Attic Treasures
Author: Ava
E-mail: mmmThatAJ@yahoo.comRating: PG-13
Disclaimer: JAG and all its characters belong to Belisarius Productions, Paramount, CBS, Viacom, and probably endless others.
Summary: In response to Paula B's challenge for a movie remake, here's my offering. It's based on the 1946 rendition of "Margie", starring Jeanne Crain.
Author's comments: This story begins in the year 2014 and flashes back to 2003. Characters' speaking parts are in double quotes ("text"); characters' thoughts are in single quotes ('text').
"Hey, Mom! This is perfect!" the 9-year-old pulled an old machine gun out of the even older trunk in the attic. "Can I use this?"
Sarah turned away from the trunk she was rummaging through to see her son waving the old MP-5 in the air above his head. "Matthew! Put that back... carefully!" she scolded. "I told you we'd find something in my trunk, not your father's." She thought to herself, 'At least I know that thing isn't loaded. I'm the one who cleaned it last.'
"But Mom, it's just an old gun. It would be perfect for Halloween! I could dress up in Dad's old uniform and carry the gun and..."
"Sweetie, your father never carried an MP-5." Sarah muttered under her breath, "Machine gun, yes. Specifically an MP-5? No."
"MP-5?" the young boy repeated. "Couldn't have been a very good gun if they don't still use it," he said casually.
"Matt, the Heckler and Koch MP-5 was the best submachine gun in the world for a long time. All the special forces teams used them when they had to go in and rescue hostages."
"Dad rescued people; he told me!" the boy stated.
Sarah smiled indulgently. "Yes, he did. He rescued a lot of people... in more ways than needed a machine gun..."
"How come he has this gun in his trunk?" Matt asked.
"I'm not exactly sure how he ended up with it," Sarah said. "But they did finally dig the bullets out of the courtroom ceiling," she remembered.
"Huh?" her son questioned. "Bullets in the ceiling? Why were there bullets in the ceiling, Mom?"
Sarah reached over and took the gun from Matthew's hands. She didn't like his holding it, even though she was sure it wasn't loaded. They didn't allow the kids to handle real guns, loaded or not. As she ran her hands over the barrel, she sighed, "Needs to be cleaned."
"Mo-om," Matt whined. "What ceiling? And how come there were bullets in it?" he asked again.
Sarah smiled as she remembered. "It was back in 1997. In January. I'd just joined JAG that month..."
"That's when you met Dad! In January of 1997!"
"That's right, Sweetie," Sarah agreed. "I was defending a young man accused of murdering his best friend during a mission."
"What kind of mission?"
"They were SeALs, and they were..."
Matt started to interrupt, "Dad..."
But Sarah preempted him, "Do you want to hear about the machine gun or not, Matthew?" The boy nodded. "Then let me tell you the story without your interrupting me, okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
And Sarah told her son the story of 'Heroes': about the young SeAL who stepped in front of his life-long friend's fire, about the friend's devotion to his memory and not wanting anyone to tarnish his name or devalue his accomplishments... and how Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb raised the MP-5 submachine gun and fired it into the courtroom ceiling, how Admiral AJ Chegwidden had raked him over the coals for such a stupid display. Sarah looked at her son's look of horror. "What?" she asked gently.
"Inside the building? For real? He fired a machine gun inside the building?"
Sarah grinned. "He was making a point. At least that's what he told the Admiral."
Matt began to giggle. "Sounds like something he'd have done. I can't wait to tell Jimmy!"
"I imagine Jimmy and AJ know all about that already, Sweetie," Sarah told him, referring to the Roberts' children, Matt's best friend being James Kirk, the Roberts' second son. Even though Jimmy was two years older than Matt, they still got along famously.
"Awww, I never hear a story first. They always know everything before I do," the boy complained.
"Well, let's see... maybe I can think of one they wouldn't have heard yet," Sarah offered as she dug back into her trunk. "I'll think about it some more while we look for..."
"Hey! Where'd you get those?" Matt interrupted, pointing to the beads she now held in her hands. "They look like those things gypsies wear in all those old movies you and Dad watch."
