Saving the Rabb's
Author: Kay
Classification: Angst, Romance (h/m)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none
Summary: Harm's death ends the Rabb family line.  Or does it?
Disclaimers: I don't own JAG or it characters.  DB does.

AN: This is number two for me.  If you like it, tell me. If you don't, tell
me.  Just be nice please

****************
the moment Webb poked his head into JAG HQ, Mac knew something was wrong.
When she tried to greet him, he lowered his head and detoured his course to
the admiral's office around her.  Didn't even speak to her.  

Mac wondered if this was about Harm.  Webb had sent him on some under cover
op. at Oceana Naval Air Base in VA Beach.  Harm had jumped at the assignment
when he found out he got to fly his precious F-14's. He would be posing as
the replacement for an aviator who was killed when his plane went down
without a good reason. It was believed that the pilot's chief mechanic has
been selling secrets on upgrades the US has been making on the Tomcats, and
he killed the pilot because he had been getting too close for comfort. Harm
had left two weeks ago and she hadn't heard from him since.

Almost an hour after Webb arrived, Mac was called into the admiral's office.
It wasn't until she saw the admiral that she became really worried. His eyes
were red, his face somber. The old seal's wrinkles seemed to stand out more
than usual. It almost appeared that he had been crying.

"Sir, may I ask what's wrong?"

The admiral simply stared at her for a second then quietly told her to sit.

"Mac..." he cleared his throat and tried to regain the firmness in his voice.
"Mac, there's something I need to tell you... It's about Harm." He stopped
and looked away.

With those last three words she knew.  She knew right then that she would
never see her best friend again. Never see his brilliant smile, never hear
his gentle teasing. She'd never get to tell him how she felt.

AJ was just waiting for her to speak. He knew he didn't have to say anything
else, and was grateful, for he didn't think he had the strength to say more.
He was always aware of how those two had always been able to know about each
other when something serious would arise.  And this was dead serious.
Literally.

It was a good five minutes before Mac could say anything and even then it was
just one word.  "How?" she croaked.

This time it was Webb who spoke.  He had been hiding in a corner dreading
this fatal moment.

"One of the men Harm was supposed to dig out dug him out first. Harm was
killed in a drive by at the base commissary four hours ago."

'Harm was killed...drive by...four hours' these thoughts all floated around
Mac's mind like a feather in the air.  All of a sudden the feather hit the
ground and the fact that Harm wasn't coming back hit her like a ton of
bricks. Without warning, she put her hands to her face and wailed. Mac cried
out his name over and over. The admiral got up, came around his desk and held
her till the sobbing subsided and his shirt was drenched in her tears.

When the admiral spoke again he spoke softly.  "Mac I want you to go home.
Take the next few days off.  I want you to rest for as long as you feel the
need.  You just lost a dear friend, we all did. I'll have Gunny take you
home. You OK?"

Mac numbly nodded her head and stood up. The admiral walked her to her
office, ignoring the stares from all the personnel in the bullpen. He would
have to tell them all soon. Taking extra care to avoid letting Mac see Harm's
former office, AJ escorted her out to her car where the gunny was waiting. As
they drove off, the admiral wiped a tear from his eye and turned back towards
the building. Turned to tell all off the people he cared about that Commander
Harmon Rabb Jr. wasn't coming back.

****************
Mac spent the remainder of the night with her face buried in her pillow. She
cried and cried until she had to drink some water in fear of dehydration.  
Though that was the least of her worries now.  She couldn't open her eyes and
look around her apartment without being reminded. And the reminders were
many. Everywhere around her were pictures, pictures of her and Harm. Together.
Every time she would look at one she'd break into another round of tears.

Around 2200 hrs she was forced to drag herself out of bed to answer the
persistent knocking at the door.  Deep down she hoped it would be Harm, in
all his 6' 4" glory. Smiling at her and telling her everything's all right.
But when she opened the door she found herself looking at an older, petite
woman with a tear burdened face.

"Sara Mackenzie?" asked a small weak voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm Trish Burnett, Harm's mother."

****************
Part 2

"Harm's mother? I don't understand, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. May I come in?"

"Oh I'm so sorry. Yes, please."  Mac stepped aside and allowed the older
woman to enter the apartment.

"Please sit. Can I get you any thing."

"No, I just need to speak with you."

"Ok. I'm so sorry. To lose your son in such a way must be really difficult."

"Don't be sorry. He wouldn't want you to be."

Mac smiled softly. "You're right. Harm never wanted anybody feeling sorry for
themselves."

They sat for a few minutes in an uncomfortable silence. Neither of them could
think of the right words to comfort the other. Finally, Mac spoke up.

"How'd you manage to get here so quickly?"

"I, uh, got on Franks private jet the moment I got the word from Mr. Webb.
He's the one who drove me here."

"Why'd you come here though?" She didn't mean to play 20 questions with this
woman but she was curious as to why Harm's mother would show up at her door
after hearing Harm was dead.

"Because of this." Trish took out a wrinkled envelope with "To my beloved
mother" written on it in Harm's all too familiar handwriting. "Clay gave this
to me when I got off the plane. Its one of those mission letters a person
writes when..." she couldn't finish.

"When they don't know if they'll come back," Mac finished for her.

"Yes. Well Clay said he only had time to write one. Here, I want you to read
it."

Mac took the envelope and pulled out the letter. It had a few tearstains on
it but it was still legible.

Dear Mom and Sarah,
      I only have time to write one letter so I'm writing to you both. You
know as well as I do that if you're reading this I'm gone. Just know that it
was something I had to do. Mom, I'm sorry that you have to go through this
twice. Tell Frank I'm sorry about the way I treated him. He was the only
father I never thought I had. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you more often.
I'm not being poetic here because that's all I can really say. I'm sorry and
I love you. Sarah Catherine Mackenzie, you are the only person that I've ever
allowed myself to love. I threw my chance away though. I want you to know I
had broken up with Renee before I left in hopes that when I came back, you'd
have me as yours. When you split up with Mic, I realized I had another chance
to take you forever. But I waited till things started to get back to normal
before I tried to capture your heart. God I love you and I'm sorry I didn't
tell you sooner. If I weren't gone, I'd allow you to kick my six for it. Just
remember my love. Now here's the part for both of you. As I am the last Rabb
child and with me dies the Rabb's, I left a "donation" incase what has
apparently happened, happened. Sarah, I made you a promise and I never break
my promises. I told you that on AJ's 5th B-day, we'd go halves on a child.
Well Mac, I'm keeping up my end of the deal. Will you keep up yours? Mom, if
she chooses no to, I want you to find someone, who will have my baby and give
it the Rabb name. But deep down I doubt you'll have to find such a person.
Now it is time for me to perform my duties as a Naval Commander.
                                          With All my Love,
 Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. US
Navy

Mac finished the letter and broke into another round of tears.

"He loved me?"

"Oh Sarah, more than you know. You're the only woman my son ever talked
about. Ever. When he spoke of you, it was like there was non other woman in
the world. I could just tell he was smiling when I talked to him. You know, I
never even knew that Renee existed till I showed up here last year, after
Russia."

"You didn't? But he was with her for a year." Mac was surprised that the
woman who had been with Harm for so long never reached his mother's
attention, and even more surprised that she was the only one that did.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said? Harm only loved you." Trish said this
with great admiration and quickly growing love for the young woman before her.

"He loved me. And he wants me to have his child?"

"From my understanding that's what he's always wanted. Tell me about the deal
you two made."

Mac went silent again, thinking back to the day when they made their deal.

********
H- In 5 years, if neither of us are in a relationship, we go halves on a kid.

M- You and me?

H- Yeah, with my looks and your brains, he'd be perfect.

M- Well what if she has my looks and your brains.

H- That could work too.  We got a deal?

M- Deal.

********
As the memory faded, Mac began to tell Harm's mom about their deal.

"It was the day AJ, or godson, was born. I felt like everybody was leaving
me. He was going back to flying, and Chloe was going to live with her family.
My internal alarm clock was blaring and I kept hitting the snooze button. We
were standing outside of JAG, when he proposed that in 5 years we would go
halves on a kid. If neither of us were in a relationship. I accepted. We only
had a little over two years left."

Trish smiled. "You kept track huh?"

"Down to the last day," Mac confessed through rising tears.

"Then would you accept to have his child? Be the mother of my son's baby,
even if he weren't here?" Trish knew this was a large request, but she had a
feeling her son would die all over again to make it happen.

"I would give up my career for it." Mac exclaimed with a sob and a smile.

"I don't think it has to go that far." Trish smiled and embraced the woman
who would give birth to her grandson and keep the Rabb family name alive.


Keeping The Rabb's Alive Part 3

for the next few days, Mac and Trish (or mom as Mac was to call her) spent
the next few days getting to know each other. Trish had been staying at
Harm's apartment, and the two decided that they wouldn't give the place up. 
It had too many memories and Harm had put so much effort into fixing it up
that they couldn't leave it.  Trish would take care of the rent and stay
there for the one-week every month that she would be visiting Sarah.

Over the days that Mac had off, Clay had helped her track down the clinic
where Harm had given his donation.  Not only did he manage to find it, he
arranged for the appointments, and paid for the procedure. Mac knew that Clay
felt responsible for Harm's death and wanted to do anything he could to help.
Harm was one of Clay's very few friends, and he felt that he might as well have
been the one that pulled the trigger.

Mac had also decided that she wasn't going to tell the admiral till after it
was all said and done. She didn't want him to go and tell her that it would
be a slow down for her career or that she was just being too emotional. She
already knew both of those, but nothing was going to stop her from having
this baby.

With all that was going on, Mac, Trish or both would frequently break down
and mourn the loss of their loved one.  Mc had only one regret about this
baby. The father and child would never know each other. Harm would miss
watching his son or daughter learn to crawl, walk, and talk. He would miss
everything from the first smile to the first date. And their baby would miss
the magnificent, loving man that was its father. But knowing this child would
be her only thread to him that would last her her entire life, Mac had no
second thoughts about going through with this. She loved Harm and wanted this
child. She also knew she would never love another man enough to go through
with it. Perhaps she would never love again.

She wasn't worried about father figures either. Her baby would have plenty of
those. The admiral, Bud, Clay. She bet even gunny would be a great role
model. Then there was always Frank, her baby's only grandfather.

The day of the procedure, Trish and Clay both took her in and waited in the
waiting room.  Afterwards, they all went out and had lunch at one of Harm's
favorite restaurants.

"When will you know if you're pregnant dear?" Trish was swelled with love and
was excited about the aspect of a grandchild.

"The doctor set up an appointment in two weeks.  I should know then I guess."
Mac was a little bit nervous. She instinctively put her hand on her stomach
to touch the life that may or may not be growing there.

"Mac, I want you to know that I'll be there for you and the little one
always. You need anything, you tell me." Clay went back into his 'its my
fault' mode.

"Thank you Clay, and trust me if I need any thing I'll let you know." Mac was
grateful for his friendship, and it gave her a little piece of mind to know
he was behind her.

"Your welcome. Now if you'll excuse me ladies, I must be getting back to
work." Without thinking Clay bent down, kissed Mac on the cheek, and left.

"He's such a nice young man. It's no wonder my son liked him. Now, what do
you say we go talk to the admiral?"

"Yeah, I guess we should. He needs to know about this."

When the two walked into Jag HQ about an hour later, they tried to keep a low
profile. Mac wasn't sure she could deal with everybody right then. They were
almost to the admiral's office when Harriet spotted them. She could sense that
Mac didn't want to be noticed by everybody, so she quietly made her way over
to her and the woman who she didn't recognize.

"Hello ma'am." She tried to greet Mac in her usual chipper voice but found it
hard.

"Hello Harriet, I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you lately."

