A Marriage Made by Webb - Part 2
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: Webb needs a wife, and he chooses Mac to play the part. Sparks will fly!
Author's comments: Characters' speaking parts are in double quotes ("text"); characters' thoughts are in single quotes ('text').
Monday, 28 January 2002
1635 EST
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia"Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie," Mac said as she picked up the receiver, interrupting her discussion with Harm and Sturgis.
"Good afternoon, Sarah. This is Porter Webb."
"Mrs. Webb! Hello."
"I got your message. I'm sorry I wasn't here to take your call earlier. So you heard from my son?"
"Yes, Ma'am, he called last night... er, this morning... well, early," Mac stuttered, blushing, a fact which neither Harm nor Sturgis missed.
"He couldn't have helped the hour, Sarah. Clayton doesn't wake people up unless it's important," his mother defended.
"Oh, it wasn't a problem at all, Mrs. Webb," Mac said, turning to look out the window.
"Good. And Clayton is all right?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Sarah, we've discussed this before. Please. It's 'Mother'."
'She knows what's going on. Thank God!' Mac realized. 'But wait... why would she say that... Oh no... the phone is bugged. Hers or mine, I wonder? Probably both by now.' "Mother. It's hard to get used to that."
"Of course it is, my dear. And I understand. So tell me, what is my son up to these days?"
Mac laughed lightly. "Who knows?" Then she said a bit more seriously, "He's out of the country, but he couldn't tell me where. Nor when he'd be back."
"You knew that going into this marriage, Sarah," Porter told her. "He can seldom tell you where he is when he's on an assignment."
"Yes, Ma'am. I know that. I just miss him," Mac said wistfully, pressing her hand against the pane of glass.
Harm and Sturgis were still sitting in her office, watching and listening. 'Damn, she sounds like she means that,' thought Harm.
"Of course you do, Sarah."
"Mother, would you like to have lunch tomorrow? With me, I mean?" Mac asked.
"That would be lovely, my dear. Yes. Shall I come to your office and pick you up?"
"That would be perfect. Say 1145?"
"I'll be there. And looking forward to it. Perhaps we can go over the plans for the formal ceremony? Clayton mentioned that he wanted to have one."
"That would be such a tremendous help, Ma'am. Thank you."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
As Mac turned away from the window to hang up the phone, she was startled seeing Harm and Sturgis sitting there. "How long have you been there?" she barked at them.
Before Harm had a chance to reply, Sturgis piped up. "We never left, Mac. I'm sorry. We should have when we realized it was a personal call."
Mac looked back and forth between the two men and tried to remember what all she said on the phone. 'Nothing embarrassing, thank God,' she realized.
Tuesday, 29 January 2002
1145 EST
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VirginiaPorter Webb entered the bullpen and stopped at the guard's desk. "I'm here to see Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie," she told him.
"Mrs. Webb?" a male voice sounded from behind her.
She turned to find Harm approaching her. "Well, Commander Rabb. It has been a while. How are you?"
"Just fine, Mrs. Webb. And you?" he asked courteously.
"I'm quite well, thank you."
"May I introduce Commander Sturgis Turner? Sturgis, this is Mrs. Webb, Clayton Webb's mother."
"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Webb."
"What brings you to JAG today, Mrs. Webb?" asked Harm, knowing full well she was here to have lunch with Mac.
"Luncheon with my daughter-in-law, Commander." Porter looked past them and saw Mac walking toward her. "And here she is now. Sarah, my dear!" Porter extended her arms to Mac and pulled her into an embrace.
Mac hugged her back lightly. "Hello, Mrs. Webb," she said quietly.
"Now, Sarah. I thought you agreed to call me 'Mother'," she admonished.
Mac smiled shyly. "Mother." 'Oh, God. She's bugged now, too? I thought we'd have a nice quiet lunch and maybe I'd learn something. I guess not.'
"Are you ready for luncheon, my dear?"
Mac nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."
"Wonderful. I thought we'd go to Callisto's. How does that sound?"
Mac smiled. "That's the Admiral's favorite restaurant."
"Would you prefer to go somewhere else? Somewhere you'd not likely run into him?" Porter asked, as Mac shook her head. "He doesn't get out much, does he?" she asked, winking at Mac.
