TITLE: What Should've Been
AUTHOR: Vid Z.
PAIRING: Harm/Diane
TIMELINE: from Annapolis to "We the people"
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.
AN: I'll always be amazed by Harm/Mac writers (most of whom are Mac fans). There are these two women, who are exactly alike physically, yet one has been showed on the show as she degressed into one mean, hypocritic and hurtful witch, while about the other everyone who knew her sung praises about her gentle, engaging, helpful personality, always willing to help others and also being a fun person, and who's life had been cut short way too soon. And yet, in their fics they glorify the witch and demonize the nice one. I was a Harm/Mac fan once and have thus read quite a few fics in which Diane had a role in, with quite a few of them even with Diane still being alive or turning up alive. Yet, in all of them she was demonized, be they either old fics, writen over a decade ago, or currently posted, only one fic was fair to her and even that was by a Harm fan and writer (Aerogirl). Also, Mac FINALLY has a rank more realistic to her (black) personnel record than DPB had given her. Well, if I was completely realistic, she wouldn't have been in the show at all, cause she would've been thrown out of the Corps a long time ago. So, this is my reaction to that kind of fics and my contribution to trying to even out the score at least a little. Macaroons, eat your heart out!
SUMMARY: reaction fic to all the Macaroon fics portraying Diane as an evil witch, just because SHE was capable of loving Harm, had his heart from the start and knew what to do with it, unlike a certain Marine.
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Harm, Jack and Sturgis were standing among the crowd, looking around curiously, and silently asking themselves if they had ever been that young. They could no longer remember...
Among all these eager and energetic plebes they felt like old men.
Keeter and Harm were checking out the girls when Turner caught sight of someone familiar. "I can't believe it." he murmured to himself.
Striding forward he intercepted the brunette cannon ball as she hurled herself into his arms. "Sturgis!"
He laughed and hugged her back. "Little Miss Schonke... What are you doing here?"
The leggy, buxom, knockout brunette let him go, donning a stern visage. "Less with the Little, Midshipman! As for what I'm doing here.... well, I had nothing better to do, so I decided I'd check out the Navy."
Turner just laughed, shaking his head.
Then, remembering his friends, he turned around. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Diane Schonke, my next-door neighbor since I can remember. Diane, these are Jack and Har..."
The words died on his lips when he finally caught sight of a mute Harm, staring at Diane dreamily, as if he was stoned.
"Harm? Yo, man, what's with you?"
Harm didn't even seem to notice him and Sturgis cocked his head and looked at Diane, realizing she was in trance as well, staring at Harm with a stunned expression.
Sturgis wasn't aware, but in right that moment a love had been born.
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2 YEARS LATER
For the first time in his life Harm was nervous of talking to a girl. Few knew it, but he had fallen in love with Diane the first second he'd met her and he now knew she returned his feelings. Even though it was against frat regs for midshipmen to date, Diane had made sure he knew what she felt for him.
Depressed over the impossibility of their relationship Harm had gone out on a couple of dates with a couple of civilian girls, but his heart hadn't been in it. None of those three girls had received more than a kiss on their cheeks after their first date, never hearing from him again.
It felt dishonest, as if he was cheating on Di, as he'd come to call her, so he'd never wanted to get more from those girls, even though they would've gladly given him. He had also told no-one of those dates, not even his closest male friends. Even for the dates and the cheek kisses he felt like an adultering husband.
Which was another thing. Ever since his father had been shot down Harm had lost faith in the fundaments of society: marriage and family. And now he was baffled at the discovery that the guilty feeling he'd been having over going out with other girls was because he felt like a cheating husband. The one with a conscience, of course. And ever since his father had been shot down, he'd fervently hoped for his family to be reunited, to be complete once again. But the weird, amazing and shocking thing now was, that ever since he'd met Diane the dream of family had somehow morphed. His wish was no longer centered around the family he'd formed with his father and mother, but around himself and Diane creating a family of their own, having kids together, growing old together.
When he'd realized that, he'd also realized he had it bad for the lovely young woman.
Because of these sudden and earth-shaking truths he'd given up on trying to fool himself into being capable of being with anyone but Diane and had gone completely celibate. Turner and Sturgis teased him about the love-sick looks he kept sending the curvaceous brunette, but he no longer cared.
He'd finally gotten up the courage to ask Diane on a date and he was just waiting for the right moment.
For the past 2 years they'd been spending time together under the guise of studying together, but the true purpose was to spend as much precious time together as possible. Unfortunately relationships between midshipmen of opposing genders are prohibbited, so they were forced to use the guise of studying.
So here they were again and Harm had decided enough was enough and he opened his mouth, changing his life.
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"Diane?"
"Hm?" she looked up from her book.
"I'm in my last year, you know, and you've got only 2 left..."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, so if you're intending on trying to order me something, think again, buster." With her words being playful, her eyes held her love for him, calming him down.
"That's not what I meant. I would never do anything like that. Honest!" he swore.
Diane scrutinized him and then giggled. "Yeah, right, I know you, Harmon Rabb, so don't try the innocent act!"
His anxiety lessened, it was always great to hear that merry giggle. "Anyway, what I meant to say is...." he took a deep breath and then plunged in head first "Would you, once we're commissioned, go out with me?" Diane's eyebrows shot to the sky, so surprised she was. Surprised, but delighted. "I mean, on a date, dinner, movie, all that stuff? I mean, you don't have to, but I just..." Harm's courage left him and he dissolved into babbling.
