A/N: First off, remember that the crew here are all shippers so we write Harm/Mac stories. We're going to ask you guys to put a lot of trust in us when you read this because it's going to get tough for Harm and Mac at some points.
A/N2: This is our attempt at a Romance/Angst/Political Thriller/Action/Adventure
Guest Starring: Eric Bana as Undersecretary of State Nathan Ross
Ed Burns as Agent Mike Bradley
Christopher Plummer as President Russell (Later Chapters)
(The girls do our casting)
"Harm, take a seat." The Admiral motioned to a chair in front of the large desk. Mac was sitting next to him in the other chair. Harm was taken aback by the Admiral's use of this first name. The Admiral was twiddling his thumbs trying to stall until the cavalry could show up and maybe deliver the news for him. He waited for minutes in silence, trying to search for the right words to explain. After about six or seven minutes, he decided to just go forward with the news.
"People, there's no dancing around this. One of you two is getting promoted. At the same time, whoever that is, is being shipped out of JAG for a special project that's being run out of the Pentagon. With the new War on Terror, the Joint Chiefs of Staff needs a team of specialists who know how to fight an enemy without a face, or a state. They've got the State Department golden boy and the CIA's crack agent on the team and now they need an advisor that knows international and military law. That is where you two come into play." The Admiral stated. "The project is being called 'The Three Wise Men', basically if anything's going to happen in this war, these three are going to be advising it."
"So, what are you saying, sir?" Harm inquired, looking over at Mac.
"I'm saying that any minute, the other two wise men are going to be coming through that door to tell me which of you two, they would prefer to take the job. This job is optional for that person, if they turn it down, the other person automatically has been drafted by the Joint Chiefs for this post. Sorry, people, there is literally no way to keep both of you at JAG this time." The Admiral admonished.
"Sorry we're late, Admiral. Traffic coming into Falls Church on the Beltway was a shit-storm." One of the men said as they barged into the office.
"What have you got for me, Agent Bradley? Which one of my people do the Chiefs want for this project?" The Admiral questioned in a gruff tone.
"The decision got in from the Situation Room an hour ago. Commander Rabb is who they want for this. The way the Chiefs see it, we're under General Morton's operational umbrella out of branch SOCOM command at the Pentagon anyway. The Marines are already involved and despite Colonel MacKenzie's linguistic attributes; we need someone with combat experience as well as International Law expertise. Commander Rabb is our third wise man." Agent Bradley informed.
"Alright, Commander Rabb, looks like the ball is in your court." The Admiral stated.
"Well sir, aside from the opportunity this would present for my career it's a chance to play a central role in the American war effort; I don't think it's something that I can pass up." Harm replied.
"I had a feeling that neither you nor the Colonel would pass up this opportunity. I'll be sad to see you go, son." The Admiral admitted as he opened the drawer to his desk. "Attention on deck!" The Admiral called which caused pretty much everyone but Agent Bradley to snap to attention. "Commander Rabb, it is my distinct honour to inform you that you have been promoted to the rank of Captain, raise your right hand."
The Admiral led the recital of the oath of office which Harm had to repeat in turn before the Admiral shook his hand and attached the new shoulder-boards to Harm's summer white uniform. Harm turned to Mac who fired off a quick salute. "Congratulations, Captain Rabb." Mac stated with a smile.
"Thanks, Mac." Harm smiled and turned to his two new co-workers. "So, I have to work with you two, huh?"
"I'm Undersecretary of State Nathan Ross." The one man in a sport coat and slacks extended his hand.
"Special Agent Mike Bradley." The man in jeans and a John Lennon t-shirt extended his hand as well.
"You think you two can handle him? He tends to go off like a cruise missile some points." Mac joked.
"Don't worry about that ma'am, I did NROTC and a three year stint in the Marines; I was a Lieutenant with the 1st MEF when we liberated Kuwait International Airport during Desert Storm; if I couldn't handle a Squid, I'd still be disgracing the Corps." Nathan stated.
