OOOO

Part 2

Both women were still understandably upset, but seemed to be taking the news well, considering.

"Oh, Sir!" Harriet quickly jumped into action, as she saw Commander Rabb lying motionless on the floor of the General's office, placed in the recovery position, "What happened?"

"He didn't take the news so well," Cresswell told her, as both Harriet and Jen joined him kneeling beside Harm, "I didn't expect anything quite like this…"

"He's had a very hard couple of weeks," Jen filled them both in, "Mattie's condition hasn't changed and…and I guess this was all too much. He and Colonel MacKenzie are…are so close."

Everyone noticed how she phrased what she said and understood. Using past tense to refer to the Colonel, even now, would just seem so wrong.

They all gave Harm a couple of minutes, before they attempted to rouse him.

"Commander Rabb, Sir?" Harriet asked him, as Jen gently patted his cheeks, "Can you hear me, Sir?"

OOOO

When Harm came to, he was bewildered to realize that he was laying on his side, on the carpet in General Cresswell's office. Cresswell's words were still ringing in his ears and Harm could only hope and pray that this had been a dream.

"You're okay, Commander," Cresswell helped him to sit up, "This has just been a big shock to you…"

"Shall I go and fetch the Commander a drink of cold water, Sir?" Harm heard PO Coates ask and his CO's affirmative answer.

"It's going to be okay, Sir," Harriet was rubbing his back and when Harm took in her pale countenance, he just knew that this had not been one bad nightmare.

Not caring that he was in his CO's presence, Harm allowed his head to drop, resting against his pulled-up knees, willing himself not to break down.

OOOO

Sturgis and Bud came after her, when Jen dashed from the General's office.

"Coates, Coates, wait," Sturgis called her, "What's going on in there?"

Jen, seeing that the bullpen was far too busy to get into everything there, pulled them towards the break room.

"Is there something wrong with Harm?" Bud asked.

Nobody was wearing uniform tonight and rank was forgotten about, for the time being

"Cresswell decided to break the news to Harm, personally," Jen told them both, while she filled up a glass of water, "because I think he predicted that he wouldn't take the news well…and he was right; When Cresswell told Harm, he passed out…"

Sturgis and Bud's mouths dropped open, as if to ask, 'Are you serious?'

They knew he'd take the news badly, worse than anyone else had, but this they had not expected.

Sturgis ran a hand down his face in frustration. He and Harm had been buddies since they were at the Academy. They may not have been very close lately, but Sturgis knew that was mostly his fault and still cared about his friend just as much.

"Oh God," Bud seemed similarly worried.

He'd been so busy coming to terms with the news himself, then comforting his children once Harriet had been called away that he didn't even think about Harm, still in the General's office, receiving the news. The thought now made him sick to his stomach.

"What the hell is going to happen, now?" Sturgis was on the same page, although neither Bud nor Jen knew that it was because a conversation that none of them, not even Harm, had been privy to, years before.

Sturgis knew just how Harm felt about his marine co-worker; it was very clear to all of the staff members here at JAG. But he also knew just how that marine had felt about Harm and now she would never have the chance to tell him. The knowledge was eating him up inside.

OOOO

"H…how?" Harm asked, as Cresswell and Jen helped him off the floor and into one of the chairs, "When?"

"That's not important, just now, Commander," Cresswell told him, "This has been a terrible shock to you and I will not have you hitting the floor of my office and very nearly the corner of my desk, again."

"Sir, I need to go to her…I need to…It might not be her…"

"Harm, there's no mistake…"

"It might be…It must be…"

"No…"

"Even if it isn't a mistake, I still need to go to her…She needs me…"

"Harm, I came back from making the id, an hour ago…It was her; everything found at the scene of the crime belonged to her…It was her car, she was wearing her dog-tags, her uniform, the remnants of her purse was on the floor of the car... There is nothing more for you to do, now…Dental x-rays have already been taken and we're just waiting for the final confirmation."

"I've got to say goodbye…I can't just leave her…I have to…"

Cresswell took a deep breath and dismissed Jen and Harriet, who were looking similarly pale to the Commander. Once they were out of the room, Cresswell took a deep, fortifying breath.

"Harm, what I saw at the morgue was no longer Sarah MacKenzie. Not the Sarah MacKenzie that we want to remember. Harm, after her vehicle left the road…It caught fire…The fire services think that her seatbelt buckle might have jammed or that she was unconscious. There was nobody around to get her out and there was no way she could have got herself free…"

Harm was staring at him, his eyes wide in comprehension. He flinched and lowered his head, cursing quietly, as he screwed his eyes tightly shut.

"She was still alive after…after her car crashed?"

"They think so," Cresswell nodded, "But they doubt that she was still alive once the flames took hold. I was assured that the majority of fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation, not burns."

Harm nodded his head morosely, from where he held it in his hands.

Seeing the other man perched so precariously of the edge of losing it all, Gordon decided to give him some privacy. He patted the man on the shoulder, before he left his office, shutting the door behind him.

OOOO

Nearly 26 hours later saw them climbing out of the CIA vehicle, at an undisclosed location. The safe-house was a large farm-house that was surrounded by fields, but in the pre-dawn light, nobody could see just how the fields stretched as far as the eye could see. Their closest neighbor would prove to be an hour's walk away.

"Mommy, why can't Auntie Jen and Aunt Mac live with us at the house…Are they coming later?" A sleepy AJ asked his Mother.

"No, sweetie," Harriet replied, tiredly, "Auntie Jen is living at another house with Uncle Gordon and his family…"

They had dodged AJ's questions about his Aunt Mac on the plane, coming here, which they knew was wrong, but AJ didn't seem to realize that his Godmother was not coming back. Harriet and Bud were so tired and they really wanted to save their talk with their children for a time when they were all less sleepy and better able to take this explanation in. AJ had an idea what death was, but hadn't quite grasped its permanence. Jimmy hadn't understood the news at all, but had cried because he saw his brother, Mother and Father crying. He had just begun to grasp empathy, but was nowhere near understanding death, yet.

Thankfully, AJ didn't ask any more questions, simply crawling into Bud and Harriet's new bed, while Bud and Harriet settled Jimmy in the crib that was waiting for him. Afterwards, Bud and Harriet crawled into bed on either side of the Little AJ, not bothering to change into sleeping attire, they were that tired.

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