"Wondering – 4"
Author: Stephjag aka Steph
Email: Stephrabbhotmail.com
Website: I do not own the JAG characters; they are the property of CBS, Paramount Studios and they belong to Donald P. Bellisario.
Classification: Vignette / Drama, romance Harm and Mac
Rating: PG-13 (just to be on the safe side)
Spoilers: "What if" just for the big lines. Every shipper moment through season 2 and season 9.
Summary: Mac's wondering about the road not taken.
Third author's note: First I'd thought of only using the great lines of "What if," but considering of what was the end of season 9 – a few things have been said in the end of season 9 that are very important to me, and I'm sure my dear friends AeroGirl and Daenar will understand what I mean by this. I'll use the great lines of the rest of the season starting with "What if" hope you'll all enjoy this story for so far... I'm not sure, but I have the feeling I forgot to tell you guys something. Oh yeah! The circumstances of Clay's death will be different and all cleared up in this story and I've changed some events a little. Sue me. g Feedback: Please, if you would like to express your enjoyment. If my work does not appeal to you for any reason, I have no problem with that, but please, no need to share that with me.
Part Four
2314 ZULU Reflecting Pool Washington, D.C.
Harm and Mac were silently walking side by side around the giant pool, simply enjoying the view. This was a special place. After what had happened less than two hours ago, Harm suggested that they take a walk somewhere, so that maybe they would be able to talk a little.
He'd decided to bring Mac to the Reflecting Pool, because it was a quiet place, and it had a wonderful view. Mac stopped walking and looked at Harm for a long moment. "Is it okay if we sit here?"
"Yes, we can sit here, if that's what you want. You sure everything's okay?" Harm asked in a lower voice.
"Yes... Yes, I'm fine," Mac answered with a hesitating tone apparent in her voice.
"Fine for me. But if you feel the need to talk, I'm all ears, Mac, and I will always be," he said, facing her.
Mac looked down at her hands that were now torturing a tissue. It felt kind of strange suddenly to be sitting here with Harm side by side on the edge of the pool. Mac felt uneasy and at the same time comfortable. Things were different between them, but their friendship was still there somewhere; they were still bound by an invisible wire that nothing and no one would ever break.
Sarah Mackenzie was very grateful for this friendship she shared with her work partner. She'd always count on his support. Even when he was the cause of some things going wrong in her life, he'd always find a way to make things good. Sarah remembered a scary time they'd been through seven years ago...
1610 ZULU The Appalachian Mountains, Virginia
Harm had invited Mac to fly with him. She'd accepted, so now they were flying in the sky of Virginia above the Appalachians, but of course things couldn't go the easy way for once. It would have been too good. The fuel line of Harm's Stearman PT-17 had slit wide open, forcing them to make an emergency landing.
A few minutes later, Mac was shot in her right thigh by a poacher. When he'd seen her laying down holding her leg, Harm slightly panicked. But then, he took her up quickly and brought her to safety, so he'd taken a look at Mac's injured thigh. The injury didn't seem so bad, but still it had to be taken care of.
It seemed to Harm that it was only buckshot, but it was also obvious to him that Mac was in pain, and he blamed himself for it. If he'd checked the pipe oil of his Stearman properly and double checked, none of this would've happened.
"Hey, Mac, why don't we play hooky on Monday? I'll take you flying. There's nothing quite like it - the open air, the adrenaline rush."
"I'm two for two, huh?" Harm said, the evidence of a sorry look shining in his eyes.
"Leave it, Harm. It's not your fault. I saw you, you checked everything. And we couldn't possibly know that those guys were poachers. You let it go, okay?"
"Yeah, you're right but still I should have been more careful."
"Harm, please, stop blaming yourself."
He finished bandaging her thigh and helped her to get up.
"Think you can stand, Marine?"
"Unless you plan to carry me."
"Well, maybe if you laid off the Beltway burgers."
"Yeah, and you worked out more."
Then they went further in hope of gaining distance from the assailants. They'd been able to find a safer place for a while. When they did find the place, Mac went a little crazy at first because of the blood mark that was still on her shirt, and it reminded her of the guys she'd killed a little earlier. Harm asked her if everything was all right, and she answered that she wanted the mark to go away.
A bit later Mac told Harm about a friend of hers when she was in high school, Eddie. He'd died because he was driven the car they where in, though he'd been drinking. Ending her story, Mac said, "I can still bitch about freezing my butt off, can't I?"
"Quit your whining. You've got ten percent more body fat than I do."
"Are you calling me fat, stick boy?"
"Stick boy? Women just naturally have more insulation than men."
2337 ZULU Reflecting Pool Washington, D.C.
Mac started laughing, and Harm turned, looking at her with a non- comprehending expression on his face. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am. I just thought of something that we said a couple of years ago. We were in the Appalachians. Poachers were after us. We managed to outdistance them, and then I told you Eddie's story, and then you said that women have ten percent more body fat than men," she said with a smile shining on her face.
Harm smiled as well as he answered. "And if I remember right, you called me stick boy, didn't you?" Harm's smile became wider.
"You sure? I can't remembering me calling you stick boy. No, I didn't," Mac said, turning her head elsewhere so she could hide the devilish grin that was drawn on her face right now.
Harm couldn't help but grin too. This little trip hadn't turned out exactly how he'd planned it. It had been scary moments too. But despite all the scary times, the trip had been nice and he was in Mac's company.
Mac turned again, but the smile on her face had vanished. She looked at Harm with teary eyes, and at the sight Harm's heart tore once again. Harm couldn't bear the sight of seeing her so sad, so he leaned forward and took Mac in his arms again, hoping that holding her would make her feel better and more comfortable. He did not know what else to do for now.
Harm didn't know what else because he didn't know what was happening. Harm had a foreboding that what made her so sad had something to with Clayton Webb. A wave of anger flew through him. This guy was doomed! Since the first time he'd met the guy Harm knew that Clay would be a source of trouble. And it turned out that he'd been right. Clayton Webb was indeed a source a source of trouble, he should have known it; the first time they'd met he had lost the Declaration of Independence. If Harm ever found out that he'd hurt her or something, Clay had better pray that their paths never crossed ever again.
"Mac?" Harm said softly.
Mac looked up at her friend with teary eyes. Mac's eyes were reflecting so much, they were shining with her tears, but there was also something else; they were also showing doubt and despair. Harm couldn't take it any longer.
"Please, Mac talk to me, tell me what's wrong. Seeing you crying like this kills me."
"Harm... I..." Mac said, her voice trailing off.
To be continued...