As Mac shook her head, a deep voice boomed behind her. "Too true." Mac jumped, hearing his voice and knowing he'd seen her response to Porter's question.
"AJ. Nice to see you, again," Porter said smoothly.
"Hello, Porter," AJ nodded in greeting.
"I'm taking my daughter-in-law to luncheon. She tells me we're going to your favorite restaurant."
"Callisto's is a great place," he agreed.
"Would you care to join us, AJ?" Porter offered.
AJ looked at her askance. Then he looked at Mac... and back to Porter. "From the looks on your faces, I would say you probably would prefer not to have a man present."
"Oh, quite the contrary, AJ! You could lend a male opinion to my ideas for the wedding ceremony," Porter intoned.
"Mac's and... Webb's," he replied hesitantly.
Mac nodded. "Yes, Sir. We thought we'd surprise Clay and have it all arranged for when he gets home. So we decided to meet for lunch today and get started."
"Mac, are you sure you want ..."
She interrupted him and straightened up to her full height. "Very sure, Sir. Clay and I are good together; we..."
AJ chuckled. "That's not what I meant, Mac," he placated her. "I know you're 'sure' about Webb. It's a little late if you're not. What I meant was, are you sure you want me to be at lunch..."
Mac blushed as she interrupted him, again. "Absolutely, Sir. As Mrs. Webb..." Mac turned to Porter, "Mother," she corrected herself, "said, you could lend a male opinion to our ideas. I'm sure Clay would appreciate it."
"Very well, I'll be happy to join you lovely ladies," AJ agreed. "Let me just tell Tiner, and I'll be right with you." He headed for his office. "Rabb! Turner!" he called. "With me!" Harm and Sturgis excused themselves and followed the Admiral to his office. As soon as they were in his office with the door closed, he barked, "I want to know what's going on, Commanders. From the way Porter Webb is acting out there, she's bugged. Which means I won't find out anything at lunch. I want to know what's going on and why one of my officers is involved without my prior knowledge and approval."
"Aye, aye, Sir. I'll call over to..."
"No! You're going to have to do this carefully, Harm. From what Mac has gotten from Webb, his office isn't 'supposed' to know he and Mac are married. But I had a phone call from his boss on Friday evening wanting information about Mac for Webb's records. And a call supposedly from the SecNav's office last Thursday that wasn't a valid call, again, wanting information about Mac. Maybe there's a mole somewhere; sure sounds like it. But I want you to find out! I don't like this situation at all. It's too dangerous. And I want you to spread the word *quietly* that everyone here is to assume JAG is bugged, too. It's not. Not yet, anyway... or the whole thing would have blown up in Webb's face by now. But there's no telling when it might be. And if there is a mole in the CIA..."
"Understood, Admiral."
"I hope so, Commander. Mac's life may well depend on it. Not to mention Webb's."
Three hours later, AJ and Mac were none the wiser about Webb's mission, nor what was prompting this play acting. But they had Mac's wedding planned! AJ pulled his Escalade into the parking lot at JAG, and helped Porter out of the front seat. As Mac climbed out of the backseat, she said, "Admiral, do you think if I asked Francesca, she would be willing to help me with a wedding gown?"
"I'm sure she'd be happy to, Mac. I'll be calling her this evening. I'll mention it to her and let you know. Tomorrow soon enough?"
Mac smiled. "Tomorrow is fine, Sir. Thank you."
Mac hugged Porter and went inside as AJ walked Porter to her car.
"Sarah is a lovely young woman," Porter said to AJ as he held the car door open for her.
"That she is, Porter. I hope your son appreciates her."
Porter smiled. "Oh, he does, AJ. He does. He's talked about Sarah MacKenzie for years. I'm glad he finally stopped talking and did something about it."
AJ was surprised. He was sure Porter was serious. There's no reason she would have said that otherwise. 'So, Webb is really interested in Mac. Hmm. This should prove interesting...'
Wednesday, 30 January 2002
0815 EST
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VirginiaMac walked into the break room and poured herself a cup of hot coffee and picked up a chocolate donut. "Mmmm, these are so good," she mumbled, walking out. So intent was she on her donut that she almost walked right into the Admiral's chest.
