GO STEELERS! CONGRATS TO THE TEAM AND STEELERS FANS:) GREAT GAME!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm tyrin got get back to you, sorry if I don't do it ASAP, almost done with the academic portion of school and working on a particuarly tricky part for the next week. Hopefully, I can get back in the swing of doing these stories quicker once I've taken our school exit exam. :)
Have a great week!
Jackie
PART 3 – December Once Again
1230 Local
Mac and Harm's House
San Diego, California
"Damnit." Harm cursed softly, then removed his jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger next to the door. Glancing around the house was almost like stepping into the twilight zone, literally. He had headed towards the office on their day off to make sure some paperwork was taken care of. It had only taken a few hours and, in that time, Mac had managed to turn the inside of their home into Santa's Workshop. There were lights, poinsettias, snow men, Santa Clause, garland, candles – the works. The only thing missing was that stupid Christmas Tree. Sadly enough, it wasn't even December. That month was still a week away.
Daring to step further into the house, he found that everything had been removed from the top of the entertainment center which now favored an old snowy village complete with roads, cars and tiny people doing all sorts of activities. The streetlights for the village were illuminated as the lights in the house and various other articles. "Great." He sighed and decided to make a quick retreat upstairs, hoping that hadn't been decorated. The last thing he wanted to see when he walked into the sanctity of their home office, was some goddamned set of Christmas lights blinking!
Harm hated Christmas. He'd celebrated it almost as an obligation to those around him but never quite saw the fascination. A sacred holiday with a religious meaning had been turned into the mass profiting time of the year for retailers. People's ideas of 'Christmas spirit' was yelling at another patron who stole their parking space. And then the fact that parents lied to their children for the beginning of their lives over a fictitious figure who brings them presents. . .please – what a crock.
Of course, it would be easier to just admit the real reason for him hating the Holidays so much. A reason that lay in the Taiga, millions of miles away, covered with ten feet of snow decomposing in an unmarked grave. He took a deep breath and let it out. Christmas sucked, period.
Scrooge, Mac had called him once as an innocent joke, only she didn't know the half of it. Yes, she understood, her being in Russia when he discovered the truth about his father allowed her to. But, in reality, no one really understood. While people were merrily celebrating, all he wanted to do was lock himself up somewhere and cry himself to sleep. The first thing that always came to mind was being five years old and begging Santa to bring his father home. It never happened and at such a young age, Trish was forced to tell her son that Santa Clause was an imaginary being. If he wasn't crushed enough that destroyed all of his love for the Holiday season.
Frowning, Harm headed out of the office, choosing to take a seat on the landing of the stairs. He hated Christmas and in his forty plus years, there had only been three which had been pleasant – the first one occurred several years back when he'd kissed Mac under the mistletoe. It was the same year that his brother had been set free. Then there was that Christmas when Mac had given him the best present ever in the form of Mattie Grace. The third was the night he'd found out about Mac's accident and that she'd lived despite the fact that her vehicle was totaled. That was to be a new beginning for them and yet, somehow, things went back to status quo. Nevertheless, the hours they spent together on Christmas Eve and day had been lovely, sweet even. He'd felt like her best friend again. Funny that the good times seemed to always revolve around Mac and now he wanted nothing more than to kill her for the sudden urge to decorate. "Damnit."
All other Christmases had been horrible to him. They were usually spent with people he didn't want to be with - mainly women, who could only make him forget about his loneliness for a time, but never really erase it. Of course, there was also that one Christmas eve when a trip to the wall had brought him face to face with a mysterious woman, a former singer for Bob Hope's USO tours who knew his father. Though the woman didn't say as much, it was obvious she and Harm senior had something that went above friendship. It saddened him to know that he'd cheat on his mother and, if Harm were truly honest, he never wanted to know just how human his dad was.
Did he love his father less? Yes, sometimes he believed that little detail created a void in his heart. He'd never told anyone, not even Mac, about that incident. She was the only one that would have understood what it meant, but he just didn't want his father's legacy to be cheapened. It was bad enough that he'd had another child with another woman. Maybe the problem was that he couldn't hold a grudge against either occurrence. . . He wasn't too sure he wouldn't do something similar. He just hoped he'd never have to find out.
