TITLE: Pall

DEFINITION: PALL

Pronunciation: 'pol
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, short for appallen, to become pale
1 to lose strength or effectiveness
2 to lose in interest or attraction his humor began to pall on us
3 to become tired of something
4 to cause to become insipid
5 to deprive of pleasure in something by satiating

(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

RATING: PG-13 or R. R to be safe. Mostly for language to begin with, maybe for... other things... later on.

SUMMERY: After an attack on a graduation ceremony at Annapolis the JAG office is thrown into a state of flux.

SPOILERS/TIMELINE/ALTERATIONS I'VE MADE:

-A little AU. Please see previous chapters for more details.

DEDICATION: To my readers. I'm writing this for you.

BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL

ROOM 107

1000 (EST)

THURSDAY, JULY 20

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was both keeping Harriet tethered to sanity and working on her last nerve at the same time. She had been at the hospital since visiting hours started and hadn't moved an inch since she sat down in a chair beside her husband's bed and clasped her hands around his. The doctor and some nurses had checked on him a little while earlier but they hadn't made her move. She knew that they would later when they checked drainage and feeding tubes as well as the surgical incisions, but they weren't due to check all that for at least another hour. Mikey would be coming by around then to make sure she ate something, and to let little AJ spend some time with his mommy. Her breasts were heavy and aching, and Harriet knew she needed to pump, but she felt she could wait until AJ got there and let him have a meal straight from the source instead of giving him another bottle.

When the door opened Harriet expected it to be a nurse checking the machines again or maybe Mikey with little AJ, but when she saw Mac standing in the doorway she was both surprised and relieved.

"How is he?" Mac asked softly.

"The same," Harriet replied. "He's being stubborn again. He hates waking up in the morning… I don't know why I expected him to jump right out of the hospital bed the moment he got out of surgery."

Mac smiled slightly as she moved to sit down next to Harriet.

"Playing hooky?" Harriet asked.

"Harm gave me the morning off. He knew I… that I want to apologize for last night," Mac said. "I don't know what I was thinking, going out when you and Bud needed your friends with you."

"The Commander said you had a date," Harriet said.

"I did," Mac nodded.

"Who with?" Harriet asked. Mac hesitated and Harriet sat up straighter and turned her focus to her friend. "Come on, ma'am. I'm going crazy just sitting here waiting for Bud to wake up."

"You're sure?" Mac asked, still hesitant.

"When have I ever not wanted to hear gossip?" Harriet asked pointedly.

Mac laughed at that, the sound feeling foreign in the sterile hospital room. Harriet smiled, feeling a little better already.

"Alright," Mac said. "His name is William and we've known each other for years. We haven't seen each other in a long time, but we met up a few days ago and… I don't know how to explain it. There was always an attraction between us… and when I saw him again… I don't know. It was like a light flipped on inside me. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"That sounds like how I felt when I first met Bud. It was like all the air rushed out of the room—which is ironic 'cause we met on a carrier deck," Harriet said with a warm smile. Mac smiled, too, remembering that day very well. Her first trip to the Seahawk. "Where did you two meet?"

"We were stationed together in Okinawa when we first met," Mac said. It was my first assignment and I was so desperate to prove to myself and everyone else that I was just as good as any man. About two months into my assignment there the group I had started sort of hanging out with had a weekend liberty and the highest ranking officer decided that we all needed to watch a baseball game. Naturally that meant sports bar. About halfway through the evening one of the guys noticed I wasn't drinking anything but tonic water and he started going on about how the little woman couldn't hold her alcohol. I denied that without thinking and the next thing I know he's calling for shots of tequila. I knew I could drink the jerk under the table but I'd worked so hard to get sober and there was no way I was throwing away five years of sobriety because some guy was treating me like I should be home baking a pie or something. I told the guy that I didn't drink and he somehow took that to be an insult. The next thing I know a waitress is coming over and telling me I have a phone call. Uncle Matt was the only person who knew where I was, and I couldn't figure out how he knew I would be at the bar, but I was just so grateful that I had an out. Admitting I was an alcoholic was not something I was really eager to do, especially when I was already seen as weak because I was a woman. It turned out that there was no call but that Will had seen me floundering and had offered me an escape route if I wanted it. He wasn't all 'knight in shining armour' and he wasn't expecting to get anything in return. We hadn't even spoken to each other before that moment. We left the bar and went to a fast food joint and had cheap burgers and he asked if there was a reason I was acting like a scared rabbit back in the bar and… I don't know why I told him about my tenuous recovery, but I did, and he didn't judge me, he didn't get that look on his face that's somewhere between discomfort and thinly veiled disgust. He just accepted it as a part of me and moved on."

