Title: Flying Away 17: Shipshape
Author: Anne Taul, anne_taul@gowebway.com

Summary: Part 17 of the Flying Away series.

Disclaimer: JAG, its characters, premise, etc, are the sole and exclusive property of CBS, Paramount and Bellasarius productions. No profit is being made or sought from this purely recreational endeavor. No infringement of copyright is intended.

 

Flying Away 17: Shipshape

It was totally relaxing. Harmon Rabb floated in the air, caught up in his dreaming, feeling completely safe and secure. His mind associated this wonderful state with the sensation of holding the woman he loved tightly against his chest, the awareness of her slow, steady breathing. Suddenly, a loud noise disrupted this perfect place.

The pounding quickly came into focus. Then, he was back lying on his bunk. It was all a dream! The sound continued, pounding. "Come in!" he yelled, a little perturbed, toward the door.

Lt. Commander Terry Jacobs stuck his head into the room. "Phone call for you, Harm. It's shore to ship."

"Who is it, Jacobs? I just got off a long shift, and I need my rack time."

"I don't know. McCrory, up in Com said it was from Washington, some kind of brass. A colonel, I think. You better take it."

Harm struggled to sit, then stand up. He could only think of one Colonel that he would want to talk to. Mac wouldn't be calling, though, would she?

He was relieved that the ward room was empty. Calling up to the Com, he had his call transferred there. Privacy wasn't always possible on an aircraft carrier, so he was grateful for this little bit.

"Rabb," he answered.

"Hey, Sailor." The voice of Sarah MacKenzie spoke.

"Sarah, is everything okay?"

"Sure, everything's fine."

"Well, you never call, so I was worried."

"When you didn't call me last night, I thought maybe something was wrong at that end. It was Wednesday, my regular phone call night."

"I know, Honey. I'm sorry. They assigned me a flight that took all night. By the time I got in it was so late. The time difference would have been murder on you. I was going to call today instead."

"I missed you." She informed him.

"Me too." he concurred.

"If you were working all night, you must be exhausted. Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"I'd always rather talk to you than sleep. However, I did have a whale of a dream going. If you remind me, I'll tell you about it sometime."

"Was I in it?"

"Of course you were. It wouldn't have been much of a dream without you."

The conversation went on for several more minutes, covering minor topics.

Then she asked, "How's my ring?"

Harm patted his shirt pocket. "It's right here close to my heart. I keep it with me all the time. It brings me luck."

"I'd love to be there to give you a kiss for luck."

"That would be great!"

"Harm, when am I going to see you? It's been two months since Italy."

"I miss you too, but I'm working on a plan that might let us be together all the time."

"I can't wait."

"I'll call you as soon as I have information about that."

The goodbyes were always difficult at the end of their phone conversations, and this one was no exception.

Twenty minutes later, back in his quarters, Harm closed his eyes. He could see her beautiful face in his mind. Again, he touched the tiny bulge in his pocket made by her engagement ring. He could lie here, but he knew that sleep wouldn't come again swiftly.

TWO DAYS LATER


Mac leaned back on the back of her couch and sighed heavily. It had been a long day. She'd brought folders home with her to continue working, but right now, she just didn't have the energy.

The ringing telephone shocked her into alertness.

A huge smile broke out on her face at the sound of Harm's voice.

He was coming home! Her pen made quick notes on the pad in front of her. Harm had several meetings to go to in Washington, so he'd be in town for three days. She should pick him up at he airport tomorrow at 1700 hours. "Just in time for dinner." She thought to herself.

She couldn't wait to see her handsome flyboy sailor.

Mac arrived at the airport a full hour earlier than necessary to meet Harm's flight. She sat in the terminal, but she couldn't sit still. Soon she was pacing up and down in front of the gate.

Finally they announced his flight.

It seemed like hundreds of passengers got off the plane, but none of them was Harm. After the last ones had disembarked, she questioned the airline attendants at the gate. A check of the manifest revealed that Rabb had not been on the plane. She panicked.

Regaining some of her control, she sat down. An airline official told her, after some checking and double checking that Harm had transferred his ticket to another flight. This new flight was due in in 43 minutes.

Relieved, she decided to wait.

When Harm finally did walk off the plane and into her arms, it made the reunion twice as sweet. "I thought you'd run out on me, Flyboy."

"No, never. I just needed to wait a little longer for a confirmation on one of my meetings."

"Are you here about the Phoenix Stealth project again?"

"Partly."

They walked toward the parking lot. "Listen, Honey, I'm going to have to run back and forth some between meetings while I'm here, so can I use your car?"

"Well..."

"Please."

"Same deal, you drop me off and pick me up?"

"Absolutely."

Mac thought to herself that that was really a good deal, because then she'd get to be with him even more.

Their dinner at a private Georgetown bistro was quiet and romantic - just perfect.

Sometime between the appetizer and the salad, she asked him what his mysterious plan for allowing them to be together was.

Harm smiled sweetly at her, but resolved not to tell her what he was working on until he had some definite news. By dessert, he had distracted her with talk of something else.