Angrily, Harm wiped at a tear that had, stubbornly, decided to fall. "Harm?" Great, Mac had to pick that moment in time to descend the steps.
Worried, she placed the box of ornaments on the landing and then came to sit next to him. "Hey, what's wrong?" She could count with one hand the amount of times she'd seen Harm cry. His trying to hide the tears only made it more obvious. "Harm, you're worrying me. . .Talk to me."
"I hate Christmas." He said in a rush, stopping only to pinch the bridge of his nose, it still didn't stop a stubborn tear or two. "I hate Christmas. I always have. . .I probably always will. . .And there is nothing anyone could do to make me change my mind about that." He wanted to ignore the whole holiday altogether but on the street, in stores, hell even the bank was dripping with holiday cheer. "I hate it all. . ." He fingered a piece of the shimmering, red garland which was draped over her shoulders and sighed deeply. "I can't stand all of this. . .It's why I never decorated my apartment. . ." He had decorated once or twice, the last time when Renee had pretty much forced him to do it. And then, for Mattie, while they were in the UK. But, even then, they had a tiny tree and barely any decorations. "You should have told me you were going to do this."
Now it was Mac who looked as if she were about to cry. The holiday hadn't really meant much to her until she'd had people to share it with and that didn't occur until she was transferred to DC. The annual Roberts' parties were fun, as were the annual shopping excursions with Harm. Before that, she was a Mrs. Scrooge of sorts. Today though, when she woke up, the only thing she could think of were Christmas, Harm and decorating the house that they were living in together.
Mischievous thoughts of making love with just the subtle glow of Christmas lights had kept her both occupied and concentrated. She'd even bought a special Mrs. Clause type of negligee and Santa Clause boxers for Harm with a Santa hat. It never occurred to Mac that he hated the holiday so much. "I ah. . ." With a sigh, she took a quick glance at the house – she'd done a lot of work. The only thing missing was the tree which she hoped to pick up with him. "I guess I could bring it down. . .It's no big deal." But it was a big deal to her. This was their first Christmas together as a couple, it was supposed to mean something. Yes, she was bending, not standing her ground, being very un-Marine like. Mac knew that his father's disappearance had taken a toll on Harm through the years and if removing the Christmas cheer from their home helped, she'd do that and swallow her pride. "It's okay." She smiled slightly, removed the garland from around her neck and tossed it in the box with the ornaments before descending the steps into the living room.
Upset, she stood there with her hands on her hips, trying to figure out where to start. Taking the box which they came in, she set her sights on the village, working on moving the entertainment center to remove all of the lights from the back. She was startled when Harm's hand pulled back her own. Whirling around, she shot him an odd look. "What?" He didn't answer, only shook his head. "Harm, I'm not going to leave these things hanging around if it makes you upset. . ."
"Mac. . ." He had a change of heart. If Harm agreed with himself that his only happy holidays were with her, it was something worth embracing. "Don't. . .Maybe I just need a different perspective."
"This isn't about perspective, you went through a lot, I. . .I don't want to add to it." She really believed she should have been more sensitive to him. Mac just never realized how upset he was during the holidays.
Grinning, he pulled her to him, causing her to drop the surge protector she was trying to extricate from the wall. "We're missing a tree." Harm motioned to the spot by the window where a small table once stood. "And I want a real one, none of this plastic, pipe cleaner looking crap."
She laughed slightly. "Pipe cleaner looking crap?. . I haven't seen one of those since I was ten. . .Artificial trees are quite. . .cute." Not that she wanted one, but it was fun getting him riled up.
"Baby, grab your jacket." His arm came over her shoulders as he strolled them towards the front door. "We're gonna go get us a real tree."
Three Days Later
1301 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Undisclosed Location
Wearing dark sunglasses and still nursing a hang over, Vic stood on Vulture's row watching the hustle and bustle of everyday life on a carrier. This sailor wasn't a fan of ships though he rather liked docking and having a woman on each port. Past that, true Navy life wasn't for him, he'd rather preferred to remain landlocked. The COD nosily arrived right after a Harrier had been sent out and he stood, interest peaked. Mac was scheduled to arrive a little over an hour ago, but the previous COD had nothing but mail and supplies.