Sarah chuckled, "That's exactly what they are, Matt. Gypsy beads. Real ones. I wore these in Russia."
"Russia? Oh! I remember that story! That's when you got to play gypsy and ride in the back of a wagon and tell people their fortunes, right?"
"Uh huh. And a few other things... like punching out of a MIG, getting shot at..."
Matt shook his head in wonder. "You and Dad are lucky to be alive, you know that?" Matt said knowingly.
Sarah smiled, "Yes, we are, Sweetie."
"Tell me about the MIG?" Matthew requested.
So Sarah started her story. She told him about how Harm went to Russia to find his father, and how the Admiral had sent her after him... to keep him out of trouble. She told him how the Russian taxi driver Alexi helped them "rent" a MIG... and then how they ended up stealing it to fly to the other end of Russia. She told him how the Russians shot them down and how she and Harm ejected from the aircraft, and all about how the gypsies found them and helped them.
She explained how the report was sent to the Admiral that his two officers had died in a plane crash, how the Admiral and Clayton Webb didn't believe the story was true, and how they both flew to Russia to find her and Harm. Almost an hour later, Sarah ended her story by telling Matt how the Admiral punched Clayton Webb so hard, he broke his nose.
"Nobody liked him much back then, huh?" Matt asked as Sarah reached back into her trunk and pulled something out.
She sighed. "He got us all into a lot of... difficult... situations. He was just doing his job. But it was very dangerous."
Matt shrieked, "Eeeww! What is that!?" He pointed at the offending item in his mother's hands.
She looked to see what she was holding. "Honey, it's just a pregnancy pad." Sarah pulled it close to her and hugged it. "I wore this when I was on an assignment once."
"Why?" he queried, curling his lip into a grimace.
"I was pretending to be a pregnant woman," she said wistfully.
"How come you had to do that?"
"I didn't have to, Matt. I chose to. A friend asked for my help, and I agreed."
"How does that thing work?" Matt asked, touching the padded cushion that was the 'baby'.
Sarah stood up and pulled the pregnancy pad on. "Of course, I wore it under my clothes. But it just slips on like this and secures in the back."
"How come there are holes in the stomach?"
Sarah's hands unconsciously moved to hold her 'baby'. "Those are from a knife, Sweetie," she said with a catch in her voice. "Good thing I wasn't really pregnant," she whispered to herself. "That bastard would have..."
"Who's a bastard, Mom?"
Sarah's head jerked up to look at her son. "I... um..." She bit her lips together. "It's a long story, Matthew."
"One Jimmy and AJ know about?" he queried.
"No, I don't suppose they know much about this one," she replied.
"Tell me! Please?" the boy begged.
Sarah smiled. "It's not exactly a happy story, Matt. It's rather gruesome at times," she warned him.
"I'm not a little kid anymore, Mom. I don't have nightmares."
"Sweetie, your father still has nightmares. You don't have nightmares just because you're a child," she tried to explain as she removed the pregnancy pad and put it back in the trunk.
Matt didn't say anything. He just pleaded with her with his large puppy-dog eyes. Sarah sighed, knowing she could never resist those eyes. 'Funny, that's what his father says about my eyes,' she thought lovingly.
Sarah sat back down on the plywood floor and began the story of how she was called into the Admiral's office and told that Clay needed a pregnant wife for an assignment. She told Matt about being fitted with the pregnancy pad and about the gorgeous diamonds she wore. She explained where Paraguay was and why it was important to stop the terrorists.
As she got further into her story, her tears fell as she recounted how Clay had been tortured, how he had insisted that he be the one they took each day to the room of atrocities, how, when he was thrown into their 'prison cell' at her feet, barely alive, he still tried to calm her fears. And how he had cried that last day when she insisted they take her to the torture room in his place... when he was so weak he couldn't stop her.
"But why'd you have to pretend to be pregnant?" Matt asked after his mother had rambled on for almost an hour.
