Title: Mac’s Best Friend 

Author: Jaimi - frick_n_frack@canada.com

Rated: PG-13

Category: Harm/Mac friendship, suggestion of romance

Spoilers: Heroes, Vanished, Front & Center, Lifeline,
Mixed Messages, Jagathon.

Summary: Jingo dies. Harm is there for Mac and finds
special ways to cheer her up.

Disclaimer: Like I said before. Don’t own anyone. JAG
and all the wonderful, amazing characters belong to
Paramount, Donald P. Bellisario and CBS. 

 



Author’s Note: My second JAG fic. This story is
working off the belief that Chloe brought Jingo back
at Christmas (Answered Prayers) when she came to see
Mac. I know we haven’t seen him since then, as far as
I know, but work with me here people, it’s fanfiction.
This story could be included in the shows actual
story/time line, except for the fact that Jingo may
show up again, and well, you’ll just have to read to
see the other difference. So, it’s a very slightly AU
story. 

I know the pizza boy’s not real, I’m just throwing him
in for the sake of the story.

The story follows all episodes up to and including
“Hero Worship”. 

Positive feedback and constructive criticism welcome. 




P.S. I can’t remember what Jingo looks like, so based
on the fact that he’s a former drug sniffing dog,
large, and reddish, I’m assuming he’s a Golden
Retriever in this story, though he could be a type of
hound. If anyone knows for sure, let me know. 

 



Mac’s Best Friend

By: Jaimi 

 



1530 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VA 

 



Mac’s Office 



Throwing her hands up over her head and stretching,
Lt. Colonel Sarah “Mac” Mackenzie yawned. She had not
gotten a good nights sleep last night. Jingo had been
particularly bad at hogging the bed. He had wanted to
be right up against her all night. She could have
pushed him off, but for some reason found herself
unable to bring herself to do so. It was strange. She
usually had no problem shooing the large Golden
Retriever off the bed. 



She jumped slightly as her office phone’s shrill ring
startled her from her thoughts. She was glad her door
was closed and no one had caught her being so jumpy.
Not very Marine like. She quickly picked up after the
second ring. 



“Mackenzie,” came her brisk acknowledgment. 



“Sarah?” 



Mac frowned at the soft, sad tone of her neighbor,
Bridgett. 



“Yeah, it’s me. What’s wrong?” 



“It’s...it’s...” There was a sigh and an audible
sniff. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. I went into your
apartment this morning to take Jingo for a walk and
found him lying in his favorite spot...dead... I’m so
sorry, I don’t know what happened to him. He...” 



Bridgett rambled on, but Mac had stopped listening
after she had pronounced her happy, go-lucky, fourteen
year old dog dead. Fourteen...gosh. She had known he
was getting old. He was old when she had adopted him a
few years back, but she hadn’t really thought about
it...maybe hadn’t wanted to. Jingo had been a constant
comfort to her for the past few years. A friendly
face, an encouraging lick, a loving nudge to come home
to. 



She suddenly realized she was still being spoken to. 



“Sarah, are you there?” Bridgett asked. 



“What? Oh yes, sorry...” Mac assured her,
distractedly. 



“No, I’m sorry. I-” 



Mac hurriedly got herself together. “Hey. It’s not
your fault, okay? Don’t worry about it...just...just
thank you for calling me.” 



“Really? I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to drop this
on you at work...” Bridgett replied, worriedly. 



“No, you did the right thing. I’ll handle it. I’d
rather not have found him myself.” /But I would have
rather have been there with him in his last hour.../
She shook her head at the stray thought. It was too
late for that now. 



“If you say so. Listen, do you want me to take care of
him? Or...” 



“No. No thank you, just leave him...please...” Mac
replied, softly. 



“Okay... I’m sorry. I know it’s hard to lose a dog...”
Her neighbor was sincerely sympathetic, but Mac didn’t
need this right now. If this was kept up, she was
going to break down in tears. 



“Yes, well, thank you. I’ll see you later.” 



There was a brief pause. “...all right. Bye.” 



“Bye.” 



Hanging up slowly, Mac stared at the phone, becoming
lost in thought. Jingo was dead. She would go home to
an empty apartment tonight. No, not empty. She would
go home to find Jingo’s body to confirm the loss of
her furry friend. She closed her eyes, willing the
thoughts away. She couldn’t deal with this now. She
could mourn later. She had work to do. She opened her
eyes and looked at the lone file. Okay, so not a ton,
but it was work none the less.  



She jumped again when Tiner buzzed her. “Colonel, the
admiral would like to see you in his office.” 



“I’ll be right there. Thank you, Tiner,” she quickly
replied. 



Mac sat for a moment, getting herself together.
Sighing, she stood, brushing her hand over her skirt
and then through her hair, before exiting her office. 



She attempted a warm smile upon seeing Harm and
Sturgis waiting for her in the bullpen. Apparently the
admiral wished to see them as well. She barely pulled
the smile off, but only Harm noticed. She wasn’t
surprised. He knew her too well. He gave her a look
that clearly asked, ‘what’s up?’. She just shrugged,
and offered another smile. He didn’t buy it and she
knew it, but he didn’t press. The small group
approached Tiner who nodded, buzzing the admiral.
“They’re here, Sir.” 



“Send them in,” came the brusque reply. 



Filing through the admiral’s door, they all snapped to
attention before their CO. 



“At ease,” he stated, without looking up from the file
he was reading. 



They promptly loosened their stance and waited
patiently for the older man to speak up. After a
moment, he did so. 



“I have a new case here for you three, as well as Lt.
Roberts.” 



“All of us, Sir?” Turner questioned. (The author
realizes this is not a likely occurrence, but lets
pretend for the story’s sake, okay?) 



“Well, since things have been pretty slow, I thought
I’d let you all earn your pay.” 



This earned smirks from the two commanders, but no
comments. The admiral continued, ignoring their
amusement “The lieutenant is running an errand at the
moment, so Commander Turner, you can fill him in, as
he will be assisting you on this one. You and him will
be prosecuting, that leaves Commander Rabb and Col.
Mackenzie to defend.” 



“What’s the case, Sir?” Harm asked, half his attention
on his CO, the other on his partner. Mac was staring
past the admiral, out the window at the bright spring
day. 



“I was getting to that, Commander,” he replied,
impatiently. He did not miss the fact that the colonel
seemed to be staring off into space, and the commander
was obviously trying to distract him from noticing.
/Always covering each others sixes,/ he thought, with
a hint of fondness. However, he needed their full
attention. “Colonel?” he called out sternly. 



She snapped back to attention. “Yes, Sir?” 



The admiral softened some. It wasn’t often he had to
lecture Mac about paying attention. 



“Are you all right?” he asked, still keeping a slight
edge to his voice. He was still her commanding
officer, after all. 



She nodded. “I’m fine, Sir. Sorry, Sir.” Her tone left
no room for argument. The colonel said she was fine,
then she was fine. Judging from Harm’s look however,
the commander must’ve believed differently. 



/He knows her better than anyone,/ AJ thought. /Let
him find out, so the rest of us don’t have to risk
having our sixes chewed out by our marine friend for
invading her personal problems./ 



“All right then, let’s carry on.” 



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



The others may have believed Mac’s simple statement of
“I’m fine”, but he hadn’t become her best friend by
not knowing her moods and her ability to hide things
from others. 



She had been distracted through the whole briefing of
their new, and difficult case. Difficult for the
defense that was. The guy looked guilty as hell, but
the admiral was familiar with the young officer, and
Harm got the feeling AJ didn’t believe he was guilty,
though he wouldn’t say outright.  



Harm shrugged to himself. Regardless, Mac and him
would do their damnedest to win. 



“You two haven’t got a hope in the world.” 



Sturgis’ teasing tone broke through his thoughts as
the group exited the admiral’s office.  



Only slightly distracted from Mac’s somber appearance,
Harm grinned briefly, playfully punching his buddy’s
shoulder. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that Pal,
and maybe in another universe, it’ll be true. Mac and
I are gonna kick your sixes. Make sure you tell Bud
that too.” 



Harm was once again surprised as Mac did nothing to
help him tease their friend, but continued on to her
office, shutting the door. He would have followed her
except for Sturgis continuing. 



“You can tell him yourself. After you talk to your
client, we’ll have a meeting about a deal.” 



“Fine, fine. I’ll let you know,” Harm stated
distractedly. Breaking away from his friend, he strode
to his partner’s office.  



