder about Harm's and my relationship."
"That's just it," he pointed out, "I don't wonder about it. I think I know Harm well enough to know that he would never base a relationship on the fact that you resemble his late college sweetheart. Besides, I don't think the kick ass jarhead that Harm has always described to me would let him get away with something like that. Do you want to hear my analysis of the situation?"
"Please," she said. "I'm curious."
"You challenge Harm," he explained. "You challenge his perceptions and make him a better person. You're his equal in every way and you accept him for what he is, the complete package, instead of trying to force him to live up to some image."
"He does the same for me. Harm has seen me through a lot of things that would send most people running in the opposite direction," she added. "He's never judged me or asked me to be something that I'm not."
"So are we okay?" he asked, giving her a flyboy grin similar to Harm's. She wondered if that was something that was taught to pilots in flight school.
"We're fine, Keeter," she replied, smiling. "And thank you for that last part."
"Come on, let's get inside before our significant others begin to wonder where we are," Jack suggested, reaching to open the door. As he grabbed the door handle, someone opened it from the inside.
"There you are, Jack," Carolyn said, seeing him first. "I was just coming out to see ... Mac, Harm's inside already and wondering where you are." She held the door open as they walked inside. She led them towards the bar, where Harm was standing, talking to Frank.
Before they reached the bar, they were waylaid by one very excited thirteen-year-old. "Mac!" Chloe cried out, throwing her arms around Mac's neck. "I missed you!"
"I missed you, too, sweetheart," Mac said, returning the hug. "How was your flight?"
"Too long," Chloe complained.
"Chloe, I want you to meet someone," Mac said, turning to Jack. "This is Commander Jack Keeter. He was Harm's roommate at the Academy. Keeter, this is my little sister Chloe."
"Hello, Chloe," Jack said. "It's very nice to meet you."
"So I bet you know some really good stories about Harm," she proclaimed with a grin while a look of mock horror crossed Harm's face.
"Chloe," Mac warned, drawing out her name. Chloe turned and just grinned at her.
"Hey, everyone!" Chloe called out loudly, trying to be heard over the noise in tavern. "Now that both the bride and groom are here, let the entertainment begin!"
"Entertainment?" Harm whispered to Mac. "I thought we were trying to avoid that kind of thing."
"It'd better not be that kind of entertainment," she whispered back. "There are minors present, remember?" She nodded towards Chloe, who had sat down at a table with Harm's mother and grandmother, and Josh Pendry, who was sitting with his mother next to Bud and Harriet.
"It had better not be anything that's going to get anyone arrested," Harm said, shaking his head.
As Harm and Mac took their seats, Sydney got up from her chair and went to stand in front of a large screen television which had been set up against the wall where everyone could see it. The tavern became quiet and everyone shifted in their seats, directing their attention towards Sydney.
"I have to admit that I have only known Harm and Mac for a few months," Sydney began, "so I feel a little odd standing up here talking to you about them, especially since I missed a lot of the highlights of their relationship."
Mac noted her emphasis on the word 'highlights' and turned to Harm. "You remember what Sydney said when she first heard how we met?" she asked.
"Oh, no," Harm muttered as Sydney picked up a remote control sitting on top of the television.
"When I first heard how these two met," Sydney continued, "I couldn't believe that it had taken these two four years to admit their feelings for each other. The best romance writer could not have written a better first meeting. Then I heard that there were more such stories, incidents which show why there are probably no two people in the world more perfect for each other than Harmon Rabb and Sarah Mackenzie.
"I thought this party would be the perfect opportunity for those of you who have had the pleasure of witnessing some of Harm and Mac's better – and worse – moments to tell those stories for the amusement of everyone except the bride and groom, both of whom are probably wishing that my fiancé was not their commanding officer so that they could both have their revenge for this at some later date." As laughter floated around the room, she grinned at Harm and Mac, who were both resisting the urge to bolt.
"Before we begin, I have a few people to thank who helped make this all possible," she said. "First, many thanks to Victor Galindez and Jason Tiner, who helped me refine my original storytelling idea into the video tape which you are about to see. They did much of the filming and all of the editing themselves. Thanks also to Clayton Webb, who obtained interviews from a few of our more difficult to reach participants and who is also guarding the original video, just in case Harm and Mac get any ideas about destroying it." Everyone laughed again.
