WARNING! This deals with some mature themes - No its not smut (don’t I wish).
This alludes to a m/m relationship and domestic violence though NOT in any
graphic terms or descriptions. If this offends you, Sorry. If you think its
gonna be too much, don’t read it. Seriously though - this is BARELY a PG-13 if
not completely PG. (you'd be surprised what you can show nowadays) You've
been warned. And with that...
Hope you guys like it! Happy Forth of July!
Manda
Lt. Dylan Maguire slowly lowered his outstretched arm, the pistol in his hand clattering down to the hard wood floor. His knees buckled as he tried to take a step toward the kitchen, his hand reaching out against the wall to steady his lurching body. Dylan leaned against the wall for what seemed hours, his head resting against the white paint, his shallow breathing echoing as he willed his body to settle down. Checking his resolution, he stepped away from the wall again, leaving the smear of his blood unnoticed as he made the three short steps to the kitchen and the phone hanging on the wall. His hands were shaking as he picked up the cordless receiver, and dialed three numbers.
"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"
"Yes... I..." His voice broke as he tried to remain calm. Taking a deep breath he began again.
"I just killed my roommate."
0750
Detention Center
Quantico, VA
Mac and Harm adjusted their visitor badges as they stepped into the darkened interview room. Dylan immediately came to attention, straightening to his full height of six feet.
"Lt. Maguire?" Mac asked politely receiving a small nod from the man before she motioned him to sit again.
"I'm Lt. Col. Mackenzie, this is Cmdr. Rabb, we've been assigned from the JAG office as your counsel." Harm and Mac sat down at the small table opposite the young man and Harm pulled out his recorder as Mac placed her notebook and pen on the table.
"What are they charging me with?" Dylan asked softly as he looked between them.
"Murder One at the moment, unless you can tell us something the police didn't see when they arrived."
"I told the police, I told them he was going to kill me." Dylan's voice rose an octave in frustration before he corrected his tone.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell, you're just trying to help."
"It's ok, why don't you start from the beginning and tell us what happened." Harm prompted. Dylan nodded and sat back in the chair, his hand roughly rubbing his face before he continued on.
"Jonathan and I have been room mates since the academy... we both decided on the Marine Corps. Both decided on electrical engineering, we were like brothers."
"So how did you go from brothers to last night?" Mac asked.
"Jon always had a temper. We've gotten into scuffles before ma'am... but last night. He lost it. I mean he really, really lost it. He was yelling and cursing and the next thing I know he was hitting me."
"Hitting you?"
"Yes sir. He was screaming at me, and punching me. I thought he was going to kill me." Harm looked the man over. A definite slit lip, black eye, and cuts all over his face from, Harm guessed, were probably an Academy class ring. He looked like he'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.
"Why didn't you fight back?"
"I tried Ma'am, but he was too strong... he's got a good thirty pounds on me. He had..." Dylan's voice trailed off at the sudden realization that there was no more using Jonathan's name in the present tense.
"Did he threaten to kill you?" Harm asked, stealing a piece of Mac's notebook paper and pulling out a pen himself.
"No... not in so many words."
"What did he say?" Mac asked as she stopped taking notes, her eyes focusing in on the young man in front of her.
"I don't remember Ma'am... just the hitting is all I remember."
"Lt. you graduated at the top of your academy class in physical agility. You taught classes to other student on self-defense techniques and lower level martial arts. I don't understand how you couldn't defend yourself." Harm sighed as he set the pen back down on the paper and looked Lt. Maguire over.
There were very few cases that required the Admiral making a three am phone call to Harms apartment, and very few reasons for them to be made. Before Harm sat the son of Major Samuel Maguire, a Vietnam buddy of AJ's who'd saved his six once upon a time. Maj. Maguire had been living on disability since a land mine had gone off under his jeep and pinned him beneath the wreck for hours, cutting off the blood supply to his legs and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Of course that was after he had led his platoon into an occupied village and over run the VC, earning him the Medal of Honor, and the loyalty and devotion of every man in that war.
And now his son sat before Harm and Mac, accused of cold blooded murder. This day couldn't get much worse.
"I don't know sir... I guess I froze up or something. I tried at first to fight back... but I couldn't."
