Clear Vision, a jag fanfic

TITLE: Clear Vision

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRING: Harm/Jen

TIMELINE: 2005, but before Vukovic came on scene

WARNINGS: fluff, angst, romance, violence.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show JAG are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

SUMMARY: they say hindsight is 20-20. Sometimes you don't have to look back to see things for how they were. All you need is to have your nightmare come to life.

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He saw true terror in her eyes.

Her beautiful chocolate brown eyes were wide open. Her irises were so dilated from fear that her eyes looked black.

He could do nothing but stand there with his hands in the air and watch as the bastard held a gun to her head.

It was a classic hostage situation.

The perp held her in front of his own body, the coward using her as a shield, and the .45 in his hand was aimed at her temple.

And the only thing they had wanted was gas.

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When Harm and Jen stopped at a gas station they had no idea they were about to be thrown into hell.

Jen's car's giving her problems again and she hitched a ride with Harm. On the way back home they had to stop to for gas and didn't even had an idea what was about befall them.

They were just paying for the gas and a few bottles of soda when Jen suddenly felt something cold at her temple.

She froze, peeked and wished she hadn't done that.

At the same time Harm felt something prod his back. And then he heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being cocked.

The next few moments went by in a blur.

The two robbers, teenagers and probably junkies, who had decided to rob the gas station to get money for the next hit, were obviously inexperienced and probably stoned.

They were convinced that Harm was a cop due to his uniform and only Harm's ability as a lawyer saved him from an untimely death.

Jen stood by, terror gripping her heart, silent tears running down her cheeks. The reality of seeing her guardian angel being killed before her very eyes was too frightening. And too real. And there was nothing she could do.

The kids were waving their guns, yelling and demanding money.

The clerk was giving them what was in the register when the events got even more complicated.

A cop wanted to enter the store when he saw what was going on.

He ducked at the last moment, a slug piercing the air where his torso was milliseconds before.

And suddenly the station was surrounded by police vehicles and the nightmare of every hostage came to life. A stand-off of perps with the police, with the perps using hostages as live shields.

The one with the .45 grabbed Jen and that was how it came to be that Harm was kneeling on the ground, watching helplessly as she was being dragged by him towards the front door.

After 2 hours of negotiations the 2 criminals decided to make a run for it and to take Jen with them, as an insurance.

Both Harm and Jen knew what would happen to her if the two scum managed to get away. Rape and then a bullet to the head.

They stared into each other's eyes, acknowledging things they weren't ready to admit before. But things change.

They both knew Harm carried a concealed sidearm in a holster at the small of his back.

The two perps, being amateurs, didn't even think of checking him for weapons, they were too hyped up and pumped up with adrenalin and testosterone to use their brains. If they even had any.

In her eyes Harm saw the plea for help. But how could he take a shot at the man holding her without risking hitting her?

He would be no better than that slime bag Webb if he did that.

But Jen saw what he was thinking. Silently she told him it was a completely different situation and he had no other option. If he acted she had a chance to live, but if the two junkies got away with her she was as good as dead.

His face froze in a mask, emotions beaten down and stuffed into a box, locked with a padlock.

The two criminals didn't regard him as a threat and turned their backs on him, moving towards the door, Jen in front of one so that the cops wouldn't try to do anything.

Harm saw his window of opportunity in that moment.

Silently he drew his Berretta from his holster, drew back the hammer and released the safety catch, all in the space of a second.

The two perps were yelling too loudly at the cops, issuing threats, to hear the sound of a gun being readied to fire.

Perp #1 never knew what hit him. Suddenly 2 bullets smashed into the back of his skull, making his face explode and he fell forward, taking Jen with him. After years of constant training with various special ops units and the CIA, Harm knew exactly where to aim to kill his target with the first shot. The dead perp's muscles relaxed, the two bullets completely destroying the area of the brain guiding the muscles, and the gun slipped to the floor without having been fired.

Perp #2 turned at the sound of a gunshot and was dispatched quickly and efficiently with a double tap to his chest and a hit to the head. A lesson Harm learned from SAS instructors when he was undergoing additional training. SAS, the unit that developed every and all modern anti-terror tactics, weapons, procedures and skills. The first unit in the world to acknowledge the threat of terrorism and fight it.

Jen crawled out from under her captor's body, sobbing histerically, the shock of what she'd just been through finally making itself known.

She staggered to her feet and launched herself into Harm's arms, burying her face in his neck. As he sank to the ground Harm felt hot tears running down his neck. He pulled her tighter to his body, needing to give and receive comfort only a body contact can give.

He gently put his gun on the floor and embraced Jen fully, rocking her as she cried, murmuring nonsensical words to her.

He was dimly aware of the police storming the store, checking the bodies and pointing a gun at him. They only removed their guns when they realised he was a Naval officer and posed no threat.

Paramedics bustled in next, checking the bodies for life signs, shaking their heads at the accuracy of the placed shots. One of them took a couple of blankets and tucked them around the couple still holding each other on the floor.

When Jen finally composed herself they became aware of their surroundings.

The next hour was filled with questions, filling out reports, being checked by the paramedics,... Harm's gun was confiscated for evidence. Since it was clear he used it only to protect lives, specifically the life of his female co-worker and sister-in-arms, no charges were placed against him.

An old sergeant, with 25 years on the force asked him where did he learn to shoot like that, especially since he's a lawyer. At Harm's simple answer "SAS." the man whistled and looked at him in awe.

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Finally they were allowed to go home. On the drive there Harm received a phone call from Cresswell, who's been called by the police and informed of the incident, telling them that they were on medical leave until the shrinks said they were clear to return to duty after their traumatic experience.

When they got home, they turned wordlessly towards Harm's apartment.

Inside they headed straight for bed, dropping onto it and slipping their arms around each other. They needed this. They needed the comfort. They needed to feel each other's presence. They needed to know they were both still alive. They needed to know they didn't lose each other. They came so close.

They were both off active duty due to being on medical leave and as such the frat regs didn't apply to them.

When they woke up in each other's arms, they gazed into each other's eyes for a while, holding a long conversation. Then the only thing Harm had to say was: "When?"

Jen smiled tenderly. "As soon as possible."

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They were married 3 days later, immediately upon receiving their marriage license.

After having gone through such a traumatic, eye-opening experience they realised that life is too short for regrets, too short to put things off. Cause one day there might not be a tomorrow.

They decided to be above board on everything, they didn't try to hide it.

One week later they returned to duty and upon arriving at work reported to Cresswell immediately. His eyes zeroed in on Jen's new name tag immediately. He didn't say anything, just warned them to act according to protocol while on duty. He's seen the deep and unbreakable friendship, devotion, loyalty and love between the two. And he understood.

Their co-workers were a different story. The support staff was already gossiping when they exited their CO's lair. Turner and Bud were stunned at the news, while Mac was jealous and furious. But then she had to acknowledge to herself that losing Harm forever was her own fault because she kept pushing him away, closed him off, scuttled all his attempts at friendship and more, and threw his sacrifice and Webb in his face. She had no-one to blame but herself for having successfully pushed Harm out of her life. At this revelation a calm enveloped her. She knew all hopes were lost for them, but she could still be his friend. And she would be, even if keeping her mouth shut and not throwing a barb at him would kill her. His friendship was worth it.

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As he lay in bed that night, spooning up to his new wife, Harm thought of the events that had brought them together.

Her Article 32, Bud's injury, Mattie, days and evenings spent as a family, the situation at the gas station,...

And he knew he wouldn't have changed it for anything in the world.

Because it brought him Jen.

And he was determined that he would never lose her.

And he was right.

THE END