"Oh, God," Harm muttered. "Webb's involved in this."
"And the biggest thanks to all of you who shared your stories and memories of Harm and Mac with us," she said, turning the television on. "Everyone sit back, enjoy and let's try not to be too hard on Harm and Mac. After all, they did eventually discover – or rather admit - for themselves what everyone else has known for the last four years."
More laughter was heard as Sydney sat down next to AJ and hit the play button on the remote. "Please wake me when this is over," Mac murmured as she leaned against Harm's shoulder.
"I insisted on being first to talk about Harm and Mac," Clay began, filmed standing next to the Declaration of Independence in the National Archives. "I was the one who brought them together. The Declaration of Independence was being transported to a company in California for restoration when it was stolen by a militia group made up of former and retired military members. It was requested that my investigation be coordinated with the Navy's JAG corps since the crime involved the military and took place on a military base.
"At the time, the big gun at JAG headquarters was a brash, arrogant former pilot who only became a lawyer when he was forced out of the cockpit for medical reasons," he continued. "But I wanted someone else in on the investigation. Unknown to just about everyone, the head of the militia group had a niece, a Marine, who went from admin assistant to lawyer. I arranged for her to be transferred to Washington to take part in the investigation, setting the stage for the first meeting between a cocky Navy Lieutenant Commander and a no-nonsense Marine Major."
Next, scenes played of Harm's first Distinguished Flying Cross ceremony at the White House with AJ providing the voice over. "Harm, in one of his first major cases at JAG, had landed a damaged Tomcat at night, saving the life of the CAG of the USS Sea Hawk. His actions earned him the first of two Distinguished Flying Crosses, which was awarded by the President at the White House. I had arranged for my newest officer to meet us at the White House after the ceremony and that's how Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb and Major Sarah Mackenzie first laid eyes on each other in the Rose Garden."
The video switched to scenes of the Rose Garden while AJ continued his narration. "From the moment they met, I knew there was something there, an electricity between them, just from the way they stared at each other. It was so obvious that I felt I had to add the warning 'Don't get too familiar, you'll be working together.' All I can say now is that it was hardly the last time either of them would not listen to me."
As nearly everyone laughed, Mac looked down at the table, remembering that first meeting and the reason she had later learned was behind Harm's shock at her appearance. On the table, Harm took her hand in his and squeezed it, knowing she was thinking of Diane. "I love you, Sarah," he whispered.
"I know," she whispered back as Matt continued the story of their first case together on the tape.
"The first time I met my future nephew," Matt said, filmed sitting in Harm and Mac's living room, "Sarah was holding a gun on him, pretending for the benefit of my militia group that she had been coming to join us and had captured the man who had been following her. For most people, this would have been reason enough to distrust her. So I was more than a little surprised when Harm offered to defend me in court and to stand up for Sarah if her actions threatened her career, despite the implications it might have on his own career. I was so surprised that I turned to her and asked her 'Where'd you find this Sailor, Sarah?'
"When she answered 'In a Rose Garden, Uncle Matt' and I saw the look in her eyes and the smile on her face, I knew that this man whom she barely knew had already become something special to her. Then when Harm, without a second thought, risked his own life to save mine and Sarah's, I knew the feeling was mutual," he continued.
"Of course, like most couple, they have had their fights," Bud, filmed in one of the JAG courtrooms, picked up the narration. "Their first big one involved the first case they opposed each other on. The whole thing started when the Major – "
From off camera, Sydney could be heard telling Bud, "This video is personal. I think it's okay to call them Mac and Harm."
That got a laugh out of everyone, even Mac and Harm. "How many times have we told him and Harriet that?" Harm whispered to her.
On screen, Bud continued, "Okay, Mac accused Harm of sandbagging her. To be honest, he did, but he expected what happened in court to stay in court while she, on the other hand, took it very personally. She took it so personally that she called him on it in front of JAG in the middle of the day where anyone walking by could witness it. I commented to Harm that it was like watching your parents fight. They kept going at each other throughout the trial. When Harm was having a good day, he'd walk around whistling 'Anchor's Aweigh'; if Mac was having a good day, 'The Marine Corps Hymn' could be heard. But when it was all over, they were best friends again. I'm not sure how it all worked out, but knowing Harm and Mac, I'm sure there's a story there, too."