Sarah didn't even hear him. "Clay is such a fine man. He's so kind and gentle... so giving... caring... loving..." She was completely lost in her own thoughts, remembering how she and Clay were rescued that day. "He was almost dead. I was so afraid he wouldn't make it. And he still thought of me, not of himself. He needed me; he told me he did. What he meant, though, was that he loved me. The kiss we shared was so sweet. So tender... I didn't want him to leave without me. I wanted to take him home and nurse him back to health. I wanted..."
"Mom!!" Matt said for the fourth time, this time rather loudly and standing directly in front of her. He didn't like that his mother was so lost in her story, she didn't even hear him.
Sarah blinked hard and turned a blank look to her son. "What?"
"Are you okay, Mommy?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, wiping away her tears. "Uh huh." Sarah pulled him into her lap and hugged him. "Mommy's fine. I'm sorry, Sweetie. I got a little caught up in the story. It was a very... difficult assignment. And it's still hard to talk about it without remembering all the pain that went along with it."
"But you came back. And everything was okay," he insisted, as though that should have erased all the bad memories.
"Yes, we all came back." Sarah told Matt how Harm had resigned his commission so he could go to Paraguay to search for her. She told him how the Admiral had refused to take him back into JAG because he couldn't live by the rules. She told him how she and Harm drifted apart and how she and Clay grew closer together. 'Is he old enough?' she wondered, 'to hear all of it? To know the whole story of how his father and I ended up together?'
She wondered if he even cared how it happened. She knew their daughter, Miranda, would eventually want to hear the story. Girls were like that... romantics at heart. At least, Sarah was... she hoped her daughter would be. And so far, Miranda was definitely proving to be a very feminine little girl. Quite the opposite of Sarah's childhood... which she was very happy about. Sarah decided to keep talking. If Matt wasn't interested, she'd soon know it.
"It was Thanksgiving that same year... 2003. I hadn't seen Harm in months, but I knew he was dating Catherine Gale. Clay told me. Clay and I were getting to be quite an item... the same as Harm and Catherine, actually," she chuckled. "Well, your Aunt Harriett and Uncle Bud were planning Thanksgiving dinner at their house, and they were more than a little concerned that Harm would cause a scene if I showed up with Clay. They didn't know about his dating Catherine yet. Well, they decided that if they arranged for a date for Harm, maybe he'd occupy himself with her and not pester me and Clay. Their plan didn't quite work out the way they expected it to, though."
Sarah glanced at Matt's face. He was listening attentively, which surprised her. 'Hmm, maybe he really does want to hear this,' she decided. So she continued...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, 27 November 2003
1458 EST
Roberts' Residence
Falls Church, VirginiaMac rang the doorbell as Clay lowered his mouth to hers and captured her lips in a searing kiss. "Do we have to stay long?" he whispered.
"Clay, you promised," Mac scolded gently. "Light cocktails at 1500, dinner at 1600, visiting and dancing at 1800. We won't be leaving until 2000 at the earliest."
"Think we could find a room here after dinner?" he whispered as he nuzzled his face in her neck. "Don't forget, you promised me an answer tonight."
Mac giggled, "I didn't promise, Clay! You promised to ask me again. I told you I wasn't ready to give you an answer. You know that." Clay moved his lips over hers and buried his tongue in her mouth. She moaned in delight until she heard Bud clear his throat. She pulled herself free from Clay's embrace and smiled at Bud.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Ma'am. Mr. Webb," greeted Bud, blushing as he saw the intimate exchange.
"It's 'Mac' today, Bud. You know that," she corrected the junior officer.
"And my name's 'Clay', as you well know."
Bud nodded. "Okay."
"Bud! Are you going to let them in or make them stand in the cold all afternoon?" scolded Harriett. Bud stepped aside and Mac and Clay entered the house. "Happy Thanksgiving, Mac! Hello, Clay. Welcome to our home; it's nice that you could join us today."
"Thank you for including me, Harriett," Clay said magnanimously as he helped Mac out of her coat.
"Are we the first ones here?" asked Mac as she entered the living room and didn't see anyone else. Bud followed her and then Clay.
