Title: Deevs
Author: Maureen S. O'Brien
E-Mail: mobrien@dnaco.net
Rating: PG-13
Category: S (Mac/Harm UST)
Summary: A Harm and Mac fairy tale...or is it the Arabian Nights?

Disclaimer: JAG belongs to Bellisario, Belisarius Productions, 
Paramount, and CBS. I don't own Harm and Mac, but I do think that
fanfic falls under 'fair use'. 

Author's Note: I have taken great liberties with Persian folklore in
this story. Look it up yourself to find out what it's really like.
This story had the working title of "Eyes", so if you've visited my
page and seen it there, I finally finished the sucker. I swear I'll
finish the revised version of "Ghosts Come Calling" Real Soon Now.
Not to mention "Family" and "Dreams" and "Shipper Deejay". Honest. 

This story is dedicated to Troy Saxon and Sandra Martinez for having 
the guts to bring out their fanfic (and thank goodness they did!), 
and to all the nice people who gave me helpful feedback on "Ghosts 
Come Calling", especially Ami Ballard and HughesFan. Love ya!

---------------------------------

Deevs 
by Maureen S. O'Brien


"Are we there yet?"

"Nope. GPS says we've got another couple miles before we get to the
next old oasis."

"I'm telling you, Mac, next time Clay asks us for a favor, he can go
to hell."

"Or here. Same difference."

"What, the Old Country not living up to its billing?"

"Harm, save your breath for walking."

"Yes, ma'am."

======================

They dug down two feet and the springwater bubbled to the surface.
They splashed it muddy on their faces, but they waited to drink it
until the ancient catchbasin below ran clear. The satellite maps
hadn't lied; there was still water in the old oases along this
forgotten caravan route. So even if the primary exfiltration plan had
failed miserably, it looked as though they were going to be able to
get to the backup place in the mountains. Mac had hotwired... er,
_commandeered_ a car that had gotten them most of the way to the
mountains before giving up the ghost. They were only a few days' walk
from them now. They were quiet as they ate.

"You look beat, Harm. Why don't I take first watch?"

"Uh uh. Yesterday you didn't wake me up and I ended up sleeping most
of the day."

"You must have needed the sleep, then."

"So do you."

"I'm not tired."

"Yeah, but the sweating is getting to you. That's why you were pouring
your water into your hand to drink, wasn't it?"

"The heat isn't.... Maybe that's why I still feel fine. Look, I'm
taking first watch. And if you wake up, you can take the second one."

"I'll wake up. I'm not that tired."

"I know."

==================================================================

"Rise and shine," she said, her voice rough. "It's almost sunset."

"I told you to wake me up!"

"I said you could take second if you woke up. But you didn't."

"Then get some sleep now," he said, exasperated. "I'll wake you up
when it's time for breakfast and packing."

She fell asleep nearly as soon as her chador'd head hit the sand, and
he watched the sun slide over the rim of the world. It didn't look
right, somehow...and yet, it seemed familiar. He hadn't seen a sunset
this brilliant since...

...since he'd watched the sun set over the side of the _Seahawk_.
Since before he got the eye infection that made him nightblind.

He rushed over to the basin of springwater and looked at his eyes.
Wide brown eyes stared back at him instead of blue.

And he knew those eyes.

He rushed back to Mac's side. He was hallucinating. He'd have to wake
her up, warn her to watch him....

"Mac!" He shook her, feeling guilty about breaking her nap. "Mac!"

"I'm awake," she said sleepily, and her eyes opened.

He could see them clearly even in the glare of the setting sun. They
were not brown. They were blue. And they did not move to follow him.
She stared straight ahead, right into the glare.

"Mac." His voice was gentle. "Can you see me?"

"No," she said.

And she did not sound surprised.

"How long have your eyes been like this?"

"Eight hours, 47 minutes, and 3 seconds."

He stared at her, glad she could not see the anger in his face,
forcing all trace of it out of his voice. "Talk to me, Mac. Tell me
what could make brown eyes blue."

"I take it that Crystal Gayle and spice from Dune are not acceptable
answers."

"No."

She sighed. "You're not going to believe me."

"Try me."

