| Subject: How We Became Us C1/9 |
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fananicfan
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Date Posted: 07:30:56 04/30/07 Mon
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "How We Became Us - story after Custody in the series" on 22:53:25 04/29/07 Sun
CHAPTER ONE – Countdown, Two Days to Go
Thursday, September 15, 2005
JAG Office
Falls Church, Virginia
Mac’s office
Early morning
Mac’s life had been in complete chaos from the moment a date had been set for the wedding.
Mac had met Julia, Mattie’s aide, the morning after Harm had left. Even though, for the most part, Mattie had been able to care for herself, Mac had found herself worrying about Mattie and had called during every recess from court for the first few days, but after that, she'd started started to relax, knowing that Julia was there with her.
No wedding goes off without a hitch, and theirs was no exception. An error in booking had caused a need to change the venue for the wedding. One of the other places on their list had been booked by the time they were scrambling to find a new place, and the third place had had no space available for a reception. However, a reception room had been booked, and divine intervention, of sorts, had provided the chapel. Chaplain Turner had come to JAG HQ to see his son, and he'd made a call when he'd heard about the problem. Within a few minutes, they'd been set to be married in the chapel at Annapolis, and they had a volunteer to officiate who knew both of them when Chaplain Turner had offered his services.
Mac had decided to go with the dress that she’d seen months ago, making that one of the easiest steps in the process. Mattie had accompanied her two days ago to her final fitting so that she could see the dress. The dress had been moved to Jennifer’s apartment last night to keep it away from Harm’s prying eyes when he arrived later today.
With Harriet’s experience in putting together shows and fundraisers, she was more than just a Matron of Honor. She'd taken charge of anything that Mac didn’t have time to do or had simply turned over to her. Jennifer and Mattie had worked as Harriet’s staff. An example of how the operation had worked can be explained by what had happened with the florist. During a pizza dinner at Harm and Mac’s apartment, the ladies had brought out Mattie’s planner and begun to make definite decisions, and Harriet had begun to assign tasks. When it came to flowers, Mac had said that she didn’t have a clue as to what she wanted except in the area of her bouquet and arrangements at the altar. They needed to contain mostly roses because roses were meaningful to her and Harm. Armed with that information, Harriet and Mattie had taken on the task of finding a florist.
A week later, Mac, Harriet and Mattie had met with the chosen florist for Mac to view the suggested arrangements and give her final approval. Three weeks ago, during a lunch break from court, Mac had received a call from the florist saying that roses would be out of the question at the price quoted, and he'd suggested that they meet to view possibilities for new flower arrangements. Mac had called Harriet to arrange for them to go meet with the florist, but Harriet had said that she’d call and get more information and make an appointment if it was still necessary. By the time Mac had gotten out of court for the day, Harriet had left a message that the florist had been taken care of and that the original flowers would be delivered as promised for the quoted price. Mac had wondered what Harriet had done to change his mind, but, at the same time, she hadn’t wanted to know.
The caterer and food for the reception had been another area where Harriet had taken charge. Harriet had arranged for a tasting session, and all the decisions had been made in the course of an hour and a half while nibbling on sample menus.
Cake tasting and selection was the one thing that Mattie had seemed to be the most excited about. However, she certainly hadn’t been happy about picking out a dress to wear to the wedding. Mattie's excuse for not wanting a new dress was that she really didn't like to get dressed up. Jennifer supplied Mac with the real reason the next day at the office. Even though Mattie was walking well, her confidence level and her self esteem still hadn't risen to a pre-accident level. To put it in the simpliest terms, Mattie felt awkward and unattractive. Mac had two ideas to correct that problem. One, Mattie now had to have a great dress, not just a pretty one. Two, she asked Jennifer if she knew any more about the boy, Kevin, who Mattie was crazy about in Blacksburg.
A wedding, a honeymoon, and a hearing on Mattie's permanent custody were all happening in the next couple of weeks and, if that wasn't enough, there was the transfer and move across the country. Why had she agreed to a wedding between assignments? She must be losing her mind!
