Midnight Musings IV

October 20, 2003

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Author Notes: Thanks to my beta reader.

Feedback welcome at aerm1@aol.com.

Sunday, 5:00 local
North of Union Station

"So, what do you think we should do next?" Mac lay cuddled up against Harm's chest, their fingers intertwined. She gazed thoughtfully at the ring now resting on her left hand. As she remembered the scene in the jewelry store earlier that afternoon, she had to smile.

Earlier that afternoon:
Bailey, Banks and Biddle Jewelers

"Mac, I think you should at least consider an emerald cut diamond," Harm had whispered into her ear.

"Why?"

"Because you're such a squared-away Marine, it only seems appropriate." He flashed her a mischievous grin.

She giggled. "You know, Harm, somehow I think I thought you'd want to give me a sapphire."

"A sapphire?" His eyebrows rose half-way to his hairline. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"They're blue, sailor. Navy blue." Her dimples became pronounced. "I figured you'd want all the Marines to know that I was marrying into the Navy."

Harm stared at her, dumbfounded. "You're kidding. What have I ever done to make you think I was some sort of territorial alpha male?"

Mac burst into laughter. It really was too easy to yank his chain. "I'm joking, Squid." She squeezed his hand to emphasize her point. "I'm very open to suggestions."

A discreet cough got their attention. "Sir, Ma'am, may I help you?" A rabbity-looking salesclerk approached them from the other side of the counter. "I couldn't help but overhear you. I think I may have just the thing."

Harm shrugged. "Sure. We're looking for an engagement ring, but as you heard, we don't have any set idea."

The salesman unlocked a cabinet behind him and pulled out a tray of rings that were obviously meant to be "custom designed" as they were missing center stones. His eyes lit up as he found the one he was thinking of. Gently removing it from the black velvet, he held it out to Mac. "What do you think of this? It would look lovely with an emerald cut diamond in the center."

Mac's eyes widened as she gazed at the ring. The white gold of the ring itself was a perfect foil for the two deep blue sapphires that flanked the center prongs. The clerk was right. It was perfect.

Harm evidently agreed, for he had immediately asked about a diamond to go in the center. After a couple of tries with various sizes and shapes, they had decided on an emerald cut center stone. The jeweler had made short work of permanently placing the diamond in the ring. Harm had pulled out his checkbook; and within what seemed like only minutes, they were strolling out of the store and toward the mall exit, the ring box safely stowed in Harm's pocket.

"You're not gonna let me wear it?" Mac had chided as they reached the car.

Harm shook his head. "Not yet. We're gonna do this right." He flashed her a wide smile and opened her door with a flourish. "The proposal may not have been the most romantic in the world, but the giving of the ring is going to be."

Mac giggled again at his earnest expression. "You're silly."

"I thought I was cute."

"That too." She shook her head, amazed at the difference a day made. She reached out and gently touched his hand on the gear shift lever. "I love you, you know."

He smiled back at her. "I know. I love you too."

Harm headed toward Arlington. He pulled the 'Vette to a stop in front of the Marine Corps Memorial. "What do you think? Is this a romantic spot for a Jarhead?" His face was split from ear to ear with his "Flyboy" smile.

Mac almost doubled over, she started laughing so hard. "Only you would think of this, Harm. A statue of Marines at Iwo Jima is romantic?"

"You don't think so? Well, how about the Women of the Armed Forces Memorial?" Harm looked at her, hope in his eyes. "It's not very far, if you'd rather go there."

Taking a deep breath, Mac looked back up at him. "Harm, this is fine. Anywhere is fine. I just want you to get on with it." Her mouthed twitched as she reminded him, "We've already wasted enough time getting together, don't you think?"

He ignored her question and unfolded his long legs from the car. Coming around to the passenger side, he reached out a hand to help her out of the low-slung sports car. "C'mon, sweetheart. I've got something to say to you." He led her over to a bench beneath a spreading tree and pulled her down to sit beside him.

Taking both her hands in his, he began, "Mac, I've already told you how much I love you. I want to be with you as friends, partners, lovers, husband and wife, for the rest of my life. You told me earlier that you'd marry me. Please wear this ring as a symbol of that promise." He let go of her hands and brought out the ring.

"I love you too, Harm. And I'll be proud to wear your ring."

He kissed her gently, then taking her hand in his, slid the diamond ring on her finger. Looking into her eyes, he grinned. "Now it's official. We're engaged."

Mac threw her arms around his neck and raised her lips to his. Once again, the electricity she'd felt when she'd kissed him before flowed through her body. One thing was certain--they were going to have a most interesting wedding night.

