Title: The Rabbs/Till Death Do Us Part Authors: Rising Sun [jagrslc@yahoo.com] and Anne Taul [annetaul@home.com] The FF of Rising Sun is archived at: http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc The FF of Anne Taul is archived at: http://www.geocities.com/atjag101 For updates on FF by Rising Sun join: jagrslc- subscribe@yahoogroups.com Rated: PG-13 Summary: Murderous mayhem is unleashed at what should be the greatest day for the Rabbs and the Roberts. Classification: JAG Story/Adventure/Romance: Harm/Mac Disclaimer: JAG characters portrayed belong to JAG, CBS and Paramount Television. No copyright infringement intended. All other characters depicted are purely fictional and any similarities to actual people are purely coincidental. Feedback: Would make our day! Story Written March 2002 Year 2027 The Judge Advocate General stood with her arms folded and stared at the five junior officers before her, four males and a female. "So explain to me why the FIVE of you are here?" The four males looked at the female. The JAG fought to hide her smile. "For Dad's cooking?" Cathy replied. Mac could hide the smile no longer and she chuckled. "Mac?" A sleepy Harmon Rabb walked into the kitchen, bare footed dressed only in his pajama pants. His wife usually wore the top. "Daddy!" Cathy moved to intercept and hug her father. "Cat?" Harm came out of his fog. "Mac?" "Don't look at me. They are all here. AJ included." "Why?" he asked. Mac marveled as again the boys looked to Cathy to reply. Three of the men were brothers to Cathy and one was like a brother to her. Mac scanned them… AJ Roberts, her godson twenty-nine years old and a Navy SEAL like his namesake. Her sons David, twenty-six Elliott and James twenty all Naval Aviators like their father and Cathy twenty-three had followed her and become a Marine. All adults and yet as long as she had known these five the males always deferred to her daughter. Some things never changed. "Food?" Mac heard Harm echo. "This is the official line." She faced her godson. "They are here for food THEY say. I know your mother feeds you so what are you here for solidarity?" she teased as she leaned back. Harm had positioned himself behind her. "I feel like I'm at a Cadet review facing the Judge Advocate General and her husband the Inspector General." AJ chuckled. The others joined him in the chuckle. "AJ you are like a son to us and a brother to the kids. Don't mind your Auntie Mac. She's grumpy before she's been fed. Hey!" Harm yelped as Mac elbowed him in the ribs. "Actually I'm here to convince Cat to marry me." The reaction of the Rabbs was that of complete silence. A miracle in itself. Finally. "What?" Cat whispered. Folks had taken to calling her Cat after her first day at Annapolis had ended up in a catfight with another cadet. No one ever found out what had caused the fight but the result was that Catherine Rabb usually called Cathy was now called Cat and the Cadet she had fought with Jacqueline Jaqu JJ to all had become her best friend. The scene had become surreal. "AJ that is not how you propose to a woman." Cat informed him. She frowned "At least I think that that is what you were alluding to." She picked up her duffle bag. "I need some sleep. See you all later." On that note she walked out. All eyes focused on AJ. "Son. You have an uphill battle there. Good luck." AJ looked pensive but not defeated. "Nothing I can't handle sir." He grinned and turned to David. "See you later?" "Bet on it." "Bye Auntie Mac." AJ walked across and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye sweetie. Tell your mom hi for me." She responded. "I will." "Hot Damn!" James yelped after AJ was gone. "The Taming of the Shrew is on live at the Rabbs this week only!" "Idiot." Elliott grinned at his twin. The three Rabb boys were often regarded at triplets despite the six-year gap between David the eldest and the twins the youngest. James had had a particularly hard youth and pre-teen years as he was often regarded as the runt of the litter and regularly called such. That had changed when the twins were ten and he had acquired the nickname of 007. To his delight and Mac's horror at sixteen his growth had accelerated dramatically. She had been so worried that she had taken him to the doctor… but all was fine and finally after years of being considered too small suddenly James was a match for any Rabb in the clan. Now the three faced her and all were amused at AJ and Cat. "You knew." Harm accused them. "Suspected" David corrected. "How long has this…" Harm waived his hand around. "…been going on?" "I figure about ten years or more." Mac revealed as she remembered conversations she had had with her daughter. The boys nodded as one. "Yeah that sounds about right." David agreed. "It got semi serious after the Russian Affair. Then REAL serious when AJ graduated." Harm adjusted his weight held Mac in a more comfortable position and shook his head. "You are telling me that Cat and AJ have been an item for at least ten years and I DIDN"TKNOW!" "No dear." Mac assured him. "They have been friends … there was an attraction that they were too young to know what to do with. I suspect that despite David's testimony that Cat and AJ have only really been serious for the past two may be three years." "How'd you figure that?" James asked. "Have you seen some of the characters that your sister has brought home over the years?" Mac groaned. Harm grinned "All I did was pray that I had the will not to shoot any and that my daughter would see reason and fast." He recalled. "She has brought males here that even the cat would not drag in and that was only the ones we saw when she was assigned within the orbit of home." Mac said. "Mom you don't want to know about the ones that never made it home." Elliott told. "She hasn't been around for about three years. E-mail has been the mode of contact and a few calls. So who knows what a good looking Marine can get up to when on deployment." Mac speculated. Remembering his antics as a young Commander Harm groaned "I don't want to know." "Don't ask don't tell?" Elliott teased by quoting military policy. "So much for the food excuse." Mac pointed out. "The three of you came to watch this saga unfold and AJ obviously followed Cat. So the question is this … why is Cat here?" Mac posed her question and looked to her sons for a reply. "Who