Bud continued the narration on screen, but this time he was at the Leesburg airfield where 'Sarah' was kept. Apparently, one of the people at the airfield had cooperated with the taping, because Bud was actually in the hanger standing next to the yellow Stearman.
"For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of going up in her," Bud said, patting one of the plane's wings, "this is the Comman – sorry, Harm's Stearman 'Sarah'." Bud must have anticipated the knowing smiles on the people's faces when they heard the name of the plan, because he added, "It is just a coincidence. The plane is actually named after his grandmother."
"I don't think anyone's going to believe that anymore," Gram Sarah said, smiling at her grandson.
Bud's story continued on screen. "This plane – and a defective fuel line – nearly led to both Harm and Mac being declared UA. Of course, until they finally returned from their adventure in the mountains and the whole story of what happened came out, there was all kinds of speculation as to the reason why both of them had taken a personal day that Monday."
As everyone laughed, Mac said to Harm, "Too bad what they were thinking couldn't have actually happened."
"Doesn't mean we didn't think about it, remember?" he teased her, winking.
"Unfortunately, what really happened was not quite so pleasant," Bud explained. "The fuel line had split, forcing an emergency landing. While looking for help, they ran into poachers who had just murdered a game warden. By the time Harm managed to fix the plane, Mac had a fever from an infected buck shot wound in her leg and she ended up spending the next three days in the hospital. I'm sure no one has to guess who spent most of those three days by her side."
As more laughter floated around the room, AJ returned on screen, this time in front of Mercy Hospital in DC. "In the five years that I've know Harm and the four that I've known Mac, I've received many calls about one or the other – usually both of them – being in some kind of trouble," he said, standing in his usual pose with his arms folded across his chest. "This time, the call was from Mac informing me that Harm had gotten hit by a car and was in the emergency room at this hospital. And it did not surprise me to learn that the reason he was hit by the car was that he had pushed Mac out of the way of the car."
AJ sighed on screen as he added, "Of course, there is a lot more to the story, with terrorists taking over the hospital and Harm and Mac almost single-handedly resolving the situation. With Harm and Mac, there's always a lot more to the story. That's always been one of the hallmarks of their relationship."
Teresa Coulter, sitting at the table behind Harm and Mac with Bud, Harriet, Annie and Josh, leaned over to whisper to Harm, teasing, "Why haven't I ever heard any of this? No wonder you weren't interested."
Annie overheard the comment and asked, "Another member of the Harmon Rabb fan club who never stood a chance?"
"You, too?" Teresa asked, turning towards Annie.
"I actually broke it off with Harm for other reasons," she explained, "but I always knew that I wasn't number one. I even said so not long after I first met Mac."
"God, tell me this isn't happening," Harm muttered, soft enough that only Mac heard him.
"Maybe I should suggest that Kate come over here and join in," Mac teased him, louder so that Teresa and Annie could hear. "I'm sure she could add something to this discussion."
"Et tu, Brute?"
"Now there's woman confident in her man's love," Teresa pointed out while Mac laughed.
"I'm not really the jealous type," Mac said, smiling slyly at Harm. "After all, I've stood by and watched him with a Romanian princess, Annie, his dry cleaners' daughter, the shrink, the Video Princess and, of course, let's not forget Congresswoman ... oh, look who's on the tape now."
Bobbi was indeed giving her take on Harm and Mac, talking about when she had first met them and told Harm, "Mac likes you."
"I told her that you'd like to wring my neck," Harm told Mac, just as Bobbi was relating the same thing on screen.
"Believe me," Mac replied, "I've been tempted many times."
"Who hasn't been?" Annie asked.
"Why do we have to talk about all my other relationship?" Harm complained.
"Because you, my dear, are the jealous type and you don't like to talk about my past relationships, such as they were," Mac replied, a trace of sadness in her voice.
"Hey, that's over now, " he whispered to her, brushing a tear from her cheek as she smiled wanly at him.
Ironically, on the tape, Bud and Harriet were talking about the day that Mac had walked out of JAG, seemingly for the last time. "That was the first time you called me Sarah," Mac remembered.