"Lt. the police report says you waited till three hours later, then went into your bedroom, pulled out your lock box, cleaned and loaded your weapon then came back into the living room and shot your roommate, Lt. Jonathan Sparks." Mac rattled off the data as apathetically as possible and watched as Dylan cringed at each word.
"Yes, ma'am."
"The police are citing the time span between the original assault and the shooting as premeditation and cause for charging you with murder one. Is there anything else they are holding out on us here? Some other reason, incident, because I have to tell you, murder one is very difficult to prove, but the boys walking around down the cell block seem to think they've got enough to try, convict, and sentence you in one fell swoop." Harm could see there was more. It was just that feeling in the pit of his stomach he always got when a witness was lying or a client wasn't being forthright, there was more to this than met the eye.
"Nothing I can think of sir. One minute we were fighting... and the next I had the phone in my hand calling the police."
"You don't remember actually committing the act?" Mac asked, her interest peeked.
"No, ma'am... not really, flashes, but not the whole time." Mac made dutiful notes on her paper then turned to Harm.
"I think we have enough for right now. Why don't we go speak to the arresting officers?"
"Sounds good."
"Lt. I'd like to order up a psychological evaluation for you, nothing bad, just as a measure of precaution ok?" Dylan nodded his head and stood as Harm and Mac got up to walk out.
"Lt. we'll be back tomorrow, is there anything you need, want? Cigarettes? Books? Paper?"
"No, sir, I'm fine."
"Alright then, we'll be back as soon as we can." Harm hit the door twice to signal the guard and let Mac step through the entryway first before they walked down the hall together in silence. It wasn't until they checked back out of the Brig and stepped into the early morning sunshine that they looked at each other.
"He's hiding something Mac. He's lying. There's more to this than just self defense."
"Don't start that Harm..."
"Start what?"
"We were assigned to defend him not to solve a murder. Don't start making simple things complicated."
0900
Thomason Park Sheriffs Dept.
Thomason Park, VA
Harm and Mac stepped into the Sheriffs office and removed their covers, letting their eyes adjust to the lack of light in the room. It was a nice size office given the relative size of Thomason Park itself, with several officers milling and a few more behind the counter doing actual work. Harm and Mac approached the Sergeant at the main desk and waited patiently for him to finish with the phone call he was on before catching his attention.
"Excuse me, we're looking for Deputy Sheriff Zachariah Clemens. He's the officer in charge of the Sparks murder." Harm said firmly, looking around to see if any heads jumped up in recognition.
"Yeah, Zach's in the back logging evidence in from that Marine's house. I'll have him sent up in a minute or two. Why don't you go sit down on the bench and wait till he's ready for ya." The mans thick drawl, and leering gaze sent an uncomfortable feeling to the pit of Mac's stomach and set Harm's jaw on edge. Giving the Sgt. a hard look they turned and sat down to wait, as patiently as possible, for Deputy Clemens to get done with his evidence.
Forty-five minutes they were still sitting there.
"This is ridiculous, they're jerking our chain Mac."
"You just figured that out? And unless you'd like to alienate us from the entire sheriffs department I suggest you stay sat down and shut up until this jerk decides to grace us with his presence." He didn't like it, but Harm knew she was right. Some people got a kick out of the small amount of power they could clout, and arguing at the top of your lungs wouldn't solve anything but wasting precious oxygen. Grumbling Harm shifted in his seat, his leg brushing against Macs and knocking the file on her lap to the floor.
"Damn, sorry!" They both headed for the file at the same time and wound up knocking heads.
"Well that gives new meaning to the term going head to head." Harm muttered, rubbing the side of his head carefully as picked up half the papers and Mac shuffled for the other half.
"With your thick skull I'm surprised the Navy ever made you wear a helmet, seems like a waste of good material to me." Mac shot back with a smile, then grimaced as a shot of pain went through her temple.
"I think aspirin is in order here." Harm suggested as he attempted to put the file back together. Mac reached for her purse and rifled through it, finally coming up with an empty bottle of Excedrin, and a round case of pills she wasn't about to share with Harm.
"I'm out."
"I think I have some in the car, be right back." Harm stood and headed back out the door. Mac had just begun to reorganize the file on her lap when a shadow fell over the paper work. Looking up she was greeted to the arrogant smile of a self satisfied Deputy Sheriff. The nametag read Clemens, and Mac groaned inwardly, instinctively knowing this guy was in the mood to play hard ass.