The hectic atmosphere of wedding planning had been interrupted in the past three months for a few minutes for prayers of thanks. Mattie had indeed gone back to crutches at her next doctor's appointment, and she'd been doing so well that, thirty days later, she'd been allowed to upgrade to a cane. Mattie had some short term memory lapses, but, overall, she'd been doing very well. When the doctors had heard about all the changes in Mattie’s life, they'd wondered if her memory lapses had more to do with the stress in her life than with any injuries. Harm was proud of her progress, but Mattie had a surprise for him when he came home.
Another opportunity for thanks also came in July. The news that bombs had exploded in the London TUBE system had caused hours of worry for Harm's family and friends. The worry was quickly forgotten and focus was back on the wedding after Mac had finally been able to get in touch with Harm. He hadn’t been near the TUBE system at the time and was fine. Perhaps Mac was the only one who had said a word of thanks in mid August when Harm had called to say that he was back in London after his flight quals and would see her in a few weeks.
Mac had stacks of files on her desk. Most of them were finished cases needing to be sent to central filing. A couple of them were ones that she'd presided over at the end of last week, and she needed to finish reports so that they could go to General Cresswell for his final review. The stacks had purpose, but it made her feel like she wasn’t going to get done today.
Mac had ridden in with Jennifer this morning because Harm was renting a car at the airport. Mac would be starting her leave time once she got through these files, and her leave would last until October 5th when she’d be reporting to her new command. She expected Harm to arrive at JAG HQ near lunchtime, if his plane arrived on time and traffic wasn’t too bad. He was coming here because, once she was on leave, they were going to get their marriage license.
JAG Office
Falls Church, Virginia
Mid day
As he approached the building that housed JAG Headquarters, Harm stopped for a moment, taking in the familiar sights, sounds and smells of the place. As he stood there, he let his mind reflect for a moment. If someone were to write a book about the life of Harmon Rabb, Jr., it should be written in two volumes. Volume one would be about the boy who'd become a man too soon by searching for his father in a place where most men were afraid to go. The first volume would end with the 'death' of his career as a naval aviator on the deck of a carrier many years later. The second volume would begin here, where his next career was born and through which he'd meet the woman who'd capture his heart.
A nervousness had filled him yesterday, making it hard for him to sleep last night or on the plane this morning. He was sure that grooms who'd gone before him would understand - he was getting married in two days! He was marrying a woman whom, at one time, he'd come to believe would never be his. He loved her so much that it scared him at times and invigorated him at others. His thoughts of Mac and their future caused a surge of energy to course through him and he pulled the door open to enter the building with renewed excitement.
As he came out of the elevator and entered the bullpen area, he scanned the space for familiar faces while his eyes made a path to see if Mac was in her office. The door was shut and the office was dark. Mac wasn't in. She was expecting him so he knew that she'd be back. His eyes moved away from her office and towards his old one. The nameplate above the door read: Lt. Commander Bud Roberts. His eyes then darted to Bud’s old office. The nameplate over Bud’s old office read: Lt. Gregory Vukovic. Reading the guy's name made him queasy. He’d only worked with him once, but he really didn’t like the guy. Of course, if he were questioned about his opinion of the guy, it would center on scuttlebutt, the rumors after the JAG conference in San Diego, to be more precise. The rumor that Vukovic had made a play for Mac there fueled most of his dislike.
Out of the corner of his eye, movement caught his attention. It was Bud asking Lt. Douglas, whom he’d met at the Roberts' cookout, to do a records search and several other pre-trial tasks. Listening to Bud's requests reminded Harm of the times when he'd asked Bud for the same type of help…it seemed so long ago. The activity in the bullpen reminded Harm of his days of investigations and courtroom battles. The memory of the excitement of investigations and the drama of courtroom battles saddened Harm a little. He liked the feeling of accomplishment that achieving the rank of captain and getting his own command had provided, but he missed the 'rush' that he got in the courtroom. The staffing decisions that he’d made and his command style seem to be a perfect fit to that office and climate, and it was running smoother than anyone had expected, including himself.
Harm was still reconciling his achievements with his losses when a familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. It was Bud. Mac was upstairs and should be back in a few minutes. Bud invited Harm into his office to wait for Mac. They talked about Mattie, Harriet, his kids, and the upcoming wedding. Harm made sure to thank Bud for his assistance in getting Mac’s uncle permission to travel to her wedding from the probation department. Bud was trying not to burst with pride that Harm had chosen him as his Best Man. Bud and Harm visited for about twenty minutes before duty called Bud away.
