Title: Full Disclosure

Author: Susan <SStroud@aol.com>

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don’t own them, so please don’t sue. I’m just having a little fun with them, and I promise to put them back when I’m done.

Summary: The first 3 paragraphs were given to me by Kim as a challenge. She told me to have fun with it, and this is the result.

Spoilers: Very slight for “Boomerang” and “Surface Warfare”.

Author’s note: A big thank you to Sandra, Jen and Kim for helping me out with this when I hit the wall. Your input was very helpful, and I hope that the end was worth the wait. Thanks to Sharon for beta reading this for me. Any mistakes that remain, I will take full credit for. Finally, to Selena, thank you for your friendship and constant encouragement, as well as the title. This is a whole lot easier when you’re around.

Feedback is always welcome.

0630 Zulu

Friday Morning

North of Union Station

Sirens screamed through the still, late night air, red and blue flashing garishly against the side of the buildings as two police cars pulled up in the alley of a North Union Station apartment building. Guns drawn, several policemen edged their way into the building after reports of gunfire brought them to this location. Only a couple of people resided in the building but the shots had apparently come from the residence of a Navy Commander - Harmon Rabb.

In the hall, the officer in the lead saw the front door slightly open and he motioned to his fellow officers to proceed with caution. Gingerly, the young man eased the heavy door open. When he got a look inside, he instantly straightened the arm holding his gun and cried, "Police! Drop your gun and put your hands up! Stay where you are!"

The tall, dark-haired man looked up at them, his eyes glazed and distant. Then he looked down at the body at his feet and the gun clutched in his fist. “Drop it!” the officer repeated.

Recognition slowly dawned in the man’s eyes, and with a horrified gasp, he allowed the gun to fall to the ground. The officer kept his gun trained on the man as he stepped further into the apartment, allowing his fellow

officers to make their way in. “Put your hands on your head, and turn around slowly.”

The man did exactly as he was told, and the officers soon had him handcuffed, and on his way down to a waiting patrol car. As they loaded him into the cruiser, several more police cars arrived, and the apartment was quickly marked off as a crime scene.

0800 Zulu

Metro Police Station

Detective Brooks stopped outside of the interrogation room and looked through the two-way mirror. “So this is the guy you picked up at the scene, Collicot?” she asked as she looked over at the officer standing next to her.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied. “We’ve read him his rights, but we haven’t placed him under arrest yet. We figured that you would want to visit the crime scene before we officially placed him in custody.”

“Do we know who he is?” Brooks asked while watching the man pace restlessly around the room.

“No, Ma’am,” Collicot replied. “He didn’t have any type of identification on him when we picked him up, and so far all that he’s said is that he wants to talk to his lawyer.”

Brooks consulted the small notebook in her hand and said, “The apartment belongs to a Navy Commander Rabb. Harmon Rabb. Why don’t you see if you can find out where Commander Rabb is stationed. If it turns out that our suspect is military, I’m sure that someone is going to be looking for him soon.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Collicot answered.

Brooks reached for the handle of the door. “I guess I’ll see what our John Doe has to say for himself.” She walked into the interrogation room and eyed the man carefully. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

The man moved to the small table and sat down as he said, “I want to talk to my lawyer.”

“That can be arranged,” Brooks stated as she sat down across from him. “First though, why don’t you tell me your name?”

“I’m not saying anything until I talk to my lawyer,” the man insisted.

“Okay,” Brooks conceded. “How do I get in touch with your lawyer?”

The man glared at her for a moment before finally answering, “I don’t have the number where she’s staying. You’ll have to call Admiral A.J. Chegwidden to get it.”

“We can do that. Who am I trying to get in touch with?”

The man sighed before he allowed the name to flow from his lips. She was going to hate him for getting her involved with this, but he didn’t know what else to do. “Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie.”

“So you’re military?” Brooks questioned as she wrote the two names in her notebook.

“I’m not saying anything else until I talk with my lawyer. I know my rights.”

Brooks nodded as she stood up. “Okay then, we’ll get your lawyer for you.”

Leaving the man sitting with his head cradled between his hands, Detective Brooks made her way out of the interrogation room and down the hallway. “Collicot!”

“Right here,” he replied from one of the corner desks.

“What do you have for me?” she barked at him.

“Commander Harmon Rabb, United States Navy,” Collicot began as he motioned at his computer screen. “Currently stationed at the Judge Advocate General’s office in Falls Church, where his Commanding Officer is Admiral A.J. Chegwidden.”

“A lawyer?” Brooks muttered. “It figures. So tell me, hotshot, do you have a picture to go with all of this information?”

“No,” he replied. “However, his prints are in the system. He was arrested once for murder, but he was held in a military brig, so I would need to make a few phone calls to get his mug shot.”

“His prints aren’t going to help me any unless I arrest this guy and compare them. I don’t want to do that until forensics has had a chance to go over the crime scene and tell me what kind of charges we’re looking at, so why don’t you work on digging me up a picture while I have someone track down this guy’s lawyer.”

“I’m on it,” Collicot answered as he picked up the phone.

With a small sigh of frustration, Detective Brooks walked up to talk to the desk sergeant.

0815 Zulu

Admiral Chegwidden’s Home

McLean, Virginia

The ringing of the phone slowly pierced A.J.’s consciousness, dragging him away from his dream state. Blindly grabbing the phone, he barked, “This had better be important.”

< “Admiral Chegwidden, this is Sergeant Nelson with the Metro police. I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour, but we have one of your officers in custody, and he is refusing to talk to anyone until we contact his lawyer. He assures us that you will be able to provide us with the number where she can be reached. A Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie.” >

A.J. sat up in the bed as the man’s words chased away the final remnants of sleep. “You’re looking for Colonel MacKenzie?”

< “Yes, Sir.” >

A.J. got to his feet and made his way over to his dresser as he asked, “Who do you have in custody, Sergeant?”

< “I can’t say for sure, Sir, but we believe that it is Commander Rabb.” >

“What has he been arrested for?” A.J. asked as he rummaged through his planner looking for the number to Mac’s hotel.

< “I’m sorry, Sir, I’m not at liberty to give out that information.” >

A.J. swore silently under his breath before he read the Sergeant Mac’s telephone number. “Colonel MacKenzie is on assignment in Maine right now. It will take her a few hours to get back to Washington. Is there any way that I could come down and speak to Commander Rabb in the mean time?”

< “I’m sorry, Sir, but Commander Rabb has refused to speak to anyone until we get his attorney on the phone. If you would like to come down to the station, I will see what I can do about getting you in to see him, but I’m not making any promises.” >

“Thank you, Sergeant Nelson,” A.J. replied as he ended the call.

“What was that all about?” came Sydney’s sleepy voice.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” A.J. replied as he pulled on his uniform pants.

“Where are you going?” Sydney asked as she sat up in the bed to look at him.

“It seems as if Commander Rabb has gotten himself arrested.” A.J. quickly buttoned his shirt, and then sat down on the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes and socks.

“Arrested? For what?”

“That would appear to be the million dollar question tonight. Apparently, Harm isn’t talking to anyone until after they get Mac on the phone.”

“So you’re heading down to the police station?” Sydney inquired.

A.J. nodded as he stood up and tucked his shirt into the waistband of his pants. “I’m sorry, Sydney.”

Sydney shook her head emphatically as she replied, “You don’t have to apologize, A.J. I know how you feel towards Harm.”

A.J. rolled his eyes as he leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “There are times when I would very much like to knock some sense into him.”

Sydney smiled against his lips. “Do you want me to call Mac and give her a little warning?”

A.J. looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll call Tiner on my way to the police station, and have him get her a seat on the next flight back to D.C.”

The ringing of the phone stopped A.J. before he could make his way out of the bedroom. Walking back over to it, he snatched it up. “Chegwidden here.”

< “Sir, I’m sorry to wake you...” >

“I was already awake, Lieutenant Roberts. What is it?”

< “Sir, Harriet couldn’t sleep and she was flipping through the channels, and well, Sir, I think you need to turn on CBS.” >

A.J. tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice as he answered, “Lieutenant Roberts, I really don’t have time for this right now.”

< “But Sir, it’s about Commander Rabb.” >

A.J. quickly grabbed the television remote control and turned on the television. He watched in silence as the reporter continued his report. “So far all we know is that there has been an unidentified body found murdered here in this Northern Union Station apartment building. The police have a suspect in custody, however, no names have been released as of this time.”

A.J. hit the mute button as the camera panned out to give a clear picture of Harm’s apartment building. “Lieutenant Roberts, I want you to call the airport and get Colonel MacKenzie booked on the next flight back to

Washington.”

< “Yes, Sir.” There was a brief pause before Bud continued, “Sir, what are you going to do?” >

“I’m heading down to the police station. It appears as if Commander Rabb is the suspect in custody.” A.J. heard Bud’s sigh of relief, which was then quickly replaced by a startled gasp.

< “Sir, they don’t think that Commander Rabb *killed* someone, do they?” >

“That’s what I’m going to try to find out, Lieutenant. I’ll be in touch when I have more information.”

< “Yes, Sir.” >

A.J. ended the call and handed the phone to Sydney. “I’ll call as soon as I know something.”

Sydney nodded as she took the phone from him. She waited until he had left the room before she got out of bed in search of Mac’s hotel number.

0835 Zulu

Mac’s Hotel Room

Cutler, Maine

Mac rolled towards the phone, and felt an arm tighten around her waist. She gave it a soft pat, and continued her trek to the side of the bed. As she brought the phone to her ear, she groggily said, “Colonel MacKenzie.”

< “Mac? It’s Sydney.” >

“Hi, Sydney. What’s going on? It’s 0335 in the morning.”

< “I know, Mac. I’m sorry to wake you up, but this is important, and it couldn’t wait.” >

Mac straightened up in the bed at Sydney’s worried tone. “What is it, Sydney? Did something happen to the Admiral?”

< “No, Mac. A.J. is fine. In fact, he just left here. He got a call from the Metro police looking for your number. Apparently, Harm has been arrested, and he won’t talk to anybody but you.” >

“What are you talking about, Sydney?” Mac asked as Sydney’s words brought her completely awake.

< “We don’t have all of the details, Mac. All that we know for sure is that a murder took place at Harm’s apartment tonight, and the police have him in custody. They wouldn’t give us any more information over the phone.” >

“There has got to be a mistake,” Mac stated.

< “I know that this is confusing, Mac. None of us believe it either, but I thought that you should have a little warning before you got the call from the police.” >

Mac shook her head slightly as she tried to process the information. “Sydney, there is no way that Harm did this.”

< “Look, Mac, I’m going to let you go for now so the line isn’t busy when the police try to get through. Bud has you booked on the next available flight back to D.C., okay?” >

“Okay,” Mac replied softly. “I’ll call when I get in.” With that, Mac returned the phone to its cradle, and settled back into the arms that were waiting for her.

“What was that all about?” came the sleepy question as he pulled her closer to him. Mac rolled over and ran her hand along his stubbled jaw before leaning down to trace his lower lip with her tongue. His sigh of contentment quickly turned to a cry of pain as she pinched the skin of his face. “What was that for?” he asked as she ran a soothing hand along his face.

“Just checking to make sure that I had the real thing,” Mac replied as she rolled onto his chest.