Harm's voice yanked her back to the present. "I guess we should make some phone calls."

"Huh?"

"You asked what should we do next. I think we should call my mom and Frank, and we probably should try to talk to the admiral tonight."

She nodded. "Probably so. If we tell him tonight, we won't have to sneak into the office and keep Harriet from noticing anything until we see him."

"Yep. Tell you what. I'll call my mom, and you can call the admiral."

Mac bit her lower lip. "Chicken?"

"No, not really. But he does seem to like you better."

"He does not." But she knew he had a point. Any time the two of them were in trouble, Admiral Chegwidden always yelled more at Harm. "Okay. I'll call him."

"Whew! That's a relief. It's gonna be hard enough to tell my mother." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"It is? How come?"

"Because I'm gonna have to listen to a good ten minutes of her saying, 'I told you to do that four years ago.'"

"Smart woman, your mother."

"Uh huh." He untangled his fingers from hers and straightened up. "I'll be right back. Just have to get the phone."

She watched him walk across the room. Silently appreciating the view, Mac realized that soon she'd be able to watch him any time she wanted. It was a heady thought.

Returning to the sofa, he sank down beside her and draped one arm around her shoulders. Holding the telephone to his ear, he listened to the ring. "Hi, Mom. It's me. How are you and Frank?" He was silent a minute. "Yes, I'm fine....No, I called because I have some news....Well, I think it's good news. You probably will too....No, I haven't gotten promoted."

Mac snorted quietly. It sounded like Harm's mother wasn't giving him much opportunity to tell her.

"Mom, actually, why don't you get Frank to get on the extension? Then I can tell you both at once." He waited as she called his stepfather. "Hi, Frank. Yeah, things have settled down a bit here, finally. Yeah....Here's the news. I'm engaged." A smile lit up his face. "Yeah, I know I wasn't dating anyone. But I did have a date last night. And this morning she convinced me that we'd actually been dating for a couple of years. We just hadn't realized it."

Mac wondered idly if he'd ever get around to telling his folks that he was engaged to her. She was startled when Harm handed her the phone.

"Mom wants to talk to you," he said with a smile.

"You haven't even told her you're marrying me," she said.

"Didn't have to. The minute I said it, she said, 'Frank, Harm's finally come to his senses. He proposed to Mac.'"

"So that's where you get it. Somehow, I always thought you must be like your dad." Mac took the phone. "Hi, Mrs. Burnett? How are you?...That's good. Yes, he's an idiot sometimes, but he's my idiot. What can I say?...I know. Yes....We haven't actually talked specifically about dates, but not too far away. We're both sort of anxious, now that we've finally figured things out....I know....I will....You want to talk to him again?...Okay. Thank you both so much....Bye." She clicked the power button off and returned the phone to Harm. "Your mother is so nice. I think I'm going to enjoy having her for a mother-in-law."

"Good. I know she's wanted me to ask you out for a long time." He handed her the phone again. "Don't you have a call to make?"

She punched in the Admiral's home number and took in a deep breath. "Hello, Admiral? This is Colonel Mackenzie. Sorry to bother you at home, but Commander Rabb and I have something important to discuss with you, and we think you'd rather we do it before tomorrow morning....Seven-thirty?" She looked at Harm who was nodding his agreement. "That would be fine. See you then." She clicked off the phone and placed it on the coffee table. "The admiral says for us to show up at his place at seven-thirty for dessert and 'whatever mess' we've gotten into this time."

"We can do that." Harm bent down to cover Mac's neck with kisses.

As he nuzzled her, she sighed blissfully. If he kept that up, they'd never manage to take things slowly. Why had they decided to do that, anyway? She turned into his embrace and returned it enthusiastically.

19:15 local time
McLean Virginia

Mac leaned back and watched Harm drive. It really was fun to watch the skill with which he handled the Corvette. He became one with the vehicle, just as he did with an airplane. Man and machine merged into one, his hand and the gearshift lever working unconsciously. She realized that she would never have his touch on the controls. But she would always come up with the dispassionate plan. And for that he needed her on a daily basis. She chuckled, thinking of the admiral's possible reactions to the news of her and Harm's engagement.

"What's so funny?" Harm glanced over at her.

"Oh, I was just thinking of how the admiral is likely to react when he sees this ring." She waved her hand at him.

"I hope he says, 'Congratulations, Harm and Mac.'" Harm looked thoughtful. "You don't suppose he's gonna get mad, do you?"

"No. More likely, he's gonna say, 'It's about time you got your head out of your six, Mr. Rabb.'"

"Great. So you think I'm going to get chewed out by my CO for taking too long to cause him major staffing problems?"

