Author's Note: I know that you're disappointed that you didn't see a thermonuclear detonation from Mac, however there will be one further along in the story – when Harm finally has a discussion with Mac as to why he chose Meg over her.
Bullpen
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
"If I can have your attention!" Admiral Chegwidden's voice rang out in the center of the bullpen. "I believe that Commander Austin and Captain Rabb have something to say to all of us." At that, the entire bullpen looked like a school of meerkats, everyone poking their head up to listen to what would surely be an interesting announcement. Mac had just stepped out from her office at the announcement of the admiral.
Mac narrowed her eyes in challenge as Meg locked her eyes on her. The whole world seemed to slow down for a long moment as each woman levelled an unspoken challenge at each other. Mac's was still the old "I'll keep fighting you for him." Meg's was "Back off, you lost!"
Taking a long look around the bullpen staff, stopping her looks at Sturgis Turner, at a surprised Harriet, and at a befuddled Bud, she spoke quietly after taking in a deep breath. "Captain Rabb and I are making arrangements to adopt a young teenager who was abandoned by her birth-father and we were in court today to make that happen. Though we fell short of what we had hoped, we found that we had a chance to make a difference in that young girl's life if we chose to make a change in our status…" She made a long pause there, aiming her look at Colonel Mackenzie, who still didn't know what to make of the announcement. "matrimonially." She paused dramatically as breath intakes were audible throughout the bullpen. "The court would not only look more favorably upon Captain Rabb's application and mine, if we were together in the traditional sense..." reaching out to gather Mattie to her side, "that we would be able to give Mattie a traditional home with two parents."
"That's just a marriage of convenience, isn't it?" Mac's voice was condescendingly loud in the silence as all looks turned to her. "No love at all…" she continued still thinking that there was some hope for her and Harm.
"Actually…there is… it's not a marriage of convenience but one of mutual respect and admiration." Harm interjected. "Meg and I still have to go searching for a ring, but it still would be a choice between the two of us. It's not a marriage of convenience at all."
"…and that comes to my announcement." Meg stated, her heart buoyant, realizing that this was it: that she would be the one who would be Meg Austin-Rabb. "Captain Rabb is hereby effectively off the market. He and I are getting married within two weeks." There were looks of disappointment through the bullpen as the single Navy and Marine Corps women realized this. Despite the PDA regulations, Meg knew that the admiral would excuse the PDA, but she had to get her point across to that thick-headed Marine lieutenant-colonel, so she leaned in to the embrace of Harm and leaned her head against his shoulder, adding an adoring look. She thought she heard the Marine lieutenant colonel choke on her inhale.
Once she had finished coughing, Mac uttered a strangled "Wha-aaaat?!" then a louder "WHAAAT!"
'*cue nuclear explosion*' thought Meg to herself.
"Wait…she can't…what about frat regs? What about…the demoralizing effect in chain of command?" Mac sputtered angrily. "What about the fact that superior officers can't fraternize with subordinates!?" She couldn't believe the admiral was smiling about this? This should have been an immediate Article 134 (Conduct Unbecoming) with the appropriate consequences. "Sir, when can I start the Article 134 investigation into this matter?" she directed an outraged question at the admiral.
"Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain Rabb is not in my immediate command, nor is Commander Austin in any of Captain Rabb's chain of command. So therefore according to the UCMJ, there are no rules regarding the fraternization of officers in separate commands." Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden proclaimed in response. "So thus…no investigation necessary." Mac sputtered like a steaming kettle, but nothing else came out.
"1.2 MT?" Meg queried at Harm quietly.
"Naw…800kt. I've seen her get hotter under the collar." Harm replied.
Meg smiled, her cheeks dimpling, "Drats. I was hoping for a Tsar Bomba." A 53 MT blowup from that irritating Lieutenant Colonel would have been spectacular. "At least it wasn't a Davy Crockett." She said referring to the little tactical nuclear recoil-less rifle that fired the M388 nuclear projectile 1.25 miles away. The M388 only had a yield of about 10 to 20 tons of TNT. Not so much of a spectacular explosion to say the least.