“You mean that you couldn’t tell last night?” he asked as he allowed his hands to trail down her back.

“Cute, Flyboy,” Mac grinned at him. “That was Sydney on the phone. Apparently, you have been arrested by the Metro police.”

“For what?” Harm asked as he leaned up to trail kisses along her neck.

“Sydney didn’t have a lot of details. Just that somebody was murdered in your apartment, and you were taken into custody.”

Harm dropped his head back to the pillow to look at her. “Obviously a case of mistaken identity.”

“Sure, I know that, and you know that, but apparently everybody else thinks that you’re in jail.”

“Who was killed?” Harm asked softly.

Mac shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. Sydney said that the police called the Admiral looking for my number, because the man they assume is you, isn’t talking to anyone until he talks to me. Then she told me that I’m supposed to be on the next flight back to D.C.”

Harm met her gaze as she crossed her arms over his chest, and rested her chin on them. “Whoever the police arrested at my place, obviously knows enough about us to know that I would demand to talk to my lawyer before I said anything.”

“Who would be at your apartment though, Harm?” Mac asked as he absentmindedly stroked her back.

“I have no idea, Mac. But whoever it is, now that they have your number here, I’m sure that they will call.”

“You’re probably right,” Mac agreed. “I guess that I should call Bud and find out what time my flight is.”

“You could do that,” Harm replied slowly. “Or not.”

Mac smiled at his teasing tone. “Aren’t you in the least bit concerned about this, Harm?”

“Of course I am,” he answered. “I just also happen to realize that there isn’t anything I can do about it right now.”

“We could call the Admiral and let him know that you’re not in jail,” Mac suggested.

“I can just hear that conversation now. ‘Yes, Sir, that’s right. There is absolutely no way that I could have murdered someone tonight. Why, Sir? Well, because at the time in question, I was very busy having sex with your

Chief of Staff, in her hotel room, in Maine, while she was on assignment.’ No offense, Mac, but that’s not really how I pictured telling the Admiral about us.”

Mac laughed softly as he tightened his hold on her. “When you put it like that, I can see your point.”

“I thought you might.”

Her eyes locked with his as her voice grew serious again. “Did I mention how glad I am that you decided to fly up and surprise me?”

Harm shrugged slightly as he replied, “You didn’t actually *mention* it, but I got the message.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked as she shifted to trail a line of kisses along his neck.

“Yeah,” came his soft reply. “I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you have wonderful nonverbal communication skills.”

“Really?” she murmured into his ear, just before she dipped her tongue into it.

His answer was to pull her face down to his where he captured her lips in a demanding kiss. Mac returned the kiss with the same amount of passion, quickly becoming lost in the feelings he aroused in her.

They both moaned in frustration when the ringing of the phone broke through the silence of the room. “I should probably get that,” Mac whispered as she reluctantly broke off the kiss.

“Yeah, you probably should,” Harm agreed without showing any signs of releasing his hold on her.

The phone rang again, and Mac touched her lips to his again briefly before rolling over to grab the phone. “Colonel MacKenzie here.”

< “Mac, it’s Webb. Don’t hang up.” >

“Webb, it’s 3:30 in the morning, what do you want?”

< “I need to talk to Harm.” >

“Then maybe you should call him.”

< “Look, Mac, I know that you’re still pissed off at me, but this is important. It’s a matter of life or death.” >

“It always seems to turn out that way when you’re involved, Webb.”

< “Mac, please, I don’t have time for this right now. I know that Harm is there with you. Just let me talk to him.” >

Mac met Harm’s questioning glance as she answered, “Contrary to what you or anybody else thinks, Webb...”

< “Mac, if you don’t let me talk to Harm, I’ll go to Admiral Chegwidden and tell him everything that I think I know about the relationship between you and your partner.” >

Harm reached for the phone when he heard Webb’s angry voice come across the line. “Webb, if you so much as breathe one word of this to the Admiral or anybody else...”

< “Relax, Rabb. Your secret is safe with me. But this is important. I need a favor.” >

Harm felt Mac rub her hands across the ugly scar that marred his back from the last time Webb had needed a favor, and he looked up to meet her concerned gaze. Silently reassuring her, he asked, “What is it this time, Webb?”

< “I can’t go into it over the phone, Harm. I just need you to catch the next flight back to D.C.” >

“Does this have anything to do with the murder that took place at my apartment?” When Webb didn’t respond, Harm continued, “It does, doesn’t it? You know what happened there.”

Webb expelled a deep breath before he spoke again. < “Not exactly, Harm. I do know who the victim was though. She worked for me.” >

“What about the suspect that they have in custody?”

< “Yeah, I know him, too. That’s why I need your help, Harm. I’m the one in custody.” >

Mac watched as the shock registered on Harm’s face. “What?”

< “You heard me, Harm. I’m the one in custody.” >

“So why does everyone think it’s me?”

< “I don’t have any identification on me, and as of right now, they haven’t officially placed me under arrest, so they haven’t run my fingerprints. Since I was in your apartment when they picked me up, they’re going under the assumption that I’m you.” >

“Okay, Webb. The first thing I want you to do is tell them your name, and let them run you through the computer. After that, I don’t want you to say a word until I get there. I’m on my way.”

Mac watched in silence as Harm returned the phone to its cradle and turned to look at her. “What is it this time?” she whispered.

“Webb is the suspect who was arrested at my apartment tonight.”

Mac’s brow shot up at his soft statement. “Webb?”

Harm nodded slowly as he got to his feet and began pulling his clothes on. “Looks like I’ll be joining you on that flight.”

“Harm, you can’t seriously be considering helping him again!”

Harm stopped in mid motion of pulling his shirt over his head, and turned to face her. “Mac, in spite of everything, he is still a friend. And he’s in trouble. I can’t just leave him there.”

Mac turned her back to him as she got out of the bed and picked up her scattered clothes. “Too bad that Webb doesn’t have the same problem with leaving his friends behind.”

Harm dropped his shirt on the bed as he made his way over to stand behind her. “Mac, I thought that we had put this behind us.”

Mac sighed as she felt his hands draw slow circles on her shoulders. She leaned back against him as she softly replied, “So did I. I guess it just isn’t as far behind us as we thought.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her snug against his chest as he answered, “This isn’t going to turn out like it did the last time, Mac. This isn’t one of Webb’s missions.”

“I’m sorry, Harm. I just don’t trust him anymore. Not after he almost got you killed.”

“Mac...”

“I don’t want to argue with you, Harm. Not about Webb. Let’s just agree to disagree for now.”

Harm smiled as he rested his chin on her head. “Deal.” Giving her a quick squeeze, he added, “Now, how about that plane trip?”

Mac turned in his arms until she was standing face to face with him. With a wicked smile on her face, she stepped out of his embrace. “I need a shower first, Sailor. How about it?”

Harm’s only response was a smile as he followed her into the bathroom.

1300 Zulu

Dulles International

“Wake up, Flyboy,” Mac said as she gently shook Harm’s arm.

Harm slowly opened one eye and peered over at her. “What is it, Mac?”

Mac smiled at his sleepy reply as she answered him, “We’re on the ground already.”

Harm straightened up to look out the window before stretching out as much as possible in the confined space of the airplane. He turned back to Mac with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Mac. I didn’t mean to sleep through the entire flight.”

“It’s okay,” she replied as she reached for his hand. “I know that you’ve had a busy week.”

“True,” he agreed. “But I think my exhaustion has more to do with the last twelve hours with you than it does with the rest of my week.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining earlier,” Mac offered as she shifted in her seat to look at him.

“And I’m not complaining now,” he defended. “I was merely stating a fact. I don’t mind the way that you wear me out. In fact, I rather enjoy it.” His smile widened as the plane slowed to a stop and the other passengers began to disembark. “However, it looks like it’s back to reality now.”

Mac sighed as she leaned her head back against the seat. “Promise me that you’ll be careful, Harm.”

Harm reached his hand up to softly cup the side of her face, forcing her to look at him. “I give you my word, Mac. I will be very careful, and I promise to keep you in the loop with what’s going on.”

Mac leaned into his hand as she replied, “I don’t want to lose you, Harm.”

“You’re not going to, Mac. I’m in this for the long haul.” He pulled her closer and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he continued, “Now, come on, Marine. You’ve got to get to JAG, and I’ve got to get down to the police station.”

Mac nodded her agreement as she stood up and stepped out into the aisle, allowing Harm to stand up and remove their carry on bags from the overhead compartment. He handed hers to her, and then motioned for her to proceed him down the narrow aisle and off of the plane. Once they reached the terminal, Harm pulled out his cell phone.

“Who are you calling?” Mac asked as they fell into step beside each other.

Harm finished dialing the number before he answered, “I thought I’d give Bud a call and let him know that I’m not in jail. I figure that the Admiral has probably already talked to someone down at the police station and knows that it’s Webb in jail, not me.” He paused in his explanation when Bud picked up the phone.

< “Lieutenant Roberts speaking.” >

“Hey, Bud, it’s Harm.”

< “Commander Rabb! Are you okay, Sir? It’s all over the news about what happened at your apartment. We heard that you had been arrested...” >

“Slow down, Bud.”

< “Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir. It’s just that we’ve been worried about you.” >

“Thanks, Bud, but there’s no need to be worried about me. I wasn’t at my apartment last night.”

< “Then who was, Sir?” >

“I got a call from Clayton Webb earlier this morning, Bud. Apparently, he was the one arrested at my place last night. I’m on my way to the police station now, but I thought that I should probably check in and let someone there know that I wasn’t in jail.”

< “Colonel MacKenzie is probably worried sick about you, Sir. I know that Doctor Walden called her earlier.”>

Harm couldn’t help but smile over at Mac as he replied, “I’ve already talked to Mac, Bud. She knows that I’m okay. In fact, she should be getting back into Washington any minute now.”

< “That’s a relief, Sir. Is there anything that I can do to help you out?” >

“Thanks for the offer, Bud. Right now, I just need to go talk to Webb and see what’s going on. I’ll keep you posted once I know something.”

< “Okay, Sir.” >

With that, Harm ended the call, and returned his phone to his pocket with a smile. “Bud was concerned that you would be worried about my well being.”

Mac shrugged as they reached the baggage claim area. “If I hadn’t been with you last night, I probably would have been.”

Harm reached for her hand and pulled her closer to his side as they watched the luggage carousel for their bags. “Are you going back to your apartment to change before you go in to work?”

Mac looked down at her jeans and t-shirt and smiled. “You don’t think the Admiral will approve of my attire?”

Harm shook his head. They had opted for civilian clothes for the flight home, so they wouldn’t be forced to keep their distance from each other. However, he was sure that the Admiral wouldn’t appreciate seeing either one of them near JAG Headquarters without being in full uniform. Regardless of the fact that Mac’s form fitting jeans and snug t-shirt made her look much sexier than the uniform that hid her body from his gaze. “I’m pretty sure that the Admiral won’t find your outfit nearly as appealing as I do.”

“You don’t have a lot of room to talk there, Sailor,” she replied as she allowed her gaze to travel down his body. She loved the way his gray t-shirt outlined his broad shoulders and strong chest, and she had never seen a man who looked as good in a pair of jeans as he did. They were just snug enough that she could easily visualize the body they hid from her view. Of course, having intimate knowledge of said body only enhanced the effect.

