AN: This story has now been updated to an M rating. If you are under the age of 16, please read no further. If you wish, you can contact me and I will send you an edittedversion of the story...Sorry for any disappointment caused.
OOOO
Part Five
The little girls, however, were not convinced. They didn't budge an inch from behind Zania. The woman decided that the best course of action would be to allay their fears of the doctor, by distracting them with the news that they were both getting new parents.
"There, there, my children," she bent down to talk softly to them both, "Dr. Zee is right. There is no need to be frightened of him. You see, he is talking to some wonderful people today…do you see the people who he is standing with?"
Both little girls peered inquisitively from behind Zania, ducked back behind her and nodded.
"Well, they are very special people, who wanted to come and see the two of you today. Sasha, do you see the lady with the blond hair, like yours? Well, she and the man standing next to her want to become your new Mama and Papa…Katya, do you see the lady with the dark hair, standing with the very tall man? They want to become your new Mama and Papa…"
"Really?" Ekaterina asked, quietly.
Once Zania had nodded assuringly, Ekaterina braved another look at Harm and Mac and obviously decided that she liked what she saw. Zania was about to ask if they would like to become the couple's new daughters, when Ekaterina hurried straight out from behind her and towards the steps. Zania quickly took Sasha by the hand again and followed Katya.
"Just a minute, Katya," she spoke out to the girl, "Wait for Sasha and I. You are not so good on the stairs. They are very slippery. Be careful."
The little girl did as she was instructed, but did not take Zania's hand, just climbed down in front of her minder, holding carefully to the railings of the banister, allowing Zania only to grasp her arm. She eagerly descended the stairs, one at a time, right foot always first.
Harm, Mac, Bud, Harriet and Dr. Zebrovnik laughed and smiled as they watched the little girl resolutely make her way down to them. Once she had reached the last step, Harm and Mac crouched down and beckoned to her. Katya didn't need any encouragement to go to them, her ballet slippers making a tiny swishing noise as she ran across the floor to them. After she threw herself into Mac's arms, both of them made a fuss over her, automatically converting to soft, higher pitched 'motherese' speech, to try and overcome the language barrier. Mac felt an almost overwhelming urge to revert to Russian, to convey to the child just how much love she was already feeling for her. Harm felt something warm and right within his chest as he and Mac cuddled and kissed the child in her arms.
Bud and Harriet had now bent down to Sasha's level and the child confidently let go of her minder's hand and skipped over to Harriet, reaching out for her hand. Harriet felt a wash of love for her as she pulled the little girl into her arms, so like the one she had felt when she had held her little girl Sarah for the last time. Bud himself was feeling the emotions and because of the witnesses in the room, none of the adults held back their tears that afternoon. At least that's what they would justify to themselves, later, but still knowing the real reason when wrangling with the fact that this would come to an end, all too soon.
They played with the children for over an hour then Zania came over to them.
"I'm afraid the children will have to leave soon," she apologised to them, "They are usually put down for a nap in the late afternoon and they get bad-tempered and sleepy without it. You will have another chance to see them later, before you go."
Harm and Mac, Bud and Harriet reluctantly relinquished the little girls, giving them a kiss and a cuddle before they went, telling their child, "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll come back for you, soon."
Both little girls looked downcast at their sudden departure and Zania carefully explained, "Mamma and Papa need to go and do important work with Dr. Zee. They shall come and see you again later…shall we go back to class and draw them some pictures before they leave to go home?"
Both little girls nodded, still not liking the fact that they were being separated from their new parents, but secure in the knowledge that they would see them again soon.
Dr. Zebrovnik then led Harm, Mac, Bud and Harriet up the stairs, to an office that he usually used while he was doing rounds at the orphanage.
"Please, take a seat and we shall discuss when our exchange will take place. It will take until mid-week, next week before all of Katya and Sasha's paperwork is ready. Of course, Gemma and Christine, you shall be requiring a passport on which the girls can travel as well. Those may take some days in coming through, because the manufacturers do not work on the weekends."