"Yep. But it's all right. I'll protect you from the big, bad admiral. After all, I'm..."

"A Marine. I know." He looked at her quizzically. "Are you going to say that every day for the rest of my life?"

"Don't you like it?" Her smile lit up her face.

"I didn't say that. It's just that sometimes, I get the feeling that you think I'm inferior because I'm not a Marine."

"Never, Harm. Remember, I've seen you be a Marine. You've got the ability. You're not the typical squid."

"Thank you so much." He smiled from ear to ear. "I guess that's why my service record makes 'interesting reading.'"

"Oh yeah. You definitely have some unusual skills not possessed by the average aviator or attorney."

He grinned. "My parents always told me to strive to be above average."

"Of course." She shook her head in amazement at him as he turned onto the admiral's street.

Pulling the car into the driveway, he looked over at her. "Here goes nothing."

She patted his leg. "It'll be fine, Harm. My guess is he has been expecting this conversation for a couple of years."

"I doubt it. Wanting it, maybe. Expecting it? No."

He helped her out of the car. As he escorted her up the stairs to the porch, he asked, "So what are we going to say?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Something will come to me." She reached out and rang the doorbell.

Seated around the coffee table, greetings and dessert dispensed with, the admiral turned to Harm and Mac. "So, Colonel, Commander. What's this important matter that can't wait for morning?"

Harm cleared his throat. "Well, Sir, the thing is that uh, um...." He turned panic-stricken eyes to his fiancee.

"Harm and I need to talk to you about some chain of command issues. As of tomorrow, we will not be able to oppose each other in court or preside over each other's cases. And before too long, one of us will need a transfer." Mac threw Harm a lifeline.

"And just why is this? Are you all unhappy at JAG? Do you think that I don't know how to assign cases?" AJ was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Having noticed the ring on Mac's hand the moment he opened the door, he'd decided to let them squirm. AJ smiled tightly at the dull red flush that was creeping up the Commander's neck and staining his cheeks. Harm really was too easy. The man needed to learn to control his emotions.

Meredith choked on her coffee at AJ's comments.

Harm tried again. "No, Sir. Not at all. We're both very happy serving under you. That's one of the reasons it's been so hard to make this decision."

Mac grinned as Harm still managed to say nothing.

"Then what is it? Just spit it out."

Mac tried. "Admiral, Harm and I are engaged."

"You're what?!"

Harm jumped in his seat, startled. "Engaged, Sir. I've asked the Colonel to marry me. She said yes. Which, as you know, creates legal conflicts of interest immediately and chain of command issues once we get married."

"I know that, Harm. I'm just surprised that you didn't at least date each other first. Isn't that the normal order of events? Date, propose, marry?" AJ was really enjoying watching his two officers squirm.

"Well, Sir, after all that happened the past year, it just finally hit me how short life can be." Harm struggled to express himself.

"With all due respect, Sir, Harm did try to follow that scenario. I'm the one who sped up the timetable." Mac attempted to defend him.

"I did take her out on a date, Sir." Harm sounded like a high school kid trying to justify his breaking curfew. "But it sort of snowballed, and the next thing I knew...."

Meredith intervened. "I think it sounds quite romantic. When was your first date?"

"Last night." Harm turned even darker red.

Admiral Chegwidden finally gave in to the glare from his fiancee's eyes and the evident discomfort suffered by his senior attorneys. A shout of laughter rang out. "Man, you don't waste much time, do you? Congratulations, you two. It's about damn time." He shook Harm's hand and gave Mac a hug. "So when are you planning to get married?"

Mac replied, "We'd like to get married in about three or four months--November or early December if we may. We know that it will take some time to work out the logistics of a transfer and also just having us both on leave at the same time."

"We manage without you when you're off playing with Webb. I think we can manage a couple of weeks for a honeymoon. The big question is what to do with one of you in terms of assignment. But that's a question for another day. I'll think of something we can all live with." He rose from the sofa. "If that's all, I'll see you two tomorrow morning."

Rising with their superior, Mac and Harm found themselves saying goodnight and leaving the house.

Harm slumped in the seat when he got in the 'Vette. "Whew! I'm glad that's over."

Mac's giggle erupted again. "That wasn't so bad, Harm."

"Speak for yourself. I haven't felt like that since I picked up my date for the senior prom."

Rolling her eyes at him, she shook her head. "You're funny."

"I wasn't being funny. I was being cute."

10:00 local time
Falls Church, Virginia
JAG Headquarters

"Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie reporting as ordered, Sir." Harm and Mac stood at attention in Admiral Chegwidden's office.