“Unfortunately, Mac, I didn’t take a uniform up to Maine with me. And since my apartment is a crime scene, I’m sure that the police aren’t going to let me in there to get a change of clothes.”

“Ooh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Mac replied as she met his gaze. “What are you going to do?”

Harm shrugged as he spotted their suitcases. “I guess I’ll have to explain the situation to Admiral Chegwidden when I see him later.”

Mac waited until he returned with both of their suitcases before she said, “Does this mean that I get the pleasure of a house guest while your apartment is off limits?”

“Is that a request?” he asked as they picked up their bags and headed out to the parking lot.

“I would love to have you there, Harm,” she replied. “You know that. I just don’t want to raise any red flags about our relationship until we go public, so if you don’t think it’s a good idea, I understand.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” he agreed quickly. “However, just to be on the safe side, I’ll mention to the Admiral that you have offered your couch until I can get back in my apartment. If he doesn’t think there will be a problem with impropriety, then I’ll take you up on the offer.”

Mac smiled as they reached her car. “There’s only one problem with that solution, Sailor.”

“What’s that?” he asked as he loaded her suitcase into her trunk.

Mac smiled coyly as she turned him around to face her. “I wasn’t offering the couch.”

Harm returned her smile before he leaned down and kissed her. “I think it would be okay to leave that part out when I discuss it with Admiral Chegwidden, Mac.”

“If you’re sure,” she stated as she pulled him down for another kiss.

Harm broke off their kiss, and straightened up. “I love you, Mac.”

“I love you, too,” she replied as she stepped out of his embrace and made her way to the driver’s side door.

Harm held the door open for her and waited until she was settled before leaning in to plant another kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you later, Marine.”

“Be careful, Harm,” she reminded him as she looked up at him.

“I will,” he promised before closing her door. He stood back and waited until she pulled out of the parking spot before he picked up his bags and made his way to his SUV.

1320 Zulu

Metro Police Station

Harm walked up to the desk Sergeant with a determined expression on his face. “I’m Commander Rabb, I’m here to see my client, Clayton Webb.”

The officer looked up from his desk with a small smile. “He’s been waiting for you. Come with me, please.”

Harm followed the young man back through several doorways until they came to a stop in front of a large metal door. “I’m afraid that we’ll have to search you and your briefcase before we can go any farther.”

Harm handed the officer his briefcase and then waited patiently while they did a thorough search of it. Once they had finished with the briefcase, Harm allowed himself to be searched for any hidden weapons, also. “Now may I see my client?” Harm asked.

“Sure thing, Sir,” the officer replied as he opened the door and led Harm down the narrow hallway. He opened another door and motioned Harm inside. “Mr. Webb will be brought in momentarily.”

“Thank you,” Harm replied before the man turned and left the room.

Harm set his briefcase on the table and paced the small room as he waited for Webb to arrive. He didn’t have to wait long before the door opened and a very rumpled Clayton Webb was ushered into the room. “Rough night?” Harm asked as the guards left the room, and Webb sat down at the table.

“Good morning to you, too, Rabb,” Webb replied with just a touch of sarcasm.

“Save the crap,” came Harm’s quick reply as he sat down across from Webb.

“You dragged me out of Mac’s bed to come down here and get your six out of hot water, so I suggest that you save the sarcasm for someone else, and start talking.”

Webb dropped his gaze to the table as he slowly ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right, Harm. I’m sorry.” He looked back up to meet Harm’s gaze, and continued, “I appreciate you coming down here even though I’m sure that Mac wasn’t too thrilled about it.”

Harm gave a small smile. “Now there’s an understatement for you. So talk to me, Webb, what have you gotten yourself mixed up in this time?”

Webb sighed as he stood up and began pacing. “The victim’s name is Sherry Lawson. She’s a former Marine Corporal whom I recruited myself. She’s been on several missions with me, and she’s proven herself to be a very good agent.”

“How did she end up dead in my apartment?” Harm asked.

Webb Shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure.” Harm’s brow shot up at that, so Webb continued, “Sherry was on a team assigned to provide protection for a federal witness who is scheduled to appear before a grand jury next week. I got a call from her two nights ago saying that she needed to meet with me. She wouldn’t tell me what it was about, only that I was the only one she trusted, so we set up a meeting for later that night.”

“Where?” Harm asked as he jotted a few notes down in his notebook.

“We agreed to meet at McMurphy’s at 7:00 that night,” Webb replied.

“Did you both make it to the meeting?” Harm questioned.

“Yes.”

“What happened next?” Harm prompted.

“That’s where things get a little blurry, Harm,” Webb answered as he sat back down. “I remember meeting Sherry at the bar, and the two of us walking back to a corner booth. We made small talk until the waitress brought us both a beer, but everything after that is a total blank. I don’t remember anything else until this morning when the police were telling me to drop my weapon. It was then that I realized I was holding a gun and standing over Sherry’s body. After the police cuffed me, I managed to get a good look around, and I realized that we were at your apartment.”

“Do you think that the waitress slipped something into your drink?” Harm asked.

Webb shook his head. “That’s the weird part, Harm. She actually opened the bottles at our table. There’s no way that she could have slipped something into them without me knowing.”

Harm leaned back in his chair slightly as he said, “Tell me about this witness Sherry was protecting.”

“That’s classified, Harm,” Webb replied. “I can’t tell you anything about it, and you know it.”

Harm quickly picked up his notebook, tossed it into his briefcase, and got to his feet. “Where are you going?” Webb asked as he watched him head to the door.

Harm shrugged as Webb made his way over to him. “Your secrets nearly got me killed the last time you asked for my help, Webb. I’m not going to play these games anymore, so I’m leaving. You can get yourself another marionette to pull the strings on.”

“You can’t just leave me here, Rabb,” Webb pleaded as Harm reached up and knocked on the door.

Harm turned around so that they were standing toe to toe and said, “I can, Webb, and I will unless you agree right now to complete disclosure. I can’t help you if I don’t have all of the facts, and I won’t put myself in

that position again.”

The guard opened the door and eyed them carefully before he addressed Harm. “Did you need something, Sir?”

Webb dropped his eyes from Harm’s and took a step away from him with a mumbled, “Fine. Agreed.”

Harm turned his attention to the guard. “I would like to speak to the officer heading up this investigation as soon as possible. Could you arrange that for me?”

“Yes, Sir,” the guard agreed before closing the door back.

Harm followed Webb back over to the table and lowered himself back into the chair when Webb said, “You might as well have a seat. This is probably going to take a while.”

1400 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Mac had barely made it off of the elevator when Bud stopped her. “Good morning, Ma’am. Admiral Chegwidden wants to see you in his office immediately.”

“Thanks, Bud,” Mac replied as she took the coffee he offered her. She took a quick drink of it before handing it back to him, along with her briefcase and cover.

“By the way, Ma’am,” Bud said as she started towards the Admiral’s office. “Commander Rabb called earlier. He said that he was heading down to the police station to see Mr. Webb.”

“I know, Bud, I talked to him earlier myself,” Mac replied as she continued towards the Admiral’s office.

Tiner nodded as Mac approached. “He said to go on in, Ma’am.”

“Thank you, Tiner,” Mac replied as she reached up and knocked on the door. She waited until she heard the Admiral’s gruff voice before she opened the door and walked in. As she came to attention in front of his desk, she said, “You wanted to see me, Sir?”

Looking up from the file in front of him, he replied, “Have a seat, Colonel.” Mac settled herself into a chair, and waited for him to continue.

“First off, my apologies for the scare you got this morning. It appears as if we all went off half-cocked without enough information.”

“It’s quite alright, Sir,” Mac insisted. “If it had been Harm who had been arrested, I would have wanted to know.”

Admiral Chegwidden nodded as he stood up and walked around his desk. “It is my understanding that Commander Rabb is down at the police station with Mr. Webb right now; however, as soon as he gets in, I would like to see both of you in here regarding this investigation.”

“Sir?” Mac questioned as she met her C.O.’s gaze.

“The victim was a former Marine, Colonel,” he replied. “I’ve already spoken to the SecNav and he has managed to get the investigation turned over to the military. I figured that since Commander Rabb was already knee-deep in it, we might as well be there to provide him with any help that he needs, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mac nodded slowly and then asked, “Sir, what if Clayton Webb is guilty?”

The Admiral stood up and walked over to his window as he pondered the question for a moment. “Then I am sure that you and Commander Rabb will do your best to ensure that he’s prosecuted for the crime.”

“Sir...” Mac began, but the Admiral’s voice cut her off.

“Colonel, I realize that you and Mr. Webb have your differences. However, I fully expect you to put them behind you and focus on the job at hand. Is that understood?”

“Completely, Sir,” she replied.

“Very well, then,” he continued. “I’m sending Lieutenant Singer and Commander Imes up to Maine to finish up that investigation. Please make sure to turn over all of your notes to them before you leave this afternoon. Dismissed.”

“Aye, Sir,” Mac replied as she came to attention before leaving his office. She nearly ran into Lieutenant Singer on her way out of the office.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” Singer hastily said. “I was just on my way to look for you. Admiral Chegwidden told me to make sure that I get all of your notes on the Morgan case before you left this afternoon.”

Mac bit back a nasty reply at the young woman’s eagerness. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, “I’ll get them together, and then meet with you and Commander Imes after lunch, Lieutenant.”

Singer started to protest, but the look in Mac’s eyes stopped the words from forming on her tongue. She snapped out a quick, “Yes, Ma’am,” before hastily retreating.

Mac sighed as she headed towards her office. If she had her way about it, she would never have anything to do with Clayton Webb again. Granted, she had at one time considered him a friend, but all of that had changed six months ago...

Six Months Earlier

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

Mac knocked on the door, and tried to calm her nerves as she waited for Harm to open it. When he finally did, she found herself speechless. He was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans, and a gray pullover, but it was the smile on his face that took her breath away.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” she replied.

Harm allowed his eyes to roam over her red sweater and black jeans as he stepped back to allow her in. “You look incredible, Mac.”

Mac couldn’t help the blush that crept up to her face. “Thank you,” she whispered as she turned to watch him close the door behind her.

When he turned back to face her, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “Are you as nervous as I am?” she asked as she took a step towards him.

He nodded his agreement as he opened his arms to her. “Probably more so.”

Mac looked up from where she had buried her head in his chest. “Why do you say that?”

Harm gave a slight shrug and replied, “Because I’ve never made love with someone I’ve been in love with before, Mac. And I’ve certainly never made love with my best friend before. This is new territory here, and I’m just a little bit apprehensive.”

“Of us?” she asked as she met his gaze.

“No, never of us,” he replied. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. It’s just that I know this is *it*, Mac. There’s no going back from here, and it’s a little scary. That’s all.”

“Harm, if you’re not sure,” she began, but her words were cut off as he lowered his mouth to hers and thoroughly kissed her.

“I’m very sure,” he replied when they broke apart for air.

Mac’s only reply was a smile as she allowed him to lead her up to his bedroom and show her exactly how sure he was of them.

Later, as they lay together in each other’s arms, the phone cut through the silence of the room. “Aren’t you going to get that?” Mac asked when Harm made no move towards the offending object.

“The machine’s on,” he replied as he slowly ran a hand down her arm.

