Matters of Rank and Position

By Liana

Rating G

Timeframe: Five years after Adrift Part 1 – assumes no wedding occurs.

Summery: Harm gets a metal, along with a promotion. Positions at JAG and in their lives are changing.

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; I just use them for my own enjoyment. I am just a poor college student with bills. Don’t sue; it’s not worth it.

Author’s note: The scenes here are pulled from similar scenes from We the People and Front and Center, then twisted together in another time for my use. I can make no promises for accuracy from a military standpoint. This is purely a Harm and Mac vehicle.

 

 

 

1335 Eastern

White House Rose Garden

Washington D.C.

 

 

       The day was warm and pleasant, though not extraordinary. The man standing in the distance raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He was looking for someone.

 

       He was looking for her. Amusement shone in Sarah Mackenzie's eyes, as she offered a subdued half wave to alert her partner to her presence. She advanced toward him, unable to avoid returning the grin that had spread across his face. She loved that grin of his.

 

       "Hey, Sailor. Fancy meeting you here...again." She tilted her head endearingly, emphasizing their inside joke. "Come here often?"

 

       He shrugged, and his grin broadened. "Well, it worked out so well last time, I figured, why tamper with success?"

 

       "Point taken. So, you ready? They look like they're getting ready to start. They'll be needing us."

 

       He followed her eyes to the people milling about in an area off to their left. "Yeah, but we have a few minutes yet...you had some business this morning?" It was only half a question.

 

       She nodded seriously. "I did. It went very well, thank you."

 

       He avoided her gaze. "Then I guess this is it, huh?"

 

       "Looks that way. The transfer goes into effect first thing Monday morning."

 

       He met her eyes again, a shadow of a smile on his face. "Well then Colonel, it has been a pleasure working with you. I wish you good luck."

 

       Again, she smiled. Yet another throwback to a piece of the past, their certainly were a lot of those for them, weren't there? Only this time, she didn't feel quite so close to tears as she once had. "Thank you, Commander. It has been my pleasure as well."

 

       Harm's blue-green eyes smoldered. He reached out and took hold of the tips of her fingers, trying to avoid attracting attention. He opened his mouth to speak, when a familiar voice interrupted them, stalling his words in his throat.

 

       "Sir, Ma'am...uh, I'm sorry, but they are ready to begin."

 

       Harm turned to the young officer beside him. "Thanks, Bud. We're right behind you. Shall we, Mac?" He offered his arm to her.

 

*  *  *

 

       A good deal of the ceremony was a blur to Sarah Mackenzie, but she tried to at least appear to be paying attention as she waited for the signal to step forward. Unfortunately, all she could focus on was him.

 

       It was unusual for thing to fall in the way that they had, a metal ceremony and a promotion at once. But then, the actions of the man that had earned them were anything but the status quo. And then she was being ushered forward.

 

       She glanced down at the rank pinned securely in its place on her fiancée’s uniform, noting that this event lacked the gentle teasing from the recipient that the last one had. Instead, he winked at her knowingly as though reading her thoughts. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling briefly against his skin in an acknowledgement of her own. As she pulled away, they held each other's gaze, and smiled.

 

*  *  *

 

       As the people around them thinned out, Harm and Mac found themselves back in their earlier spot. When it seemed that they had some semblance of privacy, Harm took her hand in his again. "I think we were interrupted at just about this point earlier, if I remember correctly,” he murmured quietly.

 

       "Something like that," she returned easily.

 

       He locked eyes with hers again. "What you did today...the transfer...thank you, Sarah, you didn't have too --"

 

       "One of us did. And I thought you learned your lesson from that stint on the Patrick Henry years ago. Your place is exactly where you are." She smiled up at him, "and mine is with you. If this is what it takes to get there, than so be it."

 

       "But --"

 

       "But nothing, Harm. This isn't some noble sacrifice; it's a personal choice. Besides, the transfer might seem like a simple lateral move, but it's really a step up in terms of position and responsibilities." Her hand moved up to touch the ring that hung hidden about her neck beneath her uniform. "On a variety of levels."

 

       He shook his head and smiled, deciding it was best to just change the subject for now. "You did a hell of a job up there today, Mac."

 

       "I've had practice, remember, flyboy?"

 

       "I do, and you did a bang up job then, too. That's why I figured it was a good idea to make it a more permanent position, kinda like the partnership issue..."

 

       She looked at him oddly. "How so?"

 

       He gestured to the ring she was now tucking back into place. "Job description may have changed, but the position is the same...and then some."

 

       "A promotion, so to speak."

 

       He laughed. "Something like that...seems like the day for it, I think."

 

       She smiled once more, affording him a sidelong glance. "Indeed it is, Captain."