"Oh great, I go from working with one Marine to working with a Marine and a Spook." Harm deadpanned.
"Alright, there will be a wetting down for Captain Rabb at McMurphy's at 1900 this Friday, I'm sure if he isn't pissed of at the two of you or in the brig for killing you by that time, you two will be there." The Admiral suggested.
"Why not, could be fun?" Mike stated as he, Nathan and Harm left the room.
"I wish I was a fly on the wall in that office." The Admiral joked with Mac.
"Why's that, sir?" Mac smiled as she took her seat.
"Colonel, those two are liable to drive Rabb up the wall. Ross is a former Marine Lieutenant who speaks seven languages and has more education than some tenured professors. Bradley used to be partnered up with Clayton Webb but they separated the two when they realized that Bradley actually had potential." The Admiral informed his chief of staff. "In any case Colonel, we now need a new senior attorney. Lieutenant Commander Austin will be reporting to Headquarters tomorrow at 0900."
"Lieutenant Commander Meg Austin, sir? As in Harm's old partner?" Mac questioned incredulously.
"Yes, I was rather impressed with her performance when she was originally assigned to Headquarters; I think she'd be an excellent addition. Problems, Colonel?" The Admiral looked across his desk at Mac.
Mac was caught. There were no professional grounds on which for her to object to Meg's assignment, if she objected at all it would be on personal grounds and then she would have to admit to the Admiral that she was steaming beneath her silks every time she thought of Harm and that just wouldn't do.
1356 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
When Meg walked into JAG, the first sight that she saw was Lieutenant Bud Roberts moving from the break room to his office. She looked around for other familiar faces, one in particular. Yes, Meg was trying to find the handsome face of her former partner, Harmon Rabb. There seemed to have been a staff overhaul at JAG. She didn't recognize anyone other than Bud.
"Commander Austin, nice to see you again, ma'am!" Bud said jovially as he walked over to Meg.
"Nice to see you, too, Lieutenant." Meg smiled as she shook Bud's hand. "I was unable to find Commander Rabb; do you know where he is?"
"Yes, ma'am, the Captain has been transferred out, he's now working on a high staff anti-terrorism assignment out of the Pentagon. You were actually called in to replace him, ma'am." Bud explained.
"Can anyone really replace Harm, Lieutenant?" Meg returned with her typical Texas charm.
""No ma'am, I guess not." Bud smiled with a chuckle.
"Commander Austin, you're a sight for sore eyes." The Admiral joked as he entered the bullpen.
"I'll take that as a compliment, sir." Meg replied with a smile. Mac chose that moment to come walking out of her office with the purpose of making her presence known to the new arrival.
"This is Colonel MacKenzie." The Admiral motioned toward Mac.
"Oh, I know, sir. Harm used to call me all the time a few years ago and tell me about cases that he and the Colonel worked on." Meg went to shake Mac's hand.
"Really? I wasn't aware that Harm kept in contact with you, Commander." Mac smiled in a sarcastic sense.
"All Harm did for the longest time was brag about this brilliant and tough new Marine partner of his. It's been an awful long time since he called though. The last time was when he told me that he was going back to fly." Meg commented in response to Mac's remark.
"Yes, well, can we please get on with the staff meeting people?" The Admiral overrode the conversation and directed their attentions toward the conference room. The staff meeting went over well with Meg meeting most of the senior staff. A short while later, the Admiral was standing outside his office with Sturgis Turner.
"It appears that you've turned the tables, sir." Sturgis commented.
"How's that Commander Turner?" The Admiral retorted.
"Well I heard about the Bugme situation a few years back and I'd say that you have the reverse of that now, sir." Sturgis observed.
"I don't think so, Commander. Mr. Rabb isn't even in this office." The Admiral sounded confused.
"Sir, as long as he's in DC, this is a powder keg that's going to go off." Sturgis warned.
