Disclaimer: JAG does not belong to me…it would be nice if it did, but alas, I cannot have my way with everything. Dani does belong to me, but we're not too attached, as for her family, it's loosely based on/inspired by some of the characters on General Hospital, which I also do not own.
1900 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
Dani followed Mac into her apartment building. They entered the building in an awkward silence, neither of them sure exactly what to say. Once they were inside her apartment, Mac excused herself so that she could change clothes. Alone in the sitting room, Dani took in the decorum, trying to use it to learn more about her sister. During her search she had assembled a dossier on Mac, so she knew factual information, but beyond that nothing.
"Have a seat," Mac emerged from the bedroom in jeans and a t-shirt and gestured to the couch.
"Thanks," they both sat down and lapsed into another silence, "So."
"I'm not really sure how we're supposed to do this."
"I know," Dani sighed, "Coming here seemed like such a great idea on the flight in."
"I didn't mean that I don't want you here," Mac's eyes flashed with concern.
"Oh, no I know that. I just thought it would be easier seeing you than it would be with Joe."
"You haven't spoken with him?" Dani shook her head, "Where you unable to find him?"
"He's living just outside San Francisco."
"Oh."
"I have his address if you want it," she offered.
"No," Mac snapped, "I don't need it."
"Well," she shrugged off Mac's edginess, "I wanted to see you first. I figured it would be easier to turn up as a long lost sister than daughter. I mean, how am I supposed to do that? 'Hi, I'm your twenty-one year old daughter that you never knew existed.' He's a stranger to me."
"That's not such a bad thing," she realized what she had just said, "Sorry, I'm not very objective."
"That's okay. I forgot you two were estranged."
"How do you know all this?" Mac stood up abruptly and stepped away from the couch, "Where did you get all of your information on me?"
"A private investigator. I'm sorry about invading your privacy, I just needed to know who I am," she watched Mac from her seat, "I don't know any details, just basic facts."
"Joe MacKenzie is a miserable drunk and a lousy father," she sat back down, "But that's my opinion. I cut him out of my life thirteen years ago but that doesn't mean you have to do the same."
"That weekend my mother spent in Arizona was an act of rebellion against her arranged marriage. Four days later she did get married everyone just assumed that I was Alec's daughter. I never knew that I didn't have a father."
"How did you find out the truth? Did your mother tell you?"
"No," she shook her head slightly, "She and Alec were killed in an accident when I was ten."
"I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Dani glanced up at the ceiling, "I, uh, live with my uncle on my mother's side, and he gave me her old journals for my twenty-first birthday. That's how I found out. My uncle had no idea."
"Did anyone else in your family know?"
"My grandmother did and so did Alec. There were complications when I was born," Dani continued softly, "My mother had a hysterectomy and I needed a blood transfusion. When Alec wasn't a match, my grandmother altered the results. Alec needed a child from a pre-approved marriage to receive his inheritance, so he had no choice but to go along with it if he wanted the money. Greed won out."
"But it worked out for you, didn't it?"
"I suppose, the inheritance went to me."
"Not that, I mean you had two parents who raised and loved you, right?"
"There's no doubt in my mind that my mother loved me, but Alec was distant. I guess he resented me."
"Why?"
"Because I took away the one thing he always wanted. It was because of me he couldn't have children of his own and he hated me for it," she stood up and walked over to the window, pretending to look out. Mac followed her knowing Dani was not just admiring the view of the wall of the other apartment complex.
"Dani," she placed a hand on her shoulder. Dani turned to look at Mac who realized suddenly that they had the same eyes. They were the same dark brown and were tinged with the same haunted shadows, "Was he abusive?"
"He wasn't around much, always away on business," she went back to looking out the window, "When he was home, he wouldn't hurt me," she shook her head slightly, "Not really anyway. My mother sometimes, but even that wasn't all the time."
"It was mostly Friday nights when I was growing up. He'd go out to the N.C.O. club with his paycheck and get so drunk that his buddies had to bring him home. He'd yell for me to take off his shoes, and then came the shouting between my parents, then the slapping, and his sobbing. That was the worst part, him telling her how sorry he was."
"I really lucked out, didn't I?" Dani chuckled sardonically, "Crappy step-father, crappy biological father."
"You rose above it."
"So did you."
"Yeah, after four years of drinking."
"And, what?" Dani did some quick mental math, "Almost twelve years of sobriety. Besides, no one's perfect."
"That's an understatement," she muttered, walking away from the window to lean against the couch.