She sighed again. "All right. At 1200 hours local time, two deevs
reappeared and threatened our lives. Since they had proved to my
satisfaction yesterday that they were in fact deevs and had the power
to kill us, I believed it to be a credible threat."

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down. Deevs? Yesterday?"

"Yesterday. At noon. I couldn't wake you up yesterday or today,
because the deevs had you under some kind of...spell," she added
reluctantly.

"And deevs are...some kind of genie?"

"Jinn are good guys," she said bleakly. "Deevs are what the word
'devil' came from. Not that peris and jinn and marid are usually any
nicer, but they're a little more predictable. Or so my grandmother's
stories said."

"How'd they prove they were what they said they were?"

"Instant sandstorm, a few other things. Then they said they wouldn't
kill us if I would play a little game with them to keep them from
being so bored. They would make the walk a little more...challenging
for us. If we survive three days under their conditions, we go free."

"You don't sound like that came as a surprise to you."

"Not after my grandmother's stories," she said. "She used to tell one
just like it. The trick is to bargain them into giving you a problem
that you can get around easily. I figured I could do it, and it wasn't
like I'd been given a choice...so I agreed."

"What was the condition yesterday?" asked Harm, afraid of what he'd
hear.

"They said I couldn't drink from any cup or container, just use my
mouth and my hand."

"So you poured the water from your canteen into your hands. Clever."

"Well, they didn't like it. So today they said they would make one of
us blind, and they wanted you."

She shivered a little, and she heard the deevs' voices again, clear
and cold and courtly.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

#We will take the light from his eyes and make him walk in true
darkness, in a strange land, in the cold of the night. Then we will
see if he is truly as brave as he pretends.#

"Now, that is no sport for two of the great," she objected in Farsi,
making herself sound indifferent. "He is already half-blind."

#Is it so?#

"I would not dare lie to you, o deevs," she replied, letting the truth
of her statement show. "A sickness made his eyes...." She searched for
the proper Farsi word, but could not find it; so she put together two
words she knew and hoped the deevs would understand. "He is what we
call nightblind, and that is why our people made him leave his post as
a warrior. Surely you would not take sight from one who has lost much
of it already."

#But you have the sight of an eagle, do you not?#

"I do," she answered, keeping her voice steady. "And then you would
have the blind leading the blind. Again, no entertainment worthy of
you, o deevs."

#Ah, but what if we were to take your sight away and give it to him?
Then you would have to trust him to guide all your steps. You would be
helpless without him.#

"I would say that I accept your challenge, o deevs." Fools, she
thought, hiding her rush of victory.

#Then let us finish here, for we grow weary of dealing with mortals.#

And they were gone, and so was the brightness of the day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Mac...why?"

"It's only one day, Harm. I can do anything for one day."

"Don't semper-fi me on this one."

"I'm not. I won't even slow us down. It'll be just like doing blind
training in martial arts...Zen archery...."

"Except you can't take off this blindfold."

She shrugged.

"And what if these...deevs...were lying? What if it's not just for one
day?"

"Then I'm a blind lawyer. Big deal. I can still practice. You, on the
other hand...."

Harm stared at her. "Don't tell me you actually considered...if it was
permanent...."

She ignored him and rose to her feet. "We'd better get done with
breakfast and start walking."

"You were."

"We've got a long day ahead of us. Let's get moving."

"Damn it, Mac! I don't want to be back on sea duty that bad!"

She turned her head toward him, her blue gaze still. "We don't know
what will happen. But if I have to lose my sight, I wanted it to be
for something." Her mouth hardened. "And that is all that I'm going to
say on that subject for now. The deevs have had their entertainment
from me."

He stopped dead, his protests dying in his throat. She was right. They
had challenged her for just this reason -- to see what they would do.
And he didn't feel like talking to Mac about anything important in
front of a supernatural studio audience.

But when they got to the mountains, he'd have a few things to say to
her on this subject.

Marines! They're all crazy!

===================================================================

It was a very long night. The old caravan trail was not an easy walk
for someone with sight, or good night vision, for that matter. But
there was a full moon, though she couldn't see it, and Harm had been
doing all right the previous nights.

As the deevs had no doubt known, despite her dramatics. Mac wondered
what that said about the game the deevs were playing. Maybe she could
say anything she wanted, as long as it was interesting.

But she couldn't risk it.