said we're not here for the food!" David demanded "I may sign Rabb mother dear but those Mackenzie genes of yours are not to be denied! I came for some good ole home cooking." "… and to watch the Taming of the Shrew." James added. "What is it with you and the Taming of the Shrew?" Harm asked as he disentangled himself from Mac to find something to cook. "Remember when we used to tease Cat that she'd never get married?" James began. "That was cruel." Mac interrupted. "Defense mechanism." Elliott defended. "Any way Cat est une femme formidable [is a formidable woman] and always has been. Sometimes I think that she got worse after Annapolis… but AJ loves her." James continued "She is a kick ass Marine, she takes no prisoners never has never will and I for one want to see what happens." "Personally I think AJ has her on the run." Elliott said. Mac said nothing but was listening intently. David produced an evil grin. "Cat on the run. Who would believe." "She love him?" Harm asked. "Yes!" The three brothers un-hesitantly answered in one voice. "She'd die for him." James added. "When I fall in love I hope it is with a woman like mom or Cat." "A Shrew?" Mac teased. "Une femme formidable" he corrected. "We like him. Even approve. He loves her… she loves him… where is the problem?" Harm asked as he began dishing out grub to the four. "Oh how easily they forget." Mac spoke through a full mouth. "Don't talk with your mouth full." Harm reprimanded. She glared at him. "Ok Ok so the Rabb genes are kicking up something fierce in my daughter." "I smell food." Cat's voice floated into the room. They froze in collective guilt. "It's ok I expect to be the topic of conversation… pass a plate 007." "Made a decision?" Mac asked. "When he asks I'll decide." She chomped on her food. "In the mean time I intend to catch up on other family news and consume vast quantities of my father's outstanding cooking." "THAT." Harm beamed "Is my girl." ========================================= TWO DAYS LATER 1450 LOCAL RABB RESIDENCE AJ Roberts walked into the house and found Mac curled up on a sofa reading a file. "Hey AJ" She acknowledged. "Hi Auntie Mac." He replied. "David or Cat?" She asked. Then answered her own question. "David is out with Harm and the boys visiting Sarah. Cat is in the woods walking Jingo." "I can't wait to see who Uncle Harm gives that steersman too." He chuckled "In the woods you say?" "Uh huh" Mac smiled as he made his way to the back of their house. + + + Cat was heading back to the house with Jingo trotting by her side when the dog suddenly made a dash ahead. Through the trees she could see AJ defending himself from the dog's enthusiastic welcome. She stayed among the trees and watched. AJ finally managed to disentangle himself and entered the woods in search of her. He spotted her leaning against a tree watching him. He walked up to her all the time not taking his eyes off her. He'd seen pictures of his godmother at that age and it was uncanny the way Cat had emerged as a clone of the older Marine. "Hey beautiful" "Hey yourself." She responded to his kiss. "Sorry about the other day." He apologized. "Apology accepted." She said, "You know better AJ" "Indeed I do." He agreed "Have dinner with me tonight?" "Sure… Il Pirata." She replied. "I thought you said you accepted my apology!" He squealed; the place was expensive. "We can always go to Dominatrix." She offered. He gulped Dominatrix was even more exclusive. "No! No Il Pirata is acceptable." "Fine. See you around 2000?" She asked. "Sure. Walk you back?" "By all means." She agreed. As they walked back she turned to the young man "AJ you could have called with that invitation." "I know. But I preferred to see the object of my affection." He grinned. ========================================= 1555 LOCAL RABB RESIDENCE Mac looked up as Cat walked in. "That was quick." Cat flopped onto one of the massive cushions that she and her brothers favored. "Yeah… well… you know." Mac stopped reading. "Now there's a complete sentence." Cat adjusted her position "How did you know?" "That your father was the one?" Mac cut to the chase. Cat nodded. Mac could help but grin. "If you only knew!" "I realize that it took some doing for you and dad to actually get together, but you had to have known before that that he was the one?" Cat insisted. "I did. I think it hit me full tilt when he left JAG to return to flying. I reacted like a lover and not a friend. Even he observed that, but neither of us realized the implications." Cat contemplated the statement. Mac continued. "Cat you are much like me. We take charge. That can be good and that can be bad." She took a deep breath. "After your dad returned we ended up in Australia where essentially a love triangle played out. A play that we all found ourselves in by accident." Cat was absorbed. "While there I reached the end of my rope and I took a decision. I made a move on your dad. That was a mistake. How much of a mistake none of us would realize until a year later when on the eve of my marriage to Mic, Harm's fighter plane went down and I realized just how much I really loved him. The hell of it was that we were so off course by that time that we were barely friends." She looked at her daughter. "Is any of this helping?" She shrugged "Makes a good story though." "Despite the fact that you have heard it before?" "But every time I appreciate it more. How can a five year old appreciate a love triangle? The fights yeah … but love? Now as an adult I can appreciate it from a different aspect." Cat assured her. "You were willing to do what mother to get him?" "By that time I was resigned to the life of a nun. It was Harmon Rabb or no one. It was that simple. I had gone through many boyfriends and an almost husband for that lesson to sink in. All I could do was be there. I suspect that Sturgis had a hand in there somewhere but he won't say." Mac said. "Tell me something. Is it that hard to accept AJ? If it is then don't accept." Mac advised. "You misunderstand." Cat replied. "It's because I am that sure that I am second guessing myself." "That why you ran?" "Who said I ran!" Cat demanded then caught her mother's eye and relented, "OK so I ran. I knew what he was going to ask and I wasn't sure." "Sure of what honey?" "That it would work. Sure we seem to be good for each other but…" She trailed off. "There