PART 11
1410 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
"So?" Admiral Chegwidden said, looking at his two senior officers. He was, of
course, referring to their time with the shrink.
Mac shrugged. "It was interesting, I guess."
"Interesting." He said in a hard voice, sighing deeply at the fact that he'd tried to get them to open up to one another and had obviously failed. He could only imagine how badly it must have gone. "Well, that is it then."
Harm nodded. "We won't be making a scene in the office anymore, sir."
"No, you won't." He looked up at Mac, knowing that her mind had finally been made up. He was going to lose a valuable asset to headquarters and most important, lose a friend. "Commander, we need a JAG for a few days on the Patrick Henry. . . the resident JAG requested emergency leave and they are left short handed."
Harm grinned at the mention of heading to a carrier. "Yes, sir."
"You may be able to do your quals while out there. . . come back to us in one
piece, Harm." AJ said, handing the paperwork over to Harm who happily accepted
it.
AJ handed over another file to Mac. "Colonel, you'll be prosecuting on the
Loggins case. I gave Turner the defense. . . that will be all, dismissed."
"Sir, may I stay behind for a few moments?" Harm said, remaining in his chair.
AJ nodded. "Very well, Colonel, dismissed."
"Aye aye, sir." Mac said before executing an about face and headed into her own office. A few hours later, she stood outside of his office with papers that needed his signature. Motioning, with his hands, he told her to come in.
"Yep, I am going up in an F-14." He said with a smile that reached his eyes. "I'm not sure how long I'll be away, Mattie." The smile changed into a frown and his eyes rolled up as he sighed. Turning around to look out the window, he
settled into his chair. "We have plenty of time to go over the paperwork. I promise. . . okay. . . love ya too. . .bye." Turning around, he saw Mac walking down the hall, heading towards the bullpen.
Two Weeks Later
1000 Zulu
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown
(A/N: The song on the radio is Fleetwood Mac's "Destiny Rules" off of their
newer album called Say You Will. I have NO clue if it will hit the radio as a
single, but for the purposes of this story it has. ;))
"Maybe we were together in another life. Maybe we were together in a parallel
universe. Maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice. Maybe your arms are
not supposed to go around me." Mac turned over about to turn her clock/radio
off until the lyrics and twangy guitar made her stop and listen. ". . . Destiny
Rules, and the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose. It's not being
together, it's just following the rules. . . No one's a fool."
Mac sat up in bed, those words were familiar to her. Very familiar to her. With a deep sigh, she brought her knees to her chest and held herself.
Something was going to happen today. She could feel it in her bones, yet . . . she couldn't put her finger on it.
After heading out of bed, Mac decided for her morning run, but not even that
shook her uneasy feeling. Turning the TV on to check the latest news and
weather, she headed towards her bathroom and turned on the water for a shower.
She didn't see ZNN's red news ticker, a lie told to the press to save face when indeed some people were in danger: ". . .escaped from Leavenworth weeks ago. Officials have captured and returned the prisoner. . ."
1810 ZULU
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
"Something wrong, Colonel?" Harriet said, as she saw her friend stare blankly at
the folders that had just been handed to her. It would be the last piece of work she would do. Nearly a week earlier she had signed the papers that effectively terminated her service in Falls Church.
Mac sighed wistfully. "I'm fine."
Harriet nodded. "You sure?"
Mac looked up and offered a half smile. "No."
"We're. . . well we're going to miss you, Ma'am." Harriet said sadly and made
her way out of the office before emotions had taken over.
"I am going to miss you guys too." Mac said solemnly looking at her belongings fit neatly in two boxes. Her office was now bare and no remnants of it's occupant remained.
"Colonel?" Coates called through the intercom. "The Admiral would like to see you."
Mac punched the button. "Thank you Petty Officer."
Standing she made her way to AJ's office and knocked on the door. "Enter."
Heading in she saw her friends all standing casually inside. Coates had joined
not a moment later. "I understand you didn't want the Robert's to give you a going away party, but, it is a direct order that you attend this one, Mac."
Raising a glass of mineral water AJ continued. "May you be happy and fare well in all your endeavors. . . We will miss you."
"To the Colonel!" Bud said raising his mineral water and all the others did the
same.
AJ walked over to Mac and sighed. "We can't do anything to make you stay?"
Mac shook her head. "No sir. . . I think I've overstayed my welcome here. But thank you."
"Did you get a chance to say goodbye to Commander Rabb, ma'am?" Coates said with
a half smile. She'd always thought that Harm and Mac had been good for each other and they'd eventually figure it out.
Mac was about to answer until that eerie feeling came over her again. She
couldn't help but think about the time when he'd tried to make it home for her wedding. "Harm. . . Ah, no. . . I don't think he'd care much anyway."
Nearly an two hours later, she headed home. Harm was running through her mind
again. Something about him going up in a Tomcat was unsettling more than ever.
Something was going to happen to him, she felt it. Grabbing her cell phone she cursed at the thing for not being able to get through. "Damnit!"
2045 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
300 miles off the coast of Virginia
"Commander Rabb. There is a call for you, sir." Petty Officer Oliver said as he
walked into the wardroom.
Harm nodded and walked to the wall, picking up the receiver. "Rabb."
"Harm. . . Don't go up today." She said, completely ignoring all formalities of a proper hello.
"Well hello to you too, Mac." He said sarcastically. "and why shouldn't I go
up?"
"I have a feeling. . . a dream actually. . . you'll go down." She bit her lower
lip, feeling stupid for even making that call.
"How the hell would that happen? I am just doing quals. . . All we do is fly off the deck go around the carrier and land again. . .I am nearly done just gotta do 2 night traps this time. . . doesn't get much more un-complicated than
that." His flyboy ego was firmly in place.
"Damnit, flyboy! Listen to me. . . I have a bad feeling. . . Please I am begging you not to go up." She clutched her phone almost envisioning her hands around him, willing him to give into her.
Harm sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I thought you didn't believe in what the lady told us?"
"I don't." She said softly. ". . .but I have one of those feelings you used to trust."
"Used to." His voice was hard and angry. Yes, he wanted to believe that they
were meant to be together but too many awful words had been said. How could he
fully give his heart to the woman who'd trampled over the pieces she already held? Maybe she had been right about "never." Even after making love there bickering hadn't ceased. To make matters worse, Coates had e-mailed him about
Mac leaving JAG for good. That destroyed whatever hope he'd had left in salvaging their relationship.
"Harm please. . ." She begged.
"I've gotta go." He placed the phone back in its cradle and turned on his heels,
heading for the rack. He needed to get some rest before he went up. He needed
to clear his mind of Sarah MacKenzie.
"No!" Mac said when she heard the call cut out. She felt the overwhelming
dread. Harm was gone. The dynamic duo was no more and she robbed herself a chance to tell him goodbye.
As much as it hurt, Mac began to pack for the trip. The Admiral had finally found a temporary post for her aboard the Guadalcanal until he found something
more suitable for her abilities. She found it ironic that she was being sent to the same place that she used to run away from Harm and figured there was a reason for it. They were meant to be apart. "Good luck, flyboy." She said as she placed her duffle bag near the door. Tomorrow she would try to make a new life for herself and erase Harmon Rabb Jr. from her life. Tonight, she would pray that God would do her one favor and bring him safely home.