Sturgis watched him go, shaking his head. He could
tell by Harm’s distracted mood, that he was concerned
about the colonel. Obviously he knew something the
rest of them didn’t. Turner shrugged. Well, if
something was wrong with the colonel, he figured Harm
would be the one to get it out of her. Shrugging to
himself, he turned and headed toward his own office. 



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



Mac was staring down at the worn picture in her hand.
It was one that she always kept in her desk drawer. It
was of her, Harm and Jingo in the park. They had gone
for a morning run, when some guy with a Polaroid
snapped their picture as they had stopped by a water
fountain. Jingo was up on his hind legs, paws resting
on the fountain, licking at the stream of water. Harm
and Mac were standing on the other side, holding the
lever down, laughing. It was a great picture. They’d
had a great time... Mac didn’t notice the single tear
that slipped down her cheek. 



She lifted her head, setting the picture aside as her
door opened abruptly and Harm entered. “Don’t you
knock?” she quipped, with a weak smile. 



Harm smiled that heart melting, knee knocking smile of
his. It quickly faded as he noticed the stray tear.
“Well, I’d humor you by walking out, knocking and
coming back in again, but I’m too concerned about a
friend of mine at the moment.” 



“You have friends?” she joked, not registering the
tear, or the fact that he’d noticed. 



Harm ignored her teasing. “Mac, why are you crying?” 



“What?” She reached up, feeling the tiny moist trail
against her cheek, wiping it away. “Oh, I wasn’t
crying, I was...” 



Harm frowned. “Mac! Don’t lie to me, you were crying.
What’s wrong? I know you. Something had you quiet and
distracted all through that meeting, and now you’re
crying. What is it? Come on, you can tell me.” 



Mac sighed, knowing she could never keep anything from
him. Her eyes traveled over to the picture, and her
fingers brushed over the image of Jingo looking young
and very much alive. She couldn’t believe he was gone.
Another tear slipped down her cheek, causing Harm even
more concern. He hated seeing her sad. 



He made his way around to her side of the desk,
crouching down beside her. It was then that he noticed
the picture. He smiled at the memory it evoked. Then
frowned at the realization that it was the source of
her tears. 



He gently removed her fingers and picked it up,
looking between it and her. “And here I was thinking
we’d had a blast that day. The memory really that
awful to recall?” His joking was gentle, meant to
entice an explanation from her. 



She smiled softly, more tears escaping. She briskly
rubbed them away. “No, not awful. It was fun, a lot of
fun. Jingo had...” Her voice cracked, and she pushed
herself away from her desk. She went to stand by her
window, looking out at the brilliant blue sky. Jingo
would have loved to go for a walk in the park on a day
like today...  



She felt Harm come up behind her, and place a hand on
her shoulder. She fought back the sob that was
building in her throat. 



Harm had a sinking feeling he knew what was wrong. He
carefully broached the subject he felt was the source
of his friend’s distress. 



“Mac...did something happen to Jingo?” 



At his words, she began to tremble, and she replied so
softly he had to lean closer to hear. 



“He’s dead, Harm. My neighbor found him in my
apartment a while ago. He’s dead.”  



With that, she broke down. Turning around, she leaned
into her partner’s chest. Harm’s arms immediately went
around her slender form, holding her tightly against
him as she cried softly. He closed his eyes. Why
Jingo? Why now? She’d already been through hell the
past year with his accident and Brumby leaving. When
would it end?  



With a gentle sigh, he returned his full attention to
his dark haired partner. He spoke soothingly to her,
murmuring nonsense in attempt to calm her grief. One
arm was locked firmly around her waist, the other
around her shoulders, his hand rubbing in comforting
circles on her back. Her arms were tucked firmly
between them, hands pressed against the front of his
uniform. Her head was buried under his chin, her warm
breath brushing against his neck. 

 

 

 



Sturgis, who was approaching Bud to tell him about
their case, stepped up to Harriet’s desk unnoticed by
husband and wife. The newest JAG attorney’s attention
was quickly turned to the source of the two
lieutenant’s. Their concerned gazes were locked on
their other two friends in Mac’s office. Harriet had
looked up to see Mac turn into Harm’s embrace, and all
three watched as he held the obviously distressed
Marine. 



Harriet frowned, eyes bright with concern. “Oh Bud,
what do you think is wrong? The colonel hardly ever
openly cries. She’s so strong. Something awful must
have happened to get her so upset.” 



Bud frowned in his own concern, but was quick to
reassure his wife. “I don’t know Harriet, but whatever
it is, she’ll be fine. Commander Rabb is with her.” 



Harriet nodded, and with one last look at their
friends, they turned to Commander Turner.  



The simplicity of Bud’s statement, and the equal
acceptance of it from his wife did not go unnoticed by
Sturgis. The foursome obviously had a quiet
understanding of each other, and each others ways. He
hoped one day, he’d work his way into the little group
more fully. He figured he’d enjoy the bond the four
shared, not to mention the larger group version that
included, the Admiral, Tiner and the Gunnery Sergeant
that had gone on active duty a few months earlier. He
snapped out of his daze as Lieutenant Simms spoke up. 



“Can we help you, Sir?” 



“Uh yeah, sorry. Lieutenant Roberts, it looks like
you’ll be assisting me with a case. And I hate to rush
things, but we’ve got to take a look at the facts
before Harm and Mac call for a deal.” 



“Aye Sir,” Bud answered. Grabbing his briefcase, he
smiled reassuringly at his wife. “She’ll be okay, Har-
er, Lieutenant. With you and the commander keeping an
eye on her, there’s no doubt.” 



“Thanks, Bud,” she replied, smiling lovingly at her
husband. He really was the sweetest man on earth. 



With one last glance into Mac’s office, the two men
headed towards Sturgis’ office. Harriet watched her
friends for a moment longer, before turning back to
the paperwork on her desk. The commander would take
care of her... 

 

 

 



Harm stood patiently holding his best friend, wishing
he could take all her pain away. He had vaguely
noticed Sturgis, Bud and Harriet watching them in
concern. He was glad only they noticed. They were good
friends, they would understand. 



When the tears subsided, and she was down to
sniffling, he heard her mumble softly. “I’m sorry,
Harm. I don’t know why I’m so upset. He was just a
stupid dog.” 



Harm smiled at her weak attempt at brushing the
lovable mutt off. “I don’t think so Marine,” he
returned softly in her ear. “Jingo was great. It’s
never easy losing a dog. They become a big part of
your life...someone to come home to every night. Man’s
best friend, remember?” 



Mac smiled weakly against her partner’s chest. “Harm,
he was my dog. I’m sad, but I’d be *slightly* more
hysterical if it was you that had died.” 



“Gee thanks,” he joked, lightly. 



Mac sniffed, chuckling, still leaning into his
embrace. She was not yet ready to relinquish the
comfort of his strong arms. She loved being held by
him. A tough Marine though she was, able to handle
anything on her own, she was still a woman with
desires, like any other.  



And maybe it was just her, but it always felt like
they fit...that their bodies were molded for each
others... /Dream on, Marine! Just friends, remember?
Back to the beginning./ She sighed. /A girl can
dream.../ she told herself. /But back to reality. Your
other best friend is gone, and you’re gonna have to go
home to find him lying there.../ Not a pleasant
thought.  



“I don’t know what to do with him Harm. I don’t want
to go home to his body. I don’t want my last memory of
him to be removing him from my apartment. I wish I’d
been there with him, but I couldn’t be. Now, I just
wanna remember him as he was. I can’t even bury
him...” 



Harm pulled away slightly, holding her shoulders with
his large, warm hands. He looked down into her dark
gypsy eyes, that were looking sadly up into his aqua
colored ones. “Let me take care of it, Mac.” 



“Harm, you don’t-” she began, in protest. 



“Yes, I do. I’m your friend, remember? It’s part of
the job description.” 



“Is it? I didn’t know being my friend was a job,” she
replied. 



“Oh definitely an around the clock one, Marine,” he
joked. Then he sobered. “I’m serious, Mac. I’ll take
care of him for you okay? He’ll be gone when you get
home.” 



Mac’s eyes watered slightly. “That’s the general
problem.” 



He sighed, pulling her back against him, resting his
chin on the top of her head. “I know, Mac. I know.” 