"With her looks and her grace. . .beauty has her way." It was impossible to prevent the sly grin that appeared at the sight of Sarah MacKenzie. Vic wasn't in love, he knew it, but there was definitely a good amount of lust that he couldn't quite squash no matter how much she humiliated him. What he didn't expect, however, was the tall, handsome, brown haired, blue eyed sailor who stepped off of the COD behind her. "RABB!" Oh yea, there came the nausea again, in spades. His stomach lurched and the contents of breakfast spilled onto the deck. This was going to be a lovely couple of days.
"Colonel MacKenzie, Captain Rabb." The Public Affairs officer, Ensign Tessa Rand, had been appointed to escort the pair. "Sir, ma'am, please follow my six, that is what the pilots refer to as their tail end."
Something about that seemed a bit too familiar. "Yes, Ensign, the Captain is a pilot, flew off of this very ship. . .It's not our first trip here." She grinned at the enthusiastic Ensign. "Lead the way."
Walking into the bowels of the ship, Harm immediately felt at home. "What?" He said to Mac who was chuckling and rolling her eyes. "You're gonna try to scam a ride, aren't you?"
Slipping off his vest, he handed it over to a Petty Officer and helped Mac with her own. "Colonel, I do not need to scam a ride as you so politely put it. . .I'm a reservist. . . I see more air time than these jockeys ever will."
Raising her trademark eyebrow, she leaned against a bulkhead, waiting for the Ensign to get some paperwork that had been faxed from Bud at JLSS. "Uh huh, you're going to try and scam a ride."
"When in Rome."
"The Captain is busy at the moment with maneuvers but he would like to see the two of you for dinner at 2000 sharp." The pair followed Ensign Rand, who was disturbingly chatty about Navy facts and figures regarding the Henry, towards their staterooms. "Alright, here we are. . .Colonel, you're to the left, Captain, to the right. . .I'm sorry I couldn't put you with the other females, Colonel, we're a bit full."
Neither of them minded, really. Harm chuckled. "Aww, we'll be neighbors."
"The onboard JAG, Lieutenant Commander Vikersomething is one hatch down from you." She pointed to the left and then came to attention. "May I be dismissed?"
Mac nodded. "Dismissed, thank you. . .Vikersomething?" She finally said when the young Ensign was out of earshot. "I think I like that."
Vic's day was getting worse by the second. On the way down to his quarters, another bout of nausea brought him to his knees causing the crew nearby to carry him to sick bay. IV tubes were going into his veins, pumping fluids which hoped to stop the nausea while the onboard doctor ran several blood tests. So much for meeting with MacKenzie though, at the moment, his biggest interest was Rabb's involvement. It couldn't be purely coincidental that he was on the ship to fly, they would have sent him to a carrier on the West coast, not the East. No, if he came with MacKenzie and was wearing a uniform, it was obvious that his involvement was official business. "Ugh, this isn't good." He was hitting the nail right on the head.
By Dinner time, neither Harm nor Mac were the least bit tired. He had secured a flight on a Hornet the next day and Mac had a chance to interview Cisco which had proven to be pointless. The man was clamed up well and, to her surprise, Vukovic hadn't even shown. "I tell you that alone worries me." She said, slipping past Harm as they entered the Officer's mess. "He's probably off somewhere trying to set me up."
"Yes, and you'll kick his butt." Harm wished he could have assisted her during the interview with Cisco. Their heads together usually did come up with rather plausible ideas. "Ah, there's Captain Loftness." He pointed to the corner, smiling as his former CAG waved him over. "By the way, he's the man you need to thank for getting me out of the water that night."
Mac didn't need more explaining to realize what night he was talking about. So it was Loftness she was hearing over the radio when the Viking was trying so hard to find Harm in the cold waters of the Atlantic. They crossed the mess hall, Loftness had made sure that dinner would be ready for the two of them. It had been years since he'd last seen Harm and though the two weren't exactly friends, the man's exploits in the air were legendary. "Captain, Colonel. . .Please, have a seat. . .How are things going?"
