Everything is Going to be Okay
Author: PreppyPrincess5103
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Harm. & Mac struggle with a long-distance relationship after his return to flying.
Notes: These next few parts will deal with the beginning of season 5, but obviously will be pretty different than what aired. For example, Buxton is going to be more of a jerk, and Harm will be less of one.
Part 6
Thursday
Mac stood in the bathroom at JAG and stared at her reflection. The gold oak leaves she had worn as a major had been replaced with new and shiny silver ones. She reached up and rubbed a finger over one of the pins. After the Article 32 & Admiral Chegwidden's withdrawal of his recommendation for an accelerated promotion, she was sure it would be a while before this would happen. She smiled at her reflection, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and headed back to her office. She opened up her personal email, and smiled when she saw a new message from Harm.
From: HRabb1936
To: SarahMacKenzie
Re:
Hey gorgeous,
Sorry I didn't get a chance to call last night. Things with Buxton have been a little out of control lately. First this week there was the fueling issue. Then there were the charges he's trying to bring against his plane captain. I'm pretty sure I can take care of those. Griggs is a good guy – he's definitely too good to work with Buxton. I hope to God I was better behaved when I was his age. I may need to find out what working with me was like, and start sending out apology cards. I know that he wants to be in the middle of the action, but it's like I told him the other day: we're the good guys, and the good guys don't shoot first.
I am sorry I missed our call. These days talking to you is the only think that makes me feel sane. Not being able to talk to you these last couple of days has me a little on edge. I don't think that's helping my relationship with Buxton.
Anyways. I'll do my best to call tonight. I love you so much, and I miss you.
H.
She sighed as she clicked the reply option. Her fingers hovered over the keys and she bit her lower lip.
Hey Handsome,
Don't worry about missing our calls. I miss hearing your voice, but I know sometimes things like this are out of our control. I've never met Buxton, but I can't imagine you were anything like the guy you've been describing to me. I know you can be a little… over confident at times, but I can't see you ever being a flat out jerk or being disrespectful to lesser mortals. You're a good man, Harm. Don't forget that. Hopefully we can talk soon. I love you & miss you too.
M.
She hit send, logged out, and returned to her work. She would tell him her news as soon as things had calmed down.
Mac unlocked the door to her apartment and was barely inside when she started taking off her uniform. It was a long day, but a good one. And she was in desperate need of the longest bubble bath on record. She turned on the faucet to start filling the tub & added a generous pour of lemongrass scented bubble bath. She finished taking off her clothes, laying her uniform pieces carefully over the closed toilet, and tossing her bra & panties into a small laundry basket she kept in the bottom of the linen closet. She lowered herself into the tub and leaned back against the inflatable bath pillow. She had just closed her eyes when she heard the phone ring. She groaned and reached for the cordless model she had brought with her into the bathroom. "Hello?"
"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."
Mac sat up quickly. The movement caused her legs to slip from the edge of the tub, resulting in a large splash. She sputtered as the water hit her face, and she swiped the bubbles away.
"Mac? Are you okay? What's going on?"
She leaned back against the pillow again and propped her legs back up. "I'm here. Sorry about that. I'm in the tub and just splashed water on my face." She heard his groan and smiled. "Something wrong, Flyboy?" She couldn't keep the teasing tone out of her voice.
He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "That visual is going to keep me going for the next few days. So, thank you for that. What do the bubbles smell like?"
"Lemongrass." She brought her arm to her face and sniffed. "And a hint of ginger."
He sighed. "That's a really nice smell. It's perfect for you." Harm glanced at his watch and took note of the date. "Mac, how long have I been out here?"
She was quiet for a moment. "Three months and twenty days." She was quiet for another moment, waiting for him to respond. "Sweetheart, is everything okay?"
"Buxton." His voice was quiet. "Mac, this kid is going to get himself or someone else killed." He took a deep breath and told her about the admiral from the Russian Navy, the spy plane, and Buxton going after the lone MIG. "I just don't know what to do," he said when he had finished telling her about his day. "He's selfish and irresponsible. He lacks judgement. He's so desperate to see actual action."