"No, Ma'am," Bud replied. "The Admiral is here and..."
"Hello, Clayton," came a sultry voice from behind them. They all turned to see a statuesque blonde standing in the doorway of the living room.
'Who in the world is she?' wondered Mac.
"Elise?" Clay was surprised to see her. "Is that really you?"
The woman didn't move from the threshold. "Oh yes, Clayton. It's me." She smiled a brilliant smile... obviously meant solely for Clay. She ran her hands down her sides, smoothing her elegant dress. "Been a long time," she purred.
"A very long time," Clay breathed as his eyes traveled down her body and then back up to her face. He walked up to her and hugged her gently. "Too long," he breathed as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
"Is that all I get after all these years? A peck on the cheek?" she pouted.
Clay pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth, their arms wrapping around each other.
Mac was taken aback at the sight, but rather than make a scene, she decided to ignore the spectacle; she took a step backwards, meaning to then turn and walk to the sofa and sit down. But as she stepped back, she felt a hard chest against her back and saw two arms come around her to steady her. "Easy, Mac. It's just me," the Admiral's voice soothed.
He released her as quickly as he'd touched her and Mac turned around. "Sorry, Sir. I didn't know you were behind me," she tried to smile.
"I snuck up on you," he winked at her. He hadn't really. He'd even spoken to her as he walked in the room, but she hadn't heard him. No one had. They were all watching the dance between Clay and this 'Elise' woman. "Did you want to sit?" he smiled.
"Yes, please." The Admiral offered his hand which Mac accepted, and he guided her to the sofa and seated her. "Thank you, Sir."
Clay and Elise were still standing in the doorway whispering to each other, Clay's hand now resting on Elise's waist and hers laid on his chest. Mac bit back her tears. She really thought that Clay loved her. She just knew he did! But now the first time they go out together among her friends, he embarrasses her by ogling and kissing another woman? What kind of love is that? 'Certainly not the kind I want from my husband.' She wondered offhand if he'd even remember just now that he'd ever proposed to her. 'He'd probably deny it!' she thought ruefully.
"Can I get you anything, Mac?" the Admiral whispered. "Tonic water? Ginger ale? A shotgun?"
Mac finally heard his words at this last and looked up, a smile gracing her face. "The latter, I think, Sir. Thank you. I'll also need a good defense lawyer. Care to take that on?"
"For you, Mac? Anything," he replied, chuckling. He turned and looked back at Clay and Elise, following Mac's gaze. Then he added, "But in my opinion, he's not worth the trouble. You can do better."
"Oh yeah, like they're really lining up at my door, Sir," Mac argued. Then she sighed, "But you're right. No man's worth risking a Murder One conviction." '...except maybe you,' she added in her thoughts as he sat next to her.
"Conviction? With me as your lawyer? Not a chance!" he teased lightly.
The doorbell peeled, and Clay and Elise finally moved into the living room as Bud answered the door. Clay introduced Elise as an "old family friend" whom he hadn't seen since graduate school. The entire time, he kept his arm around her waist.
"I had no idea you two knew each other!" exclaimed Harriett. "Elise and I went to finishing school together. I only just found out she was living close by a couple of months ago."
Elise smiled, "I've only been living here for about six months. I was in the Monte Carlo office," she informed them.
"What brought you here?" the Admiral asked politely.
"My mother passed away early this year, and my father... well, he was rather lost without her. So I decided to do the daughterly thing and come home to take care of him. Only when I got here and got all settled in, he went and found himself another love and got married last week!" she laughed. "So here I am. Back in D.C. and all alone," she shook her head.
"Any chance of going back to Monte Carlo?" asked Mac pointedly.
Mac's words brought Clay up short. 'Oh my God! What am I doing?' He immediately dropped his arm from Elise's waist and moved to Mac's side. He reached for her hand and pulled her up from the sofa, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the mouth; a kiss, he noticed, that Mac did not return. He turned back and introduced her. "Elise, I want you to meet Sarah MacKenzie, my fian... well, my girlfriend. She hasn't accepted me yet," he squeezed Mac's hand and kissed her cheek lightly.