will always be problems Cat but look at his parents and look at yours. You both come from stock that loves and loves with a passion. When it fits it fits." Mac replied. "And the sex ain't bad either." "Mother!" "Cat you are a grown woman, a Marine and maybe soon to be a wife. I am a Marine and was where you are once. I know what happens on deployment. Hell I did my fair share too so don't give me that horrified look." Mac replied. Cat was about to answer when the noise of Harm and the boys invaded the mother daughter moment. ========================================= 2348 LOCAL RABB RESIDENCE Cat walked into the kitchen followed by AJ. "Hey what are you guys doing up still?" She blurted. Harm grinned, "Don't tell mom." He pointed at Mac "She made me do it!" She hit him "Idiot. You two are back early. Everything all right?" "Oh yeah." Cat replied nonchalantly then held up her left hand. The diamond caught the light. "You tamed the Shrew!" Harm exclaimed. Mac rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him. My husband is upstairs I'm just feeding this stray." She hugged the two. "Congratulations." "Sorry Cat." Harm mumbled then picked her up and swung her. "Congrats!" As she squealed Mac turned to AJ "Your parents know yet?" "At this time of night? We were bursting to tell someone we figured that my parents would be asleep but that you all would be up and the guys would be out." He replied. "What's with the Shrew thing?" "James' attempt at humor." Cat replied. Harm had put her down. "The Taming of the Shrew as in Shakespeare. With yours truly as the Shrew, he just won't let up on it." Harm noted that AJ said nothing. "You'll go far son." He said. Mac chose to ignore him, instead she asked, "Set a date yet?" ========================================= Even before a date was finalized, Harriet and Mac began work on the wedding. They wanted this to be the beautiful, special grandiose celebration that their children deserved. And it was, after all, officially uniting two families who had always been intricately intertwined. Both separately and together, the mothers investigated every church and chapel in the greater DC, area; it needed to be just right. When they had narrowed it to a half dozen or so, they met for lunch with Cat and AJ to make the selection. Each option was presented with much care, as the bride and groom listened, respectfully. "So what do you both think?" Harriet asked the kids. AJ and Cat exchanged a nervous glance. "You've both done too much work on this." AJ started. "Nonsense!" Mac answered. "You're only going to get married once, it should be perfect." "Mama," Cat decided to take hold of the situation, "we don't mean any disrespect to either of you -- we love you both so much -- but we had something else in mind." "Something else?" Mac and Harriet both seemed confused. "We want to get married in a place that's special to us." AJ informed them. "Of course you do, and that's what we want for you." His mother smiled. "Remember that trip we took to buy horses a few years ago with Grandma and Grandpa Sims?" AJ referred to a journey he and Cat had gone on with Harriet's parents to Central Kentucky to buy thoroughbred breeding stock for their stables. "You guys really enjoyed that." Mac spoke up. "Yeah, we really did." Her daughter concluded. "It was such a beautiful place, and so special to us." "What are you saying? "Harriet wrinkled her nose. "You want to get married in a horse barn?" "No, of course not." But we were thinking about taking the whole wedding party to Kentucky. We'd like to be married there. It means a lot to us." Cat concluded. AJ squeezed her hand. "We still want both of you to help us plan the wedding, but it would mean a lot to us if we could start our life together there." He said. Mac and Harriet looked at each other and smiled. "Auntie Mac, Mom, are you mad at us?" AJ asked. "We don't want to upset you." Cat, quickly added. "Of course we're not mad." Harriet replied. "We'll start making some phone calls and see what we can find there. A J reached to take both of his mother's hands in his larger ones. Cat smiled at Mac. "We love you guys." They gushed. A lovely May Saturday, when the last of the dogwoods still bloomed found the Rabb/Roberts clan and friends at an old, historic, small stone church outside Lexington. Surrounded by the beauty of a place they loved and the warmth of the people they loved, AJ Roberts and Catherine Sarah Rabb joined their lives and their hearts forever. ========================================= 1434 LOCAL WEDDING RECEPTION The wedding reception was turning into a riotous affair. Vengeance was proving sweet for James as he mercilessly teased Cat about being tamed by AJ. "Mom can't you stop him?" David pleaded for his sister. "Why?" Mac acted the innocent. "I figure turn about is fair play. Wait till he gets hold of you!" He groaned and Mac chuckled. Elliott strolled up dashing in his dress whites. All the men looked debonair in their various military dress uniforms. "And he will have all right to. I can't believe that you are standing next to this Goddess and all you can do is talk!" Mac looked round. "Goddess you say." "Goddess I insist." He replied. "Mother dear dance with your son?" "Always." She took his hand. "That… big brother is what you do with a beautiful woman." He said as he escorted Mac to the floor. David grinned. He spotted Harriett and moved to intercept her. "Auntie Harriett dance with a lonely young man?" he asked. She surveyed him. "David Rabb I seriously doubt that you are a lonely young man; but my ego needs stroking so do your worst." She took his arm and let him escort her to the dance floor. Without warning the party atmosphere was shattered by gunfire. Pandemonium reigned as people tumbled over each other to get out of harm's way. The sounds of screaming and breaking furniture mingled with the continued sounds of the gunfire. Finally the shooting stopped and attention was demanded. "SHUT UP!" a man in his twenties demanded. The bedlam ceased but was replaced by whimpering. "This is a stick up!" He said. His two companions chuckled. "What do you want!" Harm demanded. He felt helpless. One does not attend the wedding of your only daughter armed. "Strip!" The leader demanded. The reception froze. He fired a shot into the air. "You deaf! I said strip!" The guests began to comply. "That's