"There's nothing you can do," Mac started. "You've tried to mentor him, but he wants none of it. He thinks he's invincible. He's going to have to learn these lessons the hard way."
"You mean like I did?"
"Harm- "
"Mac, I know you said you can't imagine any similarities between Buxton and I. But I was a lot like him when I was younger. And look what happened to me. Being around him just reminds me of how stupid I was when I was his age." He ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. "I just really, really hope that he learns his lesson without killing anyone. Or getting himself and his RIO killed."
They were both silent for a long moment. She looked over at the toilet and noticed the new insignia on her top. She didn't want to tell him her news now. Not like this. Not when he was so stressed out and seemingly unhappy.
"Are you there?"
"I'm here," she said. "I really hate that you're so unhappy."
He snorted. "You and me, both. Mac, I know I'm not a lot of fun to talk to these days. But it will get better, I promise."
"Harm, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. You'll get through this rough patch; we'll make it through this deployment and things will be better."
"You promise?"
There was a slight tremble in his voice and it caused her to sit up in the tub again. She wasn't used to this side of him, and it unsettled her. She felt the overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his neck. "I promise. Harm, we're going to have hard times. It's going to happen. But I'm not going anywhere."
"I am so in love with you, Sarah."
She closed her eyes, wanting to remember the way his voice sounded just then. "I love you too." She heard commotion in the background, and then a groan. "What's going on?"
He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Oh, just the equivalent of a fraternity house making their presence known. I guess I should hop off here."
They said their goodbyes and Mac hung up the phone. She was about to drop it on her folded towel when it rang again.
"Hey Mac, it's Maddie."
Mac smiled at the sound of her friend's cheerful voice. "Hey Maddie. What's going on?"
"I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks. You should have dinner with Ben and I this weekend."
"How are you and Ben doing?"
"We're doing really, really well. He's almost too good to be true."
Mac laughed, "I'm sure he thinks the same thing about you."
"He better! So. Come out with us this weekend. Friday night we're going to party at the Dean's office to kick off the upcoming school year and Sunday I have to work. Are you free Saturday?"
"I'm actually not." She took a breath. "I got promoted today. It was pretty unexpected, but I'm having an impromptu wet-down Saturday night."
"What's a wet-down? It sounds dirty. And congratulations!"
Mac's laughed loudly. "Not eve a little bit dirty. It's a small party at a bar for other officers. We all usually just go to McMurphy's. It'll last an hour or two, and the promoted person uses the difference in their old salary and new salary to buy everyone a few rounds of drinks."
Maddie scoffed. "So, the person who is being celebrated has to pay for everyone's drinks? The military is so odd sometimes."
"Tell me about it," she said. "It won't run long. Why don't you and Ben come by, and then we can go grab dinner afterward."
"Are you sure we won't be intruding?"
"Of course not. And it's my party, so who cares if you're intruding. We're meeting at 6:00."
"We'll be there," Maddie said. "See you Saturday."
Saturday Night
Mac sat at a table with Sturgis and Bobbi, and smiled as Bud stood up to give the toast & pointed his beer in her direction.
"I remember the first day I met Colonel MacKenzie. I honestly thought she was a little scary. She was quiet and reserved. And I was pretty intimidated, but I was in awe of her. And I still am all these years later. She has been an incredible mentor and friend to Harriet and I, and she's such a wonderful godmother to our son. Congratulations, Colonel." He raised his glass, and the rest of their party followed suit.
Mac stood and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug. When she pulled back, she noticed his pink cheeks and laughed. "Thank you, Bud." She turned to the rest of the group. "Thank you all for coming tonight with such short notice. It means a lot to have you all here, and I'm so thankful that I get to work with a group of people that I like as much as I like all of you." She raised her own glass of water. "Cheers."
She took her seat again and heard the bar door open. She glanced at the door and noticed Maddie & Ben arrive. She waved at them, and smiled as Maddie grabbed Ben's hand and pulled him over. Mac stood, and laughed as Maddie hugged her. She released her after a minute and smiled as Ben pulled her into his arms.