All of the last little details were ironed out. Harm was relieved when they were given the choice of a meeting point. Webb had already briefed them on the sort of a place that would work in their favour.
"Make sure that it's somewhere fairly busy," he had told them, "We want lots of witnesses. But don't choose somewhere too busy, because we won't be able to stake it out."
"How about the park, nearby the hotel?" Harm had suggested.
"Perfect," Webb had approved, "There's lots of tree cover there, and we'll be able to place agents out in the open, in plain clothes."
Dr. Zebrovnik nodded in agreement, when Harm suggested the meeting point in the park. His motives were that nobody would take that much notice of two couples and their children in a park, seeing as it would be busy with people.
"Yes, that sounds good. We shall meet there at three o'clock on the Thursday afternoon. We now have only the last few details to decide on. The remaining payment you will give to one of my associates, on Thursday. I shall give you Sashenka and Ekaterina and your passports, then our business shall be concluded."
The couples asked him a few more questions, mostly about how they were to get past the customs at the airports in Moscow and Dulles.
"The supplier that I get my passports from is very reputable," he told them, "The passports he produces are very high quality. You should have no problem with passport control. I will make sure that he knows just how important this all is. I'm sure he'll do the best job possible."
Harm, Mac, Bud and Harriet thought how the man's job was obviously not good enough, since the Sykes's had been stopped at the tail end of their journey. There was not a lot that got past the US customs, these days.
Once their business was finally concluded, Dr. Zebrovnik told them, "With that out of the way, we can go down to the girl's classroom. I'm sure that they shall be eager to see you."
They walked out of the admin building and across to the one in which they had been during their last visit. After a journey through a series of hallways, they found themselves at the teaching classrooms. Zania appeared from inside a classroom and came over and began to tell Bud and Harriet about structure of the teaching program in the classrooms.
Harm and Mac followed Dr. Zebrovnik over to the window of one of the classrooms and took a look inside. It did not take them a long scan of the classroom to pick Katya out. She was sitting down on the carpet, playing with a young children's jigsaw set. Her teacher was crouching beside her, offering encouragement and hints.
The teacher was called away for a moment, so Katya was left to work on her own for a few minutes. The classroom uniform was a white and blue, all in one romp suit, with white booties. Katya's hair was fixed into a ponytail on the top of her head, which bobbed as she moved her head in concentration, focussed on her task. After a few minutes like this, Katya let out a broad yawn and turned her attention away from her puzzle. She looked up to see where her teacher was, finding her over in the corner, next to the windows, giving instructions to one of the classroom assistants. She quickly noticed Harm and Mac, Bud and Harriet standing at the window and promptly pushed her puzzle aside. She got to her feet and spoke aloud a word that could not be heard by the adults through the classroom window.
However, there was no doubt to Mac what the little girl had said. Mac felt her heart stop and unconsciously lifted her hand to press against her chest, where she held it for the ensuing minutes. She realised with a start that she had now totally lost control of her feelings, but found that she didn't care.
Katya was making her way around other children towards the door of the classroom, focussed solely on her target outside. However, as she got to the far side of the classroom, she was scooped up by a classroom assistant and was carried to one of the tables and seated in a chair next to Sasha.
The assistant gave her a sheet of paper and some markers, asking her, "Would you like to draw a picture, Katya?"
Remembering what Zania had told her earlier, about making a picture for her new parents, Katya nodded. When the teaching assistant had moved onto another child, Katya looked back up to Harm and Mac at the classroom window.
Harm gave her a reassuring wave and Mac blew her a kiss, which made the little girl smile. Harm and Mac both doubted that they had ever seen anything so beautiful in the world. After that, Katya continued to babble away happily to Sasha next to her, as she carefully picked out coloured markers to draw with. Harriet and Bud watched Sasha colour away, getting more marker on her hands than on the paper in front of her. They both laughed as they thought of little AJ, who was similar in his liking of getting messy.