They took a drive in the rural Virginia countryside before heading home. The moonlight was perfect and they reveled in each other's company.

In the morning for the first time in a long time, Sarah woke up in the arms of the man she loved. It was wonderful!

After breakfast, he dropped her at JAG headquarters in Falls Church. She spent the rest of the day wondering where he was going all day in the corvette, and why he was so tight-lipped about it.

The late afternoon sun was just beginning to fade when she looked up to see Harm stride out of the JAG elevator and across the bullpen. Several people spoke to him eagerly. Mac was perturbed. How dare he come in here like that to get her. He knew they were supposed to meet behind the building. If somebody saw them together and figured things out, it would spoil 2 years of carefully hiding their relationship.

Her ire waned as she saw him walk into Admiral Chegwidden's office. What was he up to?

Harm exited the admiral's office about 45 minutes later. She heard Chegwidden call something after him like, "What makes you think that they'll take you, Rabb?"

What on earth was going on here?

She was resolved to figure out what he was up to. During the ride home, she tried to get him to talk about it, but he didn't say much at all.

Dinner was Chinese take-out, eaten on the floor. She, again tried to pry information from him. Harm was tight-lipped, though. Whatever his plans were, he seemed determined to keep them secret.

The next day, Mac was surprised to see that Harm had returned to JAG. As before, he met privately with Admiral AJ Chegwidden.

On his way out, she heard the admiral say, "I hope it works out, Harm. Let me know what they say."

"I will, Sir." He responded.

Still trying to keep their relationship discreet, she said a noncommittal 'hello' to him.

He answered enthusiastically, then asked, "Hey, Mac, wanna grab some dinner together?"

That was innocent sounding enough, so she agreed.

The restaurant was nice, but Mac just wasn't interested in the food. She kept eyeing him suspiciously across the table. "What are you and the admiral up to?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. It's a little secret. I promise I'll tell you all about it just as soon as everything's settled."

A forbidden secret! Of course, that only served to make her more curious.

The next morning, Harm came into work with her. He went directly into the admiral's office, fueling her imagination to concentrate on the puzzle. After a half hour, Gunny Galindez came and asked her to join Commander Rabb and Admiral Chegwidden.

When she entered the admiral's office, both men looked at her.

"What's going on?" she asked them.

Harm smiled. "Mac, it's time that we told the admiral about the secret we've been keeping for two years."

Her head reeled. Was she hearing him right? Did he want to tell her C. O. that they had been having an affair?

"Harm... maybe we should talk about this."

"Relax, Colonel," AJ began, "I know that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together."

"How? Sir, we're not trying to cause any trouble."

"And you're not. Just tell me what's going on."

"Admiral," Harm took over, "Sir, Colonel MacKenzie and I have been...."

He trailed off, looking at her pleadingly. "Mac, I'm not going to do this without you knowing and approving."

She thought he was really sweet to always be so concerned about her feelings. That's probably why she loved him so much.

"Sir," she started, "Commander Rabb and I have been dating. Thinking better of her explanation, she changed her story, No, Sir, it's more than that. We're in a serious relationship."

"Oh, I see." AJ commented.

"It's more than that, Admiral." Harm spoke up, "We're in love with each other."

Chegwidden placed his fingertips together in front of his chin, "And would you agree with that assessment, Colonel?"

"Yes, Sir!" this time, she responded without hesitation.

The Judge Advocate General stood and walked around in front of his desk. "Congratulations! That's wonderful. And it's about damn time." He said, as a big smile broke out on his face.

"Sir?" Mac questioned.

"Well, it's been pretty obvious to the rest of us for some time that the two of you belonged together."

"Then, you're not angry, Admiral?" Harm clarified.

"No. As long as you can work out the details so it doesn't affect your work, I think it's great."

They thanked him, then were dismissed from the office. The admiral called after Harm, "I do hope this works out for you, Mr. Rabb."

Outside, Mac couldn't help but ask, "What works out? What are you up to, Harm?"

"You'll know very soon, Mac. Be patient."

"Can I take you to lunch?" she asked.

"It's nine o'clock in the morning." He countered.

"Okay, can I take you to lunch in a couple of hours?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have a meeting this afternoon, out of town."

"Why so cryptic, Harm? Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"Soon, very soon." He answered. He flashed her a big grin as he got onto the elevator.

Mac didn't see Harm again until she got home. He met her at the apartment door with a glass of apple juice and a big smile.

She eagerly took the glass and downed the juice in one gulp. "Something smells wonderful," she commented, while sniffing the air. "Are you cooking?"

"Yeah." He answered. "You go get changed out of your uniform and relax. I'll take care of everything."

She gently kissed his lips. It wasn't often that she got the chance to be pampered, so she wanted to enjoy it. Her juice glass was left on the table, as she headed off toward the bedroom.

About fifteen minutes later, Harm served up a beautiful plateful of spinach lasagna. Mac attacked it greedily; she was hungry.

After dinner, Harm turned on some soft music and led her to the couch. They sat and wrapped themselves in each other's arms. It really felt good to be at home together like this. Without having to say it, they both hoped it would never end.