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

 



Commander Turner was returning from the kitchen with
coffee for Bud and himself. He looked up as Harm
exited Mac’s office, the pilot’s handsome face drawn
in a sad, as well as sympathetic, statement. Sturgis
quickly intercepted his friend, who had made a beeline
for his own office.  



“Hey Harm, is Mac okay? It looked like she was crying
in there.” 



Harm nodded, still heading for his office, causing his
friend to fall in step beside him. “She was, Sturgis.
Her-” 



“Commander Turner, have you informed Lt. Roberts of
your case yet?” Admiral Chegwidden’s voice boomed from
behind them, causing the two commanders to turn
abruptly and stand straighter before their boss. 



“Aye, Sir. Just did so, Sir. We’re getting to work on
it now.” 



The admiral crossed his arms over his chest
expectantly. “Then what are you doing out here,
chatting with Commander Rabb?”  



“I’m sorry, Sir. I was just concerned about Ma- er,
Colonel Mackenzie.” 



AJ nodded, but said pointedly, “She said she was fine,
Commander. Don’t you take her word for it?” 



“Not when I see her in the commander’s arms in tears,
Sir,” Sturgis disagreed, then wished he hadn’t said
that. It probably came out the wrong way and sounded
like...well...not good at any rate. 



The admiral raised his eyebrows, looking at Harm for
an explanation...and a damned good one. 



Harm gave Sturgis a look out of the corner of his eye,
before turning his full attention to the older man
before them. 



“It’s not what you think, Sir. The colonel was upset
and just needed...well...a hug, Sir. It’s not her
fault either though. She’s not bringing personal
problems to work or anything. She probably would have
made it through the day, but I kind of pushed her to
find out what was up.” 



The admiral pursed his lips, sighing. He believed the
younger man, and was now more concerned about Mac. The
marine was one tough woman. 



“And may I ask what it is that has the colonel so
withdrawn?” 



“It’s Jingo, Sir.” Harm answered carefully. 



“Jingo?” Sturgis blurted out. “Who’s Jingo?” 



“Jingo? What’s wrong with him?” The admiral asked,
both men ignoring Commander Turner’s inquiry for the
moment. 



Harm sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. “He’s
dead, Sir. Mac’s neighbor found him in her apartment
about an hour ago. He must of passed away just after
she left for work.” 



“Who the hell is Jingo...Sir,” Turner added at AJ’s
slightly annoyed look. 



Harm gave Sturgis a warning look as he said carefully,
“her dog, Sturgis. Before you say anything, remember,
*some* people *do*> like dogs,” he said. (AN: I don’t
know whether or not Sturgis likes dogs, but let’s just
pretend he doesn’t, and if it turns out he does, oh
well, life’s a bitch.) 



AJ raised his eyebrows at the newest addition to the
JAG family. “You don’t like dogs, Commander?” 



Turner shrugged. “Not a big fan, Sir. And Harm, I may
not be a dog lover, but Mac is my friend, and I
understand people get attached to the things.
Apparently it’s like losing a family member when your
dog dies.” 



“Yes, it is. Look, I gotta go make a call and then I’m
gonna go back to Mac’s office and get to work,
hopefully take her mind off Jingo. Don’t worry, Sir. I
won’t make her cry again.” 



“Make sure you don’t, Commander. You have a nasty
habit of doing just so.” AJ lightened the remark by
offering a smile to show his friend he was teasing. 



“Aye Sir,” Harm responded, grimly.  



He knew the admiral was just teasing, but the sad fact
was, it was true. It was him leaving JAG to return to
flying that had caused tears that fateful day, and it
was him crashing into the Atlantic ocean that had
apparently made her cry nearly a year ago.  



/Why is it I’m always hurting the one I.../ No. No, he
was not going there. Not right now. They had just
gotten their easy friendship back a few months ago. He
didn’t want to get thinking about anything that could
take it away again. Lord knows, over the two years
that Brumby had been in their lives, they’d always
remained friends, and yes, even remained *best*
friends, but things had been difficult. Words had been
said, mistakes had been made, feelings had been hurt. 




Never again, he vowed. Never again would he let
someone come between the friendship they shared. It
meant too much to him. She meant too much to him. And
now he was going to be there for her, like he had
almost always been...almost... Another regret he would
have to live with. How many more? 

 



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


That afternoon, Harm asked Harriet to take Mac to
lunch. Normally he went to lunch with her, but he
needed to go out and take care of some things for his
friend. He requested a longer lunch in order to do so,
which the admiral granted, trusting his officer had
good reason. When he returned, they would be meeting
with their client to go over the case. That would
likely take up the rest of the afternoon. It was
beginning to look like a long one. 



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



2200 ZULU

JAG HEADQAURTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VA 



Bullpen 



“Hey Colonel, Commander? Ready to discuss a deal yet?”




Both Harm and Mac turned to their friend, as Sturgis
emerged from his office. 



“Sturgis, it’s five o’clock. Time to go home, you
know? To our lives outside of work?” Harm returned,
with a grin.  



Mac however, broke in. She didn’t want to go home to
spend the night in her apartment alone tonight. This
presented a perfect excuse to be distracted from
Jingo’s absence.

“Wait a minute, Sailor. How about you, Sturgis and Bud
come over to my place tonight, say around 1900 hours?
We can order some pizza’s, and go over a deal with the
opposing council.” She smiled, winking playfully at
Sturgis, who looked mildly surprised. 



“You two take work home with you?” he asked. 



“Beats working here late,” Harm stated with a careless
shrug. 



“Do this often do you?” 



“We use to before...” Mac began, trailing off,
thinking of her ex-fiancee, and a certain video
princess gone mortician’s wife. She shook the
offending thoughts away and smiled at her partner.
“...before, and now we’ve gotten back into the swing
of things. Come on, Commander. Trust us. It makes for
a fun way to work.” 



“I don’t doubt it, Mac,” Sturgis said with a grin. He
was already loving his job here at JAG, and liking the
people he worked with...well, most people. A certain
devious, blonde haired lieutenant rubbed him the wrong
way. Harm had warned him about her, and with good
reason. She was the shark in these office waters. “Do
you want me to bring anything?” he asked, looking
between the two. 



They shared a look, that he swore was a whole silent
conversation between them. 



Harm shook his head. “Just yourself...and Bud could
probably do with a lift. I’ll order the pizza, Mac has
plenty of drinks. You still a haiwian man?” he asked
his old academy buddy. 



Sturgis nodded, and watched in amusement, as Harm
sauntered over and snatched up Harriet’s phone,
soliciting no argument from the young lieutenant. She
just smiled and continued the last of her paperwork.
He quickly dialed a number, while Mac gathered her
things from her office. 



“Hey Billy? Yeah. I know, it’s been awhile. Yep. Yep,
one MacRabb special, uh-huh. No, there’s more. Yeah,
company. Half haiwian, half pepperoni and double
cheese. Yep. I’ll pick it up around 1845...sorry,
6:45. Okay. Thanks Billy. See ya.” 



Sturgis grinned at the two as Mac rejoined them,
having left to inform Bud of tonight’s plan. “Familiar
with the pizza boy, you two?” 



Mac smiled. “Yeah, we go way back. About six years
now.” 



“The pizza boys been there for six years? How old is
he?” Sturgis asked, looking appalled. 



“Twenty-two. Been working there since he was sixteen.
He’s paying his way through college.” 



“Oh really? Does he have a girlfriend? A favorite
color?” Sturgis asked, a mirthful twinkle in his eye. 



Harm rolled his eyes at his friend’s teasing. “Yes,
and yes. He’s our pizza boy, Sturgis.” 



Sturgis quirked his eyebrows at the use of “our”, but
remained silent. 



“He’s a nice kid. We chat whenever we drop in for, or
order a pizza...which has been a lot over these past
six years.” 



Sturgis laughed. “Apparently. You know, my mail man
has been divorced three times.” 



He was mocking them, which earned him a punch on
either shoulder, before the two walked away. 



“1900 hours, Commander. Don’t be late,” Harm called
back. 



Sturgis grinned, calling out after the less then
prompt pilot. “You’re kidding me, right?” 



He heard Mac laugh, and the two disappeared around the
corner. 

 

 



JAG Parking Lot 



“Hey Mac, come with me,” Harm requested, gently
grasping his friends elbow, as she turned to head to
her own car. 



She looked at him confused. “Where?” 



“To get...something. I’ll explain on the way. Come
on.” 