Suddenly, Sasha froze, her body stiffening reflexively as she let out three child-sized sneezes in a row. Her little hands went up to her face and wet marker from them smeared on her cheeks and nose. The teaching assistant turned back to her and exclaimed, taking the corner of her apron and wiping Sasha's face with it.
After that, all the children were gathered together and led to the large carpet, where they sat down to listen to their teacher read a story. Zania went into the classroom and picked up the girl's drawings, bringing them back out to Harm and Mac, Bud and Harriet.
"This is going up on the refrigerator, when we get home," Harriet announced, happily.
"I'm afraid it's now time for us to return to Moscow," Dr. Zebrovnik broke in, "Rush hour traffic will be starting soon and we won't be able to get anywhere."
Both couples reluctantly waved goodbye to the little girls, still seated on the carpet inside the classroom. Both looked like they were about to stand up and rush out to them, but one of the teaching assistants bent low to explain to them and put them at ease.
"Mamma and Papa will be back again soon to see you. The next time you see them, they will take you home with them. For now you will have to be patient. It will not be long, I promise."
Still unsure, they both stayed where they were and waved goodbye as Harm and Mac, Bud and Harriet followed Dr. Zebrovnik out. Once they were back in the car and blindfolded again, an air of depression settled over the group. All four were feeling the disappointment of leaving the children. They all knew that they would be handing the girls back to social services, after the next meeting. After that, the little girls would be out of their lives for good.
OOOO
Mac was sitting in shock on the bed inside their hotel suite, staring unseeingly out of the window.
Harm was in the bathroom, showering before they went out for dinner. He was standing still, letting the water cascade over him, wrangling with the strong feelings inside his chest. This was it, soon after this, all of the carefully constructed web would fall apart and he and Mac would be back to the old life that they had before. No child, no marriage, no relationship. How was he going to deal with that? Deciding that he was getting nowhere fast, Harm reached up and shut the water off, climbing out of the shower and pulling a towel from the towel rack to dry himself off with.
Mac was having the exact same thoughts, in the bedroom. She could no longer deny the feelings that were coursing through her. She was enjoying her brief time becoming a mother and it was something that she did not want to let go of. Being married to Harm wasn't half bad either, but she had already closed the door on that possibility. She would be happy to settle for one out of the two. Could she really be contemplating this; A child, a home, a new purpose to her life? What about JAG? She wouldn't be able to work if she was settling a new child into her life, at least not for a while. The Admiral would probably not like it, but Mac had never felt this strongly before. What was she going to do?
As Harm made his way out of the bathroom, now dressed and ready for dinner, he glanced over to where Mac was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You alright, Mac?" he asked her.
She replied, but he didn't catch what she had said.
"Hmm?" he asked, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"I said, 'I can't do this', Harm."
Harm stopped trying to do his tie up and left it to dangle around his neck. He walked over to where Mac was sitting, taking a seat beside her.
"Can't do this?' You mean you want to pull out of the operation? Okay, we'll tell Webb…"
"No, Harm, that's not what I meant. I mean that I'm not going to be able to walk away at the end of this…I don't want to give her up."
"Mac…" Harm started, about to tell her that he had been having the same doubts, but Mac cut him off.
"No, really. I'm serious. She called me 'Mamma', Harm. In the classroom. I didn't hear it, but I understood it anyway. I saw the words on her lips. How can I turn my back on her now, when she thinks that I'm going to become her Mommy?"
Harm nodded emphatically in understanding.
"Yes, I know Mac. I was about to say that you shouldn't ignore it…I…I feel the same way. I don't think we should give her up to social services, when this is all over."
Mac just stared at him wordlessly for a minute then threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. She had never been so relieved in her life!
"Oh, thank God, you understand!" she exclaimed.
"I do Mac," Harm assured her, "Tomorrow, we'll get into contact with Webb and tell him. I promise, I won't let him leave this room until he's agreed and we've managed to work something out."