"Yeah, maybe, but at least we don't have to deal with Renee Peterson this time." The Admiral joked.
1441 ZULU
THE PENTAGON
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
"Gentlemen, this is your office." The civilian-military liaison stated.
"The place looks like a dorm room." Harm commented.
"Oh, yes sir, the person who came up with the project figured that this would be the most conducive atmosphere. I believe the reasoning that they came up with was that in university you always felt like you had something to prove and these three gentlemen have something to prove to the world." The man stated.
"And just what do we have to prove Mr. Starkey?" Mike turned on the man.
"That you can fight terrorism, sir." The young man replied innocently.
"The boys upstairs sure don't ask much of three guys do they?" Nate joked.
"Anyway, at Captain Rabb's disposal we have all the daily briefings from military intelligence, a state of the art computer system, a handy copy of international law statutes and a UCMJ. At Agent Bradley's disposal, the daily intelligence community briefings, his own state of the art computer set up and direct phone links to the DDCI at Langley, MI6, CSIS and the BDN. Also, Agent Bradley, you'll have a visitor from the Hoover building once a day at 1030 hours. Finally, for Undersecretary Ross we have your own computer set up, direct phone links to Moscow, New York, London and a secure outside line. You all have a common TV that does have satellite so that you can get the BBZ, Al-Jazeera and ZNN. You have a personal staff of twenty-one, which means seven staff-members at each of your disposals; Captain Rabb all of yours are Navy. You will have noticed that each of you have a bunk in here, you're not robots, but you will be pulling long hours and the brass know this."
"What about food?" Mike Bradley questioned sceptically.
"There is a kitchen staff for you. Only slightly smaller than the President's and with the same resources. As you no doubt noticed on the way in, in the outer office, you each have your own private secretaries or in Captain Rabb's case a yeoman. Forward all requests to them, they'll make sure that the appropriate people hear it. Will there be anything else gentlemen?" Mr. Starkey stood in the doorway.
"No, that'll be all." Harm stated with a weak smile.
"Very good. Gentlemen, on a personal note, I just wanted you to know that a lot of us, well, we've put a lot of faith in you three guys." Starkey stated.
"Who's 'us', Mr. Starkey?" Harm asked.
"The American People, sir." Starkey replied before exiting the room. Harm, Nate and Mike were left standing in the room looking around at their new office space.
"They couldn't even give us our own offices." Mike commented sardonically.
"Yeah, well at least this room is big enough that I can ignore you guys if you piss me off." Harm joked.
"42 inch plasma screen television. They really went all out for us." Nate commented as he flicked the TV on. "Which do you prefer? ZNN or the Beeb?"
"Never watched the BBZ couldn't tell you." Harm admitted as he sunk into the soft leather chair behind his desk.
"Definitely the Beeb, I got this thing for English women ever since Liz Hurley." Mike joked as he threw himself down on to the bunk.
"Easy Mike, your intended might not be to happy about hearing you talk like that." Nate warned.
"Becky and I have an understanding. I can leave her for Liz Hurley, she can leave me for Brad Pitt, short of that, we're in this for the long haul." Mike joked. The three men decided to settle into their respective corners of the office. The briefings from the previous night had piled up on the desks and they were busy trying to rapidly get up to speed with the current state of information with regard to the United States efforts against terrorism. It was in this position that General Morton found them when he barged into the office at 1127.
When Morton barged in, both Harm and Nate sprang to their feet. Mike just kicked up his feet on his desk and continued to read his reports. "At ease, gentlemen. I shall make no secret of the fact that when I initially heard that I was to be assigned to this project, I was less than enthusiastic about having to baby-sit one Navy Captain and two civilians. When I found out that one of you was a former Marine I felt only slightly better about the whole thing. The fact is that we're doing important work here. You three men are better capable, according to high level judgement at State, Langley and the Pentagon, for tracking and preventing international terrorism then any other three men in the United States. You will need SOCOM co-operation, that's why I'm your Commanding Officer. Any questions?"