“Good,” she replied as she shifted so that she could look at his face. “In case I didn’t say it earlier, Harm, I want you to know that I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered as he leaned over to kiss her.

The ringing stopped, and they heard the machine click on. Harm froze as he heard Clayton Webb’s voice.

< “Harm, it’s me. I need a favor. If you’re there, please pick up, it’s an emergency.” >

Harm looked at Mac, and she gave him a nod of understanding. She knew that he had beaten himself up for days the last time he had ignored a call like this from Webb. Harm rolled over and grabbed the bedside phone. “Webb?”

< “Harm, thank God you’re there. I need your help. Can you meet me at the corner of 6th and Elliot in 20 minutes?” >

“What’s going on, Webb?” Harm asked.

< “I can’t explain it over the phone. Just please meet me.” >

Harm gave Mac an apologetic smile as he answered him, “I’ll be there, Webb.” Harm returned the phone to the cradle and rolled back over to Mac. “I am so sorry to do this.”

“It’s okay,” Mac replied as she stroked the side of his cheek. “I understand.”

Harm shook his head as he dropped his gaze from hers. “I hate this, Mac. I wanted tonight to be perfect.”

“It has been,” she replied. “And I’ll be here when you get back.”

Harm leaned over and kissed her passionately. “I’m meeting him at 6th and Elliot in 20 minutes. If I’m not back in an hour, come and rescue me from whatever horrible scheme he has me involved in this time, okay?”

“Will do, Sailor,” she answered as he rolled out of the bed and began pulling on clothes.

Back To The Present...

Mac wrapped her arms around herself as she turned to look out her window. The memories of that night were some of the best and some of the worst of her life. She had waited patiently in his apartment for his return. After an hour and a half though, she had decided to go down and drag him away from Webb and back to bed with her...

Six Months Earlier

Warehouse

6th and Elliot

Mac parked her Corvette down one of the side streets, got out and made her way down to the corner of 6th and Elliot. This was an odd meeting place, even for Webb. The entire block appeared to be abandoned, not just the building she was standing in front of. She double checked to make sure that her gun was loaded. She wasn’t sure why she had pulled it out of the glove compartment, but something told her that things weren’t right.

A noise behind her startled her, and Mac dove into the shadows as she saw a figure run out of the building. From her hiding place, she could see Webb making a mad dash down the sidewalk. Unfortunately, Harm was nowhere in sight. Once again checking her gun, Mac carefully made her way along the side of the building until she reached an opening. Taking a steadying breath, she stepped into the darkness.

Back To The Present...

Mac closed her eyes as the memory of finding Harm lying in a pool of blood invaded her mind. It had been less than two hours since she had held him in her arms after the most incredible expression of love she had ever shared, and there she was, holding his body again as blood poured from a gash in his back.

Six Months Ago

Warehouse

6th & Elliot

“Harm!” Mac’s voice was a strangled whisper as she knelt down beside him.

“Mac,” he choked out. “Gotta get out of here. It’s not safe.”

“Not without you,” she replied as she tore off his shirt and bunched the material up over the wound. “What happened?”

“Someone pulled a knife,” he replied. “Mac, please, you’ve got to get out of here.”

“You’re right,” she replied as she heard voices approaching. “Come on.”

Harm groaned in pain as Mac helped him into a sitting position. “It hurts, Mac.”

“I know, Harm,” she replied. “I’m sorry, and I swear I’ll make it up to you later, but right now, I need you to suck it up and get on your feet. I don’t think I can carry you out of here.”

Harm took a deep breath and bit back a cry of pain as Mac helped him to his feet. Being careful to keep pressure over the wound, she wrapped her arm around his waist and half-carried, half-dragged him out of the warehouse and down the street to the car.

Back To The Present...

Mac shuddered slightly as she forced her mind back to the present. It had taken several weeks, but Harm had made a full recovery from his wound. However, Mac was not going to forgive Webb for leaving him there. When the chips were down, Webb had turned tail and ran, and Harm would have died if she hadn’t been there. No, Webb had endangered their lives one too many times for her to ever trust him again. With that thought in her mind, Mac opened up her notes on the Morgan case and began entering them into her computer so she would be ready to turn them over to Imes and Singer after lunch.

1500 Zulu

Metro Police Station

Webb and Harm both turned around as the door opened, and a middle aged woman walked into the room. “I’m Detective Brooks,” she stated simply. “I heard that you wanted to see me.”

Harm stood up and walked over to shake her hand. “Commander Harmon Rabb. I’m with the Judge Advocate General’s office.”

The woman snickered. “Wow, you military types really move fast, don’t you?”

“Excuse me?” Harm questioned.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? The investigation has been handed over to the military.”

Harm glanced over at Webb as he processed the information. “Actually, we hadn’t heard that, Ma’am.”

Detective Brooks eyed them suspiciously as she asked, “Then what are you doing here?”

“I’m here as representation for Mr. Webb,” Harm replied.

She nodded as recognition dawned on her features. “Well, Commander Rabb, your client is free to go. I wouldn’t suggest that he leave the D.C. area until this investigation is completely wrapped up, but since it is no longer a police investigation, we have nothing to hold him on.”

Webb stood up and made his way over to the door where the guard was waiting to escort him out of lock up. “I’ll meet you up front, Webb,” Harm called before Webb disappeared from sight. Turning his attention back to the woman standing in front of him, he added, “I assume that the police will continue to keep the crime scene off limits until the JAG team can complete their investigation.”

“That’s right, Commander,” she agreed. “And our forensics team will turn over all of the evidence that we have collected so far.”

“Do you have any idea how long it will be before the tenants will be allowed back in the building?”

Detective Brooks smiled as she finally realized who was standing in front of her. “Rabb you said, right? It was your apartment that the murder took place in.”

“Alleged murder,” he corrected her. “And yes, it was my apartment.”

Detective Brooks nodded again. “I see. Well, Commander, I have no idea how long it will be before you can get back into your apartment. But I suppose that does answer my other question.”

“And what was that?” he asked as she turned to leave.

“Since when did the Navy send JAG lawyers over dressed in blue jeans,” she replied with a grin before walking out of the room.

Harm sighed as he rolled his eyes. If facing a civilian police officer had been this much fun, he couldn’t wait until he had to face Admiral Chegwidden and explain the situation.

1543 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Harm stepped off of the elevator and made a beeline for his office. He knew that he was going to have to face Admiral Chegwidden sooner or later, but he was hoping to put that off until he had a chance to talk to Bud about scrounging him up a uniform.

Closing his door securely behind him, he let out a slow breath and looked around the office. His eyes came to rest on a garment bag that was hanging above his window, and he slowly made his way over to it. He quickly pulled the zipper down to peer inside, and a huge smile spread across his face when he saw a clean, crisp uniform hanging there.

A knock on his door startled him slightly and he turned around to find Mac walking in. “Did you do this?” he asked as he pulled the uniform out, noticing that it had the correct rank, as well as all of his ribbons already attached to it.

Mac gave a small shrug and replied, “I just made a couple of phone calls. No big deal.”

Harm rewarded her with a smile that made her knees go weak. “I’d hug you if I could.”

“Save it for later, Flyboy,” came her response. “The Admiral wants to see us ASAP, so I suggest that you see if you can get into that uniform as quickly as I can get you out of it.”

Mac saw the desire flash in his eyes as he replied, “Perhaps you would like to help, Colonel?”

Mac felt herself flush at the mental images his words evoked, so she decided that a hasty retreat was in order. “I’m sure that wouldn’t prove very productive, Commander.” Reaching for the doorknob, she added, “Stop by and get me when you’re ready.”

His voice was husky when he replied, “I’m ready now, Colonel.”

Mac’s only response was to roll her eyes as she started out the door. She stopped when he said her name, and he waited until she had turned back to face him before he flashed her a smile and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, returning his smile before she left his office. Harm watched her for another minute before he gathered up the uniform and headed to the men’s room to change.

Ten Minutes Later

Admiral Chegwidden’s Office

Harm and Mac sat in front of Admiral Chegwidden’s desk waiting patiently while he ended his phone conversation. Once he returned the phone to its cradle, he looked up at them. “Commander Rabb, I understand that you’ve already spoken with Mr. Webb about his involvement in this case.”

“Yes, Sir. Webb contacted me early this morning and asked me to meet him at the police station.”

Admiral Chegwidden glanced from Harm to Mac and back again before voicing his next question. “Would you care to explain why Webb had the police contact me to get Colonel MacKenzie’s number when it was you that he was looking for?”

Harm had anticipated that the Admiral would eventually get around to asking that question; however, he hadn’t expected it quite so soon. Nevertheless, Harm met his gaze as he replied, “Sir, I had requested today off to attend to some personal matters, so my best guess is that when Webb realized I wasn’t at my apartment, he assumed that Colonel MacKenzie would know how to get in touch with me.”

Admiral Chegwidden nodded slowly, and Harm gave a silent prayer of thanks that he wasn’t going to pursue that matter any farther. Instead, Admiral Chegwidden continued with, “I am assigning you two to this investigation. I want to know exactly what happened at that apartment last night, and I want to know why.” Focusing his attention on Harm again, he asked, “This isn’t going to be a conflict of interest for you, is it, Commander?”

“No, Sir. In fact, I believe that it is in Mr. Webb’s best interest to have this investigation handled by us.”

“Would you mind bringing us up to speed then, Commander?” the Admiral suggested.

Harm quickly relayed the information Webb had given him about the previous two days, leaving out only the details concerning the witness Sherry Lawson had been assigned to protect. When he finished, Mac asked, “Did the police take a blood sample and do a gunpowder residue test on him?”

Harm nodded. “I’m expecting the results of both of those later this afternoon as well as the autopsy report on Ms. Lawson.”

Admiral Chegwidden made a note in the file on his desk, then said, “I spoke to Detective Brooks a few minutes ago. She told me that the forensics team would be finished by 1400, and that they would allow you two in to take a look around. However, you are not to remove anything from the premises. And unfortunately, that includes personal items, Commander.”

“Understood, Sir,” Harm replied.

“Speaking of which,” Admiral Chegwidden continued, “Have you made arrangements for where you will be staying until your apartment is opened back up?”

Harm glanced over at Mac who quickly responded, “Sir, I have offered to allow the Commander to stay at my apartment. That is, of course, provided that you don’t feel it would be inappropriate.”

Admiral Chegwidden fought back a smile as he leaned back in his chair to look at them. “I don’t see why that would be a problem. Do you, Commander Rabb?”

“No, Sir,” he answered. “At least none that I can think of.”

“Okay then, since that’s settled, I’ll let you two get back to work. I’ll expect to hear from you after your visit to the crime scene, and I want a full report as soon as possible.”

They came to attention with an “Aye, Sir,” and then hurriedly left his office. Once he was alone, Admiral Chegwidden allowed the smile he had been fighting to turn into a full fledged grin. He wasn’t entirely sure what had changed between those two, but whatever it was, he was happy for them.

1900 Zulu

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

Harm and Mac showed the police officer their i.d. badges, and he allowed them to enter the apartment. They both stopped just inside the door and did a quick visual scan of the room before going any further. “Wow, Harm,” Mac whispered. “This place is a mess.”

Harm noted that his couch was turned on its side, a lamp had been knocked to the floor and lay shattered next to the end table that was now missing a leg, and that there in the midst of it all, was the white outline of where Sherry Lawson had been found murdered.