They stayed like that for a while then Mac got up to start getting ready to go out. They went to a cosy little Italian eatery that night. With their truthful admissions that night, both of them were feeling on top of the world. They had both made a real effort dressing that night, because the evening now felt like such a special occasion. Harm was in grey suit and dinner jacket and Mac had put on a black linen dress that evening. Sitting in the shadowed corner of the restaurant, they felt as if they had the whole world to themselves.
Mac smiled as she looked up and caught Harm watching her, smiling to himself. They both laughed and Harm commented, "This feels great, doesn't it?"
Mac nodded in agreement, she had to admit, life rarely felt better than it did at that moment. They ate quietly, in contented silence. They hadn't felt this at ease in a while, not even in their early days in Moscow. When they were finished with their main course, the dishes were cleared away and they both ordered the tiramisu for desert, having heard great things about it from Bud and Harriet, who had both come to the restaurant the night they went out to the theatre.
"My goodness," Harm exclaimed as he took his first bite, "Bud and Harriet weren't kidding! This is amazing!"
Once dessert was finished, they sat in silence for a few minutes, both contemplating the situation.
"So how is this all going to happen, Harm?" Mac spoke up, "How is this going to work?"
"How do you mean?" Harm questioned.
"I mean, how is this going to work once we get back to DC? We've got a lot of things to sort out. I know you probably want an equal part in Katya's life…"
"Mac," Harm stopped her then searched for the words. For a second, Mac thought that he might say that he only wanted minimal involvement, but that he would support her completely. She was relieved to find that this wasn't the case.
"I want to be a big part of Katya's life, Mac. I want her to be as much my child as she is yours. But I don't want us to parent her separately…this past week has helped me to realise a couple of things…"
Mac simply stared at him, uncomprehending.
Harm continued, "I never agreed with what you said when we got back from Paraguay. I don't believe that we don't have a chance of succeeding. I have confidence that we can make 'us' work. And not just for Katya's sake, for our own sakes, too. I love you, Sarah MacKenzie…"
Mac opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out and a lone tear streaked down her cheek. Harm reached out and tenderly wiped it away.
"I want this Mac, I want it with you…I want a life together as a family, you, me and Katya. We're meant to be together, we always have been."
When Mac failed to find words again, Harm joked, "A speechless Sarah MacKenzie; Wow, I never thought I'd see the day!"
Mac burst into teary laughter, then became serious again and leaned forward to convey her feelings on the matter in the only way that didn't require words; A kiss.
They both felt the fireworks as their lips touched, their breath hitching in their chest.
Once they pulled away, Harm noted, "We should probably get the cheque about now, huh?"
"Yeah," Mac agreed and they got up from the table to go.
Despite the cold night air, Mac felt herself flush as Harm rested his hand on the small of her back, while they were walking back to the hotel.
Walking up the front steps, Mac reached out and smiled as she took Harm's hand in her own, interlacing their fingers. Harm raised an eyebrow and grinned back.
"Good grief!" he thought to himself, "What is it about Mac that always turns me into an awkward, gawky teenager again?"
When inside the hotel lobby, they waited for the elevator for a minute, contemplating if it would be quicker just taking the stairs. Luckily, the elevator doors opened soon and they got it all to themselves. Harm pressed the button for their floor and went to lean against the wall as the doors closed. He looked over to Mac, leaning against the opposite wall and changed his mind as he caught the look on her face. She slowly crooked a finger, beckoning him to her. He complied and her arms slid up and around his neck as his went around her waist and his lips came down to meet hers. At first the kiss was soft and exploring, but it soon became demanding and passionate. Harm groaned into Mac's mouth, feeling himself slipping over the edge.
"What on earth are we doing?" he thought to himself, "We're in the hotel elevator!"