The admiral leaned in to Harm. "I guess I didn't need the MPs – they were on speed-dial." Harm resisted exploding in laughter. Meg had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. "I believe you two have a ring to go searching for." The admiral mock-pointedly glared at Harm. "I suggest you get on it. Commander Austin, since you have wedding preparations to make, I'll be giving you tomorrow off as well. However I expect that you'll be able to catch up on the cases between the time that you're here before your marriage and after your honeymoon."
The two officers said. "Aye aye, sir" and took their leave with Mattie before more nuclear fireworks could explode. Mac had turned around, stomped back into her office and slammed the door emphatically. "Glass didn't break." Harm said as they stepped out of the double doors heading for the elevator.
"I think building management put in safety glass on her door" Meg said quietly, "after the last slam cracked the glass on the door." She grinned, "Betcha the door breaks first next time."
3 Jewelry Stores Later
Reston, Virginia
Harm looked over at the engagement ring display case as Meg looked at the wedding rings. The salesperson looked over at them "We have the Pave style engagement ring. Some couples like a more substantial looking ring in size and weight, than the typical thin engagement band and diamond setting."
It took a few more hours to come up with a ring that fit Meg's ring-finger perfectly, as it was the salesperson's suggestion proved to be the clincher. Harm could barely believe it as he looked over at Meg's ring finger with the ring on it, proclaiming the fact that she was 'engaged' to the entire world. The blonde commander looked up at Harm smiling that wonderfully enigmatic smile as if she held a secret that only she knew.
"Love you, Harm." She whispered to him as she reached out with her right hand to take his left. He beamed a smile at her and reciprocated the endearment.
"Hungry?" Mattie said to her two 'parents'. "Feed a growing kid here."
Harm and Meg looked at her with two identical grins. "I think our kid wants something. Did you hear something?" Harm asked.
"Hmmm, I heard something about food." Meg said looking devilishly at Mattie, "And I think I'm getting hungry too."
"Let me see if I have enough money left for food." Harm said looking at his wallet melodramatically. "After this ring…I think I may end up having to treat us to McDonald's – the fast food that stereotyped fast food." He looked up to see two 'not very impressed' faces staring back at him.
National Mall
Washington DC
Mac paced the Mall back and forth looking harried and angry. The problem with the usually therapeutic walk was that it wasn't doing anything to help her mood in any case. All she seemed to be getting was more and more angry. She had said yes to the 'baby deal' almost 5 years earlier and it was just about getting to that point – there had been an agreement to that effect. She had conveniently forgotten that there was an 'out-clause' – if in five years that neither of them was in a relationship. And then that blonde bimbo had to come back into Harm's life just when she had managed to get her life to the point where she was willing to settle for Harm. And the kicker was today when that said blonde bimbo had indicated that she would be marrying Harm in two weeks. Oh, Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie was incandescent with rage. Well, would bimbo be marrying Harm or would she? Mac intended that there was only one person who would have Harm and Mac was going to be that person.
"Hell, I propositioned him under the Sydney Bridge." She sputtered to herself as she paced the Reflecting Pool with the golden sunset reflected on the water. "And the dumb flyboy didn't want to do anything, so what was I supposed to do, wait until hell froze over?" She rationalized her behavior of running to the first available man that she could run to, by saying "I gave him an offer that any normal person shouldn't be able to refuse – I offered him my body. But he wouldn't take it, so who else should I have turned to except Mic." She paced some more…her uniform drawing attention that normally wouldn't have considering that her frenetic activity was causing her more attention than her uniform. "Harm was just stupid to refuse to take me that night" she rationalized as she continued to pace the Mall, getting angrier and angrier.
"Blondie will rue the day…" Mac muttered to herself as she tore herself away from the mindless pacing and stalked to her Corvette, angrily abusing the door (with a thunderous slam) to the undeserving vehicle, viciously twisted the ignition, yanked on the automatic gear shift and peeled out, leaving a cloud of smoke. What transpired next would absolutely add more fuel to her already incandescent fury. She saw the twinkling blue and reds of a Washington DC Police Car in her rear view window. She pulled the car over, rolling down the window and waited impatiently for the police officer to come to the driver side window.
"Do you realize what speed you were going at?" The brusque voice of a Sergeant growled, whose stripes appeared at her window about a half a second before his glowering un-amused face did. "Especially in a pedestrian rich location? You realize that at the speed you were going at, if you hit someone, you'd cause a fatality?"