They slowly made their way across the living room, being careful not to disturb anything while trying to take in the entire scene. “It looks like quite a struggle took place,” Harm noted as he noticed several broken picture frames on the floor beside his bookcase.

“Either that or someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like that’s what happened,” Mac replied.

Harm was quiet as he walked into the kitchen and realized that nothing was out of place in there. Mac followed him as he headed to his bedroom, stopping in the middle of it and looking around.

“What are you thinking, Harm?” she asked as she laid a hand on his arm.

“I think that you may be on to something, Mac,” he replied. “Take a look around.”

Mac dropped her arm back to her side and looked around the room before turning back to him. “What am I looking for, Harm?”

“What do you notice about this room?” he prompted.

Mac shrugged. “It’s spotless, just like it always is.”

“And the kitchen?” he asked.

“The same,” she replied.

Harm led her back down to the steps overlooking the living room then said, “Now, this room?”

“This room is trashed,” she stated flatly.

“Look closer, Mac,” he urged excitedly. “Describe the mess.”

Mac gave him a puzzled expression, but complied by saying, “First off, the door lock was busted which implies forced entry.”

“But the wood around the lock was completely untouched,” Harm interjected.

“True,” Mac agreed. “Once inside the door, the furniture is displaced and there are several items which used to be on tables or shelves that are now lying broken on the floor.”

“Look at the bookshelf closely,” Harm stated as they walked over to stand in front of it.

Mac looked at several of the pictures he had sitting on the selves, then she turned her attention to the ones that were lying on the floor, and it suddenly clicked what he was getting at. “Nothing else on the shelves has been disturbed,” she said with a small smile.

“Exactly,” Harm agreed.

Mac took another look around the living room. “Same thing with your desk and the coffee table. If someone or something had bumped into them hard enough to knock the pictures off, it should have moved everything else as well.”

Harm walked back over to look at the outline of the body on the floor. “The police responded to a 9-1-1 call of shots fired, right?”

“Yes,” Mac answered. “And when they arrived, they found Webb standing over the body with a gun in his hand.”

“So why isn’t there more blood on the floor?” Harm asked as he looked up at her. “Or better yet, why would Webb still be standing over the body holding the gun? Why didn’t he run? Or at least get rid of the gun?”

“Unless Sherry Lawson was already dead when she was brought here,” Mac suggested. “If someone wanted to set Webb up to take the fall for it, they could have fired off a couple of rounds to get the police summoned, and then put the gun into the hands of a still-disoriented Clayton Webb.”

“Exactly,” Harm agreed. “So how do we prove that, Mac?”

“Why don’t we start with the forensics report?” she asked. “Let’s see what the police came up with, and then go from there.”

Harm flashed her a smile. “I love the way your mind works, Marine.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a slight roll of her eyes. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

2037 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Juggling two cups of coffee and a file, Harm entered the conference room. He kicked the door shut behind him before moving over to set one of the steaming cups of liquid in front of Mac.

As he settled himself into the chair next to her, she said, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Did you get this all figured out while I was gone?”

Mac smiled as she watched him take a sip of his coffee. “You weren’t gone *that* long, Sailor.”

Harm met her gaze with a smile of his own. “And here I thought you Marines were efficient.”

“We are efficient,” she argued. “It’s not our fault that you squids insist on keeping company with spies.”

Harm placed his hand over his heart, and replied, “Ouch. You wound me.”

“Not nearly as much as your involvement with Webb does,” she stated softly. “But we won’t go there right now.”

“I appreciate that,” he replied. “So where were we?”

“You were checking to see if Bud had managed to dig up any information on Corporal Lawson,” Mac answered.

Harm handed her the file he had carried in with him, and waited until she had glanced at it before he spoke. “Corporal Lawson was at the top of her recruiting class coming out of basic. She was a model soldier, and all of her C.O.s have nothing but praise in regards to her service.”

“So how does a nice girl like Sherry Lawson get mixed up with the likes of Clayton Webb?” Mac asked.

“Mac!” Harm said with just a hint of warning in his voice.

“What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “I’m just curious how they hooked up.”

“Probably the same way we got involved with him,” Harm answered.

Mac nodded her agreement as she thumbed through Lawson’s personnel file. “Too bad her involvement with Webb ended up costing her her life.”

Harm sighed as he leaned back in his chair and looked at her. “Okay, out with it.”

“Out with what?” she asked as she turned to face him.

“You’ve been taking pot shots at Webb all day, Mac,” he replied. “Why don’t we just get this out in the open and deal with it before we try to go any further with this investigation.”

“Okay, fine,” she agreed. “I don’t like the fact that we’re assigned to this case.”

“Why?” he questioned. “Do you think Webb actually killed her?”

Mac though about it a moment before she met his gaze. “No.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked gently. “I know that you’re pissed off at him, and I know that him tracking me down this morning by calling you doesn’t help matters any, but this isn’t like you, Mac. What’s going on?”

Mac dropped her gaze from his and stood up quickly. “I don’t think he killed her, Harm. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he is in some way responsible for her death.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I don’t trust him anymore. Not after what he did to you,” she replied softly.

Harm stood up and walked over to stand in front of her. Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted her face until her eyes locked on his. “Mac, we’ve been over this a hundred times. Webb would have never left me there if I hadn’t told him to.”

“It doesn’t matter, Harm. He shouldn’t have let you go in there in the first place without telling you what you were walking into. The fact that he left you there to die just makes it worse.”

“He came back, Mac,” he replied.

“Why do you always defend him, Harm?” she asked.

Harm took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he replied, “Because you weren’t there, Mac. I made Webb leave. If he had stayed, we would have both been killed. We agreed that the only chance we had was for Webb to make a run for it, and get them to follow him. After that, he was going to circle back and pick me up. Granted, in hindsight, it wasn’t necessarily the best choice we could have made, but it seemed like it at the time. When you showed up, I was terrified that you were going to get hurt, Mac. I didn’t want you anywhere near the place, but I knew that you weren’t going to leave without me, so I forced myself to stay conscious long enough to get out of there.”

Harm paused as he noticed the tears in her eyes. “Hey,” he said. “Why the tears?”

Mac shook her head slightly as she reached up to wipe her eyes. “I was terrified when I found you that night, Harm. I thought that I was too late. I thought that you were dead.”

Harm nodded as recognition slowly dawned on him. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it, Mac? It’s not about Webb, or even him dragging me into another one of his missions without telling me what was going on, is it?”

Mac dropped her eyes from his again as she whispered, “No, it’s not.”

“You thought you were losing me, just like Dalton, and Eddie, and Chris,” Harm stated. At her nod of agreement, he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Marine.”

“I know that now, Harm, but that night, it was just so...overwhelming. It had gone from the best night of my life to the worst in a matter of hours.”

“And you blame Webb for that?” Harm prompted.

Mac straightened up to look up at him. “If he hadn’t called you that night, Harm...”

“If he hadn’t called me that night, Mac, he would have gone in alone, and he would have probably ended up dead himself. As it is, he did call me, and I went. I made that choice, Mac. He didn’t force me to go with him, he asked me to.” Harm gave her a small smile as he reached out to wipe the remaining tears from her face before he continued, “And if it had been you that he had called for back up that night, you would have gone, too. Right?”

Mac hated to admit it, but she found herself nodding her agreement. After her acknowledgement, Harm continued, “And in spite of the fact that you feel like it’s Webb’s fault that I got hurt, and despite your protests to the contrary, you really do want to be in on this investigation, don’t you?”

Mac sighed as she met his gaze. “I really hate that you know me this well.”

“No, you don’t,” Harm answered with a smile. “You just hate that I’m right.”

“Okay, fine,” she admitted. “You’re right. I don’t think that Webb killed Sherry Lawson, and I want to help you prove it. So now what?”

“Why don’t we look at what we know,” Harm suggested as he sat back down.

“Okay,” Mac agreed as she joined him. “According to the autopsy report on Sherry Lawson, she died from two gunshot wounds to the chest.”

“Correct,” Harm stated as he looked down at the file in front of him. “And aside from the gunshot wounds, there were no other visible markings to indicate that she put up any kind of struggle.”

“There were traces of Versed in her bloodstream though,” Mac countered. “So it is possible that she was in no condition to put up a struggle.”

“True,” Harm agreed. “Which brings us to Webb’s involvement.”

Mac picked up one of the files as she began, “The bullets in the gun Webb was holding when the police found him match those that killed Sherry Lawson.”

“And the test for gunpowder residue that the police did on Webb came back positive,” Harm added. “So he’s linked to the murder weapon regardless of whether or not he pulled the trigger.”

“Right,” Mac replied. “However, Webb’s blood sample showed traces of Versed as well as Narcan, so it’s possible that the murderer sedated them both and then revived Webb before fleeing the scene.”

Harm leafed through several files before finding the one he was looking for, and pulling it out. “According to the forensics report, there were only four sets of prints found at the crime scene. Webb’s, Lawson’s, mine, and yours.”

“Is there anything in there about the lack of blood on the floor?” Mac asked as she shifted closer to him to look at the file.

Harm quickly scanned the page. “It says that there were two different blood types on the floor by the victim, but it doesn’t say anything about the amount of blood not being consistent with a fatal gunshot wound.”

“Two blood types?” Mac questioned.

“Yeah,” Harm replied as he double checked the information in the folder. “Type O negative, and type AB negative. Why?”

Mac reached for the file she had just discarded and picked it back up. After finding the section she was looking for, she flashed Harm a smile. “Bingo!”

“What?”

“Look at this,” Mac stated as she handed him the file. “Webb’s blood sample lists his blood type as B negative.”

Harm’s brow shot up as he looked at the file. “Sherry Lawson’s is O negative. You don’t suppose that Webb shot whoever murdered Lawson, do you?”

“Where’s the forensics report?” Harm handed it to her and watched as she flipped through it. When another smile lit up her face, Harm knew that she had found the piece of information she was looking for. “The gun was missing five bullets.”

Harm met her gaze. “The two that killed Lawson, the two that the neighbors heard when they called the police...”

“And the third shot that rang out a couple of minutes later, prompting another 9-1-1 call by the neighbors,” Mac finished for him.

“The one that caused enough damage in whoever it hit to leave a DNA trail at the crime scene,” Harm stated with a smile.

“You’ve got it, Flyboy. We find someone with type AB negative blood, who just so happens to have been treated for a gunshot wound, and we find the real killer.”

Harm’s smile widened as he watched her, prompting her to ask, “What?”

“Nothing,” he replied softly. “I just love the way your face lights up when you solve a case.”

Mac shook her head slightly. “Thanks, but we haven't solved this one yet. We still have to find someone with motive to kill Lawson, and then frame Webb for it. Not to mention figuring out why on earth they were at your apartment.”

“Okay,” Harm conceded. “Why don’t we split up for now? You take Lawson’s family, and see what you can dig up, and I’ll go talk to Webb. I get the feeling that this has more to do with the case Lawson was working on than it does something personal.”

Mac nodded her agreement. “Fine with me. Then we’ll meet back at my place later and compare notes?”

“It’s a date,” Harm stated.

2308 Zulu

Mac’s Apartment

Georgetown

Mac opened the door with a smile on her face. “Hey there, Sailor.”