A soft, 'Ding" signalled their arrival to their floor and luckily the scramble to their room was not a very long one. They shakily managed to open the door, silently cursing the temperamental nature of the lock, operated by a key-card. Once inside, Mac quickly closed the door behind them and pulled Harm to her, sinking against him and running her fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair. Harm groaned again loudly at this sensation, it had always been one that had driven him wild. But this was even more amazing; this was a first. He had never felt a hunger quite like this one. He knew without a doubt that this would last. Funny, he had never been one to believe in love at first sight, but he realised that this was such a case. It all suddenly seemed so clear; it now made sense. This is what they had been building up to, for all of these years…and it was totally amazing!
Harm pushed Mac backwards against the door and moved hard against her in passion, bringing their bodies flush against each other. Mac gasped softly against his mouth as leaned into her. When she kissed him with renewed hunger, he felt his passion flare up suddenly.. She gasped loudly and ground against him, lifting one leg and hooking it over his hip, so that she could feel him against her better.
"Oh Sarah!" Harm exclaimed, "My God! You feel so good."
Without any difficulty, Harm lifted Mac up higher and she compliantly shifted and hooked her other leg around him. He supported her weight easily, holding her around the backs of her hips. He sank back forward to lick and suck the skin around her collarbone. Mac wrapped an arm around him and held his head against her lightly. Unconsciously, she began grinding against his erection again and Harm began to gasp against her chest.
"I think we should move this into the bedroom, sailor," she told him, huskily.
"Mm hmm," Harm agreed, moving up her neck and wrapping both of his arms tighter around her waist and hips, so he could safely pull back from the door.
He effortlessly carried her into the bedroom of their suite, tenderly placing her down on the bed. He stood above her for a minute, taking in her dark, passion-filled eyes. Then he sank down to join her.
"I love you, Harm," she told him, softly.
"I love you too Sarah. So much," Harm reciprocated, huskily.
OOOO
That night, Dr. Zebrovnik sat in his office. The phone on his desk rang and he picked it up, to be greeted by the irate voice of Ivan Petrov on the other side.
"Why didn't you tell me about your plans!" the man asked him, angrily.
When the doctor replied that he didn't know what Ivan was talking about, the ill-tempered man got even angrier.
"Sashenka!" he exclaimed loudly, "You never told me that somebody had asked to adopt her!"
Zebrovnik cursed loudly to himself; that was what the man was talking about.
"You know that she is one of the best prospects that this orphanage has. You cannot allow for these people to take her away. The future of this orphanage could rest on her, if she goes on to great things. You know that she most probably will, there's nothing that could possibly stop her, apart from being taken from the village."
When the doctor failed to support him on this opinion, Ivan decided to play on his weakness; his greed.
"If the child leaves the village, you know what will happen? Your little enterprise will have no future. Sashenka is this orphanage's best hope of staying open. At the very least, the orphanage will have to send half of its children to other facilities, within the next few years. There just aren't enough funds to keep running a place as big as this. The orphanage will stop attracting as many prospective buyers. I doubt the orphanage will survive into the next decade, unless some very concentrated attention is focussed upon it, to attract government funding. The child will bring that attention, I just know it. Her talent will keep us afloat. It will keep your money coming in. Tell me, doctor, do you think that you can afford to lose the money that you are earning?"
Zebrovnik knew the answer to this question. Of course he couldn't…He had massive debts with former members of the KGB. He had been in debt to them for as long as he could remember. He had accrued debts carried over from his deceased Father and plenty of his own, as well. These debts were accruing interest as he spoke, with each breath he took. He could not afford to lose his half of the money he was getting from the adoptions. There was no way he would live to tell the tale, he was barely keeping afloat at the moment.
"No, Ivan, I cannot," he told the man on the other end of the phone line, "I will manage to think up of some excuse. I'll make sure that Sashenka does not leave the orphanage."
With a deep sigh, Zebrovnik hung up and began to play with an idea in his head…Could he possibly turn the bad situation currently playing in the orphanage to his advantage?
OOOO