DISCLAIMER: For all intents purposes, no one has died on the show (except Diane). I claim author's privilege on this one and say that many of these characters just mysteriously disappeared from the lives of Harm and Mac, or if you like, I brought them back from the dead.
I own very little…Webster's defines the words, Bellasario owns the characters, I create the plot.
CHAPTER 3: Sergei, Bud, Jen, Kate
When all returned from the recess, Sergei returned to the stand. He gave that trademark Rabb smile, albeit just a bit toned down from Harm's, and prepared himself for the prosecutor's questions.
PROSECUTOR: Sergei, you are Harm's brother, are you not?
SERGEI: I am.
PROSECUTOR: And you have met Colonel MacKenzie before, correct?
SERGEI: Yes, the Colonel and I met in Russia. (AN: Can't remember if this is correct, but go with me on it anyway) The Colonel followed Harm to Russia many times.
PROSECUTOR: Do you believe that your brother and Mac love each other?
SERGEI: Yes, this I know.
PROSECUTOR: And how do you know this?
SERGEI: The Colonel has helped Harm many times. Wherever one is, the other is not far behind.
PROSECUTOR: Does being around Mac make your brother happy?
SERGEI: I have seen them together many times and I have seen them apart and with others; they are good together.
PROSECUTOR: Just one more question. Why did you decide to be here today?
SERGEI: Harm is my brother…Mac is good for him…I want to see him happy.
PROSECUTOR: Thank you. That is all.
JUDGE Q. PIDD: Next witness.
PROSECUTOR: Will Commander Bud Roberts please take the stand?
From his seat just a couple rows back, Bud lifted little Jimmy off his lap, handed the young child to his wife and headed up the front to take the stand. He had to admit that it was a very different feeling being on the other side in the courtroom. As he looked out over the rest of the courtroom, he noticed that little AJ was standing up, waving wildly at him, the prosecutor was smiling confidently at him, and Mac and Harm were looking just a little worried. Wait, were they holding hands?
PROSECUTOR: Commander, if you please, would you give the court a brief overview of your relationship with Harm and Mac.
BUD: I've worked with the Commander and the Colonel off and on over the years since they've first met. They are also the godparents of my two children.
PROSECUTOR: So you were there when they first met each other?
BUD: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: What happened at that first meeting?
BUD: We were at the White House to see the Commander receive an award. After the ceremony, Admiral Chegwidden, the Commander, and myself headed back to the car when Colonel MacKenzie met us. When the Colonel introduced herself to the Commander, he just stood there for a moment, hesitating.
PROSECUTOR: Hesitating? Why?
BUD: I guess Colonel MacKenzie reminded him of Diane Schonke. He was surprised at the close resemblance. What was great was when they went to shake hands, there was a spark of something between them.
PROSECUTOR: Then what happened?
BUD: The Admiral warned them not to get to close, that they'd be working together. I guess he saw something between them.
PROSECUTOR: How was their behavior from then on?
BUD: Definitely interesting. There was some major tension between them at first. The Commander's used to getting women with his smile and the Colonel wasn't falling for that. They would have their fights, but usually they would both come out as friends.
PROSECUTOR: I was wondering if you could tell us what happened in Australia. Specifically the events that led to you jaw getting broken.
BUD: The Commander, the Colonel, and I were down in Australia for an investigation. Commander Brumby was down there as well. He and the Colonel were, well, I guess dating. (Bud glances at his wife, hoping she has forgiven him for the phone conversation). The Commander and I went to find the Colonel about something with the investigation and she and Commander Brumby were on a beach, one of those topless beaches.
PROSECUTOR: Go on.
BUD: Throughout the trip, several comments were made by Commanders Brumby and Rabb about Colonel MacKenzie and the Commanders needing to get together and fight one day.
PROSECUTOR: And did they fight?
BUD: When they went to hit each other, I got caught in the middle and they broke my jaw. Admiral Chegwidden came down and ordered them into a room to sort it out as a punishment.
PROSECUTOR: And did the two Commanders "sort it out"?
BUD: They both came out a little worse for the wear. But something happened, something big that I don't know about cause when we flew back to Washington, the Colonel was wearing Commander Brumby's ring.
PROSECUTOR: An engagement ring?
BUD: Yes, ma'am.
PROSECUTOR: What was Commander Rabb's behavior when he found out?
BUD: The Admiral told him not to look back but the Commander seemed kind of well, you know, peeved at the whole situation.
PROSECUTOR: You've worked with or against both of them in court?
BUD: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: What are they like in the courtroom?
BUD: Tenacious. They're both great lawyers. They both mentored me, kind of helped me become the lawyer I am today.
PROSECUTOR: So they work well as a team?
BUD: Both as a team and as opposing counsel. They're great!
PROSECUTOR: Thank you, you may take your seat. I would next like to call Petty Officer Jennifer Coates.
Bud returned to his seat, to a grateful wife who needed help in keeping Jimmy and little AJ busy. As he took his seat and took the squirming young child (Jimmy) from Harriet, Jen made her way up to the stand.
PROSECUTOR: Petty Officer, you work with Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie, do you not?
JEN: Yes, ma'am. I have for several years now.
PROSECUTOR: How did you first meet them?
JEN: I was put into Harm, I mean, Commander Rabb's custody after I had been arrested. It was Christmas and he didn't want me to spend it in the brig. He tried to pawn me off, sorry Commander, but in the end, he had me stay the night with the Colonel.
PROSECUTOR: What did you think of the two of them back then?
JEN: They were an interesting pair, ma'am. Willing to help each other out, but there seemed to be a bit more there than just partners.