"I mean it," she followed Mac's movement with her eyes, "The things people say and do rarely reflect the truth. When I was little, we would go to these parties and dinners and pretend to be this perfect happy family. In her journals, my mother compared those nights to walking through a field of paper flowers. You put on this whole act so that from a distance it's beautiful but in reality it's all just a bunch of two-dimensional images."
"She sounds like she was a great person."
"She was," Dani sighed, stepping away from the window, "Well, I've successfully created a depressing mood."
"Bound to happen," Mac shrugged returning to the couch.
"Yeah," she snorted, perching herself on the couch's arm, "Back to the awkward silence."
"Too bad there's no 'Meeting Your Long-Lost Sister for Dummies.'"
"That would be something I'd buy," she laughed and they began to lapse into another silence, "So, what made you become a marine?"
"My Uncle Matt, my mom's brother, is a Lt. Col in the marines," she clarified for Dani's benefit, "After high school, he helped me dry out and straighten out my life. Joining the marines was the next logical step."
"I've never been able to completely understand that."
"Understand what?"
"How people can dedicate their entire lives to serving their country and defending its people, half of which are completely ungrateful for all that is done for them. I guess it's because I moved around so much as a kid that never became attached to any one country," she sighed, "Or maybe I'm just too cynical."
"Or you're just young."
"Oh, come on Mac, you're what, nine years older than me?"
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong. You know, I didn't always want to be a marine or a lawyer, things change."
"Eh, I guess you're right," Dani slid from the arm of the couch to its cushions, "I wanted to be a professional equestrian when I was six."
"I wanted to be a paleontologist," Mac's laugh was interrupted by a knock on her door, "I wonder who that could be."
"How would I know? It's your apartment."
"Cute," she opened the door to see Harm standing there with a bag from Beltway Burger, "What are you doing here?"
"I brought a peace offering," he held up the bag, "And an apology."
"Harm, now's not really a good time," she tilted her head toward Dani, who had stood up when the door opened.
"Hello, Dani," he greeted.
"Hello, Commander," she could sense the tension between the two, "Mac, is there a phone I could use to call my cousin? He wanted me to check in with him this evening."
"Yeah," she gestured to one of the doors, "You can use the one in the study."
"Thanks," Dani excused herself from the room.
"May I come in?" Harm asked and she sighed, stepping away so he could enter. Mac closed the door and followed him into her kitchen where he set down the bag of food on the counter, "I didn't want to leave things the way they were."
"And how were they?" she leaned against the doorjamb, folding her arms.
"There was a misunderstanding."
"Funny, I remember you budding into my personal life, much as you are now."
"Mac--"
"Don't 'Mac' me," she turned to walk out of the kitchen and he followed, "Why are you really here?"
"To apologize," he said and she stopped to look at him, "You're my friend, Mac, and I worry about you, but I am sorry for making presumptions about your emotions, even if they were most likely correct."
"You should have stopped when you were ahead, Flyboy," she shook her head, a smile crossing her lips.
"Hey, I don't want you thinking you're always right," he teased, "Because there's nothing worse than a marine with a big ego."
"And with that comment, any chance of a hallmark moment is completely crushed."
"I thought marines don't go for hallmark."
"This one does," Mac glanced at the door to her study, "Except she wishes they made a line of cards for unexpected relatives."
"You want to talk about it?"
"No, it's too--" she trailed off tiredly, "Late, you should be going."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, um, thanks for the dinner," she ushered him to the door.
"Call me if you need anything."
"Okay."
"I mean it, Mac," he paused in her doorway, "Even just to talk."
"Goodnight, Harm."
"Goodnight, Mac," he said as she closed the door behind him.
With Harm gone, she walked over to the study to check on Dani. Hearing her voice through the door, Mac entered the kitchen to get the food Harm delivered. She pulled out two large burgers and put them on plates and brought them to the table. After tossing napkins on the table, she crumpled up the empty bag and reached for two glasses. Filling them with ice, Mac turned on the faucet and was grateful there was no alcohol in her house. Normally, her resolve was strong enough to turn it down, but the stress of the day felt like a little too much.
"Can I help with anything?" Dani's voice broke her thoughts.
"No," Mac handed her a glass of water, "You don't mind burgers do you?"
"I love them," she followed Mac to the table.
"Good. I have to warn you that these are a bit greasy."
"Doesn't bother me," Dani unwrapped the burger, "I didn't taste a cheeseburger until I was sixteen."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, I've been trying to make up for it in grease content."
"Well, this will put you well on your way," Mac took a large bite of the burger, "So, the cousin you called, is he older or younger?"
