Title: How Life Is Strange
Author: Karen Swiatek
E-mail: karenswiatek@ofir.dk
Rating: PG
Classification: Vignette, story. Harm and Mac.
Summary: A short piece about how the future could be 
for our favorite characters.
Disclaimers: If I own JAG don't you think that I would 
have seen more the to Contemptuous Words? No CBS and 
Donald P. Bellisario does.
Feedback: Please. I know that It isn't much, but I am 
working on the writing part ? And before 
you all go into chock about how bad it is spelled let 
me say that English is not my native language. Danish 
is.
Author's Notes: I want to thank AeroGirl for helping 
me with the title and for being so kind as to 
offer to beta read this, so if there is any 
misspelling or typos isn't not her fault. She did what 
she could. And as always thank you Kim. Your 
friendship means so much to me and I am really 
looking forward to seen you again. And to all I hope 
that you have a marry Christmas. Best wishes!


How Life Is Strange

I was walking over to my car when I saw her. At first 
I didn't recognize her and it wasn't until I 
got closer that I was sure that it was her. She was 
standing next to a lamp-post, the light 
illuminating her in the dark and the snow. Her hair 
was slightly different and she was wearing a 
large black winter coat, that almost swallowed her. 
She was looking up in to the sky a small 
smile on her face and I had to agree with her. The 
weather was beautiful and even though it was 
snowing it wasn't really that cold. Walking over to 
her I spoke up.

"Mac" Still I wasn't sure that it really was HER. 
After all it had been over six years since I last 
saw her.

She looked slightly startled but after a moment she 
smiled that smile of hers.

"Tom" There was a pleasant surprise in her voice.
"What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question" I laughed. 
God it was good to see her again. I hadn't 
known how much I had missed her.

"Well I work here" The smile was still in its place 
and she looked really happy. I wondered what 
the change was. Last time I had seen her, she had been 
a bit reserved. Now there was only 
carefree openness.

"So do I, I haven't seen you around" Could she really 
have been working here all that time? I 
had heard that she had been transferred to San Diego 
and then to JAG headquarter, but not to the 
Pentagon.

"Well I have only been working here for about six 
months. Which department do you work in?"
At least that explained why I hadn't seen her. I only 
spend half of my time in DC and these last 
months had been really crazy and I hadn't been in the 
office much.

"Oh a little bit of that and a little of bit this" I 
said smiling. "How about you? Last I heard you 
were at JAG."

"I was and sometime still am, but officially I'm with 
the department for POW's and MIA's"

"Couldn't give up being a lawyer?" Even if she had 
been a bit reserved she had always had a 
good sense of humor.

Her smile turned in to a little laugh and she 
answered.
"No I guess not. But I never really wanted to transfer 
out so I should be allowed to miss it, 
shouldn't I?" I don't think I have ever seen her smile 
that much.

"You properly should, but then why did you transfer or 
wasn't it your choice?" We had both 
been in long enough to know that you didn't always get 
to choose where you were or stayed.

"Well it was my choice, but I would have loved to 
stay. The reason, marriage."

Now that caught me by surprise. Maybe it shouldn't 
have, but it still did. She was good looking 
and always had been, but that she was married I 
wouldn't have guessed.

"You're married? How long?" I could still hear the 
surprise in my voice, but she didn't say 
anything about it. Just smiled even more.

"Yes married and six months now. It was after the 
honeymoon that I transferred. Our CO tried to 
keep us both, but with us being senior officers it 
wasn't that easy. So when I saw this opening I 
put in a request and got it. I like it though. Isn't 
JAG, but I get to help and the subject is 
something close to my heart. My husband's father was a 
POW and I know how much that has 
affected him and me."

I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. 
She was in love. Even someone who had never 
met her before could have guessed that. I wondered who 
he was. Apparently someone she had 
worked with.

"So who is he, your husband?" Okay I was curious.

"He was my partner at JAG. We were best friends for 
five years before we started dating, then 
five months after we got married. It didn't seem long 
between when we started a relationship and 
getting married, but if you ask our friends we were a 
long time getting there." At that she 
laughed.

I was still curious. She hadn't really told me much 
about him.
"So he is also a JAG lawyer?" At her nod I asked. 
"Marine or navy?"

Her smile grew. "Navy and a tomcat pilot at that." At 
my questioned look she elaborated.

"He used to fly, but then he transferred to JAG about 
a years before me. His name is Harm. 
Harmon Rabb."

"Oh yes I have heard about him. The SecNav hates him. 
I didn't know he was married."

"Well he is and the SecNav doesn't hate him. At least 
not as much as he used to, but really, he 
has changed. Actually he is up in my office right now. 
I forgot something and he went up to get 
it. Doesn't want me to do more than necessary. He can 
be quite hovering." "How about you. Last 
we saw you were thinking about marrying that 
girlfriend of yours. How did that go?"

"Okay. Did it, tried it, failed." At her apologizing 
look I quickly added. "It is okay, really. We 
tried and it didn't work, but we had a nice couple of 
years together and we still talk." That wasn't 
really true. We had been married two years when we 
broke it and I hadn't been home most of 
that time. And about talking, last time I had heard 
from her was a year ago, but still we had 
talked.

Before we could start on something else a tall man 
approached us. He was wearing a navy 
uniform and I could just make out the stripes of a 
commander. I recognized his face from an old 
commercial and some high profile cases that he had 
had. But one of the things I noticed other 
than the fact that he was hurrying over to us, was 
that he wasn't wearing a coat. Okay I had said 
that the weather was nice, but it was cold and it was 
snowing.

"Sarah what are you doing out here. I told you to get 
in the car and put the heat on" If it wasn't 
for his worrying tone and anxious look I would have 
thought that he was bossy. But as he got 
closer and put his arms around her I could see the 
same love in his eyes as I could in Mac's.

"I wasn't cold and I wanted to get some air" As she 
was saying this she took off her coat and that 
was when I recognized it. The long black winter coat 
was a navy issued and under it I could see 
her marine green one. The reason it was so big and 
that he wasn't wearing more than his uniform 
was that she was wearing two. Her own and his.

"No. Not until you get in the car." He shook it off 
and placed it on her shoulders again. "It is 
more important that you don't get cold. It is not good 
for you or the baby." At that my eyes 
instantly darted to her middle. And quite right, there 
under the layers of coats and uniform there 
was a small baby mound. God she really had changed. 
Married and pregnant.

"Congratulations" I said and that was when he first 
seemed to notice me. Looking at me I could 
see the suspicion. Who was I and what was I doing 
talking to his wife?

"Thank you. Harm this is an old friend of mine, Tom. 
Tom this is Harm, my husband." Just the 
words Harm and my husband and I could see her face 
light up. So this was the change. Him.

Reaching out he shook my hand.

"Harmon Rabb. Nice to meet you. Not to be rude but we 
have an appointment." Turning over to 
Mac he continued. "Are you ready to go sweetheart?" 
His arm again going around her shoulder.

"Yes. It was nice seeing you again Tom. Bye." And with 
that they walked away.

"Yes, bye." I followed them with my eyes as they went 
to their car, a SUV and as he helped her 
in. First now taking back his coat. Walking to the 
driver's side he got in and a short time later 
they were gone.
Me standing there think about how strange life could 
be. It was years since I had seen her, let 
alone thought about her and there she was. Smiling 
like never before, married and pregnant. Yes 
life was certainly strange.

The End