When they separated, he took a step back and looked her over. She wore a pale green sundress with the most delicate straps imaginable. "You look incredible, Mac. Getting promoted agrees with you." He glanced at his girlfriend and noticed she was engrossed in a conversation with the couple Mac had been sitting with. "Come with me to get drinks."
"Okay."
Ben ran his fingers over Maddie's bare shoulder. "Mac and I are going to get drinks. What can I get you?"
She looked up at him and pointed at Bobbi's drink. "Whatever that is."
Bobbi lifted her nearly empty glass. "It's a caipiroska, but with grapefruit vodka. Would you mind getting me another?"
Ben shook his head, and he and Mac headed to the bar. She perched herself on a barstool and smiled as the bartender poured her another tonic water, and then took Ben's order. He went to work on the drinks and Ben turned to look her. "Maddie is pissed at me."
Mac's eyes widened. "What happened? You're not still making your way around the under-30 female population of Georgetown, are you?"
He grimaced. "I'm not, but last night at the university party she met a few of the women I had… dated. So that of course resulted in a conversation about the number of women between her and my ex."
Mac gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, I understand why she's upset. That was a lot of women, Ben."
"I know." He spun the coaster around and sighed. "I should have told her about that phase of my life, but I was just worried about scaring her off." He shook his head, as if shaking the thoughts away. "Anyway. How are things with Harm?"
She took a deep breath. "Well, in the spirit of not telling our significant others things, Harm doesn't know about my promotion yet." Ben raised an eyebrow, and she offered him a wry smile. "I wanted to tell him, and we haven't talked much the past few days."
Ben cocked his head to the side and studied her. "You haven't talked much, meaning you've talked some. So why haven't you told him?"
She looked at him and smiled sadly. "He's not happy, Ben. He's frustrated with the guys he flies with. He's feeling restless. He's not really sure about anything career wise right now. I just feel like telling him could be cruel. I can just imagine him calling after another frustrating day and telling him my news."
"Mac, why in the world would he not want to hear it?"
She shrugged. "It's not just the promotion, Ben. For starters, I now out rank him. That doesn't really matter, but it's a new facet to our relationship. But mostly I don't want to come off as insensitive. I got a promotion I didn't think I would get for a long time, and I'm excited about that. I'm proud of that. I'm just nervous. I don't want to put him in even more of a funk."
Ben reached over and draped his arm around her shoulders. He squeezed lightly. "Mac, Harm loves you. He is proud of you. He'll be excited for you." He grinned at her, and she couldn't help but smile. "He's your biggest cheerleader. I can't even count the number of times he and I met for a drink and he gushed about something you'd said or done. He's in awe of you."
She blushed and looked down at her water. "Thank you, Ben."
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Anytime, Mac."
When Mac finally walked in the door hours later, she was exhausted but happier than she had been in a while. Once the group from the office had started to head home, those that were left had headed to dinner. Bobbi and Maddie had hit it off instantly, so she and Sturgis joined them. Maddie then turned on her charm with the admiral and talked him in to coming joining them as well. She had just began changing into her pajamas when the phone rang. Considering the hour, she knew the call had to be important, and hurried to the phone.
"Colonel, this is Admiral Chegwidden."
She took a deep breath. "Yes sir. Is everything okay?"
He signed. "Unfortunately, no. I just received a call from the SECNAV. There was an issue on the Patrick Henry." He must have heard her gasp, and hurried to reassure her. "Harm is fine, Mac. A Lieutenant Buxton has been charged with killing three Russian peacekeepers. The SECNAV wants you to prosecute. Be at the office in the morning at 0900. He's meeting us there, and we'll give you all of the information you need."
"Of course, sir."
"Mac, I- " He took another deep breath, "I hope Commander Rabb being there isn't going to be an issue."
"No sir. We'll both behave with the utmost professionalism. You have my word, sir."
"Thank you, Mac. I'll see you in the morning. Sorry to ruin the remainder of your weekend."
She smiled and said her goodbyes. She sat down on the arm of the sofa and closed her eyes. This was going to be a giant mess.
End Part 6.