"At ease. Take a seat." The admiral motioned at the two leather chairs in front of his desk. Removing his reading glasses he looked up at the two officers. "I've given this a lot of thought, talked to the CNO and the SecNav, and we've come up with a couple of options. Within reason, you may get your choice."

Mac and Harm looked anxiously at each other. It was sinking in that one of them would probably be leaving JAG.

"Now, as you are both aware, the situation with Lieutenants Roberts and Simms is somewhat special and unusual. Since her duties are administrative rather than legal, I was able to use admiral's privilege to allow her to stay here. Especially after the audit last winter, it's not going to be possible to work something like that out for the two of you."

Harm swallowed, then said, "Sir, if I may, I'm willing to take whatever transfer is deemed necessary. I know how much Mac is needed here."

"Thank you for volunteering, Mr. Rabb, but that's not necessarily the way it's going to play out." Chegwidden shuffled through some papers on his desk. "Here are the options. A) One of you, probably Harm, transfers to the Pentagon. The other remains here on staff. B) Harm goes to Surface Warfare School and learns how to drive a ship. He leaves JAG and ultimately could wind up commanding a carrier. Mac stays here. Once we know where Harm will be based, we find a JAG billet for Mac in the vicinity. C) Mac transfers to the judiciary on a permanent basis, although from time to time she may return here TAD for special investigations or cases. Harm stays here and becomes the chief of staff in her place. In a year or so, both of you get transferred for two to three years to either Naples or Pearl, then return here. Before you decide which scenario you like best, I think you should both be aware that you are both long overdue to be transferred out of here anyway. At the same time, options B and C probably are the best opportunities for career advancement. In option C, the transfers to Pearl or Naples would both undoubtedly entail promotion to Captain for you, Harm, and bird colonel for you, Mac, if not upon assignment, then by the end of the tour. Harm would probably be in charge of the TSO in either Naples or Pearl. Mac would stay in the judiciary."

The admiral put down the papers. "There may be other options, but these seem to be the best available at the moment. The only chain of command issue that would arise with the last option would be if either of you were ever named JAG." He looked at the two officers. "I don't think I need to tell either one of you which option would probably be best for the long-term success of your marriage."

"No, Sir," Harm replied.

"Give it some thought, and let me know by the end of the week so I can start things rolling. If you all choose option C, we'll probably implement that almost immediately." At Mac's surprised expression, the Admiral explained, "If Harm is going to take over as chief of staff, you're going to have to teach him what he needs to know, Colonel." He looked once more at them. "Any questions?"

"No, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

"Dismissed."

"Aye, aye, Sir," they said in unison.

Harm followed Mac out of the office to the break room. He handed her a cup of coffee and reached for one himself. "So what do you think?"

"I don't know what to think. I mean, the first option keeps us in Washington for the foreseeable future."

"I hear a but coming."

"But it sounds like it's either a career dead-end or a potential multi-city marriage at some point." She took a sip of coffee. "We haven't really talked about it, but I'm sort of assuming that you want at least one kid."

"Of course. Don't you?"

At her nod, he went on, "No way do we want to be assigned in different places if we have children. I know what that's like."

She nodded. "What about option B? I know how much you like life on carriers. Have you ever even considered that route?"

"Honestly, no. What I like about life on carriers is flying airplanes off them." He smiled wryly. "And we both know that isn't even a remote possibility at this point. I just don't see that option either, Mac."

"You don't?"

"No. Think about it, if I take that opportunity, then we are looking at me being away at sea six months out of every year in all probability. Do you really want that?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I want you in the same zip code."

"Me too. So are we agreed with the admiral that option C is the way to go?"

"Yes. Besides, I think a couple of years in Italy or Hawaii could be fun."

He gave her a wolfish grin. "I'm requesting Italy. They have topless beaches, you know."

"Red light, Commander." Her laugh betrayed her.

"Red light? I'll show you a red light." He moved in close to her.

Ducking beneath his arm, she said, "Perhaps, but not here."

She walked out into the bullpen, her coffee mug securely held in her left hand.

Harm entered the bullpen just in time to hear Harriet's shriek.

"Colonel! Is that what I think it is? Ooh, this is so romantic! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Harriet. I'm happy for me too." She smiled across the room at Harm, who was trying to make it to his office before he was caught by Harriet.

Half the staff gathered around Mac, admiring her ring and asking questions which she couldn't answer before another question was heard.

The Commander tried to duck into his office, but was nabbed by a smiling Sturgis Turner. "Finally got your head out of your six, huh?" Sturgis clapped his hand on Harm's back. "Congratulations. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Neither did I, Sturgis. Neither did I." He smiled happily. "But I'm sure glad I did."

The End