"Well now, I didn't know female marines were so pretty. But then again I was an Army man myself." Mac bit back the comment rising in her throat about the Army really just being Boy Scouts allowed to carry guns, and smiled politely, keeping her gaze cool and level with his eyes.
"Thank you, I'm to assume you're Deputy Clemens?"
"That'd be right." Clemens didn't move an inch as Mac stood, bringing their bodies into much too intimate contact for her liking. Purposely dropping her file she stepped on his foot with her heel in an attempt to pick the file back up and smiled inwardly at his curse of pain.
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz! Did I hurt you?"
"No...no I'm fine." Clemens grimaced out, a tight smile forced on his lips.
"Oh good. Now as I was saying, I'm Lt. Col. Mackenzie, from the JAG corps. My partner stepped outside for a moment to retrieve something from the car, he should be joining us in a moment. We're here to take your statement about the arrest of Lt. Maguire last evening." Mac made sure to emphasize all the key aspects of her words, especially the Lt. Col., Jag, and the fact her partner was a man.
"Right...that was one nasty crime scene let me tell you...blood everywhere. Not a pretty sight." "Murder scenes usually aren't." Mac said dryly. Clemens was about to respond when the front door opened again and Harm stepped inside.
"Sorry bout that Mac, first aid kit was buried beneath the spare tire." Harm apologized as he handed Mac the small packet of aspirin and the bottle of water he'd retrieved from their ride over there. Smiling gratefully Mac set down the file and ripped open the package, swallowing the two aspirin quickly as the men introduced themselves.
"Deputy Clemens."
"Cmdr. Harmon Rabb." Both men eyed each other warily and nodded. Mac had to fight hard not to choke on the aspirin when Clemens was called to the desk for a moment and Harm's cool stare turned into one of absolute loathing.
"What was that for?" Mac hissed.
"I didn't like the way he was looking at you." Torn between being angry he believed she needed protecting and touched Mac decided to appear slightly indignant instead.
"I am a Marine, Harm."
"I know. I'm in the Navy, doesn't mean that we don't watch each others sixes when the time comes for it." With a roll of her eyes Mac turned away to watch Clemens walk back toward them a smug sneer across his face.
"If you don't mind waiting we can get you a copy of the report,"
"That's ok, we'd actually like to take a look around the crime scene."
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"And why not?" Mac asked, her annoyance showing through.
"Like I said, its pretty bad in there. Not for the faint at heart if ya know what I mean."
"We know exactly what you mean, but we'd like to see it anyway."
1125
South Bend Ave
Thomason Park, VA
Harm and Mac pulled into the driveway behind Deputy Clemens patrol car. Police tape and warning signs were all that remained as after effects of the murder. They ducked beneath the yellow lines and stood behind Clemens as he keyed open the door, pausing to let their eyes adjust to the dim light inside the house before stepping in completely.
Clemens was right, it was a mess. Blood splattered the wall between the living room and the kitchen. Across the carpet dark pools of crusted brown stood out on the dark gray material. A chair had been knocked over, a lamp broken.
"Sheriff would you give us a few minutes?" Mac asked as cordially as possible. Nodding once Clemens pulled his pack of Camels out then walked out to the front deck to light up.
"What are you thinking Mac?"
"I'm thinking there's some things around here that don't add up as a cold blooded murder Harm. Look at the bloodstains. If he was shot standing here, how is there blood against the far wall?"
"I think we need to call in an expert on this one." A part of Mac's neck scrunched up, knowing exactly who Harm meant and what it would eventually mean."
"Theresa Coulter?"
"Yep." As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right, Terry was one of the best.
"Let's get the her on the next plane out. Besides they should have the complete report for us by now. I'm anxious to see what they made out of this little crime scene."
"And who we're going to be fighting in court."
1400
JAG
Falls Church, VA
"Cmdr. Rabb and Col. Mackenzie reporting as ordered sir."
"At ease, have a seat. You've met with Lt. Maguire?"
"Yes sir, he's claiming it was self defense... that he doesn't remember anything after he and Lt. Sparks were in a fist fight earlier." Harm summarized.
"Head trauma?"
"We're going to have him checked out. There's also some inconsistent patterns of blood at the crime scene, sir we'd like to request to call in Cmdr. Coulter."