“Hi,” Harm replied, returning her smile as he allowed his gaze to travel down her body. She had changed into a pair of white shorts and a short sleeved, red sweater that was just snug enough to make him want to take it off of her. Forcing himself to take a steadying breath, he asked, “Where would you like me to put my stuff?”

“You can just drop it in the bedroom for now,” she replied as she closed the door behind him.

Harm sniffed the air as he headed towards her bedroom. “Are you cooking, Mac?”

“Yes,” she called over her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen. “And if you want the opportunity to enjoy it, I suggest that you keep your comments to yourself.”

Harm laughed as he walked into her bedroom and deposited his bags in the corner. “How did your interviews go this afternoon?” he called as he opened his bag and pulled out a pair of denim shorts and a gray t-shirt.

“Not very productive,” Mac called back. “Neither Lawson’s family nor friends could think of anyone who would want to kill her. How was your meeting with Webb?”

“He agreed to get me a list of names of the other agents working with Lawson on her last assignment,” Harm replied as he carefully draped his uniform over the back of Mac’s bedroom chair. “He’s also going to check and see if any of them called in sick today,” he added as he pulled on his shorts. He grabbed his shirt, and pulled it over his head as he made his way to the kitchen. “You know, we could just skip dinner and head straight for dessert.”

“We could,” Mac agreed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. “However, I haven’t had any food since dinner last night, and I’m starving.”

“And this is different from any other time how?” he prompted.

“Well, I can’t swear to it, but I’d be willing to bet that you haven't taken the time to eat today either. Am I correct?”

“Yes,” came his mumbled reply from where he was busy placing kisses on the back of her neck.

“Okay then,” she stated. “We eat first.”

“And then?” Harm prompted as he slowly moved his hands up until they were just barely touching her breasts.

“And then this,” she answered as she turned in his embrace and pulled him down into a kiss.”

When the need for oxygen finally forced them apart, Harm rested his forehead on hers with a contented smile on his face. “You know, Mac, I could easily get used to this.”

“Which part?” she teased. “My cooking?”

He gave a soft chuckle before he said, “The jury is still out on that one, but I could definitely get used to coming home after a long day and finding you waiting for me.”

“Whenever you’re ready to make it permanent, Harm, just say the word.”

He straightened up to give her a questioning glance. “Are you serious, Mac? I thought you wanted to take things slowly.”

Meeting his intense gaze, she asked, “Did I say that?”

“Well, no,” he stammered. “Not in those exact words, I guess, but I thought that you wanted to keep things quiet.”

Mac flashed him a brilliant smile and replied, “Keeping our relationship quiet is for the sake of propriety, Harm. It isn’t because I don’t want anyone to know that we’re dating. In fact, I think that if we told everyone, they would stop trying to fix us up with each other.”

Harm couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’ve got a good point there, Counselor. But what fun would Harriet have if we told her we are already together?”

Mac shrugged. “She’d probably want to start planning our wedding.”

“Mac...” he began, but the ringing of the doorbell interrupted him.

Mac stepped away from him with a small smile. “Did I forget to mention that I invited Bud and Harriet over for dinner?”

“Actually, yes, you did forget to mention that,” Harm replied. “Do you want me to get the door?”

“Please?” Mac asked sheepishly as she turned her attention back to dinner.

Harm chuckled to himself as he headed for the door. Only Bud and Harriet could interrupt the most serious conversation he and Mac had ever had concerning their relationship. A topic which he intended to bring up again...soon. With that thought in mind, he opened the door to Bud and Harriet and the four of them spent the evening merely enjoying each other’s company.

0723 Zulu

Mac’s Apartment

Harm and Mac both woke with a start at the loud pounding on the apartment door. “What on earth?” Mac muttered as they rolled out of bed.

“I’ll get it, Mac,” Harm offered as he pulled on his shorts.

He was already out of the bedroom by the time Mac found her robe. Tying it securely around her, she entered the living room in time to see a very agitated Clayton Webb entering her apartment. “Look at this file, Harm,” he exclaimed as he waved it frantically in front of him.

Harm tried to keep the edge out of his voice as he took the file from him. “Webb, do you have any idea what time it is?”

Webb froze when Mac replied, “It’s 0224.”

Harm looked up from the file long enough to see Webb turn slowly to face Mac. “Mac, I’m sorry. I know that I should have called, but this is important.”

Mac turned her attention back to Harm who was intently reading the file Webb had handed him. When he finally looked up at her, she could tell that he thought the file was important enough to wake them up in the middle of the night for, so she made her way to the kitchen with a simple, “I’ll put on some coffee.”

Webb let out the breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding as he moved over to the couch. “I guess I should have realized that Mac wouldn’t be happy to see me,” he said as he dropped onto the couch. Registering that the couch wasn’t made up for a guest, Webb turned an apologetic look to Harm. “Perhaps neither one of you are. It looks as if I’ve managed to drag you out of Mac’s bed, again.”

Harm waved him off as he joined him on the couch. “Where did you get this file?”

“In spite of my recent trouble with the law, I do still have a few connections,” Webb replied as Mac came back into the room.

“What is it?” Mac asked as she made herself comfortable in one of the chairs.

“It’s a list of all the agents Sherry was working with on her last assignment,” Webb replied. “I had one of my men put together a complete history on all of them, and he came across some rather interesting information.”

“Such as?” Mac prompted.

“Well,” Webb began. “Aside from the fact that several of them have a couple of questionable incidents on their records, four of them were working on the Hartwell case. I didn’t know it at the time, because they were working on the paper trail; whereas, I was doing a lot of the leg work.”

Mac’s eyes narrowed at that. “The Hartwell case? Isn’t that the one that...” her voice trailed off when she saw the acknowledgement in Harm’s eyes. Hartwell was the name of the drug dealer that Webb had been tracking down the night he had nearly gotten Harm killed. Mac took a deep breath before she continued, “What is their connection to Sherry Lawson then?”

Webb glanced over at Harm before meeting Mac’s gaze. “Sherry was assigned to provide protection to a federal witness, Mac. The trial against one of Hartwell’s biggest distributors is scheduled to begin on Monday and we’re trying to keep the prosecution’s key witness safe until he can appear before the grand jury.”

“And you think that these four agents might not be on the up and up?” Mac asked.

Harm handed her the file and pointed to a particular paragraph. “Of the last four cases these men have been involved with, all four have been thrown out due to some sort of technicality. They appear to be merely coincidences, but if you look at the big picture, things just don’t add up.”

“Okay,” Mac stated. “Let me get this straight. We’re looking at a conspiracy within the CIA to keep Hartwell and his distributors out of jail.”

“Right,” Webb agreed. “And as far as we can tell, it only includes these four men.”

“The same four men who were on assignment with Sherry Lawson at the time of her death,” Mac continued.

“Correct,” Webb replied.

Mac stood up and slowly paced the room. “Sherry Lawson called you on Wednesday night, asking to meet with you because she had something to discuss, and she didn’t trust anyone else.”

“I think it would be a safe assumption to say that she somehow managed to catch on to them,” Harm supplied.

“So they killed her to keep her quiet,” Mac stated. “But why involve you in it, Webb?”

Webb shook his head as looked at her. “I haven’t figured that part out yet. Or why we ended up at Harm’s apartment.”

“Unless this is in some way tied in to the investigation from six months ago,” Harm suggested.

Mac felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of that night, and she looked slowly from Harm to Webb and then back again. “If that’s the case, then you should probably both be watching your sixes.”

“Why don’t I go get us some of that coffee?” Webb offered as he jumped quickly to his feet. The last thing he wanted to do was to rehash that night with Mac.

“I’ll get the coffee, Webb,” Harm stated as he got up and made his way to the kitchen.

Mac watched Webb pace nervously for a minute before she finally spoke, “You can relax, you know. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Webb tried to force himself to relax as he sat back down and looked over at her. “I didn’t do this intentionally, Mac. I just didn’t know who else I could trust. I had no idea that this was related to the Hartwell case.”

Mac nodded her understanding. “It’s okay, Webb.”

Webb continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “I know that you told me to stay out of your life, and I’ve been trying to do that, but I just...”

“I said it’s okay,” Mac interrupted. “In fact, I owe you an apology.”

Webb’s confusion showed on his face when he asked, “An apology for what?”

Mac looked down at her hands and took a deep breath before she met his gaze again. “I’m sorry for how childish I’ve been acting for the last few months. I know that you consider Harm a friend, and that you would never *intentionally* do anything to put him in danger. And I also realize that you were doing your best to get him out of that warehouse that night. Granted, it wasn’t the most well thought out plan, but I know how stubborn Harm can be in those situations. I should have realized that six months ago instead of placing all of the blame on you.”

Webb’s voice was soft as he met her gaze. “Harm isn’t the only one that I consider a friend, Mac. I hope that you realize that.”

“I do,” she answered with a small smile.

Harm gave her a questioning look as he walked back into the room carrying three cups of coffee. She answered his silent question with a smile as he handed her one of the cups. “Webb and I were just discussing how to get his sorry ass out this mess.”

“Any good ideas?” Harm asked as he handed one of the remaining cups to Webb.

“Why don’t we go after these guys?” Mac suggested as she pointed to the file that was now lying on the coffee table.

“You mean like a sting operation?” Webb asked.

Mac shrugged. “Why not? I mean, they don’t know what you do or don’t remember about that night, right?”

“Right,” Webb agreed. “But how do we get to them?”

“You’ve still got connections, Webb,” Harm replied. “Use them.”

Webb glanced back and forth between the two of them before he asked, “How? What exactly are we going to do?”

“Find out where the safe house is,” Harm answered. “We’ll stake it out, and then we’ll follow these guys and see where they lead us.”

“There’s four of them, Harm,” Webb countered. “And there’s only three of us. And there is no way that I’m letting either one of you go after these guys without backup, so no.”

Mac smiled as she looked over at Webb. “We’ll take care of that, Webb. You just get us a location.”

Webb gave Harm a questioning glance, but all Harm said was, “Hey, you want to argue with a Marine at 2:30 in the morning, go ahead.”

Glancing at his watch, Webb responded, “Okay, I’ll get the location. In the mean time, why don’t you two get some shut eye? I’ll let you know when I’ve got the information.”

“I have a batter idea,” Mac answered as she stood up and stretched.

“What’s that?” Webb asked.

“Why don’t you make your call, wake somebody else up to get this information for you, and then we’ll all get some shut eye.”

Harm grinned as Webb watched Mac walk into the bedroom. “Like I said, Webb, if you want to argue with her, go ahead.”

“Don’t bother,” Mac replied as she walked back in carrying blankets and a pillow. “You’ll lose. Now let’s go. Get up and make your phone call while I make up the couch for you.”

Webb quickly got to his feet and reached for the phone as Harm helped Mac make up the couch. “Thank you,” Harm whispered as he snaked an arm around her waist.

“You can thank me later,” Mac stated, giving his arm a gentle squeeze before stepping out of his embrace. “Right now, let’s just get this case solved so we can move on to more important discussions.”

“Like permanence in our relationship?” Harm questioned softly.

“Exactly,” Mac replied with a smile as she heard Webb hand up the phone. Turning her attention to him, she said, “Well?”

“He’ll call as soon as he knows something,” Webb answered.

“Good,” Mac said as she handed him the pillow. “Now, since this is still my apartment, I’m ordering everyone to get some sleep.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Webb retorted with a grin.