better." He said. "Charlie collect the clothes. Adam collect the jewels and anything valuable." "Got it Harry." Adam reported. Harry issued new instructions. "I thank you folks. Your clothes may be collected at the front gate. As you realize that this is to give us some lead- time. I don't expect that you will be following us too soon." He grinned. "Why is that?" He asked "Simple really." He raised the gun and shot Bud in the stomach. The act was greeted with more screams. "Bye!" the three ran off. Disregarding his lack of clothes Harm dashed to his friend's side. Mac stopped him. "Go get our clothes." She instructed. He nodded grimly. Harm returned five minutes later, his arms loaded. "Sorry but I had to be sure it was safe. How's Bud?" "Bad." Mac replied. She beckoned to James. The young man moved to his mother's side. "Track em. We'll join you soon. I assume you have a duffle bag in the SUV?" He nodded. "I'll take the handheld but the range is only so far." "Agreed." Harm said. "Change into your BDU's we'll be along soon." "Aye." James trotted off. David took his place. "The ambulance, police and ME are on their way." Harm glared at him. "Why the Medical Examiner?" David fought back tears. "Uncle AJ is dead. Uncle Bud and Uncle Sturgis may be dying and AJ is badly wounded." "Cat!" Mac groaned, "Where is your sister!" David pointed, "Over there." Mac moved to be with her daughter. "Who else son." Harm prompted. David continued listing the dead and injured. Mac stooped next Harm's mother, Trish who was hovering over the newlyweds. "Cat?" She whispered. "Oh God!" she wailed. "Mom!" Mac's heart broke, both as a mother empathizing with her child and as a woman who loved her husband dearly. All she could do was hold Cat. She looked at Harriett. "How bad?" Harriett was a mess as she leaned on Trish, who hadn't even noticed that she was covered in blood. "It's bad Mac. I may loose my entire family today." Cat spotted her grandmother. "Gram you're hurt? Not you too!" "No child." She assured them all. "I'm fine. The blood isn't mine and in this chaos I dare not guess as to who's it is." Mac nodded, reached over and squeezed Harriett's hand. The sounds of approaching sirens could be heard. ========================================= 1750 LOCAL UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEDICAL CENTER The victims of the attack were rushed to University of Kentucky Medical Center. Bud, Sturgis and Little AJ being the worse of the incoming were rushed into surgery first. Harm couldn't keep still. "Harm you are going to wear a hole in the floor." Mac admonished her husband. He moved swiftly to her side. "We have to move! Those bastards are getting away!" "The police are on the case." Elliot pointed out. "Bah!" Harm cursed. It always seemed to be the women in the family who took decisions. Mac made a choice. "Harriett you and Cat stay here for when the men come out. The rest of us are going hunting." "Not without me." Cat said. "Cat…" David started. She cut across him. "Don't. My husband of five hours fifty minutes is in there fighting for his life. He doesn't know I'm here. When he gets out he still won't know. I intend to be there when that scum is caught!" Her tone brokered no argument. She stared each of them down including her parents. "Let's go." Harm decided, "Time's a wasting." Mac turned to her friend and now in law "Harriett?" The woman was grim. "Get the SOBs Mac and don't come back with out their hides." Mac nodded grimly and headed out the door. They all needed to change and get on the road to join up with James. ========================================= The group caught up with James in a rural area on a farm off the Paris Pike near Lexington. The nearby land was full of luscious green bluegrass -- this was thoroughbred horse country at its most picturesque. It was David who had spotted the camouflage cap apparently carelessly dropped by the side of the road. It was on old signal the Rabb children had used in their war games since early childhood. When James' siblings saw it, they knew exactly what he was trying to tell them. Once they had this marker, the Rabb family easily tracked down their missing member in the woods. James was glad to see them, and gathered them around him in a huddle. "I don't have an exact location anymore, but they're down there somewhere." He motioned toward a densely wooded spot, surrounding a pond. I say let's go get 'em. " Elliott offered. Mac grabbed his shoulder to hold him in place. "They're armed and dangerous. You can't go in there blindly." "Mom's right." Cat agreed. "We need a recon patrol." Harm suggested. "I'm on it." David said, rising and beginning to move. "Harm," Mac looked into her husband's eyes, with fear. "No, Son. Somebody has to make contact with the teams the local law enforcement people are sending out. I want you to do that." "D-a-a-a-d" David complained. "Sarah," he lovingly addressed his wife, "Cat needs her mother right now. Stay with her." "What are you…." Mac started to ask, but she let it go. She'd known this man for long enough to completely trust his instincts. "James," Harm turned to his son, "good work, Son. You look tired. Stay here with your mom and sister and get some rest." Then, to the one remaining, "Elliott, you're with me." Elliott Rabb loaded his sidearm and prepared to move out. Nobody would question these decisions. Harmon Rabb didn't issue orders to his family often, but when he did, they were obeyed. Harm cupped his wife's face tenderly in his hand. "We will be back in one hour. If you need us sooner, James knows how to contact us." The twins had, since their early teens, practiced birdcalls, which they used to communicate with each other in the woods. They had been unmercifully teased about this, but it had come in handy before. He kissed his wife, and then hugged his young daughter, assuring her, "Cat, we'll find them." "I know, Daddy. Be careful." Quickly the two man recon team was gone. "I'm going back to the car and call the hospital to see how things are going. Then I'll call the police to see what they've got." David informed the women. "We need more intel to figure out who these guys are and what's going on." Mac commented. "See if the police know anything." "Aye, aye, General." David quipped. Mac spread a blanket and encouraged James to lie down and rest. "We may need