Author: Nancy
Disclaimer: JAG and characters do not belong to me. I do not make
money from doing this.
Classification: PG- 13
Category: Harm/Mac Action/Romance
Summary: This is the sequel to John R. Doe. Does Harm regain his
memory? What happened to him in the first place? Stay tuned and the
answers will be revealed...
Part 1
John or Harm as he was now called since Sarah Mackenzie found him and revealed his identity departed the plane that originated in New Orleans and arrived at Dulles in Washington D.C. Harm was returning home, but to a life that he did not remember. The attractive couple looked as if they were returning from a vacation holding hands as they walked up the Jetway to the gate where friends awaited their arrival.
His memory was still fractured leaving him feeling disoriented and apprehensive. Unconsciously he squeezed Mac's hand a little harder as they were approached by a delegation of naval officers and government officials. All Harm had to go on was his instincts and right now he could only feel a sense of dread welling up deep inside.
Mac noticed the tightened grip and quickly read his nonverbal. "These are your friends Harm it's okay." She spoke gently and smiled encouragingly as he looked her way.
He smiled lightly, but maintained his grasp of her hand. It dawned on her that although it was a small gesture of public affection, he did not appear to want to give it up as they approached their friends and especially their commanding officer. 'Oh boy'.
The gesture did not go unnoticed by the welcoming committee. The Admiral's raised eyebrow and Bud's obvious struggle to suppress a smile was evidence enough that they were intrigued by the turn of events.
Clayton Webb on the other hand remained passive and looked as if he was trying to conceal his agenda.
"Harm, it's good to see you." The admiral extended his hand. Mac had briefed Harm about his coworkers and role as a JAG, but avoided overloading him as instructed by the doctor's at the hospital.
Harm shook each hand that was quickly and warmly offered, "Thank you Sir." Harm nodded, but said no more. He looked at the nametags each wore as part of their uniform, but drew a blank as to anything more than what Mac had told him. He felt uncomfortable that they knew more about him than he did.
Mac interrupted the moment of awkwardness. "Admiral, I thought I would run Harm by his apartment before we headed to JAG."
Webb quickly nullified the suggestion. "It's important that we discuss some unfinished business first. I have a car waiting for us." He directed the group to a black stretch limo guarded by two agents.
The Admiral drew Webb to the side as the others entered the car. "Webb just what are you not telling me?" He whispered sharply.
"Why would you say that Admiral?" Webb tried to sound nonplused.
"Dammit, counting these two I've seen at least eight agents since we met Harm and Mac at the gate!"
"I'll explain when we get Rabb to a more secure location. Trust me Admiral."
" CIA agent you can trust? Now that's an oxymoron." The Admiral huffed as he entered the vehicle.
****
The group ended up at a location that was unfamiliar to everyone except the CIA agents. They were escorted to a sterile looking conference room and offered coffee. Harm leaned over to Mac. "Now what did you say I did in the Navy?"
"I'm as baffled as you on this Harm. Webb had you involved in some covert operation before you disappeared. I guess we are about to find out what it was." Mac whispered and patted his hand more to reassure herself than him.
Webb stood at the head of the conference table and pressed a button on a panel lighting up a screen. A photo of a man appeared. "This is Jon Beaux. He's connected with this man." Another face flashed upon the screen. "Roy Cromwell. Both of these are involved in illegal smuggling of weapons to Libya and some of our other friends in South America. Harm was used as a liaison for the man we believe to be secretly authorizing the sale of our military weapons to Beaux and Cromwell." Webb pressed the button again.
Admiral Chegwidden's responded. "I'll be damned. That's Admiral Clifford Martin. He serves on the arms and tactical equipment committee for the Navy."
Harm stared blankly at the face. He had no memories of any of the men Webb had shown the group.
"If Admiral Martin is dealing weapons? Why haven't you arrested him?" Bud Roberts asked the obvious.
Webb sighed impatiently, "Because we had no proof. Harm was TDA to the Pentagon to work directly with Martin. We had carefully supplied the Admiral with information that Rabb had problems with gambling and was in over his head. Harm was sent to Memphis by the Admiral for a 'special assignment' to meet with Beaux and Cromwell. That is were the trail ended. They must have found out that we planted Harm before he could get us the proof we needed. You know the rest." Webb looked at Harm hoping some flicker of memory would surface.