Harm warned Mac of every uneven place and pitfall as she walked along,
her hand on his arm. It bothered her. She hated having to rely on him
or anyone else. But she could do it for now. And his steady support
was a real comfort.

Problem was, part of her really didn't like the desert at night. It
was too empty. There was little cover. She felt naked, a dot of warmth
in the cold desert under the crystal-clear night sky. If anyone had
sent a plane to look for them with infrared, they would have been
picked up by the Iranians by now.

Instead, the deevs had found them. And now she was blind.

She shivered for a moment, glad for the extra layer of the chador
she'd put on after they'd started walking. It covered her almost
completely, all but her eyes. And that was useful too, because as long
as she maintained her bearing, Harm had no way to tell how much this
was bothering her.

Her skin crawled. Anyone could be watching, and she wouldn't know. And
if it came to a fight, she'd be a liability. About the best she could
do would be to fire in the general direction of noise, and hope.

She found her steps slowing with reluctance. As if that would do any
good. Disgusted with herself, she picked up the pace again. And this
time, she kept her mind on her feet.

===================================================================

Harm could feel Mac's impatience with this mode of travel. What she
really needed, he decided, was a walking stick. Mac would like that
better, even if her progress would be slower, because it would allow
her to maintain her independence. But sticks were in short supply in
the middle of the desert.

They walked on.

Steadily, uncomplainingly, she walked on beside him, her stride
matter-of-fact. The chador she wore as a disguise could just as easily
have been a uniform, and the desert, the streets of DC. He wondered
what that equanimity was costing her. But she would not show weakness
in front of the deevs.

And she doesn't want to worry me, he thought. Wants me to think this
is no big deal. Elves, leprechauns and trolls are all covered
somewhere in tactical doctrine, and she, being a Marine, knows all
about it.

He sighed. Semper fidelis. From the halls of Montezuma to the shores
of Tripoli. And whatever other bits of myth and legend the Marines
could manage to stuff into a young recruit. The Corps was really just
a bunch of wild-eyed romantics expressing their ideals through stoic
professionalism. But since they dressed in green or brown instead
of...black, say, or paisley...nobody noticed.

And he'd loved being part of it, he remembered, smiling. Going
undercover as a Force Recon gunny sergeant had been the best fun he'd
had in years....

He reminded himself sternly that Marines don't get Tomcats.

He looked back at the Marine he was worried about. He could see so
much tonight that he hadn't been able to see at night in years. Faint
shadings of grey that translated into the folds of the dunes ahead of
them, or the folds of Mac's voluminous clothes. The stars that shone
out beyond her, out on the horizon, seeming unbelievably close and
bright so far from city lights, except where they paled in the light
of the full moon. And her eyes, normally so dark, now were pale as
well -- courtesy of the deevs.

What are you hiding behind those eyes? he wondered.

===================================================================

"What happened in your grandmother's story, Mac?"

"Oh, the standard stuff. There was once a woman from her village who
ended up traveling across the desert. The men all died of sickness.
She kept on going, since she had no other choice, and two deevs found
her. They told her they'd kill her unless she did what they said.

"So the deevs challenged her to squeeze water from a rock, and she got
out some new cheese and squeezed out the whey. Then they told her to
walk through a wall of fire. So she did. Then they wanted her to walk
all day without stopping for rest...but first she upped the ante. She
bet them that she could run all the way to the mountains. If she
didn't, they could kill her. If she did, then they would never kill
her or any of her kin or anyone that any of them loved."

"And the deevs accepted?"

"They didn't think she could do it. They thought she would collapse
after a couple of hours. But the mountains weren't that far away by
that point. So all she had to do was jog there."

"So she did it?  She won?"

"Of course she won. If she'd lost, how would anyone have known the
story?"

==================================================================

As the sun rose, they found another forgotten oasis. Harm guided Mac's
hands to the cool spot in the dirt. Harm watched her hands, trying not
to get in her way. But she didn't need eyes to dig, and they still
made a good team. Soon clear water flowed from the spring.

Harm watched Mac drink. The eyes were wrong. The empty staring gaze
was definitely wrong. But the joy she took in the water was all her
own, and maybe a little plainer than it had been when she knew he was
watching.

Her face twisted with annoyance. "Harm, quit staring at me."