AJ was back on screen again, this time talking about Harm's arrest and brig break a few weeks later. "I had called Mac's place, insisting that if she had seen him she was to let me know," he related. "Of course, I heard nothing from her, but I'll give everyone three guess on where Harm was hiding out."
"I told you he was the jealous type," Mac teased as Bud related on the tape some of the incidents illustrating Harm's jealousy of Dalton. Her expression suddenly turned serious when the recollections turned to the more serious topic of Dalton's murder and her stalking.
"You survived," Harm reminded her, holding her closer to him.
"I couldn't have done it without you," she whispered.
"Yes, you could have," he insisted. "I just helped a little."
"You too, Mom?" Harm asked, while Trish was on tape talking about her 'quite the girl' comment just before Harm and Mac had gone to Russia.
Of course, that brought the recollections around to the subject of their trip to Russia. "Oh, my God," Mac exclaimed when she saw the next narrator on screen. "Alexei." Someone had gotten Alexei to talk about his experiences with Harm and Mac, filming him standing by his taxi on a Moscow street. Mac remembered what Sydney had said earlier about Clay getting some of the more difficult interviews.
She and Harm looked around the room, searching for Clay. Finally, Mac noticed him standing by himself at the back of the room and she pointed him out to Harm. At their questioning glance, Clay simply shrugged and turned his attention back to the television, where Clay was continuing the story of their experiences in Russia and moving into the story of the party at the Sudanese Embassy.
Jack was next up, talking about their adventure in Iran and the more than friendly hugs he witnessed. Harm shot him a dirty look across the table, but Jack smiled and shrugged. "Carolyn asked me if I knew any good stories about you two," he explained. "I figured the least I could do was share."
"Oh, this is nothing," Carolyn told everyone at the table. "We've got some really good stuff coming up in a few minutes."
"What really good stuff?" Mac demanded while Carolyn looked like the cat that had eaten the canary.
"You'll see," she simply said.
"Oh, no," Mac said, covering her eyes with her hand as Chloe appeared on the screen, repeating what she'd told Harm the first time she'd met him.
"Buddy, I would have thought it would be very obvious right there," Jack commented.
"Jack, trust me," Carolyn said mysteriously. "It gets even better."
Mac began shaking her head. "Don't tell me you talked about the wetting down," she said.
"Oh, well, yeah I did," Carolyn told her, "but that's not what I was talking about."
"I don't ... no, you didn't," Mac insisted even as Carolyn nodded her head.
"What is it?" Harm asked.
"I can't believe you did that!"
"Come on," Carolyn insisted. "That has got to be the best Harm and Mac story of all time."
"What?" Harm asked again.
"I don't believe this," Mac said softly, shaking her head. "Any of you ladies available to be a bridesmaid? One of mine is about to learn a hard lesson about messing with a Marine."
Trish leaned behind Frank to ask Carolyn, "That good?"
"Trust me," she replied. "This is better than anything you can possibly imagine."
Carolyn was on the screen, talking about Bud and Harriet's wetting down, when Mac had insisted to her and Jordan that nothing had ever happened between her and Harm. While everyone else turned their attention back to the television, Harm whispered, "Sarah?"
"It's about AJ," she said vaguely, confusing Harm.
"The Admiral? I don't ..."
"Wrong AJ," she whispered shortly as understanding dawned for Harm.
"How did she find out?" he whispered back.
"Well," Mac replied, diverting her eyes, "I told her. While you were testifying in the Johns tried, remember how she came into my office to keep me company? We were talking and the story just came out. And I should probably tell you that Sydney knows also."
"And how did she find out?"
"She saw the card that I had bought, to tell you that we are having a girl," she explained. "She asked if there was a story behind what I had written and I told her."
"I wonder if Josh could help us escape," he pondered. "That kid could evade a Marine Recon team."
"Too late," Mac muttered as both Carolyn and Sydney appeared on screen.
Carolyn spoke first. "Now, this story is so good, that it takes two of us to tell it," she said. "I guarantee this will be the best Harm and Mac story any of you have ever heard. It all started the day AJ Roberts made his appearance into the world. Harriet had gone into labor at work and Harm had called an ambulance, but I also had a client who had gone into labor and the ambulance took her away instead. Bud ended up stuck in an elevator, nearly missing his son's birth; the Admiral was pressed into the role of midwife; and Harriet gave birth on the floor of the Admiral's office with Harm and Mac playing labor coaches."