"It's all right ma'am. I know how hard this must have been for you. Like it was
for me and Bud when we lost Sarah." She couldn't help but feel sorry for Mac.
She knew first hand how hard it was to loose someone you love on a whim.

"Harriet this is Trish Burnett, Harm's mother. Mom, this is Harriet."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry. I didn't know who you were. Everyone here loved your
son Mrs. Burnett. He was a great friend to all of us."

"Thank you Harriet." Trish's tone was quiet, almost thoughtful.

Harriet smiled slightly. "Well ma'ams, I must be getting back to my duties.
It was nice to meet you Mrs. Burnett."

"And the same to you, Harriet."

"Harriet maybe we could have lunch tomorrow, the three of us." Mac wanted to
tell her friend about every thing also but not with the ears of the bullpen
honed in.

"That would be great ma'am. See you later." With that, Harriet turned around
and walked off.

Tiner wasn't at his desk, much to Mac's relief, so she just quietly knocked
on the admiral's door.

"Enter."

Mac opened the door and her and Trish walked in.

"Hello sir."

"Mac what are you doing here?"

"Well first sir, this is Trish Burnett. Harm's mother."

"Yes, Mrs. Burnett, I spoke with you on the phone. I'm so sorry for your
loss. Harm was a good man. I loved him like a son."

"Thank you Admiral Chegwidden."

"Please, Call me AJ."

"Thank you AJ."

AJ told them to have a seat and went back behind his desk and sat down.

"Now what is it you've come to see me about?"


Part4

"Well sir, I have to tell you something that may affect my career, but I
intend on handling it and I won't let it affect my job any more than it has
to" Mac took a deep breath. She'd have to work on breathing while talking.

"What is it Mac?"

"Sir, earlier today I had a procedure done..." She paused not really knowing
how to continue.

Instantly the admiral was worried. "What happened? Are you Ok? You're not
sick are you?"

"No sir. It's quite to the contrary actually. It's just, uh, that...oh I
don't know how to say it."

Trish noticed the younger woman's discomfort and tried to think of something.
Then she remembered...

"Here AJ, maybe this will explain." Trish handed AJ Harm's letter.

The admiral took a look at it and knew immediately what it was.

"This is a 'dead man's last words' letter." He noted quietly.

"Yes sir. Apparently Harm was getting himself into something bigger than we
knew." Mac said in a hushed tone. "Read it sir."

AJ put on his glasses and started to read the letter. Mac and Trish watched
as the emotions on the admiral's face changed like the direction of the wind.
When he was done, Mac could have sworn she saw a tear quiver, unshed, in his
eye.

"Well Mac, it appears the commander had very strong feelings for you."

"Yes sir, and I shared those feeling for him. I just didn't share them with
him." Mac was almost in tears again.

"And I'm going to assume that you've agreed to carry out his wish." It wasn't
a question.

"Yes, sir."

AJ sighed and gazed at the women seated before him. It was a few minutes
before he spoke again.

"This isn't something you’re doing out of guilt or sorrow is it?"

"No, sir!’ Mac replied firmly, and squeezed Trish’s hand to brace her for
what she had to say next. "This is about my love for a man I’m never going
to see again. I’m going to be given the gift of watching him grow up in our
child. Sir, I strongly believe that if we had said something to each other
earlier, if we had gotten our heads out of our sixes before now, this would
already be happening. Only difference is Harm’s not here for it. Know that
I’m not some over emotional grieving widow that couldn’t tell up from down
right now, I am a full-grown woman, a LT. Colonel in the United States Marine
Corps, and I am fully capable of making such a decision. This child will be
loved by it’s family, blood related or not, and by both parents, regardless
if one isn’t here or not."

The admiral smiled warmly, ignoring the somewhat harsh tone Mac had taken to
him.

"A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed Mac." He got up and hugged her,
surprising both Mac and himself.

Mac let out the breath she wasn’t aware she was holding and took in oxygen.
She really had to work on breathing while talking.

AJ pulled slightly away from her and looked straight into her eyes.

"I said that Harm was like a son to me. Well you’re like a daughter to me
Mac, and I do anything to help my family. Now I want you to go home, get some
rest...and take care of my grandchild."

They both smiled and embraced once again. Trish watched the scene unfold,
knowing that her son was smart in choosing his family. The man before her was
always spoken highly of, and it was no secret that Harm trusted this man with
his life, personal and professional as well.

The admiral escorted the two women out to the car and saw them off. When they
were out of sight, he walked back into the building feeling like any proud
father would feel.

As promised, Mac and Trish met Harriet for lunch the next day. Once Mac told
Harriet about her activities the day before, Harriet grew ecstatic and
shrieked for joy.

"Oh ma’am that’s so great! I’m so happy for you. I think it’s so wonderful
that you loved the commander enough to do this."

"Thank you Harriet, and it’s not ma’am. It’s Sarah or Mac, not ma’am. I was
devastated when I learned what happened and I’m glad I was given a chance to
do something like this."

"That explains why you called Trish ‘mom’ yesterday. I think it’s so nice
that you two are going through this together."

"Oh it’s not just us dear. Clayton has been a great help. He even paid for
the procedure. I think he feels guilty about my son’s death."

"Webb? Wow, that’s great. Half the bullpen thought you’d have killed him by
now Sarah."

"'Twas my first thought. Well, maybe second."

Harriet sobered as she watched her friend’s demeanor change from one of joy
to one of sadness.

"I’m so sorry Sarah, I didn’t mean to say anything..."

"No, it’s ok Harriet. It’s just that well, I...I...I miss him so much."
With that she broke into tears, causing Harriet to break into tears of guilt.
All the crying made Trish, a usually very strong woman, break into tears as
well. The three sat there crying, trying to comfort each other, all the while
getting sad looks from the rest of the people in the restaurant. Finally, Mac
managed to pull herself together.

"Oh look at us. A bunch of women crying over something we can’t change,
something that has already been cried over. We’ve got to get a handle on
ourselves." While she didn’t believe a word of her preaching, the other two
seemed to take it to heart and gathered themselves up.

The rest of the lunch passed uneventfully. Discussion of the baby seemed to
hold them all together. To them, to talk of a new life yet to be born, seemed
to lessen the grip of the death of the old one. To allow themselves to bask
in the glow of hope and plan for the future of a baby that would fill it’s
fathers shoes in the world, lightened their hearts of the dark shadow that
hung lifelessly over their hearts. It would be the birth of a new child to
provide a flicker of light in the dark world.

..
****************

********
Part5

One week later...

Mac sat in the cold, hard, chair next to Trish. She couldn’t keep still. It
didn’t seem that she had ever been this nervous or anxious in her life. While
waiting she had taken to playing with her hands, twisting her Marine Corps
ring, cracking her knuckles, picking at her fingernails. When she started
tapping her fingers on the magazine sitting in her lap, Trish placed her
hands over Mac’s to silence the irritating noise. Mac couldn’t help but
smile when she looked up at the older woman.

"I’m sorry mom. I’m just so nervous. What if the tests come back and I’m
not..."

"Don’t even start to think such things dear. Don’t think about what you
would do if you’re not, think about nine months from now when you’ll be
holding that little bundle of joy in your arms."

"I’m trying, but the more I think about it, the more I get the feeling that
I’m jinxing myself. What if..."

She was interrupted by the receptionist calling her.

"Ms. Mackenzie?"

"Yes?"

"Will you follow me please?" With that the nurse turned and walked down the
corridor.

Mac stood up and hugged Trish. "Here goes everything." She sighed nervously.

"I’ll be waiting right here Sarah." With a final squeeze of hands, Mac
headed down the hall after the nurse.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, the doctor walked in. He was short and
pudgy with just a few whisps of gray hair.

"Sarah." Started the man.

"What’s the verdict?" Mac asked nervously.

"Congratulations, you’re going to have a baby."

Mac let out a huge gasp and rested her hands on her stomach. Tears of joy
swelled up in her eyes.

For the next half hour, the doctor gave her instructions on keeping a healthy
baby. He gave her pamphlets, and prescribed some pre-natal vitamins. When Mac
finally walked back out into the lobby, she was surprised to find not only
Trish, but Clay waiting as well.

"How’d it go dear?"

Mac took in a deep breath and smiled. "I’m pregnant!"

Trish gasped and engulfed her new daughter in a giant bear hug. After Trish
was done, Clay hugged her as well, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Congratulations Mac. I’m real happy for you."

"Thanks Clay."

"I’m going to be a grandma!" Trish shouted and they all laughed.

Four days later, Trish had to go home to Frank and her regular life. Mac saw
her to the gate and waved good-bye as she got on the plane.

Instead of going home, Mac decided to go for a drive and see where she ended
up. It would be too quiet without Mom to keep her company. Much to her
surprise, Mac found herself pulling into the parking lot for the Lincoln
Memorial. She walked the familiar path to the black wall bearing the names of
all the men who had fought and died in a tragic war. She walked the path she
knew Harm had taken many times to the one name that was carved in the hard
stone.  She touched the name, tracing the letters as she had seen him do so
many times before.

"Sir, I’m sure you know me. I’ve got some news for you. I’m going to give
birth to your grandchild. I loved...love your son so much. I wish he could be
here to watch our baby grow. This place is so calm, no wonder Harm felt at
ease here. It feels nice to talk to someone even if they’re not able to talk
back. I want you to know that this baby will know who you are. It’ll know who
its father is too. I’ll never let the memories of you two die. Not while
I’m still here."

Mac stood silently for a while, just looking around. She could see the
blossom’s on the trees that lined the reflecting pool just starting to push
them selves into the sunlight. She saw a group of children on what looked
like a field trip climbing the stairs to the great monument of Abraham
Lincoln. All around her she saw life, and now inside her was life. She turned
back to the wall, to the name.

"Sir, I’ll be going now. I give you and your son all my love. Until later."
With that, she walked away, feeling the slight breeze that blew through the
area.

Over the next few weeks, Mac’s life carried out as normally as it could be
without Harm. Though it seemed Clay was around quite a bit.  Nowadays though,
she didn’t mind his visits. He was always taking her out to lunch or bringing
her something. He was always cautious around her, like he didn’t want her to
break. Some days it annoyed her to no end, some days it felt real nice, but
most days it just made her think that that’s how Harm would be acting if he
were there.

There were rumors that Mac and Clay were dating but Harriet always managed to
shut them up without giving away the secret. It was still a secret because Mac
wanted it to stays so until it became obvious. She felt that that way she
could keep a part of Harm to herself for just a little while longer.

Every time Mac walked by Harm’s old office she could just imagine him sitting
behind the big desk, leaning back in his chair and smiling at her. She had
long ago taken home his things, but the office still had him in it. The
admiral had yet to find a replacement, so it remained empty. At least to
everyone else it did.

Harriet was a very big help. During Mac’s sick spells, Harriet would always
cover for her, and then go into the ladies room and comfort her. Also,
Harriet would explain all the emotions Mac felt, and was usually the only one
who could tolerate Mac’s mood swings.

Some days, the two would go out to lunch or go baby shopping. Mac was saved
the trouble of having to look for furniture, because between AJ’s old stuff
and the family antiques Harm’s family provided, she was covered.

Mac found herself babysitting AJ more and more. Even when Trish came back,
Mac would take AJ, and the three would go out.

One day when Mac and Trish had taken AJ to the park, Mac would always find
her self-imagining her child doing these things in a few years. She also
remembered sitting there with Harm, imagining that they’re godson was
theirs, and they were out for a family day in the park. Now she was about to
get what she had always dreamed of, but instead of Harm, her baby would be
coming with an ‘uncle’. Every time Mac drifted off into her own world, Trish
would firmly remind her that everything would be fine. Harm wouldn’t miss a
thing, and that in fact he was getting a front row seat to watch his baby
grow up.