"Good morning, Colonel," he said, stopping her before they collided.
She looked up, surprised. "Oh! Good morning, Admiral."
He smiled at her. "I spoke with my daughter last evening. She would be delighted to help you with your wedding dress."
Mac beamed and gushed, "Oh, thank you, Sir!"
AJ lifted an eyebrow at Mac. "I had no idea it would make you this happy, Mac," he commented wryly. "You didn't ask for her help last year when you were planning to marry Brumby."
Mac frowned. "I didn't want to bother her, Sir. Not for Mic," she said sourly. "But for Clay? Mmm, I want to look my absolute best for Clay," she purred. "I can't wait to see what Francesca has to show me! I'm going to go call her now." Mac nodded her head slowly at the Admiral. She knew his lifted eyebrow wasn't about her excitement over a wedding gown. He was asking if she was now bugged, too. And she nodded to let him know.
As she had dressed that morning, she noticed that her Marine emblem pin was slightly askew on her uniform. She knew she had pinned it on straight the night before in preparation for today. She *always* pinned it straight. As she unpinned the emblem to straighten it, she realized that it wasn't *her* pin. Hers had a slight dent in it from a blow she took in Bosnia. It wasn't noticeable to anyone but her, and she'd never replaced it because of the sentiment attached to it. That's when she realized what this one was. A bug. 'Oh God,' she thought then, 'how am I going to let the Admiral and everyone else know I'm bugged?'
She had worried for nothing. The Admiral knew it now, and he would spread the word.
The morning staff meeting was unusual. Because Mac was bugged and they still didn't know who was listening, the Admiral wasn't about to discuss any sensitive cases. So they talked about Valentine's Day. "Lieutenant Sims suggested that we have a Valentine's dinner," he told them, surprising them all... including Harriett, who knew nothing of *her* idea. "Lieutenant, you have the floor. Share your thoughts."
"Thank you, Sir," Harriett said quietly, trying to come up with something intelligent and half-way believable. "Valentine's Day this year is on Thursday. I hope that's not a problem for anyone. I thought we could have a dinner at a nice restaurant, maybe something on the water?" Harriett looked up at the Admiral, flustered.
He smiled at her. "It's all right, Harriett. Go ahead. Tell them what you told me you wanted to do. Your 'dream dinner'. I think they'll buy it."
Harriett turned questioning eyes to her husband then. She knew she had never shared her idea with the Admiral. Only Bud knew about it. Had he told the Admiral? Surely not! Bud smiled at his wife and nodded his encouragement.
"Harriett, that is such a wonderful idea!" gushed Mac as they left the conference room 30 minutes later.
"I'm surprised the guys went for it," said Lieutenant Lauren Singer. "Glad, but surprised."
"Do you really like the idea?" asked a shocked Harriett.
Lauren nodded. "Yes, I do. And frankly, Harriett, I'm surprised you came up with it. I wouldn't have thought you were such a romantic. I mean, you're married to... Bud."
Before Harriett could reply, Singer turned and walked away. Mac laid her hand on Harriett's arm and said, "Harriett, don't let her get to you. You know how she is."
Wednesday, 30 January 2002
1040 EST
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia"Francesca, thank you so much for calling me back!" gushed Mac. "Your father told you about my wedding plans?"
"That he did, Mac. I'm happy for you. I do not remember meeting this Clayton Webb. But I do remember stories of him. Papa broke his nose at one juncture, yes?"
Mac laughed. "Yes, he did, in fact."
"And Harm does not think Webb is good enough for you?"
Mac laughed, again. "Your father told you a lot."
"Indeed. We spoke of little else last night."
"So how will we do this? Can you send me pictures of gowns? Or is there a store here I can..."
"Mac, I am coming to visit Papa in a few weeks. I will send you pictures on the e-mail, and you can tell me which ones you want me to bring from Italy when I come next month, yes?"
"Oh, Francesca, that would be perfect! I can't thank you enough..."
"I just hope you have the wedding while I am there to share with you."
"That depends on Clay," Mac said. "I don't know when to expect him."
"Ah. Yes, that would be difficult to plan."