Shrugging, Mac nodded, and got into the passenger side
of Harm’s car. Once they were well on their way, Mac
spoke up again. “Where are we going Harm?” 



“Well, remember how I told you I would take care of
Jingo?” 



Mac nodded, then smiled reassuringly. “Harm, it’s okay
if you didn’t get around-” 



“Hey, give me more credit than that Marine. I did what
I told you I would. I know you wanted to bury him, but
couldn’t, so I called the vet’s office. I met them at
your place at lunch-” 



“So that’s where you were,” she interjected. 



“Yes, now let me finish,” he admonished gently. 



Smiling, she closed her mouth and obliged. 



“They took Jingo, and I had them take him to be
cremated. We’re going to pick up his ashes. You can
either keep them in your apartment, or you can spread
them somewhere. The park...the creek...” He shrugged,
slightly embarrassed at how sentimental he sounded. “I
don’t know. I just thought-” 



“Harm,” she interrupted, causing him to stop his
rambling. His eyes however, remained fixated on the
road ahead. “Harm, thank you. I never would have
thought of that. It’s a wonderful idea. You have no
idea how much that means to me.” With that she placed
her left hand over his right, which rested on the
steering wheel, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Taking
his eyes off the road for a moment, he looked at her,
registering the tears glistening in her large brown
eyes. He smiled supportively at her, and squeezed
back, before she dropped her hand and they rode the
rest of the way in companionable silence. 

 



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

 



Mac looked up as Harm exited the vet’s office, one
hand tucking something, maybe his wallet, into his
pocket, the other holding a ceramic urn. She shivered
slightly, realizing that was all that was left of her
old friend. She straightened as he opened the driver’s
side door. He settled into his seat, closed the door
and turned to look at her, holding the urn in his
hands.  



“What do you want to do, Marine? Take him home, or do
you want to go to the park, and...” he trailed off,
patiently waiting for her decision. 



She looked at the urn in his hands. Jingo loved the
park...splashing in the creek that went through it.
With a sad smile, she looked up into her partner’s
concerned blue eyes. “Will you go with me? To the
park?” 



Harm nodded. “You wanna go now?” he asked, softly. 



“Yeah... if you don’t mind.” 



“Of course not,” he assured her. He was about to turn
back to face forward, but stopped, looking uncertain.
Mac realized he couldn’t hold the urn while driving,
but didn’t want to ask her to hold it. /The times I
catch him being sweet.../ she thought, then spoke up.
“It’s okay, Flyboy. I’ll take it. I’m a marine, I can
handle it.” 



He grinned sheepishly, and handed it to her.  



Mac just smiled sadly, and settled back in the seat,
the urn resting in her lap. Harm glanced at her from
the corner of his eye as he turned the keys in the
ignition. Assuring himself that she was fine, he put
the car into reverse. 



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



Harm stood watching his partner as she watched the
last of Jingo’s ashes fade in the breeze. They both
stood on the bridge, overlooking the park’s creek. The
sun was beginning to set, glinting off Mac’s dark
brown hair, bringing out the auburn highlights.  



She stood with her back to him, leaning her forearms
against the bridges side. He could see one side of her
beautiful face, the wind rustling her silky hair. She
brushed it back, and closed her eyes breathing in the
fresh spring air.  



He leaned back, not quite ready to disturb her peace.
He loved watching her when she wasn’t looking...when
she was looking her most beautiful...most natural. It
was when she allowed herself to drop all her defenses
and just...be... Once again, a single tear slipped
down her soft, tan cheek. She wiped it away, sighed,
and opened her eyes, once again staring off into the
distance.  



Having his fill of gazing at her, and yet, not having
enough, he finally stepped forward. Coming to stand
beside her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and
gazed off into the distance with her. 



After a moment, she spoke. “You know, I wish I’d
gotten a picture of him, right here, right now. The
setting sun always made his coat shimmer like fire. I
would have taken it from here, with him down by the
creek...” she trailed off, leaving them both to their
individual thoughts. 



/Pictures,/ Harm thought. /A picture could bring about
a lifetime of memories, even a dog’s lifetime, however
long or short./ This gave him an idea, but he kept it
to himself. He’d add that to his little list of things
to do to “be there” for his friend.  



They remained quiet, watching the sun dip lower, until
Mac finally straightened. “We better go, Flyboy. We
still need to go get my car, and you need to go home
and change.” 



“What? My personality or my clothes?” Came his cheeky
response, in an attempt to lighten the mood. It
worked...a little too well.  



“Both,” she teased back, glad for the distraction. 



“Ouch,” he mocked hurt.  



She giggled, gently punching his shoulder. “Let’s go,
Sailor.” 



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



2418 ZULU

MAC’S APARTMENT

GEORGETOWN, VA 



Harm, as usual, was late. Sturgis and Bud were already
comfortably seated on Mac’s couch when he arrived. He
had had to make a stop after he dropped Mac off to get
her car, before he headed home to change into jeans
and an old Navy shirt. 



Mac just shook her head at him when she opened the
door. He grinned sheepishly at her as he entered and
handed her the pizza boxes. He looked out of the
corner of his eye, appreciating her slender form, clad
in jeans and a light knit, purple sweater, as he
pulled his leather jacket off. Setting his coat on a
chair, he followed her into the kitchen to help her
get the drinks she had been about to deliver to her
other two guests when he’d shown up. 



Opening her fridge, he helped himself to a bottle of
juice, and grabbed a bottle of water for her, while
she got Sturgis and Bud their drinks. 



“So,” he said, as the two joined their colleagues in
the living room. Both men on the couch thanked Mac as
she handed them their drinks. “You haven’t been trying
to coerce my partner without me present, have you?” he
asked, looking pointedly at Sturgis. 



Sturgis rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of
confidence in my character, Buddy. Besides, you should
know your partner is not easily coerced.” 



“Do I ever,” Harm replied with a low chuckle. 



“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she retorted with a
grin. 



“Suit yourself,” he said casually. It really was a
compliment though. No one could sway his partner when
she believed in something strongly. 



She made a face at him, but laughed.  



He set the pizzas down on her coffee table, then
settled down on one of the plush chairs. He flipped
both boxes open, and motioned for Mac to sit by him,
so they could both reach their pizza. She settled
comfortably on the floor, leaning back against the
chair, her arm brushing his leg. 



“We discussing the deal now or after?” Sturgis asked,
eyeing the partners. 



“After Sturgis. We like to enjoy our food,” Mac
answered teasingly. 



“How much of that are you eating?” he asked, noting
that both pizzas were large. “You expect the four of
us to eat both? That’s half a pizza each. Do you
normally eat that much?” 



Mac looked at him deadpan. “You don’t?” 



“No, two pieces suffice, thank you.” 



“Well, what the hell do you and Bobbi do when you
order pizza? Save it for lunch the next day?” 



“No, we don’t have to. We don’t get a large pizza for
just the two of us.” 



Mac shrugged, grabbing a meat filled piece. “Well, we
do, and we finish it all.” 



“Now, I know Harm doesn’t help you with your half...so
where the hell do you put it?” 



Taking a large bite and chewing with glee, Mac smiled,
cheeks full, and patted her slim stomach. Swallowing,
she added, “right here.” 



Harm chuckled, taking his own piece. He grinned as
Sturgis gave him a disbelieving look.  



“You weren’t kidding when you said she could eat,”
Sturgis stated, shaking his head. 



Harm just shrugged. “What can I say? She’s
a...well...I wouldn’t say *healthy* eater, seeing as
she eats animal carcasses-” 



“You know, you make it sound much worse than it
is...animal *carcasses*. Pshhh.” Mac shook her head,
and took another big bite, then waved the half eaten
slice in his face. “Mmmmm.” 



Harm frowned, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Mac,
that is so gross. If you don’t get that out of my
face, you’re gonna be wearing it, as well as my half
digested piece.” 



Mac laughed, settling back against the chair,
playfully nudging his leg. She took another bite of
pizza, still chuckling. 



Sturgis just shook his head. Mac was
certainly...unique, but it was in an endearing sort of
way. She was also beautiful, intelligent,
compassionate, funny. She was one hell of a marine,
one hell of a lawyer...one hell of a woman. He could
understand how Harm had fallen in love with her. (His
friend didn’t need to admit it to him, for Sturgis to
realize as much.)  