Having Trish around was a big comfort to Mac. Her own mother wasn’t this
loving, and Mac was afraid that if it weren’t for Trish, she wouldn’t know
how to be a loving mommy herself. At first Mac was amazed at how easy it was
to call her ‘mom’, and soon realized that even though she wasn’t her real
mother, that’s exactly what Trish was.

The next two months passed relatively the same. Through her uniform, one
couldn’t tell Mac was pregnant and for that she was grateful. She still had
at least a month before she had to switch to a really obvious uniform, but
for now a bigger skirt would suffice. Even though her uniform didn’t show it,
any woman would have been able to recognize the small smile that hinted at
Mac’s face, or the way she subconsciously placed her hand on her tummy. Just
those two little clues were enough to set off rumors. Eventually Mac had to
set it all straight.

********
Part 6

Harriet walked into the kitchen intent on making Mac some tea, when she saw
Lt. Singer, Carolyn, Tiner, and Mattoni all gathered round.

"I'm betting she is and that it's Webb's." Harriet heard Singer say.

"Who is what and what is Webb's?" Harriet questioned. No one had seen her
come in and she surprised them all.

At first they were all silent but soon Carolyn spoke up. "We think that Col.
Mackenzie is having Clayton Webb's baby."

Harriet almost moved to correct her but caught herself as Tiner spoke.

"What do you think ma'am? You're the closest to her, you should know."

They all perked up. They hadn't thought about that.

Trying to think quickly, Harriet blurted, "I haven't noticed anything, what
makes you all say that?"

Without waiting for an answer, she walked out of the kitchen and headed
straight for Mac's office.

Mac heard the soft tapping on her door and gave the call of 'enter'. When
Harriet walked in, Mac smiled.

"What can I do for you Harriet?"

"Ma'am, no Mac is better for this. Mac I was just in the kitchen and I heard
people talking."

"About what?"

"Well, it seems people are starting to figure out your secret, but..." She
couldn't figure out how to get the last part out.

"But what? Come on Harriet what are they saying?"

"Everyone thinks the baby is Clay's."

Mac sat silent for a minute, pondering the information she just received. 'Is
it that obvious? How do people know? And why do they think its Clay's?
Probably cause he's been waiting on you hand and foot. Probably cause he
takes you out for lunch almost every day. If it were me I'd probably be think
the same thing. Well, It's not true. It has to be fixed.'

"Harriet I've got an idea. As the unofficial head of the grapevine, you are
going to put the truth out there quietly. Act like I don't know you know.
That way, rumors are dismissed and I don't have to walk out and make a big
announcement about it. Can you do that?"

"I'll do anything you want Mac."

"Thank you Harriet, for being such a good friend."

"No need to thank me." Harriet smiled and left.

Harriet wasted no time putting the truth out there. She just started with the
bigger mouths and moved down. Which meant Carolyn, Tiner, and Singer. At
least this way if the news turned negative in any way, she'd know who started
it. It was all the buzz for a few weeks but it all died down after a while.

It was a good thing the truth had been told though because if it hadn't,
rumors would have exploded the day Mac walked in in a maternity uniform. She
hadn't gotten any congratulations up until then because everyone still
thought she didn't know they knew. 

That morning had been a trying one, even for Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie. 
She spent the entire morning trying to make her hair look good with the new
uniform. When she finally accomplished that, she headed to work only to find
a pile up on the Beltway. When she was late to work, she was summoned to the
admiral's office. That trip was held up by anyone and everyone who saw her
new attire. Finally, she managed to make it to the admiral's office. She
knocked on the door and entered.

"Well well well. Is this Colonel Mackenzie I see late today?" The admiral
said without looking up.

"Yes sir. Sorry sir, traffic was hell." Mac sighed.

"On the Beltway or in the Bull-pen?" He looked up and smiled.

She smiled back. "Both sir."

"I'll bet. Sit down Mac."

"Thank you sir." Mac sat down and allowed herself to breath.

"Your mother called me today."  Her mother being Trish. Over the past months
that who she was and the admiral knew it.

"Really, why sir?"

"Well it seems she tried to call you this morning but you weren't home so she
called me. She said she wont be able to make her usual stay this month."

"Oh, did she say why?" Mac was saddened a little. Her mom's visits were always
special and something she looked forward to.

"Only that Frank is going on a business trip to Alaska and that, as much as
she would like to come here, she would be traveling with him for health
reasons. She said he needed her to come along to keep track of his
medication." 

The news of Frank's medication wasn't a surprise to her.  After he had had a
heart attack last month, Mac had flown out to see him. Both her and Trish
tried to convince him to take it easy, but it seemed that Harm and him had
one thing in common.  Stubbornness. So now he was on meds and was usually too
busy to remember to take them. If Trish was away and he was home, the house
keeper would help him but since he needed to travel, Mac understood.

"Well I guess I can live with that. I want him to live to see his grandchild
at least." She said this with a smile.

"Yes I'd say so. Changing the subject, guess who I met up with last night."

********
Part 7

"I could only imagine sir."

AJ smiled. "Tiner, could you send in our guest please."

"Yes sir," came the reply. Mac turned around as best she could to see who
was entering the room.

"Grams!" Mac smiled and stood up to hug the older woman. They embraced and
shared greetings and chatted until they heard the admiral’s throat clearing.
When both Sarah's were seated, the admiral began.

"Did I forget to mention that your mother arranged to have Mrs. Rabb come
down in her place?"

"Why yes sir, I believe you did."

"Well Trish didn’t want you to spend so much time alone dear. Besides, I
love seeing my favorite granddaughter. Not to mention my great-grandson on
the way."

"Only Granddaughter." Mac smiled. "And we still don’t know if it’s going to
be a boy yet. I want to wait."

"Of course we don’t, but call it a woman’s intuition. Child, are you OK?"

Grams had seen Mac’s smile turn to an expression of pain and surprise. The
admiral noticed it too.

"Mac do we need to get you to a doctor?" AJ asked worriedly.

"No I’m fine." Mac’s smile returned. "The baby just moved for the first
time."

"Jeez Colonel, give a man a heart attack." The admiral relaxed and eased
back into his chair.

"Oh dear, see what I mean? Only a Rabb man lets you know that he knows when
he’s being talked about." They all laughed a little.

"Mrs. Rabb can I get you anything?" The admiral asked.

"Oh no thank you. And it’s Grams. I don’t care who you are. I may only be
old enough to be your mother, but to anyone and everyone, I’m Grams. I wont
tell you again." She finished with strength in her voice that would make any
CO proud.

"Well then Grams, It’s AJ."

"AJ." She repeated.

Just then, Mac remembered what the admiral had said earlier.

"Sir, what did you mean when you said you ran into her last night?"

"I picked her up at the airport and dropped her off at Harm’s."

"I wanted to surprise you today dear. So I called AJ here and he readily
agreed."

"Always happy to help." He smiled.

Mac had court that morning, so Grams spent the day getting to know Harriet
and the rest of the JAG staff. At lunch, Mac filled Grams in on appointments,
how the baby was growing, and they planned out the two weeks Grams would be
spending there. Grams promised she would attend all the baby check-ups with
Mac, as Trish would do. She would also be staying at Harm’s like Trish would.

Grams had brought down lots of pictures of Harm as a boy. The next few days
were spent sharing stories about Harm that he had failed to mention to Grams,
or stories Trish didn’t know about while he grew up on the farm every
vacation.

They were both laughing one night at Harm’s place over one of his boyhood
stories. Grams was telling her about the time when he was 9 she had found him
and the neighbors granddaughter Traci in the barn.

"And then he looked at me, looked back at her and said, ‘Grams knows how to
kiss, how comes you don’t?’ Well that girl got beet red, marched straight up
to him and said, ‘I’ll teach you Harmon Rabb Jr!’ She grabbed him by the
head, pulled him in, and gave him a big smooch right on the lips! His eyes
got big as the moon, and he blushed like a rose. When she stormed off, I
asked him how he liked his first kiss and he told me he was in love."

Mac was nearly in tears after hearing the story. She always knew Harm had a
way with women. As they continued laughing the night away neither of them
realized how late it was until Mac walked in the kitchen and noticed the
clock on the oven. It was nearly 2330 hrs. She started to gather her stuff
and head out the door when Grams stopped her.

"Sarah Mackenzie! Where do you think you’re going at this time of night in
this neighborhood?" Mac had to smile. Now she knew where Harm got his spunk.

"Grams, it’s late and I’ve got to get home."

"Nonsense young lady. You’re staying right here and I’m not taking no for an
answer. You come here. We’ll suit you up in some of Harm’s old stuff I
noticed in the closet, and we’ll share that king size bed in there."

Who was going to argue with that? Definitely not Mac. She set her stuff down
and walked towards the bedroom.

The next morning, Mac awoke to find that she had just had the best nights
sleep for as long as she could remember. Harm’s room and clothes just made
him feel so close. That close feeling relaxed her to no end. When she left,
she took the sweats she had slept in the previous night with her. If they
could help give her a good nights sleep every night, then she was all for it.

Three days before Grams had to leave, the two women went to Mac’s doctor's
appointment.

"Well Sarah, the baby’s growing quickly. It’s got a strong heartbeat and
from the looks of things, is very healthy.  Have you been taking all your
vitamins?"

"Yes."

"Exercise regularly?"

"Definitely."

"Well then I believe you are going to continue to have a healthy pregnancy
and end up with a healthy baby. Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll go
schedule your next appointment." The doctor left the room, leaving Mac and
Grams alone.

"I’m glad to hear all that dear. You’re going to make a great mother."

Mac just smiled warmly. She was lost in thought as she looked at the
ultrasound photo that the doctor had given her. She loved watching her baby
move on the monitor, listening to the sound of the heartbeat fill the room,
and showing off the pictures to all her friends.

"Sarah? Are you still with me?"

"Hm? Oh sorry Grams, just thinking."

"I noticed." She chuckled slightly. "What about?"

"Just that, it’s just that sometimes I can't believe that this baby is
actually real, mine. Mine and Harm’s baby, the next Rabb. I just wish that we
made it with our love, on a special night. Just the two of us."

"Oh Sarah, it was made of your love. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have
offered. If you didn’t love him, you wouldn’t have accepted. Love is the
only thing that has to do with this baby."

Right then Mac felt better. She hadn’t thought of it that way. She smiled as
a small tear blazed its way down her cheek, and leaned into the older woman.

"Thank you Grams. I don’t know what I’d do without you or mom. You guys keep
me together at times like this."

Grams just smiled and gave Mac a little squeeze

Part8

The next two months flew by quickly. All the while the baby in Mac’s stomach
grew and grew.  Nearly 7 months into it, she relied mostly on her friends and
family.

Clay had gotten over his feeling of guilt, but still insisted on paying all
the doctor’s bills. Except for when Trish wasn’t there, he took her to all
her appointments. 

The Roberts helped her with her shopping and errands. Harriet could read her
mind like no ones business. Almost every time Mac didn’t feel like cooking,
Harriet, Bud, and little AJ would show up with dinner.

The admiral had effectively taken over what would have been Harm’s job of
worrying over every little thing she did. When she would try to move or lift
something, he would tell her to sit and let him or someone else do it.  He
even made sure there was always some one from the office in the courtroom
with her. This way, should something happen, she could get help and court
could resume.

Her new family consisted of Trish, Frank, and Grams. They were always
spoiling her and her unborn baby. Almost every week she got something in the
mail from one of them. One time, Trish and Frank had sent a letter from their
bank saying that a savings fund had been opened up for the little one when he
or she was old enough to use the money. Grams continuously sent baby
blankets, booties, pillows, stuffed animals, and other stuff her and her
friends had made.