While everyone laughed, imagining the scene in the Admiral's office that day, Sydney picked up the story on screen. "Finally, another ambulance came and Harriet, Bud and baby AJ all went to the hospital," she continued. "After it was all over, Harm and Mac were standing together on the porch outside of JAG." Suddenly, on screen Carolyn and Sydney both broke into laughter.
Mac's eyes sought out Sydney, who was sitting next to AJ, trying to control her laughter. Mac fleetingly wondered if it would be possible to replace half the bridal party less than two days before the wedding.
On the television, Sydney and Carolyn managed to regain some semblance of control. Sydney continued the story. "Mac was feeling a little blue because Chloe, who had been visiting, had just left with her father. Both Harm and Mac were probably feeling a little euphoric after what they had just witnessed, so I'm sure that played a small part in what happened next."
Carolyn picked up the narration again. "Harm and Mac made a little deal, which I am very happy to report that they have kept, even if they didn't stick to the original timetable," she continued. "They agreed that if neither of them were involved in another relationship five years from that moment, then they would quote 'go halves on a kid' unquote. I believe those were the words that Mac said Harm used. Of course, I don't think either of them expected to get twins out of the deal."
"Oh, and we probably should mention that we tell you this story at great risk," Sydney joked. "Mac is probably wishing right now that she had gotten us to sign confidentiality agreements when she told us this story. Now, can't you all agree that this is the best Harm and Mac story?"
While the video continued, with various officers at JAG talking about Harm's last days there before returning to flying, Harm and Mac were dealing with a table of disbelieving family members.
"Frank, what happened to the son we raised?" Trish wondered. "I didn't think I had raised someone so dense. For four years, he won't admit that he's in love with Mac, but they'll agree to have a baby together."
"What about my niece?" Matt asked. "She's such a smart woman in most things, but sometimes I have wondered ..."
"Uncle Matt," Mac pleaded.
"Come on," Chloe insisted. "This is even better than what I said to Harm about your fantasies. Now, if you could just explain how you went from that to accepting another man's ring a few months later."
"Chloe, that's enough," Harm insisted firmly.
Carolyn stepped in to try and smooth the waters. "Like I said, they have kept their deal and fortunately, moved up the timetable. And most of you are getting two new family members out of the deal," she pointed out.
-----
"I am so glad this night is over," Mac proclaimed after most of the guests had left, leaving just family and the members of the wedding party in the tavern with the McMurphy's staff. "I was almost wishing for the strip joints and bailing you guys out of jail."
"So was I," Harm admitted.
"Well, the rest of us had fun," Chloe pointed out, smiling widely.
"Speaking of fun," Mac began, "Sydney ..."
"Colonel," AJ said, trying to sound stern while he was resisting the urge to laugh.
"With all due respect, Sir," Harm said, "we don't care if you are the JAG and her fiancé."
"And Carolyn," Mac continued, "all I have to say is God help you." She smiled as she said it, leaving Carolyn to wonder just how serious she was.
"Don't worry," Jack said, pulling Carolyn against his side, "I'll protect you from the big, bad Marine."
"My hero," she teased.
"Okay, on another note," Mac said, changing the subject, "I intend to sleep in tomorrow after this late night ..."
"Late?" Chloe exclaimed. "It's barely ten o'clock."
"These days, that is late for me," Mac replied. "The point is, Harm and I are not planning on leaving for Annapolis until ten, so we'd like to meet at the chapel around eleven. I want to make sure there are no last minute details to worry about, we'll go to lunch then rehearsal begins at one. Does everyone have transportation? Mom and Frank rented a minivan plus we have our SUV, which Uncle Matt will be driving back home for us." She looked at Jack, a question in her eyes.
"I'm okay," he assured her. "Carolyn and I are riding with Bud, Harriet, Alan and Jackie in the Roberts' minivan."
Chloe's grandmother spoke up. "We've already spoken to Trish about riding with them tomorrow," Martha said.
"AJ and I are taking his SUV," Sydney explained, "since we'll have Francesca and my son Danny with us."
"Since we know that everyone has a ride to the chapel," Harm continued, "is there anything else before we all call it a night?" Everyone shook their heads. "Then good night and we'll see everyone tomorrow morning."
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To be continued…