Elise smiled genuinely at Mac. "I am sorry, Sarah. I didn't realize Clayton was spoken for. I already made one mistake," she glanced at the Admiral. "First, I thought I was here for your handsome Admiral."
Mac looked confused, as did Clay, so Harriett piped up with an explanation. "I asked Elise if she'd like to meet a tall, handsome former Naval officer and keep him company today." She turned apologetic eyes to her old schoolmate. "I guess I forgot to tell you his name."
Elise nodded, "I'm afraid you did, Harriett. But I now know that it's not your extremely handsome Admiral Chegwidden," she said smiling at the Admiral. "And it's obviously not the first love of my life, Clayton Webb," she added looking at Mac with envy.
"I wasn't in the Navy either, Elise," Clay added.
Elise chose to ignore his comment. She turned back to Harriett, "So before I make any more blunders, why don't you tell me who I'm supposed to be here to charm today?"
"Elise?" another female voice came from the doorway. "Elise Marcouth?"
Elise turned and saw another old friend from finishing school. "Catherine!" she exclaimed. She turned to Harriett, "You didn't tell me Catherine would be here, too!"
Harriett turned puzzled eyes to the newcomers. "Oh my gosh! Catherine!" squealed Harriett. "Catherine Gale!"
"Harriett? Harriett Sims?? Oh, this is just too incredible!!" Catherine said in delight. The three women met in the middle of the room and hugged each other. "I can't believe this!"
"I can't either!" agreed Elise.
"This is so great!" Harriett gushed.
The women giggled together until finally Bud cleared his throat. "Sweetie, I think maybe we need to check on things in the kitchen?"
"Everything's fine in there, Honey. I was just back there," Harriett replied, not wanting to leave her old friends.
"Harriett, I need to talk to you," Bud tried again.
Elise said, "You can't have her yet, Bud. Not until she tells me who this gorgeous hunk is I'm supposed to keep company today. I do not want to muck it up a third time," she laughed.
'Oh no,' thought Bud. 'Don't say it, Honey. Please don't say it... not now! He's here! He's standing right behind you!'
Harriett giggled, "His name is Harmon Rabb. And he should be here any minute. You'll see, Elise. He's everything I told you he is... and more."
"Oooo, this I'd like to hear," grinned Catherine. She turned slightly and took hold of Harm's hand and pulled him to her side. "Especially since I'm here with him," she added.
"You're what?" Elise asked in disbelief.
Harriett blushed profusely seeing Harm with Catherine and knowing he'd heard what she just said about him. "Commander!" she stammered, reverting to his former rank in her embarrassment. "You're here? I didn't know you'd... arrived... Sir... I'm... oh..."
Harm laughed. "It's okay, Harriett. Thanks for the compliment, by the way. But why did you have someone here to keep me company? Surely you knew that I'm involved with Catherine?" Harriett shook her head. "Bud? You knew it, didn't you?" he asked his friend.
"Nope. The last I knew you were still pining after the Colonel," Bud replied. When he realized what he'd said, he grimaced. "Open mouth, insert foot. Sorry, Sir."
Harm grinned. "Well, it looks like we'll have an odd number at dinner, Harriett. But don't worry. I won't tell anyone," he teased.
"Oh, no... it actually turns out even," replied Bud. "The Admiral came by himself," he explained. All eyes turned to the Admiral in question. They all wondered why his fiancée wasn't with him.
"So, Admiral, where is Meredith today?" Harm was the one who finally asked.
"I have no idea, Harm," the Admiral replied. He said it so curtly that no one dared ask anything further. Obviously, the Admiral and his fiancée were at odds with each other. But to what extent? No one dared to speculate. The doorbell rang again, and this time Bud opened it to welcome the last two guests: Commander Sturgis Turner and his date, Congresswoman Bobbie Latham.
Elise turned back to the Admiral. "Well, then... it looks like you and I get to spend some time together after all, Admiral."
Admiral Chegwidden nodded his head out of politeness, "That will be just fine, Miss Marcouth."