“You, too, Sailor,” Mac replied as she headed to the bedroom.

“Right behind you,” Harm called as he picked up their coffee cups and carried them to the kitchen.

“You’re one very lucky man, Rabb,” Webb said softly when Harm walked back into the living room.

“Believe me, Webb,” Harm remarked as he watched him kick off his shoes and settle himself on the couch, “I am very aware of that fact. Now, you heard the lady. Get some sleep.”

With that, Harm flipped off the light and made his way into the bedroom.

1930 Zulu

Webb’s Car

Outside of Safe House

“Hey Mac, you two still awake over there?” came Harm’s voice over the two way radio that Webb had managed to secure for them.

“Barely,” Mac replied. “How about you guys? Any movement?”

“Negative,” Harm replied. “Gunny and I were just getting ready to start another round of twenty questions, and thought we would check in with everyone else first.”

Mac laughed at the thought of Harm and Gunny entertaining themselves by playing twenty questions. Into the radio, she said, “Things are quiet over this way, Sailor.” After a slight pause she added, “How are things your way, Admiral?”

“Quiet over here as well,” came Admiral Chegwidden’s gruff reply.

“Nothing going on over our way, either,” Tiner piped in. “And Agent Johnson needs to learn how to relax.”

Webb chuckled as he took the radio from Mac. “Johnson, you’re not giving the Petty Officer a hard time, are you?”

“No, Sir,” came the quick reply. “However, I am not one for twenty questions.”

Mac smiled as she pictured Tiner harassing the young agent. He was probably driving him nuts already. Not to mention what Bud was doing to Admiral Chegwidden. Webb was going to owe them big time for this.

“It shouldn’t be much longer, people,” Webb stated. “Everyone try to relax and keep your eyes open.”

A chorus of agreement came across the radio before it once again fell silent. Dropping the radio to the seat between them, Webb turned to look at Mac. “So, Mac, tell me something?”

“What do you want to know, Webb?” she replied as she met his gaze.

“How did you end up with Rabb? I mean the last I had heard, you were still wearing Brumby’s ring and seriously contemplating marrying him.” Instead of answering him right away, Mac quietly turned to look out the front windshield. Taking her silence as a sign that she didn’t want to discuss it with him, Webb gave a small shrug and said, “Never mind, Mac. I’m sorry I asked.”

Mac turned her attention back to him with a smile. “It’s okay, Webb. I don’t mind telling you. I mean it’s not like you don’t know that we’re sleeping together already. I guess I just got caught up in the memories there for a minute.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “It started right after the Surface Warfare Ball. I was pretty pissed off at Mic for deciding to move back to Washington without discussing it with me, so I gave him back his ring and told him to take a hike.”

“Wow!” Webb commented. “You sent him packing just because he didn’t tell you about his plans to move back here?”

Mac smiled a bit at that. “No, it wasn’t just because of that. There were a lot of other things that contributed to the decision. That was just the final straw as far as I was concerned.”

“Let me guess, Rabb saw the opportunity and decided to take it?”

Mac shook her head. “Actually, no.”

“What?” Webb questioned. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” Mac replied. “In fact, I didn’t even tell Harm that I had given the ring back. I’m sure that he noticed it was missing, though. Everyone else at the office was having a field day with it. I think that’s probably why Harm waited before he said anything to me about it. Well, that plus the fact that he was still seeing Renee.”

“What did he see in her anyway?” Webb asked.

Mac laughed as she replied, “I have no idea, Webb. I do know that he broke up with her sometime during the next week. I’m not entirely sure when, though. I heard it through the rumor mill.”

“Okay, so you were both unattached and available again, what happened?” Webb asked.

“We were on an assignment down in Texas,” Mac replied slowly as the memories washed over her...

Nine Months Earlier

Fort Worth, Texas

Mac sighed as she leaned back slightly in her chair. “I am officially stuffed.”

Harm raised an eyebrow at her soft declaration. “Really? The bottomless pit has finally been filled? I didn’t think it was possible.”

Mac threw her wadded up napkin at him even though she returned his playful smile. “Your problem is that you think things are impossible before you ever even try them, Harm.”

Harm’s smile quickly faded, but before Mac had a chance to apologize for the double meaning, he stood up and held out his hand. “Dance with me, Mac.”

Not wanting to lose the precarious balance they had managed to reach in their friendship, Mac reached out and placed her hand in his. “Stay off my toes, Sailor.”

“I will, if you’ll stay off mine,” he replied as he led her to the dance floor.

“Deal,” she agreed as she placed her other hand on his shoulder.

They moved in silence across the dance floor for several moments before Harm finally spoke, “Mac, what made you finally decide to give Brumby back his ring?”

Mac forced herself to remain relaxed in his embrace, and looked up to meet his gaze. Her voice was soft when she answered him. “There were a lot of things involved in the decision, Harm. It wasn’t one thing in particular. I guess I just realized that Mic wasn’t what I’m looking for.”

“And what are you looking for?” he asked as he tightened his hold on her slightly.

Mac dropped her gaze from his and replied, “I’m not sure anymore, Harm. I thought I knew once, but it wasn’t meant to be then, and I’m not sure if it ever will be.”

Instead of answering her, Harm reached out and tilted her chin up until she met his gaze again. “A wise woman once told me not to declare things impossible without actually trying them.”

“Yeah?” she asked as she met his gaze. “Well, a wise man once told me that location doesn’t change who we are.”

“Touche’,” he replied, momentarily dropping his gaze from hers. When he looked back at her, he spoke in a whisper. “You know, Mac, location *doesn’t* change who we are. But it also doesn’t change how we feel.”

“You’ve made it perfectly clear how you feel, Harm. Why are we having this discussion again?”

“Have I?” he asked.

“Repeatedly,” she answered softly. “Every time I’ve tried to take our relationship a step farther, you’ve thrown up a road block.”

“I’m not throwing up any road blocks tonight,” he stated.

“And I’m not trying to take our relationship anywhere new,” she replied.

They danced in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts before Harm spoke again. “What if I am?”

“What if you are what?” she queried.

He took a deep breath and looked down at her with a smile. “What if I’m trying to take our relationship to a new level?”

Mac forced her eyes to remain locked on his as she answered him, “Then I guess that I’m the one throwing up the road blocks.”

He pondered her answer for a moment before he asked, “Why?”

“Because I’m tired of having my heart broken, Harm. I can’t play games with you, there’s too much at stake.”

“I’m not playing games, Mac,” he defended. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

Mac dropped her gaze to where their hands were joined. “I can’t take that risk, Harm.”

“I’ll prove it to you,” he stated.

“What?” she asked, looking back up to meet his gaze.

“I’ll prove it to you,” he repeated. “Give me a chance, and I’ll prove to you that I’m serious about this...about us.”

“Harm, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she stated.

“Why not?” he questioned. “All I’m asking for is a chance. If it doesn’t work, what have we lost?”

“Our friendship,” she suggested.

“Never,” he countered. “We’ve been through too much already for this to ruin it. And I give you my word that if I don’t convince you that I’m serious, I’ll back off and never mention it again.”

“How long?” she finally asked.

“Three weeks,” he said. “If I haven’t convinced you within three weeks time that I am completely serious about taking our relationship to the next level, then we both walk away. No regrets.”

“You sound pretty sure of yourself there, Sailor.”

He twirled around the dance floor once, bringing her in closer before he answered, “That’s because I know how I feel about you, Mac. And there’s not a doubt in my mind that this will work.”

“Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. “You’ve got three weeks.”

His smile lit up his face as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “You won’t regret this, Mac.”

Back To The Present...

Mac glanced over at Webb as she finished up the story. “Needless to say, he spent the next three weeks convincing me.”

“I’m not surprised,” Webb responded. “Harm can be very persuasive when he wants to. I guess that’s why he’s such a good attorney.”

“Yeah,” Mac agreed. “Between the flowers, the candy, and the little notes he left everywhere, I was ready to go out with him just to get a little peace and quiet. After the first date, though, I knew he was right. We had both finally reached the point in our lives where we were ready to be totally committed to someone, and we both finally knew who we wanted that to be.”

“So why all the secrecy?” Webb questioned.

Mac shrugged. “Partly because we didn’t want to have to deal with the whole issue of officers in the same line of command being involved in a personal relationship, but mostly because we didn’t want our personal lives put under a microscope. Taking that big of a step is hard enough without the added pressures of having your every move analyzed and spread around the office.”

“I can understand that,” Webb acquiesced. “And you don’t have to worry about me. My lips are sealed.”

“Good,” Mac said with a smile. “I would hate to have to hurt you now that we’re friends again.”

Webb chuckled slightly before a movement outside of the car caught his attention. Picking the radio up, he quickly alerted the others. “Heads up, people. It looks like it’s show time.”

They all watched as two men exited the house and headed towards their cars. “Rabb,” Webb barked into the radio. “You stay with Rogers, he’s the one in the blue sports coat. Mac and I will follow Bishop.”

“Copy that,” Harm replied. “Stay in contact and be careful.”

“Look at the way he’s holding his arm,” Mac pointed out as the agent maneuvered himself into the car.

“Almost like he can’t move it,” Webb observed. “Do you want to place bets on whether or not he’s hiding a bullet wound under that Armani suit?”

Mac took the radio as Webb started the car. “Harm, it looks as if Bishop might be the one we’re after. We’ll keep you posted.”

“Colonel, don’t do anything stupid,” Admiral Chegwidden broke in. “That’s an order.”

“Yes, Sir,” Mac replied as they pulled out into traffic.

It was twenty minutes later before Bishop turned down an alley and came to a stop. Webb carefully brought the car to a stop and killed the engine as Bishop got out of his car and headed to the back of a run down building.

“Now what?” Mac asked as they watched Bishop disappear inside the building.

“Wait here,” Webb stated as he pulled his gun out of its holster and made sure that it was loaded.

“I don’t think so,” Mac commented. “If you’re going in, I’m going in with you.”

Webb gave an exasperated sigh as he turned to look at her. “You’re worse than Rabb is.”

“Thanks,” Mac answered with a smile. “So, are we going in or what?”

Webb rolled his eyes slightly and said, “I guess so, but we’re just going in to look. Stay hidden and stay quiet.”

Mac agreed and they quickly made their way down the alley, being careful to check to make sure they weren’t being watched as they silently slipped inside the building.

*~*~*~*

Meanwhile...

Harm pulled the SUV to a stop at the entrance to the park. Pulling out his binoculars, he quickly scanned the area for any trace of Rogers. “There!” Gunny said, pointing in the direction of the playground. Harm shifted his gaze in the direction Gunny pointed, and easily spotted Rogers settling himself on a bench as Gunny asked, “Who is that guy with him, Sir?”

“Hartwell,” Harm replied. “He’s one of the biggest drug dealers here in the D.C. area.”

“Hartwell?” Gunny questioned. “Weren’t you working on a Hartwell case a few months ago?”

“Not exactly,” Harm stated as he scoped out the area surrounding the meeting place. “I was helping Webb out on one of his investigations. He was the one working the Hartwell case.”

Gunny nodded his head in recognition. “I remember now. That’s the one you got stabbed in the back, right?” At Harm’s sharp look, he quickly added, “Sir.”