"Approved. Also, the SecNav would like to keep the Marine Corps away from any hint of this... he doesn't want the public to think the members are influenced by Lt. Maguire's father. So the state is handling this."
"Sir..."
"Cmdr., I'm sure you and the Col. will be able to handle this completely. Dismissed." The Admiral dismissed them quickly without another word and Harm and Mac dispersed, tracking down Gunny on their way out.
"Gunny, I have a project for you."
2235
Andrews AFB
LTCMDR Theresa Coulter stepped off the plane onto the black tarmac, her eyes immediately scanning for the 6'4 lawyer with the bright blue eyes.
"Terry!" She turned at the sound of her name and kept the larger smile toned down as she spotted Harm right next to Mac.
"Cmdr. Rabb. Col. Mackenzie, good to see you, though I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Us too. You're flight was good?" Harm asked as he offered to grab her bag. She merely shook her head no and started walking as they moved off the tarmac toward the waiting car.
"Not bad, it was an Air Force plane after all. But at least it didn't go down in the Atlantic." She shot Harm a teasing grin and watched him grimace in mock pain.
"I was waiting for that, didn't see it coming this early though." He flashed his truest grin at her then turned to Mac as the grin slid from his face slowly, registering the irk in her own.
"So Cmdr. Coulter, ready to get to work?" Mac asked patiently her eyes still on Harms.
"Of course Col. Lead the way."
0945
Quantico MCB
Deciding to spend the next few days around Quantico to look over evidence and statements the trio had settled into guest quarters at the base and decided to get an early start in the morning.
By the time Harm managed to hustle down the stairs, briefcase in one hand, cover in the other, Theresa and Mac were already leaning against the car waiting for him.
"Thirty two seconds late squid. You're getting better."
"Well with you around I feel like I'm constantly on the clock." Harm waited for Terry to duck into the car before he gave Mac a wink and managed a light touch to the shoulder before moving to the other side of the car.
"Where'd you like to start Terry? The morgue or the house?"
"I think I'd like to take a look at the body first... establish any defensive wounds... time of death. Not that I don't trust the deputies in Thomason Park, but I'd like to do my own."
"Alright, in the mean time, we're going to drop by the local DA's office, see what he's offering." There was something in Harms voice that caught Terry's attention and made Mac shift uncomfortably.
"You don't believe his story do you?" Annoyed Terry had nailed it in one Harm shifted and looked back at her in the mirror.
"Its not that I don't believe him... he's my client, my job is just to defend him."
"But that's not your style Cmdr. You like being on the winning team all around, including the truth."
"Harm thinks there are too many holes in our clients story." Mac explained.
"Well, lets see if I can fill any of them in."
1030
Thomas Park District Attorney's Office
They'd dropped off Terry at the city morgue with a handful of papers giving her authorization to look at the body and then headed on toward the DA's office. The courthouse looked like something out of an Andy Griffith Episode and the prosecutor was just as bad.
"Mr. Enmyere?"
"Ya'll must be Cmdr. Rabb and Col. Mackenzie, nice to meet you both."
"Likewise. We'd just wanted to drop by and make sure things were running as smoothly on your side as ours." Mac said politely, taking a seat across from the attorney.
"You wanted to see what kind of deal I was offering." Enmyere smiled back at them.
"That too."
"Life, no parole."
"Mr. Enmyere... I hardly think at this point either side is ready..." Mac began before Enmeyer cut her off.
"I've got your clients gun, his finger prints, his phone call. Motive, they argue earlier. Opportunity, they roomed together. Means, a .9 mm Glock. And don't forget the pre meditation... it doesn't take three hours to decided to defend yourself after an assault... and please call me Clive." Harm felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as Enmeyer looked Mac over approvingly and smiled.
"So you agree there was an initial assault."
"I agree to nothing at this point other than the fact that your client claims it was self defense... for all I know he received those wounds in a bar fight then came home and murdered his roommate."
"You just said the assault..." Harm began, his mind clearly three steps behind his usual thought process.
"Is one possibility of motive. We all know that even if there was an altercation, waiting three hours and THEN going for a gun will be laughed out of court as a defense."
"Well then, I think we've just about finished here..." Mac said, equally as polite as when she walked in. Rising she shook Enmeyer's hand and watched as Harm nodded carefully at him then left behind her. Safe on the street she finally turned on Harm.