Finally, Mac questioned him, "How did your meeting go today?"

"Good, I think."

"Will you tell me now where you went?"

"Not yet. I have to go back tomorrow afternoon to clear up a few more things, then I should know something to tell you."

"I thought tomorrow was the day you were going to the Pentagon to meet with the Joint Chiefs."

"It is. That's in the morning. The out of town thing is in the afternoon."

"Harm," she sighed heavily, "I thought we were close enough that there wasn't anything that you couldn't tell me."

"We are, Sarah. I'm just trying to keep this a surprise.

The next day was much the same. However, Harm did manage to squeeze in a quick lunch with her between his meetings. She asked again, but he still wouldn't tell her what he was working on that was such a surprise.

Mac wasn't patient about riddles. She spent most of the day trying to figure out what he was up to, and why he was being so secretive about it. She was sure that she knew him so well, but she had no idea where he was going.

On the morning of the last full day he was scheduled to be in Washington, Harm showed up at JAG again. He spent a long while in Admiral Chegwidden's office, then sat at a desk in the bullpen area reading case files of active JAG investigations.

Mac could see him through the window of her office as she worked. He seemed to be totally engrossed in his task. Once again, he didn't give a clue what he was doing here, or what he was planning. She was intrigued.

About the middle of the morning, Harm took a phone call that caused a big smile to break out across his face. The admiral walked past him, and Harm said something to him and shook his hand.

Chegwidden patted Rabb on the back. They both looked toward Mac's office.

She tried to look uninterested, even though she was dying of curiosity on the inside.

A few minutes later, Harm barged into her office, without knocking.

She glanced up, "Something I can help you with?"

He sat nonchalantly on the edge of her desk and said, "Sarah, Darling, what would you think if I went to work at the Naval Academy?"

"The academy? Why?"

"Because it would get me back in D. C. permanently. Well, with a short commute, but home all the time. Besides, it might be fun to teach, to help train future military leaders."

"You're coming home?"

"Yeah, looks like it."

"Are you sure you're ready to give up flying?"

"Yeah, I thought that's what you wanted."

"No. I want you, but I want you to be happy. I don't want you to give up something you love as much as flying just for me."

"It's not just for you, it's for us, for our future together."

"I guess I always thought when you left flight duty, you'd come back to JAG."

"It would make it too difficult for us to have a relationship if we both worked here full time. So, I'm going to work here part time and at Annapolis part time. It'll work out to be about two and a half days a week each place - at least for now."

Mac was in shock. Se was having a hard time believing this. After over two years of a long distance romance, she and Harm were going to be together all the time. It was a fantasy. It just didn't feel real, not yet.

These uncertainties lasted just a few seconds, before she threw her arms around his neck and held him close. Tears welled up in her eyes as she finally realized that all her dreams were coming true.

There was a lingering embrace and a passionate kiss, then Harm returned to his temporary desk out in the bullpen.

Mac left shortly afterward to go meet with a client in the brig. They exchanged a knowing smile as she walked past him

It was about an hour before Mac returned from her meeting. Harm stopped her as she walked across the room toward her office. She stepped sideways to try to get past him, but he blocked her way.

Harm held her hand and looked into her eyes. as he dropped to his knee and asked, right there in front of the whole JAG staff, "Sarah, will you marry me?"

Mac was stunned. She couldn't open her mouth to form a response. She just looked at him with pleading eyes. Finally, she managed to say, "Harm, what are you doing?"

All eyes were on the two of them, in the middle of the room. The admiral had taken a place somewhat behind Harm to watch this. When Mac didn't answer and nobody said anything, he asked, "Colonel, are you going to keep the boy waiting?"

"Sir, I don't..." she tried to say. Nothing came out quite right, though.

Harm reached into his pocket and brought out the ring that he had kept there for over two months. He slowly slid it onto her finger.

Mac looked hard at the ring. It was as beautiful as she remembered it. By opening and closing her fist, she could watch it sparkle.

"Well, Sarah?" Harm whispered.

She smiled. "Ask me again."

"Okay." Harm agreed. "Sarah MacKenzie, will you marry me?"

"Oh, yes!" she managed to get out through her tears, as she joined him kneeling on the floor.

A generalized cheer rose up from the spectators.

Harm and Mac hardly noticed, as they held each other tightly. This was it. The rest of their lives started right now.

They were brought back to reality by the sound of AJ Chegwidden's voice announcing, "There will be a small gathering at my home this evening to celebrate this most happy occasion. Informal civilian attire. Dinner will be served, say around 1800. Everybody is invited.

"Thank you, Admiral." Mac said, as she and Harm stood back up."

"Yes, thank you, Sir." Harm echoed.

"My pleasure." Chegwidden said to them, then to his petty officer, "Tiner, get the name of the caterer that Admiral Hampton used at that reception I went to at his house last month, then get them on the phone for me."

"Yes, Sir." Jason Tiner responded. He was all aglow as he looked at the most pure expression of true love he was sure he'd ever seen.

So ends the saga of Harm "Flying Away." Stay tuned as he begins a new saga of "Sailing Home" to the woman of his dreams and their life together.