Despite that though, Sturgis couldn’t see himself with
Mac. Maybe it was because he knew her heart belonged
with Rabb...or because she was obviously off limits.
If he went after her, Harm would have his six, in no
uncertain terms. Even though the two were only
friends...best friends...that had spent a lot of time
together over the past six years (he hadn’t missed the
fact that Harm was perfectly comfortable around Mac’s
home...perfectly familiar) the love was there, albeit
hidden.  



Besides, Mac was great, but maybe just a little too
unique for him. The psychic visions only added to her
intimidation factor. He had a feeling few men could
really deal with the sassy marine, as more than a
friend. He also had a feeling Harm enjoyed dealing
with her feisty nature. The man always loved a
challenge, and Mac was one of no comparison, that was
for sure. 



No, Bobbi was challenge enough for him, and a
challenge she was. Mac was all Harm’s...if they ever
got past whatever it was the kept them apart... 



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



Later... 



“Well, we’ll talk to our client, but we’re going to
recommend against it, Sturgis. I think Mac and I will
be seeing you and Bud in court,” Harm stated simply. 



“Coffee?” Mac asked, just as simply changing the
subject, setting her file on Harm’s lap.  



Bud nodded, while Sturgis grinned. “Well, I guess
that’s it then,” he said with a chuckle. 



Mac smiled, shrugging. “That’s it. No deal. I’m sure
our client will agree. Now, Bud wants some coffee, how
about you?” 



“Sure Mac,” Sturgis said, with a laugh. 



Harm grinned. He was about to get to his feet to help
her when he remembered he wanted to do something. “Uh,
hey Mac? Your box of pictures still in your bedroom
closet?” he asked. 



Mac frowned in thought for a moment. “Ummm, no. I
think Mic moved them when he was here. Check the hall
closet. Why?” 



Harm shrugged, getting to his feet. “Oh, I just wanted
to show Sturgis some pictures. You know of...of
AJ...and uh, Chloe and that...okay?” 



Mac shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. Though I don’t think
they’ll interest him.” 



“Sure, they will. Won’t they buddy?” Harm said,
glancing meaningfully at Sturgis, who though confused,
just nodded. 



“Oh yeah, sure. Why not?!” 



“Okay well, just do me a favor and leave them out when
you’re done. I wanna put them back in my bedroom,
where they belong,” she stated with a small frown. She
hadn’t been fond of any rearranging her ex-fiancee had
done. 



Harm nodded, and headed for the closet in the hall.
Bud, on the other hand, got up and went to help Mac in
the kitchen. 



Harm returned before them, and sat next to Sturgis on
the couch. The other man gave him a quizzical look,
and spoke to his friend in a hushed tone. “Is there a
reason you want me looking at baby pictures? I mean I
know AJ’s your godson and all, but I’ve see him
before. And Chloe? Isn’t that uh, that little girl
that came to visit Mac at Christmas, her uh...” 



“Her sister...sort of...yeah. Look, just play along
all right? I wanna sneak some pictures out of here.” 



Sturgis eyebrows shot up. “Of who or what and why,
exactly?” 



Harm rolled his eyes, but said nothing as Bud and Mac
returned with the coffee. 



Setting them down before her guests, Mac turned to
change the CD’s in her player. They’d been listening
to some Jazz during dinner and the deal. 



“Any requests?” she asked, removing the CD’s and
placing them back in their cases. 



“Put your newest U2 one in, the one with
“Elevation”...and the new Aerosmith hits double
set...” Harm said, without looking up. He was busy
flipping through pictures, occasionally tossing one at
Sturgis, and discreetly tossing others into his lap. 



“Okay. Bud? Sturgis?” 



“I like what you two like,” Bud stated, sipping at his
coffee. He grabbed a few pictures to look through
himself. He idly noted, from his position on the couch
beside Harm, that the commander was beginning a
collection of particular pictures in his lap.  



“Do you have anything classical?” Sturgis asked,
looking up at her from casually sorting through some
pictures Harm had thrown at him. 



Mac paused to think, and then asked, “...Enya? Is that
close enough?” 



“Close enough,” Sturgis replied, with a grin. 



Mac smiled and slipped the suggested CD’s into her
player, and set them at random. The first strains of
“Beautiful Day” played through her speakers. She
settled herself in the chair Harm had previously
occupied, pulling her legs up under her and leaning
back against the arm. From this position, she watched
as her friends looked through her pictures. Amused,
she smiled softly, sipping at her coffee. 



“Hope I didn’t leave any dirty photos in there,” she
said casually, breaking the silence and causing Bud
and Sturgis to choke on their coffee. Only Harm wasn’t
affected, being that he was used to her wry humor. He
rolled his eyes, not even looking up from his search. 




“Gee, wouldn’t that be too bad,” he replied,
nonchalantly. “Then we might find out exactly where
that tattoo is hidden.” 



Sturgis once again, coughed mid sip. He looked at Mac,
surprised. “Tattoo?” 



Mac just smiled mischievously, but said nothing. 



Bud, having recovered after grinning sheepishly at
Mac, nudged Harm with his knee and held up a picture
for his friend to see. The young lieutenant had
noticed the collection of pictures to be specific and
thought his friend might want ones he came across.
Harm looked at the picture and grinned, winking at
Bud.  



He wasn’t surprised his colleague went along without
question. Bud was like that. He trusted Harm, Mac and
the admiral, without hesitation. He probably figured
that Harm was up to something, but knew it was
something for Mac, something special. Harriet had
informed Bud about Jingo that afternoon after she had
gotten back from lunch with the colonel. If there was
anyone else Mac would talk to openly, outside of Harm,
it was Harriet Simms-Roberts.  



Mac had noticed the wink and raised an eyebrow. “What?
Mic didn’t mix in any dirty pictures did he?” 



Lucky for Sturgis, he didn’t have any coffee to choke
on this time. He just gave Mac an exasperated look.
She shrugged, smiling sweetly at her friend. Bud
wasn’t even paying attention this time.  



Suddenly, Mac perked up, and grabbed the control. “I
love this song,” she stated, turning the volume up.  



Steven Tyler’s raspy voice filled the room, as he sang
the lyrics of the hit “Crazy”. She started humming
along, and then began singing. She was soon joined by
Bud, and Harm, who took advantage of her distraction,
and shoved the confiscated pictures into his pocket.
Still singing along with them, Harm took the pictures
of him, Mac and the gang from two Christmas’ ago, from
Sturgis’ hand, putting them back into the box and
setting it on the floor. The other man just chuckled
at his three friends who were now belting out the
chorus. 



“...Crazy, crazy, baby, I go crazy,

You turn on, then your gone, yeah you drive me,

Crazy, crazy, crazy, for you baby,

What can I do..... honey! I feel like the color
bluuuuuuuueeeeee......” 

 



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

 



The Next Day 



1415 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VA 



For once, Harm knocked before he entered Mac’s office,
a nervous grin on his face. He stayed up late last
night after he’d gotten home, putting together the
purchased and collected items for his friend.  



He hoped that she would like it. That it would make
her feel better. She was already much better today. He
could tell that when he had seen her in the kitchen
earlier. Last night’s distraction had been good for
her, but he figured she still needed a little more
closure of sorts. Even though he was fairly certain
she’d like what he had done, he was still nervous. It
was kind of another sentimental thing.... He really
had to stop. It was gonna ruin his tough-six, jet-jock
image. He sighed inwardly. Oh well, Mac was worth it. 



“Hey Sailor,” she greeted, looking up from some spread
papers. “You’re early. We’re not supposed to meet with
our client for another half an hour.” 



“I know...I just...I have something for you,” he said
bashfully, closing the door behind him. No need for
the whole office to know about his soft side. 



“Something for me? What? I’ve got all our files
here...” 



“No, it’s not for work. It’s just, uh, for you. Kind
of an; I’m sorry, I’m here for you, I care...kind
of...thing...” 



“Harm, you didn’t need to get me anything. I already
know that.” 



“I know. I just wanted to...well...um...here,” he
finally said, pulling two items from under his arm.  



Getting up from her desk, a bewildered Mac approached
him, taking the proffered gifts. 



Looking from his nervous face, to the items and back
again, she asked. “What are they?” 



“Well, that’s uh...open it,” he indicated the small
round tin in her left hand. 



Setting the other item down, she pulled the lid off
the tin, and gasped. “Oh Harm, is it really
actually...?” 