"Yeah, since I was never military do I have to salute you?" Mike stated sarcastically which caused Morton to roll his eyes.
"A salute is a symbol of respect, Mr. Bradley. You might not have ever served the country but I would hope that you would at least show some degree of respect for those who have." Morton retorted, firmly placating the CIA agent. "Now, in nine days, time, that's next Saturday, there will be a formal State Department reception at the White House. You're all expected to attend. Captain Rabb, your Mess Dress would be the uniform of the evening. Mr. Ross, as your commission is still on reserve status, it would be appropriate for you to wear your Mess Dress as well but it's not necessary. I'm sure that you've become rather accustomed to wearing those nice tailored suits since your departure from active duty."
"Yes, sir but it does feel good to don the old Marine green, or in this case, blue, once in a while. Especially for special occasions." Nate replied.
"Good, that'll be all, gentlemen. Good luck and Godspeed." Morton turned on heel and walked out of the office, closing the door with the same fury he used to open it.
"Welcome to the Pentagon." Mike joked as he brought his hands up over his face.
"I suppose we should actually do some work." Harm stated as he sank back into his chair.
2358 ZULU
MCMURPHY'S TAVERN
WASHINGTON, DC
"So, tell me about these guys that you work with?" Mac sat down at the bar next to Harm.
"Well, Mike kind of reminds me of what Keeter would be like if he was really sarcastic. But he's certainly a better representation of the kind of Agent that Langley needs, then Clayton Webb is." Harm rolled his eyes slightly. "Mac, I don't know, I thought I'd hate this assignment, you know I hate being chained down to a desk, I love being out in the field working on investigations. But, I mean, just this morning I got to sit in my desk and watch as my two cohorts were tracking down a terrorist money trail. It hit me that what I'm doing is nothing but constant investigative work. I mean, officially I'm only in there for international and military law purposes but we pick each other's brains on everything." Harm sounded really enthusiastic.
"You didn't tell me about the other guy you work with." Mac commented, pleased to see that Harm seemed to be enjoying his new assignment.
"Nate? If I'm being honest, Nate reminds me of Jack Ryan. I mean, Nate's as much of a Marine as anyone I've ever met but he's got a natural investigative mind. It's also funny to know that he can tell his diplomatic counterparts to 'fuck off' in seven languages." Harm laughed as he ordered his drink.
"So, they're taking care of you over there?" Mac asked tenderly.
"Yeah, they're a good group of guys." Harm smiled fondly. "The place will never be JAG of course but I'm glad that I'm in a place where I shouldn't go stir crazy from not being in the courtroom."
"I think Morris is just happy that he doesn't have to worry about his courtroom turning into a free-fire zone again." Mac joked lightly. "I miss having you around. There's no one to get on my nerves." She smiled weakly.
"Oh come on, Mac, I'm sure that they'll have a replacement in there that will be just as good as I am at getting on your nerves." Harm nudged a little closer to her on the barstool. Just as Mac was about to make a comment about how no one could replace Harm, Harm's eyes wondered and got wide as they caught some far off sight. Harm got up off the barstool and walked across the bar. Mac didn't have to turn on her seat to know that Meg Austin had just walked in.
"Now, Lieutenant, you're not going to leave without saying goodbye this time are you." Harm stated in his best authoritative voice as he walked up behind Meg.
"It's Lieutenant Commander now, sir." Meg replied as she turned around to face Harm. Harm pulled her into a tight hug.
"How have you been Meg? God, we haven't talked in so long." Harm admonished as he led her over to a table. "And what are you doing back in DC?"
"First of all, I'm fine, sir and I'm back in DC because I was transferred in to fill a vacancy for a senior attorney left by one Captain Rabb." Meg smiled her cute little smile.