"Get your head into the game here counselor!"
"Mac, what are you talking about?"
"I know you may not believe our client, but we still have a responsibility here. Stop letting your ego get in your way every time a man looks me over, and do your job." Stunned, he stayed quiet as Mac turned and stalked away from him to the car.
1200
South Bend Ave.
They'd rode the entire time in silence, neither uttering a word until they'd pulled in front of the morgue and picked Cmdr. Coulter up. Forcing congeniality Mac had offered they grab lunch on the way and had made herself smile as Terry teased Harm over his Vegan lifestyle. By the time they pulled in front of the small house, Terry had begun to notice the tension between the two partners and wisely had kept the conversation short.
"The great thing about blood, or not so great depending on who you are, is that it never really goes away. You can clean and clean, but there's always this residue left. Mac, will you grab the shades?." Inside the house Harm and Mac moved to lower the shades on the windows making the empty house dark in the noonday sun while Terry plugged in a portable ultra-violet light. She skipped over the first signs of blood on the walls and the floor, moving over to blank spots on the wall that suddenly had a glow.
"Old blood." Splatters of it were on every wall she turned to, especially in the corner of the living room.
"I don't understand..." Harm admittedly lamely.
"Terry, have you looked at Maguires health reports?" Mac asked, the scene clearing in her mind.
"Not yet... why?" Her head too far into the forensic picture to see anything more, Coulter kept examining the various splatters of blood across the walls in odd places and across the carpet.
"Just a hunch."
It took Gunny a couple more hours to bring down an entire forensic team to help Terry catalogue and document the blood marks and residue in the house. He'd also been sure to bring down the fitness reports and medical files on both Lt. Sparks and Lt. Maguire on his way handing them over to Harm and Mac on his arrival. It took Mac five minutes to browse each file and recognize what she was looking for. Her hunch nearly confirmed she decided to share with Harm. Outside she explained her theory and their new defense strategy.
"Mac, you've got to be kidding me."
"Harm, look at the signs, the evidence... this is more than one act. It's an entire pattern of behavior..."
"What evidence, have you seen this place? Its like 'Bachelor pad R us'... Our defendant not remembering the crime is easier to believe than this."
"Why can't you believe this?"
"Because its...its absurd Mac. The very idea that a healthy normal guy would just stick around and get the crap beat out of him everyday is insane...its just..."
"Unbelievable."
"Exactly."
"Except it isn't so unbelievable Harm...This isn't a sexual condition, it isn't some bi-product of homosexuality. Its called Battered Woman's Syndrome but it doesn't just happen to women. It happens to everyone, normal or not. It happens to men, it's the reason so many abused children become either abusers themselves or abused adults. It's a pattern of violence that can't be broken, a pattern of behavior so fierce and utterly disgusting that no one has a solid answer for it, and the pat answer that its just too hard to believe isn't an answer at all Cmdr. It's a cop out."
In that moment Harm understood his mistake and so many others, and at the cost of his ignorance Mac had once again peeled back the scab over that area of her life to give him a glimpse of what a tragedy millions of men, women and children lived through every year.
The only thing keeping the tears from her eyes was the fire and indignation and as he turned to her she turned away, shrugging off the hand on her shoulder.
"You don't understand because you choose not to understand. It's easier not to think about it. Easier to ignore the problem doesn't exist and that what goes on in the home stays there...well sometimes it doesn't. And it doesn't go away. It lives in you, with you. In every decision you make, every relationship you're in...it permeates everything like some disease infecting your DNA so that you pass it down to your kids, and their kids...The only choice you have is to face it every day and say 'no, I won't become that person. I won't give into violence. I will not become the next piece of the pattern." The tears fell now as Harm turned her around, his arms wrapping around her, holding her tightly as quiet sobs shook her.
"I just keep thinking...this is how it could have ended for my parents...if he had gone through with all those threats...or if she had fought back...I could have easily been an orphan and I don't which is worse, having two parents as screwed up as possible, or no parents at all..."
"Shhh...Sarah. You are neither your mother nor your father. You had not only the strength to run away from your past but you went back, you faced it. You won."