"Sounds like a good guy," Harriet said.

"He is," Mac said with a happy smile. "And I'm sure he's a good guy, through and through. I know my taste in men has been somewhat…"

"Crappy?" Harriet supplied.

Normally it would have shocked her to hear Harriet swear, but, after watching her give birth to little AJ, nothing that came out of the blonde's mouth was all that shocking.

"To say the least," Mac said. "And I know I'm probably getting way ahead of myself, but I have to say that… something about being with him just feels… right."

Harriet grinned.

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

1035 (EST)

TUESDAY, JULY 20

With Mac taking the morning off and Mic and Meg on assignment, Harm was left with no senior attorneys and a stack of investigations that were pending that reached from the sole of his shoes to just below his kneecaps.

He knew.

He'd checked.

Hitting the intercom button—that Jen had showed him how to use after he'd just yelled for her a few times—Harm asked Jen to get some field offices on the phone to see if any of them could pick up the slack. They were working without Bud, and Harriet, and Harm, as he was currently riding a mahogany desk and getting hand cramps from all the paperwork, and without Bud on top of the fact that Mac, Meg, and Brumby were all out of the office there were no lawyers on site who could take the backlog of cases that had somehow appeared over the past ten hours. There were some junior lawyers who Harm could give some higher profile cases to if necessary, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that just yet.

"Sir, I'll make the calls, but I doubt we'll have much luck," Jen said honestly.

"Alright. When you get a chance call Tiner in to help me sort these into priority stacks. Maybe some semblance of a system will help," Harm said. He was getting desperate. "And call the Admiral and find out when he's planning on returning to us. I know he hates these convention things and we're drowning without the staff right now."

"Aye aye, sir," Coates said before hanging up.

Harm sighed heavily and went back to trying to work his way through the seemingly endless backlog.

BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL

ROOM 107

1100 (EST)

THURSDAY, JULY 20

Mikey had come by just before eleven with little AJ whose eyes had lit up when he saw his mommy. Harriet had taken the little boy immediately and had headed off to the bathroom to feed him, leaving Mac with Mikey and Bud.

"How is he, really, ma'am?" Mikey asked nervously.

"The doctors say they won't really know for sure until he wakes up," Mac said honestly. "But Bud's a fighter. And he's got so much to fight for."

"Plus Harriet would kill him if he died on her," Mikey said before realizing how odd and wrong it sounded. "I didn't… well, you know what I mean."

"I do," Mac nodded, a slight smile spreading across her lips to cover how shaken the thought of Bud dying had her.

Harriet returned a little while later with a thoroughly happy baby who had been fed and changed and was well on his way to falling asleep in his mother's arms. Not even the strange and unfamiliar surroundings and the beeping machines had upset him.

"He's such a little angel," Harriet said as he cradled her son.

"You definitely got lucky with this little guy," Mac agreed.

"So far, at least," Harriet said. "Who knows what he's going to be like when he gets older. I could be holding a teen terror and not even know it."

Mac smiled softly. "Well the good news is that you have a long time before you find out whether or not you have a terror on your hands," she said. "The bad news is that if you do there's not much to be done."

"Thank, ma'am, that's real reassuring," Harriet said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Mac said, though she wasn't. Not really. Because for that minute Harriet hadn't thought about losing Bud once. And Mac was a firm believer in the power of positive thinking.She noticed the doctor heading their way and realized it was time to get Harriet out of the hospital for a little while. "Harriet, Mikey and I were just talking about getting an early lunch. Why don't you join us?" she said. Mikey, who had been facing the door as well, quickly caught on and didn't contradict the tiny white lie.

"I don't want to leave Bud," Harriet said hesitantly.

"The doctors have your cell number and you need to eat, anyway, right?" Mac said.