"Well, Skipper, Cisco is clamming up, but that's nothing I can't handle on the stand." Her tone and demeanor made it clear that statement was nothing but the truth. If there was one thing Mac had gotten rather good at, it was grilling people on the stand. He'd be whistling Dixie after a few questions. "Congratulations on your Captaincy, Harm here says you were a stellar CAG."
Loftness grinned. "He has to say that, it was my boys that pulled his sorry six out of the drink after he crashed a Tomcat into it."
Harm chuckled. "Wasn't my fault. That thing was nothing but metal and bolts which weren't attached rather well, I might add." Taking a look at the meal before them, he was pleasantly surprised that this evening they weren't having that infamous Henry mystery meat. "So, what's it like being the Captain?"
The Skipper shrugged. It really wasn't that big a deal, save that he was taking over Ingles' shoes. "Many people think I don't deserve it. . .I mean, how many carriers are there based on how many people deserve to drive 'em?"
"Captain Ingles' shoes were difficult to fill." Mac stated, then took a bite of the pasta in meat sauce.
"You said it, Colonel, I didn't." While Loftness didn't mind speaking about his rise to the top, there was another issue that had concerned him which began one night in May 2001. From the way Rabb had mentioned his best friend's wedding and his tenaciousness to get the first flight off of the carrier it was obvious that these two had a little more than friendship between them. Imagine his shock to find out that this MacKenzie person was a woman. "So, Colonel. . .You were rather. . .instrumental in finding the Captain. . .Ingles just about blew a gasket when your coordinates worked. . .How'd you do it?"
"Ah. . .well." That evening hadn't been discussed much with anyone, even Harm. There were parts of it which were sketchy – parts that involved this 'gift' of hers which she wasn't sure how to control nor how to work. "Truth is. . .I don't know. . .They say you can sometimes find people you are close to if they are in danger. . .It's only happened a few times, I'm glad it happened then."
Loftness was amazed. An avid fan of Sci-Fi and all things metaphysical, this interested him greatly. "What did you see? I mean, assuming you saw something."
Mac sighed. It was a memory she would rather banish. God, had it given her nightmares. What if she'd been wrong that night and taken the Viking farther away from Harm? What if she never found him? She swallowed hard and it wasn't until she felt Harm's hand on hers that she sobered. "I'm. . .sorry. . .it's difficult to talk about."
"I understand. . . My apologies for making this dinner awkward." From his vantage point, Loftness could see an unwanted visitor heading towards their table. He raised a brow in amusement. Vic looked awful. "Another bout with the mal de mer, Commander?"
Mac, Harm and Loftness having dinner together didn't bode well with Vukovic. All sorts of alarms were going off in his head. "With all due respect, Captain, this is favoritism."
Loftness curiously glared at the man while Harm and Mac traded bemused expressions. "Excuse me?"
"You having dinner with the prosecution and the witness doesn't exactly look good." He was raising his voice to a Senior officer in the presence of his CO, but he didn't care. "It's favoritism and I won't let my client be railroaded."
Sighing, Loftness excused himself. "Captain, Colonel. . .I'll be just a moment. . .Commander, with me now." He was grateful that Vic walked out on his own volition for the want to drag him out by the lapels greatly increased. The Skipper had enough and though he couldn't just oust the other man, he could make his statements very clear. "Vukovic, you are lucky that I HAVE to do what the Secretary of the Navy says. If I didn't your ass would be off of this ship so fast you'd think I strapped a missile to your six. . .Not that I have to explain myself but, dinner with MacKenzie and Rabb has nothing to do with favoritism and if you do lose, don't you think of pinning this on me. . .Blame it on your inadequate counsel. . .Dismissed."
Annoyed Vukovic made a less than perfect about face and stalked away mumbling something inaudible. With a sigh, Loftness headed back to the mess and their table. This was the reason he nearly reconsidered his captaincy. Leaning in, he addressed a whispered question to Mac. "Why is the SECNAV backing this kid?" Though Vic was far from being a kid, he sometimes acted like one.