It was September now, and Mac was strolling yet again along the black wall.
She had made it a routine to spend at least an hour every weekend talking to
Harm Sr. She remembered the first time after she had visited here after she
found out she was pregnant. The same leaves that were just opening as buds
then were now starting to flutter everywhere in all their colorful glory.
When she reached the familiar slab, she traced the lettering with her hand.

Today was one of those days where she spent her whole visit just standing in
silence. Like if she stood still enough, and quiet enough, she could feel the
presence of not only Harm Sr., but her Harm also. She could feel a slight
breeze tickle her neck. She turned around and almost screamed.

"God Clay. You scared the living shit out me! What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a nice stroll." He said innocently.

"Yeah right Clay. You don’t take strolls. Did the admiral send you to spy on
me or what?" Mac demanded.

"No Mac I swear. Ok maybe I was watching you a little, but he didn’t send
me. AJ’s not the only one entitled to worry about you." Clay tried to calm
her down.

Mac felt there was something more but she let it rest at that. Checking her
self for the time, she realized she had been there well over an hour so she
asked Clay for a moment alone. When he was a ways away, she turned back to
face the wall and said her goodbye.

Clay took her out to lunch, then, he followed her home. When he was sure she
was all settled in, he got back in his car and left.

As the seventh month rolled by, Mac went officially on maternity leave. Trish
decided she would move east for the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy. She stayed
at Harm’s less and less, instead taking Mac’s new folding out couch bed.

Mac had been forced to buy one because she found that almost every night she
had someone staying with her. Most of the time it was Clay, but every once in
awhile it was the admiral that ended up residing there. 

On this chilly October day, Mac and Trish celebrated Harm’s birthday. First,
they took a large wreath with little flags glued to it, and set it next to
Harm’s gravestone. Sarah placed the newest of her ultrasound pictures right
along with it.

After they left the cemetery, they headed to the wall so Trish could talk to
her late husband. So she could remember the birth of her son with him. Mac
watched from a distance with a tear in her eye. All of a sudden, she felt a
sharp pain. It was too strong to be another Braxton-hix like she had been
having lately. And then it hit her.

"MOM!" She shouted.

Trish turned to see why her daughter was calling her like that. "Sarah what's
wrong?"

"I...I...I think my water just broke!" Mac tried to remain calm.

"Oh lord! Come on dear we’ve got to get you to a hospital." Trish ran up to
Mac and escorted her to the car.

The whole way there, one thought ran through her mind. ‘Its too early!’ As
she tried to remember how to breath the way she learned in class, that was
all she could think of. It was scaring her and Trish could see it.

"Don’t you worry Sarah? It’s just the impatience of the Rabb's. Harm was 3
weeks early himself. It’s going to be fine, just don't worry." As Trish tried
to make the younger woman believe all she said, she was trying to convince
herself too.

"But I’m 5 weeks early! That’s over a month! Damn the Rabb's! Damn you Harm,
why can't you be with me!" Mac screamed at the top of her lungs as another
contraction hit.

"Mom they’re 8 minutes apart now! That’s not good is it?"

"Don’t you worry. Look there’s the hospital now."

They pulled up to Bethesda’s Emergency Room entrance. Two paramedics that
were standing outside saw them and rushed to assist. One of them ran in to
get help and within minutes Mac was on her way into the delivery room.

The doctor told Mac she had probably around half and hour before she was
ready to bring the next generation into the world. Trish was busy herself,
signing forms, calling everyone, and trying to calm Mac. 

1hour later found AJ pacing, Webb complaining about AJ’s pacing, and Harriet
getting a headache from both the pacing and the complaining.

"AJ if you don’t quit that I’m going to put you out of your misery." Clay
growled.

"I’d like to see you try Webb. I could have that chair you’re sitting in
wrapped around your head before..."

"Would you both just sit down and be quiet!" Harriet finally ordered. The
two men just stared at her; neither of them used to hearing the quiet young
woman take on such a forceful tone. Stunned, they both did as they were
told, regardless of who they were in comparison to her.

After a few minutes of an uncomfortable silence, Trish came out to see them.

"Harmon David Rabb III! He’s a big one, 6 lbs 11 ounces. Both Harm and Sarah
are fine." Before she could answer any questions, she was gone again,
hurrying back down the hall.

"Wow, never thought I’d hear that again." The admiral said quietly.

"Hear what?" Clay asked.

"Both Harm and Sarah are fine." He smiled.

After another hour, the three were allowed to go in and visit the new family.
When they walked in, Trish was sitting in a chair next to Mac’s bed holding
little Harm. Mac was simply watching the two with a small, tired smile on her
face. When she heard them walk in, her grin got even bigger.

"Hey guys! Come meet the newest Harmful Rabb." They all laughed and
gathered around the chair Trish was in.

later that night, when Mac was feeding little Harm, she remembered what day it
was. She looked at her baby, then up at the ceiling.

"Happy Birthday Harm, happy birthday."

Part 9   (finally)

the day little Harm was brought home from the hospital, the admiral threw a
party at his house. Everyone from the office was excited to meet the new
member of the "family."

When Mac walked in through the door holding the baby, she was immediately
swarmed. Cries of "He's so cute," and "he looks just like his daddy" and the
best one, "I'll bet he'll be trouble!" rang out through the room.

It was like a second baby shower, as gifts of toys, bottles, blankets, baby
books, and everything else imaginable was given that day. Harriet gave Mac a
book she had used after AJ, "How to Get Back in Shape After #1."

After all the presents were opened, everyone went out back to enjoy the
admiral's cooking and the unusually warm weather. Harm had started to fuss,
so Mac took him inside and laid him in his carrier. When he had settled
down, she started to head back outside when she was nearly knocked down by
Harriet. Worried for her friend, Mac followed her into the bathroom where she
found her on her hands and knees losing anything and everything she had eaten
that day. When she was done, Mac took a damp washcloth and wiped her head
with it.

"Thanks Mac."

"No problem. What's the matter Harriet?"

"Nothings the matter. It's just...I'm pregnant."

"Wow, that's great! Wait...aren't you happy?"

"Well yes but...what if what happened to Sarah happens to this baby? I don't
think I could take that."

"Oh Harriet! Don't say that! Don't even think that. It's all going to work
out fine."

"I try not to think about it, but the loss of Sarah still hurts. Even though
it was nearly 2 years ago."

"It's always going to hurt. Losing someone you love is tragic and it stays
with you. But you can't let it take over your life. Losing Harm was the most
painful thing that has ever happened to me, but I got a second chance.  I
got a new Harm. This baby is your second chance. I'm not saying it will
replace Sarah, or will it make you forget. I'm simply saying that life goes
on."

Harriet smiled and hugged Mac.

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do if it weren't for you."

"Hey, you helped me through my pregnancy, so it's my turn. Now, what do you
say we go back to the party before everyone starts to worry."

"Yeah, we better. Oh and Mac, could this just be between us for now. I want
to break it to Bud myself when I figure out how to."

"You got it."

The two rejoined the party together smiling. The rest of the evening was
filled with friendly chatter.

"So Mac, what are you going to do now?" Carolyn asked.

"Well, I was thinking of getting a new place. My apartment is so small and
unsafe for a baby. I want a place with a backyard, a few rooms, not just my
tiny cramped living quarters." Mac said thoughtfully.

"That's sounds reasonable." Carolyn agreed.

"Colonel," the admiral started. "I know a place a few streets down from here.
It's got a backyard, and from what I can tell a few rooms perfect for the two
of you. Nice neighborhood too. Why don't you check it out?"

"I'll do that sir. Thank you."

"Your welcome."

And check it out is just what she did. The next day she called the realtor
and arranged for an appointment for an open house. It seemed that only two
other offers had been placed because the house was so small. Two days later,
Mac took a tour. The house had three bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, a large eat-in
kitchen, a den, and a living room. The basement was partially furnished and
there was no attic. Mac's favorite part was the back yard. It was large and
fenced in. The grass was thick and beautiful, and there was a large tree
towards the back left corner. Mac fell in love completely.

When Mac placed her offer the realtor said she had the better chance because
she was financially sound and had a great job. The other two offers were from
young couples who were just starting out.

She was right. About a month later, Mac and little Harm moved in with the
assistance of nearly every male she knew. Even little AJ was helping; he
carried in all of Jingo's toys.

When she was settled in, everyone enjoyed the admiral's cooking yet again.
Only this time it was inside because the weather was getting cold. Mac looked
around her living room to see all of her friends laughing happily. With a
quick thought, Mac grabbed her camera to capture the moment. ' A hallmark
moment' she thought to herself. She smiled in spite of herself.

Baby's first Christmas was one of laughter and joy. Mac and Harm had driven
up to Grams' farm for the holidays. There, Trish, Frank, Gram's, Mac, and
Harm all shared their first Christmas together. Mac was glad that her son
would always have this family to share the good and bad times with, like she
never had.

Christmas morning, a persistent ringing in her ears awakened Mac. She
headed down the stairs and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Rabb residence."

"Merry Christmas Mac."

"Clay? Merry Christmas. What are you calling for?"

"Well I have a present that you might enjoy. Actually, I think Harm would
have enjoyed it better, but you'll still like it."

"Clay what is it already?"

"Open the front door."

Mac was getting exasperated. She walked to the front door and swung it wide
open.

"Clay? And who are...Oh my god Sergie!"

"Hello, beautiful colonel."

Part10

"May we come in Mac?" Clay asked.

Mac ‘gave her head a shake’ and let the two men come in. They all stood
there in silence. Mac had a hundred questions racing through her head and
Clay didn’t know how to start explaining. Finally, Sergei broke the other two
out of their reverie.
"I was told this is where my grandmother lives. What are you doing here
Colonel?"

Mac thought for a minute then looked to Clay. "You didn’t tell him?"

"I figured it wasn’t my place to."

Sergei was confused. "Tell me what? Is my grandmother not well?"

Sarah was about to enlighten the young man when a loud wail trailed its way
from upstairs.

"Excuse me guys."

As she headed up the stairs, Sergei looked at Clay. "What do I not know?
What’s going on?"

"You’ll see," Clay replied simply.

A few minutes later, Mac came down the stairs carrying a now settled baby
wrapped in a light blue blanket.

"Sergei, meet your nephew, Harmon David Rabb III. Little Harm, meet your
uncle, Sergei."

Mac gently handed Harm to a dumb founded Sergei. She instructed him on how to
hold the young infant’s head, and how to feed him. Sergei simply gazed at the
young life he held in his arms.

"This is my brother’s son?" Sergei questioned in his heavy Russian accent.

"Yes, that’s right."

"You are the mother right? That’s why you’re here?"

"Yes, right again." Mac said with a smile.

Sergei chuckled a little. "You two were closer than I thought."

"Actually, we weren’t. I’ll explain later but this baby was conceived after
your brother’s death.  Right now, I want to hear the story of why you two are
here this glorious Christmas morning."

For the first time since Mac came back down stairs, Clay spoke. "Sergei was
released last week along with 10 other POW’s. Somebody was finally able to
talk the Chechnyian rebel’s into a prisoner swap. It would have happened
months ago had it not been for Harm’s death."
Sergei took a moment the continued Clay’s story. "It wasn’t until I got home
that I learned of my brother.  Mr. Webb was there to pick me up. When I asked
him where we were going, he said to meet my new family. So here we are."

"I see." Mac said. "Did anyone else, Grams for say, know you were coming?"

"No, but I need you to keep Sergei with you Mac. I can’t stay. In fact, I
should leave now." With that, he grabbed his coat and walked out. He didn’t
even give Mac a chance to say ‘Merry Christmas’.

Mac looked over at her son sleeping peacefully in his uncle’s arms.  "You’re
good with him." She said softly.

"Thank you. I’ve never really been around a baby before."

"Well my guess is you’ll be around this one a lot." She sighed and thought a
moment. "What are you plans?"