"I'm under orders from the Commander to make sure she does," Mikey put in.

"See," Mac said energetically, "you wouldn't want to make Mikey brought up on charges for dereliction of duty, would you?"

Harriet frowned. "The Commander can't do that, ma'am. Mikey isn't even old enough for ROTC."

Mac shot Harriet a look. "Harriet, when are you going to learn that Harm can do pretty much anything once he sets his mind to it?" she asked. "Now come on. We'll all go out for lunch and after that you can come right back here if that's what you want. I'm starving and there's a great place just down the street."

Under the combined looks she was receiving from Mac and Mikey, as well as the knowledge that Bud wouldn't want her sitting around the hospital and living off of the occasional sandwich from the cafeteria, Harriet caved in. She settled AJ down in his stroller and made sure he was secure and wrapped up in his favourite blanket and then she leaned over and kissed Bud's forehead and whispered an 'I love you' to her husband whose only response was the rise and fall of his chest as the ventilator pushed fresh oxygen into his body and took out the refuse. But it was enough and Harriet moved away, putting her hands on the stroller and following Mikey out of the room as the doctor and a pair of nurses waited outside.

"Thank you," the doctor said to Mac who had lingered for a moment. "It's been almost impossible to get her to leave when visiting hours are over, let alone in the middle of the day."

"If you have any problems with her, just call Admiral Chegwidden," Mac said, scribbling down the Admiral's contact information. She had a feeling she would pay for it later if he was contacted, but Mac was almost positive that even a direct order from her CO would be difficult to follow until Bud himself woke up and told Harriet to go home.

The doctor smiled at Mac and then headed into the room and Mac hurried down the hall to catch up with the three Roberts' at the elevators.

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

1155 (EST)

TUESDAY, JULY 20

A call of 'enter' was the response Jennifer got to her knock on what was currently Harm's door. She opened the door and slipped through, biting her lip to fight off the laugh that was trying to get out when she saw both Harm and Tiner kneeling on the floor shifting files around into different piles.

"Are you amused, Petty Officer?" Harm inquired, hoping he didn't sound as frustrated as he felt. It wasn't Jennifer's fault that there was a sudden influx of cases, and it definitely wasn't her fault that they were short staffed.

"Highly," Jen said candidly. Harm flashed her a grin and then motioned for her to get to the reason she was there. "I spoke to all the other offices and they're all pretty bogged down, too, sir. There are two senior staff lawyers on their way TAD to assist here until we get things back to a more standard state of chaos, and the research assistants and other clericals are being pulled in from other assignments. It seems the SecNav is feeling… generous."

"I don't think I've ever heard that word associated with the Secretary, but go on," Harm said. Tiner smirked but didn't say anything.

"The law staff will be here at 0900 tomorrow and the clericals will be arriving at staggered times throughout tomorrow and the next day, sir," Coates said. "I also spoke with the Admiral and he said that he won't be able to come back before the conference ends unless you feel that you can't handle the job he has given you."

"He didn't say that," Harm said.

"I swear that he did, sir," Jen said earnestly. "Also, Colonel MacKenzie called and said that she should be back in the office by 1300. She and Mikey Roberts took Lieutenant Simms out for lunch and the Colonel is going to drop Harriet and Mikey off at home with the baby before she comes back to the office. I don't know how the Colonel managed to convince the Lieutenant to spend the afternoon at home with little AJ, but I have to admit that I'm glad she found a way."

Harm smiled. "Mac usually does," he said. "Anything else?"

"Just that Commanders Brumby and Austin checked in about five minutes ago. They're in Norfolk and are confident that they will be able to get the investigation wrapped up by Thursday, assuming they can get started on the interviews today," Jen said.

"They made good time," Harm commented.

Jen smiled. "Commander Brumby said that you would comment on that and he also said to tell you that Commander Austin drove, sir. Apparently he feels you know what that means."

"Meg has a… certain disregard for the posted speed limit," Harm said with a small smile. Going fast was never an issue for him, especially since he spent a great deal of his time in moving vehicles either pulling major G's or cruising around in his 'Vette, but even he had some problems getting in the passenger seat with Meg behind the wheel. "She likes to let the vehicle life up to it's full potential."

"A lead foot, sir?" Jen asked.