"I ah, wasn't aware you knew of that." Mac paled, glancing towards Harm who just shrugged. "That little tidbit was supposed to be under wraps. Orders came from the top."
Loftness grinned. "General Creswell warned me. . .What I don't understand is why everyone is bending backwards. . .Since when is the Navy purely ruled by bureaucrats who sit behind a desk all day?"
"You know, I can check and see why Vic's so in bed with them." Harm said, though he knew the answer, people like Vic were easy to use when they had little to lose. He was the perfect spy for whatever SECNAV's office had up their sleeves. "If you ask me, they're after the Colonel."
"I agree." Loftness said with a shake of his head. It disgusted him the way the people on the Hill pushed military types around as if they were toys. "Women in power. . .Women with a lot of power. .. I mean, you could be the first female JAG. . .I think they're either trying to Trump that or make a case for it."
That sounded nice to Mac but, "I don't want to be the first female JAG, nor do I want to be some pencil pusher's go to girl. .All I want to do is serve my country the best I can in this capacity. . .I don't have an agenda."
"You know that, we know that, no one else does. . .and let's face it, you're good at what you do. . ." Harm's grin was infectious. Damn the man, she never could resist him and now, it was even harder.
Though they really weren't putting up much of a show, it was clear now just how much of a relationship Rabb and MacKenzie shared. He wisely decided not to head towards that territory. "So, Rabb, I hear you got my CAG to let you fly one of our Hornets? Don't dump this one, alright."
Next Day
1435 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
Undisclosed Location
Mac had to admit, Vic's opening statement had been solid. He'd obviously worked hard on this. However, she had an ace in the hall with information that no one could dispute. Sadly enough for Vic, his little drinking and nausea issue, had caused him to miss a meeting with Mac where valuable information could have been handed to him. Now, he stood arguing with Judge Andrew Youngblood who was known for his no nonsense attitude. "Sidebar." He placed his hand over the microphone and addressed both lawyers. "Colonel MacKenzie, why didn't you hand information earlier to Lieutenant Commander Vukovic?"
Vic's snide little grin wasn't lost on her. "Your honor, yesterday I had searched for the Commander and he was no where to be found. . .I tried again today and still he didn't appear. . .I gave him plenty of time to look over the information."
"Sir, I was a touch sick and didn't believe the Colonel would bring up such underhanded tactics. . .She and Captain Rabb are romantically involved, sir. . .and. . ."
Youngblood had heard enough. "I don't care how involved they are, Commander. .. what I care about is wrapping this case up. . .I had my six shipped out here for this and do not want to spend more time than necessary on it, understood?" He didn't wait for either lawyer to answer. "Commander, will an hour be enough for you to look over the Colonel's information?"
Not nearly. "Yes. . .Thank you."
One hour later, Vukovic was no where near the place he thought he'd be in. The information Harm supplied for Mac was damning. Completely damning. It was unfair, really. And yes, everyone was right, he was a horrible lawyer. He shot Rabb and MacKenzie a murderous look as he entered the 'courtroom' and settled behind his chair. "You're screwed." He told Cisco, giving the man a good pat on the back. "Doesn't matter, right? You wanted to go down anyway." Shaking his head, he stood up and walked around towards Rabb. "Captain, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
"I do." This wasn't Harm's first rodeo. In fact, ever since becoming a private investigator, he'd managed to be a witness more times than he could count. Being against Vic on this, however, was truly annoying. He wasn't worry about Mac's case, it was obviously a slam dunk, he was just worried as to what type of baggage boy wonder would take out to suit his needs.
Patiently, Mac waited for Vic to sit down before she took first crack at her witness. "For the record, state your rank, name and billet."
"Captain Harmon Rabb Junior. US Navy Reserves. Commanding Officer to Squadron number eight-four-five out of San Diego." In the last year, he'd repeated that same information at least six times. He was getting tired of it.