"But I want to be ready when he gets back."
"And you will be," Francesca assured her.
Wednesday, 30 January 2002
1945 EST
Exotic Tan Sun Club
Georgetown, Washington, DCMac stepped out of her car and walked inside the building. After discussing wedding gowns with Francesca that morning, she had decided that she needed to work on getting a tan... just in case she actually had to wear a wedding gown. So she decided to stop at the Sun Club and sign up for a series of tanning sessions.
The manager of the store took Mac through the building, showing her the different types of tanning beds and booths they had... and they had them all! 30 low-pressure beds: the kind most people use. 5 medium-pressure beds: that allow you to tan 5 times faster than the low-pressure beds. 2 medium-pressure booths: where you can stand up while getting your tan. And 2 high-pressure beds: that allow you to tan 10 times faster than the low-pressure beds with no burning whatsoever.
Mac chose the medium-pressure booth; the high-pressure bed was just too expensive. "How many sessions do I need to get a nice tan for a wedding?" she asked.
"What color is your gown?" asked the manager.
"White."
"Oh, you're the bride!?" gushed the young woman.
Mac blushed. "Yes."
"Congratulations! When is the wedding?"
"Well, actually, we're already married. But we decided to have a formal ceremony. So probably in about a month or so. We haven't set an exact date yet," Mac hedged.
"Well, you'll get a nice tan in the booth after about 5 sessions. In the booth, now, you'll start off at 6 minutes. If that works well and you don't burn much, you can go up to 8 minutes the next time. Then 10 minutes, and that's the max for this one. The booth is different from the bed that way. Oh, and it's best if you come every other day with this booth until you have the tan you want. Then twice a week maintains it very nicely," she explained.
"I can do that," Mac said, almost to herself.
"I like the booth best myself," the manager confided in Mac. "I don't like wasting 20 or 30 minutes lying on a bed with sunlamps on me. Now the booth? It's only 10 minutes, and I kinda let loose and dance in there. You know we pipe music into all of the rooms, so it's not so boring."
"There's enough room in there to dance?" asked Mac, amazed.
"Oh, yes. There's a lot of room in the booth. Even 300-pound people can go in a booth with no problem at all. There's lots of room," she assured her.
"Sounds perfect. I'll sign up for 5 sessions now, since that's your special offer today, and we'll see how it goes," Mac said. "If I like it, I'll keep coming... at least until the wedding," she added. "Oh, what do I wear in there?"
"Some people wear a bikini, others wear their underwear. Most people, though, don't want any tan lines, so they go in nude." Mac looked at her with hesitation. "Oh, don't worry. We sanitize the beds and booths thoroughly after each use. You will always have a clean booth."
Mac smiled. "Okay. Let's do it!"
After they finished the paperwork, the girl took a picture of Mac for their computer records. Then she handed her a pair of eye goggles. "You have to wear these in the booth to protect your eyes. Very important. We'll ask you each visit if you have your eyewear with you. Some people buy two pairs, just so they can keep one in their purse and one in their car... in case they forget." Mac held up her fingers to indicate she wanted 2 pairs. "Would you like to get started today?"
"Yes, that would be great," Mac smiled, glad she had gone home and changed clothes first.
"Okay, you're in Room #1. Go on ahead, and enjoy!"
Mac walked around the corner and stepped into the first room. She was just about to close and lock the door to the room when a hand grasped the door and pushed it open. "Sorry, this one is taken for..." Mac started to say. Then she saw his face. "Clay!" she said with delight. "You're here!"
Webb grinned. "Now there's an obvious statement."
Mac slapped him on the chest lightly. "Oh, you! You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Miss me?"
"You know I did," Mac leaned into him and they kissed. She really did miss him. 'I wonder if he knows that?'
"Come on, let's go. What are you doing in here, anyway?" asked Webb.
"I'm working on a tan. Exotic Tan Sun Club... tanning... you know..."
"You're getting in that thing?" he pointed to the tanning booth.
"Sure am. For 6 minutes tonight."
Webb pulled the door open. "Gee, there's a lot of room in there."
Mac grinned. "Yeah, there is."