“Yeah, it is. It was done before they took him away.
They told me about what people had started doing
recently and if I thought you’d like it. I said sure.
They asked me his name, what color to use... I thought
of the color of his collar...” 



“Oh Harm, it’s wonderful, thank you,” she exclaimed
softly, staring down at the item. It was a round piece
of clay, incased in the tin. Jingo’s paw print was
pressed in the middle, his name arching above. The
name and paw print were the beige clay color. The rest
of it was painted a burgundy color. 



Harm shifted uncomfortably. He was glad she liked it,
but he was still feeling awkward.  



When she looked back up at him, eyes bright, he
swallowed and motioned for the other gift she’d set on
her desk. She nodded, silently setting the tin down,
and picked up the small leather bound book. Opening
it, she let out another gasp. It was a miniature photo
album, filled with pictures of Jingo, her and Jingo,
Chloe and Jingo... There was one empty space at the
end. She looked up questioningly. He cleared his
throat and spoke.  



“I figured you could put the picture of the three of
us in there...if you wanted.” 



She smiled affectionately at him. “Another great idea,
Sailor. You’re just full of them lately, aren’t you?” 



He smiled at her, shrugging. 



Setting the album down, she stepped forward and
without a word, wrapped her arms around her partner.
With barely a seconds hesitation, he returned the
embrace, relaxing. His awkwardness had vanished. She
had loved it. Now, he was just glad to be hugging her
without the tears. He never wanted her to be sad. 



“Thank you, Harm. This is so sweet of you. I really
had no idea you had it in you.” 



He chuckled, giving her a tight squeeze, before
pulling away. “Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone, all
right? I do have a reputation to uphold.” 



“Not a problem, Squid. I don’t think they’d believe me
anyway.” 



They both laughed, quieting when she reached up, and
gently pulled his head down, kissing him lightly on
the cheek. “I mean it though, Harm,” she said, pulling
away, blushing slightly from the heat of the contact
of her lips and his skin. “This really helps. Only
problem now is getting used to an empty apartment
again.” 



“Yeah well, hey, what are friends for, huh? And don’t
worry, things will work out. You won’t be lonely for
long. I promise.” 



“You plan on movie nights during the weekday?” she
teased, moving away to put the items into her
briefcase to take home at the end of the day. 



“That too,” he said casually, a mysterious twinkle in
his eye. 



She cocked her head at the look and was about to
question just exactly what he meant, when there was a
knock.  



“Enter,” she called out. 



Tiner poked his head into the office. “Commander Rabb,
Sir? Your office phone is ringing.” 



He glanced at his watch and nodded knowingly. He had
been waiting for the call back... “Good.” He looked at
her apologetically. “Important call, I better get it.
I’ll be back to go over the case with our client when
he arrives.” He turned to leave, stopped short for a
moment and asked, “Lunch at Denny’s?” 



Mac smiled at her friend, more thankful than ever to
have him in her life. Brash heroics, odd obsessions,
stubborn pride and all. “You bet, Flyboy.” 



“Good,” he said softly, with a heart-warming smile. He
disappeared out the door, and Mac sighed. That man. He
was up to something, she could tell. But what more
could he possibly do to make her feel better? He’d
done so much already. More than anyone had ever done
for her, just to make her smile. She shrugged to
herself. She’d find out sooner or later. 

 

 



One Month Later 



2150 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VA 



Harm had taken the last hour of a Friday afternoon off
to run an “errand”. However, he returned just before
five o’clock and made his way across the bullpen,
hands seemingly casually held behind his back. Admiral
Chegwidden, Cmdr. Turner and the Roberts were nearby
talking. No one paid attention to him as he approached
Mac, who was standing near a filing cabinet, looking
through a file. 



“Hey Marine, what are you doing tonight?” he asked,
coming to stand before her. 



Mac didn’t look up from the file she was flipping
through, distractedly mumbling a sarcastic reply.
“Same thing I do every night, Flyboy, try to take over
the world.” 



The admiral, Sturgis, Harriet and Bud’s attention was
caught in amused interest at Mac’s statement. They
dropped their own individual discussions and listened
to the unfolding “drama”.  



The oblivious pair, carried on. Harm rolled his eyes,
fighting a smile. “Seriously, Mac.” 



Mac looked up with a deadpan statement. “You don’t
think I could?” 



Harm chuckled. “I have no doubt you could, Ninja Girl.
However, all world domination aside, are you busy?” 



She sighed, glancing back down at the file as she
responded. “Sadly, pathetically, no.” 



“Ouch.” 



She looked up, eyes questioning. “What do you mean,
*ouch*? That was insulting to *me*.” 



“And to the rest of us...namely me, who except for
hopefully this...thing, would be doing sadly,
pathetically, nothing either.” 



Mac grinned mischievously. “Aw gee, look how that
worked out! An insult without effort! Guess this is my
lucky day...” 



Harm shook his head. “Well, if you’re gonna be like
that...” He began to back away. 



“Hold it right there, Sailor. What were you gonna ask
me?” 



He grinned devilishly. “Only if you wanted to go
shopping with me.” 



Mac laughed. “Every girls dream! A guy who’s *willing*
to go clothes shopping with her. What’s the catch?” 



“Who said anything about clothes?” he replied
innocently. 



Mac looked confused. “Then what?” She frowned. “Not
another car to restore is it?” 



“No, no, no...” 



“Then what?” she asked, getting impatient. 



He paused briefly before exclaiming with a boyish
grin, “toys!” 



By this time, the group watching them were thoroughly
intrigued. Harm still had his hands behind his back,
and from their angle they couldn’t see what he was
holding. The admiral considered ordering them to get
back to work, but it was close enough to
five...besides, he was dying of curiosity. 



Mac’s eyebrows shot up. “Toys? Aren’t you a little old
for-” 



Harm rolled his eyes, but grinned. “Not for me.” 



“AJ’s birthday isn’t for another month or so, Harm.” 



“Not for AJ-” 



“Oh, for the love of God, what the hell are you up to
Rabb?” she finally snapped, flipping the file in her
hands shut. 



Everyone but Harm jumped as her outburst elicited a
tiny yelp from Harm’s...back? 



His flyboy grin grew wider, and he carefully brought
what was behind his back, forward.  



“Toys...” he said, uncovering the loosely blanketed
bundle, “for him.” 



Mac’s jaw dropped, as a two little eyes peeked at her
through the soft confines of the blanket. One brown,
one blue. Harm removed the blanket completely, and
Mac’s hand went to her mouth at the adorable black,
gray and white, Malamute pup. It looked up at her,
whimpering and squirming, in attempt to gain more
attention. 



“Harm! He...who’s...” 



“He’s yours,” Harm said, with a smile, offering the
furry bundle to his speechless partner.  



Without a word, she gathered the puppy into her arms,
laughed delightedly as the little guy squirmed closer
to her face and licked the tip of her nose.  



“Oh Harm, he’s adorable. Where did you get him? Why
did you get him? And for me?” 



Harm just shrugged, absently scratching the puppy
between the ears. “I got him from a kennel I contacted
just after Jingo died. They told me they had some pups
that would be ready in a month. I thought that was
best anyway, cause I didn’t think you wanted another
dog too soon, and as for why?” Again, he shrugged,
smiling as the little guy licked his fingers. “I
promised you that you wouldn’t be lonely for long,
remember? I always keep my promises...or try to
anyway...” 



“Yes, you do,” she answered softly, deeply touched and
showing it, gazing up into his aquamarine orbs. He
gazed back at her, drowning in the chocolate brown
depths that were her eyes. The moment was broken when
an anxious pup whimpered, licking eagerly at Mac’s
chin. 



The moment hadn’t gone unnoticed by their friends,
still watching, but they wisely chose to say nothing.
Instead, they approached the little trio, Harriet
cooing over the squirming bundle in her friend’s arms.
Bud watched his wife, smiling, while Sturgis just
stood by Harm and shook his head. “What is it with
women and dogs?” 



The admiral, coming to stand on Harm’s other side,
shook his head as well. “The same thing that’s with
women and horses, and women and babies. Something men
everywhere will probably never understand.” 



The other three chuckled, while Harriet and Mac just
gave each other a knowing look. Men and their macho
image. Both women could see Harm, Bud and even the
admiral, who had a deeply hidden soft side, sitting on
the floor, playing with the pup. 



“Anyway,” the admiral said, after taking a moment to
scratch the puppy’s chin. “Last time I checked this
wasn’t a kennel, so get this mutt out of here. That’s
an order.” 