"I thought about going back to Washington. Clay said that you keep my
brother’s home still and that I might be able to stay there. He also told me
about a college program called ROTC. I might do that."

"That would be great for you. But you don’t know Washington. Why don’t you
stay with me until you get on your feet."

"I do not wish to...how do you say it...impose."

"Sergei you’d be doing anything but imposing. Please, I insist. I promise,
after you're  well off, I’ll help you move into Harm’s.

He sat in thought, but finally he realized she was right and agreed.

About an hour later, their talk was interrupted when Grams and Trish came
down the stairs. When they saw Sergei, everyone froze.

"Sarah, who is this young man?"

"Uh, Grams, Mom, this is Sergei. Harm’s brother." Mac said slowly. She
looked at the other two women’s faces trying to gage their reaction. While
they both looked surprised, Grams just smiled and opened up her arms to
accommodate the new member of the family.

"Come here." She said brightly. "And give your grandma a hug."

Sergei was stunned to say the least, but he returned the baby to his mother’s
arms and gave his grandmother a squeeze."

Still smiling, Grams pulled him back and looked him over. "My, my. If its not
another replica of my son. Dear lord child, you’re skinny as a toothpick. Get
in that kitchen and let’s get something in that gut. I hope you’re not a
veggie boy like your brother."

Wordlessly, Sergei followed the talkative older woman into the kitchen. Trish
still stood where she was and Mac noticed the far away look in her eyes.  She
walked over and placed a hand on Trish’s shoulder.

"Harm said he had his father’s eyes. He was right. Did you know he was going
to be here?"

Mac shook her head.

"No, Clay just showed up with him about an hour and a half ago and then left."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose we should go join them shouldn’t we?" Trish said
recomposing herself.

"Yes, I suppose we should."

The two walked in to find Sergei sitting at the large kitchen table while
Grams sat cooking a large Christmas breakfast and rambling on an on about one
of Harm Sr.’s embarrassing childhood stories.

Ten minutes later Frank ventured down to find everyone now chatting happily
about this that and the other. Mac was the first to see him walk in.

"Merry Christmas Dad." She chirped.

Frank smiled at this because she was the first person ever to call him dad.
When she did it the first time a few months ago, he just laughed and gave Mac
a big hug. That was a while ago but he smiled every time.

He said Merry Christmas back and sat down at the table. It was then that he
noticed the newcomer at the table.

"I do believe I’ve yet to be introduced to you."

Trish made the introductions, and the two men shook hands. Sergei was amazed
at how well these people took to him. He had never met anyone so...friendly.
They all talked throughout breakfast. Sometimes Mac had to translate for
Sergei, but he knew English very well. 

After breakfast, they all gathered around the tree to open up presents.

"Oh, Sergei," Mac cried. "We have nothing for you."
"I do not need anything. I have the gift that I have wished for since I was a
boy. I have met my father’s family. I now get to know more of him than ever.
I am happy."

"That’s my grandson!" Grams said proudly. "But don’t you worry child. It
isn’t Christmas without everyone getting something. I’m going to take you
down into town tomorrow and we’re going to get you some new things. It
doesn’t look like you have much more than the clothes on your back right now."

While he had only known her for less than a day, Sergei already knew not to
argue with his grandmother. He agreed and everyone started opening their own
gifts. When every present was unwrapped, they all helped clean up. For the
next few hours, they all sat around the fire exchanging stories, thoughts,
and talk about future. Later that night, they attended the Church service and
came back for a large Christmas dinner.

Mac, Sergei, and the baby spent six more days at the Rabb farm before they
had to return to Washington. With lots of good-bye hugs and kisses, and
promises to return as soon as possible, the three left for home. 

It wasn’t until late that night that they pulled into the driveway. Mac woke
up Sergei and had him carry in the bags while she got Harm and put him into
bed. As she unlocked the door, Mac stood still. She could sense somebody was
watching, but she soon passed the idea off as just being tired. When Harm was
settled, she returned downstairs to find Sergei looking at pictures of her
and Harm Jr. in the living room.

"I did love him you know, I was just too stupid to tell him."

"I think my brother knew. From what I hear about you two, you were closer
than any partners anyone had seen."

Mac sighed and looked at one of the pictures. It was the day baby AJ was
baptized. She was holding AJ, and Harm was gazing at the two of them
lovingly. She could remember that day well.

"I once told Harm that one Harmon Rabb in my life was all I could take." She
bit back sobs. "Now one’s not enough." A single tear slid silently down her
cheek. Then she took a big breath and wiped away any more that threatened to
fall before she looked back at Sergei.

"Just let me lock up and I’ll show you your room. There’s a fold out couch
upstairs in the guest room you can use."

Sergei nodded silently knowing she needed a moment to herself. As Mac walked
over to the window to make sure it was secure, she got the eerie feeling that
someone was watching again. She tried not to think about it as she locked the
door and led Sergei up to his room. After checking on Harm again, she tucked
herself in her own bed and picked up the book she had been reading before she
left for the farm. Around midnight, Sergei creaked open her bedroom door to
check on her. He found her asleep with her head propped up, the light on and
a book on the floor. Quietly, he placed the book on the nightstand, lowered
her head softly, and turned out the light. Once he was settled back in his own
room he made a silent promise to himself and to his brother to watch over her.

********
Part 11

One month later...

Sergei cracked open Harm’s door to find the little one quietly looking around
in his crib. He reached in and lifted the baby up, making little goo goo
faces, causing Harm smile at his silly uncle. Sergei managed to get his
nephew dressed silently enough, so as not to wake mommy. He took the little
one into the kitchen and fed him promptly before grabbing the diaper bag and
heading out.

Mac woke up to an unusual noise about an hour later. Silence. She was about
to check in on Harm, but then realized that Sergei took him out every Sunday
so she could sleep in. Whenever she asked him where he took him, he simply
replied that they went exploring, getting to know the country neither of them
knew. It wasn’t the exploring part that made her smile every time he said it,
but the fact that he would smile the same way Harm used to when he wanted to
be mischievous, and Little Harm would too.

Sergei had enrolled in a local college that had the ROTC program, and was
doing very well. He insisted on getting a part-time job to help out, even
though she said she could handle it. He was just as stubborn as his brother
however, and now worked around school hours at a bookstore in town. He said
that he never had the chance to read much at home and this job gave him the
chance to.

Every week he would bring home a children’s book and would read it out loud
to Harm. But instead of reading the English text, he would translate it into
Russian. He loved his nephew very much and helped out in every way possible.

Sarah made herself some breakfast and picked up the newspaper. It was then
she saw the headline...
                  "TOMCAT MECHANIC CRASH AND BURNS.
U.S. Navy’s chief mechanic Jon Richardson has been charged with multiple
charges including treason and three counts of murder. Chief Richardson is
believed to have been selling top secret information to enemy countries on
vast technological improvements on the Navy’s top plane, the F-14 Tomcat.
Richardson was stationed at Oceana Naval Air Base in VA. It is believed that
while he was there last year, Tomcat pilot Lt. Michael "Nova" Cannon,
discovered what he was doing and tried to report Richardson. Richardson
supposedly sabotaged Cannon’s plane, causing a fatal crash that killed
Cannon and his rio Lt. William "Sunny" Sage. The accident prompted a JAG
(Judge Advocate General) investigation. JAG investigator and former Tomcat
pilot Cmdr. Harmon "Hammer" Rabb Jr. was sent undercover to discover what
happened. It’s believed that Richardson was involved in a drive by shooting
that killed Rabb at the commissary on base. Richardson’s court martial begins
next month, but due to the confidential information that will be presented as
evidence, only personnel with clearance will be permitted to attend.

Mac put down the paper and broke into tears. She was still crying when Sergei
walked in the door and hour later with little Harm. Seeing her distress,
Sergei gently put the baby down and rushed to her side.

"Sarah, calm down. Sarah...Sarah what is it? What is the matter?" Sergei had
never seen her like this and was getting frightened. "Sarah please talk to
me."

Mac looked up at him through her tears and saw his concern. She forced
herself to calm down a little and pointed to the paper. Sergei picked it up
and the article she was pointing out. When he finished, he understood her
misery and embraced her.

After holding her a while, he asked her what she planned to do.

"I have to go to the trial. I have to see that the man who killed him is
locked up forever and ever. I have to."

Even through her sobbing, she spoke with such determination that Sergei knew
he wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise. Even though he knew she would
be devastated. That there were things she shouldn’t or wouldn't want to see.

A few minutes later, Mac broke free of Sergei’s hold and went to pick up her
son. She held him closely, deep in thought. Finally, she relinquished her
hold on him and handed him to Sergei with a large sigh.

"I’m going to take a bath, would you watch him please?" She didn’t even
wait for an answer, and walked towards her room, almost in a trance.

An hour later she had still not submerged from the bathroom and Sergei
decided to check on her. He knocked softly on the door and gently called her
name. When he didn’t get an answer he tried again, with still no answer.
After a minute, his worry increased and he opened the door.

Mac was asleep in the tub, tear stains layering her usually brilliant face.
Serge icontemplated waking her up, but the fact that she was nude in the tub
making him unsure of what to do. Finally he decided that he had to rouse her,
so he walked across the bathroom and shook her lightly. Slowly, Mac stirred
and opened her eyes. She looked at him then suddenly remembered where they
were and what she was doing.

"Sergie! What are you doing in here?" She asked surprised, sinking lower
into the tub to try and cover herself.

"I...uh..Iwas just...uh...I...um...you fell asleep and I...I...I thought I
should...I am sorry." To say he was embarassed would have been the
understatement of the year.

Mac checked her internal clock and realized how long she’d been in there.
"Oh Sergie, no I’m sorry. It’s ok. Thank you for getting me up. Just hand me
that towel and get out so I can."

Sergei nodded and handed her the towel. Quickly, he exited the bathroom and
shut the door. When he was gone Mac giggled at the situation. When she got
out, she looked a lot better than she did an hour ago. It took twenty minutes
for her to get Sergei to stop apologizing however.

That day, the three of them met the Roberts in the park for a picnic. Little
AJ chased a butterfly near the table while Little Harm watched happily.

Mac suggested that ‘the boys’ go get ice cream. Bud, being married for a
while, knew that that meant it was ‘girl talk’ time. The men gathered the
two little ones and walked across the park.

"What's up Mac?" Harriet asked. "You look like you got a lot on your mind."

"I saw an article in the paper this morning..." Mac began.

"I think I know what you’re talking about, I saw it too. What are you going
to do?" Harriet was concerned for her friend. She knew this was going to be
hard on Mac, marine or no.

"I'm going to the trial. I have to." Mac said sternly.

"Sarah are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah I’m sure. Harriet, I have to see it when the jury pronounces him
guilty of killing Harm. He killed the man I love. I have to."

Harriet simply sighed and nodded. Like Sergei, she knew there was no way she
was going to talk her friend out of this one.

"I'm here for you, Mac. If you need anything..."

"I know Harriet. And thank you, for everything."

"You don’t have to thank me. You would do the same."

The two women smiled and embraced. When the guys returned, they all went for
walk.

The following morning, Mac made her way into JAG headquarters. She exchanged
greetings with everyone and deposited her things in her office. She then
proceeded to the admiral’s office to speak with him before the morning staff
call.

"Tiner, is the admiral in?"

"Yes ma’am, in fact he’s expecting you."

Mac smiled and nodded at the yeoman. She knocked on the door and entered when
told to.

"Morning Colonel."

"Good morning sir."

"Colonel, I read the article, and I know that’s why you’re here. Sergei
called me yesterday."

"Well sir, then you know I’m here to ask for security clearance and a lesser
workload next month so I can attend the trial."

The admiral sighed and looked closely at Mac.

"Mac, are you sure, one hundred percent, that you want to do this? You’ve
been through a lot this past year, and this could only serve to hurt you
more." AJ said, the concern evident in his voice.