Diane, finally having shaken off her shock, mercifully stopped his ramblings by launching herself into his arms and planting a firm kiss on his lips.
All too quickly she pulled back, took his face into her hands and, looking him in the eyes from just a few inches away, she gave him the answer they both wanted. "Yes. Of course I'll go out on a date with you, Harm."
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And that was it, Harmon Rabb Jr. was caught and he never wanted to get free again.
A little less than 2 years later a newly commissioned Ensign Diane Schonke was released from the congralutory clutches of her family and spun around to face the smiling face of Ensign Harmon Rabb. His young visage with it's old, wise eyes was smiling at her. He looked resplendent in his uniform, brand new gold wings on his chest, gleaming brightly in the sun.
Diane's mouth watered and her heart started beating faster.
"Congratulations, Ensign." he wished her and kissed her on her cheek, prompting a blaze to go up her neck and take over her olive-skinned features. Diane's family looked with approval and happiness at the couple, having taken Harm in years ago, knowing these two were meant to be.
"I believe you owe me a date." he whispered and when he pulled back Diane could see her future in his aquamarine orbs.
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"What?" whispered an ashen LTJG Schonke into the telephone she was holding. Her knees gave out on her and she collapsed into a nearby seat.
"I'll be there as soon as I can." she managed to say and hung up, hot tears already clogging her throat and streaming down her cheeks in rapids.
It took her a few minutes to collect herself enough to be able to walk again and she staggered through the narrow corridors of the carrier to her CO's office.
She felt sorry for the little white lie she was about to tell, but on the other hand it wasn't so far from the truth, she and Harm had namely talked the last time they'd been together and had both agreed that this was for life for both of them. The fact that he hadn't proposed yet was just a little technicality. "Sir, I'd like to request immediate family emergency leave." Her CO looked on in concern as she finished her plea. "I've just received word that my fiancee had a ramp strike."
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"Without you I wouldn't have come this far, everything I am and everything I achieved in the last year I owe it all to you, Diane. You reserved your commission to come to Bealsville to take care of a crippled washed-up pilot, foregoing a promotion and I would love to say this made me love you only more, but I can't because even before you did this I loved you as much as possible, as much as a man can love a woman. You're my everything and I know you feel the same. I never want to lose you, so, Diane Schonke, will you please do me the honor of consenting to be my wife?"
Diane, tears of happines in her eyes, her lovely features stretched in smile so wide her face hurt, uttered only one word.
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"I present to you, LTJG Harmon and LTJG Diane Rabb."
The wedding guests clapped as Harm and Diane continued to kiss, oblivious to everything around them.
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The small groups of officers and NCOs looked on as the two young married officers were deep into their kiss, right there on the dock next to the USS Seahawk. Suddenly a pudgy young officer by the name of LTJG Bud Roberts caught a gleaming in the corner of his eyes.
"Gun! Get down!" he yelled.
A moment later two gunshots were heard and then a thump as a dead body hit the ground. Once the Master at Arms declared all clear and holstered his smoking service weapon Harm rose and allowed Diane up, from where she'd been laying on the ground under him, protected by his body. They walked closer to the would-be assailant and saw the dead, dull eyes of Commander Holbart looking back at them.
Justice had been served and a great tragedy had been prevented. Harm shuddered at the thought of what would've happened had he not summed up the courage at the very last second before Diane had gotten into the cab in Bealsville and proposed to her. Chances were he wouldn't have been there on the dock, forcing the crazed man to risk being detected. Thus the Commander would've probably waited until he'd caught Diane alone and killed her.
The whole night could've happened a lot differently and Harm knew that if it had he never would've recovered and would've spent the rest of his life alone and miserable, mourning the love of his life.
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Diane and Harm sat staring at the object in Diane's hand, their arms around each other and their eyes swimming in tears.
They knew their lives were about to change forever as the two blue lines looked back at them.
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Two women, physically almost identical, were staring at each other, frozen in time in the White House Rose Garden. There were only small differences, the newcomer had darker hair, a different nose, a different voice and there was no baby bulge tenting her uniform. Diane secretly shivered when she looked at the other woman's hard eyes and saw only an ice-cold, self-centered soul staring back at her.
In the distance she heard the Admiral introducing them. "LCDR, LT Rabb, this is 2nd Lieutenant Sarah MacKenzie, your partner for the new case, LCDR. Lieutenant, these are LCDR Harmon and LT Diane Rabb."
Diane tightened her grip on Harm's hand, thanking stars that she would be there to give Harm love, comfort and support after a day of work with this cold stranger and didn't want to contemplate what would've happened to him had she not been there, what kind of fate would've befallen him.
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"Push, Diane, one more time!"
A primordial scream tore out of the woman's throat, joined seconds later by another, higher pitched. A few seconds later a warm weight was put on her now-deflated belly and a warm kiss was pressed to her lips.
"Mrs Rabb, may I present to you, your son, Jarod Rabb."
Diane looked up into the shining eyes of her husband.
"Thank you."
Harm just kissed her again, knowing she was thanking him for more than just the baby, she was thanking him for being in her life, making it rich, worth living, for marrying her, loving her, for just living. "Thank you too."
He settled back as the nurses took away their son, anxious to finally start their life together as a family.
It would be great and it would be long.
He knew it.
THE END
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