PROSECUTOR: And over the years that you have worked with them, have they always helped each other out like that?
JEN: They did, at least until the whole Paraguay incident.
PROSECUTOR: The Paraguay incident?
JEN: Colonel MacKenzie went TAD to the CIA for a while, helping out Mr. Webb on an undercover investigation. During the time she was gone, the Commander seemed really worried about her and kept coming in and bugging the Admiral for some knowledge about her.
PROSECUTOR: What happened?
JEN: One day, the Commander finally handed in his resignation letter to Admiral Chegwidden, saying that he was going to go find her, if no one else would. I don't know exactly what happened, but the Commander returned a few weeks later with the Colonel, cleared out his office, and was gone. Several months after that, he was allowed to come back to JAG. I don't think the Colonel ever realized that Commander Rabb had resigned his commission for her, just to go and save her. The Colonel seemed not to care.
Mac and Harm were doing anything they could to avoid looking at each other. Paraguay was an incident they would rather leave buried. Enough time had passed to at least bring up the topic of what had happened in Australia, but the incidents down in Paraguay were still too fresh in either of their minds.
Mac hadn't realized that Harm had resigned his commission and come after her, just so she would be safe. She had thrown it all in his face, taunted him with Webb on her arm…what an ungrateful witch she was.
Meanwhile, Harm didn't want the topic of his sacrifice brought up. He was just grateful enough to be back at JAG, working with Mac on a daily basis again. The kiss Mac had shared with Webb was still an image he would rather not be reminded of.
So they sat, side by side, but seemingly miles apart still. There seemed to be more space between them now than when they had started this adventure.
PROSECUTOR: Did things ever get better between them after that?
JEN: A bit, maybe a tiny bit. Things were strained between them and have been since then.
PROSECUTOR: And why are you here?
JEN: The Commander was kind enough to help me out with my roommate situation and had me move in with his ward, Mattie. And despite the aftermath of Paraguay, I still like the Colonel. There's just always been so much tension between the two and I know that they're in love with each other, just too scared to do anything about it. Harm has become like a father to me and well, I guess I'd just like to see them get together.
PROSECUTOR: Thank you. You may take your seat.
JUDGE Q. PIDD: Next witness.
Commander Caitlin Pike arose from her seat, towards the back, and confidently headed to the stand.
At the defense table, Mac couldn't help but turn just a bit green with envy. Kate was another female who had caught Harm's attention, just another female to assume that there had been something between Harm and Mac that she had unknowingly waltzed into.
She and Harm still refused to look at each other, much less touch. The hands they had been holding had long since slipped away.
PROSECUTOR: Commander Pike, you worked with both Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie, right?
KATE: I used to be Harm's partner. There was a time when I briefly returned to JAG to work on a case and met Mac.
PROSECUTOR: This was when Mac was engaged to Mic Brumby?
KATE: (chuckling) Yes.
PROSECUTOR: What's so funny? What happened during that time when you were back at JAG?
KATE: There were several conversations I had with Mac, and with Harm, about their relationship. When I saw them interacting with each other, it always seemed like they had been in a relationship that had just gone bad or something. There was just something going on between the two.
PROSECUTOR: Did you talk to them about that?
KATE: I remember asking Mac how long she and Harm had lasted. She said that they had never even started anything. Then she said that it "just never seemed right" and repeated that nothing had happened between them.
PROSECUTOR: You said you had several conversations with both Mac and Harm about their relationship. What else was said?
KATE: There's one conversation that I distinctly remember having with Mac. When I was there at JAG HQ, she was engaged to that guy, uh, Brumby. I made the comment that she wanted to get rid of me so that there'd be one less woman to stand between her and what she wanted. She played innocent, claiming not to know what I was implying. When I told her that she obviously wanted Harm, she informed me that I was "really reaching". It was obvious that there was something there, something she didn't want me to get between. She told me that she was engaged and when I asked her if it was to the man of her dreams, she told me that that was none of my business.
PROSECUTOR: And your conversations with Harm?
KATE: When I was getting ready to leave, I went into Harm's office to say good-bye. He made the comment that it "would have been nice having you around". I told him that the last thing he needed was another woman around to complicate his life.
PROSECUTOR: Three women?
KATE: Me, Renee, his girlfriend at the time, and…Mac.
PROSECUTOR: And what was his reaction to that statement?
KATE: He told me that he wasn't "involved with Mac".
PROSECUTOR: Do you think there was something going on between them?
Mac sent Harm a questioning look, one which went unnoticed. They were, however, both thinking the same thought. If Kate Pike had noticed something between them during her brief stint into both their lives, then how obvious had they been over the years? They both silently groaned at what was to come. The people that still had yet to be called to the stand, the words that had yet to be said, the secrets that had yet to be revealed, the parts of their lives that had yet to be broadcast in front of their friends, family, ex's, and colleagues.
KATE: You mean, mixing business with pleasure?
PROSECUTOR: Yes.
KATE: I don't know. They were both so adamant about their being nothing between them that there must have been something there. Either something that had happened or was happening, something that had gone wrong or not turned out well. The way they acted, it certainly seemed like there was something there.
PROSECUTOR: Could that something have been romance? Maybe a hidden relationship?
KATE: Probably. They acted like a couple in love with each other, but trying to hide it. And before you ask, I'm here because Harm's a good man. He deserves a good woman to keep him in line. There was a time when I thought I could be that woman, but when I saw him and Mac together, I knew it couldn't be me.
PROSECUTOR: Thank you, you may take your seat.
JUDGE Q. PIDD: (glances at his watch) Thank you, we'll take another brief recess now and return shortly.
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