"I'm sure sir, I have to."

After a long moment, the admiral spoke.

"I’ll see what I can do but on one condition. Mac, if this gets to hard for
you, I want you to get out of there. You have a son to think about now, and
you wont be any good to him if you are too emotionally distraught to take care
of him."

"That wont happen sir, I can assure you."

"I hope not." He said quietly. "Dismissed."

Mac came to attention, gave her thanks and left.

Before she left that night, the admiral called her into his office and told
her she’d have the clearance and that she’d have to work a little harder for
the next month to get the lighter load next month. She thanked him again, and
left for home.

As Mac walked up the stairs to the front porch, she could feel that same
feeling that someone was watching her. She’d been feeling it for over a month
now and finally she decided to call Clay.

That night, she had Clay over for dinner and told him about her feelings. He
assured her he’d look into it and that he would come around every day to
check on her and her family. With a small feeling of relief, Mac thanked him
and let him be on his way.

That night, she took care to lock all the doors and windows, and to set the
alarm. As sleep started to claim her, she looked at the picture on the
nightstand next to her bed. It was of Harm at Bud and Harriet’s wedding, and
he was in full dress whites, sitting on the grass and laughing. It was her
favorite picture. She looked at it every night to assure that she’d dream
happy dreams of him, their son, and being a family. It always worked.

********
Part 12

Mac took a seat behind the prosecution's table, but no sooner than she sat
down, the call for 'All rise'' rang out. The judge who would be presiding
over this court martial was none other than Admiral Morris. Mac allowed
herself to steal a quick grin as she remembered the day Harm fired a gun off
in court.

Once everyone was seated, Admiral Morris began. "Chief Richardson, you are
charged with treason, sabotage..." The list continued on with about 15
charges. "And finally, three counts of premeditated murder. How do you plead?"

Before Richardson could answer, Captain Wood, the prosecuting attorney,
stood. "Your honor, in light of new information I received before court
began, the Navy wishes to change the charges of three counts of murder to two
and one attempted."

Everyone in the courtroom gasped. Mac sat wide eyed, and held her breath.

Morris looked at Wood irritably. "Do you mean to tell me that one of the men
the chief supposedly killed isn't dead?"

"Yes sir, but we didn't know it until about 20 minutes ago. However, the
defense has been notified, and I wish to call this man as an eyewitness."

Admiral Morris sighed. "Fine. Change in charges noted. New
eyewitness...noted. Now Chief Richardson, how do you plea?"

Mac glanced over at Richardson who, though slightly pale, showed no real
emotion as he stood to announce his plea. "I plead innocent your honor."

"Very well. Commander Heath, you may begin to present your case."

"Thank you sir."

Mac sat back and listened to the defense council and his weak attempt at
getting his client off. She knew why Richardson had chosen to plead innocent,
even though all the cards were stacked against him. Clay told her that the
chief had dug himself in so deep that it came to the point where almost every
country he had been selling to would kill him if he got caught. But even
though the people who bought his secrets were rich, they weren't too
powerful. Meaning that Richardson would be safe in Leavenworth, and he knew
it. Mac knew that if he plead innocent, then was found guilty, his sentence
would be longer, and ultimately, so would his life.

Before long, both the defense and the prosecution had made their opening
statements and Admiral Morris called a ten minute recess.

Mac stepped into the hall outside the courtroom. Taking out her cell phone,
she decided to call Sergei to check on Little Harm. It rang twice on the
other end before Sergei answered.

"Hello?"

"Sergei, it's me. How's everything going there?"

"Just fine Sarah. I was just about to change my smell nephew and put him down
to rest."

"Is he giving you any trouble?"

"No, he has been a very disciplined little cadet today."

Mac smiled. "I'm glad. Now don't forget, Harriet will be dropping by with
baby AJ and lunch around 12:30."

"I remember." There was a pause.

"Sarah, how are you doing? This isn't becoming too difficult for you is it?
The court martial I mean."

"No...well, one thing is bothering me."

"What is it?"

"Mac!" Mac turned around and found herself looking at a flushed and out of
breath CIA agent.

"Sergei, I'll have to call you back later. Give my love to little Harm." She
clicked off her phone and confronted Webb.

"Clay, what are you doing here?"

"Mac we need to talk." He looked around carefully. "Here, come with me."

Grabbing Mac's arm, he led her down the hall and turned down an empty
corridor.

"Mac, I don't think you should keep coming to this court martial."

"Clay, we've discussed this. I told you I have..."

"No, you don't understand." He cut her off. "If you stay, you'll see things
you won't understand immediately. They may cause you to get angry, maybe even
lose control. If you do that, you and the ones you love may be in danger."

"Clay what the Hell are you talking about?"

"I can't really tell you till this is all over, and I can't tell you not to
stay. But please Sarah, if you go back in there, you can't lose your cool.
Just remember that."

"Clay, does this have anything to do with the survivor?"

"Mac, just listen."

"No!" Mac grabbed his arm. "Clay does this have anything to do with Harm?"

"Mac, I have to go." With that, he pulled out of her marine grip, turned, and
ran down the hall. She watched as he avoided the main doors and instead took
a rear exit.

Checking her internal clock, Mac realized that the ten minute recess was
almost over. She hurried down to the court room, still thinking of Clay's
words.

As she was sitting down, the call for 'All rise' sounded once more. Again,
Admiral Morris walked in and everyone sat down.

The defense started calling witnesses, but none of them really did any good
in helping Richardson's case. They were all mostly character witnesses, young
men that served with the chief that were too naive to ever see what the man
did. Captain Wood would only ask a few questions, if any, during cross
examination.

As it neared one o'clock, Admiral Morris called an hour recess for lunch. Mac
was surprised at just how quickly this case was going. Of course, the fact
that the SECNAV had ordered this case to continue all day, everyday, until it
was settled sped things along.

During lunch, Mac called home again, but this time Harriet answered the
phone. After both women were assured that all was right on the other's end,
they exchanged good-byes and hung up.

As she picked at her sandwich Mac thought back to that morning, back to
Webb's coldly whispered words. The tone of his voice had made the hair on her
neck stand on end. What had he meant by not losing control?

When lunch was over, the defense council announced that he had no more
witnesses.

"Captain Wood, you may call your first witness."

"Thank you, your honor. The Navy calls Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. to the
stand."

********
Part 13

Mac gasped and her hands flew to cover her mouth. 'Did he really just say
that?' Her stomach tightened and her heart beat so loud she thought everyone
in the silenced courtroom could hear it.

She turned as the thick oak doors swung open. What she saw nearly brought her
to tears. One tall, handsome, blue-eyed commander hobbled in on crutches. Mac
watched as he maneuvered his way to the witness stand and raised his right
hand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole, and nothing but the truth, so
help you god?" Captain Wood swore him in.

With an emotionless expression the sailor answered. "I do." He sat down and
rested the crutches against the wall behind him.

"Please state your full name and rank for the record."

"Commander Harmon David Rabb Jr. US Navy."

Mac just sat and watched wide eyed, aghast. She felt as if she had just
watched the man she loved rise from the grave. In a way though, she had. She
had thought him dead for a year, and now all of a sudden, there he was.

He had a few more worry lines than a man of his age usually would, and his
hair was just barely beginning to gray. But he looked better than ever to
her. She had to fight herself to keep from bursting out in tears. He was
alive.

Captain Wood started. "Commander, how did you come to meet the defense?"

"I was...am...a JAG lawyer. I was assigned to go undercover to investigate
the fatal crash of an F-14 out at Oceana. I would be the replacement for the
deceased pilot. Chief Richardson was my mechanic and the number one suspect."

"What did your investigation uncover?"

"I found that the Chief had had dealings with foreign men off base and that
he had personal items that a Chief couldn't pay for and still keep himself
fed. This led me to believe that he could be selling something to acquire an
extra paycheck. I kept my eyes on him for the next two weeks. One day, I
overheard him speaking to a man with maybe a Spanish accent. I didn't catch
much but I did hear the other man tell Richardson that he wouldn't live long
enough to see next Christmas if he screwed up this time. Right after that the
two separated and I followed Richardson to the hanger. I saw him go in and
pick up his tools and heard him slap the side of my bird. I was due to fly
that day, so just before I got suited up, I conducted an inspection more
thorough than usual. I found that the gas line had been tampered with and
there were a few screws loose. Only the base CO knew who I was, and he was
out of town for two days. So I faked sick to avoid flying that day and also
so I could try to get a hold of the CO. I drove to the base's new commissary
and was going to try and call him from a payphone. Before I could get to one,
I heard the screeching of tires as a black sedan pulled up behind me. I
couldn't see the driver, but I knew the passenger well. It was Chief
Richardson. He pulled out a gun and shot me twice. It's a miracle I survived."

Mac was in horror as she listened to Harm tell his story to the jury and
everyone else in the room. She didn't know that he had been shot twice. Now
the anger was beginning to rise in her as it hit her that he had been alive
the whole time and he never got in contact with her.

Woods was silent for a minute, then continued. "Commander, you survived this
horrible incident, but only a few people knew this correct? In fact everyone,
including family and friends, thought you were dead isn't that right?"

"Yes." Harm answered quietly.

"Why?" Captain Woods asked almost cautiously, as if he knew that the answer
would hurt someone.

"Because, the people Richardson worked for would have killed me, my friends
and family, and anyone else I would have had the opportunity to tell what I
knew. I've been kept in protective custody ever since the incident. Only
people of high security clearance knew I was alive. My friends and family
still think me for dead. I missed the birth of my son because of what was
going on. My mother thinks she's lost not only her husband to the military,
but now her son. And its all because of that bastard." Harm's voice was
deathly low, but clear. It shocked everyone in the courtroom. Even the
defense had to get together his nerve before objecting.

"Sustained." Morris replied. "Commander Rabb, I understand your pain. But as
a lawyer, you should know what you can say in here and what you can't. Stick
with the questions."

"Yes sir." Harm's face was back to being expressionless. Mac noticed that he
had not once looked at her. He either didn't realize she was in here or just
didn't want to.

Truth be told, Harm did know she was present. Webb had spoken with him out in
the hall, and told him of the pain she's been through. He didn't want to risk
seeing pain or anger that might be present in her face. As he sat up here
answering the prosecution's questions and telling his side, all he could
think of was how much he had hurt her, but hadn't been able to help it.

After answering a few more questions, the defense was given the opportunity
to cross-examine, but declined. Harm stood up, grabbed his crutches, and
hobbled out of the courtroom.

Mac was still in a state of shock and didn't even realize that she had an
opportunity to talk to him until about a minute later. When she finally got
herself together, she silently slipped out of the courtroom and into the
hall. Looking in both directions, there was no sign of him. She ran outside
just in time to see him ducking into a black car.

"Harm! Harm wait!" She called him and saw him look at her. She could see that
he was about to reply when a man pushed him into the car and shut the door.
As the car sped away, the man turned around and she saw that it was none
other than Clayton Webb.

"Mac wait, calm down" He held her as tears sprung to her eyes and she started
beating on his chest.

"You bastard, you knew. You knew and you didn't tell me. I hate you. Why wont
you let me see him?"

Clay managed to get a good hold on her and looked her straight in the eye.
"Mac why don't we get in my car and I'll explain."

Mac glared at him with murder in mind, but decided against it and complied to
his wish. He led her a few yards and opened up the passenger side door for
her. She got in the car and he walked around to the drivers side. As soon as
he shut the door he began his explanation.

"Mac, before you even start, I didn't know. At least not until my promotion
last week. Remember Harm said only the highly classified people knew? Well I
just became one of them. I couldn't tell you because there's still a risk."

"Why wouldn't you let me see him just now?

"Because we couldn't keep him out in the open for too long. That's why even
the court wasn't notified until just before they began. If he had been on
the witness list, they would have known."