"Oh, please. Do call me 'Elise'," she smiled genuinely, slipping her hand through the crook in his elbow.
"Only if you'll call me 'AJ'."
Suddenly Catherine realized that her hosts' names were Bud and Harriett. "Harriett! This is your house!" Harriett nodded. "You're married?"
Harriett smiled, "I sure am. Bud is my husband... he's the one who met you at the door."
Catherine nodded her recollection. "He was also the phony minister who married Harm and me for my mother back just before she died this spring."
"Married you?" asked Elise. "You're married, too!? Wait... you said phony!"
"Oh my gosh! That was you?" asked Harriett. "You used my ring!"
Catherine nodded and recounted quickly the tale of how Harm and she pretended to get married for the sake of her dying mother. At the end of her little tale, she asked Harriett, "And if I remember right, you have kids, don't you? Harm told me..."
Harriett smiled even brighter, if that was possible. "I sure do. Two boys. Little AJ is four and a half years old, and Jimmy is four months old."
"When do we get to see them?" gushed Catherine.
"They're napping," Elise told her. "I already asked. But Harriett promised they'd be downstairs for Thanksgiving dinner."
Once the women calmed down a bit, everyone began visiting and soon the mix-up about escorts was forgotten. By all, that is, except Mac. She was still smarting from watching the man she was thinking about marrying kiss another woman... passionately.
When Harriett excused herself to put dinner on the table, Mac followed her into the kitchen. "Can I help?" she offered.
"Yes, actually, you can," replied Harriett. "I promised Little AJ that you would get him up from his nap when it was time for dinner. It was the only way I could convince him to lie down when he knew you were coming over," she confessed.
Mac smiled, "I'd love to!"
"Would you mind getting Jimmy up, too? Bud really wants him to be downstairs for his first Thanksgiving meal," she said as she pulled the electric mixer out to cream the potatoes.
"I don't mind a bit, Harriett, you should know that by now," Mac said as she left the kitchen and walked back through the living room... only to see Clay's arm around Elise's waist again. Unbidden tears sprang to Mac's eyes, and she made a hasty exit from the room and almost flew up the staircase.
As she put her hand on the doorknob to go in the boys' room, she heard a soft voice behind her. "He's not a fool, Mac. He loves you. Elise is someone he hasn't seen in almost 20 years... that's the only reason he's reacting this way. You know that."
Mac sighed as she turned around to face her commanding officer. "I know that, Admiral. But it still hurts to see him enamored with another woman... no matter who she is or how long it's been since he's seen her." Mac sniffed as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
"Are you going to accept him, Mac?" AJ dared.
She looked up, surprised. "He loves me, Sir."
"But what about you, Mac? Do you love him? Enough to spend the rest of your life with him?" She shrugged her answer. "I'm sorry, Mac. This is really none of my business. You were going to get the youngsters up, I believe. Want some help?" He reached past her to turn the doorknob.
"You don't think I love him?" Mac ventured quietly, not moving from her spot.
AJ looked down at her. "It's not my place to say, Mac. It's your life."
"But you don't think we love each other," Mac said in reply. AJ shook his head. "Why?"
"I think you went through a very traumatic experience together last spring. You saw him beaten, tortured... and he wouldn't let them take you. He endured all of that to save you the pain. There's no doubt in my mind that Webb is in love with you. The doubt I have is whether you are in love with him." When Mac just stood there, staring at him, he continued. "The love and affection I see coming from you now is the same that I saw when you were with Brumby. Maybe a little stronger... more protective, perhaps. But that would be normal because of the circumstances."
Mac swallowed hard. "That's what I was afraid of," she whispered. "The love I feel for Clay doesn't feel like the love I've always felt for..." She bit her lips together before she embarrassed herself.
"For Harm?" AJ finished for her, nodding his understanding. "That would be because it's a different kind of love, Mac."
Mac decided not to comment on his words. And as luck would have it, the baby started crying inside the bedroom, giving Mac the excuse to end the conversation.