your energy later." She explained. The young man complied. Mac knew he was tired, as he didn't object to the fussing. Mac sat back down beside her daughter, holding her in her arms. Cat was still in shock, at least a little. After a while, she spoke to her mother. "Mama, AJ's got to be okay." He will, Baby." "I never thought I'd find somebody to love that completely, and now, he could be taken away from me. We haven't even had a chance to be married yet." Mac hugged her tighter. "Mom, what if he needs me? What if he's asking for me? I should be with my husband." Sarah MacKenzie Rabb knew exactly what her daughter was talking about. Maybe her place was with her injured husband. Truthfully, the only reason Mac hadn't argued to have Cat left behind at the hospital was because she thought it might be better for her to get away from that environment where she might be so helpless to take care of her man. But looking around her, she now thought this was no place for a newlywed on her wedding day. "When David gets back, I'll have him take you back in to the hospital." "I should be here with my family." The younger woman was conflicted. AJ is your family now, too." "I love him, Mom." "I know you do, Honey." "Do you think he knows it? I mean do you think he can feel it right now?" "I'm sure he can, Cathy." Her childhood name made her smile. Mac held her daughter tightly as the younger woman lay her head against her shoulder and relaxed. She really missed these times when her children needed her guidance and comfort. They were all adults now, this one married, even. They really had grown up too fast. She and Harm were all alone in the big house now; sometimes it seemed empty and quiet. Perhaps a time would come when it was filled with grandchildren, but who knows? General Rabb kissed her little girl's brow and made a silent wish to spare her any more pain. The bonding moment was broken, as David reappeared through the brush. He knelt and embraced Cat. "I talked to Aunt Harriet." He reported. "AJ?" Cat asked, anxiously. "He's out of surgery, but still unconscious. The doctors say that after he wakes up they'll know more. She told me to tell you not to worry." "Yeah, right!" Cat responded. Mac looked at her eldest son. "Bud? Sturgis?" "They're both still in surgery. But neither of them is hurt as badly as they originally thought. She sounded hopeful about them. I guess nobody's out of the woods yet, but things could be a lot worse." Mac touched her son's cheek. "There's more." David continued, " We aren't the only ones looking for people out here tonight." "What do you mean?" Cat questioned. There's a bunch of Army MPs on a manhunt out here, their squadron commander's back by the road. They've had to suspend their search until they can get a ruling about some kind of evidence from one of their attorneys. They're time critical, though. Mom, do you think you could go talk to them, maybe?" "Okay." She agreed, and then looked down at Cat. "Maybe I shouldn't leave." "Go." Cat encouraged. "Will you be all right?" "Mom, I'm a Marine. I can take care of myself. Besides, James is right here." The three of them looked over to the prone figure of James Rabb, who had obviously fallen asleep. "Okay, but I'll be back soon. If you hear anything or need anything, wake up Sleeping Beauty over there." Mac instructed. "Will do." Cat complied. David kissed his sister on the cheek, and then helped his mother to her feet. ========================================= BACK AT THE ROAD OFF PARIS PIKE JUST NORTH OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY Mac had just finished explaining to the MPs that she was the Navy JAG. They guessed that she could advise them about their evidence, so they told her what was going on. Three young men --local civilians-- had illegally gotten onto the Army base at Fort Knox, about an hour's drive from here. They had been responsible for some random acts of vandalism and had incited some of the dependent minors into a protest. Apparently they had decided that they wanted to do something spectacular to "make their mark." What they had done was broken into a security area and stolen some sensitive information, including access codes to part of the defense system surrounding the National Gold repository. They were planning to rob Fort Knox, as it were. When found out, they got off the base and fled the few miles to Louisville, where they caught a bus to Lexington. After being spotted headed this way, they were at large someplace in these woods. Mac quickly filled them in on her family's own search. Maybe they could help each other. With that many fugitives at large in this area, surely somebody would see something soon. A young Army corporal approached the Captain she was speaking to. "Sir, the information bureau says they should be able to get those photos and fax them by morning." "Thank you, Saunders." He acknowledged. "General, with your husband and son out there, maybe you should get us pictures of them so we'll recognize them as allies if they're spotted during the search." David was the one who could pull out his wallet and produce photos of his family. When they had finished talking to Captain Marshall, Mac and David made their way back to the camp. What they found made them both smile. Cat had lain down on the blanket beside James, and they were tangled up together. Always the light sleeper, though, she woke as they approached. "I'm not doing any good here." She commented. "I need to be with AJ. He might need me." "He's not awake. He wouldn't know you were there." David countered. "He'd know." Cat insisted. "He's my husband. I've got to go to him. Will you take me, David?" Mac placed a hand on his arm and nodded. "Let's go, Sis." "When you actually get these guys, though, I want to be here." She made her mother and older brother promise. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Will you be okay, Mom?" Mac nodded. As soon as her two elder children had gone, she took Cat's place stretched out next to James. She drifted into a light sleep, but was awakened by the sound of movement near her camp. She reached for her weapon, but it was just out of her grasp. She could kick herself for letting down her guard this much. All she could do was wake up her son, lying beside her. James did wake up, but he was still groggy when the footsteps came into the area of their camp. He moved slightly to try to protect his mother, but it caused the intruders to see what was going on. "Relax, Two. It's us." The voice of Elliott greeted his brother. "You could've scared the beejeebies outta us, One. What did you find out there?" Elliott sat on the blanket next to his twin and their mother. Harm quickly materialized next to Mac and slid his arms around her. "Where's Cat?" he was concerned. "David took her to the hospital." His wife supplied. "Answer the question, Squid." She poked Harm playfully in the ribs. "What did you find out there?" "There are lots of tracks. It's really hard to tell which ones are fresh." Elliott told them. Harm, then, took over. "A couple of times we thought we saw people, but it turned out to be livestock. Elliott almost shot a beautiful horse." Elliott blushed. "I thought it was moving toward us. It looked like a man." James opened a thermos David had brought and gave Elliott and Harm both coffee from it. Mac filled Harm in on the Army search going on. Then suggested, "Why don't you two lie down and get some rest." "No." Harm declared. "We're just checking in at the end of our hour. We're going back. We can switch later, we're not tired yet." Mac looked from her husband to her son, not believing this. "You were gone an hour and twenty minutes." She corrected. Harm and Elliott both stood to continue their mission. "How about it, One?" James asked his twin. "I'm fine." Elliott insisted. "You save your energy. We're going to need it." Harm bent to tenderly kiss his wife. "Let us know if you need anything." He instructed. "I need you." She clarified. "Be careful…. both of you." And they were gone again. ========================================= AN HOUR LATER UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEDICAL CENTER SECOND FLOOR -- ICU WAITING ROOM Harriet stood and enveloped Cat in a huge embrace as she and David entered. David kissed his grandmother. "How is he?" Cat asked cautiously. "Still unconscious, Sweetheart." "Can I see him?" "I guess so. They let me go in, and I'm only his mother; you're his wife." After everything that had happened this day, it was only just sinking in to Cat: she was Mrs. AJ Roberts. Harriet showed her daughter -in-law the way, then left quickly to give them some time alone. "The others?" David asked as Harriett and Cat walked away. Trish filled him in "Sturgis is awake. It's going to be a long road back for him, but he'll be okay; Bobbie's with him now. Bud woke up for a little while, but he was in so much pain that they gave him a sedative to knock him out again. The doctor says he'll need more surgery in a few days, as soon as he's strong enough. He's lost a lot of blood, but he will live. We tried to be positive when we saw him, we just didn't have the heart to tell him about AJ's injuries or the admiral's death. " Harriett returned and David hugged this woman who had always been a second mother to him. They sat down together to wait, because there was nothing else that they could do. David Rabb stayed for a while before he left, but did feel the need to get back to the rest of the family out in the field. ========================================= WOODED FARM LAND OFF PARIS PIKE NORTH OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY When David arrived back at the camp, he found his mother and James anticipating the return of Harm and Elliott. James had given birdcall signals to his twin to ask them to come back. Mac was preparing gear to go out into the field. "Your daddy and Elliott have been out there a long time, so they've got to rest. I'll take James with me to replace them." "Let me go with James, Mom." David offered. "Have you forgotten that Grandma Sarah is still at the hotel? Somebody needs to take care of her, Son." Harm's grandmother had been too ill to come to the wedding, in her doctor's opinion. They were all sorry, but her health was the most important thing. The morning of the ceremony, however (was that only this morning?) they had received a call that Grandma Sarah had slipped past her nurse and left the house. Everyone was worried until the elderly lady had arrived in Louisville on a bus and called Harm to come get her for the wedding. Mac and Harm had gone to pick her up, but told her she could only stay until after the wedding, and then she had to go home and take care of herself. Since she refused to fly, Harm had volunteered David to drive her back to Pennsylvania the following day. Now, David knew that if he was going to make this trip, he needed rest, so he sat down, leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. When he awoke later (Cat or mom would have known how long), Harm and Elliott were fast asleep on the blanket and Mac and James had disappeared. A movement in the nearby bushes put him on full alert. He was about to pounce, when the figure of Army Captain Ted Marshall appeared. They conferred quietly, but still Elliott and Harm woke up. Introductions were made, and soon Harm was exchanging search information with the MP squad. The trail twisted and turned several times, so it was not easy to follow. Harm said that his wife was a master tracker, though, and he was sure she was making more progress. Taking leave from the search camp, David picked up Grandma Sarah at her hotel and took her to the hospital for a brief visit. There, he found that AJ had been in and out of consciousness. Cat refused to leave his side. Soon it came time to leave, David Rabb rented a car to drive his great grandmother home. He would then, fly back from Pennsylvania, cutting his time away significantly. ========================================= SEARCHING IN THE WOODS Mac and James had seen the Army searchers several times, but had not spotted their prey yet. There were signs everywhere, however. They were definitely on the right trail. The sun was getting hot overhead and they stopped to drink from their water canteen. It was hard to believe that they had already been at this all night and well into the next day. James mentioned to his mother that three civilian young men, who hadn't gone through survival training couldn't last too long without food or shelter. Captain Marshall and a couple of his searchers joined them. When he showed Mac the photos of his fugitives that had been faxed from the Army base, she confirmed that they were all looking