Shattered Promises 2: Picking Up The Pieces.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this series, which is being done solely for recreational purposes. JAG and all of its characters are the property of Don P. Bellisario et al.
No profit is being made from this series.
I'd really appreciate any feedback you wish to give me!
Author's note: This piece is part of a series that consists of twelve parts;
Things Fall Apart.
2. Picking Up The Pieces.
3(a & b.) Starting Over.
4. Getting It Right.
5. Getting To Know You.
6. Happy Endings.
7. Sleepless Night
8. See You In My Dreams.
9. Scattered Photographs.
Dreams Really Do Come True.
Celebrations.
Turning Full Circle.
This part deals with Catriona settling back into family life.
Author's note to all of you out there on this side of the Atlantic (UK): When I refer to 'pants pocket,' I mean trouser pocket, not underpants pocket! All you Brits will know what I mean! US readers, just carry on! BTW, do they actually sell underpants with pockets? (Just musing to myself here!)
Classifictaion: Adventure, angst, tiny bit of UST (Planning on some Harm/Mac shipperiness, later on in the series.)
Part 1
0830 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Vriginia
Mac was in her office, just hanging up the phone when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Harm popped his head around the door.
"Hey there, sailor, come on in."
"You ready for court?"
"Yeah, just give me a second."
Mac proceeded to pack her notes on the case into her briefcase.
"So, did you hear from Catriona yesterday?" Harm asked her.
"Yeah, she gave me a call last night, but she couldn't talk long. She said that her Mom is still a little uncomfortable about her speaking in Russian and Farsi to me on the phone. She said her Mom probably thinks we are plotting her escape!"
"Yeah well, they're still not used to having a teenager in the house. She is an only child," Harm pointed out.
"Yeah, that's what I told her," said Mac, "Okay, I'm ready. Cathy said that she might stop by later."
"That's great, but since when did you call her Cathy?"
"It's the only thing she and her parents will agree on. She's agreed to change her name to Carter, but whenever her parents address her as Catherine, she won't answer them…"
"So they compromised on Cathy," Harm finished for her.
"Yeah, but she wouldn't tell me why she wouldn't agree to add Catherine to her name. Her parents wanted her to take Catherine as a middle name. All she did was laugh hysterically when I said that it didn't sound like such a bad idea."
"That's because Catriona is the Gaelic form of Catherine. My Mom told me, the last time I spoke to her. That would make Catriona 'Catherine Catherine Carter.' Hey! C.C. Carter!"
"Oh my God!" Mac laughed at her own mistake, "No wonder she laughed so hard! She actually fell out of her seat!"
With that, Harm and Mac headed for the elevator, still chuckling to themselves.
OOOO
Catriona exited the elevator and apprehensively walked into the bullpen, looking around for Harm or Mac, anxiously. All she saw were staring, curious faces, staff members who obviously recognized her. She was about to turn around and walk back into the elevator, when Gunny startled her as he approached he from behind.
"Sorry Ma'am, are you looking for someone? Maybe I could help you find them?"
Catriona relaxed as the attractive gunnery sergeant gave her a reassuring smile.
"Umm, I was just looking for Major MacKenzie or Commander Rabb. But I'm a bit early for meeting them, I came straight from school…"
"I think I'll take it from here, Gunny," said Admiral AJ Chegwidden, approaching them, "Hi Miss Carter, my name's AJ. I'm Harm and Mac's Commanding Officer. I'm afraid that Harm and Mac are still in court at the moment. But why don't you come into my office? Perhaps you can show me what they're teaching you kids in school, these days?"
"Do you know anything about the Vietnam War?" Catriona asked him.
"Do I! I think that this will be the start of a beautiful friendship!" AJ chuckled.
OOOO
Half an hour later, Lieutenant Bud Roberts entered the Admiral's office, to report that Harm and Mac had been detained in court. However, the Admiral was busy making a long distance call on the telephone. Catriona was sitting on the office couch, absorbed in her history book. Bud took a seat at the desk, at the Admiral's request and watched as his superior peered through the blinds. He then turned back to Bud and indicated that Harm and Mac had just pulled up outside. As Bud rose to go, the Admiral spoke up to the person on the other end of the line, in Italian. Bud paused, then realizing that it was probably his daughter that the Admiral was speaking to, turned to go.
"No Francesca…I'm sure that the show will be great…Of course, I'm very proud of you. Fashion shows just aren't really my thing. Besides, all of your friends will view an old man like me, hanging around you young'uns as kinda…oh, I don't know…kinda…" he searched for the right word in Italian to use.
"Pathetic?" Catriona suggested to him, in Italian.
Bud froze and the Admiral raised his eyebrows, before bursting out laughing. After saying goodbye to Francesca and hanging up, the Admiral turned to Catriona, still chuckling.
"Come here," he told her.
She walked over to him, then perched herself on the desk.
"So you know Farsi, Russian, English, French, Swahili and Italian?" he asked her, incredulously.
"Yes, Sir," she replied, non-plussed.
"Any more languages in there that we should know about?" he joked.
"Just a couple, Sir," she replied, seriously.
AJ and Bud's jaws dropped at that moment, as they stood motionless, flabbergasted.
OOOO