"I don't have any memory of anything you just told me." Harm said pensively.
"If those men find out Harm is still alive they will try to kill him." Mac said with a tone of apprehension. "They wouldn't believe he doesn't remember them."
"That's why we tried to keep Harm's whereabouts a secret Colonel." Webb spouted off not realizing what he had revealed.
The four other people in the room looked angrily at the suited man standing before them. The Admiral was the first to respond, "You mean you knew all along that Harm was alive and you let us and his parents believe he was dead! You sonofabitch!" He was across the room and had the man by the lapels.
"That's not exactly the way it happened Admiral. If you would calm down and let me explain."
He looked at the other three who stared icily at him, "At first we thought Harm had been killed in the explosion. We did find remains of someone, but the lab identified the man as Cromwell. We figured Harm was hiding out and would surface as soon as he could so we tried to help him by letting Beaux and Martin believe he was killed. We didn't think you would find him so quickly Mac." Webb dropped his gaze and tone of voice.
"Did you know where I was all this time?" Harm's voice sounded betrayed.
"We intercepted the reports from the New Orleans's police department. I had agents assigned to you while you were still in the hospital. You were safer there." Webb looked sincere.
"You had someone at the fair." It was more of a statement than a question. Harm's look was deadly.
Only Webb and he knew the meaning of the comment. Christine had been attacked and nearly raped. Harm interceded just in time.
"Yes. We couldn't risk exposing ourselves, but you handled it and we prevented the press from finding out." Webb said coolly.
"Why in the hell would I have worked for someone like you?" Harm's fury was now apparent.
"Because you didn't want American weapons killing our American military!" Webb yelled back.
"I've had enough. I need some air." Harm looked around for an exit.
"Harm, what Mac said is true. Those men once they find out you are alive will come after you." The Admiral reasoned. "Webb's been a pain in the ass every since you've known him, but he does his job."
Webb raised his eyebrow. "A compliment Admiral?"
"I didn't say how well you did your job Webb. Don't push it or Roberts and I will personally hold your ass down while the Colonel has her way with you, and it will definitely not be sexual harassment." The Admiral growled. Mac who had been quietly seething coughed to prevent a chuckle from escaping.
Webb straightened his jacket and pretended to dismiss the remarks, "I want to put Rabb up in a safe house."
"No." Harm's answer echoed in the room.
"Be reasonable Rabb. I don't have the manpower to cover you all over D.C." Webb sounded frustrated.
"No one asked you. How are you going to get these men unless you have something they want." Harm said calmly.
"No." This time Mac's voice rang out. "You're not going to be used as bait. You don't even know who is after you. You don't know who are your friends and who are your enemies Harm!" She pleaded.
"I think I know at least three maybe four who are my friends. Don't I?" Harm rolled his eyes towards Clayton as he said that.
Mac looked pleadingly towards the Admiral for support.
"Harm's right. The only way to flush them out is to trap them." The Admiral agreed hesitantly.
"It could work." Webb nodded.
Bud looked unconvinced. "But Sir, what the Colonel said is true. What if someone else is involved that we don't know about?"
"Trust no one." Webb said blandly. "We've got to make it look like Harm has no memory loss. And Mac...anyone who is close to Harm will also be in danger."
Harm's resolve diminished immediately. "Mac can't be a part of this. She needs to be sent on assignment somewhere away from me."
"Oh, so it's okay for you to stick your neck out. Nevertheless, I'm supposed to hide when the going gets rough. You may have forgotten, but I'm a Marine, and we don't leave anyone behind!" Her stubbornness flared.
"I guess that's been cleared up." The Admiral added with a slight comical tone. "Some things never change." He said to himself with a chuckle.
****
The group planned a strategy to entrap Beaux and Martin. Harm would return to JAG, but would be assigned mostly administrative tasks under the Admiral's direct supervision. Webb would assign his people to provide surveillance. Bud or Mac would accompany Harm mostly to provide information to cover for Harm's memory loss. Mac had insisted that Harm should not stay alone in his apartment. The Admiral listened intently as Mac stammered her way through her suggestion that she stay because the weapon's dealers would not find it unusual for a woman to be staying with Harm.