"I'm not staring."

Her face turned skeptical.

"Much."

"What, did I get dirt on my nose or something?" She touched her wet
hands to her face.

"No."

"Then what?"

He looked down, not sure why he had been watching her. "Sunburn," he
said. "I thought you looked a little crispy around the edges, but I
guess I was wrong."

"How about you?"

"How about me?"

"How's your sunscreen holding up?"

"I don't know. This water isn't the best reflective material."

She rolled her eyes, which looked very startling. "If it works for a
fever," she said with resignation, "it ought to work for a sunburn."
And she felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

Her hand, still a little wet, was very cool against his skin.

Then his cheeks, each in turn.

Then his nose.

"My _nose?_ I am not a dog, Mac."

"From the feel of it, you're a reindeer."

"A reindeer?"

"Named Rudolph. Skimping on the sunscreen, paleface?"

"I put on plenty. Every day before I go to sleep. This is not fair."

"Well, soak your nose while you can and get the heat out of it."

"I am not going to submerge my nose in some old camel watering trough
for your entertainment...much less the deevs'."

She started to laugh.

=================================================================

He looked in Webb's mini medical kit. Where was the stuff for sunburn?
They had antibiotics, they had morphine, they had anti- diarrheal
pills (they'd been taking those regularly, after drinking straight
from  springs and troughs and basins with God only knew what in them),
they had water purification tablets (which is what they used in the
canteens), they had stimulants like....

Hmmm.

He didn't dare say a word to her. If the deevs were watching, they
might overhear and figure out his plan. But there was a way.

==================================================================

Mac drank a little more and waited for Harm to come back. She listened
to the wind whispering over the dunes and to the faint sound of Harm
rummaging through the medkit.

She felt that she was being watched.

She hoped it was Harm or even the deevs, because this situation was
bringing up too many bad memories.

She remembered waking up in her bed, when everything was dark, to hear
her father shouting at her mother. He'd come home drunk again. She
stayed as still as she could, barely breathing. Don't look in my
bedroom door, she prayed. Don't think of me. Don't notice me. I'm not
here. I'm not here.

Sometimes it worked, and she would be able to fall asleep again in an
hour or so, though her dreams would be bad. And sometimes it didn't,
and he would yell at her to get up. And then she would have to try to
go to sleep despite her hurts, and find a way to explain or conceal
them when she went to school next day.

Until she became one of the hoods, of course. After that, she could
blame any injuries on getting into fights with the kids at school.

She shuddered and listened for Harm. He was done rummaging and was
coming back.

"All better, Rudolph?"

"I look more like Frosty with this stuff slathered on my face," Harm
noted. He sat down next to her. "So what do you want for dinner?" And
took her hand in both of his.

She felt her eyes widen. "I don't know. How many MREs do we have
left?" she said, striving to remain casual.

"Don't worry." He was flattening out her palm between his hands. "Webb
gave us more than enough. All you need to do is pick your poison." And
tracing curves on her palm with his finger.

"MREs don't taste that bad," she automatically defended, although
somewhat distracted. What the heck did Harm think he was doing? Now he
was tracing a straight line...and another at a right angle to the
first....

D'oh!

She felt like smacking herself on the forehead with her unoccupied
palm. He was doing the Helen Keller thing, writing letters into her
palm so the deevs wouldn't figure it out. He'd just written a T.

"Mac, you are contradicting a long and noble tradition of bitching and
moaning." Straight line down her palm, straight line across the top,
straight line across the bottom. I.

"I don't care. I like them. I even liked the barbecue-flavored
meatballs." M.

"Ewww. That's sick." S. "I mean, think about the kind of twisted mind
that would even think of blending Southwestern cuisine with meatballs.
Is this the kind of person you want to give your life to defend?" T
again.

"What do you care? You don't eat meat." I again.

"It's the principle of the thing." M again.

STIM. Stimulant?

Well, if Harm could beat the deevs' spell that way, then hurray for
better living through chemicals. He probably couldn't do anything to
help matters, but at least she would have some company.

She pulled on Harm's hand and traced her own letters.

O and K.