“Aye Sir,” Mac and Harm said simultaneously. 



“And Commander?” 



“Sir?” 



“Next time you bring an animal into this building
you’ll be doing traffic violation cases for a month.
Is that clear?” 



Straightening, Harm nodded, “Yes, Sir.” 



“Good... So, Colonel, what are you gonna name him?” he
asked, before Mac could go to get her things. Stopping
mid turn she opened her mouth to respond, then closed
it looking down into the furry face. “I-I don’t know.”




“Well, he can’t go long without a name, Colonel. I
expect you to report to me Monday morning with a name
chosen. Understood?” 



Biting back a smile, Mac nodded. “Understood, Sir.” 



Nodding, still retaining his no-nonsense stance, the
admiral dismissed them all from their little huddle.
“That’ll be all.” 



“Aye, Sir,” came the unified response.  



Winking at Mac, Harriet gave the puppy one last pat
before heading to her desk to pack up. Sturgis just
shook his head in wonder and walked away in the
direction of his office. The admiral and Bud soon went
their own ways as well. When it was just Harm and Mac
left, he looked at her with a flyboy grin.  



“That was interesting.” 



Mac laughed, handing the puppy back to Harm while she
went into her office to grab her things. Coming back
out, she smiled at the sight of Harm making baby talk
with the puppy, who yipped and whined in response. 



“Uh oh, is the commander getting in touch with his
feminine side? Beginning to understand what it is with
women and dogs?” 



Making a face at her, he responded sarcastically.
“That’s funny.” 



She just laughed again and the two headed out. It was
time for some toy shopping. 



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



2305 ZULU

RANDOM PET STORE

FALLS CHURCH, VA 



“Harm, put that back!” Mac exclaimed with a laugh. Her
partner had been strolling along ahead of her, the
puppy nestled under one arm. He had casually picked up
a fuzzy mouse on a string and proceeded to swing it
back and forth causing the puppy to yip excitedly. 



“He likes it,” Harm argued, a mischievous gleam in his
blue eyes. 



“Harm, it’s cat toy, ” she argued back, exasperation
evident in her tone. Shopping with this man was like
shopping with a five year old. He just couldn’t keep
his hands off anything. 



“And dogs are really that picky,” he retorted
sarcastically. 



“No, their owners are. I don’t want ou-, uh, my dog
being seen playing with sissy cat toys.” 



Harm hadn’t missed her near slip, but he said nothing,
smiling inwardly. He’d guiltily relished the thought
of sharing anyone or anything with her. He sighed to
himself. It really wasn’t wise to go there. They were
just friends...but friends could share a dog, couldn’t
they?  



“Fine then,” he pouted playfully, setting the toy
down, only to snatch up a glittery ball that jingled
as he shook it lightly. With a grin, he tossed it
toward his friend. “Catch!” he called, just in time.  



Mac had taken to ignoring him as she rifled through
several chew toys. She looked up just in time and
caught the bright pink toy in one hand, the other hand
traveling to her hip. Tapping one foot she shook the
ball at him, only to be startled by the jangling. When
he laughed at her surprised look, she scowled, and
chucked it back at him, causing him to duck. She
slapped a hand over her mouth as it went sailing past,
barely missing his head, and hitting the ground,
bouncing once, then rolling to a stop at an old
woman’s feet. 



The woman gave her a dirty look, kicking the ball back
in their direction before stalking off, a bag of bird
seed in her hands. 



A slight flush coloring her pretty features, Mac
stalked over to her best friend and slapped him upside
the head.  



“You idiot, you weren’t supposed to duck.” 



He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head where
she had struck him. “I know. I’m sorry, I forgot. I’m
supposed to *take cover*.” 



“If you were a Marine...” she started. 



“If I were a Marine,” he agreed, with a smirk. 



Shaking her head, fighting her own smirk, she turned
back to the chew toys mumbling out, “if you were a
marine, you wouldn’t be playing with cat toys.”  



“Ha ha,” he bit back, stooping to pick up the fallen
jingle toy. “What do we have left to get?” he asked,
letting their playful banter subside for the moment.
He tossed the ball back into a random bin and turned
to his friend, who was placing a multi colored ball
into the basket she held. 



Looking down into the basket she began listing off the
things they had collected. They’d already been there
for forty-five minutes, but Harm’s antics tended to
slow things down.

“Let’s see, we’ve got the collars and leashes,” she
said, looking pointedly at him. It had taken nearly
twenty minutes for them to decide on a color. Mac
wanted Marine green....Harm liked Navy blue. Finally,
a worker had suggested a black puppy collar, and then
a nice leather adult one for when he outgrew the puppy
collar. They had sheepishly agreed. 



A part of them didn’t know why they were arguing. Harm
*had* gotten the dog for *her*, but they both seemed
to share this unspoken agreement, that the dog would
be both of theirs. That Harm would have some say about
the little guy. It just unconsciously seemed to happen
that way. Maybe it was their close friendship, the
fact that they’d already shared so much. Neither knew,
and neither wanted to question it. 



Mac continued, sorting through the items. “Food and
water dishes, puppy food, some squeaky toys, a ball...
What else is there?” 



Harm shrugged. “You’re the one that had a dog
recently. My mom was the one that shopped for the one
I had as a kid.” (Author doesn’t know that he had one,
let’s just pretend he did, okay?) 



“Well, Jingo came with all his stuff.” 



Harm looked around, up and down the aisle. “What about
a doggy bed?” 



Mac’s eyebrows raised at her partner’s words. “A
*doggy* bed?” 



Blushing, Harm shrugged. “Well?” 



With a smirk, Mac called out to the nearest worker.
“Excuse me, can you help us find a, uh, *doggy* bed,
for our pup here?” This time she missed her slip up,
and Harm felt warmth spread through him at those
words. “Our” pup. Kind of like “our” home....”our”
children... He shook his head. /Uh-uh. You’re doing it
again. For the love of God, Do NOT go there. Not
now.../ He sighed. /He couldn’t help it. He wasn’t
sure he wanted to anymore./  



Focusing back to the task at hand, he followed his
partner and the worker to the back of the store.
There, the young man pulled down a bean bag type of
bed, large enough for a full grown dog, with bones and
paw prints all over it. Harm and Mac shared a look.
The background was beige, the paws were green, and the
bones were blue. 



“Perfect,” they exclaimed at once. 



The young man just looked at them, shrugged, and
helped carry the bed to the checkout counter. 



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



0105 ZULU

MAC’S APARTMENT

GEORGETOWN, VA 



Harm chuckled as he and Mac stood, cleaning the dishes
from their dinner of Fettucini Alfredo. Mac had
invited him over just after they left the pet shop.
He’d accepted without hesitation. 



The source of his amusement was the puppy, as it
nipped and swatted at the odd sud that drifted down.
Mac turned to look, and laughed as he pounced on an
unlucky sud that had survived long enough to land on
the floor. 



“Feisty little guy, isn’t he.”  



It wasn’t really a question, but Harm answered anyway.
“Yeah, he is. Only a few hours and already he’s
inheriting his Marine owner’s traits. You know, I
think I’m gonna have to take him for man-to-uh-man-dog
walks now and then. Keep him from getting to female
influenced.” 



Mac made a face at him, then laughed. “I’m gonna hold
you to that, Sailor. Jingo was older and didn’t need
the constant walks as much. This guy is gonna need a
lot of them. He’s gonna end up kind of big and
energetic for an apartment dog...” As she said this,
she suddenly looked worried. 



Harm just smiled. He’d already considered that before
buying her a larger dog.

“Don’t worry, Marine. I’ll help you out. Besides, I
have a feeling in a few years you’re gonna need a
bigger place outside of town anyway.” 



Mac turned back to washing dishes, but cocked her head
to give her partner a disbelieving look. “You know
something I don’t, Sailor? At this rate, I don’t think
I’ll ever get the chance to have children...”  



Harm frowned. “Hey? Have you forgotten about our
deal?” 



Mac stopped scrubbing for a moment, and looked at him,
surprise evident on her face. “That’s still on? I
thought we agreed at my engagement party that it was
null and void.” 



“We didn’t agree on anything, and that was because you
had Brumby.” 



“And you had Renee,” she added. 