Mac took a cleansing breath which allowed her to disassociate herself from the man across from her. He wasn't her boyfriend or lover. At the moment he was just a witness, nothing more. In some ways, she could thank him for sandbagging her that first time they went head to head. Ever since, it became easier to detach herself from her friends when they sparred. "Captain, besides being in the Navy Reserves, what is your other profession."
"I am a private investigator." From his vantage point he could see Cisco cringing. It was obvious the man had seen him once or twice, though Harm didn't recall until he checked his data records.
"Have you ever seen the accused?"
"Yes I have at a party of sorts." Did those things even have a proper name? There was booze, drugs, gambling. . .everything illegal and then some at Manda's parties.
"What party? Could you elaborate?"
Harm took a breath. "I am not sure if the party had a name. . .but, basically it was a group of adults who got together for drinking, drug use, gambling and prostitution. . .all illegal activities under one roof."
Mac nodded. "I see. . .And you saw the defendant there?"
"Objection." Vic shot up, glancing over at Harm. "Your honor, how do we know that Captain Rabb saw Sergeant Cisco. . .It could have been anyone with a similar look."
Judge Youngblood turned to Harm. "Captain, do you have proof that the man you saw was Sergeant Cisco?"
"Yes, your honor. . .Colonel MacKenzie has copies of my records which includes video footage stills." From the corner of his eye Harm could swear he saw Vic cringe. There was no way he was getting out of this one alive.
Youngblood turned to Mac. "May I see that information, Colonel?" Once it was received, he went over the printed pictures and sighed. It didn't appear that this case would go on for much longer and that was a good thing. "Proceed."
"Why were you at that party?"
Harm took a sip of the water in front of him which helped hide his smile. He couldn't believe they'd nailed Manda Patterson and her goons. It was a sweet victory for the goodguys. "A case took me there. . .For several months I was investigating a narcotics ring. Trying to get on the inside, I befriended the leaders' girlfriend which allowed me entry to the party."
"What was the Sergeant doing at this party?"
Not that he was watching Cisco at the time. He was a little too busy trying to get rid of Veronique so that he could chat Manda up. "During the party, I couldn't say. . .But, if he was there it wasn't something good.."
Vic stood again. "Objection your honor. . .Captain Rabb couldn't be certain of the Sergeant's activities to assume he was doing something illegal."
"Overruled." Youngblood sat him back down. "Captain, what makes you think the Sergeant was doing something illegal?"
Harm shook his head. "Because he walked out of there with a wad of cash. You can clearly see it on the stills."
Mac was satisfied. "Nothing further your honor." Now it was time to sit down and see what desperate attempt Vic would pull out of his pocket.
And he didn't disappoint, standing up before she even sat down. Vic rubbed against Mac as she made her way to the table and ignored that leering look. Standing in front of Harm he remained for a few moments, silently trying to size him up. There were many routes he could take his line of questioning, but the rule was to always ask something that you know the answer to. So, he decided to start with something rather simple and very damning. "Captain Rabb, is it not true that you and Colonel MacKenzie are romantically involved?"
As he figured, Mac was up immediately. "Objection your honor, relevance?" She nearly choked on the words. How dare that little shit bring up her relationships?
Vic turned to Youngblood. "Your honor, it's simple. . .If Captain Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie are involved it means that his testimony can be thrown out. God knows what information he went searching for in order to help his girlfriend."
Harm couldn't stay silent, not when his reputation and Mac's was involved. "That's a pretty big accusation, Commander. . .And yes, the Colonel and I are involved but, this case was in the works long before our involvement."
Youngblood's face was turning different shades of red. He would have a chat with General Creswell about the despicable acts of a desperate lawyer. "Continue, Vukovic and if you so much as try another stunt like that, I'll have you barred from all courtrooms, am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." What the hell else was going to go wrong? How many more people was he going to piss off? Lately, it seemed like nothing he did was ever right. Did everyone have it in for him? Of course, if he would just change his attitude and at least try to act like a good officer, such things wouldn't be a problem. Slowly, he turned towards Harm. It was clear, by the look on the senior officer's face, that the case was over. Still, he had to try. "Captain, were you drinking during that party you allegedly saw Cisco at?"
"Allegedly? Did you take a look at the stills?"
