Episode 1 | Hi (And you are?...)

JAG~*~*~*~*JAG~*~*~*~*JAG~*~*~*~*JAG

Week 1: Wednesday

7:30 pm
Malibu  

The cameras were rolling and Harm was sweating by the bucket loads. He was also starting to have second thoughts. He’d once claimed, "I'm not a chauvinist.” And Mac being Mac, as usual had an answer ready for him without missing a beat.

"No, you’re not. You're arrogant which can be interpreted as chauvinist.” And that he may be, Harm mused, but he wasn’t an exhibitionist. Shooting the JAG commercial had admittedly, had its fun moments being the focal point for the cameras. However this, this was going to be like being the main tourist attraction at your local zoo. And that didn’t even take into account the twenty-four potential Hollywood actresses-to-be.

Ready or not, hereee we go. Watching the first limo glide in up the driveway, Harm fought the urge to place his hands on his hips as he normally would whilst in uniform. But he’d imagine that image wouldn’t make a particularly welcoming gesture. Instead, he placed his arms in front, right hand clasping over the left.

The sleek black limo arrived, carrying lady after lady for Harm to meet and greet. He’d lost count of the number of bachelorettes he’d already greeted, as he waited for the latest arrival. The limo door was opened to reveal a high heeled silver stiletto, one long leg sliding out elegantly from the darkened confines of the luxury car. He didn’t know how he knew, (if he was honest, it was because he’d spent a fair amount of time admiring her legs over the years), but Harm knew Mac had arrived. His smile grew, as his gaze followed up its shapely contours to see indeed, the glorious figure of Sarah MacKenzie in a low-cut dress.

       “Hi there, Harmon Rabb Jr.,” he made the obligatory greeting in low undertones, laced with a touch of intimacy.   

“Nice to meet you, Harmon. Sarah MacKenzie.” As Harm’s warm lips touched her cheek, she wondered nostalgically, what if we had really met like this? No Lt. Commander, no Major and not a trace of military protocol in the air.

@}->- * @}~>~~~ * @-->-->---

Chris stood beside Harm in front of the gathered group of bachlorettes, kick starting off the first evening. “Now, we’ll have Harm personally introduce himself to you all, by answering a few questions,” he paused, waiting until he had the groups complete attention.

“First off, we know you’re a JAG lawyer, which stands for Judge Advocate General. But what exactly does that mean?”

 “Basically, we prosecute and defend people accused of crimes who are serving in the Navy and Marine Corps.”

“So you’ve not actually served in our military?”

“I’d have to dispute that.” Harm smiled indulgently, knowing it was asked with deliberate ignorance. “I was an ex-fighter pilot, flying F-14s in the US Navy.” The note of pride crept in naturally. There was a short moment of silence as that piece of information was absorbed all around and then excited chatter burst out along with many ‘wows.’

Wow, they’re good. Mac thought also, for a different reason. They’ve left the juiciest detail for last. Now they’re all gonna go after him like some prized possession.

“Ladies, ladies!” Chris laughed, waving his hands for them to settle down. He turned back to Harm.

“What is it that you’re looking for in your ideal partner?”

Harm took time mulling over the question. “Someone who I can connect with emotionally of course, but also I think intellectually and in turn challenge, and be challenged by.”

“Saying that, what is something about your personality that may be a bit of a challenge for these ladies?”

“Well … I’ve been told by close friends that I have a tendency towards the obsessive.” His raised eyebrows were returned with a look from Mac that was yelling ‘understatement of the year!’

“Really, intriguing. Care to elaborate?”

Mac’s heart twirled a summersault when Harm glanced back at her as he answered. “Just some things in life that I like to hold on to.”

Chris nodded, accepting the vague answer. “Have you ever been in love?”

Only Mac could tell by the quick succession of blinks of his eyes that he was caught off guard by the question. She held her breath, wanting to know the answer as much as all the other contestants in the room.

Harm dared not look at Mac, “Yes.”

“Have you ever been heartbroken?” Chris continued to put forth the seemingly innocent questions, unawares that for two people in the room, they held poignant significance.

Harm kept his eyes firmly trained on the host. “To an extent, yes.”

“Now,” Chris paused dramatically. “The question of the night, the Blondes or the dark haired beauties?”

Harm’s eyes swept slowly around the room at all the expectant faces and broke out into a broad grin. He winked lazily, “I guess you’ll find out when I chose the perfect woman!”

9:10 pm

Harm stood lounging by the quaint brick fireplace, surrounded by four bachelorettes. His left arm propped casually on top of the mantelpiece. In hand, he held a flute of champagne, gently swishing the sparkling liquor around. A cocktail party situated in a million dollar mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, wasn’t a bad way to spend an evening. Mandy’s thickly sugar-coated voice interrupted his moment of silent musings.

“Harm, I’ll bet you were one of the college studs.”

“Actually then, you’d be placing a losing gamble,” he replied lightly. “When I was a school kid, I was too lanky and serious for my age. It wasn’t until my senior years when I made it into the basketball team, that I started becoming one of the ‘cool’ crowds.” It was the truth, but the group of women laughed gaily as if that was the most ridiculous joke they’d heard.

* @}->- *

They’d all been separated into groups of four or fives. Unfortunately for Mac, she was mingling with a group of plastic Renee Petersons. The topics were so intelligent she might as well be engaging in a conversation with little AJ. She sincerely hoped the rest weren’t all replicates of this bunch. So, her mind was currently wondering all over the place. The night made her reflect on her social life and the contemplations were a blend of melancholy and reproach. Other than those few at JAG, she really didn’t have many friends. Another part of her mind was kept on alert, wondering what ominous plot they were suppose to be investigating. And she pondered over Harm’s answers. So he had loved Diane. And been badly hurt by her. She felt sad for him and for herself. Her attention was pulled back to the conversation at hand.

“I wonder how good a kisser he is?” an ultra-slim woman called Felicity, speculated.

“Shhhhh he’s coming our way,” someone whispered urgently. Quickly there was discreet smoothing of hair and the righting of dresses.

       “Good evening ladies,” Harm smiled, briefly glancing at each woman in turn before resting his gaze on the one who stood closest to him.

“Jemma isn’t it?”

“Yes, you remembered!” she gushed with delight.

 “So, tell me something interesting about yourself Jemma,” he flashed her another disarming smile and brought the glass up to his lips.

“Well … I don’t tongue kiss or have sex until the third date.”

Harm spluttered on his drink, just managing to gulp the liquid down before it all came spraying out. “I’ll uh … be sure to keep that in mind.”

10:30 pm

Before anyone had anticipated, the ticking time had soon slipped unawares into the fading night and Harm was called to The Deliberation Room. What had a few hours ago contained carefree flirting, now permeated with tension and nervousness. A few were confident of themselves, but most were wondering if their fifteen minutes of fame with a good looking man was about to be cut short.

* @}->- *

Faces smiled back at him, flickering in the candlelight. A large poster size photo of each bachlorette was displayed on a wooden stand. Harm found the atmosphere distasteful. It’s quite morbid actually. Kind of like buying from a catalogue. His eyes quickly searched out the one picture that made all the difference. The genuine warmth he saw in Mac’s smile soon put him at ease.

The elimination process wasn’t as hard as he’d anticipated. First impressions made all the difference in this situation and before long, he’d eliminated ten of the women from the group of twenty-five.

@}~>~~~ * @}->- * @-->-->---

Next, the ladies courtship with the Bachelor begins in earnest!

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