He shrugged, a wry grin lighting up his face.
“Apparently not. Some guy in a dark suit, with a
coffin collection had her heart since high school.
Man, if it wasn’t so degrading, it’d be amusing.” 



Mac covered her mouth with the back of her hand,
fighting off the laughter that was building up.
Gaining some control, after receiving a glare from her
friend, she tried to console him. “Aw, come on Harm.
Renee is probably totally regretting dumping you, a
hot rodding flyboy, for Gomez Addams.” Harm rolled his
eyes, but Mac ignored him. “In fact, I’ll bet that
relationship is already at a...a dead end....” Harm
groaned loudly at the painfully horrible joke, but Mac
continued, giggling all the while. “He probably saw
the uh....light... so to speak, and got rid of her.
Discovered that blue eyed blondes didn’t cut it for
Morticia wannabes.” She was laughing hard by now, and
Harm was fighting back laughter of his own.  



“It’s not funny,” he argued feebly, before bursting
into laughter as well. “You’re twisted, Marine,” he
finally got out, laughter subsiding. 



“Yeah, well,” she shrugged, still giggling a little,
and handed him another plate to dry. 



“Anyway,” Harm continued, exaggerating impatience. “As
I was saying before we began ex bashing, that was when
we were both involved. We’re not anymore. Two years
left on AJ’s birthday... May is only a few days away.”




“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” 



“Aw, Mac, you know I don’t mean it like that. You
could have any guy you wanted, but well, I dunno. I
just think we’d have great kids together.” 



“You want me to swear off men for two years, so we can
have great kids together?” she asked incredulously,
but with amusement. 



Harm blushed, shrugging. “Well, no, of course not...
Look, I’m just saying that the deals still on as far
as I’m concerned. So regardless, you’re gonna have a
child...or children, in a couple of years. You’ll need
a bigger place, with a backyard at the very least, and
so the dog will have more room to run.” 



“You considered this before buying the dog, did you?” 



“Yeah.” 



Mac shook her head, but smiled. “Glad to know I’ve
still got you as a back up, but don’t sell yourself
short, Squid. What if you have a steady girl, come two
years and I don’t? ...A guy, I mean.” 



Harm shrugged. “Deal’s still on.” 



“You don’t think your girlfriend, or hell, by that
time, maybe fiancee or wife, would have a problem with
that?” 



He just smiled, something indescribable shining in his
eyes. “Not if it’s the girl of my dreams. She won’t
mind one bit,” he assured softly, before gently taking
the glass a frozen Mac held between the sink and her
partner, not breaking eye contact. 



Mac blinked twice, before snapping out of it, turning
away from his intense, but ever gentle gaze. He
couldn’t be implying... Could he? She shivered as she
replayed his comment, the soft... suggestive? ...tone
of his voice. 



“Well,” she finally choked out. “I guess I’m set
then.” 



Harm smiled to himself, enjoying seeing his friend so
flustered. He could tell she’d caught the meaning, and
was now most likely fighting with herself about
whether she had been imagining it. /Let her wonder./
He thought to himself.  



Yes, they had decided to start at the beginning
again...though, that wasn’t to say they were going to
forget about the precious years in between. They just
weren’t letting romance come back into the picture to
spoil things...for now. He knew in his heart there was
only one woman for him. Sarah MacKenzie.  



He only hoped that any man that came into her life
suddenly would be gone just as quickly. He couldn’t
bear to lose her again to someone else. He couldn’t
bear to lose her period. He knew a large part of his
heart would go with her...if he survived the loss. Who
could live with only half a heart? ...Not him.  



Despite that fear, he’d come to realize what he feared
even more was her never knowing how he really felt.
Now all he had to do was eventually find the courage
to tell her, before it was too late...without ruining
their friendship. And she said these things weren’t
complicated. 



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



“What about Rover?” Harm questioned as the two friends
sat side by side on the floor. 

They were leaning back against her couch, so close
their arms pressed against each other. They were
playing with the pup, taking turns throwing the ball
against the far wall, watching the pup chase it to the
wall and back as it bounced off.  



Harm had reminded her of her weekend “assignment”, and
they were now tossing names back and forth, trying to
find the perfect one. 



“Rover? You’re kidding me right? Why don’t we just
call him *doggy*?” she asked sarcastically.  



Harm turned to glower playfully at her teasing. “You
suck.” 



“You wish,” she bit back without thinking. 



Harm’s eyes widened, and he exclaimed. “Red light,
Colonel.” 



Mac’s own eyes widened, “I meant- I mean... argh! You
know I didn’t mean it that way, Harm! And dammit, it’s
been, like, six years. Traffic signals are long past
pointless, especially outside the office, now what
about something like Sergeant?” 



He let the comment slide, though he couldn’t figure
for the life of him what else she could have meant.
“Too Marinish,” he returned, with a grimace. 



“Marine-ish?” she asked, eyebrows raised skeptically. 



“It’s a word,” he argued feebly. 



“Well, what about something that’s both Marine...ish,
and Navy..ish,” she suggested, mocking him slightly. 



“Like what?” 



“I don’t know...what’s something that we share?” she
asked, taking the ball from the pup and throwing it at
the wall once again. 



“Stubborn pride,” her partner returned, not batting a
lash. 



“I meant the Corps and the Navy,” she said, with a
patented, ‘get with it’ look. 



“So did I,” came his response without hesitation, and
only a trace of humor. 



Mac laughed. “True enough, but how is that a good dog
name?” she asked, quieting her chuckles. 



“Pride.” 



She looked at him, surprised. “What?” 



“Pride....CAPTAIN Pride.” 



Mac opened her mouth to protest, but ran the name
through her head again. Captain...used for both Navy
and Marine ranks. Pride, definitely a basic Military
trait. She found herself nodding, a slight smile
quirking the corners of her mouth. 



“Not bad, flyboy...I think I like it.” 



Her partner feigned shock, holding a hand over his
heart. “You’re agreeing with me? Somebody call in the
special agents, something out of the paranormal just
occurred.” 



He didn’t see it coming as she reached behind and
grabbed a throw pillow, whacking him over the head
with it. Seconds later, it turned into an all out war
as he grabbed the other pillow and tackled his
partner. The puppy was momentarily stunned by the
sudden raucous, but soon joined in the fun by running
circles around the battling duo, yipping excitedly. 



A few minutes later, the friends called a truce and
fell back against the couch, laughing hard, trying to
catch their breath.  



Breathing more steadily, a still chuckling Harm bent
over to lift a whining pup onto the couch between
them. The little guy had been jumping against their
legs to get their attention. “Hey there Cap’n, you’re
really quite the mix, aren’t ya?” 



“Mix? He’s purebred,” Mac argued, leaning back against
the far end of her couch, resting her chin on her Jean
clad knees. 



“I know...and by the way, you gotta fill out the forms
now with his name on them. Then keep his papers filed
away somewhere safe.” 



“Thank you, Father! I’ll do my best not to screw that
up,” she replied, with an eye roll. 



“Make sure you don’t,” he said, mocking seriousness.
“But what I meant was, he’s really quite the mix of
us. Right down to one brown eye and one blue.” 



“Poor things gonna have some serious identity and
personality issues,” she joked. 



“Tell me about it,” Harm replied with a grin. 



They were silent for a while, both watching as Captain
curled up to sleep between them. The silence was
broken by Mac’s voice, soft and sweet to Harm’s ears.
“I don’t know if I thanked you for everything you’ve
done for me Harm...and I’m not just talking about
everything with Jingo. I’m talking about EVERYTHING,
everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 



“Mac, you don’t need to thank me. That’s what friends
are for. Besides, you thank me everyday by being my
friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you either,
Ninja Girl.” 



His sparkling blue eyes met her dark gypsy ones, their
gazes locking, portraying the understanding of what
they shared. After several long moments, they broke
the connection and focused back down on the sleeping
pup. Minutes later the silence was once again broken
by Mac, this time her tone teasing, effectively
lightening the mood, and making her friend smile once
again. 



“You know Harm, we just had a complete Hallmark
moment. Grab the tissues flyboy, I think I’m gonna
cry.”  



Harm’s smile broke into a laugh and he reached over,
pulling Mac closer, without disturbing the puppy. He
wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a friendly hug.
“You’re something else, Marine, you know that? You’re
something else.” 



Reveling in the warmth and security she felt whenever
he held her, she just smiled. /Ditto, Sailor. Ditto./ 

 



The End 

 



Jaimi Copyright@2002