"Who's they?"

"Anybody and everybody Richardson worked for. This went deep Mac and its
gotten so dangerous now..."

"What? Clay what are you saying?"

"Mac now that its out in the open that he's alive, you and everyone else is
in danger. I've got a special team rounding up your family and friends.
You'll all be taken someplace safe, I promise."

"When will I get to see Harm?"

"Tonight."

Mac gave a small sigh in relief. But also in relief she felt apprehension.
What would Harm say? What would she say? How would they handle the baby? Did
he still feel what he felt in the letter he wrote a year ago?

"Clay, if he was alive, why was his letter given to me and Trish?"

"Because he knew that if you didn't have something like that, a small part of
you wouldn't believe anything anyone said. You would have no closure, and he
knew what that was like. He wrote that letter before everything happened, but
he decided to have it given to you when he was pronounced dead. Just as if he
had really died."

With that, Clay started the car and and pulled out of the parking spot. The
drive to where he was taking them was made in silence. After about an hour,
they pulled in to what looked like was a high security storage facility. Clay
punched in his code at the gate and the 15 foot steel fence opened. Slowly,
he drove down a busy street and stopped in front of a giant warehouse. With
a nod from the armed guard, the two walked in the door. Mac found herself
standing in what looked like a large apartment or condo.

"This is where you and everyone else will be staying. There six bedrooms. The
two boys will share and all the adults will have their own room, save Bud and
Harriet."

"Will Harm be staying here?"

"Yes I will." She heard his all too familiar voice as he entered the room and
spun around. There she was face to face with the man she had not seen nor
heard from in a year, but loved with all her heart.

"Harm?" Tears again sprung to her eyes.

"Yeah Sarah, it's me." In less than a second, they were in each other's arms,
holding on for dear life. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other for
the rest of their lives.

Finally they, separated when they heard Clay clear his throat and excuse
himself.

"Clay thank you, for everything." Harm said just before Clay was out of the
room.

Clay turned around with a smile on his face. "You're welcome, but its your
turn now. Look after her."

"With all I got." With that, Clay turned and walked out, leaving the two
alone.

Part 14

********
Part 14

As Harm turned back to face Mac, he was shocked to feel the sting of her hand
against his clean-shaven face.

"Oww! What was that...mmm" He was cut off suddenly by the force of Mac's lips
being pressed against his. Just as he gained the sense to kiss back, she
pulled back and slapped him again.

They both stood there stunned, just gazing into each other's eyes. Harm could
see anger, hurt, and love in her chocolate depths. She was breathing heavily
and her face was flushed. 'She still has that feisty marine spirit,' Harm
thought. The stinging pain from her attacks brought him to speak.

"Sarah, I..." He started.

"Don't! Don't talk...I...I'm sorry...I'm just so overwhelmed." With that, she
broke into tears and sank down onto a nearby sofa. Harm understood. This was
too much at one time. He wrapped his arms around her. She struggled but only
slightly and he soon had her settled against his chest in his embrace. He
simply held her and let the sobs wrack her body.

After about an hour, the tears had subsided and the whole room was quiet.
Harm dared to look at her face and found that Mac had fallen asleep in his
arms. He didn't want to let her go so he didn't. He held her and soon sleep
conquered him too.

Mac woke in an uncomfortable yet comforting position. She realized that she
and Harm must have fallen asleep on the couch, but she also realized that
they had done it together. She was still wrapped in his warm embrace. Gazing
up at his face, she saw that the worry lines that marred his handsome
features were still there, but he seemed at ease. She settled her head
against his chest once more and something caught her eye. It was his crutches
leaning against a nearby chair. She wondered what had happened. Surely two
gunshot wounds a year ago wouldn't have him in crutches today.

Harm sensed that she was awake, and opened his eyes. Seeing what held her
gaze, he started to explain.

"Last month, one of the people we are trying to bring down accidentally
crossed our path when we were transporting some information to Langly. There
was a gun battle and I got caught in the crossfire. Nothing serious just
caught one in the shin. I don't even use them that much." His tone was quiet
and relaxing, which settled her nerves quite a bit. It amazed her, that even
after all this time, he could still read her like an open book.

"When will it all be over?" She asked, arching her neck to face him.

"I don't know for sure. It all depends. Tonight, there's going to be a major
bust. We're going to try and get a good many of these people. Then there's
also the matter of the Chief's court martial. If things go well tonight, it
could all be over before the jury even finds him guilty. It could be long and
drawn out, or short and sweet. I'm hoping for short and sweet myself."

"Me too." she sighed. "Wait a minute. You're not going to that bust are you?"
She was worried now, and angry.

"I have too Mac."

"Why?! You should be done with this mess! Why take a risk now?"

"I just do. Same reason you had to go to the trial. Yeah it hurts, but its
something that has to be done. I know you can understand that." His courtroom

conviction was present in his voice, and so was the determination. The same

determination she hoped with all her being was something their son would
have. That thought brought up another point.

"I understand, but what about our son? Clay obviously told you about him. You
know what its like not to have a father. Do you want him to suffer thought
that? Do you want him to know your face through pictures? Your voice through
a copy of a recruiting commercial? Your attitude through story's from Uncle
AJ, Uncle Bud, and Uncle Clay? Is that what you want? Because if it is, then
by God go. Go tonight and take the chance that you may never come back to
him. To us." The dam broke loose and a new flood of tears coursed down her
face.

Harm stood shocked. Shocked and hurt. "That's not going to happen Sarah. I
would never let you two go through that. If I wanted that, I wouldn't have
fought so hard to live a year ago. I wouldn't have been so determined to get
better and get passed my physical therapy. This past year has almost been the
death of me. But knowing you would be there when it was all done kept me
going. Nothing's going to happen tonight, I promise you."

There was silence. During their outbursts, they had both stood and gone to
opposite sides of the room. Finally, remembering his last words and words he
had spoken so long ago; she looked at him and smiled. "Don't make a promise
you can't keep."

He smiled too, also remembering long ago. "I haven't yet."

With lightning speed, they were in each other's arms, captured in a kiss with
enough electricity to power an aircraft carrier. The life or death need for
oxygen was the only thing that could break them apart. After a while, they
both began apologizing. Harm told her that tonight he would go to the bust,
but assured her that he would stay out of the action. Mac was reluctant, but
gave her approval.

It was about then that there was a knock on the door. It opened and a middle
aged man with blond hair walked in, followed by Sergie holding Little Harm.
Not a word was said as the blond man let the two in, then brought in a few
bags and left.

Mac broke the stillness by walking across the room and taking the infant from
his uncle's protective arms. She then returned to Harm's side and broke the
silence.

"Harm, meet your son. Harmon David Rabb III. Little one, meet your daddy, the
arrogant flyboy who promises to never leave you alone again."

A wide-eyed, foolishly smiling, sailor carefully received the bundle of joy
that Mac was holding out to him. He gazed lovingly down at his blue-eyed baby
boy, and started giggling for no apparent reason, other than he was the
happiest man in the world. Tears started trailing down his face, which in
turn made Mac cry to see such a beautiful sight.

Little Harm soon began to fuss for food, and since Daddy had no idea what to
do, he handed the little one back to Mac. Mac gently took the baby back and
got a bottle from the baby bag in the corner. Harm turned and saw his brother
watching silently from across the room.

"Come here Sergei." Harm smiled.

Sergei crossed the room and the two embraced. "Its been a long time big
brother." Sergei said.

"Yeah well, we'll all make up for lost time together eh?" Sergei nodded.

Harm looked at his younger brother and remembered something Clay had said.

"So I hear you've been living with Mac and the little one. I'm glad. I know
she's a marine, but it makes me feel better knowing she had a man around to
look after her."

"It was my pleasure brother. Mac was very generous in letting me live with
them while I attend school. And I love my nephew very much. I wouldn't have
let anything happen to either of them."

"Well thank you." Harm reached out to shake Sergei's hand but as soon as he
had it, he pulled him in for another hug. Sergei explained that he had been
informed of the whole situation on the ride in, so Harm didn't have to go
through the whole painfull experience of explaning once again.

Mac watched the reunion of the two brothers from across the room. She
realized it was Sergei's turn to get reaquainted with his brother, so she
just sat and watched while feeding the baby.

Around 1930 hrs, there was another knock on the door and Clay stepped in.

"I hope I'm not disturbing anyone, but I need to talk with you all." He took
a seat in an armchair across from the sofa that the other's were sitting on.
"Before you ask, AJ and the Roberts will be here within an hour and a half.
Bud and the admiral had been called to the Hill today, so I had to wait
until they got back to bring them, and Harriet refused to leave without Bud.
Harm your parents will be in later tonight, but before we get back. And
that's what I need to talk with you about. We leave in 30 minutes, so say
your good-byes and get ready. We'll be heading to the meeting point where the
bust will take place. I've secured a spot within a safe distance from the
action, but if things get tight, you'll have to get out quick. There's no
telling what is going to happen tonight. Any questions?" Clay watched as Harm
looked to Mac, then squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"No," Harm replied quietly, turning to face Clay.

"Alrighty then." Clay stood. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

When Clay had left, Harm turned to face Mac again.

"It's going to be OK. I'll be fine and I'll come back. I promise." Harm
assured her.

"I know, it just that...this has been some day, I'll tell you. This morning,
I woke up thinking that I was going to watch the man that killed you and left
our son fatherless, pay for the rest of his life. But then I find out you may
be alive, and now, after a year of thinking you were dead, I'm sitting here
and holding a very real Harmon Rabb JR in my arms. It's just so
overwhelming." As she said this, she gazed into his big blue eyes, the same
eyes that their son had been gifted with, and spoke in a quiet yet
exasperated voice.

"It's ok, and you're right. I am very real, and I'm going to be there for you
and our little boy for the rest of my life. I just need to do this one thing,
and then we wait for this storm to blow over. Once it has, we go home and
live happily ever after. I promise."

"You're promising a lot tonight sailor." Mac smiled.

"And I intend to keep everyone of them. Come here." He pulled her into a
tight embrace, and kissed her with everything he had. She responded with
equal passion, and again what broke them apart was the dire need for air.
Harm rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, Sarah." He whispered. Mac
gasped slightly. This was the first time he had actually ever said those
words to her, and she was speechless. Well, almost speechless. "I love you
too, Harm." She smiled and once again their passion was forced into one long
breathtaking kiss.

This time, when they separated, Harm looked over to Sergei. "What are you
smiling about Army brat?" Harm asked with mock sarcasm.

Sergei laughed quietly. "You two. You two are just so...cute for lack of a
better word. I just hope you don't get stuck like that."

The two laughed. "I don't know that that would be so bad, what about you
Harm?"

"I see no problem with that." They all laughed again.

All too soon, Clay returned and gestured for Harm to come. With final hugs to
his family, Harm followed Clay out the door.

Just as Clay said, AJ and the Roberts arrived about an hour later. When they
walked in the room, Mac asked the agent accompanying them if there had been
any news on the bust, or on Harm. His only reply was that as of yet,
everything was going as planned. Several hours later, there was another knock
on the door and Trish, Frank, Grams, and the same blond man from earlier
walked in. They were warmly welcomed by all and soon settled in. Once again,
Mac asked for news, and received the same answer as earlier. Since it was so
late, everyone decided to head to bed. All except for Mac, who chose to wait
until Harm was back before meeting Mr. Sandman.

(Bust Point)

Harm sat watching as the agents moved in for the kill. He was glad this was
almost over, and soon he could head back to his family, all of them. Just
then something caught his eye. A new vehicle was approaching, and the men
inside weren't theirs. Harm reached for his radio, but was stopped when he
heard the click of two guns.