"I've gone slower in a Tomcat," Harm hyperbolized.

Jen and Tiner laughed at that, then Jen looked at the still imposing stack of files that needed to be checked through. "Do you need any help, sir? I know I'm not a lawyer or even thinking about studying law, but I've picked up on some things since starting here and I think I can tell the major crimes from the lesser offences."

"That's alright, Coates. Tiner and I have got this pretty much covered," Harm said. "What were the names of the lawyers that are coming our way?"

"A Lieutenant Commander James Stiles and a Major Elliot Carter. Their CO's are faxing over their files as we speak," Jen said.

"Bring them in once they get here. Dismissed" Harm said before picking up another file.

"Aye, sir," Jen said, standing at attention before turning and heading back out to her desk.

NORFOLK NAVAL BASE

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

1900 (EST)

TUESDAY, JULY 20

It had started to rain a few hours before and the summer storm hadn't let up yet. Meg, who had missed the changing weather patterns of the Eastern seaboard, had been watching the rain pelting down, taking the petals off the already dying tulips that were planted around the guard station. The last piece of colour and cheer before the bullet-proof booth with the armed Marine guards and the battleship grey military base that was one of the most famous in the world.

The parking lot where she had parked the fleet sedan had started out with little rivers forming in the slightly less than level ground, and now there were full-fledged ponds forming and threatening to become lakes. The diner where Harm had once punched out a junior officer who was suspected of murdering the woman he had loved in one way or another since his early twenties was barely visible through the storm, and it was only about two hundred feet from her door. She had considered running out and getting something to eat but before she could even start trying to pull her rain gear from the bottom of the small bag she had packed Commander Brumby had shown up with a couple of bags of food and a six pack of diet cola.

"Why are you just staring off into space?" Mic asked after trying to figure out Meg's actions himself for a few minutes.

"I've missed the weather here," Meg said a little shyly. "And… I was kind of remembering the last time I was here."

"Anything I need to know about?" Mic asked, clearly misinterpreting her wistful tone.

"Commander Rabb and I were investigating the murder of a Lieutenant aboard the Seahawk. The case was never solved in our opinions, but everyone else seemed to feel that there was nothing more to investigate. The Commander and I were going to look into it a little further… but I got transferred out before we could do anything," Meg said. There was no reason for Mic to hear about Diane. "You don't have anything to worry about, though. My mind is completely on the investigation at hand."

Mic nodded. "And on that note, I'll be off," he said, gathering up the trash from the meal. "First interview in the morning is at 0700."

"I know," Meg said, slightly annoyed that he didn't seem to believe that her head really was in the game. "See you in the morning," she said, letting him out and locking the door tightly before heading for the bathroom to take a shower before bed. Meg knew it was futile, but she felt the need to wash the day away.

ROBERTS' RESIDENCE

ROSSYLN, VIRGINIA

0241 (EST)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21

Harriet had just settled AJ down after his two-o'clock feeding when the phone rang.

Because she was racing to grab the handset before it woke the baby back up, Harriet didn't have time to worry about what a call at twenty to three in the morning could mean.

"Roberts residence," Harriet said, thankful that there were no sounds coming from the nursery.

"Mrs Roberts, this is Dr. Lowry, the attending on duty at Bethesda Naval Hospital tonight," the male voice on the other end of the line said. "Ma'am, you might want to sit down," he said gently.

You can't hear it, but I'm doing an evil laugh right now.

There's going to be more about Mac and William's past in upcoming chapters, but I thought maybe one story would help people realize that he's a very important person to Mac, even if they haven't seen each other in years. I'm basing their relationship on something that two of my best friends experianced not too long ago. The three of us grew up together, but his familymoved away when we were just about to start high school.A few months ago he came back for a visit and they just... clicked. I can't explain it, and I can honestly (though not happily) say that I have never been that muchin love before, but I have been in love and my friend doesn't exactly hide the fact that she's head over heels.

A note about Tracey Needham. She hasn't done much acting since she left JAG, but tonight I saw her on CSI Miami playing what essentially turned out to be the polar opposite to her JAG character. It was a little weird.

Please tell me what you thought about this chapter. I want to hear your thoughts, good, bad, or ugly.

M