Ten minutes later, Mac and AJ came down the staircase with the children, Mac carrying the freshly diapered baby and AJ carrying his namesake. Clay looked up and saw Mac with the baby in her arms and his face lit up. He dropped Elise's hand and walked over to Mac. "You look good like that, Honey," he whispered, slipping his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek.
Mac smiled in response. "I think I'd like about a dozen of these."
Clay's jaw fell open in shock, and AJ laughed heartily at his reaction. "What's the matter, Webb? Don't think you've got it in you?"
"Dinner's ready!" called Harriett, saving Clay any further embarrassment. "Let's all move into the dining room."
Everyone found their place card and each one was surprised that they weren't seated with their date. When Harriett turned questioning eyes to Bud, he replied, "Honey, I put them around the table just like you had in your diagram."
"Well, this certainly isn't it," she grumbled. "I'm so sorry," she looked around. "Why don't you just move to wherever you want to sit and forget about the place cards?"
"Mommy, I don't like these cards," said little AJ. "They don't have pictures on them. I couldn't play 'Go Fish!' so I put them back on the table just like I found them." Well, now the mystery was solved; they obviously weren't back just like he found them.
"Seating is perfectly fine, Harriett. No need to change it," replied the Admiral, tousling the youngster's hair and almost daring anyone to argue the point. He was certainly glad not to be seated next to Elise. She was a little too forward, in his opinion.
And Harm liked the seating just fine, too. He was next to Mac on one side and Bud on the other. And Clay and Catherine were on the other end of the table. 'Good! This will give me time to talk to Mac alone.'
As dinner progressed, Harm and Mac chatted amiably, their respective dates all but forgotten. It was like old times, and by the time everyone finished eating, the pair excused themselves to take a walk outside. Catherine and Clay watched as the couple left the table. "I think we just got dumped," Clay said mournfully.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't intend to take this sitting down," Catherine replied, scooting her chair back and rising to her feet.
"I suggest you let them work it out," advised the Admiral.
"But Sir..."
"I wouldn't worry about it, Catherine. He'll be back in no time. She doesn't want Harm," confided Bobbie. "She loves him about the same way she did Lowne and Brumby and... well..."
"And me?" finished Clay.
Bobbie nodded. "Sorry, Clay. I think she really believes she's in love with you... but..."
"But she's actually in love with someone else, is that what you're getting at?" asked Clay.
"Yep. Afraid so." Bobbie replied.
They all rose from the table and moved back into the living room. Bud turned up the volume on the CD player and music filled the room. He reached for Harriett's hand and pulled her to him. "Dance with me?" he whispered.
"Honey, I really need to put the food away and get the children cleaned up..." she started.
"Sturgis and Bobbie are already taking care of the kids, Sweetie. And the food will wait. I want to dance with you."
Harriett smiled into her husband's eyes and whispered, "I love you so much," she whispered as she pressed a kiss on his neck.
Clay danced with Catherine and AJ danced with Elise... then AJ danced with Catherine and Clay danced with Elise. Soon Sturgis and Bobbie joined the group, Sturgis carrying Little AJ, and Bobbie, the baby. It was tricky, but they managed a dance together before Harriett and Bud claimed their offspring and took them upstairs to the nursery.
When they returned, they found that Harm and Mac had also returned to the group. They were dancing together... close together... very close together. Harriett approached Bobbie, who was sitting on the sofa next to the Admiral, and whispered, "You really don't think it's Harm? Sure looks like it!" she almost giggled.
Bobbie laughed. "It does, doesn't it?"
"I've always thought it was Harm. I mean... look at them!" As they danced, Mac nuzzled her face in Harm's neck. "How can you say she doesn't love him?"
"Oh, she does!" corrected Bobbie. "She does love him. She's just not in love with him. It's not Harm that Mac wants. I'm sure of it."
"Oh no?" asked the Admiral as Sturgis claimed a dance with Harriett and whirled her away. "And just whom is it she does want, Congresswoman?"
Bobbie looked him square in the eye. "You, AJ," she whispered.