==================================================================

#Look at the humans. Touching hands.#

#They were touching hands all night while they walked. It is boring.#

#But the man is touching his fingers only to the woman Sarah's hands.
Running his fingers over her palms.#

#Is it affection, fear, a spell to bar us, or communication?#

#Communication, I think. It is a pity we never learned Frankish
writing.#

#There is nothing written in the barbarian tongues that we need to
read.#

A flash of cold amusement passed between them.

#Look at the humans. They are still touching hands.#

#Surely they are not so slow in writing as all that.#

#Surely. It must be affection now.#

#Or fear.#

#Or fear.#

=================================================================

She woke as soon as Harm's hand touched her shoulder. "It's only an
hour and three minutes till noon. You let me oversleep!"

"You needed it." He took her hand. "Save your arguments for the
deevs."

She made a face in his general direction. "Go sleep, Harm."

He stood there a moment more, feigning reluctance. It wasn't hard to
feign. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. But we haven't been given a choice."

He nodded slowly. "Promise you'll be careful."

"I _will_," she said, rolling her unseeing eyes. "As careful as I can
be. Just like you always are."

"Heh. Now I am worried."

He turned away and lay down in the meager shade. Slowly, he relaxed
and changed his breathing pattern. Even when he felt some kind of bug
crawling across his hand, he stayed prone, kept his eyes shut, hoped
it wasn't a scorpion, and kept his breathing slow.

But his mind raced. What were the deevs up to? What would they want
from Mac today? And would they keep their word and give her her sight
back?

Suddenly, he felt something like a net settle over his body. He felt
his arms and legs relax without his volition, and his breathing slow
still more. But the pills he'd taken had kicked in, and he had so much
stimulant running around his body that he couldn't have fallen asleep
if he'd tried. So much for magic spells, he thought, resisting the
urge to grin. He'd have to remember to thank Clay for the gift of
drugs.

===================================================================

At 1201 hours (and 10 seconds), Mac heard the deevs return.

#A day and a night without sight.#

#Or was that a night and a day?#

#No matter,# the first deev replied, #for one who cannot tell the
difference.#

"Oh, it still matters to me, o deevs," she retorted, albeit politely.
"I can feel the heat of the sun's rays and I can feel the cold of
darkness."

#So you can,# said the second deev, its cold clear voice sounding
almost disappointed.

Her sight returned in a rush. She blinked against the light, and
opened her mouth to thank the deevs for keeping their word.

#Perhaps we made the challenge too simple.#

Mac lost her temper, and her Farsi went from formal to colloquial.
"I'm in the middle of a trackless godforsaken desert in a country that
hates mine, with a partner who doesn't even speak the language. Our
only supplies are what we can carry on our backs, and we have to get
up those mountains in the next few days, or it's gonna be one long
walk home, and you...." She regained control. "My apologies. But
frankly, o deevs, the journey was far from simple without
your...additional conditions."

#Then let us expedite matters,# said the first deev. #A simple
challenge. Fight one opponent of our choosing, and you and your
partner go free.#

Mac's face twisted with an ugly suspicion. "I will not fight my
partner."

#Of course not,# said the second deev. #Although that would be
interesting.#

"Who is the opponent, then?"

#Another deev.#

#A deev you know well.#

"Who?"

#The one who lives inside you.#

"What?!"

#Not literally.#

#Not entirely literally.#

#Your dark side. All that you hide.

#We offer you the chance to fight it in the open light of day.#

"Weapons?"

#None.#

"Time and place of battle?"

#Here and now.#

"What does my partner get?"

#He goes free as well.#

"Now that is hardly fair, o deevs," she protested. She knew this was
stupid, but she couldn't help pushing. "You involved him in the last
challenge, and he received no reward. Now, if I should not win, he
will be in sore straits. The moon will not be completely full tonight,
and he will have to go on alone. On the other hand, if I win, I may
still be wounded badly; and again, the burden would fall on my
partner."

#What do you propose, then?#

"Whether I win or lose, my partner goes free, and you heal his eyes of
nightblindness. Without taking vision from me or any other," she added
prudently.

#Little enough. Very well.#

#We accept your terms for the challenge. Do you accept ours?#

A shiver of fear went down her spine, but her breath quickened in
anticipation.

"I accept."