Vic glanced at his set on the table and shrugged. "They are hazy at best. . .Nothing too tangible. .. It could be anyone. . .And might I remind you that you are under oath. . .Were you drinking during the party?"
The way the younger attorney was handling this case reminded Harm of his first time out and how many ideas he pulled within minutes to try and sway the judge and jury. "Yes."
"How many drinks did you have?"
Harm shrugged. As far as he could remember it would have been, "A couple."
"How many is a couple for you, Captain?"
"Two."
Turning from Harm, Vic placed his hands behind his back as he paced towards the prosecution table. "Did you have anything else to drink that day?"
"No. . .I make it a rule not to drink during working hours."
Vic turned to him suddenly, eyebrow raised in mock amazement. "And yet, you were at work when you drank, isn't that right."
Mac stood up. "Objection, the Commander is badgering the witness."
"Sustained."
"Captain, you were a lawyer for JAG once. . .In your opinion, is that picture conclusive evidence that Cisco was involved in illegal affairs?"
Ouch. That wasn't a question Harm could have prepared for even if he tried. To be honest, the picture was far from conclusive especially since the pin camera he wore only caught the man for about thirty seconds. "Is it conclusive? No. . .But, it's kind of odd that he's at a party where illegal activity is going on."
Stifling a grin, Vic walked slowly to the table being used as the witness stand. "Were you doing any illegal activity at the party, Captain?"
"No. .but. ."
"So, it's safe to say that not everyone there was involved in something sinister. . .Nothing further, your honor." Swiftly, he turned away, heading back to his seat with a smirk. He was pleased with himself, there was no way that any sane human being would take Rabb's picture into consideration.
Turns out though, that the picture wasn't needed. Foolishly, Vic had put Cisco up on the stand and while his line of questioning had been picture perfect, Mac's hadn't. It took only two questions for the man to start singing like a canary.
The rest was history. Cisco was sentenced to ten years, hard labor at Leavenworth and Vic was sent back to his duties which Mac was reviewing. "So far so good." She said as they sat in the legal office among several stacks of papers. It was surprising that he wasn't hitting on her or striving for one of his lewd comments. She figured the day's events must have been exhausting for him. Either that or he realized that being a prick wasn't the best way to keep his friends. The sound of the catapult being launched made her chuckle.
Harm was up there, having the time of his life while she waited for news on when the next COD would arrive. Vic glanced at her with mild trepidation. He'd always hated pilots, especially the types like Harm who would walk around like rock stars. "Captain Rabb is in his element right now, isn't he?"
"Now that's something I can't deny. . .the Captain is an excellent pilot."
Shifting in his seat, Vic put down a folder and stared at her, his head cocked to one side. "Not that you are biased."
Mac raised a brow in amusement. "When you're on a carrier and a man is outside, in a plane, playing tag with a dirty nuke in order to get it away from you and five thousand other servicemen and women, you tend to become biased, yes."
"That was him?" Flabbergasted would be the correct term to describe what he was feeling. Jesus Christ, how could he ever have thought he could compete with Rabb for Mac's affections? The guy was more than just a legend. He was practically a God. Turning back towards the computer, he typed a few words into the current report and then paused. "Why are we being civil at the moment, ma'am?. . .Normally you'd be trying to find a way to demean me and I'd be trying to find a way to. . .piss you off."
It wasn't anything in particular, really. He'd been beaten, she'd won and, as a result, a stalemate of sorts won out. It tended to happen to the bitterest of enemies. "Vukovic, I'll admit that you get under my skin and perhaps I am a bit overzealous in my directives towards you. . . I'll tell you what, why don't we try, for the sake of both of our careers, to keep this civility running?"
No! His mind screamed, the sound echoing in the recesses of his thoughts. "Fine." And that was that, he gave in willingly. At least, for the moment. There was still a part of Vic's mind that never quite worked too well. The part that tended to rule him in the most inopportune of times. It was that part of his mind that Tali Mayfield feared and warned Mac about. For that part of the mind tended to invent things that were dangerous to those at the receiving ends. "Truce." Mac couldn't have known that she'd just made peace with the Devil.