“Yes, Gunny, that’s the one,” Harm retorted.

“So what is a CIA agent doing meeting with a known drug dealer, in the middle of the day, in a very public park?” Gunny inquired.

Harm fumbled in his glove compartment for a moment before producing a camera. Holding it up in triumph, he said, “I can’t answer that question, Gunny, but I can get close enough to get a few snapshots of this little rendezvous.”

“Sir, why don’t you let me do that?” Gunny offered.

“Relax, Gunny, I’m just going to take a few pictures.”

“With all due respect, Sir,” Gunny countered. “There is a very real possibility that one of those men could recognize you. Why don’t you let me take the pictures instead?”

Harm chuckled as he looked over at him. “Are you concerned about my welfare, Gunny? Or are you having nightmares about what Colonel MacKenzie might do to you if by some stretch of the imagination, one of those guys actually recognized me?”

“A little bit of both, Sir?”

“Fine,” Harm relented, handing him the camera. “Try not to look obvious, and be careful.”

“Yes, Sir,” Gunny replied before taking the camera and getting out of the car.

1500 Zulu

Monday

Federal Court Building

Washington, D.C.

Webb sat down in the back of the courtroom with a satisfied smile as Mark Train was sworn in to give his testimony before the grand jury. If everything continued to go as planned, Isaac Hartwell, as well as all of his

distributors, would soon be going to prison for a very long time.

Webb’s smile widened as he thought back on the events of the previous two days. When he and Mac had followed Bishop into that rundown building on Saturday, they had hit the jackpot. Bishop had been there for a follow up visit to his “doctor” to check for infection in the bullet wound Webb had given him. When Webb and Mac had stepped out of the shadows and confronted him, he had spilled his guts about his involvement with Sherry Lawson’s murder. The plan had been to frame Webb and Harm for the murder, and that’s why they had been at Harm’s apartment. The fact that Harm hadn’t been there had thrown a wrench into the plan, so Bishop had taken Webb’s identification in the hopes of keeping him out of the picture long enough to execute their plan of eliminating Train.

Unfortunately for Bishop, when he put the murder weapon in Webb’s hands, Webb turned on him and managed to get a shot off before Bishop could flee the scene. The fact that Webb had still been disoriented had allowed Bishop to escape, but not without leaving enough evidence behind to link him to the murder scene.

After Bishop had confessed to murdering Lawson, he also explained how he and Rogers were planning to keep Mark Train from testifying. With Bishop’s confession and the photos that Gunny had taken of Hartwell and Rogers together, Webb had been able to secure a search warrant for Rogers’ house. Once there, they had found enough evidence of his involvement with Hartwell to ensure an indictment.

When they finally arrested Rogers early Sunday morning, he had chosen to plea bargain. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Rogers had given the district attorney enough information to bring down Hartwell and his entire operation, including the other CIA agents who had been working with him.

‘Not bad for two days work,’ Webb thought as he listened to Train’s testimony. Granted, he was probably going to owe Harm and Mac for the rest of his life, but it was worth it to have finally brought Hartwell down. Not to mention the fact that he and Mac had finally settled their differences.

Now all that was left to do was to make sure that Sherry Lawson got a full military funeral, and then to find a way to say thanks to Harm and Mac. Fortunately, Mac was already working on the first item, and as for the second one, well, he had a pretty good idea of something that they would appreciate. Of course, that all depended upon whether or not they survived their meeting with Admiral Chegwidden this morning.

Webb shook his head in amusement as he imagined the look on A.J.’s face when they told him about their relationship. What he wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall during that conversation. There was no doubt in Webb’s mind that the tough former seal would be secretly thrilled about the news, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Harm and Mac would be privy to that information.

Webb was pulled from his thoughts when one of the security guards handed him a note. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he read that Hartwell had been picked up by the FBI. He tucked the note into his pocket and quietly made his way out of the courtroom. It was time to take care of business.

1600 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Admiral Chegwidden looked up when he heard the knock on his door. “Enter,” he called.

Harm opened the door and stood back as Mac entered the room before following her in and closing the door behind him. They both came to attention in front of the desk, and waited until the Admiral spoke. “At ease, Colonel, Commander. I wanted to congratulate you both on a job well done. Not only did you solve Lawson’s murder, you had a big hand in bringing down one of the largest drug rings in the D.C. area. Good work.”

“Thank you, Sir,” they replied in unison.

“I understand that you two have something you want to discuss with me?” Admiral Chegwidden continued.

“If you have a moment, Sir,” Harm answered.

“Have a seat.”

Harm and Mac settled themselves in the chairs, and then Harm spoke. “Sir, the Colonel and I wanted to discuss our partnership with you.”

Immediately going on the defensive, Admiral Chegwidden asked, “You two aren’t fighting again, are you?”

“No, Sir,” Harm responded. “On the contrary, the Colonel and I have been getting along quite well over the last few months.”

“Then what did you want to discuss?”

Harm glanced nervously over at Mac who smiled and began, “I believe that what the Commander is trying to get at, Sir, is that we have become involved in a personal relationship outside of work.”

A.J. bit back the smile that threatened to show on his face at Mac’s declaration. Instead, he stood up and walked around the desk to face them. “I see. And is this personal relationship going to affect your ability to work with each other?”

Harm quickly jumped in with, “It hasn’t so far, Sir.”

A.J. eyed them both for a moment before he spoke again. “If there isn’t a problem in your working relationship, then I don’t see a problem here. You have managed to keep your personal lives out of the office so far, and as long as you continue to do so, I don’t see anything further that we need to discuss.”

Mac let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding at his words. However, her breath caught in her throat when Harm spoke again. “Sir, Colonel MacKenzie and I are discussing making our personal relationship permanent. We would like to know what that will mean for our working relationship.”

A.J. crossed his arms over his chest while he pondered that bit of news for a moment. Noticing the nervous look that Mac shot Harm, he briefly wondered if this was the first time that Harm had mentioned marriage. When he saw the smile that Harm gave her in answer, he realized that it didn’t matter.

“Do you two realize that it is against regulations for a married couple to serve in the same chain of command?”

“Yes, Sir,” they answered together.

“And one of you would be willing to transfer out of JAG?” he probed.

Again, they answered simultaneously, “Yes, Sir.”

A.J. walked back around his desk and sat down. Opening the top drawer of his desk, he pulled out a folder and placed it in front of them. “I spoke to the SecNav some time back about a new position over at the Pentagon. It appears as if the military is looking for someone who can serve their country by being a representative at several civilian functions throughout the year.”

“Sir?” Harm questioned as he picked up the file and held it open for both him and Mac to look at.

“The person in this position would be required to attend all of the functions as a military liaison, but it would undoubtedly leave them with a lot of free time on their hands. Time that I’m sure could be filled by assisting here at JAG.” He waited until they both looked up at him, before he continued, “Why don’t you two take that home with you and look it over? Perhaps one of you would be interested in the position.”

Harm and Mac couldn't contain the smiles that broke out on their faces. “Yes, Sir.”

A.J. leaned back in his chair with a small grin on his face. “Is there anything else?”

“No, Sir,” they replied.

“Very well then. Dismissed.”

Harm and Mac both stood up and came to attention with an, “Aye, Sir,” before they turned to leave the office.

When they reached the door, Admiral Chegwidden’s voice stopped them. “By the way, Colonel, Commander.” He waited until they turned to look at him, then added, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Sir,” they answered.

A.J. waited until they had closed the door before he allowed the grin on his face to become a full fledged smile. It was about time.

2300 Zulu

Wednesday

Mac’s Apartment

Georgetown

Mac unlocked the door and stepped inside her apartment. Having seen Harm’s SUV outside, she wasn’t surprised by the pleasant aroma that filled the apartment; however, the fact that the lights were dimmed and there were several candles burning caused a smile to spread across her face. “Harm?” she called as she set her briefcase and cover down.

“In here,” came his response.

Mac followed the sound of his voice into the kitchen where she found him standing beside the stove. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back while he continued with his food preparations. “So, are you going to tell me where you’ve been all day?”

Harm smiled softly as he turned in her embrace. “I told you that I had a couple of personal things to take care of, Mac. I’ll tell you about them over dinner.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips before he continued, “Why don’t you go get changed? Dinner is almost ready.”

Mac moved her arms up to lock them around his neck and pulled him back down for another kiss. When they broke apart, she smiled at him. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you, too.” Placing a kiss on her forehead, he repeated, “Now go get changed.”

Mac gave him a mock salute. “Yes, Sir,” she stated before making her way to the bedroom.

Harm waited until she was out of sight before he double checked everything to make sure that it was perfect. Once he was satisfied that everything would go as planned, he turned off the stove and filled their plates. Mac reappeared just as he finished filling their glasses, and he held out her chair for her as she sat down.

Mac smiled at him as he seated himself across from her. “Okay, Flyboy. Start talking. Why all the secrecy?”

“You eat, and I’ll talk,” Harm answered. He was really too nervous to eat anyway. He took a deep breath and began, “First off, I got a call from Webb this morning. He has something that he wants our help on.” Mac shot him a skeptical look, but Harm cut her off before she had the opportunity to disapprove. “Before you say no, you should hear what he wants us to do.”

At her nod of agreement, Harm continued, “Apparently, there is a rumor that Hartwell has a couple of connections down in the Bahamas who are plotting to break him out of jail. Webb has sent a couple of agents down there to investigate, but he would like us to go down there and keep an eye on things for a few days. Just to make sure that the rumors are unfounded.”

Mac smiled slightly. “Are you telling me that Clayton Webb has arranged for us to take a trip to the Bahamas under the *pretense* of working?”

Harm returned her smile. “Something like that. I think we can call it Webb’s way of saying thank you.”

“Then you can tell him that we accept,” Mac remarked.

“Good,” Harm said. “Which brings me to the rest of my day.”

Mac swallowed a bite of chicken parmesan before she spoke. “I managed to weasel out of Bud that you had taken Sarah up, but he wouldn’t tell me your destination.”

Harm chuckled at that. “You really shouldn’t harass Bud like that, Mac. You know I wouldn’t tell him anything that I didn’t want you to know.”

“I know,” she stated. “But I thought it was worth a shot. So, where did you go?”

Harm took a drink of water in an effort to calm his nerves before he began, “I went to see your uncle Matt.” Mac’s brow shot up at that, but she didn’t say anything, so he continued, “I thought that it would be appropriate if I told him my intentions before I asked you to marry me. You know, get his blessing and all that good stuff.”

Mac sat her fork down and merely looked at him for a minute. Finally, she asked, “And?”

“And he told me to take good care of his niece,” Harm answered. He smiled at her then, and stood up. Pulling a small box out of his pocket, he made his way over to her chair and knelt down beside her. Mac turned in her chair to face him as he said, “I could give you a long speech on all of the reasons why my life is better with you in it, but I think you already know all of those. So I’ll keep it simple. I love you, Mac. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He opened the box in his hand and held it out to her, then he looked up to meet her eyes as he said, “Will you marry me?”

Mac answered without hesitation, “Yes.”

Harm pulled the ring out of the box, and slid it onto her finger before leaning in to meet her kiss. “I love you,” she whispered when she pulled back from him.

“I love you, too,” he replied. “And I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you just how much.”

With that, he leaned in for another kiss and they spent the remainder of the evening expressing their love for each other.

The End