HBX challenge – August 2007
Title: Home
Author: usmgrad
Disclaimer: JAG and its characters are not my property, I am just borrowing them for a writing exercise and will return them unharmed and unchanged. Well maybe a little changed, but for the better.

Time frame – late in season 7

A/N -There is a reference to the episode Father’s Day from season 3. I just can’t seem to write anything but how Harm and Mac should have gotten together, so many missed opportunities!

Mac’s POV as she remembers the events of the afternoon.



My day ended much better than the way it started. This morning I was at NCIS to pick up reports needed for a current case, they weren’t ready. I spent the afternoon talking to witnesses who were less than enthusiastic about testifying in court. I finally returned to JAG Headquarters with just enough time to end the day with paperwork. What a way to begin a long weekend!

As I entered the bullpen I noticed two things right away; one, Harm’s office was empty. Now this wasn’t unusual for a Friday afternoon except I knew he had won his court case earlier in the day and the Admiral was on a tear about court paperwork being completed immediately after the completion of a case. He should have been in his office working. The second thing was Bud; he seemed unusually nervous and was hanging around the copy machine as if waiting for something or someone.

“Ma’am, your back” Just a bit too jumpy and over enthusiastic even for Bud.

“Yes Bud, I’m back,” I said in passing as I headed toward my office. Bud somehow managed to get between me and my office, not a good place to be today. Looking over Bud’s shoulder I noticed a third thing, the door and blinds to my office were closed and that’s not how I left them.

“Bud, why is my office closed?”

Bud ignored my question and tried to get me into Harm’s office, “Ma’am can I speak to you in here.”

“Bud I want to go into my office.” I attempted to move around Bud and enter my office.

“No you can’t.” His voice was raised a little too loudly and had attracted the attention of others in the bullpen. Toning it down a little, “Please Colonel in here, just for a minute than I promise you can go to your office.” I relented and entered Harm’s office; Bud followed and closed the door.

“Alright Lieutenant let’s have it and it had better be good.” I paused but Bud hadn’t heard me. He was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers and he kept looking toward my office. “Bud what’s going on, who’s in my office.”

“Commander Rabb”

Something wasn’t right. “Why is Harm in my office?” Bud took the next five minutes to tell me what happened, or what he thought happened after court dismissed.

I thanked Bud as we left Harm’s office and entered the bullpen. Taking a deep breath I opened my office door. What I found inside was totally unexpected. It was getting dark; the only light was coming in from the window. From a quick scan of the room nothing was out of place, everything was where it was suppose to be, except for Harm. He was standing, with his back to the door, looking out the window. It looked as if he had been there for a while. But why?

“You know you can see the parking lot from here” He didn’t say hello, or turn around but he knew it was me.

“Yes, I have a very nice view of the parking lot.” I paused and waited to see if he would continue, say something to let me know what was going on. He stayed silent, continued to stare out the window.

“Bud said you’ve been in here since court ended this morning, you didn’t leave for lunch.”

“I wasn’t hungry.”

At least he responded to a question, that was a good sign. However I really didn’t want to play twenty questions, I needed him to talk to me. “Bud also said you had a visitor right after court and you seemed upset when he left.”

“Bud talks too much”

That went nowhere, time for the direct approach. “Who was the visitor Harm?”

“Corporal Wright”

“The victim’s boyfriend?” He shook his head yes. His court case was a murder, he was prosecuting. A female civilian worker was murdered by a coworker, an ensign on temporary duty at Pax River. The victim’s boyfriend, also in the Navy attended court everyday even though he was visibly upset through out the entire trial. Harm distanced himself from the boyfriend, kind of like how he tried to handle Corporal Wetzel; he didn’t want to get involved. But my guess is it didn’t work.

“He came to me after court, he wanted, no needed to talk.”

Bingo, Harm just couldn’t stay unattached in some cases. But what did the corporal say that resulted in this mood, for lack of a better word and why was he in my office? Silenced entered the room again. I didn’t know if I should continue to ask questions or wait for him to say something.

“You know every letter tape he sent home my Dad always said I love you Trish, or tell Harm I love him.” As Harm began to talk again he continued to look out the window, as if he was looking into the past or maybe looking for something. “Dad rarely wrote letters, just the tapes, he said they were easier. But a few weeks after we were told he was missing Mom got a written letter from Dad. He had mailed it a few days before he went down. In it he wished her a Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, Happy Birthday and a Happy Anniversary. He told her he was getting a head start on the year so she couldn’t bust his chops for forgetting.” Harm paused, “and he told her he loved her.” Another pause, “I called her this afternoon, my Mom, told her I had some leave coming up and would be coming to California, I wanted to see her. I think she thinks I’m crazy but she said let her know the dates and she would make sure she was free. I told her I loved her and was sorry I didn’t tell her more often.” Harm chuckled just a little, “Now that I think about it, she probably does think I’m crazy.”

Whatever Corporal Wright said affected Harm on a very personal level, so much it encouraged him to call his Mom. All in all not a bad thing, but why the solemn mood now?

After a long pause Harm continued, “Annie once told me one thing she regretted was not telling Luke more often she loved him.”

What, where had that come from? I didn’t know what was going on in that head of his but I did know he needed to turn around and look at me. I moved closer to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned around as if he knew I needed to see his him. His facial expression was so deep, so raw with emotion, what had happened this afternoon?

“What are you thinking now?”

“A day six years ago, the day we met.”

He was thinking about Diane, I tried to stop him from continuing, “Harm, maybe you shouldn’t…”

“It was one of those moments, Mac where lives intersect and there’s not a traffic light to be found,” he paused and looked at me, he reached out, touched my face, and then took my hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it. Placing it against his heart he continued, “And I thank God everyday that you are still in my life. I love you Mac and I couldn’t let another day go by without you knowing it.”

I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He had taken me completely by surprise. All I could do was look at him. I could see the love in his eyes, in his face and it wasn’t you’re my best friend kind of love. He had finally let go, opened up, spoken from his heart. It was all I ever wanted, all I needed. I had to tell him.

“Six years ago I walked into your life” I paused, looked at him, reached out, touched his face, and then took his hand, brought it up to my lips and kissed it. Placing it against my heart, and continued, “and you stayed. You are the best thing that has happened to me Harmon Rabb and I love you too.”

The smile on his face was bigger than I had ever seen before. His expressions ranged from relief to happiness and finally to contentment, mission accomplished. He wrapped his arms around me and he pulled me closer, tighter, he didn’t let go and that was fine with me. All too soon he relaxed, pulled back slightly, caressed my face with his hands and kissed me with a warmth and love I had never felt before.

“Let’s go home, Mac.”

It’s not how I expected the day to end. It’s so much better. Harm and I are embraced in each other’s arms and surrounded by each other’s love. The only way I can describe it is we are finally home.