Mac had passed Bud’s office on her way back to hers, but since his door had been closed, she'd had no idea that the person with whom Bud was speaking wasn’t a client, but rather her sailor, so she'd proceeded to her office. Harm would be here soon, and she had a few things to finish up.
Twenty Minutes Later…
Mac had her head down, concentrating on proofreading the report that she was adding to the last file folder. Harm rapped lightly on the doorframe. She didn’t look up.
“Enter.”
He decided to see how engrossed she was in her reading. “Ma’am, do you have the wedding file?”
She was in lawyer mode and didn’t look up, but grabbed at a stack of file folders. “I don’t remember being assigned the wed…” Her voice trailed off as the recognition of his voice caught in her head. She lifted her eyes to see Harm standing in front of her desk.
He smiled down at her. “You don’t remember being assigned the wedding case? I must be in the wrong place then."
Mac smiled. He looked good in uniform, but he was looking mighty fine in his jeans and shirt at the moment. His voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
“It doesn’t look like you’re ready yet. I was hoping to grab some lunch. My stomach is on London time and it’s almost dinnertime there, and I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“I got a snack earlier. Why don't you get something from the cafeteria? I’m almost done here. I shouldn't be too much longer."
They smiled at each other, and Harm nodded in agreement at her suggestion. The desire to be close enough to embrace or kiss was evident to both of them as they looked into each other's eyes.
Downstairs in the cafeteria, Sturgis approached Harm as he sat eating his lunch. Harm asked Sturgis why he hadn’t taken his old office. Sturgis first joked that it was because the office had ‘bad vibes’ before explaining that he’d be moving into the colonel’s office when it became vacant. Harm appreciated Sturgis' father's help in securing the new location for the wedding and agreeing to officiate, and he communicated that to Sturgis. Harm knew from the email discussions with Mac about her old apartment what some of the answers might be, but, as a means to reconnect with his old friend, he asked about Varese. Sturgis made a few wise cracks about Harm’s end of bachelor status, and Harm returned fire with a jab or two that, from what he’d heard, Sturgis would be the next bachelor to fall. The two men who’d been friends and had become rivals were now having a friendly chat and a laugh or two. Harm wondered which one of them had changed. Maybe it was a combination of both. It was soon time for Sturgis to return to work, and Harm said that he’d go up with him to see what was taking Mac so long.
When he reached the bullpen, he saw a petty officer in Mac's doorway, removing a couple of boxes from her office, and heard her voice from inside. “Those boxes go to central filing.”
The petty officer acknowledged her instructions and left. Harm moved into the doorway to see that Mac’s desk was clear except for a box of personal items with her uniform laying crumpled across the top. She’d changed into civilian clothes and was now wearing gray slacks and a light blue blouse. He moved closer to her, and they greeted each other with a short, sweet kiss.
“Is this everything?” he asked, looking at the box on her desk.
“Yes,” she said as she took one last look around the room.
He reached for the box. “Then let’s go.”
They crossed the bullpen with her hand grasping his elbow. Leaving today was easier for her than the last time that she'd had orders to report to San Diego. The last time, she’d felt as if she were leaving her life behind. This time, she felt as if she were heading towards the life that she’d always dreamed about.
North of Union Station
Early Evening
Mac had begun packing, and boxes were stacked around the apartment. Mac and Harm entered the apartment one after the other. Harm was carrying the box from her office, and Mac was carrying their marriage license and a bag of Chinese food for dinner. Once they’d cleared the threshold, they moved to put down their loads.
They’d held hands on and off since he’d picked her up at JAG and they'd shared a couple of brief kisses in the car, suitable for a public place, but they were alone at the moment behind closed doors, so he moved quickly to a place behind her.
Mac was at the counter, putting down the bag of Chinese food. She was going to turn to ask him to go get Mattie while she got out some plates, but before she could, she felt Harm’s breath on the back of her neck. She turned slowly as she felt his arms wrap around her. Once in his embrace, their lips found their way to each other in a kiss that was both loving and passionate. When their lips parted, she leaned against his firm body, relishing in the moment of togetherness. It was a short lived moment because a tap on the door a second later warned that they'd no longer be alone. The door swung open. “I told Julia that I'd heard you come home.”