"Younger by almost four years."
"You close?"
"Andrei is like a little brother to me," she took a sip of water, "His father was my mother's twin. His parents separated after he was born and not long after that his father died. My mother and her younger brother Paul helped raise him, and after she died Uncle Paul took care of both of us with the help of our cousin Alexa."
"I take it Paul is the uncle in Virginia Beach," Mac guessed and she nodded taking a bite of burger, "And the cousins you mentioned are Andrei and Alexa."
"Yes," she swallowed, "Andrei's mother remarried and moved there, and when her daughter needed a bone marrow transplant, Andrei flew in to save her. Uncle decided to stay in Virginia Beach so Andrei could get to know the other part of his family. Alexa moved from Manhattan to help with the family's legal interests."
"She's a lawyer?"
"Top of her class at Yale Law."
"Did that influence your collegiate choices?" Mac rose from the table, with her now empty plate.
"A little," Dani did the same, "What about you?"
"University of Minnesota was one of few options," she set her plate in the sink along with Dani's, "My high school record was less than stellar. If it wasn't for the marines I probably never would have gone at all."
"And law school?"
"Duke," she led the way to back to couch, "I had much better grades in college and a recommendation for JAG from my CO helped."
"CO?"
"Commanding Officer," Mac clarified, "Lieutenant Colonel Farrow."
"Please excuse my complete lack of knowledge on the American military system," Dani sat on the couch with her knees drawn to her chest, "But how does that compare to your current rank?"
"It's one above a major, but at the time I was a first lieutenant."
"Meaning?"
"I was two ranks below what I am now."
"I see," she rested her chin on her knees, "What about Commander Rabb?"
"A lieutenant commander is the naval equivalent of a marine major."
"So you two are equals."
"Yes," Mac couldn't help but wonder where this line of questioning would take them.
"Have you ever dated?"
"No," she answered quickly then added, "What makes you think that?"
"Casual observation," she shrugged, "Forget I asked. Is there a man in your life?"
"No, in yours?"
"I wish," Dani sighed dramatically, "My uncle finds the vast majority of men to be unsuitable for a girl of my stature."
"You're stature?"
"Technically, I'm a countess," she explained, "My mother's family descends from Russian nobility."
"Well, I feel outclassed," Mac teased.
"Wait until you meet Andrei, he's the prince."
"Of what?"
"A big ol' pile of money, and some heirlooms and property too, but mostly the money."
"How much money?"
"I'm not sure really."
"Thousands? Millions? Hundreds of millions?" Mac continued guessing waiting for Dani to stop her, "Billions?"
"Including property and company holdings, yeah."
"That's incredible," she tried to wrap her mind around the idea of that much money.
"And overrated," Dani muttered, "Not to be trite, but money doesn't buy happiness, all it makes are more fields of paper flowers."
"You were right, you are a bit cynical."
"Told ya," she shrugged.
"You don't seem it."
"What, cynical?" she gave Mac a confused look.
"No, like you're filthy stinking rich."
"Thanks, I think."
"I mean, I could tell from your mannerisms that you came from a wealthy background, but I wouldn't have pegged you as a, what did you call it?" she stopped to think, "A spoiled heiress of European socialites."
"We're not socialites, we're royalty," she scoffed haughtily.
"Sorry, Countess," Mac laughed.
"All is forgiven," she gestured with her hand, then broke character to laugh, "My mother tried to keep me as normal as possible when I was little. We had servants, but she always made me clean up after myself. Although I'll be the first to admit that I have never cleaned a toilet and I cannot cook."
"Not at all?"
"Anything beyond a toaster or microwave eludes me completely."
"What about soup?"
"Campbell's microwavable soup in the hand things."
"Can you boil water?"
"Well, yeah, I've made tea before," she trailed off, "In the microwave."
"This is unbelievable," Mac shook her head in disbelief.
"I've led a sheltered life."
"I can see that," she snorted.
"Well maybe you should teach me."
"Okay, let's do it," she jumped up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen, "Are you coming?"
"You're going to teach me now?"
"Yes, we'll make chocolate chip cookies."
"From scratch?" Dani stood up hesitantly.
"No, we're starting simple; I have cookie dough in the freezer."
"Don't blame me if they're awful."
"I won't," she walked into the kitchen, "Come on."
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Dani laughed as she followed Mac.
A/N: Well, what do you think? I know it's been a while since I first posted, but life can be crazy. Anyway, this will eventually become more shipper-ish, but at the moment it's more Mac/Dani centric because I'm working on introducing the characters. Please R&R!!!