"No, officer, I wasn't aware of my speed." Mac gritted through clenched teeth. Despite the fact that she was a Marine Lieutenant Colonel, her rank meant nothing off the base to these police officers.
"Well, since you haven't been made fully aware of the road rules here, Marine!" the police sergeant snapped, "I'm going to be writing you out a ticket for a $275.00 fine. You have 30 days to make restitution to the City Hall at 4th and E Streets. Driver's License please." He extended a hand to take Mac's driver's license. "Ms. Mackenzie. If you do not pay this fine, you will be placed under warrant for your arrest, do you understand me?"
"Yes, Sergeant, I am a lawyer, I do understand my rights and you can be damned sure I'll pay the fine." Mac snapped.
"Then as a lawyer, I'm sure you understand the severity of the charge for which you are being fined." The Sergeant retorted sarcastically, as he returned the drivers license and proceeded to hand her the speeding ticket. All because she had chosen to pace the Mall, her usual therapeutic haunt rather than go directly home from work. And right now, bimbo was probably with Harm picking out their wedding rings. If there was a glass in her hand, she would have thrown it.
"Yes…Sergeant." She bit out, detesting every second of having to be polite.
"You have a good day now. Drive more carefully than you were doing!" the sergeant snapped and returned to his patrol vehicle. Mac's ire towards Meg took a steep upward climb on the chart of enmity.
When she got home, she dialled the phone number for Harriet. "I need to talk to you." Mac said.
"What is it?" Harriet said. "Bud is home. I can come over and stick around for a couple of hours if you need to vent." Harriet wasn't sounding too happy herself because she wished that her friend, Mac could have gotten together with Harm. Bud was ecstatic and Harriet really didn't share the same opinion.
Thursday
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
Harriet said quietly to Mac in the break room. "Face it, Ma'am, you've lost Captain Rabb."
"…but he promised." The plea sounded like she was giving up. "We had that deal."
"What deal?" Harriet inquired. "What deal are you talking about?"
"That's what I'd like to know too." Meg's voice came from behind the two of them – she didn't sound impressed in the slightest.
The startled expressions on both Harriet and Mac's face would have been hysterically funny if Meg wasn't so annoyed at the two officer's cattish behavior. Mac's face grew glowing with rage as her eyes fell upon the diamond engagement ring that Meg was wearing and Meg knew it was making the Marine boil so she made sure that she held her hand at an angle where the diamond was in plain view. Cattish behaviour, indeed, but it was so worth it to see the Marine fume.
"What are you doing here?" Mac thought to ask venomously. "I thought you'd be at home taking care of wedding plans."
"Harm and I are actually taking turns on that. It's not the sole realm of the wife-to-be. Harm wanted to have equal duties in making this wedding one to remember." She emphasized Harm's name and one to remember and that was definitely triggering LCOL Sarah Mackenzie very easily. "So what's this deal that he had with you, Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie."
"I don't believe it's any of your business." Mac retorted.
"Well, as his wife-to-be…" Meg stated icily "It is my business when you mention a deal that you had prior to our engagement. A deal which now is null and void if I recall what it was." Mac's face turned pale as Meg insinuated that she knew of 'the deal'. As if her day couldn't get any worse coupled with the events of the day and evening before. Well, it did. This day had just taken an enormous dump in the crapper.
"And I wouldn't think about that deal any longer, Colonel, because…" if Meg's voice could grow any colder it would have matched the Arctic winds blowing at the North Pole. "…it will be a cold day in hell, before you get your hands on Harm. Am I clear on that, Colonel?"
"I believe you are, Commander. Now if you would excuse us. I believe I have a coffee to get and work to get back to." Mac said primly as she tried to save face.
"As opposed to the work you were getting done, I presume." Commander Austin said pointedly. "Actually I've cleared my desk and I am planning on getting the admiral's approval to secure early. I hope you do get out from under the pile that you currently have on your desk at the moment. I hear they might be calling search and rescue if the pile grows any higher and decides to cause an avalanche."
Mac nearly broke her jaw gritting her teeth as she exited the break-room. It would be an Article 108 if she put a fist through the wall and this Commander Meg Austin was about to push her to the breaking point. That is if she didn't go completely postal and have to be restrained by the men in white coats.
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