"Put your hand's on your head, and turn around slowly." Ordered a heavy
Spanish accent. Harm slowly put his hands up and did as ordered. When he
turned around he saw two Latino men, both with guns pointing at him. He
recognized one as the driver of the car a year ago.

"Welcome back to the living Commander." The first man said. "Too bad you wont
be staying long."

Just then, Clay burst through the door. "Hold it right there Estaus." Both
men turned to face Clay but the second man held his gun towards Harm. Harm
used the distraction to pull his gun. Four guns went off. Four shots rang
out. Three men fell.

(Safe House)

At the sound of the knock on the door, Mac jolted out of the chair. Expecting
to see Harm she ran to the opening door, but instead saw the same blond agent
from earlier.

"Colonel Mackenzie..."

********
Part 15 (FINALLY)

"Yes, what's the news? How'd it go?"

"We accomplished what we wanted, but we have 3 of our men down. I'm sorry to inform you that Commander Rabb was one of them. He was shot and killed."

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Mac's cries were heard by those asleep and they all came out to her aid. They found her asleep and crying out for Harm, chanting he isn't dead, he isn't dead.

"Sarah dear wake up. Shhh, it's all right, just a bad dream. Wake up Sarah." Trish gave it her best, but Mac wouldn't wake from the gloomy nightmare.

AJ surprised everyone by suddenly ordering her up. "Colonel Mackenzie, come to attention in front of your commanding officer!" He barked.  Always an obedient marine, Mac awoke in tears and stood up in a flash. However once she realized where she was, she eased up and sat back down.

"I'm sorry I woke you all. I just had an awful nightmare. The one blond agent came in and told me that everything had gone well, except for that 3 of our people had gone down, and Harm was one of them. He said he had been shot, and I just lost it."

Trish held her close, comforting her. "Sarah, don't you worry about a thing. Harm has gone through too much to not come back now. He's fine, you'll see. Our sailor will come walking through that door like he owns the place and we'll be here ready for him. Just you wait."

"I hope...no, I know you're right. It's just been such a long day. It's no wonder fell asleep."

"Well," Sergei piped up. "I do not know about all of you, but I do not think I'll beheading back to bed anytime soon. I noticed earlier that there was some hot chocolate in the kitchen. Who wants some?" Everyone thought that would be a good idea, so Sergei went to make it.

Later, when they were all enjoying their cocoa, there was a knock on the door, and the blond agent walked in. Following him was a very tired looking Harmon Rabb Jr. Mac was on her feet and in his arms in no time. As they pulled apart, Mac asked how it went.

"Well, everything was accomplished, but we had some trouble near the end. Somebody we weren't expecting showed up and Clay took one in the shoulder. He's fine though, in fact, he's getting patched up now just a few buildings away one."

Harm looked around and saw that everyone he loved was sitting right there in front of him. His mom was holding his son in an armchair, with Frank sitting on the arm. Sergei was on the floor in front of the couch on which sat the admiral and the Robert's. Harriet was holding little AJ. Grams was sitting in a big blue recliner. All of them were holding hot chocolate and looking at him.

He put on his best flyboy smile. "Talk about a home coming." Everyone laughed and greeted him properly with great big hugs and jokes.

Soon, everyone declared that they were tired and headed off to bed. Bud and Harriet tucked little AJ in quickly so Harm and Mac could tuck their son in together for the first time. As Harm gently put his son to rest in his crib, a small tear blazed a trail down his cheek. He stroked Little Harm's dark hair and angel soft cheeks as he gazed down. Turning to Mac, Harm wrapped her in his large arms. He kissed her neck softly and whispered.

"Thank you, Sarah. Thank you so much. Thank you for giving me this gift of love, and/or loving me through all of this. I love you so much. I can't wait to hold you all night long. I just want to hold you."

Mac smiled, and nodded. She didn't have to say anything. They wiped the tears from each other's eyes and walked silently to their bedroom. As Mac got ready for bed, she failed to notice that Harm was just sitting on the corner of the bed and watching her go about her routine in awe. She pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and a tank top and turned around. What she saw was Harm's blazing eyes full of love and compassion.

"I can't believe that after all of these years, I finally get to watch you." He said softly. "You're so beautiful Sarah, and I love you so much."

Mac was touched by his tenderness. "Thank you Harm. I love you too."

Harm shed himself of his clothes till he stood clad only in his boxers. They shared a short gentle kiss, and together slipped under the covers. Harm held her close, and she nuzzled against him. He caressed her body softly, wanting to memorize the velvety feel of her skin. Soon, he came to her belly, and slid his hand under her shirt, gently rubbing the area.

"Our baby was here." He whispered in to her ear.

"Mmmhmm." She replied with a smile.

He sighed. "I wish I could have been there. I wish I could have watched as our baby grew inside of you. I wish I could have felt him kick. I wanted to be there so much, Sarah. I wish I could have been the one holding your hand and watching as Little Harm took his first breath of life. I'm so sorry."

She rolled over to face him, still keeping very close. "Don't be sorry Harm. It couldn't be helped; it's not your fault. As for being there, I wish all of those things too. But look at the bright side."
He looked at her questionably. "What would that be?"

She smiled warmly. "You'll be here for everyone yet to come."

He smiled back and kissed her lovingly. "I love you Sarah, and can't wait to share everything with you."

"I love you too Harm, and I can't wait either. But lets start with just holding each other while we sleep." Harm only nodded and held her tight.

Harm walked alone down the brick path. They had all been living at the safe house for three weeks now. It was the beautiful outdoor setting that kept them all from going insane. There was about an acre or two of woods on the property, a small lake, and then there was the garden in which he was walking in now. It was the first sunny day in a week and everyone was outside, enjoying the freedom from the safe house.

As he walked, Harm thought about his family, his future and theirs. He looked forward to starting again with Sarah and his son. He wanted to give them both something neither he nor Mac ever had, and he had the power to make it all happen in his hands. It was a deep blue velvet box containing a piece of his family's history. Three generations of Rabb men had given their loved one this same ring in hopes of starting anew. It was a gold band with a small, but intricately cut saphire in the middle of two small white diamonds.

That morning, Chief Richardson had been found guilty of all charges and would be spending the rest of his life in jail, which meant that the whole situation was over. Harm planned on giving her the ring tonight, for they would all beheading home back to their normal lives tomorrow, and he wanted them being together to be a part of that.

Harm heard someone approaching him from behind and quickly put the ring back in his pocket. He turned around to see Frank holding Little Harm.

"Beautiful day isn't it Harm?" Frank asked to get the conversation rolling.

"Yes it is, Frank." Harm said with a small smile. "Frank, this is the first time we've had a lone and I want to tell you something. I'm so grateful for all you have done for Sarah and our son here. I can't even begin to tell you how much."

"Harm, you don't need to thank me. It was the least I could do. I love Sarah and Little Harm, like they belong to me. Sarah's like the daughter I never had, and this little guy here is my first grandchild. I'd do anything to help my family, just like you."

"Yeah, which brings me to another point. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I mean, now that I have a son, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I felt he didn't want me around. I've realized how much I hurt you, when all you were trying to do was be a good father. Maybe that's why I resented you, I don't know. All I can say is I'm sorry."

"You know Harm; you don't have to apologize either. You've given me something I will cherish for my whole life. You gave me the right to call Little Harm my grandson. Trish and I weren't able to have any more children. So, when we first started out, I thought I'd never have any grandchildren, for I feared you'd disown me. I'm the one who's grateful, and lets just leave it at that. Now, what did you so hastily shove in your pocket as we came up?"

Harm smiled and pulled out the ring. "It's been in my family for years, and I plan on giving it to Sarah tonight. What do you say little guy, do you think she'll like it?" Little Harm just smiled and giggled happily. Both men laughed, then Frank turned to Harm.

"Well, I hope you two will be very happy together. In fact, I know you will."

"Thanks. You know, I'm planning on asking Sergei to be my best man, but I'd like you to be at least a groomsman. Will you? It'd mean a lot to me."

Frank had a great big smile of pride plastered on his face. "I'm not a man that has to be asked twice. Of course, Harm, I'd be honored." Harm smiled and surprised them both by giving Frank a hug. Well, as good a one as he could manage around the baby.

"Thanks Frank." The two men turned around and started walking back up the path.

From where they sat, Mac, Trish, and Grams, saw the whole exchange between the two men.

"What do you think they're talking about mom?" Mac asked Trish.

"Well, it looks like something that has needed to be said. I'm glad they're on such good terms now. It used to be that Harm couldn't stand Frank, and Frank would just let him have his room."

"Well then I'm glad too." Mac smiled.

Grams just smiled to her self. She knew what the two were talking about. Trish was half right, but Harm had told her what he planned to do tonight. He had to get the ring from her. When Frank proposed, Trish had returned the ring to her. She was glad to finally get rid of it.

Later that night, they were all gathered around the dining room table waiting for dinner to be served, even Clay. Harm and Grams wouldn't let anyone near the kitchen while they cooked their final dinner in the safe house. Even though it had been very aggravating that it was the only place they could go for the last three weeks, it had been nice to be together with no distractions what so ever.

"So when are you going to 'pop the question' Harmon dear?" Grams pried.

Harm smiled. "Just before desert. Speaking of which, I'd better start on that. It may get messy."

"What're you making?"

"Surprise. I had Clay bring in the ingredients just an hour ago."

"Can't you even tell your old grandmother? I can keep a secret."

"What makes you think you're old Grams?" Harm said with a grin, effectively changing the subject.

"Harmon, when you have great-grandchildren, I believe you can be classified as old."

"That doesn't make you old Grams, it makes you...durable."

Grams laughed. "Durable? Aren't you supposed to be a lawyer? You should have a more extensive vocabulary than that. Any way, durable, or whatever you want to call it, I'm still old."

Harm was stopped from comment by calls of hungry animals in the dining room.

"We're coming, we're coming." Grams called back. As they brought the food out, everyone could tell that they were in for a good meal. Placed in front of them was a very large baked chicken, a tub of mashed potatoes, tatertot casserole, peas, carrots, gravy, salad, fresh bread, and corn on the cob.

Everyone feasted happily, with many compliments to the chefs. As the last bites were being eaten, Harm announced that desert would be out shortly and that there was a surprise. After about ten minutes, Harm brought out strawberry pound cake with vanilla ice cream.

Harm passed everyone a plate, except Mac. He told everyone to wait while he got her dessert. Thirty seconds later he reemerged from the kitchen holding Mac's plate with extra strawberries and extra ice-cream in one hand, while keeping the other behind his back. As he set the plate down in front of her the admiral called" Lets eat!" But Harm stopped them.

"No wait. I have something to say first."

"Well you'd better hurry with it flyboy cause this looks good and these people look hungry." She said indicating the desert.

"Yes, I can see that, but they'll have to wait for one minute." Just then, Harm sank down to one knee and brought his other hand forward, revealing the ring. Mac gasped, and tears sprang in her eyes as her hands flew to her face.
"Sarah, I guess you can tell what I'm doing. I want you to know that I have dreamed of this from day one. These past three weeks have been heaven in hell, because Was with you. The dream of being with you one day is what made me do everything I could and made me fight everyday so that we could have this moment. Sarah Catherine Mackenzie, Lt. Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, keeper of my heart, owner of my soul, will you give me the greatest gift of being my wife?"

Without wasting a moment, she flew into his arms. "YES! YES! YES! Oh Harm, I love you so much, I would be thrilled to be your wife!"

"Oh thank you Lord! Sarah, I love you so much!" Everyone cheered as he slipped the ring on her finger. Harm pulled her into a passionate kiss, in which she returned wholeheartedly. After a minute or two the admiral spoke again.

"Can we eat now?" Everyone laughed. But soon everyone was right there with him as he took a bite of his cake. Well, except for Harm and Mac, who happened to be quite content just sitting and having each other for desert.

THE END

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