"You never win completely Harm...this isn't a seen enemy...this isn't something you seek out and destroy. It lurks in the back of your mind, it reminds you of the hell you've been through, the nightmares...I don't want our children to have those nightmares too." They held each other silently as Mac calmed down, her sobs murmuring down to soft sighs.
"Hey, you know what you just said?" Harm asked quietly.
"What?"
"'Our children'...something you wanted to let me in on there Col.?"
"Oh you..." Playfully she took a swing at his arm laughing as he ducked and took a step back laughing. Wiping at her eyes Mac straightened herself as much as possible, the tension of the moment gone.
"Do you understand now? I could be wrong, and god I wish I were...but I think this is what happened, and we need to know."
"I think we need to talk to our client."
2035
Detention Center
Quantico, VA
Lt. Dylan Maguire sat quietly looking between Harm and Mac, his eyes lost somewhere in the past.
"It started at the Academy...little things here and there...what to wear when we all went out, what toothpaste to buy...little things. The night we graduated was the first night he hit me. I wanted to go out with some of the other guys...he obviously didn't want me too. Every time I threatened to leave him he said he'd go to my CO, he'd go to my father...it got worse as time went on...the hitting became more frequent, yelling...pretty soon he didn't just threaten to expose me, he threatened to hurt me. Hunt me down and kill me...that last night he'd pinned me down in the corner of the room...he liked to push me in the corner, it was easier to hit me...he put me in the corner of the room and had his hand over my mouth and throat...I didn't kill him till three hours later because I lost consciousness. He choked me until I couldn't breathe and I blacked out. I almost died that night and when I woke up I knew there was only one thing to do...because I couldn't be sure the next time he came after me he'd stop when I passed out...the next time he really would have killed me."
"This has been going on for eight years now?" Mac asked softly.
"Yeah...the last four years he's been physically abusive...sexually abusive." Nodding Mac took down a few more notes and began to shift her papers around. Harm had been silent almost the entire time, his eyes tightly locked on the young man.
"What's going to happen now?" Dylan asked, his eyes shifting from Mac to Harm. Harm spoke gently as he explained the likely possibilities.
"There will be a trial. I know it sounds a little out there, but we'll plead temporary insanity instead of self defense, it will be easier to prove. I can't say for certain but the evidence is pretty overwhelming, especially the forensic evidence and your last medical report when you were arrested. Even if you are acquitted though...there will be no way to suppress the evidence. People are going to find out that you're gay. I'll make a request that your CO accept a letter of resignation from you so that no further charges are brought."
Nodding Dylan got up and turned away from them to look out the window. Harm and Mac rose gathering their briefcases and covers , knocking on the door once to signal the guard they were through.
"If I just wouldn't have done anything...Jonathan would still be alive. My Dad wouldn't have to know about this...He's going to be ashamed of me. And it's all my fault." From the door Harm could see the line of tears falling from Dylan's eyes. Setting his briefcase down Harm pulled at his handkerchief and handed it to the young man.
"Listen to me. No matter what happens. This was NOT your fault. None of this is your fault. You never asked him to hit you...you never asked him to control you and hurt you. No one deserves what happened to you...It was horrible and tragic and people my even blame you for it. But no matter what happens you need to believe this wasn't your fault. This wasn't your fault Dylan." Dylan collapsed into tears as Harm held him up, holding him as the sobs shook him, eight years of abuse and agony pouring forth in one onslaught of emotion.
From the door Mac wept with him, her tears stinging her cheeks with the pain she still felt everyday, the release they offered her only respite from the memories that could never be washed away.
++++
July Fourth
2100
Washington Monument
Washington D.C.
Harm and Mac lay together on their blanket, the remains of the picnic dinner still spread out around them as they alternately pilfered the remaining food items.
"Dylan called this morning." Mac informed as she popped another grape into her mouth, leaning back against Harm's chest.
"How'd it go with his Dad?"
"They worked things out...it looks like he's going to be staying at his parents house for a while until he gets his feet back under him. This is the first time in eight years he hasn't lived with anyone but Jonathan."
"His very own Independence Day huh?" Harm smiled as the first bursts of fireworks began to explode over the Potomac, the Fourth of July celebration beginning. Smiling as the red hue washed over them and then the blue and white as a starburst exploded over the sky Mac leaned down, her lips brushing over Harm's softly as the chorus of 'Stars and Stripes Forever' rang out of the loud speakers.
"Let freedom ring."