==================================================================

Harm opened his eyes a tad and peered at Mac through his eyelashes.
She and two invisible guys were having a chat. Unfortunately, these
particular guys didn't seem to understand that they should be speaking
English for the convenience of eavesdropping naval officers. Inwardly,
he grimaced. How was he going to figure out if Mac needed backup?

He felt something drift against his eyes, and froze. Had the deevs
figured out he was still awake?

Then the something disappeared, and the sunlight was suddenly twice as
glaring. He blinked, his eyes dazzled. What? What happened?

He peered at Mac through the glare and saw that her posture had
changed, grown more certain. She was leaning forward, trying to drill
a hole in someone with her eyes as she spoke in quick and angry words.
She had her eyes back, he realized. And so did he.

Mac regained her temper and went back into negotiation mode, her voice
low and infinitely reasonable. The invisible guys sounded amused and
interested. Some agreement was reached, and Mac stepped back. She
turned around and took off her chador, and managed as she did so to
give him the "let me do this" look. She hitched up the dress she'd had
to wear underneath and kilted it into a miniskirt. Yeah, deevs
probably didn't have much in the way of Muslim sensibilities to
offend, and he appreciated the view... she was going to do something
physical. But what? She also took off her shoes and socks. She must
not trust her footing on the sand...what had they asked her to do?

When she turned back away from him, there were two Macs standing
there.
 
The second one bristled with anger that came off her in waves. She
wore black shorts, a black heavy metal t-shirt, and black sunglasses.
She took off her gym shoes, threw them out of the way, and then
beckoned for Mac to come on.

Mac bowed to her opponent. AngryMac rabbitpunched her while her head
was down.

But then Mac was responding, exploding into motion. He watched with
fascination as she calmly began kickboxing AngryMac into submission.
AngryMac could also kickbox, but her anger made her sloppy and easy to
lead into traps. Mac's form was perfect: graceful, efficient, and
highly effective.

And then, suddenly, there was a third Mac standing behind Mac and
AngryMac on the sand. She grinned and kicked Mac in the head. When Mac
fell, AngryMac did the same.

Harm got up and ran toward them. Two against one was not fair. And
while he'd been raised not to hit a woman, he figured he could make an
exception for this.

===========================================================

#Anger I understand. Which one is this?#

#Ambition? Determination? The will to win at any cost?#

#Ah. Ruthlessness.#

The second deev turned. #Something has broken the web of sleep.#

#Her partner is awake. How can this be?#

#The palm-touching must have been a warding spell.#

#Or he carries some powerful talisman.#

#What should we do with him?#

The first deev was amused. #Look at him wincing as he fights a woman
in his partner's image.#

#Do you think he realizes yet that it is his partner, at least in
part?#

#No, not yet.#

Harm suddenly faltered, and RuthlessMac got in three punches before he
could defend himself.

#Now he knows.#

They watched for a while.

#He knows her too well. It is not enough of a contest.#

#And she is defeating her anger. Let us send out a few more.#

The second deev pondered. #We did not promise that the man would not
need to fight, did we?#

#No.#

#Then let us send his dark side against him as well.#

=============================================================

Mac's head hurt. There was sweat and blood running into her eyes, the
angry kid she was fighting had more endurance than the Energizer
Bunny, and now she was seeing double.

Oh, no.

Somebody looking disgusted lashed a foot into her side. Guilt, she
thought, not knowing why. Somebody else took her feet out from under
her, and she saw the eager Greed that had stolen cars and enjoyed
living Dalton's life. Fortunately, the third her just stood by
watching, looking a little bored. Considering the dress she was
wearing -- mostly not wearing -- that wasn't surprising, she realized
as she did her best to fight on. That's Lust, and I'm just not her
type.

An idea struck her as she tried to avoid being struck. I'm a lawyer,
she thought. I'm allowed to use my tongue as a weapon.

"Hey, Lust!"

"What?"

She danced away from her three other...whatevers. "Harm's over there.
I'm sure he'd be...um...grateful to get some help."

Lust looked torn. "I don't know. He's pretty tasty when he's
unconscious. Remember when he hit his head? And...."

That remark stopped Mac in her tracks, and she nearly got hit. Nearly.
"If he's unconscious, he can't...um...show his gratitude."

"Good point." Lust turned. "Hey, Greed, help me out on this before
that bitch Ruthless takes Flyboy out."