"So you're the one replacing me at JAG? At least the Admiral had the good sense to bring in another squid." Harm laughed as the waitress brought over drinks for the two of them. Harm and Meg spent the next few minutes getting lost in their nostalgia.
Sitting back at the bar, Mac had never felt so alone. Finally, a time in her life when there were no real barriers between her and the man that she loved and then the biggest threat to any future relationship between her and Harm got transferred back to JAG. Life sucked.
"Looks like you and I are the only Marines in the whole damn place are you and I, Colonel." Nate said as he leaned up against the bar.
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Ross." Mac replied formally. Mac took her time to observe him. Nathan Ross was pleasing to the eye; certainly, it couldn't hurt to talk to him a little more. Unlike most guys who talked to her in a bar, he didn't seem to be coming on to her. He'd merely pointed out the fact that they were both Marines.
"I don't know how you do it, Colonel; I always was on edge around Navy types. I mean Harm's cool but I don't know, I guess when you're a Marine, you just have a certain comfort level in a group of Marines." Nate observed.
"Tell me about it. I love the family I've got at JAG, but sometimes you just miss hanging around with other Marines. Why did you get out of the Marines?" Mac asked, now genuinely curious why someone who seemed to like Marine culture so much would willingly choose to leave the Corps.
"Well, I'm not technically out. I do have a reserve commission but after Desert Storm, my CO told me that the Marine Corps was no place for idealistic officers. He was right, the Corps is for realists. I went to Princeton, got my Masters in International Relations and went to work for the State Department." Nate decided to finally sit down next to Mac.
"Your CO was full of crap." Mac commented. "Idealistic Marines just end up as JAGs." She laughed lightly.
"Yeah, well, with my linguistic skills and negotiating talent, the State Department was a natural fit. I became one of their top diplomats in a decade. That's an impressive rise to the top, or at least so my superiors tell me." Nate took the soda that the bartender handed to him. "Is that why you ended up at JAG? Another Idealistic Marine?"
"I'd like to think so. I really do believe in justice, I really do believe that no matter who they are, everyone is entitled to a fair trial. I like to think that while it isn't perfect, our justice system is in place to make sure that our country functions on the principles of right and wrong, guilt and innocence…"
"Crime and punishment?" Nate guessed.
"Yeah, but some days, I don't know. Some days I just look out of the window in my office and wonder if I'm making a real difference." Mac admitted coyly. "I guess that sounds kind of shallow, huh?"
"Not at all. I've sat down across the table from world leaders of over eighty countries and negotiated them into arms embargos and anti-drug crackdowns and even I get that feeling. Just staring out at the world and knowing that it's so big and I'm just one man trying to change it." He hunched over the bar slightly.
"To idealistic Marines." Mac raised her glass.
"I'll drink to that." Nate raised his glass so it made contact with Mac's. Nate watched as Mac turned her attention over to where Harm was standing with Sturgis, Bud, the Admiral and Meg. Mac's gaze fell on the fact that Meg had practically cradled herself against Harm's shoulder and he didn't seem to be paying any mind to that fact.
"Here we go again." Mac muttered just loud enough for Nate to hear.
"Let me guess, you're wondering what he sees in her?" Nat jibed.
"Is it really that obvious?" Mac was caustic as she turned back to her companion.
"I can tell you right now that it has nothing to do with blonde hair or blue eyes. Look at their body language." Nate nodded over in the direction. The Admiral and Sturgis were trading shots about something that was obviously causing them a great deal of laughter but it appeared to be Meg that was returning the shots instead of Harm. "When does he touch her?"
"After she says something." Mac replied.
"And what's his expression." Nate pursued.
"He seems slightly surprised, like he might have anticipated it, but she's surprised him nonetheless." Mac furrowed her brow slightly.
"Harm's touches signify reassurance and gratitude. Whatever the Admiral and Harm's friend are saying, it's obviously at Harm's expense. She is jumping in to defend Harm, while maintaining solid footing in her position at his side which is a natural supportive position. She's making him feel good about himself and he's responding in kind." Nate concluded.