"Good idea Colonel!" Bud proclaimed totally missing the smirks on the Admiral and Webb's faces.
Harm folded his arms and appeared to be pouting, "Don't I have a say so in any of this?"
"No!" a resounding reply from the Admiral, Webb and Mac echoed in the room.
Mac parked her Corvette outside the converted warehouse that had called home for the past six years. She glanced over to her partner to see if he appeared to recall anything about his past life. He turned and looked at her, "I live here?"
Mac smiled at his dismay; "It gets better. You purchased the building and remodeled it yourself." She pulled out her travel bag, but was quickly relieved of it by Harm who was busy scoping out the neighborhood. Webb's men had positioned themselves so that they could maintain surveillance over the building.
Harm remained quiet as they entered the spacious apartment. "Well?" Mac said.
"It did get better." Harm looked around as if seeing it for the first time.
He walked over to a bookshelf where framed pictures were displayed. The only people he recognized where Mac, Bud and the Admiral at some sort of picnic.
"This one is of your mother and step father. Webb personally went to La Jolla to explain your situation. He's keeping them away for safety purposes." Mac explained as Harm studied the picture.
He picked up another of a man that looked remarkably like himself with a little boy in the cockpit of a fighter jet. "My Dad?" Harm deducted.
"Yes, he was a fighter pilot."
"Was?" Harm looked up to see a pained expression cross Mac's face.
God he didn't need to relive all of that again she thought before speaking. "He was killed." She said simply.
He nodded still staring at the picture. "Was he killed at Christmas time?" Harm remembered his flashback of the woman who he now recognized as his mother sobbing while two uniformed officers sat in his living room. A Christmas tree was also in the room.
"You remembered?" Mac asked carefully.
"Not really, just a moment in time." He sighed and returned the picture.
"Harriet came by and stocked up the kitchen. Would you like a salad, tofu?" Mac walked over to the kitchen and began to pull out the ingredients for a salad.
"You look comfortable in the kitchen. We've spent time together here right?" Harm followed her and reached for her arm.
Mac stopped and looked in his blue green eyes. He reached up and stroked the side of her face. Time stopped as he leaned slowly towards her closing his eyes as his lips met hers. She felt as if he caught her in a spell. Her arms encircled his neck as he drew her into a deeper kiss.
Harm knew these lips. He had kissed her before.
Mac pulled back and pushed him away gently. "Harm, we never had that kind of a relationship." She said with a sad look in her eyes.
Harm looked confused and then a little frustrated. "I'm sorry Sarah. I just thought...it felt so right." He turned and walked towards his stereo and began to sort through the CDs.
"Damn." Mac said softly to herself. 'Why am I the one pulling away this time? Because you would be taking advantage of him.' The answer resounded in her mind. She forced herself to recover. "Looks like Harriet made your favorite spinach artichoke dip." Mac tried to sound upbeat.
"Okay, how about some music? Jazz all right with you?" He placed the CD into the player and the sound of Harry Allen's saxophone filled the apartment with 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.'
Mac felt her heartache as the haunting melody filled her. Harm watched her, as she seemed to be lost in the music. He could still feel her lips and her body pressed in their embrace. 'How could he have been so wrong? It felt so right.'
After dinner, Mac pulled out a photo album that she brought from her place. Over coffee, they sat together side by side on his sofa while she told him about each person, place and event that the pictures represented.
"Sounds like we've had quiet an exciting life to be a couple of lawyers." Harm commented as she closed the book and placed it on the coffee table.
"Harm, you have a way of taking a simple situation and making it complicated." Mac chuckled.
"Maybe the situation was complicated to begin with and you just tried to make it simple." He defended himself not realizing he had just replayed a similar conversation. Mac looked at him strangely. "Did I say something wrong? Remember I'm a little clueless right now. You hold all the answers to the past." He felt bewildered by her responses.
"No you didn't say anything wrong." She mumbled. "We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day. You will be returning to work tomorrow."
"I'll take the couch. You can have the bed." He offered.
"How about we take turns." She smiled. He nodded and headed to the bathroom to change.
"This is going to be one long night." She sighed.
"I'll save you some hot water." He called out.
"Thanks." She yelled in return. "But actually I need to take a cold shower." She muttered to herself.
* NancyT's Stories * Please send Feedback! *