"Which flyboy?"

"You mean there's more than one?" Lust turned to where Harm was busy
fighting himself and ran her tongue along her lips. "Mmmm. I'll take
all of the above."

Mac, overhearing, scowled. Just what we need. A bunch of evil Harms.
She started to back toward where she'd last seen Harm, gradually
leading her attackers after Lust and Greed.

================================================================

Someone shoved RuthlessMac out of the way. Harm looked up, intending
to thank Mac. The familiar stalk and gleam in RuthlessMac's eyes had
been damned unnerving when turned against him, and she hadn't let him
rest for a moment.

Harm looked up and saw himself, dressed in Winter Blues, which were
really black. It had to be hot and uncomfortable to wear that Nazi
outfit, but his other self didn't seem to care. He met the other's
eyes, and saw the same gleam that RuthlessMac had sported, except
executed in blue-green.

Someone choked him from behind. Harm fell back on him as he'd been
taught, and met his own mock-innocent gaze. "Sorry about this," he
heard him say. "No hard feelings, right?  It's all for the best."

Liar, he thought.  No wonder Annie dumped me.

RuthlessHarm attacked him like a tornado while Liar held him down.
RuthlessMac came over to help. The results were somewhat painful.

RuthlessHarm stopped, got up, and dragged someone else over. "Stop
sloughing off and do some work, sailor."

Harm looked up and saw another him wearing a black leather jacket,
just standing and brooding.

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so."

The other him looked unimpressed.

RuthlessMac looked up. "Cut the macho bull so we can get the job
done."

RuthlessHarm lost his temper and backhanded her. And suddenly the
other him was doing his best to turn RuthlessHarm's face into pulp.

Now Harm recognized the look on the other him's face. Jealousy.

"You...don't...touch her," Jealousy was telling RuthlessHarm as he
pounded on him. "You don't _ever_ touch her. She's _mine_."
RuthlessMac joined in.

Harm seized the opportunity to pound on Liar, the big jerk. Somebody
kicked him in the back. Somebody wearing a naval aviator's jacket and
swagger. Pride.

"If you want a real challenge, try me."

"You think you can take me?" Harm asked, sounding incredulous. Lead
him on, get him into a trap....

Two women who looked like Mac jumped Pride from behind. "Mine," said
one.

"Fine, Greed," said the other, who got up and dusted off what there
was of her clothes. "You wrestle with your flyboy for a while. I'll
take mine."

She stepped very close to Harm and smiled up at him. "I'm Lust, and I
want you. Aren't all those clothes awfully...hot? Let's go take a
break in the shade. I'm sure we can think of...something to pass the
time."

Harm, trying desperately to ignore her, looked up and saw Mac still
battling two of her selves while yet another him headed his way. He
ran to stand at her back.

Lust pouted for a minute. But there were so many flyboys here to
choose from. Too bad A.J. wasn't here, too. Or Clay. Or Dalton. Or
Farrow. Or 'Mark Falcon'. Or....

=====================================================================

Someone had come up behind her. She whirled, trying to catch them.

"Whoa. It's just me, Mac."

"But which you?"

"The real me, such as it is. Who you fighting?"

"Guilt and Anger. But I've almost got Anger...."

He sighed. "Here comes my Guilt after me. Wanna trade?"

"Good idea."

GuiltyMac tried to stop them, but AngryMac didn't care who she fought.
So they made the switch, and Mac found, with relief, that GuiltyHarm's
blows didn't hurt her at all.

"Your father's missing!" he shouted, looking positively Goth.

"Good riddance."

"You killed your RIO!"

"Nope."

"You drove off your partners!"

"Not yet."

"You lied to Annie!"

"Wrong."

Harm knocked AngryMac out as gently as possible. He felt sorry for
her. But GuiltyMac was starting to get him PO'd.

"You killed your best friend!"

"She did not!" he said angrily. "And being an alcoholic is not her
fault, and if she fell off the wagon once in ten years, she got back
on again. There's enough things in this world that we do that we
deserve to feel guilty about. But this kind of wallowing in false
guilt is just a waste of time!"

He punched GuiltyMac out, and prepared to help Mac with himself. But
someone else was coming.