"Since when does the State Department need body language experts?" Mac snapped prematurely.
"Every negotiation is an interrogation. Body language is essential, you can read weakness, trepidation, force or brutality from posture, expression of subconscious movements like stroking your hair or twiddling your thumbs. If you can read these signals you can always come out victorious." Nate explained while idly drawing circles on the bar with his index finger.
"So what you're saying is that Harm's enjoying her attention?" Mac questioned.
"Not entirely. Yes, he's enjoying her attention but that's not all that's going on there. Single men, especially those over the age of thirty, subconsciously look for wife and maternal tendencies. You can look at this and tell that she adores him and every man loves to feel that a woman adores him. Adoration is an oft underplayed emotion because it's often misconstrued as being submissive." Nate finished off his soda and motioned for another one.
"So she's making him feel like a big man?" Mac questioned.
"Partly. Every little boy wants to be a rock star or professional athlete for a reason. The feeling that there will be women who look upon you in awe. That does wonders for your self-confidence. Self-confident people are more open with what they're feeling. It's completely possible to accept that someone is flawed and adore them anyway, in fact you can even adore their flaws. That's what we're laying witness to right now, a woman who completely adores a man despite the fact that she knows his flaws." Nate picked up his soda from the bartender.
"Fine, explain how you can have all this great insight and not be married." Mac fired back.
"Me? Oh that's simple. I'm an idiot. As are most single men. A single man needs to have it spelled out for him when a woman is attracted to him, otherwise, he'll go chicken most of the time. It's a rare few that go for it." Nate concluded. "I could turn the question back on you if you promise not to hit me for a few observations."
"Well if you're going to make those observations, we should probably be on better terms than Colonel and Mr. Ross. My friends call me Mac." Mac extended her hand in a gesture of friendship.
"Nate." Nate shook Mac's hand. "Alright, now that we've got the formalities out of the way, do I have your promise that you will not strike me for making a few observations?"
"As long as they're not vulgar." Mac replied.
"Nasty words coming out of an Ivy League mouth? Never. I was simply going to state that as far as I have observed this evening you appear to have an incredibly astute mind, a fierce passion for things you care about and as far as physical attraction goes a man would have to be several weeks dead not to notice you. Outside of your sense of humour, which I've yet to witness, one couldn't help but marvel at the fact that you're still single." Nate observed.
"I think you just gave me more compliments in that little spiel then I've heard all year." Mac smiled self-deprecatingly. "Are you sure that you're not coming on to me?"
"I'll settle for being your friend. You seem like a good person, Mac." Nate's voice sounded incredibly genuine. Mac didn't understand what Harm meant when he said that Nate reminded him of Jack Ryan. The Nate Ross that sat next to her at the bar was certainly well spoken but he didn't seem to have the same kind of edge that the protagonist that she'd read about in so many Clancy novels, seemed to have. Then again, she hadn't worked with him.
At 2230, Mac walked over to wear Harm was standing, noticing that for the first time in almost three hours, he was without Meg at his side. "Hey Harm, we haven't really had the chance to do anything since you left for the Pentagon. How about a half and half pizza and a trip to Blockbuster?"
"I'd love to Mac, but I already promised to drive Meg home. Raincheck?" Harm asked, after a noticeable wince.
"Sure." Mac answered with a weak smile. Sarah MacKenzie walked out of McMurphy's feeling truly alone. There was a feeling prodding at her heard that she had not felt since the night that she went to Harm's only to find him comforting Renee after her father died. Only this time, it was a different blonde. There was a rationalization peaking at the corners of Sarah MacKenzie's mind. It told her that Harm and Meg were only friends; partners once upon a time. A little part of Sarah MacKenzie closed off. Another part that was marked 'heartache' was added to the countless others that had accumulated in the years she'd known Harmon Rabb.