Never Say Never
Chapter 4
Monday, April 5, 2000
0830 local Time
JAG Headquarters
Fall Church, VA
Mac and Harm kept their promise of not letting anyone at headquarters know of their romance. To ensure that, Mac wore her engagement ring on her dog-tag chain. That is until this morning. The previous Friday they went straight to Bellville immediately upon their return from Korea and the aborted skyjacking. They spent the weekend at the farm to recover from that ordeal and discuss their wedding date with Gram.
"Have it in October. It's a great time to have a wedding. You can be back from your honeymoon before Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays," Gram suggested. So, acting on her advice, they set their wedding date.
Now Mac would be the deliver the news to Chegwidden. She approached his office to tell him that she and Harm were engaged. As she approached the outer office, Tiner saw her coming and how she was walking. 'She's happy about something.'
Mac was indeed happy. She felt like a great weight was finally off her shoulders. She was finally finished with hiding her and Harm's relationship. When she got to Tiner's desk she asked, "Tiner can you please see if the admiral can see me?"
"Yes colonel." Tiner called in to the admiral saying, "Admiral, Colonel Mackenzie to see you sir. ~ Yes sir. Colonel you can go in."
"Thank you Tiner." Mac approached the admiral's door and knocked. She went in at the call of "Enter."
Mac marched to stand at attention in front of AJ's desk to say, "Good morning admiral. I'm here to deliver some news."
"Stand at ease colonel. What is the news?"
"Sir Commander Rabb and I are getting married. We set the date at next October 28. We're going to have it in Belleville at Gram's church and the reception will be at the farm. I'll make sure you get an invitation."
AJ could not believe his ears. He was aghast as he asked, "You and Commander Rabb? How long have you two been together?"
"Since we met in the Rose Garden sir."
"You were seeing each other behind my back against my orders? I definitely remember that I ordered you two to not get comfortable."
"Sir that was not an order. It was a suggestion. You never specifically ordered us not to be in a romantic relationship. We knew back then that we could have something special. When I was in college in Minnesota, my sister Diane sent me letters telling me of their times together as midshipmen at Annapolis. Harm was the one to find her murderer after you let Commander Krennick muddy the waters of his investigation, when she suggested that Harm murdered her after she allegedly spurned her. As a result of her spurious allegation, you didn't believe Harm when that stupid ass NCIS agent Turque arrested him for her murder. It was only Lt. Austen's supporting Harm's alibi that cleared him. That look you saw when we met in the Rose Garden was one of surprise. We first met at Diane's funeral the month before. When I arrived at headquarters after my uncle's trial, you assigned us to different sections. That meant that we were not each other supervisors. When he left for flying, we stayed in constant contact. We cemented our relationship when I took that leave and met him in Naples and then upon his return and you assigned him to DSO North. He proposed when you sent me down to Australia with Dunsmore's body."
AJ was beside himself with rage. He had to hold his anger as he realized that Mac was right. There was nothing that he could do about their relationship as he was the one who made it possible for them to be together.
"Very well colonel. I'll expect that invitation. You are dismissed."
"Aye, aye sir."
Mac did a parade-ground about face and marched out of the office. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. When she got back to her office, she took her engagement ring from her dog-tag chain and put it on her left ring finger.
"No more hiding this," she said aloud to herself. She then went about her day.
Mac had a brief moment when Harriet saw the ring. As she went to gush about it, Mac gave her a pointed look that forestalled her outburst. Then she said, "Lieutenant, you and Lt. Roberts will get your invitation in due time. As before, I will not discuss my personal life in the office."
Harriet skulked away.
Later on in the day Mac was working on her latest case when the junior officer assisting her knocked on her closed door. Mac looked up from her work and smiled as she saw Lt. Loren Singer waiting with her own smile. Mac waved her in and directed her to "Close the door and sit Loren." Forestalling Loren standing at attention.
As Loren sat, she said, "I would assume colonel that seeing the ring on your finger that your secret is out?"
Mac smiled as she nodded and said, "I told the admiral this morning. He was not happy. He insinuated that we disobeyed his orders. I pointed out that he didn't give any order stating that Harm & I couldn't see each other. But enough speaking of that, do you have something for me?"
"Ma'am, I have some evidence that will not look good for Lt. Kingsley."
As Mac took the folder and started reading the report "Well let's see what you got. I want to get all my ducks in a row when we face off against Juanita Ressler. She's tough. You know when I was in her class at Duke Law, she suggested that I get a job as a lap dancer. She didn't think I had the stomach for the law."
Loren chuckled at that, "I think you'll show her ma'am."
"We'll see."
As Mac was reading the report, she asked, "How's it going being partnered with Bud Roberts, Loren?"
"It's going great ma'am. He knows the law better than anyone I've ever seen. He's showing me a lot. Thank you for putting us together."
"You're welcome, Loren. I knew you would benefit working with him."
"Well, it is interesting when we are working together. I have to do all that extra homework when we face off against each other."
"Good to hear. Also, when we're in the office behind closed doors, it's Sarah. Afterall you are my cousin and the only one in this office who knew about Harm and I from the beginning. You're my confidant. That's why I stepped up as your mentor."
"Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate the confidence you have in me. It was you who inspired me to go into law when you and Harm defended our uncle after he stole the Declaration of Independence. I also saw at Diane's funeral that Harm had eyes for you. Jack Keeter told me then that Harm never looked at Diane like that."
"Yeah, I saw that to. And you're welcome, Loren. How's Megan doing in the Secret Service?"
"She's doing well. She's on the First Lady's detail."
"That's great to hear…"
Mac was interrupted when her phone rang. Without looking, she picked it up to put it to her ear saying, "JAG, Lt. Colonel Mackenzie."
"Hello future Mrs. Rabb."
Loren saw her cousin smile as she knew that Harm was on the phone.
She smiled herself when Mac replied, "What's up azizam?"
"Colonel Cresswell is sending Lt. Cathy McMahon and me out to the Patrick Henry to investigate an alleged suicide. I'm leaving as soon as we hang up. I'll leave my Lexus at home and go with Cathy to Andrews in her car. I'll miss your trial against Ressler on Trial TV. Maybe you can record it."
"I'll set the VCR. How long do you think you're gonna be?"
"I don't know. From what I read on the incident report and the victim's record, it all seems unusual. It might take a while. I'll call when I'm on my way back."
"Maybe you can get a ride on a Tomcat on your way home?"
"I don't know. I'll see. Love you Imzadi."
"Love you to azizam."
When they ended their call, Loren asked, "Not home tonight?"
"No, and maybe not for a while. There was an alleged suicide on the Patrick Henry. Harm doesn't know how long he'll be out there. Best to not worry. Let's get back to work on this case.
"On it, Sarah. I think we got the goods to beat that show-biz ambulance chaser."
"Juanita Ressler may be many things, but she is not an ambulance chaser. She's very smart and taught me a lot in her class. She is a very formidable attorney. We have our work cut out for us. So, let's make sure that we have all our shit straight before we go into court."
"Aye, aye Sarah."
Mac smiled at her cousin's cheekiness and set back to working the case.
Saturday, April 17, 2000
1930 Hours Local Time
Arrival Terminal
Andrews Airbase, MD
Mac was in civies of skinny jeans, a white 3-button polo shirt and a leather flight jacket as she waited for her fiancé to debark from the C-130 from Lakehurst NAS, NJ. She recognized his tall frame as soon as he walked down the ramp. She waved when he turned to the arrivals window looking for her. She was happy that he waved back. She stood back from the window to wait at the gate. When Harm came through, she threw herself at him and jumped into his arms. He held her up by her butt as she wrapped her legs around his hips and laid a long, deep, slow, wet kiss on him. To the smiling passersby, it seemed like it would last many days.
When they broke for air, and he put her down, Harm asked, "Miss me?"
"You bet your Navy-blue ass I did. I was miserable that I couldn't celebrate beating Juanita Ressler without you. Loren and I had to settle with a pint of Haggen Daz each."
"What flavors?"
"Irish Cream Chocolate Cookie for me and Cookies and Cream for Loren. We made the celebration a girly night at her apartment and I slept over last night. As a matter of fact, I slept over in her guestroom a few nights while you were gone. Oh, and I asked her to be my maid-of-honor. She accepted. She was so thrilled to be asked."
"That's great. I'm going to ask Keeter to be my best man."
"Good choice. I'm sure he'll be thrilled. If anything, you'll have to rein him in from being too rambunctious at your bachelor party."
"Yeah, you're right about that. How come you didn't sleep at home?"
"We worked late on the Kingsley Court Martial a lot of nights. Besides, I get lonely in our bed when you're not in it with me."
Harm loved how cute Mac pouted.
"Well let's get home so that we can snuggle in for the rest of the weekend."
At that, the affianced couple turned and walked to her Corvette.
Monday, April 19, 2000
0900 Local Time
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
Chegwidden had just handed out the cases to the attorneys sitting around the conference table. All of the attorneys except Mac. As he and the others stood at his dismissal, he said to her, "Follow me to my office."
When Mac arrived in front of the desk, she stood at attention. AJ kept her at attention as he said, "Colonel, you have orders to the LHP Guadalcanal due to sail from San Diego this Friday, the 23rd on its six-month cruise to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. Take the rest of the day to clear your cases and the next two days getting your personal affairs in order. You leave for San Diago from Dulles, Thursday the 22nd at 0900. Tiner has your folder with your orders and itinerary. You're scheduled to return to port in San Diego, November 4. Dismissed."
Mac was totally flabbergasted at her orders. She was barely able to stammer, "But sir, what about my wedding? I notified you that it's on October 28."
"Sorry colonel, the needs of the service supersede that. You'll have to reschedule. I hope your deposits are refundable. As I said, dismissed."
Mac clamped her mouth shut as she did an about face and walked from the office. As the door closed behind her, Albert Jethro Chegwidden let an evil grin crease his face. "That'll teach her and Rabb to defy me. I hope he likes his new assignment in Russia. Cresswell should be giving him his orders now."