She walked unsteadily. Her eyes weren't focused. She was drunk -- far
drunker than Mac had been that nightmarish day. He walked out to her
and gently held her up around the shoulders. God, her eyes were so
bloodshot that there was barely any white in the white of her eyes.
She looked very, very young.

"Hello," she said. "Do I know you?"

"Yes," he said. "We've met before."

"Oh. I don't 'member."

"You don't have to."

"I'm s'posed to hurt somebody."

"You don't have to," he said. "Let's just walk instead."

Mac finished off that whiner, GuiltyHarm, and started looking around
for action. Harm was walking her drunk self around. She shivered and
looked over to where Harm had been fighting before. Several Harms had
been knocked out by each other, while the rest seemed to be...um.
Well, it looked like Lust was having a good time.

But there was one more Harm walking this way. He wore dress whites
like armor, and the look in his eyes was one she'd seen before. He was
headed straight for Harm.

She stood in his way.

"Excuse me," he said, stepping around her without looking at her. "I
have something to do."

"I know," she said quietly, and stepped in his way again. "You're
Obsession, aren't you." She stepped closer, making him look at her.

"Yes." His gaze looked confused now, and he glanced between her and
Harm up ahead, obviously torn. "You...I know you."

"Yes," she said. "I stopped you before. When you tried to avenge
Diane's murder. When you try to go after Harm's dad without thinking."

"Yes."

"I won't let you hurt Harm," she told him. "To get to him, you'll have
to go through me."

"Yes," he said. "But I can't...I can't fight you."

"Why? Do I look too much like Diane?"

"No." He stared into her eyes, and she shivered. "I am supposed to
keep you safe."

And suddenly, all the Harms and all the Macs vanished, and only the
two of them were left there on the sand.

=====================================================================

"What are they saying, Mac?"

"Shh. Let me listen."


#You have won. We will keep our agreement.#

#Despite the fact that your partner interfered in the challenge.#

"He was not informed of the terms of the challenge. Therefore, he was
not bound by them, o deevs. Besides, he entertained you, did he not?"

#He did.#

#You both did.#

#Even better than your grandmother.#

"What?"

The second deev laughed. It sounded like cracking ice. #But she was a
better bargainer. She made us promise not to kill anyone in her family
or anyone they loved.#

#You may thank her for your life.#

#And your partner's.#

#Farewell.#

#Farewell.#



"What are they saying?"

"They're gone, Harm." She sighed. "How's your eyes?"

"Good...too good. Mac!"

He looked into her eyes. They focused on his.

"Still brown, Harm." She smiled. "I made a little bargain."

"What did they say?"

"They said we won."

"It didn't take all that time for them to say that...c'mon, Mac."

Her eyes danced. "You should have taken Farsi instead of German."

"Hey, if you didn't know Farsi, we wouldn't've had to come."

"Well, we can't exactly complain to Webb about the supernatural
hazards. Nobody would ever believe us."

"I don't believe us," said Harm soberly. "Mac...I'm sorry about all
that."

She sighed. "Harm, didn't I hear you say something about false guilt
back there? I'm sorry you had to see my...demons. But if we didn't
know each others' faults by now...."

"Yeah." He pulled a grin from somewhere. "But at least some of your
demons were pretty cute."

====================================================================

Mac and Harm straggled into the mountain valley indicated by the GPS.
They heard voices, took cover, and slunk around rocks and trees to do
a recon. There sat Clayton Webb, arguing with a helicopter pilot.

"They're half a day overdue," the pilot declared. "We should get the
hell out of here."

"Rabb and Mackenzie will be here."

"I say they're dead meat."

"I say you'll sit here for as long as I tell you to. Those two are my
friends, damn it, and as long as I'm paying you, you'll...."

"Hey, Clay, what does it take to get a ride around here?" Harm called
from down the path.

They couldn't have heard that. Could they?

Mackenzie smiled at him. "Hello, Clay."

Then again, maybe they could.

====================================================================
Maureen S. O'Brien   mobrien@dnaco.net  
http://www.dnaco.net/~mobrien/tv/jagdex.html           JAG Reviews
http://www.dnaco.net/~mobrien/fanfic/jagfic.html       JAGFic
http://www.dnaco.net/~mobrien/filk/media/jagfilk.html  JAG Filk