for the same culprits. Mac inquired about possible shelter and food sources in the area that the fugitives might be using. Several options that the Army had noted were discussed. James slipped into a nearby tree grove during this talk. When he reappeared, he had news. A cow had been slaughtered nearby, it's soft underbelly cut open with a hunting knife. Parts of the animal had been cut up and were missing. "Well, they have food." James concluded. "We need to stay alert for the smell of a cooking fire." Mac told her son. "They may not be hearty enough to eat it raw." Captain Marshall shuddered a bit, as if to indicate that he might not be that hearty either. James suddenly perked up. "Ssh, listen." He commanded. The others to complied, but they didn't hear anything. "What is it?" Mac asked. "Elliott." He replied. "It's an urgent signal. Something's happened. Maybe he and dad caught the scum." Without a word, Mac and James were on their way back to the camp, moving rapidly through the brush. Captain Marshall had no idea what this young sailor had been talking about. He had heard nothing. But something in him was damn sure not going to risk the Army's honor on being outdone by a bunch of Navy and Marine officers. So, he followed right behind them. James and Mac arrived in the family camp at precisely the same moment. James skidded to a halt in front of his brother, while Harm reached out to help Mac stop, and then enveloped her in his strong arms. "What's going on?" she asked, breathlessly. A couple of minutes later Marshall appeared in their clearing. He and Harm shook hands. Harm, then, gathered all four of them around to tell what had happened. Corporal Saunders, who Mac had seen earlier, joined them to verify the facts of the Harm's tale. An Army patrol had spotted the suspects near here, and called all their personnel at the Army camp nearby to join in the surveillance. While they were all tracking them, the fugitives sneaked around and stole the Army jeep out of the camp. They were long gone now. Captain Marshall was furious. Corporal Saunders suggested that with the tracking equipment in the vehicle, they should be able to pinpoint where they went, but this did not console Marshall. He still had to report in to his superior at Fort Knox to say that the suspects had escaped and were now in an Army vehicle. He went off to make this report. The twins worked on devising a plan of action to trap these sons of bitches when they caught up to them. Harm and Mac expressed their worry about Cat. Neither of them had seen her since she returned to the hospital. They hoped everything was okay there. It was into this scene that David Rabb returned. He had brought food and fresh supplies. He had resisted the temptation to stop at the hospital after leaving the airport; for fear that his family in the field needed him more. Several of the Army MPs had congregated in the Rabb camp, and the family shared their food with them. But when Captain Marshall returned, everything changed. He and his squad had been ordered back to base. Their pursuit was over. His soldiers protested, but he couldn't change their orders. "Are you people going to continue the search?" he looked at Harm. "You're damn straight!" Elliott replied for him, as he headed toward the SUV that David had just parked in a hidden tree grove across the road. Corporal Saunders approached Captain Marshall with a computer printout in hand. "They've stopped, Sir. We have their position." Harm moved to try to view the paper, but Marshall held it away. "Classified Army data, don't you know?" "But you can't use it." Harm argued. "Then, neither can you." He replied, smugly. David and Harm exchanged a knowing glance. Then, David shoved James and spoke harshly, "I'm the oldest, so just keep your opinions to yourself. You don't even know what you're doing!" James seemed taken aback for just a split second, and then caught the gleam in his brother's eye. Standing back up, he returned the push. David shoved him even harder, so that he almost knocked Captain Marshall over. "Boys!" Harm shouted, in mock protest. "Sorry, Captain." James and David chorused together. But during the couple of minutes that the Army officer was off balance, Harm got a good look at the page he held. When the transport arrived to pick up the Army squad, Marshall gave Harm a slip of paper. This is my cell phone number. Will you please let me know what happens?" The others gone, the Rabbs, minus Cat, met in conference. Harm informed the others that the killers were in Powell County, Kentucky, about an hour and a half away to the east. "That's the mountain region, right in the middle of the Red River Gorge." Mac informed them, from the map. "It's bound to be rough terrain." "Let's go." Elliott was ready. "Load up our supplies, Guys. I need to talk to your mom." The Rabb boys complied, as Harm pulled Mac off to side. "I'm worried about Cat." He confessed. "I haven't seen her since she went to the hospital." "Neither have I." Mac concurred. "And I promised her that when we were ready to catch the bastards, she could be in on it." Just a look at each other settled what they would do. Many years of marriage had allowed them to communicate this way. They walked back to the car and Harm told his sons what would happen. "Guys, you're going to drop your mom and me off up the road here so we can rent a second car. We're going to check on things at the hospital and pick your sister up. You all will go straight up to those coordinates I gave you and scout out the situation, then wait. Don't do anything until we get there. Is that understood?" Mac pulled her husband aside and whispered. "Harm, they're just boys, we can't send them up there by themselves." "No, Sarah," he corrected her. "They're grown men. Honey, they're all US Naval officers, they can handle themselves." She nodded, but under her breath said, "They're my babies." LATER UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY HOSPITAL (A.B. "HAPPY" CHANDLER MEDICAL CENTER) SECOND FLOOR ICU Cat was pleased to see her parents. AJ, by this time was awake and talking to his wife. They both craved news of what had been going on. "I told you, Cat, that I'd make sure you got the chance to be there when we were ready to catch the swine. Now's the time." Mac informed her daughter. "I'll have to pass." The younger woman