"How about if I join you?" he suggested. 'This would be perfect! I can actually talk to her without anyone hearing us. There's no way the bugs would transmit through this booth.'
"In the booth?" Mac asked incredulously. "Clay, there isn't THAT much room!"
"Sure there is. I heard her tell you that a 300-pound person fits very nicely in one of these."
"That's true, but..."
"The two of us together weigh just under that, Mac. You're 118 and I'm 175. Come on. Tan with me," he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.
"How do you know I weigh 118?"
Webb grinned. "That's nothing to be ashamed about, Honey. You are one solid, hard-packed muscle Marine. Of course you weigh more than you look. Muscle weighs more."
"Which explains your 175, I guess..." she said as Webb stepped inside the booth. Mac laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You! You can't get a tan with your clothes on, silly!"
Webb grinned as he stepped back out of the booth. He kicked off his shoes and started stripping. "Well, hadn't you better get with the program, Mac?"
Mac couldn't believe he was doing this. 'Well, surely he'll leave his shorts on. I am certainly going to leave my underwear on this time. Damn, that means I'll have to do 6 minutes the next time, too. Oh well.'
"Hurry up, Honey," Clay said, standing in front of Mac in just his shorts.
She quickly stripped down to her underwear. "Okay."
They heard a loud click and the booth powered up, the lights coming on. "I guess our 4 minutes to change are up," said Webb. "Shall we?" He handed Mac a pair of the goggles and took one himself. They stepped into the booth and he closed the door behind them.
"I don't think these booths were made for two people, Clay," Mac said as they shifted around, trying to get comfortable... but not touch each other.
"Mac, the bugs won't work in here. They can't hear us," Webb told her quickly. Before Mac had a chance to reply, Webb continued. "I'm only home for a short time. I had to compile some data, and I needed the machine at the office to do it. I have to head back out within the hour. So we have to make this look good, Mac."
"What's going on, Webb? How long is this charade going to have to continue? The Admiral isn't at all happy that I'm bugged. He can't discuss things with me that he needs to, and he's really getting angry."
"Mac, I can't tell you anything. I don't know how long this is going to take. Maybe another week. Maybe a month. I just don't know."
"A month!? Webb, what is going on?"
"Mac, I really appreciate what you're doing. I know it's... inconvenient." Mac nodded her head. "Okay, so it's a royal pain," he said. "Sorry it's me you have to pretend to be married to."
"That part hasn't been so hard," she said, smiling, almost shyly. "Thank you for the flowers, by the way. They were lovely."
"I'm glad you liked them."
"Harm was rather annoyed when he saw them."
Webb chuckled. "He didn't like that I sent you coral roses, hmm?"
"Coral?" Mac asked innocently. "I thought they were peach."
"They'd better have delivered coral. That's what I ordered," said Webb.
Mac smiled, "Harm said they were coral."
"Mac..." Webb started. "I enjoyed our phone call the other night. Very much."
Mac smiled engagingly. "So did I, Clay." She leaned her head back and reached her hands up around his neck. "Shouldn't we look like we... enjoyed ourselves... when we get out of here?" she asked, hopefully.
Webb grinned. "Wouldn't be a bad idea," he said pressing his body against hers. Webb wrapped his arms around Mac and lowered his mouth to hers. "You have a special glow in here, you know?" he teased.
"It's your goggles, Webb," she retorted.
He captured her lips again, and they continued pleasuring each other in silence for another 3 minutes, the only sounds being the droan of the tanning booth and the music being piped in... and their own moaning.
Finally, the lights shut off in the booth and the huge machine powered down. "You're amazing, Sarah. Absolutely amazing." Webb pushed the door open with his foot. "What time is it, Honey?" he asked.
Mac knew by his calling her "Honey" that they were back in their roles, again. "2027," she answered. 'But wait... if we weren't in our roles before, why were we just making out?'
"Damn. I have to go."
"Can't you stay the night, Clay?" she begged, hoping he would change his mind. 'God, I really want him to stay. But no... this is just an act. Or is it?'
They stepped out of the booth and he ran his hands up and down her arms. "You know I want to, Mac. I can't. I have to get back. But I'll call you."
"I'll be ready for you."
They dressed quickly and kissed goodbye.