AJ stared blankly at Bobbie. The silence was deafening. An entire minute passed before he spoke. Finally, AJ said, "Don't be ridiculous. Mac works for me."
"Why do you think she's never let you know how she feels?" asked Bobbie. "She would never do anything to hurt you or your career."
"You're mistaken, Bobbie," AJ said quietly. "Mac respects me as her commanding officer and her elder."
Bobbie almost choked. "Her elder!? AJ, you're not an old man! My God, you're only... what? 52?" AJ grinned and pointed upwards with his index finger. "53? 54?" AJ kept pointing up, so Bobbie finally said, "You can't be any more than 55, I know!" He just smiled. "And anyway, what does that matter? Mac's in her 40s now and you're in your 50s. So what?"
"Bobbie, I think you're imagining things," AJ argued. "Mac's been in love with Harm for years."
"You can think that if you want to, AJ. Actually, it's probably best that you do think that," Bobbie almost sighed. "But if you had any sense, you'd transfer that woman out of your chain of command."
On the other side of the room, Clay watched Mac dance with Harm and he grew more and more uneasy. He could feel her slipping away from him. Finally he'd had enough! He had to do something or he'd lose her for sure. 'And all because I acted like a love-struck teenager when I saw Elise. What a fool! Mac hadn't thought of Harm in months!' Clay walked up behind Harm and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Go away," Harm told him.
"She's my date, Harm. And I want to dance with her." Clay pulled Mac away from Harm and into his embrace. They danced for about a minute before Harm tapped Clay on the shoulder. "Go away," Clay said.
"My turn again," Harm refuted.
"You've been dancing with her for the last hour. It is not your turn again."
Harm grabbed Mac's left hand from Clay's shoulder and pulled her to him. But Clay didn't let go of her right hand. Mac felt like she was in the middle of a tug of war... and she was the rope! Harm pulled... Clay pulled... Harm pulled harder... Clay pulled harder... Harm yanked her arm again just as AJ rose from the sofa and barked, "Gentlemen, that is enough!!"
It worked. Clay released his hold on Mac's right hand and Harm released his hold on her left hand. The only problem being that Harm had jerked her so hard the last time, Mac lost her balance and ended up in a heap on the floor.
"Mac!" Harm cried out.
"Nice going, Rabb," Clay spat.
But before either of them got to the floor to help Mac, AJ was already on his knees by her side, pulling her into his arms. He spoke softly, "Are you okay, Sarah? Are you hurt?"
Mac knew she must have died and gone to Heaven. Not only was the Admiral calling her 'Sarah', he was cradling her in his arms. "No, Sir, I'm fine. Just a little dazed is all."
Clay seized the opportunity, "I think it's probably time we went home, Sarah."
"You're not driving her anywhere! You've had too much to drink!" argued Harm. "I'll take her home."
Clay argued back, "You have to take Catherine home. Sarah belongs with me."
Harm was just about to contradict him when they heard Mac's moan. They turned and found her resting her head against the Admiral's shoulder. He rose to his feet with her in his arms. "I'll be the one taking her home, Gentlemen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah heard the front door slam as she was almost finished with her story. She decided to just end it there. She knew that as soon as Matthew heard his father's footsteps, he'd dart downstairs whether she was still talking or not. She was surprised then, when Matt looked at her with pleading eyes. "Mo-om! You can't stop there! Who did you go home with??"
"Why, your father, of course," Sarah laughed.
"Honey, I'm home!" they heard the deep voice bellow from below. "Where is everyone?"
"I'm glad you chose Daddy," grinned Matthew. Then he shouted down the stairs, "We're up in the attic, Dad!"
Sarah smiled. "So am I, Sweetie. I love your Uncle Clay and your Uncle Harm a lot; they're both very dear friends..." She turned her gaze on her husband of 10 years who was coming up the stairs. "...but I've been in love with your Daddy almost since the day I met him."
AJ reached down and pulled his wife into his arms for a kiss. "What are you two doing up here?" he asked when he released her lips.
"Looking for a Halloween costume, Dad!"
The end.