replied. "I can't leave AJ, not now." "Whoa, there," her husband broke in. "Baby, as much as I love having you here, one of us needs to be out there helping with this. There's really nothing you can do here. So, go get those sons of bitches" "I feel like I shouldn't leave you." She protested. "They ruined our wedding, Cat. We've got to do something. Besides. We need to get this over with -- I'm really looking forward to getting back to the interrupted reception, and the honeymoon." Cat blushed. Mac was amused at the reaction but said nothing. They discussed it a little more, but Cat left with her parents 47 minutes later. ========================================= RED RIVER GORGE POWELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY David, James and Elliott had set up a command post in this beautiful wooded area. Cat was impressed with the recon they had gathered. "They are definitely hiding in that cave down there at the bottom of the hill." Elliott said. "But we haven't been able to get close enough to tell how many approaches to it there might be." "I got it." Cat announced, getting up to move. "Wait," David ordered. "You can't go blazing down there alone. They're dangerous." "So am I." She retorted. She reached into one of the packs and handed him a weapon. "Okay, you got my six. Let's go, Flyboy." David and Cat disappeared over the hill. At that moment, Harm and Mac reached for each other's hands. Before long, there was a flash of light and the sound of an explosion. Cat was thrown into the air. David moved to help her up and back to the family base. Harm was already on his cell phone. "Marshall, what the hell else did they get when they stole your jeep!?!" "Why didn't you tell me that before now?" he yelled. Hanging up, he stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "What do they have?" Mac demanded. "A case of live hand grenades intended for a training exercise." He answered solemnly. "Why did he say he didn't tell you that before?" "I didn't ask." Harm growled. "Damn!" she responded. Cat was soon on her feet again and issuing orders. Her tendency to always take charge of whatever was going on had always been a source of teasing in the family. But nobody would question either her ability or her right to lead in this situation. She laid it out for them: "There are three sectors that need to be covered, and six Rabbs. So…. Elliott and I will cover from the rear; James and Dad go in from the front. Mom and David patrol the perimeter and make sure they don't get away." They agreed and moved to their assigned posts. The groups moving from back and front sandwiched in the fugitives in the cave. They came charging out, weapons blazing. The one called Harry carried a grenade, pin removed. Mac and David moved in behind Harm and James to reinforce the barrier to escape. The frontal assault closed ranks and moved closer. The suspects were clearly agitated. They began to spread out, and the Rabbs mobilized to catch them. They approached and again there was an explosion. This time it was Mac who was sent hurtling through the air. She landed not far from David. He threw all caution to the wind and moved to his mother's side in a flash. He leaned over her prostrate body. "Dad! Oh God! Daaad!" He screeched. Twenty-six years old or not he was not prepared to loose his mother not yet. Not like this. "Daaad!" Harm came round the corner at a dead run, skidded and landed on his knees next to Mac and David. "Mac!" David stepped aside and found himself flanked on either side by the twins. The three brothers watched helplessly as Harm rocked Mac's body to and fro. Suddenly he set her down and placed his ear over her nose. He began CPR. Once. Twice. Thrice. David gaped. James threw his hands up in the air and turned away. Elliott snorted then joined his twin. The gunshots having dies down Cat came flying through the trees and slid to a halt next to David and stared at the tableau of her parents. She was struggling to absorb the scene as well as to gain control of her breath and raging emotions. She looked at her younger brothers… they just shrugged in resignation to the situation. Cat opened her mouth to say something… but what? David just looked but said nothing. She looked to her older brother and pointed to Harm and Mac. Finally she got the words out. "Are they kissing?" "Looks that way to me." David conceded. "Oh for the love of heaven!" Cat was relieved. "You should be so lucky to have the love of a man that long!" James shouted. "Or the hots for!" Elliott added. Their parents finally came up for air. "We get them?" Mac demanded. "Damn straight!" Cat replied. Mac looked at Harm and grinned. "Hey flyboy." "Don't scare me like that again Mac." He commanded as he helped her to her feet. "Aye sir!" She responded. "Well if we are all done here…" "We are." A relieved David assured his mother. "The Police know where to find us." James said. "Let's go home." Mac instructed. "Mrs. Roberts?" David offered his sister his arm. As she took the offered arm she smiled "Why thank you Mr. Rabb." The twins watched as the two strode ahead. "A hand Mr. Rabb?" Elliott offered his twin his arm. "Why thank you Mr. Rabb?" James replied and took it in an imitation of the older siblings. "And you Mrs. Rabb?" Harm imitated. "Oh thank you Mr. Rabb." She joined in. The six strode down the mountain; the closer they got to civilization the more sober they became. The elation of tracking the killers down was being replaced by concern for their family and friends. ========================================= SIX MONTHS LATER 0800 LOCAL ARLINGTON CEMETERY Holding the hand of his wife AJ Roberts placed a wreath on the grave of his namesake. He turned to face his mother, she gave him a watery smile then poked her husband. Using a walking stick and with the assistance of David Rabb, Bud Roberts also placed a wreath on the grave of the Admiral. As he hobbled back to Harriett, Harm pushed Sturgis' wheelchair forward. He would be confined to it for the rest of his life. The two life long friends also paid tribute to their former Commanding Officer and friend. They had all come in full military ware to visit the grave of AJ Chedwiggen, as AJ, Bud and Sturgis had been unable to attend the funeral. "Attention!" David snapped. The ten all snapped to and gave a sharp salute in honor of a fallen comrade. THE END.