Harm released Mac to both of their dismay, though he was glad to see Mattie. Mattie had taken several steps into the apartment before Harm realized that she was walking without using anything for support. When she reached him, unlike the awkwardness of their first hug, his arms went around her immediately. Harm was so overcome with emotion that he closed his eyes and, for a moment, he was speechless.
Mac knew that Harm was holding back tears of joy at seeing his daughter walking again and felt as if she were invading on a very private moment, so she moved to close the door that the excited teenager had left open. After she'd closed the door, Mac turned around, and his eyes met hers.
“You knew about this, MacKenzie?”
“She wanted to surprise you, so I didn’t tell."
He gave Mattie another brief squeeze before pulling back and looking down at her. “I’m so proud of you.”
With the hug broken, Mattie was standing at Harm's side and added more information. "I've been using the cane less and less. The doctor says that he wants me to take it with me to school, the mall, you know, places where I might be walking a lot, but I haven't been using the cane here at the two apartments in weeks."
He and Mac both got choked up when Mattie thanked them for being there for her when she needed someone the most. Mattie was choked up too as she hugged Mac first and then Harm.
Mac watched Harm and Mattie hug. Seeing the paternal side of him was a double-edged sword. Her heart felt joy that he was the right man to father her child, but her heart was also weighted by the sadness that the odds were slim that that would ever happen for them. She'd told him about the chances, and he'd said that it was okay. She needed to quit thinking about it, enjoy the fact that he was home, and be happy that they were going to be married in two days. “We should eat our dinner before it gets cold,” she announced.
Mac went next door to let Julia know that she was home and that she could go for the day, then she returned to the apartment to eat dinner with Harm and Mattie. As they ate, the topics ranged from how Mattie liked Julia to questions about Harm's parents, who were arriving tomorrow, and Mac's uncle, who was also flying in tomorrow. Mattie couldn't resist the topic of the wedding either, but not just reviewing the order of events. She started relating a list of things that she'd seen on a television show about wedding diasters. Harm looked to Mac to see if Mattie's ramblings about what could go wrong was bothering her. Mac commented that she wasn't worried about the wedding plans going off smoothly because, if they could get away from poachers in the middle of nowhere, she was sure that they'd get through the wedding no matter what happened. Mac's comment led to the telling of the story about being chased by poaches after having to put down Harm's plane because of a fuel line problem.
Once the dishes were cleared, there was a discussion about tomorrow's schedule. A movie was the night's planned entertainment, but about halfway through the movie, Mattie noticed that Harm was yawning and excused herself by saying, "I've watched this movie before with Jen, and if I'm going to meet my new relatives tomorrow, I'd better get some sleep." After a round of hugs and goodnights, Harm walked to the door with Mattie and watched from the doorway until she was safely inside the apartment that she shared with Jennifer.
Mac made her way up to the bedroom while Harm was watching over Mattie. Harm's dress whites were hanging up and his bags were next to the bed. He'd apparently come by the apartment before he'd come to pick her up at the office. Not thinking about Harm being in the apartment, she began to undress for bed. When Harm came up the steps, his eyes were delighted by the sight of Mac standing next to the bed in just her bra and panties. Sensing his eyes on her, she turned to face him. "I was getting ready for bed. I should have changed in the bathroom."
"You could sleep in what you have on...or in nothing at all."
His gaze was making her weak in the knees. He was moving towards her.
"Thought you were tired, sailor," she said breathlessly.
He embraced her as his lips claimed hers. She responded to the intense kiss and, when his tongue slid across her lower lip, her lips parted involuntarily, and soon their tongues were dancing inside her mouth. The kiss decreased in intensity and the pressure of his lips on hers began to ease. "Unless you have some kind of pre-nuptial rule..." His eyebrow rose. "...I'm not too tired."
Her lips missed the warmth of his, and his hand on her back felt as if it were burning its imprint on her. They hadn't seen each other in three months, and she wanted him. Her arms went up around his neck. "I believe that superstition or tradition applies only to the night before the wedding." She managed to utter the entire sentence before hers lips met his in steamy kiss.
At the end of the steamy kiss, she took off his shirt, and, during the next kiss, a flick of his wrist released the clasp of her bra. It wouldn't take long for their love and the time apart to have them out of their clothing and making love before settling into each other's arms and allowing themselves to succumb to the sleep that they both needed.
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